Pickled Asparagus

We had to be creative with all of the asparagus we aquired in June here's a great recipe.

Overnight Pickled Asparagus

Ingredients:

Brine: (for about 4 quarts)

• 4½ cups water 
• 4½ cups white distilled vinegar (5%) 
• 6 small hot peppers (optional) 
• ½ cup canning salt 3 teaspoons 
• dill seed (or dill weed)

In each quart jar, add:

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon dehydrated onion

 Asparagus: cut to height of bottle

 

Directions:

1.    Bring pan of water to a boil.  Blanch asparagus by boiling for 90 seconds and then place in ice water to cool.

2.    Once cool, pack asparagus into quart jars as tight as possible.

3.    Bring water, vinegar, peppers (optional), salt and dill to a boil.

4.    With jars tightly packed, pour hot brine over the asparagus, top with lid and allow to cool to room temperature.

5.    Place in refrigerator and use within 2-3 weeks.  Ready to eat within 24 hours.

Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Walnuts

This was delicious, but it didn't make nearly enough for leftovers! The "I" in the recipe was Aaron.

 Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butternut squash/pumpkin peeled and cubed ( I used 4 cups)
• 2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground ginger, (3 tsp fresh if you have it )
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 hot green peppers (I did not add this)
• 1.5  cups cooked black beans, drained 
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• Salt
• crushed red pepper (dash of cayenne)
• fresh lemon
• 6 Tbsp lightly toasted walnuts (I used 6)
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

1. Heat oil, cumin and hot pepper in a thick bottomed pan or skillet; when the seeds sizzle, add the ginger, butternut squash/pumpkin cubes. Increase the heat to high and cook the squash/pumpkins tossing them frequently till they are light brown on the sides.
2. Now add the beans, salt, red chili powder and 1/4 cup of water to the pan with the squash/pumpkin and cover and cook till the squash/pumpkin cubes are fork tender but firm.
3. Uncover and check to see if done. If there are any remaining water, increase the heat and let the water dry off. This is a dry dish. If done, add the crushed the red pepper and walnuts; toss to combine well.

Chile Rellenos

When we visited a new family in the ward, the mom gave us some fresh peppers - they have peppers, onions and cucumbers on their farm.  I've never used poblanos, but she suggested making chile rellenos.  So I searched for a recipe.  After searching through several this is what I came up with.

• 8 Poblano chile peppers, charred and peeled
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
•  2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating

1. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers. Stuff each pepper with cheese.
2. In a small bowl combine milk, the 1 cup flour, egg yolks, baking powder, baking soda, salt and canola oil; mix well to make a batter.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Slowly fold into batter.
3. Pour enough oil in heavy frying pan to reach 1 inch in depth and heat over medium-high heat. Roll each pepper in the remaining flour and dip in the batter. Fry until lightly browned on both sides. 

A lesson in charring the peppers:  I would use a gas grill.  Turn up the heat and turn them about every 3 minutes I would turn them a bit until everything was charred and blistered.  It took about 10-12 minutes.  Then I put them on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap and let them steam for about 10 minutes.  After that it was easy to peel the skin off.  I had to be really careful cutting open just one slit to remove the seeds and membranes.  Sometimes pulling the membranes out caused another side to rip, so I would use a sharp knife.  
PS it doesn't take long to pan fry them - 1-2 minutes per side.

Summer Casserole

SUMMER CASSEROLE

From COOKS.COM

• About 5 med. red potatoes
• 2 or 3 zucchini squash
• 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, whole *
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• 2 or 3 yellow crookneck squash
• 1 sweet green pepper, cubed
• Olive oil and Italian seasoning

1. Scrub potatoes and trim. Slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick, leaving skin on. Toss in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons olive oil until all slices are coated. Place in the bottom of a baking dish about 9 x 13.
2. Slice the cleaned and trimmed squashes into rounds about 1/3 inch thick and set aside in bowl. Separate onion into rings and add to squashes along with cleaned mushrooms and 1 inch sweet pepper cubes. Toss with a couple tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. 
3. When well mixed spread evenly over potatoes and bake uncovered at 325 degrees about 1 hour, or until potatoes are done. Salt and pepper to taste after baking. You can do this with just potatoes and zucchini, and is great hot or cold.

* I quartered my mushrooms, since I didn't have very many

Minestrone Soup

This is the soup I made for the Relief Society dinner.  I did use vegetable broth, but it would be good with chicken broth as well.  I didn't use quite as much cabbage as it called for., and I substituted garbanzo beans for the kidney beans, and shell pasta for the orzo pasta, and I didn't have any zucchini.  Wow, I didn't realize I'd changed the recipe that much.  But it was delicious!

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 large head cabbage, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 large zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pot combine the vegetable stock, the undrained tomatoes, potato, onion, celery, carrot, cabbage and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the beans, corn, zucchini and pasta; simmer for 10 to 15 more minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Zucchini Parmesan

This is not really like an eggplant Parmesan (it doesn't even call for Parmesan cheese), but it is really good.  I've always just made my own spaghetti sauce (but a jar would work nicely here).  I didn't slice mine really thin, maybe 1/4 inch.  And it was a pretty big zucchini (that's what happens when you leave for 5 days).  We sprinkled Parmesan on top for fun.

Zucchini Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large pot boil the zucchini until tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until the onion is tender.
3. Combine the zucchini, onion and garlic in a 9x12 inch casserole dish, and mix well. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture and stir well. Top with mozzarella cheese (use more or less depending on your preference).
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

 We got some fresh asparagus at a produce stand, and so I searched for a good recipe.  I found one here, and it was delicious!  I didn't do the lemon juice, but everything else was great!  Simple, and fast.  A perfect veggie side dish!

• 1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

Oven Roasted cauliflower

I got this recipe with my Fred Meyer ad in my email this week. I thought it was really good. I didn't have fresh rosemary, so dried had to do. I never have shallots, so I diced some onion. I also used regular table salt and black pepper. I did have fresh parsley though.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower, about 2 pounds, cut into 1 1/2" florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh cracked white pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons shallots, minced
• fresh parsley, chopped

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine all of the ingredients except the shallots and parsley. Toss to mix well and place in a roasting pan. Roast until cauliflower is tender, turning once with a metal spatula, about 35 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, mix in shallots.
• To serve, sprinkle with parsley.

Butternut Squash Bake

I found this recipe last week. It was very good. Even Aaron said he liked it - he's not a squash fan. It took some time to cut up and peel the squash, but it was really good. I didn't have Italian bread crumbs, so I added some Italian seasoning to the bread crumbs. I am not a fan of blue cheese, so I used feta, but didn't have enough, so I added some Parmesan as well I had dried thyme and not fresh. Savory, instead of sweet - yum!

Butternut Squash Bake

1 (4 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/3 yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Toss the squash, onion, olive oil, 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, thyme, and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the squash.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

I've used this recipe several times, so I was surprised I hadn't posted it yet. I don't put in the dill weed, and use only a dash of cayenne pepper (instead of crushed red pepper flakes). I've also baked these another way. I cut them into wedges, microwave them for about 4 minutes (about half done), and then mix them with the oil and herbs. Then I pan fry them on the stove in a large skillet.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
3. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Potato Supreme

This is my MIL's version of funeral potatoes. Very yummy, and we all love it. I'm sure I've made it in the last year, but haven't posted it for some reason. You can also reduce the amount and use it as a side dish.


4-6 medium potatoes, boiled, then skinned, and sliced very thin
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 Tbsp butter
1 pint sour cream
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. onions, chopped (I use green onions)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook potatoes, slice, and set aside - it is important not to over cook, or they will be difficult to slice. I use a hand held slicer (it's one side of my rectangular cheese grater).
Mix together remaining ingredients. Then mix gently with the potatoes and spread into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.

Whipped Butternut Squash

Fall is time for yummy squash! At least it is for me. I know that Aaron doesn't like squash, but I he knows better than to say so when I am introducing a new food to the kids. So he politely took some, and ate it with no complaints. I thought the kids would like it especially when David saw the squash and was so excited because he knew what it was (from the Winnie the Pooh video). But apparently their dislike for it is inherited. Even though Aaron didn't voice his dislike, the kids wouldn't eat it. David literally gagged down 5 bites so he could have seconds of his dinner.
I, on the other hand thought it was delicious. I needed to bake it a little longer. There were still some big chunks that didn't get soft enough to whip. But I thought it was very good and creamy. I only had one squash and so I halved the rest of the ingredients. I used real butter, but fat free sour cream. I added 1 Tbsp brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. If you like squash, you'll like this recipe. It's not my picture, but mine looked like that - right down to the type of bowl!

Whipped Butternut Squash

• 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup light sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash halves cut side down in a medium baking dish with enough water to cover. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until tender.
3. Scoop squash from skin into a medium bowl, and mix with margarine and light sour cream. Whip until smooth. Season with salt and pepper

Lemon Butter Seasoned Vegetables

This was very quick and easy. And very tasty. I little too much lemon so the recipe show what I would try next time. I also reduced the butter from 6 to 4 Tbsp. And I cooked the vegetables separately.

Lemon Butter Seasoned Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

• 6 potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
• 1/2 pound carrots, quartered and cut into 2-inch long pieces
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a steamer over boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. (I would do it separately - the potatoes cook faster.)
2. To the melted butter add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Pour over potatoes and carrots and toss.