Appetizers, Side Dishes

Fried Green Tomatoes

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Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes

Since I have a lot of tomatoes from my garden this year I decided to try my hand at frying up some green tomatoes. Those lightly battered plump tomatoes slices are gently fried before being baked to give them a crispy coating favor. I serve them with my homemade salsa.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 cup bread crumbs ( or cornflake)
4 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup canola oil ( oil you like to use)
FRESH TOMATO SALSA
5 medium red tomatoes, chopped (seeded if you like)
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
4 1/2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and cayenne. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and milk. Place bread crumbs in a third bowl or a large plastic bag. Pat green tomatoes sliced dry. Coat with flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, then coat in crumbs.
2. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Fry tomatoes slices, four at a time, for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Drain on a paper towels.
3. Place fried tomatoes on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 4-5 minutes or until tender. In a large bowl, combine salsa ingredients and serve with the fried tomatoes. ENJOY!!

Salads

Homemade Shrimp Salad

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Homemade Shrimp Salad
Homemade Shrimp Salad

Prep: 15 min. + Chilling Makes: 9 Servings
2 1/3 cups uncooked small pasta shells
1/3 pound cooked shrimp
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 radishes, halved and sliced
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the shrimps, celery, onion, radishes and eggs. In a small bowl, combine mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.
2. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; add shrimp mixture. Add dressing mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. ENJOY!!

Biscuits & Breads, Desserts

Cranberry Swirl Bread

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Cranberry Swirl Bread
Cranberry Swirl Bread

Prep: 30 min + rising Bake: 40 min
Makes: 1 loaf of bread ( 16 Slices)

1/3 cup sugar
1 package (1/4 oz.) yeast (quick-rise)
1/3 tsp salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, cubed
Filling
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (or frozen)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Toppings
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cold butter, divided
1. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, yeast, salt and 1 cup flour. In a small saucepan, heat water, milk and butter to 120 to 130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2, Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cranberries, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon juice and , if desired, walnuts. Cool.
4. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 20×10-in rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Transfer to a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan, arranging in a slight zigzag fashion to fit.
5. For the topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in 1` Tbsp. butter until crumbly. Melt remaining butter, brush over dough. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Cover with a towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake 40 -45 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. ENJOY!!
TIP: Whenever you bake bread, use aluminum pans with a dull rather than a shiny or ark finishes. Glass baking dishes and dark finishes will produce darker crusts.

Appetizers

Beefy Taco Dip

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Beefy Taco Dip
Beefy Taco Dip

Prep: 25 min plus chilling
Cook: 5 min plus cooling Makes: 16 -20 Servings
1 (8oz) cream cheese, soften
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
2 cups (8oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
Tortilla chips
1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth. Spread on a 12-14 inch pizza pan or serving dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown beef; drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Cool completely. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.
3. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and green pepper. Serve with chips. ENJOY!!
Meatless Dip: For those who don’t like ground meat, you can use refried beans with a package of taco seasoning to add to the bottom layer. Can’t go wrong. Try it!!

Desserts

Banana Cream Pie

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Banana Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie

Cream pies are my specialty, and this dreamy dessert has a wonderful banana favor. A great dessert for a dinner party or just having your friends by for coffee.
Prep: 10 min Cook: 15 min plus chilling
Makes: 8 servings
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups 2% milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pastry shell, (9 inch), baked
2 large firm bananas
1 cup heavy whipping cream ( or Cool Whip works just as well)
1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into eggs; return all to pan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.
2.Remove from heat. Gently stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard; refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes.

IMG_2848
Spread 1/2 of the sliced bananas.

3. Spread half of the custard into pastry shell. Slice bananas; arrange over filling. Pour remaining custard over bananas. Spread with whipped cream. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. ENJOY!!

IMG_2849
My Banana Cream Pie !
Appetizers, Salads

Fresh Tomato Salsa

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Fresh Tomato Salsa
Fresh Tomato Salsa

Prep time: 6 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 cups of salsa
2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 serrano chiles ( remove the seeds) very hot if you don’t
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Fresh scallions
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Fresh Oregano, Basil, Parsley. to taste!
Pinch of ground cumin, more to taste
1. Chopped the tomatoes, chiles and onions. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse only a few times, just enough to finely dice everything. Place in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for an hour for all the flavors to combine. ENJOY!!
Since I have all the fresh ingredients, I make a lot of salsa and add it to chicken and pork dishes! Fresh herbs
are grown on the front porch for all my favorite dishes.

IMG_2881Fresh is the best!!

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Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Tomato Ravioli w/ Fresh Basil

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Tomato Ravioli w/ Fresh Basil
Tomato Ravioli w/ Fresh Basil

All you need is five simple things!
1 pound cherry tomatoes
2 shallot or onion, cut or chopped
12 oz. cheese ravioli
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
Cooking spray
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar for favor
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Halve half of tomatoes. Arrange cut tomatoes, and shallot or onions on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil; toss. Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to pan. Bake 10 minutes.
4 Cook ravioli according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain ravioli, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add ravioli to tomatoes; toss. Add cooking liquid, if needed. Garnish with chopped basil. ENJOY!!
TIP: I used Cheese Pierogies and it was wonderful!!

Main Dishes, Salads

Ham and Spinach Salad w/Mustard Seed Dressing

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Ham/Spinach Salad
Ham/Spinach Salad

Prep: 15 min Cook: 15 min
Serves: 4

Great salad for those hot days we have been having. It taste so good to eat a differ salad and enjoy it!
4 eggs
1/2 red onion, 1/2 sliced and 1/2 chopped
one 8 oz. package sliced mushroom
one 6 oz. bag baby spinach
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard seeds
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless smoked ham steak, patted dry
1. Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain and submerge the eggs in ice water to cool, then peel and chop them. Transfer to a salad bowl along with the sliced onion, mushrooms and the spinach.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the mustard seeds until beginning to pop, about 3 minutes. Reserve half in a small bowl, then transfer the remaining seeds to a blender along with the chopped onion, 5 Tbsp. oilive oil, the sugar and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
3. In a medium skillet, heat the remaing oil over medium heat. Add the ham and cook , turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to work surface to cool slightly, then cut up into bite-size pieces.
4. Drizzle the vegetables with the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss. Sprinkle the ham and reserved mustard seeds on top. ENJOY!!
TIPS: Plan ahead- toast more mustard seeds for another day. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Grill the ham steak and brush it with the dressing during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

My Smoke Turkey Sausage w/Rice Beans
My Smoke Turkey Sausage w/Rice Beans
Biscuits & Breads, Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Apple, Cheese and Arugula Panini

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Grilled Apple Cheese

This is what I call a BIG KIDS GRILLED CHEESE!

Serves: 4
You are going to need 8 slices of white sandwich bread.
2 tbsp. EVOO
1/2 lb. taleffio cheese, this cheese has a fruity tang or you can use Brie, Fontina or Bel Paese. They are all Italian cheeses. If you can’t find any of these remember to use a semisoft, flavored mild cheese.
1 cup baby arugula
salt and pepper
1. Heat griddle or large skillet over with EVOO. Place 4 bread slices oil side down on griddle and layer each with 2 cheese slices, 4 apple slices, 1/4 cup arugula and another cheese slice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread slices oil side up.  Cook on both sides until golden and cheese is melted about 5 minutes. ENJOY!!

Salads, Side Dishes

Marinated English Cucumber and Onions

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Cucumber and Onions
Cucumber and Onions

Since I had so many cucumber I decided to use some up. For those hot night!! Cold salad is the best!

Prep: 8 min Total: 3 hours
Serves: 4
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cups 1/4 -inch slices English cucumber
1 cup vertically sliced Vidalia sweet onion
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add sliced cucumber and onion, and toss well. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, tossing occasionally. Here is a tip: if you don’t have rice vinegar, use a mild flavor such as apple cider vinegar.
Here is my thing I add some little fresh thyme and basil. Chopped up real fine. ENJOY!!

Recipes, Gardening ,and Fun Projects to make. all homemade!