From my Garden to the Kitchen Septmeber 28 2011

Fresh Parsley from my Garden

Sun dried and in blender chop or fine puree

My Garden is still producing the end of September at the Jersey Shore. I grew Italian flat Parsley and Curled Parsley. With only 1 plant of each parsley plant I have be given a huge harvest of parsley to cook with for the winter season. Plus I am going to mail my sister a package of parsley for her to cook with.

I washed my parsley let drain then set it outside to sundry or you can bake it to dry. Once totally dried you can blend it under your choice of chopped or fine puree.

My Cherry Tomatoes I just picked 

Still growing on the vine 

Love my cherry tomatoes (go matoes go)

My husky cherry tomatoes are still growing they are still flowing yellow flowers for more tomatoes this is at the Jersey Shore the end of September plus I did find one of my beneficial friends. That alien praying mantis that I hatched from the egg case. He stared at me like I was a food source and tilted his head with those alien eyes. Oh how spooked but I hatched him and I think he was so cute anyway, every year I purchase praying mantis egg cases to hatch and release into my garden to eat the bad bugs.

Yes that's me Praying Mantis the Alien

Well lets get back to my Garden....

Outside I have containers with habanero hot pepper plants and mixed lettuce growing from seeds. I also have cayenne hot pepper growing in the front yard.

Mixed Lettuce

Habanero Peppers still growing

Baby Habanero Pepper and still flowering

Cayenne Pepper

Hot pepper still growing end of September

I enjoy Gardening and Cooking Fresh from my Garden and enjoy making different types of food with my veggies. My sister never tried Butternut Squash soup before and now loves it Thanks to me. Well everyone enjoy and.....


Be Creative
Enjoy

Garden Flowers September 28 2011

Impatiens flowers are still in bloom 

Red Flower that started growing in my impatiens

Impatiens

This fall is still beautiful with flowers still in bloom. My Impatiens planted in a planter on my front porch. During the summer there was a leaf type plant growing with the impatiens so I pulled it out. Then later another and another so I let it be to see what type of plant this would be. Later on during the summer this plant produced a red pointed flower which I believe from the Salvia splendens vista red flower.

When the red flower grew to large for the planter I transplanted them under my mail box and today they are still in bloom end of September at the Jersey Shore.


I love nature and love to experiment with what is growing around me so I let this plant alone to grow. Happy gardening and remember.


Be Creative
Enjoy

Garden Flowers September 28 2011

Morning Glories  planted from seed years ago

Hey morning glory its 11:45 almost noon lady

One of 3 mums I planted last year which came back "Surprise"

It's the end of September at the Jersey Shore and my garden is still alive and growing. I have my morning glories I planted from seed many years ago and they still bloom. I know they love to wrap around anything they can get their vine on. My three Mums I planted last year came back that was a surprise to me I only had one come back a few years and then did not make it again. 

My veggie garden is still growing my husky cherry tomatoes and so is my parsley. Those are in my small garden and I decided not to take them out to see how long they will continue to produce. One year at the Jersey shore my tomatoes were producing the end of November.

Love my Garden and was Blessed with the large harvest I received. I am still making tomato soup and salsa sauce. 

So my I am leaving my small garden alone for the winter months to see if my parsley comes back as an experiment. 

Be Creative

Enjoy

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Add your favorite crackers

Today we are making Butternut Squash Soup which is so tasty.

2 Butternut Squash pealed, take out the seeds and pulp. The seeds are on the bottom of the squash I used a spoon to scoop them out. (Then I planted them in my Garden to see if they will take next spring)
Hey be Creative and explore the possibilities.

Dice the Butternut Squash and boil until tender about 25 minutes or longer. Once tender let sit to cool down before adding to the blender and Puree with the Saute onions.

Return to the pot and add
Chicken stock, Goya chicken pollo, spices.
Add light cream or half and half.
Garnish with fresh parsley and dill.

2 butternut squash
1/2 onion sauteed in butter
1 can chicken stock
1 package of goya chicken pollo
Sprinkle onion salt, Italian seasoning, sea salt.
Garnish with Fresh parsley and dill from my Garden.

You can explore and add brown rice, barley or egg noodles for texture or just plain.
Today I added a small scoop of barley with a small scoop of fine egg noodles and added
half and half to my bowl with Nabisco flavor originals Chicken in a Biskit crackers for a touch of texture.

Be Creative
Enjoy

Cream of Carrot Soup

Cream of Carrot Soup 

I had a lot of Carrots in my frig. so I decided to make a fast and easy Cream of Carrot Soup.
Boil carrots, 1/2 onion, 1 piece of garlic in a large pot until tender.
I added 1 package of  Goya chicken pollo seasoning, fresh dill, fresh parsley, A sprinkle of Italian seasoning and onion salt.
Puree in a blender when cooled down.
You can have the carrot soup plain or add light or heavy cream. If you like sour cream that too could be added. For texture you can add pastina, rice or small egg noodles.

Quick Warm and Easy.

Be Creative
Enjoy

Baby Red Stuffed mixed Peppers

Blend the rice, onions, diced peppers and spices together

Stuffed baby peppers

Oh so good.

Large red stuffed peppers 

Red Pepper 2 cut in half 

7 Small mixed peppers yellow, orange, cut in half

Brown success rice 1 bag

Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup shredded

Parmesan  cheese sprinkle

V-8 cocktail juice 1 large can 

Diced pepper (red, yellow, orange or mixed) 1 half diced

Onion 1 diced and saute in stove top pan

Olive oil 3 table spoons 

Spice, garlic powder, onion salt, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, dill, sprinkle a little of each

In a mixing bowl add the cooked rice  

saute onions (lightly until soft) add to the rice 

add

diced peppers

parmesan and cheddar cheese

spices

Mix above together and stuff each pepper

Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a large stove pot.
I made two separate pots one for the large and one for the small peppers.

Add to the bottom of the pot a little V-8 juice

Place each stuff pepper on the bottom of the pot

Add more V-8 juice to meet the peppers half of the pepper (do not cover the pepper with the juice)

Place a lid ajar and steam the pepper until tender.

This time I added two pieces of fresh garlic and a few small red peppers with some whole cherry tomatoes from my garden. Yes I am still growing and picking my "matoes" in September.
Go Jersey the Garden State.

Be creative

Enjoy

GO ARMY GO.......PARTY TIME

GO ARMY GO

This weekend we are having a Party for my son who has joined the ARMY. So I am making different dishes for the party at Taco Island.
Today we are having the party so my son put up a stage so he and his friends can entertain he plays the guitar and drums and his friends join in. Maybe I will get up on stage to sing? Anyway I am still cooking and my sons and their friends will decorate around the Gazebo and Tiki Bar which my son build. 


So here we go with the menu.


Creamy Penne Ziti
Broccoli and cavatelli
Pasta salad tortellini swirls
BB Chicken drumsticks
Fried Chicken 
Buffalo Wings
Deviled Eggs
Garden Salad
Cup Cakes


There will be Hamburger and Hot Dogs, snacks, drinks, coffee and music entertainment and more.




Be Creative
Enjoy

Creamy Ziti/Penne....GO ARMY GO.....

Creamy Penne Ziti

This weekend we are having a Party for my son who has joined the ARMY. So I am making different dishes for the party.
Here is a Pasta Salad I just made and the easy recipe goes like this.


Boil 1 and 1/2 boxs  Barilla Piccolini mini penne ( very tiny penne)  with a little salt as directed until tender. Strain set aside. In a bowl add 2 15 oz ricotta whole milk, onion salt, parsley, dill weed, garlic powder, Mrs. dash. Mix your favorite pasta sauce (mom loves tuttorosso traditional) She uses a lot of sauce in the mix depends on how much pasta she can used 2 jars to mix with the ricotta and add a little more sauce from a second jar, which makes it Creamy and not Dry. Sprinkle a little of shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir the above prior to adding the cooked penne. In a container put a little of the pasta sauce on the bottom, put the penne on top and put a little of the pasta sauce and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Moms secret for the Ziti/penne not to dry it out over and over is you only heat or bake your portion not the entire Ziti/penne plus her extra pasta sauce helps to make it moist.
Today I added a half pack of pollo chicken broth. You can add anything you love from veggies to meat.
Go Army Go .....

Be Creative
Enjoy

Cavatelli and Broccoli... GO ARMY!

This weekend we are having a Party for my son who has joined the ARMY. So I am making different dishes for the party.
Here is a Cavatelli and Broccoli dish I just made and the easy recipe goes like this.


2 frozen bags 13 oz. cavatelli
40 oz. bag of frozen Broccoli. You can use fresh broccoli crowns if you wish for me it's cooking for a large party.
Garlic, Garlic, Garlic. I can not get enough of Garlic.
2 Heads of Garlic peeled and sliced.
3 Table spoons of chopped garlic. (In the produce refrigerated  jar of Great Garlic chopped in soy bean oil.
Garlic Powder spice sprinkle as much as you like.
Onion salt spice sprinkle to your taste.
Parsley Flakes sprinkle as much as you like.


Boil the cavatelli as directed drain and put in a large pot.
Pan fry in olive oil the Broccoli until firm but tender leave remove the broccoli and leave the oil in the pan.
Mix the broccoli and cavatelli above together in the large pot.
In the remaining olive oil pan fry the peeled sliced garlic until tender and not brown.
Add the fried garlic into the large pot.
Add the garlic powder, onion salt, parsley flakes and the 3 table spoons of chopped garlic into the large pot. Mix everything together and if you need more spices or garlic add more.


You can top with Parmesan Cheese or Shredded Mozzarella Cheese. This is up to you and your taste.


GO ARMY GO....


Be Creative
Enjoy

Pasta Salad GO ARMY !

Party Pasta Salad

This weekend we are having a Party for my son who has joined the ARMY. So I am making different dishes for the party.
Here is a Pasta Salad I just made and the easy recipe goes like this.

2 Boxes of Tri-Color Rotini I used Barilla
1/2 red onion diced very small
1 red pepper diced very small
1 hand full of thinly sliced carrots. ( purchased them already sliced thin)
1 hand full of small celery sliced very small
1/2 bottle Italian Dressing.
12 cherry tomatoes From My Garden left whole.
Yes I am still growing in September cherry tomatoes in my Garden and have over 4 large bags and counting

You can add any veggie you like and sprinkle with parmesan cheese or even dice cheddar cheese if you like.
Boil pasta as directed. Let cool then add the above veggies with the dressing.

GO ARMY GO !

Be Creative
Enjoy

Cabbage Boats

Today Mom and I are making Cabbage Boats with a brown rice meatball. Floating in a red sauce. So here we go and enjoy.

1 very small cabbage

1 small orange pepper, option red, yellow.

2 scallions green ends

1 small pack chop meat

1/2 cup white or brown rice

1 V8 Juice 46 oz can

table spoon olive oil

1 egg (optional)

Bread Crumbs amount to make the meatball soft but not too wet.

Pasta Sauce

Optional spices , onion salt, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, ect

Take off the outer leaves of the cabbage to be used as the boat for the meatball

Place the inner cabbage the heart place inside the bottom of the pot

Dice a part of the pepper to place inside the bottom of the pot (use the other portion to dice and put inside the meat and rice mixture)

Dice the green ends of the scallion and place inside the  bottom of the pot.

Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Add Past sauce enough to coat the bottom (Colonna Marinara or any sauce your choice)

Stir the above together.

Mix uncooked chop meat with the cooked rice.

Add 1 egg

Add the remaining diced pepper

Mix the above

Add Bread Crumbs enought to make the meatball soft but not too wet.

Roll meat mixture into balls place each ball into each cabbage leaf

Place them into the pot add V8 juice to the bottom and then lightly on top of each boat

Stove top cover with the lid opened until the meat is brown and the cabbage is tender.

Be Creative

Enjoy

Borscht Soup

Baba gave Mom her recipe for the Borscht Soup (Remember she does not write this down it’s a pinch of this and that so mom tried to figure it out)

So her we go.

Peel 6 large Beets and boil whole until tender sent aside to cool before you shred the beets. Mom uses her salad shooter. Return to the soup pot keep the water from the beets. A hint when you peel the beets prior to cooking your fingers will be RED. 

She dices onions and lightly fries them in butter add to the pot.  Dice carrots and celery add to the pot. Add 2 cans chicken broth and 2 or more of pollo (a powder chicken broth) Add 1 tablespoon of Cider vinegar.

Remember everything is up to your taste.

Mom adds different spices sprinkle a little of ….Parsley flakes, Onion salt, Whole Oregano flakes, little salt,  mostly Dill weed.

When the soup is  finished you can add sour cream or heavy cream to lighten the flavor. Mom likes it red or pink with the light cream. My brothers love the sour cream go figure.

You can add boiled potatoes and pork and beans into your soup this again is up to your taste. Here is what the soup looks like.
Be Creative
Enjoy

я тебе люблю    lublu

Love you Baba

From my Garden to the Kitchen Rhubarb Lemon Aid

Rhubarb Lemon Aid

This summer in my strawberry patch was a strange plant growing. I was not sure what kind of plant so I let it grow to see what it was. At first when the leaves were large my guess was some kind of melon and again I left it alone. Finally this plant was growing so big I looked to see what it was and I was shocked it turned out to be a Rhubarb plant in my strawberry patch.
I never made anything with Rhubarb before so I took the stalks and washed and boiled them until tender 1 quart water.
Take out the Rhubarb stalks discard.
Drained the water to use for the Rhubarb Juice added 3 scoops of Country Time Lemon aid and 1 scoop of sugar.

Simply and easy. You can use fresh lemons if you have them and even some limes.

Be Creative
Enjoy

Recipes for Granny with Alzheimer's Insure with banana, peach & mango

Today we made for Granny a sweet drink using Insure. We added HappyTot organic super foods banana, peach and mango and milk blended together. Bottoms up Granny!

Be Creative
Enjoy

From my Garden to the Kitchen Baked Veggies

Baked Veggies plain

Baked Veggies with Bread Crumbs on top

         It is September 1st and my Garden is still producing veggies in New Jersey the Garden State. I cut up my yellow squash and sliced my red peppers added a half of onion with placing two whole big boy tomatoes.

I also added 4 cloves of peeled garlic. I drizzled olive oil on top and sprinkled flavored bread crumbs on top.

I covered the baking pan with foil and baked it at 350 for about 25 to 30 minutes or until all the veggies are tender.  You can bake the veggies plain without the bread crumbs or drizzle with Good Seasons Dressing.

Be Creative

Enjoy

 

Recipes for Granny with Alzheimer's Insure with boost

Water with Crystal Light on the left and Insure with boost on the right

Granny is a challenge every day to get nutrition in her plus to hydrate her on top. Her Doctor said to give her at least 5 insures a day which this does not happen. We also try to mix in different baby foods to make a sweet shake and she would get a meal in her shake. Today I added to her favorite insure a tablespoon of Boost plus a tablespoon of Benefiber. To hydrate her I give her water with Crystal Light to make it sweet. Granny loves strawberries and I gave her fig newton's strawberry filled cookie. She also eats pieces of fruit like a slice of apple with peanut butter and also slices of Avacato. 

          Be Creative
          Enjoy