Pumpkin Blondies

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Ribs

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So You Grew a Garden... Now What? 11

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Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

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Bolognese Sauce

This is another recipe from Pastor Ryan (via Pioneer Woman). I loved the zucchini cakes so much I figured he wouldn't steer me wrong when it came to pasta sauce. In all honesty, I NEVER follow a recipe when making my pasta sauces. I'm normally just a throw-it-all-together kind of girl, taste testing along the way until I find the flavor I'm looking for. For this I tried to be a good girl and actually follow the recipe.... But it turned out that there were a few changes that I HAD to make :) First I thought the salt and pepper should go in way sooner and I thought red pepper flakes would be a nice addition. Also, I used half carrots and half zucchini because I still have zucchini coming out of my ears! Finally, I like to use half ground beef and half italian sausage in sauce recipes because I like the flavor. I am listing the recipe below with the changes I made.


Bolognese Sauce
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman courtesy of Pastor Ryan)

1 carrot, grated
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
2 tablespoons Oregano flakes
2 tablespoons dried basil flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes *less if you don't like things very spicy
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
salt
pepper
1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 28 ounce can tomato puree
1 cup milk (I did add this, but I'm really not convinced it added anything to the sauce, so I may omit next time)
Fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add grated carrots, zucchini and diced onions and cook for a few minutes.
Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef and sausage. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper
Add oregano and basil and red pepper flakes.
When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat.
Add garlic and stir to combine.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together, scraping up any bits that stick to the bottom.
Add Worcestershire and stir.
Add canned tomatoes.
Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

So You Grew a Garden... Now What? 10

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**Link fixed 7/13/11 to go to the correct post, sorry for any confusion!**

So You Grew a Garden... Now What? 9

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Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

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Dah dah dah dah... It's Elmo Time!!

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So You Grew a Garden... Now What? 8

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Buffalo Chicken Salad

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Mahi Mahi

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Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Reese Whoppers

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Enchiladas

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So You Grew a Garden...Now What? 4

Yesterday I picked the first head of broccoli from the garden. Not just for the year, but ever! I was so excited when I saw the first tiny florets popping up in the middle of the plant a few weeks ago that I have been dreaming about what I would make with it. My original thought was broccoli cheddar soup. But it's not really soup season and the first head probably would not have been enough to make soup. So I did some more research and I came across something that seemed like a a great unique side dish. Spicy roasted broccoli and peppers. It was the perfect (and different)pair for the enchiladas I made for dinner last night (recipe will be posted tomorrow!).


Spicy Roasted Broccoli and Peppers
(Adapted from Allrecipes)

2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread out on a baking sheet or stone. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

So You Grew a Garden...Now What? 3

Today I am going to feature 2 vegetables. Yellow squash and zucchini. I love zucchini and in the past it has been one of our best successes in the garden. This year is starting out no different. I have already picked 5 or 6 really beautiful zucchinis. The yellow squash is also growing really fast and I've picked several of them as well. If you would like to learn a little more about these vegetables I found this website to be very informative.

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and I am so glad that I tried it. Even my dad who claimed to not like "that kind of stuff" (stuff = vegetables) loved it. The zucchini and squash really soaked up all of the flavor from the garlic, onion and thyme and the egg and cream just helped to smooth it all out. If you have a garden full of zucchini/squash and you want to try something a little different, definitely give this a try. I served this casserole with *Orange Roughy (using this recipe, but please read my note below!*) and plain risotto but it could be paired with just about anything!

Zucchini and Summer Squash Casserole
(Source: Emeril Lagasse via Foodnetwork.com)
I cut the original recipe in half and it easily fed 5 people with left overs. Below I am listing the half recipe as I made it.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pounds summer squash (about 3 medium), sliced into thin rounds
1 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced into thin rounds
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup crushed butter crackers (I only had saltines so I crushed them up in a bowl and added 1 tbsp of melted butter)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional (It says optional but I say, Why would you not add cheese? ;))

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a casserole baking dish with nonstick spray or grease with 1/2 tbsp of butter.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish, reserving the cooking liquid.

Combine the eggs and cream in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Gradually whisk the reserved cooking liquid into the egg mixture. When all the cooking liquid is incorporated, pour the mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish. Using a spoon, gently shift the vegetables around so the egg mixture is evenly distributed. Bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle first with the crackers and then with the Parmesan, if using, and return to the oven. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

*After buying this fish, I learned that Orange Roughy is highly susceptible to overfishing because they are very slow to mature and many stocks have already crashed. Next time I will buy a more sustainable fish.

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes!

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So You Grew a Garden...Now What? 1

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Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins

Wow, that's a mouthful (no pun intended :))! Seriously though, these muffins are really great. They are everything a good muffin should be. Moist, flavorful and filling without being too heavy. But the very best part about these muffins is the smell. I can't even describe how delicious my house smelled while these muffins were baking. I couldn't wait to eat them so I had one pretty much as soon as they came out of the oven. These are going to be a welcome breakfast treat for the rest of this week.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins
(Adapted from: Food for my Life)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat white flour (I use King Arthurs)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a muffin tin with liners.
In a small bowl blend the dry streusel ingredients. Use your fingers to work butter into the flour/sugar mixture.
Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl combine the applesauce, butter and brown sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the wet ingredients.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way full (about 1/3 of cup per muffin) and top with the streusel mixture.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The Chewy

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