Dwight Delight

Endless Summer

2012-08-19T10:31:00.001-07:00

Thankfully we live in a climate where garden season seems to last forever. We started with snap peas and lettuce and we will end with peppers and tomatoes. Lately, our strawberries have been popping, and it's like Christmas every time I go out and hunt for those juicy red morsels. These are the BEST strawberries I've ever had and so cool that whenever I want a sweet treat, I can just walk outside and grab a handful.

We tried a new cucumber variety this year - Armenian cucumbers. They stay yellow and get HUGE. Unfortunately, so far their flavor hasn't been all that great. In fact, they sort of taste like a very dilute and salty honeydew. Ew. But, one of them grew in the shape of a J, so I can't give up on them yet!! And check out that radish below. Hideous and alien, but zesty and fresh.

Potstickers

2012-08-13T18:13:00.005-07:00

My mom is an excellent cook and one of her favorite things to make for people is Pot Stickers. A few years ago when I was visiting the fam in Bozeman, we all sat down and made Pot Stickers together. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to the recipe, which befuddles me because knowing what I know now, I don't have a clue how I survived over the years without these savory treats.

It all started when my friend Maren was about to have a baby and I wanted to come up with a fun, unique, and yummy dinner to deliver to her family after the baby was born. I immediately thought about creating home-made chinese take-out, which got me thinking about those pot stickers.

Pot stickers are relatively easy to make but they do take some time, so be patient and don't leave them to the last minute!

Pot Sticker Ingredients:

1 pkg wonton/pot sticker wraps (round) - I couldn't find round, so I bought square and trimmed off the corners.
1 lb ground pork (not sausage!) - This was not as easy to find as I thought it would be!
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 tsp grated ginger root - (Cool trick alert! The leftover root can be frozen in a ziplock)
3 green onions
8 black mushrooms - dried in a package in the produce section. Follow instructions on the package before using.
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper

Dipping Sauce:

2 tbls Soy sauce
2 tbls Rice vinegar
chili paste (tiny bit!)
sesame oil (couple splashes)
1 tbls brown sugar
Add more of above ingredients to your liking

Mix raw pork, water chestnuts, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, mushrooms, pepper, and sesame oil in a medium bowl. See how easy!? Put 1-2 tsp of mix in wrapper. Use egg wash around the rim of wrapper and seal by pinching. Place on wax paper so that they don't stick.

Pre-heat 2-3 tbls vegetable oil in a skillet. Add pot stickers and cook until browned on bottom. Once browned, add 1/2 cup water and cover for 5 minutes. (Be careful when you add the water, as it will splash and sizzle all over the place!!) You may have to work in batches.

Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!!

For the dinner delivery, I also made the Thai peanut noodle dish, and some Jasmine rice, a bag of seaweed snack from Trader Joe's (Maren's fave!) and a bag full of plums from our plum tree! I put everything in cute little chinese delivery boxes from Cost Plus (lined with parchment paper!).

Summer Plum Crostata

2012-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

When my best Italian friend, Francesca, was here two years ago for an internship at my work, she made us a a sweet little summertime dessert called a crostata. Crostata's are traditional Italian dessert tarts that are filled with any jam or fruit you desire. One of the things I learned about Italy from Franci was that they use weights for measuring out amounts of ingredients rather than quantities like we do. Francesca's mother sent her family recipe all written out in grams, and Franci had to convert all of the weights to teaspoons and cups!

I was flipping through Food & Wine magazine earlier this month and came across a Summer Plum Crostata recipe! When I saw it, it brought back such fond memories of that summer with Franci and the delicious tart she made. It was also perfect timing because our plum tree was completely packed with plums and I needed a creative solution for using them up. So, I gave it a try!

Summer Plum Crostata

from Food & Wine Magazine

6 servings

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed and chilled (this is important!)
1/4 cup ice water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 pound firm-but-ripe plums, pitted and cut into eighths
1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

In a food processor, add the 1 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle on the ice water and pulse until the dough just barely comes together. (You don't have to use the entire 1/4 cup of ice water - just add until the dough comes together). Gather the dough and pat into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 and position a rack in the lower third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out the disk of dough to a 12-inch round and transfer to the baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cornstarch, cinnamon, and orange zest. Add the plums and toss well. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes.

Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border all around. Fold the edge of the dough up and over the plums. Brush the rim with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the plum crostata for about 50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender and bubbling. Let the crostata cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

The pastry disk can be refrigerated for up to 3 days if you want to make ahead.

I also made extra filling and put it into quart size freezer bags to use up all of our surplus plums!

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

2012-07-04T08:42:00.001-07:00

The other thing I made for our company Bake Sale was Cake Batter Chocolate Bark. Another Pinterest find originally from the blog How Sweet It Is. It was probably one of the easiest things I've ever made, although a bit expensive if you buy the good chocolate.

Ingredients:

6 oz high quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
12 oz high quality white chocoolate (I used Ghirardelli)
3 teaspoons of yellow cake mix (although, I think you could use more. Just be sure to add in a little at a time to make sure it all dissolves in the warm chocolate.
sprinklers of your choice
Foil cake pan lined with parchment paper

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the chocolate into the pan. Smooth it out with a spatula to the thickness you want. You don't have to go all the way to the sides. Stick whole pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes or until it slightly thickens. Remove baking sheet from freezer and pour white chocolate mix on top. Smooth out quickly so that it doesn't start to melt the bottom layer.

Sprinkle on sprinklers and freeze again for 20 minutes.

Once set, break into chunks and keep refrigerated.

For the sale, I put a few pieces in clear favor bags and tied a bow around it. It was the perfect little festive treat. This would also be a good treat for birthday parties, showers, or holidays with coordinating colored sprinkles.

Summer Cake

2012-06-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

This week we had a bake sale at work and this was one of my contributions! A red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Okay, so I used a box cake, but I added a secret ingredient (ok, I will tell you! 1 cup of sour cream in the mix!). But really, this cake is all about the gorgeous, summery decor! I totally stole this idea from Pinterest (of course), but I think it came out so lovely, don't you!

SLO Life Magazine

2012-06-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

My bibimbap recipe was published in SLO Life Magazine! Check it out! http://www.slolifemagazine.com/local-food-by-local-people/162/bibimbap/

Herbivores

2012-06-20T21:04:00.003-07:00

I took these photos of the garden about two weeks ago. Now the lettuce and snap peas are just about done but the tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons are just getting started! Pretty soon we will have so many cucumbers again we will have to start pickling again. That or lots of cucumber, mint mojitos!

Romaine lettuce - my fave

Cucumbers and cantaloupe

The peaches are coming in nicely. Just like the color of a sunset. Hope we get to them before the birds do!

A new addition to the garden this year - snap peas!

Remember when these snap peas looked like this?

The radishes are ready! (Rad-i?)

Holy Popeye! I put the camera lens on the spinach leaf so you can see how big it is. So big, I squealed every time I went out to the garden. Almost mutant looking.

We had one tiny little strawberry about the size of a marble. But, Steve had to pick it because apparently the first year of growing strawberries, you are supposed to pick off any new fruits so that the plant's energy goes into making healthier plant leaves rather than fruit. Then, next year we will have a full crop! I cannot wait because even that little marble berry was like sweet sugary heaven!

Yesterday I found two green Early Girl tomatoes! They are definitely living up to their name because last year we didn't get one tomato until October!!!

Homemade Snickers Bars

2012-06-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

Just for fun, I decided to try a new sweet treat that I came across on Pinterest. Homemade snickers bars. They were incredible and tasted almost exactly like the real thing!! This recipe makes an entire tray of snickers bars so of course, I brought them into work and they were gone instantly.

Recipe from How Sweet It Is found from Pinterest.

Makes one 9 x 13 pan

Bottom Chocolate Layer:

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Thoroughly grease your baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

Nougat Layer:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (YES!!!)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom layer of chocolate. Let cool completely.

Caramel Layer:

1 14 oz bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 10 minutes. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.

Top Chocolate Layer:

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients together in a saucepan, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. Refrigerated is best!

For best results, use one of the aluminum cake pans at the grocery store that way you can pop out the entire rectangle and cut.

Thai Peanut

2012-05-30T21:14:00.002-07:00

One of my new favorite recipes and regular week night go-to's is a Thai peanut chicken dish. My mom introduced me to this dish when I visited her earlier this year in Seattle. It was one of the best meals of my life....I might die. My mom used one of those Thai Kitchen Noodle kits that comes with the rice noodles, seasonings, and peanut sauce. She added crushed peanuts, sambal oelek (spicey chili paste) cilantro, lime juice, crunchy bean sprouts, chicken, and white rice. You drooling yet?!

Well, when I got home I wanted to re-create this masterpiece but I couldn't find the Thai Peanut noodle kit anywhere!! My mom mailed me a kit and I made the dish but forgot the cilantro and lime juice and Steve said the chicken pieces were too big. Boo! So, I tried again, this time kit-less. I bought some thai peanut sauce, rice noodles, sambal oelek, and sesame oil, remembered the cilantro and lime, and cut the chicken into tiny pieces! Whew!! My home-made version of the Thai Kitchen recipe was just as good, and now I have lots ingredients to make it again!!

Here's what you will need if you can't find the Thai Kitchen box:

chicken breast
white rice
rice noodles
crushed up peanuts
bean sprouts
cilantro
lime juice from fresh limes
sambal oelek chili paste
sesame oil
Thai Peanut Sauce
any other veggies of your choice

Cook the chicken and saute the veggies in the sesame oil and peanut sauce. Add a quarter size dollop of chili paste and mix. (Use less if you don't like spicy food. A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way!) Cook the rice and rice noodles. Add the bean sprouts just before you're ready to serve so they get only slightly cooked. Add the rice noodles to the chicken, veggie mix. Dish out over the rice. Sprinkle with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Top with crushed peanuts.

Mom's Thai Kitchen dish

My home-made Thai Peanut dish

Hawaiian Style

2012-05-29T19:23:00.001-07:00

The theme for my Grandpa's 80th birthday was Hawaiian Luau. I thought pineapple fried rice and rainbow fruit skewers would be the perfect addition to bbq'd ribs and veggie kabobs.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Cooked white rice
yellow onion chopped
chopped roasted red pepper
small bits of pineapple
frozen peas
cashews
eggs
sesame oil
olive oil
cumin
S&P

Saute the yellow veggies in olive oil and a tbsp of sesame oil. Add the egg mix up lightly so it scrambles and fries up with the veggies. Add salt, pepper, cumin, to taste. Add the cashews and rice and mix until all cooked and warmed together. SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!

My second dish was rainbow fruit skewers that I found on Pinterest. My mom found the cutest skewers with flowers on the ends and I had help from my little cousins putting these little skewers together. I used blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, oranges, and raspberries and they turned out so cute and festive!! They were a big hit!

Butterfinger Cheesecake

2012-05-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

This was my very first cheesecake and first time using a springform pan. I wanted to make something extra special for my Bachelorette premiere viewing party for a few girlfriends and this was definitely it! The recipe is a bit complicated with many steps and some unusual ingredients, but overall it was pretty easy and I would definitely make it again. The crust was a bit hard to get out of the pan - and I ended up serving the girls a piece without any crust without noticing!! But, the next day I tried some with the crust and what a difference it makes! YUM!

Recipe from Back to Her Roots

Crust:

15 mini Butterfingers
3 ounces of pretzels (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

1/4 cup cold water
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
8 oz cream cheese (I used 4 oz regular cream cheese, 4 oz marscapone cheese)
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Butterfinger and pretzel mixture

Ganache:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine Butterfingers and pretzels. Pulse unti well chopped, but not dust. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside.

Stir in melted butter to Butterfinger/pretezel mixture until well-combined. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form the crust. Bake 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the filling, mix the water and gelatin in a small, microwave safe bowl and set aside to bloom.

Meanwhile, beat heavy cream on high in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In another mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt, and reserved Butterfinger/pretzel mix. Beat on medium until smooth. Set aside.

Place bowl of gelatin in microwave and heat 50% power for 10 seconds. This is to smooth out the gelatin mixture. With the mixer on low, slowly stream the gelatin mix to the cream cheese mixture until well combined.

By hand, fold the whipped cream in with the cream cheese mixture.

Spread filling evenly into the springform pan.

To prepare ganache, combine chocolate and heavy cream in a double boiler over low heat. Once chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, remove from heat and drizzle over cheesecake.

Place cheesecake in fridge and let chill for at least 3-4 hours until set up. Before serving, remove ring on springform pan.

Organic

2012-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Black Bean Taquitos

2012-03-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Another Pinterest favorite! Recipe adapted from Naturally Ella Baked Black Bean Taquitos

Ingredients

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1 small jalapeno

1/2 tbls sunflower - i used vegetable oil

1/2 tsp paprike

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp seasalt

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup cilantro

6-8 corn tortillas - I used flour tortillas

1/2 cup colby jack cheese

sunflower oil for brushing tortillas - I used vegetable oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bring a medium pot of water to simmer.

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper until onion becomes translucent. Stir in garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in black beans and cilantro, cooking until beans are heated through, 2-3 minutes.

Turn off water. Taking one tortilla at a time, dip in hot water for 3-4 seconds. Place on a cutting board and scoop a spoonful of black bean filling and a pinch of cheese on top. Roll tight and place seam side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Repeat until all the filling is used. Brush each piece with oil.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the tortilla is a light brown color. Dip in salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

2012-03-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I have been into pork and using my crock pot. Both of which are good things and a nice change from chicken and having to cook everything after work. The crock pot saves me SO much time and energy! And of course I found this recipe on Pinterest.

Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops.

Ingredients:
1/2 inch bone-in pork chops
1 packet of Italian Seasoning
10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
Russet potatoes
S & P
garlic cloves

Place pork chops and soup mix with italian seasonings into crock pot. Add chopped up potatoes. Mix all together. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove potatoes and mash them using a mixer. Add milk and butter.

Service pork over potatoes and drizzle with the soup/sauce from crock pot.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2012-03-18T15:47:00.003-07:00

I came across this recipe on Pinterest, which is where I find lots of my recipes nowadays. I bought two pork tenderloins from Albertsons and cooked them both. The meat turned out so incredibly tender and juicy and the glaze was delicious. I made my favorite side dish rice, curried cauliflower and rice and a salad topped with strawberries and mandarin oranges. I highly recommend this recipe for an easy crock pot dinner.

Recipe from C + C Marriage Factory.

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Thumbprint Holiday Cookies

2011-12-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Made from a box, but super cute, festive and yummy!!

Happy Holidays!

These owl cupcakes will make you swoon!

2011-10-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

We had a Halloween bake contest at work and I got plenty of inspiration from Pinterest, and landed on making these precious little owl cupcakes. I think they turned out great, and they were a huge hit at the party!! They were super easy to make. I used Double Stufd Oreos for the eyes and Reeses Pieces for the iris and beak. And I used a butter knife to create the owl-like tufts with the frosting!

The best rice dish ever

2011-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

If there is one recipe you MUST try from this blog, this is it!! I adapted my recipe from Martha Stewart's, One-pot Curried Cauliflower Rice. Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, but I hardly eat it because the hubs despises it. One of his favorite foods is rice. Any type of rice, and he'll be happy. The beauty of this recipe is that I get cauliflower and he gets a yummy rice side - all in the same dish! It's easy, fun, and goes with any dinner.

via MarthaStewart.com

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

As much cauliflower as you want

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 of a yellow onion, diced small

1 cup basmati rice (uncooked)

2 teaspoons cumin powder*

1 tsp garlic pepper

1/2 can of chickpeas (or more if you want), rinsed and drained

About 1 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pot** heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until browned in spots. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tsp oil and onion back to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 5 min. Add uncooked rice, cumin, garlic pepper, and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is coated, about 2 min. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil. Scatter cauliflower over top (do not stir to combine). Cover and bake until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

*The original recipe calls for curry powder, but I didn't have any. If you'd rather use curry seasonings, use instead of the cumin and garlic pepper.

**I used a large oven-safe saute pan, but in the future, I will probably try this recipe in my new Le Creuset dutch oven.

Makes 3-4 servings depending on the amount of cauliflower and chickpeas you use.

Shucking Corn with Ken

2011-10-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

A local AG man teaches us how to shuck corn with ease (and quaintness!) And nearly 4 million hits on You Tube - he's famous! How cute is he?! I am definitely going to use this trick next time I buy corn on the cob!

Alien Onion

2011-10-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Look at the size of this onion we picked from our garden! I think we left it in the ground too long because it was oober slimy..ew.

A Growing Garden

2011-10-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house two years ago, the existing garden area was overgrown with weeds, the fence was falling down, and goat heads ruled the dirt. Last year, Steve cleared out the weeds, built a raised bed, and fixed the fencing to keep safe from the deer. This year, we (Steve) expanded the garden to three raised beds with room to grow. Steve has tweaked the garden with better drip systems, beer holders, climbing wires for the cucumbers and canteloupe, and a cute flower bed to add a touch of color. I wanted to share with you Steve's labor of love and how he got our garden to flourish so wonderfully.

For the record, I do help! I assisted in attaching the climbing racks for the cucumbers (which is very important for space). I shoveled my share of donkey doo for the compost and I save all of the kitchen scraps to add to the compost bin. All of this, combined with store-bought soil makes for the perfect growing dirt. I also weeded the beds a few times in the early stages, and helped tie off rope to the tomato bed to hold up the growing branches (also very important...you want your tomato plants supported as much as possible!) But, best of all, I cook and prepare the veggies! Nom nom nom..

2010 - One lonely bed:

2011:

One bed for tomatos, one for various veggies, and one for cucumber and cantaloupe

BEST. LETTUCE. EVER.

Bell peppers

Proud papa and his tomatos (and beer shelf!)

Not your average banana bread

2011-09-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned before, I am always left with a few overripe bananas and looking for new ways to use them. This time, I wanted to do a simple banana bread again and recently came across a new recipe while following various Bachelorettes on Twitter. (See, I knew there was a good reason for my new twitter obsession. I seriously cannot stop reading about what former Bachelors and Bachelorettes are up to...it's sick really.)

Anyway, I am not even going to write out this recipe, because you can find it here: Ashley's World Famous Ball-Bustin' Banana Bread. I followed it exactly and this bread turned out SOO good. Best banana bread so far. It is moist but not oily. The most brilliant part of this recipe is how you separate the banana mash into one lumpy banana mix and one banana cream mix. That way, the banana is infused into the bread but you also get yummy lumps of bananas inside the bread. LOVE this!

Try it. Now. Go on! You won't be disappointed!

I even tweeted Ashley about trying her recipe and got this:

Whoo!

Cucumber Queen

2011-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Our cucumbers have gone mad this year. They took over the poor canteloupe, they outgrew the raised bed, and they are multiplying so quickly we can't keep up! There are bent ones, short and fat ones, long skinny ones, and giant ones...basically cucumbers growing on top of cucumbers on top of cucumbers! It's madness.

We've eaten so many cucumbers I am starting to get sick of them! I had to get real creative coming up with ways to serve up these babies and I thought I would share some ideas with you, in case you have a massive cucumber garden too!

Cucumber-Tomato Salad

This has been one of our faves lately. All you do is combine peeled and sliced cucumbers, slices of tomatoes (any kind, but the sweeter the better), a pinch of ground pepper and kosher salt, and your dressing of choice. I've used olive oil with balsamic vinegar, but my favorite is a local dressing/marinade called Carmen's Gorgonzola Thyme. I also crumble feta cheese on top. Steve prefers blue cheese but I say blech to that!

Tuna Salad with Cucumbers

This super simple recipe I found in my trusty cooking magazing, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. Technically the recipe calls for celery, but I left that out and added carrots and radishes.

2 tsp poppy seeds
3 tbls rice vinegar
1 tbls sugar
2 tbls olive oil
2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch half moons (6 cups)
3 celery stalks (if you want them)
2 cans of solid white tune in water, drained and flaked
coarse salt and ground pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together poppy seeds, vinegar, sugar, and oil. Add cucumbers, celery, and tuna. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered up to 1 day.

Cucumber and Radish Crostini

The perfect snack or appetizer. Also from Everyday Food.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (I used a the horizontal blade on my cheese grater), 5 radishes, also very thinly sliced, 1 tbls fresh lemon juice, and 2 tbls of olive oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Spoon onto 18 toasted baguette slices and top with shaved parmesan cheese.

***

For more cucumber recipes, try Martha Stewart's Seasonal Produce Guide.

We also tried pickling cucumbers. We tried three different methods - only one of which worked. Let's just say we have 8 jars of pickles that are not edible. Long story, and deserves a whole separate post on pickling.

Stay tuned!

Bibimbap

2011-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

When we flew to Japan for our honeymoon on Korean Air, we were served a wonderful Korean dish called Bibimbap. Bibimbap means "mixed meal" which is my favorite kind because it means I can avoid using every pan in the kitchen making cleanup a breeze.

So when I came across a recipe for bibimbap in my favorite Everyday Food mag, I squealed with delight! Not only is this recipe simple, it uses common ingredients and is super quick to make! I hate when I find a new recipe where I have to go to the store and buy a million new spices or sauces, don't you?

If you like Asian cuisine, you will love this dish. It's similar to stir-fry, with a twist! Don't be scared and just try it!

Serves 4

total time: 45 minutes

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
5 oz baby spinach (5 cups)
2 1/4 tsp vegetable oil
3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 garlic glove, thinly sliced
4 scallions (same as green onions if you aren't sure..I wasn't!), white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
3/4 pound of shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, thinly sliced (I guessed that "trimmed" means trimming off the stems??)
1 english cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks (I used 1 dwight ranch cucumber because we have a gajillion of them in our garden)
2 tbls soy sauce
4 large eggs (1 egg per person)
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
Sriracha sauce, for serving (I skipped this part because I didn't have any, but it's probably good!)

In a medium pot, cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, bring 2 cups water to a boil over high. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly until wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain. When cool enough to handle, squeeze spinach dry with a paper towel.

Wipe out skillet and heat 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high. Add carrots and cook until crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Add garlic and scallion whites and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes. Add cucumber and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add spinach and soy sauce and stir to combine. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and wipe out skillet. (See, so quick!!)

Heat 3/4 teaspoon vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high. Add eggs, reduce heat to medium and cook until whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. (I cooked my eggs a bit longer because I don't really like runny eggs..)

Divide rice among four bowls and top with vegetable mix. Top with fried egg. Drizzle each with sesame oil and sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve with Sriracha.

Iowa Sweet Corn

2011-08-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Most of you who know me, know that I LOVE my veggies! But, my very favorite is corn on the cob. Remember that time my lovey bought me corn on the cob for our anniversary, and I was in high heaven?? Well that's how much I love corn!!!

I don't know about you, but when I think of Iowa, I think of CORN! I've never been to Iowa but I can imagine miles and miles of corn fields, playing hide-and-seek in between the rows, and enjoying crisp sweet corn on a warm summer day sitting on a screened-in porch with some sweet tea! Well, back in May, Steve's Aunt Margo and Uncle Pat took a road trip across the country from Iowa, touring National Parks, and we were lucky enough to have them spend a couple of nights with us! Pat raved about their sweet corn and described it as so tender and sweet that you can pull a cob right off of the stalk and eat it right then and there! Steve doesn't like corn (I know, crazy huh!) but he said the only corn he will eat is Iowa sweet corn. It MUST be good.

Well folks, today on our front porch was a package from Aunt Margo and Uncle Pat...and inside that box was a very special treat. You guessed it! A dozen sweet corn cobs, freshly picked on August 15th, yes TWO DAYS AGO, from Iowa!!! I can hardly contain myself!!!

I immediately de-husked them and oh my, they are gorgeous! I wrapped them in foil and put them on the BBQ for 20 minutes and OH MY GOSH, you wouldn't believe the delightfulness of this corn!!! Best. Corn. Ever.