Thank You for Fruit Cravings!

I'm sitting here drooling over the idea of huckleberry syrup saved for the kind chilly winter morning that requires a steaming cup of coffee as one sits by the window watching the snow flakes flutter down. And I just discovered last night that my frozen corn stash is out - put that on the list of things to do in the next couple weeks! But this:

This is what might just make me stop at the fruit stand on the way home. Or pop open a can of peaches from last summer. (But, what does one do when her husband "hates hot fruit"? Can I make it just for me, have it for dinner, and tell him he's fending for himself?)

It's called "Too Easy" Peach Cobbler. Namesake aside, I do believe it looks all too delicious to pass up trying. The recipe is found HERE (or see below) at King Aurthur Flour, but I originally saw it HERE on their blog.

6 to 7 medium-sized peaches (2 pounds), peeled and sliced, OR 2 large (1 pound, 15 ounce) cans sliced peaches, drained1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces)

Pie Filling Enhancer, to thicken the filling, optional

3 to 5 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes — 4 cups cubes, about 5 ounces

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

2/3 cup (5 ounces) brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 large egg

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or a sprinkling of cinnamon (optional)

Grease an 8" square or 9" round pan. Combine the peaches with the Pie Filling Enhancer, if you're using it. Layer the sliced peaches into the pan, and top the peaches with the bread cubes.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, flour, egg, and melted butter. Pour this batter over the bread cubes. Sprinkle with the nutmeg or cinnamon, if you're using it.

Bake the cobbler in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, until it's golden brown. Serve it hot or warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

The Verdict: In all its gooey, caramely goodness - YUM! Some cobblers can be eaten for breakfast, but this one is definitely best suited as a dessert.

Next year's garden

What I want in the garden next year:


raspberries
chives
Italian parsley

Raspberries because I have moved from intensely craving cherries to strawberries to now raspberries, and they're not on sale this week. Boo.

Chives, parsley, basil. . .I'm wondering if I could get away with an indoor herb garden through the winter. All these because of these two recipes I am dying to make:

Chicken Tenders/Nuggets/Strips/Whatever

1. Blend together bread crumbs, lemon zest, and whatever fresh herbs sound good: Itallian parsley, dill, etc.
2. Blend eggs with a little bit of milk.
3. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then cover with bread crumbs.
4. Bake at 350 until chicken turns golden brown.

(Soooo much better for you than the pre-made store bought or fast food chicken nuggets. And super easy too!)

Homemade Ranch

Ingredients

1. 1 cup mayonnaise
2. 1/2 cup sour cream
3. 1/2 teaspoon dried chives (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives)
4. 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1/4 c. chopped fresh Flat Leaf Parsley)
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 1 to 2 teaspoons dill weed)
6. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove of garlic)
7. 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (or not if using fresh herbs)
8. 1/8 teaspoon salt
9. 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
10. Milk or buttermilk
11. Other options: white vinegar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a dash of sorcestershire, paprika, fresh oregano.
    

Directions

1. Chop the garlic finely.
2. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt on top.
3. With the back of the knife or a fork, mash garlic into a fine paste.
4. Chop the chives and parsley
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, chives, parsley, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.
6. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes on Strawberry Freezer Jam

One pound of fresh strawberries pretty much covers one batch of Surejell freezer jam.

Always pick Surejell over MCP pectin.

According to the sources on the internet, one tablespoon commercially made strawberry jam contains 3 teaspoons of sugar.

I calculated the amount in homemade jam based on the sugar to berry ratio. (Not sure if that really is the scientific way to do it, but it was the only way that made sense.) The jam is 2/3rds sugar, 1/3rd strawberries. (Yikes, seems like a lot!) However, 2/3rds of 1 tablespoon is only 2 teaspoons.

So even though it seems like there is a lot of sugar in homemade strawberry jam, there is a third more in the stuff you just grab off the shelf. So, not only does it have less sugar, it is naturally red from the berries - no nasty red coloring!

Carrots and Garlic

These are my pathetic little carrots. At least the one on the left looks like a carrot. Not sure how long I should hold out hope before I give up and called it a Fail.

I've heard that a lot of gardens are struggling this year, but I have yet to decide if I can blame my garden on the weather, or if I need to get rid of all the dirt and start fresh.

I finally pulled the garlic tonight:

The few that I got look good! Normally I tend to plant my plants too far apart, but for some reason I got the garlic pretty close together. Those too close just never formed bulbs.

July Garden update

The garden is settling into the summer heat. The spinach produced ok; I'll try again for a fall harvest. The sugar snap peas were great! I ate my fill and had some to share, but I'm still contemplating adding more trellises for more plants next year. The lettuce is growing stong, but I'm sad to say that with certain food aversions, lettuce is one that does not sound appetizing. (I have been craving cherries - weird since I've never been much of a fan -, chocolate-coverd pineapple, and avacados.) The carrots are hanging in there and I'm impatient for them to get big enough to eat. The peppers are still small, but the one that was stripped does have new leaves! The basil is struggling. Most of it withered away, and I suspect it's getting too much sun. I'm contemplating getting an indoor pot to try again. The garlic is just about ready to harvest. They say to harvest when the bottom six leaves have turned brown - we're at about 4 or 5. Woohoo!

The squash was planted next to the peas to use the trellises. This plant did have one little squash starting already, but it was decapitated. Stupid birds, or squirrels. I'm not sure. But here's to hoping these flowers produce!

I had some rogue dill pop up. Can I use these flowers, or just the whispy part below? Should I have harvested before it flowered?

A few onions have these little poofs. Driving past some onion fields over the weekend I noticed all of them had the poofs. Hopefully that means something is going right?

It won't be long before we have fresh tomato goodness! I'm exited to try the Black Zebra, and so far it's winning the race. (Which is surprising since it's beating Oregon Spring which is supposed to be an early producer.) The Anna Russian looks down some days - I've wondered if it would make it - and its wine-bottle-waterer is always empty. Thirsty little plant!

Summer Greatness!

One of the best things of summer? Drying off from a bath in the back yard!

Aahh, choo!

Com'on! Throw it!