Lettuce Tablescapes

Aside from being nutritious, bright and part of a balanced diet, salad greens can also serve as wonderful and organic decorative piece.  I took some designer lettuce from my garden, roots and all and placed them in a glass mug and a vase.  By designer I mean greens from a French Mesclun blend.  There are many different types of endive, spinach and chard and they work great in many different combinations.  The beauty of these tablescapes is that they are edible.  It encourages consumption and helps to cycle it out so you won't have to throw it out.  These Lettucescapes keep for several days and are fully hydrated and fresh.  I rinsed in cold water before using and they taste awesome.  So  brighten up the place while you work on the waist for virtually pennies on the dollar!!  Experiment and see what other veggies in the garden, green and otherwise to see what radical combos you can achieve and have fresh produce at your disposal without having to make several trips outback.

Zucchini Bake Friday

Neillio here,  in the lab again.  I'm testing my ability to re-invent the same foods consistently and as equally appealing and satisying.  This evening is a Zucchini Bake.  Hopefully, you may try this and feel the same way!!

Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Bake
1 large zucchini, about 5 cups sliced
1 lb. ground beef
1 soft beef bouillon cube
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
4 oz. black olives, sliced
12 oz. spaghetti sauce
granulated sugar to taste
2 tbsp. fresh basil and oregano blend
For Bacon Cheddar Bechamel:
4 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
1 c. mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 c. real bacon bits 
Olive oil for drizzling
SPST
 (Salt and Pepper to Suit your Taste  )
Preheat oven to 375*F.
On a large roasting rack and pan or baking sheet, spread out sliced zucchini and sprinkle with salt.  Let stand for about 20 minutes.  Rinse and drain. This process is to render the zucchini of  excess water as to absorb the flavors of the bake.
Brown ground beef with bouillon  over medium high heat.  While browning add onion, jalapeno and garlic.  Once no pink remains and the vegetables are softened, drain off excess fat and stir in olives and spaghetti sauce. Stir in herbs and  reduce to a simmer.  
Meanwhile, prepare the cheese sauce. melt butter over medium heat and heat until small bubbles start to form.   Whisk in flour and cook about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in milk.  Place back over heat, and let thicken over several minutes.  Once thickened, add cheddar and bacon. Stir to blend, and turn off heat. 
In a 3 1/2 quart baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and add 1/2 of meat sauce.  Make a layer with zucchini, covering meat sauce.  Carefully spread 1/2 of bacon cheddar sauce atop zucchini.
Repeat with remaining  meat sauce, zucchini, and cheese sauce.  Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 45 minutes and zucchini is fork tender.    Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with garlic bread and green salad.  Serves 8 to 10.

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One Zucchini, Two Zucchini, Three Zucchini, Four

Well this evening consisted of perfecting my recipe for zucchini muffins.  I sifted and measured, creamed and combined, spooned and spread my way to a satisfying consensus.  Thanks to all my testers and guinea pigs!!:)  I have not fully revised my recipe for publish, but I can tell you that it involves chocolate chips, walnuts and buttermilk.!!  My brother in law and sister's garden is in over drive and zucchini is popping out like zits on a pubescent teen!!lLOL JK. They are easily the size of your forearm and are great for casseroles and baking.  Having a grater and a mandolin are definitely recommended to manipulate the veggie and diversify it's appearance.  I made muffins, a chocolate zucchini pie with a chocolate  graham cracker crust and a batch of Bake Pops!!  I left out the sticks this time, so technically I guess they're called Cake Balls!!  I said Balls.  Sorry,  I'm a little  tired.  Alas I digress.  I also came up with a wholesome, one skillet meal using the unused portion of the 3 lb. zucchini  It was magnificent.  I used other fresh ingredients from our herb garden to round out the flavors like oregano and basil.  These herbs, along with 2 grated carrots,  1 chopped onion,  5 cloves pressed garlic, 3/4 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. uncooked macaroni, low sodium beef broth and lastly SPST (Salt and Pepper to Suit your Taste) made for a great addition to my cookbook.  Stay tuned for more recipes with zucchini, sweet and savory! It feels so good knowing that we are growing what we eat and eating what we grow.  If you don't already, you should give it a shot.  The overwhelming gratification brings you closer to achieving ZEN!  and looks darn good for our purses and wallets!Tweet

Dining with the Stars

The other day I had the pleasure of having dinner with 3 of my sisters and the fiance of one.  The air was perfumed by the aromas of  a well stocked grill, permeating the air as would the smell of fresh cut grass on a spring morning.  The cool, crisp chopped salad with quartered hard boiled eggs and a little Japanese White Sauce, was a welcomed guest in my stomach and it's demand to be satiated.  The smoke infused mussels complemented the grilled corn perfectly, it's sweetness harmonious and balanced, bright, complex.  The style of the steak was strip, well done.  I prefer mine medium rare, but the ambiance of the evening remedied that shortcoming with compliant resolve, while I noted the delicate notes of black pepper and coarsely ground sea salt.  The creatures of the night competed valiantly with the low tones of pop music that ebbed and flowed through the speakers, as they pumped and reverberated to the mood of the night.  The children had eaten earlier, so the "Mommy, Can You's?"and the "Mommy, Will You's?", had been subdued at least for the moment, tranquility.  As I slowly chewed  bites from my share of the bounty placed before me, between comments and quieted laughter, I happened to glance up at the sky.  Billions of twinkling stars contributed to the overall tawny glow of this evening, providing the perfect dimmer switch, which was decidedly blue-black.  The stars were watching, listening, absorbing the energy we  exuded with smug  complacency, a little salty, jealous even, fore there was no more room at the table!!!Tweet

Lightning Fast Pizzas!!

In my angst over the tick situation, I left out the main reason for that afternoon blog post!! What the kid's ate after hiking!!!  Aside from plums, fresh and syrup sweet from a friend's tree, they had personal sized pizzas in a flash.  With some regular sized flour tortillas, deli sliced pepperoni, roasted red peppers in a jar, store bought pizza sauce, cheese and real bacon bits, they had a quick and delicious meal to hold them until dinner.  They are very active so I let them have fun with food every now and then.  The recipe is easy and the taste is comparable to any takeout I know.  Preheat the oven to 450* (don't worry it won't be on long).  Arrange tortillas on baking sheets, depending on size you should be able to fit 2 per sheet.  Take 1 tbsp. sauce and spread in circular fashion on tortilla.  Sprinkle about 1 tsp. shredded cheese atop sauce to help toppings adhere.  next, take 4 slices of the pepperoni and place in each quarter of the tortilla.  Pull roasted peppers apart in strips with hands and arrange around pizza. Sprinkle with about 1 tbsp. bacon bits, and top with desired amount of cheese,  I used about 1 1/2 tbsp. per pizza.  Pop in oven and bake until cheese is melty and the edges are golden, about 4 1/2 minutes.  Remove from oven, cut into quarters and serve.  You can mix and match the toppings to your liking, and the kids can even top their own pizzas, and score some experience points.  These babies aren't just for kids, so make enough for everyone!!! If you don't feel like heating up the kitchen, these pizzas can be prepared on the grill with equally impressive, tasty results.  Using a grill pan will help ease the cleanup, and leave awesome grill marks on the bottoms.!!Tweet

TICKED OFF!!

Well the kids made it back from the nature hike in  one piece, thank goodness!!  Along with thirst and rumbly tumblies (tummies), they also brought back about ONE HUNDRED TICKS!!  I KNOW RIGHT!!  Big ones, small ones, seed ticks and their cousins all in tow.  All over their shoes, shorts, shirts, undies, leggings, and skin!!!  The kids were nice and calm, but there was a quiet storm brewing inside me.  I scanned and scoured their bodies and clothes with an eagle eye, finding the little harbingers of itch and ill, making sure none were left to ravage my little munchkins into histamine overload.  I gave the kids a good soothing bath with scrub and went back over them again to be on the safe side.  We made it through this encounter with the little buggers, but I had to remember  the kids were on the ticks' turf.  The woods and trees are where they hang out.  Also, in our grass in our yards.  They patiently wait atop blades of grass for nice warm blooded mammals to pass by, so that they may catch a ride!!  They lie in wait in the trees, and when they smell a certain pheromone, they drop and hope for the best.  Ticks will also literally ride the breeze to get a hold of some fresh warm blood.  NATURES LITTLE VAMPIRES INDEED!  I read somewhere that vapor rubs will deter ticks in the yard and wild, but I haven't had a chance to put that theory to the test yet. Nonetheless, I must replenish my repellent stores before any future sightseeing in the 'rough'!!

Smoothie Sailing!

Wow! What a scorcher today huh! The humidity is through the roof and the overcast skies cannot offer us any more reprieve than a direct beam break.  Be sure to load up on fluids on days like today and don't forget your pets.  The garden is thirsty too, but it is best watered in the morning, because the sunlight can damage the parts of the plant that have standing water on their leaves.
There are ways to replenish fluids, water obviously being the best, smoothies being a nutrient packed fun way to do so.  The kids went on a nature hike with my sister Gayle, so I decided to treat myself to something cool and refreshing.  I still have some blueberries left (store bought, frozen, wild) so I whipped up something I had not  made in ages, a blueberry milkshake.  The guilt levels were virtually zero because I used low fat ice cream, 1 cup blueberries, and soy milk.  Talk about a vitamin powerhouse!! Again loads of Vitamins A and C, calcium, fiber, potassium riboflavin, magnesium and iron to name a few.  I tossed it in the processor and blended it for about 5 seconds and PRESTO, a nutritious and delicious plus refreshing treat without the shock wave of guilt or the sugary crash of quick carbs!! For smoothies, simply substitute yogurt for the ice cream double the fruit of choice and add 1 cup crushed ice as well.  Blend as usual and enjoy.  Don't forget alcohol dehydrates you, so for these hot days, you want to incorporate just as much water into the regime as you do alcohol!!