Spicy Beans and Greens Stew {FANTASTIC DISH!}

Can I share my love of Bon Appetit Magazine.  I absolutely love it, and I love the recipes I find between it's pages EVERY SINGLE MONTH!  I rip at least one recipe out of the mag every time I read.  (Yesterday I read the Mar. issue and I have 6 recipes to try!  Heaven!)  This recipe was featured in the Feb. issue, and I made it the day I read the article.  It just looked so filling, and hearty, and cozy, and warm.  Everything you want on a cold Jan. day.  It's funny though the responses you get from a dish like this.  People are either a lovers or a haters of beans, and especially greens.  I definitely fall into the lover category.

I've always loved a good Bean and Bacon soup.  Actually I love Campbells Bean and Bacon soup straight out of the can!  I've been eating that as long as I can remember.  My mom taught me how to whip up a can of Campbell's at a young age.  It became a Sat. afternoon, and after school staple during my growing up years.  And of course my favorites were the Bean and Bacon, Split Pea with Ham, and Chicken Gumbo.  The last few years I have found a love for  Greens too!!!  It all started with the Zuppa Tuscana Soup, and then it branched out into the Minestrone Soup with Kale, and then my favorite breakfast now entails sauteed greens with a fried egg on top.  It's delicious!!  Those greens are so tasty!!  My Grandpa Barker always had Swiss Chard in his garden and brought my family some almost weekly during the summers.  I remember eating a lot of that stuff growing up.  I loved it.  My mom would steam it, and then we'd eat it with butter, vinegar and salt and pepper.  Lovely! I had just never thought of adding it into soup.  So needless to say when I saw this recipe in the pages of Bon Appetit this last months it didn't take long for me to decide I was going to make this stew.

I had all the ingredients, but there are a few things that may not be staples in every home.  Anchovies being the ingredient that I'm not sure everyone has in their fridge.  Let me just say this- I would never have anchovies on pizza, or would I ever think of using them in a recipe, but if you get over the fact that anchovies are actually fish with eyes, they taste really good!  If you like Caesar Salad then you like anchovies.  They're a key ingredient in the dressing.  They actually give whatever you're cooking a yummy saltiness, and that little bit of "What is it that makes this taste so good-ness?" to the recipe.  Anchovies keep forever in your fridge, and you can actually buy it in a tube (Anchovy Paste) already ground up.  Kind of like toothpaste, so you don't have to look those fishies in the eyes:)

You could make this stew a little thinner if you like, and have more of a soup.  I loved the thick heartiness of the stew, but next time I may want it to be more soupy.  It was great with a yummy piece of bread to dip in.  (Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat was my  choice for the night.) It was awesome the day after in my kids thermos' for lunch.  They got a few, "What are you eating-s?" at school, but most of their friends smelled the goodness in the thermos, and just made the yummy sound:) So I will quote a little saying from James' granny, "Don't be a pantywaist, and make this stew!"  Be brave, and bold, and I promise you'll like this stuff!  And thank you Bon Appetit for another FAVORITE recipe:)  I love you!!

Spicy Beans and Greens Stew
recipe adapted from Bon Appetit


¼ cup olive oil
4 anchovy fillets packed in oil or 2 t. anchovy paste
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary or 1 t. dried rosemary
salt and pepper
1 pound dried white beans or chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained
1/2 lb or 2 bunches kale ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 lb  flat-leaf spinach coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
shredded Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over the top of the stew.

Heat ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook anchovies, if using, red pepper flakes, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft and anchovies are dissolved, about 4 minutes. Add onion, celery, and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, 8–10 minutes.

Add beans, and 10 cups water.  (I used the quick cook beans technique because I wanted the stew NOW and not the next day.  It turned out perfectly.  Here's a link to quick cooking dried beans. Or you could always use 3-4 cans of white beans.  It would probably work great, and quite easy.)Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until beans are beginning to fall apart, 3–4 hours.

Lightly smash some beans with a potato masher to give stew a creamy consistency. Mix in kale and spinach season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Cook until greens are wilted, 5–8 minutes.
Add shaved Parmesan, and a drizzle of oil if you want.  Yummy!

Quick Kimchi Cucumbers

To be perfectly honest here, I have just barely been introduced to Kimchi.  So if you've never had it, or think it sounds nasty, you are not alone.  I've just always thought............it wasn't good!  I don't know why I would think such a thing since I absolutely LOVE sauerkraut, and this is just a Korean version of pickled or fermented cabbage.

A few months ago I spent the best week with all my siblings and their spouses and our parents in Hawaii.  It was amazing!!!  So much fun!  Talking and laughing, reading, sunshine, and plenty of yummy food.  When I'm on vacation I have a tendency to bring home FOOD souvenirs.  The trip with my family was no different.  I came home with 2 new things I liked and wanted to make at home.

The first "new" thing I tasted was actually just a spice or seasoning.  Furikake.  It's delicious!!!  It's a lovely little sprinkle that I had on quite a few dishes.  It is made up of seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and sugar.  I had it on rice at the Poke place, but my favorite was some Furikake dusted french fries that came with the best burger in town!

Notice my Kimchi Cucumbers, but also
notice the furikake that is dusted on my rice. MMmmmm!
Prawn Bowl from the Poke Shack in Kona, HI

The second "new" thing I tried was some Kimchi Spiced Cucumbers.  They were a side along with my prawns one day for lunch, and I could have eaten the entire bucket of these babies!  Unlike regular Kimchi that ferments for days and weeks, this was a quick pickle.  It was the crispiness of the cukes, and the spiciness of the Kimchi spice and to me it was just perfection!  I ate it with my rice, and now when I make them at home we eat them with anything Asian.  It would be perfect with this, or this!!!  (And you can sprinkle some Furikake on the rice as well as having these cucumbers on the side.) It would make the perfect pickle on your next hamburger.  Oh my heck!!!  I'm going to do that for dinner tonight!  Here's a link to the Korean Chili Powder I purchased to make the Kimchi Cucumbers.  The Korean Chili Powder is a more coarse grind of pepper.  I'm sure that you could substitute chili powder, or even a little cayenne powder.  I liked the bigger flecks of chili in the pickles, but it's just a food snob thing:)  Also here's a link to Furikake.  Funny thing though, once I purchased my little bottle in Hawaii, and then placed it carefully in my carry-on luggage, I noticed even Walmart carries it.  No need to make a special trip to Hawaii.  (unless you want to.)

Quick Kimchi Cucumbers
recipe adapted from Eating Well

2  cucumbers
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1/2 red onion sliced super thin
1/4 t. ground ginger
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Korean chile powder (Here's a link to the stuff I bought. )
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (Ok friends just go buy you some of this!  You'll use it I promise, and it lasts forever!)

PREPARATION
Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick half moons. Place in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with salt. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine garlic, scallions, ginger, vinegar, chile powder, sugar and fish sauce in a medium bowl.
Drain the cucumbers (discard the liquid). Stir the cucumbers into the vinegar mixture.
 Cover and refrigerate.

Eat immediately or place in the fridge and use within one week:)

James eating his Squid!  I bought him a big bag of thick chewy rubber bands to curb his squid cravings!  Ever since his mission to Taiwan he loves the stuff:)

The boys jumping of The End of The World.

Seriously!  Doesn't this look like heaven?  A huge half circle of family:)

An impromptu game of football on the beach one night.  There may have been a slight broken bone from this innocent game, but everyone on the beach loved watching:)

Sunday evening sunset!  We headed out to watch for the Green Flash.

Almost everyone.

We loved our walks.

The perfect trip!

Tomato Cucumber and Avocado Salad

Also known as my favorite salad on the planet!  I know it's Oct., and my garden should be long gone, but I baby it these last few weeks.  I do everything in my power to keep it going just a little longer.   I remember the first year I was married to James and we lived in a cute little house in Ogden.  I had planted about 6 tomato plants.  That was my extent of gardening, but I remember by Nov. I was praying those tomatoes would just DIE.  In Avon it's usually a different story.  There's usually a cold snap some time in Sept., and if I can just keep my tomatoes covered for a few days I'm usually looking at a beautiful Indian Summer that I can squeak a few more tomatoes out of:)

This salad is so easy, nothing special, just straight from the garden goodness.  If you don't have garden tomatoes then cherry tomatoes will be your best bet.  I just used a combination of yellow and red tomatoes.  The colors were stunning!  I had small little Armenian Cucumbers, and a red onion.  Oh,avocados too.  It's great as a salad, as a salsa with chips, and as breakfast too.  Try it with a fried egg.  Enjoy the last little bit of garden goodness:)  I'll take every little bit that I can get.


Tomato Cucumber and Avocado Salad

tomatoes (cherry's cut in half, or just big chunks of red and yellow tomatoes)
cucumber cut thin in half circles
red onion slivered
avocado cut into large chunks
olive oil
rice vinegar
salt and pepper
fresh basil

In a large bowl place all the veggies except the avocados.  Drizzle a little olive oil, and rice vinegar and salt and pepper.  Toss lightly and taste.  Adjust to your liking.  Add the avocado right before serving and toss lightly so you don't mush the avocado up.  I like a sprinkling of fresh basil as well.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

Sometimes I think about the things my family eats for dinner, and it makes me laugh.  I've said before how many times my mom has come to my home to babysit or stay for a while, and she always comments on the strange ingredients that have become staples at my house.  Fish sauce, 3-4 different curry pastes, black bean paste, sriracha sauce, pesto, and the list goes on and on and on.  I've had this discussion with James many times how the most exotic meals we had as kids growing up was hard shelled tacos with orange shredded cheese every Weds. night.  This is by no means intended as a slight to my mom or James' mom.  That was all that was available at the time.  When you had a salad it was with Iceberg Lettuce.  Now I have so many lettuce options just at my local small town grocer it's crazy!
The world has become so small. My family can eat from 3-4 different countries without even having to order take out.  I can make it in my own home.

My brother-in-law Dave served an LDS Mission to Thailand and is the person I credit with my family's love of Thai food.  He's the one that showed us how simple making these dishes at home could be.  He introduced James and I to our first Thai restaurant as well.  I remember Dave making this salad on a beautiful summer day on the beach at Bear Lake.  Out of the tailgate of his Suburban he threw together this salad in a Ziploc bag, and we feasted!  It was so tasty!

I will say that finding green papaya IS a little tricky.  I have a favorite Thai Food Market in Ogden that always has green papaya, and sometimes you can buy bags of it pre shredded.  If you don't have access to green papaya (And regular papaya isn't the same.  Sorry!) you could substitute shredded cucumber, or shredded cabbage for a Thai Coleslaw version:)  This salad is best served with Thai Sweet Sticky Rice, but regular Calrose, or Sushi rice would work great.  It's great served on its own as well.  It's raw, and fresh, and full of really great flavors.  Enjoy!

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

adapted from this recipe

1 small green papaya, OR 1/2 large about 2- 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews chopped

1 carrot grated

1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or long strips

3 spring onions, chopped

handful of fresh cilantro

1 red chili, sliced, seeds removed (totally optional)

DRESSING:

2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR soy sauce for vegetarians

3 Tbsp. lime juice

sugar to taste- I used about 1/8 c.

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. chili flakes or sriracha sauce

Preparation:

About Green Papaya: You may be able to find an unripe papaya in your local supermarket - it should have greenish-orange to green skin. If not, the best place is an Asian food store or market. It should be firm on the outside; inside flesh will be white to light orange. 

Use a sharp knife to peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya, or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips. Place in a large bowl.

Add sliced tomato, spring onion, chili/cayenne,  basil. Pour over the dressing, tossing well to combine.

Add nuts and toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more sprinkling of sugar. If not flavorful enough, add a little more fish sauce or soy sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. Add more chili for a spicier salad.

To serve, scoop into individual bowls or onto serving plates. Top with cilantro and a sprinkling of more nuts. Serve immediately with rice or on it's own and ENJOY!

Roasted Green Beans with Goat Cheese

*Disclaimer- My dad hates these beans.  He says it's the goat cheese, but I take everything he says about veggies in general with a grain of salt.    He won't eat carrots.  EVER!  So that just shows you what his vegetable thinking is.  I don't want to paint this post a little too rosy, so I thought I'd get that off my chest.  BUT- Everyone else loves these beans, so at least give them a try:)

See large bean wall next to glorious Zinnias:)

Is this what your dinner plates have been looking like a lot lately?  Ours have.  I must admit that some nights dinner may be strictly watermelon, or peaches and cream.  I will say though, that these are some of my favorite meals of the year.  Maybe if I was able to eat like this year round it wouldn't be so wonderful.  But the fact that this season only lasts a short while, I relish every garden dinner I eat.


These beans were my Jimmy's idea.  We have a favorite bean recipe throughout the year and this is a take on that.  Since everything seems to taste better when it's roasted, and since it is so easy to do, I gave the suggestion a try.  And it was a winner!


I have been buried in beans.  At least 2 five gallon buckets a week.  I've given them to anyone who will take them.  You see, I only planted them this year for aesthetic purposes.   I have a ton of bottled beans still from last year, as well as a bunch of Dilly Beans.  I love the look of the tall bean poles next to the row of zinnias:) That's all there is to it.  So if you have beans, try them out one night like this.   Good luck and happy gardening!!

Roasted Green Beans with Goat Cheese

Green Beans

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Goat Cheese (4oz will be plenty.)

I fill a sliver cookie sheet with fresh, snipped beans.   Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top, and sprinkle the beans with salt and pepper.  Toss until all the beans are lightly coated.  Place in a 425' F. oven and roast 20-30 minutes.  I usually let them stay in until the tips have started to char or brown a little.  Take out of oven and sprinkle goat cheese over top.  Serve.  

Marinara Sauce Repeat and Correction

So yesterday I get a phone call from one of our favorite old employees asking for some clarification on a recipe of mine.  Seems I had a typo involved with the Marinara recipe and  the recipe was being used two different ways.    The original recipe called for green peppers, but I wrote green onions.  I'm sure the green onion version  is delicious as well, but I must edit my recipe.  So here it is again.  Good luck and happy canning!!  Sorry Emily!  I know you have made it a lot with green onions, so maybe you can tell us when you find out which variation is best:)


Tis the season to stand at the kitchen sink for hours on end, with a really sappy Jane Austin movie, and can everything in sight.   (It is best to have the 5 hour copy of Pride and Prejudice to keep you occupied for the day.) I love hovering around those colorful little quart jars as they come out of the hot water bath.  I wait anxiously for the happy little popping sound.  That pop means all my work is not in vain.  The jar is sealed and can now rest peacefully in my storage room in perfect little rows of color.  I know this may be silly, but I must confess, I take pictures of the pretty little jars.  I have a friend that once confided she did the same.   We are kindred spirits till the bitter end now.  My favorite picture is when I do a batch of pickled beets and they are standing on the counter next to a row of perfect bottled peaches.  Yeah!!  The color contrast, the beautiful preserved fruit and veggies.  I love the satisfaction that canning your own produce brings.  Thanks to my mother dearest who taught me how to preserve my garden goodies.  It has become an Aug. and Sept. ritual at my house.  (As well as watching Pride and Prejudice from beginning to end for a couple of days straight.  I get a years worth of Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett all in one week.)

Today's task at hand was Homemade Marinara Sauce.  This is a recipe that I received from my little friend Jill, and it is a keeper.  I love having the fresh sauce on hand for spaghetti, and lasagna, but it is also really a great pizza sauce.  My favorite preparation is to fry up a pound of hamburger and then pour in the sauce and 1 c. of cream.  It makes a lovely pink sauce, that is a bit more mild than just a regular red sauce.  Try it next time.  I love this recipe because it makes between 15-18 quarts of Marinara Sauce.  I've made it at different times of the year too.  I have found it is just as good with #10 cans of crushed or diced tomatoes, dried onions, and dried green peppers.  It is a great way to use up some of your food storage.  I'll list the recipe using fresh ingredients as well as dried.  Both ways are delicious, but I must say that you have to use fresh basil at all costs.  It is just the way it is.

Jill's Fresh Marinara Sauce

1/2 bushel tomatoes peeled and chopped (or 3 #10 cans of chopped tomatoes)

7-8 chopped onions (or 1 1/2 c. dried minced onions)

6-7 green peppers chopped (or 1 c. dried green peppers)

12- 6 oz cans of tomato paste

 5 T. oregano

1 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil (or 4 T. dried, but it isn't anywhere near as good this way)

3/4 c. oil

4 pkg. dry spaghetti mix

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. salt

6 c. water

Simmer for 1 hour stirring a lot so as not to burn the bottom.  Place in clean sterilized quart jars and place in a hot water bath for 40 mins. for quart jars.  Make sure the lids seal and then store in a dry place.  

Fruits of My Labors

An evening spent picking beans in the garden with the redhead.  Love that kid!

I love my garden.  Next to my husband, my children, my dogs, my home, my family, my friends and neighbors, my garden is truly loved.  I pray for things in my garden, and yes, the prayers work.  I'm afraid this year though in all the hub-a-balloo of birthing babies, and nursing babies, and loving new babies, some things in my garden just didn't get the right start.  Cantaloupe won't be a staple from the garden this year, and I noticed that the new lawnmower in the family dismembered my cucumber plants.  And the tomatoes........well let's just say I may never get a ripe one this year, but at least I have plenty bottled from last year.  But the garden is beautiful still.  I have to admit that a lot of the reason I plant a garden is asthetics.  It's all about how it looks as I sit in my bathroom and admire it out the window.  The rows have to have texture, and be placed in certain order.  I love the tall lines of onions, the frilly wisps of fennel, and the beautiful color of giant Zinnias right down the middle of the garden.  Sometimes I don't even harvest something because I don't want to ruin how the garden looks.  I walk around the garden every day and admire the fruits of my labor.

As a kid I remember going to Bear Lake every year with my family and staying in Fish Haven.  I think it's the cutest little town, and there must have been a million little old grandma's who lived there who loved their gardens.  I loved driving through town and admiring each perfectly manicured garden.  Tall rows of corn, sprawling squash, and tons of raspberry bushes.  It all seemed so idealic to me, and it inspired me to do the same.

Every year I plant a huge row of pole beans right down the middle of the garden.  Why pole beans instead of bush?  Bush beans produce all in one big bang, but they're harder to pick, and they don't look as cute as the wall of bean vines that wind themselves up a fence.  A bean fence is just absolutely perfect down the center of my garden.  I LOVE the look, but the consequences are a load of beans.  So far I've picked quite a few 5 gallon buckets of beans.  Many get cooked with new potatoes, and bacon, but the majority have turned into Dilly Beans this year.  A lovely neighbor gave me the recipe a few years back and the fam and I decided this years harvest would be devoted to Dilly Beans.  Dilly Beans are better than pickles, and finger licking good.  They are easy to make, and don't take a lot of time, or even a pressure canner.  They're simple and delicious, and we love eating them by the bottle full.  The recipe is from the "Good Book" of canning.  The Ball Blue Book.  So it's safe and approved by the canning god's, and my neighbor Beanie.  (She's the canning god around Paradise.)  So when life hands you beans here's something a little different to make, but I promise you will be pleased with the outcome.  Especially come Christmas when you add these beans to a lovely relish tray, but let's not talk about Christmas............yet.

Dilly Beans

recipe courtesy of the Ball Blue Book of Canning

2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
8 sprigs fresh dill weed or 1 t. dill seed and 1 t. dill weed in each bottle
1/4 c. salt
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
Directions

Cut green beans to fit inside pint canning jars.
Pack the beans into four hot, sterilized pint jars. Place 1 clove garlic and 2 sprigs dill weed in each jar, against the glass.
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar,  water, and salt to a boil. Pour over beans.
Fit the jars with lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Good Gourds

Notice the controversial gourd photo above?

Pumpkin carving went on last night at my house.  We had all sorts of lovely pumpkin guts strewn all over the bridge, but 4 pumpkins were made into pleasant little Jack-O-Lanterns.  The red head begged for some roasted pumpkin seeds and being the wonderful mother I am, I indulged him.  Truth be told.......I love pumpkin seeds.  My mom used to make them all the time when I was a kid.  More times than not it wasn't actually pumpkin seeds, but Sweet Meat Squash seeds.  Same difference.  They are both just dang tasty.

Gourds this time of year brings up a little story that may be shocking to some.  It was a scandal around our neck of the woods a few years back.  6 years ago our family won the Cooking With Your Kids contest with the Food Network and a few weeks after the trip the local newspaper printed a story about us.  (Here is a link to the article.)   It was a full page article with a huge picture of our fam posing in our kitchen.  The kids loved it!  We didn't realize though what was hanging on our fridge in the background of the newspaper photo.  It was a picture from 14 years ago.  The one to the right with Jimmy holding the gourds.   Here it is.  If it's offensive.........I am sorry, but we've always thought it was dang funny as you can tell by the look on our faces. Therefore we hung it on our fridge.  It wasn't front and center by any means, but it was visible up in the corner of the newspaper photo.  Well a day after the Clawson family story ran, a call was made to the newspaper about the pornographic picture in the background of our story.  The caller was disturbed that this kind of material was available for her/his children to view.  It was in fact her/his 10 year old son who picked the picture out she/he said.  The photographer called James laughing his guts out.  He thought it was hilarious.  We grabbed the article and low and behold there it was.  The infamous picture of James holding my gourds.  It was about the size of half a postage stamp, but someone was offended.  The newspaper thought it was hilarious and ran quite a few editorial articles about the anonymous comment over the next couple of weeks.   I wanted to stick my head in a hole and hide.   It generated a lot of jokes, and customers thought it was great.  The one thing that made me feel bad though was the fact that I didn't know who thought the image was disturbing.  Had it been someone who'd been in my home and seen the picture in person, or just a random newspaper reader.  I have a feeling that it was someone we knew and that's what stung.  So I hope I don't offend anyone with posting the disturbing photo.   Still to this day, I get a little giggle every time I see it though.  The picture no longer hangs on my fridge, but it has a special place in my home.  So I guess James won't be running for President of the United States.  I just don't think I could handle the press digging through my dirty laundry or squash patch,  and finding this photo for the world to see.  It would be a scandalous scandal if you know what I mean. So just enjoy the pumpkins seeds, and all the lovely gourds this season and don't tell me if you hate the pic:)  We'll stay friends that way.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from as many pumpkins as you'd like washed and as clean as you can get them.

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Drizzle a little oil on the seeds, and sprinkle with all the other good stuff.  Place on a cookie sheet and roast in a 375'F oven for about 20-25 mins or until the seeds have dried out.  Serve on top of salad or soup, or enjoy by themselves.

Squash

Tis squash season, and a little fall feels fitting today.  Home from holiday, and I am loving my little bit of Paradise.  I usually dread fall, but I'm embracing it this year.  The weather has been perfect, the colors are staying longer this year, and it's just lovely.   Maybe it's because I got all my canning done in a timely manner this year and I'm not racing the frost to get everything done.  I need to remember this feeling.  Getting  things done in a timely manner is a good thing.  Fall is truly beautiful.  Maybe it's the fact that there has been no sneak peek of winter yet.  That's always nice.  This time of year requires squash be eaten though, and in many different configurations and preparations.  My sister-in-law plants squash every year in her garden, just to make her favorite squash muffins.  No other reason except for that.  Whatever it takes I guess.  


My new favorite is this- simple squash cubed and then tossed in Olive Oil and roasted.  Most veggies are best when roasted.  I love them all this way.  I love parsnips roasted, asparagus, zucchini, carrots.........you get the picture.  Roasting is simple and sooooo tasty.  It's pretty too.  That's important to me.  I don't like unattractive food.  It must look good or I can't eat it, or maybe I won't.  I'm a snob like that sometimes. But at least I can admit it I guess.

Roasted Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash peeled, seeded, and chopped into cubes

(just use a potato peeler and go to town.  It's pretty easy.   I'm going to try it on my banana squash too.)

Olive oil

salt 

pepper

sugar or honey (My aunt Jone told me about this)

spices

(I love a little cinnamon, or chipolte pepper powder, or smoked paprika.  This is all very optional.  Just go with what sounds good.)

Place the above ingredient together and toss until the squash is coated.  Place on a big silver cookie sheet and place in a 425' F oven uncovered and roast for about 30-40 mins.  Watch veggies and see when the squash is tender and browned a bit.  YUM!

What To Do With All The Green Beans?

So do you just have a ton of green beans?  Do you feel like they are coming out of your ears?  I even planted about 1/4 of the beans I usually do, and I am basking in a sea of beans.  If you aren't making my favorite meal on the planet, this is a close second when it comes to beans.  If you just happen to have a few new potatoes in the garden too, they will come in quite handy.  I watched little miss Giada (AKA Titty Lou) make this a few years ago, and it still makes me smile every time I eat it.  You can eat it warm or cold, fresh or the next day.  It is wonderfully yummy and just down right delish!

Warm Veggie Salad

(adapted from Giada DeLaurentis' Everyday Italian)

Boiled New Potatoes

Blanched green beans

2 roasted red peppers chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 bunch green onions

Dressing:

¼ c. vinegar

zest of 1 lemon and its juice

½ c. oil

1 t. dried oregano or 1 T fresh

salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the warm veggies together with the dressing and serve.  The dressing would be great in a salad or over roasted veggies too.

What's The Best Meal You've Ever Had?

That's the question I received not too long ago while I was teaching a little class one day.   I opened the class up for questions and I usually get the "What's your bread recipe?" question.  I answer that I could tell them, but I would swiftly have to cut their heads off.  Top Secret you know:)  But instead I got this question posed to me.  The funny thing about it is, I didn't hesitate for 2 seconds.   I know what the best meal I've ever eaten is.  I have a testimony of this meal.  I've eaten it all the days of my life, and my children are now raving mad men for this meal.  I will admit that there have been many a beautiful meal in my lifetime.  How about the Firecracker Fish in Kauai years ago, or the first fish taco I ever had.  Another is a turkey I practically molested with tons of butter and fresh herbs and cooked to complete perfection. Or even the halibut I ate at Hamilton's this last weekend.  They were all pretty wonderful meals, but the winner in my books is none other than fresh beans with red potatoes and bacon, sliced fresh tomatoes, and homemade corn on the cob.  That's it!  Simple as can be, but there is nothing on this planet that I like better.  Perfection on a plate.


Growing up we never planted a garden at my own home, but my grandpa Barker lived next door and he had the most beautiful garden.  I spent most of my mornings a few summers in a row weeding that lovely little garden.  Actually it was enormous!  It took my sister Hollie and I weeks to weed the rows of parsnips.  My grandpa fed all Pleasant View I believe.  And thanks to his garden we were never in need of fresh produce all summer long.  My grandpa would stop by early in the morning with the entire trunk of his little Mercedes full of goodness.  He'd bring in grocery bag after grocery bag of stuff.   It would all then be eaten up as quick as possible by our little family. One day I remember walking over to my grandpa's house to beg a few more beans off him.  I was in the mood for "The Perfect Meal".  I remember being downright mad as I walked home empty handed.  I wasn't mad at my grandpa.  He was a generous soul and would have given me his last bean if he had one, but someone in the town of Pleasant View knew how wonderful his beans were too.  For a few weeks in a row they had waited until my grandparents, and the rest of the neighbors as well, had gone to church and then rape and pillage my grandpa's bean patch.  They took them all.  Week after week.  I remember wondering why my grandpa hadn't picked the beans on Sat. to stop the robbers.  He would just leave a fruit laden bean patch ripe for the stealing.  Finally it came to me.  My grandpa must have wanted the robbers to have the beans.  Maybe they needed them.  Maybe they would starve to death without the beans.   My grandpa was giving again to others.  What a good man!

Even to this day I remember the story of my grandpa's beans every time I'm in my garden.  I love beans, but I love the lesson I learned from those beans as well.  A kind generous heart will always make life sweet.  Even if you have to go without beans once in a while:)

My Perfect Meal

Fresh beans snipped 

washed red potatoes quarted

In a large pot cook the beans and potatoes together until both are tender.  About 20 mins. or so.  In a fry pan cook anywhere from 1/2 -1lb. of chopped up bacon.  I usually cut it into 1/2 inch slices right through the plastic and then dump it into a pan.  Fry until nice and crispy.  Pour the bacon and some of the grease onto the beans and potatoes.  I'll admit I add a lot of the the bacon fat.  It makes the beans taste so wonderful.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!!

Yams, A Very Misunderstood Vegetable

I love yams. They are delicious, nutritious, and dang tasty. I've learned though that most people are on one of two teams. You either like yams, or you don't. There is no in between. I remember telling someone once that they'd really like yams if they put a ton of butter and cinnamon sugar on them. Their response was that they'd tried it and it still tasted like shi...with a "T" on the end. (This is my 6 year old's favorite way of describing things. I'm afraid I thought it was so funny when I heard him say it, that I couldn't even get mad. Anyways I have no idea where he heard that word anyways!)

When all of my kids were little they loved to eat yams. I'd bake tons of them and then just mash them up with the good stuff (butter and sugar) and feed all of my juicy, fat, happy babies tons of yummy yams. Sometimes their skin would even get a lovely orange hue from eating so many. Well one evening I was changing a yam diaper (you get the picture. It didn't look a whole lot different coming out as it did going in.) when I noticed the corner of a dollar bill in the diaper. My children were something of vacuum cleaners at my house at a certain age. There was always something un-edible in their diapers. Crayon pieces, torn paper....... I'm not the best mother I guess. This night is was a torn dollar bill piece. I got the giggles since it seemed a whole lot like the Walgreen's commercials that had been playing over the holidays. Everywhere Walgreen's customers turned dollar bills where popping up, and they were popping up in diapers for me. It was quite humorous until I noticed there were two zero's on that bill. It wasn't a $1 bill it was a $100 dollar bill. Where the heck had my baby come up with that. Needless to say we searched through the entire diaper. I am not below digging through yam shi...with a "T" on the end for $100. You would have done it too! We found about 75% of that $100 bill. We washed the orange corner thoroughly and took the taped pieces to the bank. We exchanged the soiled 75% of a bill for a nice fresh clean one and the bank didn't even ask why the bill was a little orange. The end of the story comes to my oldest child. He had taken the $100 bill from J's planner and then felt guilty for taking it. Instead of just putting it back he tore it into pieces and threw them in every corner of the house. Luckily our human vacuum cleaner had picked up a key part of the bill. All was well. We had a great opportunity to teach a lesson on honesty, and Jed is still alive to tell the story. Barely.

I'm here to tell you though that I have actually convinced a few people of the yummy-ness of yams with this next recipe. It comes from a real Kentucky cook I believe. My sister Hollie introduced our family to "Sweet Potato Pie" as it is called in the south a few Thanksgivings ago. I believe she got it from one of their dental school friends in Kentucky. Anyways who cares where it came from, let's just be thankful we have it now. I actually cook it year round, it is that good. And best of all, everyone in the fam loves it. I don't have one picky yam eater thank heavens.

Sweet Potato Pie

3-4 c. mashed yams or sweet potatoes

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. melted butter

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. milk

2 eggs

I usually bake about 3-4 yams for about 1 hour in a 350'F oven until they are soft and starting to ooze a brown syruppy stuff. Let the yams cool a bit and peel. I the just add the whole yam to the bowl. Whip the yams together with all the ingredients and pour into a casserole dish. I use a deeeeeep dish pie pan. It's the perfect size. Top with the topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350' F for 25-30 mins. or until the center of the casserole has puffed slightly. I usually bake it a little longer than the recipe states. Serve.

Pickled Beets and Maybe A Tear Or Two

I have spent the last two days bottling pickled beets.  Now this may seem like a lot of time to do 21 quarts of pickled beets, but there was a lot of other things in between.  How about the picking of the beets in the stickiest mud ever.  I sliced my finger off almost and was covered in mud head to toe.  Then there was the washing of said beets.  All the while there were 2 gallons of raspberries I picked, 2 piano lessons, and one very nasty Suzuki Violin lesson that needed to be attended to by me, and of all the nerve, I was to take notes too.  I boycotted the violin lesson.  I told the teacher I had errands to run that were very important and couldn't be delayed, and then I drove to the nearest McDonald's and sat in my car catching up on all the wonderful recipes online on my laptop.  It was 45 minutes of per indulgence.  I may go to hell for it, but dang it, it was worth it.

Today has been the cooking and pickling of beets day, with a few tears shed between bottles.  I love to can with a good movie playing on my computer, and today I chose Little Women.  I don't know.  I may have just needed a good cry session, but the beets are such a pretty color, and Little Women is just so......full of feminine emotions I cried the whole last 20 mins.   Maybe it's the fact that I'm going to make a lovely green salad with homemade tomatoes, cukes and pickled beets and slather the whole thing with homemade Blue Cheese salad dressing that makes me a bit weepy.  In a good way though.  I love pickled beets.  I remember eating a whole bottle by myself when I was little and then wondering if I was dying later (if you know what I mean).  My mom made delicious pickled beets, and she taught me.  Thanks mother!  They're really easy, and a treat to have.  They also look very pretty next to your bottled peaches in your fruit room in the basement:) I'm going to take some to Hollie next time I visit.  She loves too.  I'm sure you will also. 

Spiced Pickled Beets

Beets (leaves cut off and scrubbed squeaky clean.  Don't cut into the beet until they are ready to go in the bottle or their color will bleed out.  Just cut off most of the leaves leaving a short butched flat top of stems.)

Place the clean beets into a large pot and cover almost completely with water.  Bring to a boil and let boil for about 30 mins.  I actually boil them longer.  More like 45 just to make sure the skins will come right off.  Reserve the cooking liquid and cut the tops and bottom of the beets off.  The skin should just peel right off.  Cut beets into desired size and place in quart bottle.  I like them in big chunks, but do whatever you like.  When your bottle is full cover with the next mixture.

Beet Liquid

10 c. reserved beet water

2 c. vinegar

2 c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

Pour this liquid over the beets until covered.  Remove all air bubbles and seal with clean lids and bands.  Cook in a hot water bath for 40 mins. for quarts.  Serve cold out of the bottle, warmed on the stove, or sliced in a lovely green salad with Blue Cheese dressing.

Lord Of The Onion Ring

Labor Day fun with the Clawson's is always a treat.  I think it takes a while for my toilets to get back to normal. After all, there are 40 extra people at my home for a few days.  The weather was beautiful, the company was lovely, and the food was delish!  Especially the onion rings!  I have to admit this post and pictures are compliments of J's brother Doug.  Thanks Doug!  I love your stinking guts!  

How about those lunker onions though.  I can grow an onion I guess.  We only used three of those babies, and it fed an army.  They were so yummy.  Maybe it's the fact that you slurp them down right out of the oil and there was lots of Ranch dip to dip them in.  Do you remember the part in Dances With Wolves where the greasy wagon guy is slurping hot bacon out of the pan and then toots and says, "Put that in your book!"  That's all right before the wild injuns stick an arrow through his buttocks, and his dies a slow miserable death.  That's what we were like.  Not the tooting and slow miserable death, but the slurping of hot greasy items and loving every minute of it.  I hope you get a chance to make these.  The batter was really good with zucchini too.

Lord Of the Onion Rings

2 large onions (peel and slice into 1/2 inch slices)

1 c. flour

2 c. buttermilk

1 T. sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

lots of oil for frying

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Dip each onion ring into the batter and place in hot oil.  Cook until golden brown and then flip.  Serve with ranch dip or fry sauce.  Making them outside, in the dutch ovens was perfect.  The mess was outside, and J was actually the Lord of the Onion Rings not me, but somehow I got all the glory:)  

Ratatouille AKA Glorified Zucchini Casserole

Isn't it pretty.  

What to do with all the zucchini and squash that is suddenly overtaking your garden.  I have found the answer and if you tell your kids it is Ratatouille then they just might try it.  OK, I'll admit though that my dad still hated this dish even with the fancy name.  So if your daddy-o is like mine cover the dish in butter and cream and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top and blind fold him and he just might like it.  My granny had to do this when my dad was a boy.  You know the saying,"It's always funny until someone gets their eye poked out." well it was funny until little Rod did get his eye poked out, and had to lay around with both eyes bandaged for weeks. My granny disguised carrots with the preparation mentioned above, and fed my dad lots of "candied carrots" to bring back his eye sight.  It was a miracle that my dad could see and you'd think he'd have a soft spot for carrots, but no.  Now that he can see he won't eat carrots.  He acts like a 2 year old when carrots are around, and zucchini too.

I love fried zucchini with ranch dressing, and I love Zucchini Bread.  I love zucchini sauted with onions and then topped with Velveeta.  Today I'm going to improvise, and make a Zucchini Banana Carrot Bread.  Sounds interesting doesn't it.  I'll post it if it's good.  So on to the Ratatouille and the zucchini preparation at hand.  I loved the recipe that I found in Ina Garten's cookbook.  I added a little something from another recipe though.  That would be the cream and cheese addition. It totally makes the dish unhealthy, but delicious.  This casserole is really pretty too, and I love it leftover for breakfast.  I warm it in the microwave, place it on a piece of Honey Whole Wheat bread and top it with a fried egg.  The kind where the yolk drips down the sides.  YUM!

Ratatouille

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

Saute the onion and garlic in a pan with a little bit of oil until tender.  About 5 mins.  Place the onion and garlic in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Top with slices of the remaining veggies .

1 zucchini sliced

1 crookneck squash sliced 

4-5 red potatoes sliced

4-5 home grown tomatoes sliced

generous sprinkling of salt and pepper

Place uncovered in a 475'F oven for 30-40 mins.  Check with a knife that the potatoes are tender.  When the veggies are tender pour the next three ingredients on top.

1 c. cream

1c. Parmesan cheese

fresh torn basil

Place back in the oven for another 15 mins. until the cheese and cream is bubbly.  Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  It goes great with any meat, or as a breakfast casserole. 

I Am On A Roll

Just a quickie here.  You know me though.....I start on something and sometimes I just can't stop.  It would be the roasted veggies again.  This time in a pasta.    Yummy, yummy!  Tonight's dinner was Lemon Roasted Veggie Chicken Pasta.  Do you think I could come up with a better name?  I'll work on that one.  Here's the recipe though.  It is really easy and tastes light and summery.  Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Lemon Roasted Veggie Chicken Pasta

Roasted veggies (I use 1 lb. of asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and onions)  Place the veggies on a cookie sheet and drizzle a little olive oil on top.  Toss with your hands and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them.  Place in a 425' F. oven for 20-30 mins.

1 lb. pasta of choice  (I used Linguine)  cooked al dente

2 chicken breasts chopped

In a large saute pan place the cooked pasta, roasted veggies, and chicken.  Add to the pan:

2 c. half and half

1 T. lemon zest

1 c. Parmesan cheese

a pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper

Turn the temp up and let the half and half heat up while you mix it around with the other ingredients.   The sauce may seem really thin, but it thickens while it sits.   This is a yummy dinner, and loaded with good veggies.  Serve with Great Harvest Asiago Sourdough bread, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and fresh parsley.