So You Grew a Garden...Now What? 5

Every year banana peppers always seem to be our fastest growing and most proliferate pepper plant. We have already picked a ton this year and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to start canning (well technically jarring). Pickled banana peppers from the jar make a perfect sandwich or salad topping. I drool just thinking about biting into a big italian salad with pepperoni, Italian dressing and a banana pepper with some bite. Yum!

The processing of canning these peppers was so much easier than I had expected. It is really just a simple brine poured over banana peppers. Then you put the lid on the jar and boil for 10 minutes. I didn't have any fancy canning tongs to pull the hot jars out of the boiling water so I improvised. I used my large pot with the pasta strainer insert (like this). So when ten minutes was up I just pulled out the strainer and set it on a towel on the counter. When the jar was cool enough I put it in the fridge and just 2 days later I had perfect peppers :)

Pickled Banana Peppers
(I used these 2 sites for inspiration, The Yummy Banana and Clean Eating Club)
Since this was my first time canning I started small and only used enough to fill one jar.

Ingredients
10-12 banana peppers
1 hot pepper
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard seed
1 tsp pepper corns
2 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions
The first thing you need to do is sterilize your jar. A hot water dishwashing cycle should work with a hot dry cycle. After removing from the dishwasher be sure to thouroughly dry the jar, lid and ring.

In a saucepan bring the vinegar, water, salt, peppercorns and mustard seed to a boil. Then remove from heat. In a large stock pot bring plain water to a boil.

While the brine is coming to a boil, slice the peppers into rings. Cut on of the garlic cloves into fourths and layer the peppers and garlic in a jar. Put the second garlic glove on top of the peppers.

Pour the bring over the peppers, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar. Place the lid on top of the jar making sure that seal is tight, then screw on the ring. Place the jar in the large stock pot of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the hot jar from the boiling water. After cooling for a few minutes check to make sure the jar sealed (If it is not sealed the middle of the lid will pop up and down). If it didn't seal just be sure to always keep it refrigerated. If it did seal you can keep in the pantry until the seal is broken, but I put mine right in the fridge.


After letting the peppers sit for 2 days they are ready to eat! They can be served on top of sandwiches, in salads, in calzones, you name it!

Enchiladas

This post has moved to the Sunny Side :) Click the link for the recipe, I promise it's worth it!

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!

This post has moved to the Sunny Side :) Click the link for the recipe, I promise it's worth it!

So You Grew a Garden...Now What? 2

Tonight's edition of "So You Grew a Garden... Now What" is dedicated to the impatient gardener. It's so hard to plan your garden and then plant your garden and then....wait. The beauty of Fried Green Tomatoes is that you don't have to wait until your pretty little tomato plant turns red. :)

Like many people the first time I heard of Fried Green Tomatoes was during the movie by the same name. I have always been interested in trying to make my own but I was worried that I wouldn't like them. Finally this year I decided I would try them and make it a part of the series. I was very pleasantly surprised with the flavor of these. The inside is slightly tart and the outside is crispy and delicious. I will absolutely make these again!


Fried Green Tomatoes
(Source: Simply Recipes)

3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat (Be very careful to not get the oil too hot!). Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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

This post has moved to the Sunny Side :) Click the link for the recipe, I promise it's worth it!