plant update - strawberries...

we planted some strawberries into hanging baskets on our balcony. we planted 3 strawberries in each pot and filled two pots. we hung the baskets on the porch where they will get a lot of sun.



here are the tomatoes on week 5. they are getting big. i'm so excited. i grew my own tomatoes from seeds. and i have started hardening them off - which means you start putting your plants out for a couple hours a day to get them used to outside weather conditions until you transplant them in your garden. you eventually build up to leaving them outside full time - then you throw them in the garden.



soon our community plot is going to open and i can starting digging in the dirt - woohooo...

apple crumb coffee cake...

so i am sure by now it is well known that i have a baking problem... cookie issues... a pie addiction... and an ever growing waistline from eating all of the goodies i bake... so in an attempt to make something tasty but not super bad for me.

so i tried this very yummy looking coffee cake from one of my favorite blogs - everybody loves sandwiches...



so this cake is not without sugar or butter. but it has alot less then most crumb cake. especially a lot less butter but the oil really give the cake a nice texture. you could try other fruit in there like strawberries or peaches or blueberries. yum.

i had to work this saturday and it was so fucking tasty for breakfast with a big cup of coffee. you know since it was so healthy - i felt throwing a drizzle of icing on it was acceptable...



apple crumb coffee cake...

1 1/2 cup flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 granny smith apple, chopped

crumb topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts



preheat oven to 400. butter and flour an 8" round cake pan - shaking off any excess flour. make crumb topping in a medium-sized bowl. using your fingers mix in butter until you have pea size crumbs. set aside...

in a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. in a smaller bowl combine egg, milk and oil. add the wet to the dry and mix. add in apples and stir until combined. pour batter into prepared pan and top with crumb mixture. bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool.

prepare a pot of your favorite coffee and go to town...

banana ice cream...

recently my girlfriend had to have surgery. so i wanted to make as many tasty things for her to eat as possible. this was at the top of the list for her as a must have comfort food. the entire batch was consumed within a few days. she can't stand watching alton brown - but she sure loves eating the food i make after i force her to :)

this ice cream is so good and so easy. there is no need to precook it to make a custard. you just throw the bananas and the ice cream maker bowl into the freezer overnight. the next day you mix everything into a food processor and then let the ice cream maker do all the work. you will thank me later...



banana ice cream...

6 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
mini chocolate chips about 1/2 a bag (optional)
chopped walnuts - about a cup (optional)





peel bananas and put on a cookie sheet. place bananas in freezer and freeze overnight. remove bananas from freezer and allow to thaw for 45 minutes to 1 hour. place in bowl of food processor along with the lemon juice and process for 10 to 15 seconds. add corn syrup and vanilla bean seeds and turn processor on. slowly pour in the heavy cream and process until smooth.

chill mixture in refrigerator until it reaches 40 degrees. then throw into an ice cream maker. stir in any extras like chocolate chips and walnuts. steal a few spoonfuls - then put the ice cream in an air tight container and let harden.

sausage and peppers...

so my girlie is jewish and loves herself some pork. bacon, pork chops, sausage, pork chops stuffed with sausage - don't worry - we will definitely post that one too. so one of our favorite quickie dinners is sausage and peppers...

this recipe is one i just have messed around with until i got the results i wanted. sausage with lots of peppers and onions in a chunky, thick tomato sauce. throw it all on a crusty roll with some fresh mozzie and you got a hell of a sandwich...

this is also really great for parties. make up a big tray of this and big tray of ziti - and you got enough food to feed 15 people. or like 8-10 italians. i am going to write the recipe with enough for about 4-6 people. half it for 2 people and have some tasty leftovers. double the recipe for a 9x13 tray...



sausage and peppers...

2 pounds good italian sweet sausage (with fennel if you can find it)
1 cup white or red wine
olive oil
1 large red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 can crushed tomato - 14oz
1 can whole peeled tomato - 28oz
basil
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
red pepper flakes

nice crusty rolls or italian bread
a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese

cut the sausage into 2-3 inch pieces. put all the sausage in a frying pan over medium high heat. make sure to brown sausage on all sides to really get good flavor going on. you might need to do this in two batches...

while sausage is cooking start cutting up the veggies. slice the onions and peppers into strips. and throw into a bowl. mince the garlic...

once sausage is nice and crispy - add the wine to the pan. scrape all the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan and let this cook for a few minutes on medium heat. pour this all into a bowl and set aside...



add a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil to the pan. once it is hot add the garlic, onions and peppers. let them cook for 5 to 7 minutes to get all nice and cooked. then add the sausage and juices back to pan. cook for another minute to combine. then add crushed tomatoes to pan. open can of whole tomatoes and crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands. it is always a good meal when your hands get dirty...

also add about a 1/2 cup of the tomato juice - discard the rest. season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes for a little heat. let this cook over medium heat until sauce has thickened. add a handful of torn up basil leaves right before serving...

slice open your roll, pile on a big scoop of sausage and peppers. top with a slice or two of fresh mozzie. grab yourself a bib and go to town. no really, i am serious about the bib - you are gong to get this everywhere. but it is worth it...


(guess who wants some)

lemon lime squares...

so my friend seth is having a birthday party tomorrow and i want to make him something tasty. his wife said he really likes citrus so i knew i had to bust out this recipe. i love these cookies. they are so light and fresh tasting. the mix of the lemon and the lime gives the cookies such great flavor. and they are really easy to make. bar cookies are really quick and feed a bunch of people. they were a hit at the party.




lemon & lime squares...

for the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon & lime zest
1 stick softened butter

for the filling:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
confectioners' sugar for dusting
1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)



preheat the oven to 350...

make the crust:
in a medium bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and zest. cut in the butter to make a dough the consistency of coarse cornmeal. or make the dough in a food processor mixing the dry ingredients and then pulsing in the butter. press the dough evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 8-inch square dish. bake the crust for 15-20 minutes until it is just beginning to turn golden around the edges...

while the crust is baking make the filling:
in a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon & lime juices until light, about 2 to 3 minutes. mix in the flour and beat just until combines. pour the filling over the hot baked crust. bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the filling is set. cool completely on a wire rack. cut into squares using a small sharp knife. sprinkle with powered sugar and sprinkle with coconut. yum...

seedlings for week 4...

so my squash are gigantic and leggy - the stems are getting pretty long. mental note - you don't need to plant squash seeds 6 weeks ahead. anyway they are going need to be re-potted pretty soon - either into another large pot or into the ground. but it might be too cold for that this soon...



my beans and pea plant are also really tall and are ready to be re-potted too. so i need to figure out what to do with them. i went and bought two long planters about 3 feet long and 6 inches deep. one for the peas and one for the purple green beans. and i replanted them and put one on either side of my balcony...



(evil doyle is protecting my peas...)

chicken and dumplings...

so remember how we made all that chicken stock last week and put it in the freezer for later. well this is why my friends - so you can make kick ass chicken and dumplings in about a half hour...

now i lived in texas for almost 4 years. and i was under the impression i would get around to learning to make all the tasty home cooking... alas - i didn't learn to make all the biscuits, and fried chicken and pecan pie that made me gain 30 pounds. so of course when i got home - i learned how to make chicken and dumplings my damn self...

the recipe i used is based on tyler florence's recipe on foodtv.com. it got great ratings from most of the people who used it. i have made from start to finish and is delicious. but as i found out - when trying to make the entire thing in one night - the whole process will takes close to 3 or 4 hours making for some very hungry dinner guests...

but no worries. we have previously made frozen chicken soupy goodness at our disposal. for the meat for the stew i just used a store bought roasted chicken. they usually have them in the deli section of most super markets for about $5. this is great because it cuts out a huge step...



chicken and dumplings...
(the quickie version)

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour
7 cups chicken stock (use your own frozen or really good store bought)
1/4 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
several springs fresh thyme and rosemary

in a dutch oven or deep pot melt butter and heat oil over medium heat. add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. saute about 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft. stir in the flour to make a roux. continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. slowly pour in the chicken stock stirring well to prevent clumps. let sauce simmer for about 15 minutes until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon....

while the stew is cooking - pull all the meat off the chicken and set aside. make the batter for the dumplings using the recipe below. carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. the dumplings should cover the top of the sauce but should not be touching or crowded. then fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce. let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. chop up the fresh herbs and sprinkle into stew. season with freshly cracked black pepper...

dig in. then feel too full to leave the couch. awesome...