The Cake is BLUE!!

This fall has been so busy.  Aside from working my three jobs, I have also made it through my first trimester! Thank goodness for a freezer stocked full.  We have continued to eat healthy, and on a budget all fall despite only having two nights a week where I don't have other commitments. I'll have to utilize my break at Christmas to re-stock the freezer to get it ready for sleepless nights this spring.

We had our ultra-sound last week to learn the gender. My cousin Taylor gave us the idea of keeping it a secret until a later time for a "Gender Revealing Party." So, at the ultrasound, I asked the technician to turn the screen away, type the gender, print the pictures, and place them in a sealed envelope.  I was a very good girl all week and did not peak at that envelope.  This weekend, I prepared a layer cake and icing, took the layers and icing to my friend Cindy who behind closed doors opened the envelope, colored the middle layer to match, and then frosted the entire cake.  We had a party at my mom's house tonight (Sunday) where we cut into THE CAKE, and amongst close friends and family found out that the middle layer was BLUE!

The recipe I used came from http://www.marthastewart.com.  However, I made some changes so that it would be easier and less expensive. Here is what I did.

Ingredients
2 pounds of sweet potatoes (about 3)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
Grease for pans
2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pound white chocolate

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat potatoes with 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins, and puree the flesh in a food processor. (I was able to use Sweet Potatoes from our garden!)

2. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Grease two 8 inch cake pans, dust with flour, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup vegetable oil; beat on medium speed until well combined. Add the cooled sweet potatoes, and mix until combined.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix into sweet potato mixture. Mix in vanilla.

4. Evenly distribute cake batter into prepared pans, and transfer to the oven. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; cool completely, about 1 1/4 hours.

5. Meanwhile, chop the white chocolate into small pieces, and set aside. Bring 1 cup of cream to boil. Pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Chill for 30 minutes.  (This was a hard step and I could not get all of my chocolate to smooth out so my icing ended up being a little chunky. If I were to do it again I would go with a traditional cream cheese frosting that is easier to make and spread.)

6. When chocolate mixture has cooled, pour remaining cup of cream into an electric mixer and whip on medium until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.

7. Layer cakes with icing and cover.

Time for Pesto

If you still have Basil lurking in the back yard or in a pot, harvest it now or else loose it. Basil does not last after the first frost and it will not come back next year. Harvest it this week before we get our first frost and make Pesto.  It freezes wonderfully. 
I used the following recipe:
http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipe/fosters-pesto/


I freeze my Pesto in ice cube trays.  I bought these trays three years ago at the dollar store for pesto, and have since used them for chicken broth and baby food.  About two ice cubes is the perfect amount of pesto for a pasta salad or pizza crust. Once the pesto is frozen, it is a little hard to shake them out.  I slide a butter knife around the edges to coax them out.  My sister-in-law thought her pesto was ruined when she couldn't get them to come out - difficulty is normal because it is frozen olive oil. (Use the knife!)

Pumpkin Time

I love everything about food this time of year.....Pumpkin Bread Everywhere, Pumpkin Lattes at Starbucks, Pumpkin Creamer at the Grocery Store, Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Milkshakes at Sonic, Pumpkin Pie, ........ I even like to make Beef Stew with Pumpkin. 

We also use pumpkins in decorations. My sister-in-law Leslie rocked it this year with her art work for the Stillings' front door.  Thanks Leslie!

I spent $36 on this year's decorations: 2 large traditional pumpkins, 1 white pumpkin, 2 large butternut squashes, and one large gourd.  However, the recycler in me will use every ounce of this decoration in cooking after Halloween is over.  Although canned pumpkin is easy to buy this time of year at the grocery stores, nothing will make your recipes richer than using fresh pumpkin!  Here is how to make the most of your Halloween investments:

Butternut Squash.....please..... SOUP!!!  See my previous post for my Butternut Squash Soup recipe.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup adapted from Pumpkin by Joanna Farrow
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 lbs pumpkin, skinned, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan.  Add the onions and saute gently for 3-4 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute.
2. Add the pumpkin chunks and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the pumpkin is falling apart.
3. Transfer to a food processor, or blender, or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
4. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Freezes great.

White Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Cookies also adapted from Pumpkin
8 oz pumpkin seeded
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup flour
3 1/2 oz. white chocolate chips

1. Grease two baking sheets. Cut away the skin from the pumpkin and finely grate the flesh.  I use my food processor to grate this.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the grated pumpkin, then the egg, oatmeal, flour, and chocolate chips.
3. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture on the baking sheets and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Leave on the baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mawmaw Doris's Pumpkin Roll
This is a McCall Family Tradition. You have never had Pumpkin Roll till you try this!!!!!
For bread:
3 eggs
2/3 cup cooked pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup chopped nuts for garnishing

For Filling
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cup powder sugar

1. Make the filling by mixing the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add 1 cup powder sugar. Refrigerate till ready to use.
2. Beat the eggs. Gradually add the sugar. Mix in the pumpkin. Sift flour and spices together and add to the mixture.
3. Bake in a 15x10x1 greased pan at 375 for 15 minutes.
4. Sprinkle a hand towel with powdered sugar. Turn the cake onto the towel and roll up to cool.
5. Unfold the cake and spread the filling on it. Roll the cake again and place into the refrigerator. The longer it sets the better.  Garnish with chopped nuts.

Pumpkin Bread....A classic
Everyone has their favorite recipe and there are plenty online to choose from.  My favorite, and I am quite partial to it, is Foster's Market Pumpkin Bread.  I might be a little bias, but for good reason.
http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipe/pumpkin-bread/

photo by James Baigrie

Beef and Pumpkin Stew adapted from The New Slow Cooker by Brigit Binns

3 lbs beef chunks

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic minced

1/3 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1/3 cup beef stock

1 lb. pumpkin peeled, seeded, and cup into 3/4 inch chunks

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of oil. Working in batches, brown the beef. Transfer to a plate.

2. Pour off most of the fat and return to medium-high heat. Add the onion, thyme, and bay leaves and saute until the onion is brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and the 2 tablespoons vinegar and stir. Transfer contents to a slow cooker and stir in the carrots, tomatoes, and stock.  Add the beef, cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

3. Add the pumpkin over the top of the beef, re-cover, and continue to cook for 3 hours.

4. Discard thyme and bay leaves.

Butternut-Chicken Sausage Patties

2 chicken breast
1 small jalapeno or Serrano pepper
1/2 cup butternut squash puree (*if you are accepting the Suburban Challenge by making 4 batches of this recipe, you will need to roast 1 large butternut squash, or purchase one jar of butternut squash puree from Williams-Sonoma.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
2 tablespoons olive oil

In the bowl of a large food processor, pulse the pepper until chopped.  Add the two chicken breast and pulse until coarsely ground. In a mixing bowl, add to the chicken the butternut squash, salt, fennel, and coriander, mix well to combine.  Shape the mixture into patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. You will have 8 patties.  Mixture may seam very blobish, but will firm up while cooking.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add the patties and cook until browned underneath, about 6 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook until browned on the other side, about 6 more minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain.

*If pre-cooking to freeze, stack cooked patties between wax paper, then bundle the patties with plastic wrap. Store in an air-tight container in your freezer. Reheat to serve.

Serving Suggestion
Make Foster's Market's Sweet Potato Biscuits from Scratch!!  Yummy.......
http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipe/sweet-potato-buttermilk-biscuits/

Butternut Squash Lasagne

This is my FAVORITE dish of all times.  Although it would take up too much room in the freezer and be too time consuming to make four, I did make two. We ate one that night and the other is in the freezer for next month. I cooked all of the squash for both dishes together and made all of the white sauce at the same time to maximize and minimize time spent in the kitchen.

This recipe is for One, but I encourage you to double and profit.

For squash filling:
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

For Sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

For Lasagna
1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated
1 cup grated parm
12 noodles (either no bakes or boil them ahead of time)

1. Prepare the squash. To peel, cut into sections and cut a flat end on the bottom so that it will stand up. Then you can take your knife down the sides and cut off the very tough peel.  After you have peeled it, cut the section in half and scoop out any seeds. Then chop.

2. Cook the onion in butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and sage.
3. While the squash is cooking, cook garlic and butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute for the sauce. Whisk in flour and cook whisking for 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and boil whisking constantly, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper and remove from heat. Discard the bay leaf.
4. Preheat the oven to 425
5. Toss the cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce in a buttered 13 x 9 dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets. Spread with 2/3 cups sauce and one third of the filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, sauce, and cheese.
6. Tightly cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagna in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden about 15 more minutes. Let it stand 15 minutes before serving.

3 ways to save MONEY for the Fall

1. Grate your own cheese. I know that buying bags of grated cheese is convenient, but consider this:
A standard 8 oz. block of cheese is an average of about $1 less than an 8oz. bag of grated cheese. Truth be known, when you grate the block of cheese it creates the same amount of cheese as the bag, about 2 cups. The quantities are the same. If I use my food processor, I can grate an 8 oz block in about 20 seconds. Account for the time it takes to pull the food processor from the cabinet and I am at 1 minute. Account for cleaning, I am now at 2 minutes total for 2 cups of grated cheese. By those calculations, I am making $30 per hour grating my own cheese. Not only that, it taste better, I have more variety in the cheeses I can choose from for cooking, and there are no gluing agents in my cheese - JUST FRESH, PURE CHEESE.

2. Southern Saver: Couponing works!! However, it takes a time commitment. My friend Kimberly recently turned me on to a new website that consolidates all the important sales into a single email.  Register at www.southernsavers.com 

3. Rock the Fuel Perks! If you don't shop at Bi-Lo, it's time to start. Even if you don't buy all of your groceries from there each week, it pays to choose a select few items each week. For every $50 you spend you earn $.05 off per gallon of gas at a participating BP. (For people living in Kannapolis, the Bi-Lo I use is on Hwy 29 at the corner of Dale Earnhardt Blvd and the participating BP is also on HWY 29 at the corner of Mt. Mitchell Church Road next to Hilbish Ford.)
They also run specials on gas. For example, this week you can earn an additional $.20 off per gallon if you buy 5 of the participating items in any order (5 of each/1 of each totalling 5): Kraft Mayo, Planters Peanut Butter, Planter's Peanuts, Kraft dressing, Velvetta Cheese, or Ritz Crackers. 
You can get $.25 off per gallon for getting your flu shot at Bi-Lo.
Bi-Lo also doubles all coupons everyday up to $.99.
So, look at the fuel perk specials, find your coupons, and SAVE!

I'd like to give a shout out to my sister in-law Leslie who built her fuel perks up to $.70 off per gallon by the time she had to fill her Jeep up last month.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ahhhhh... My favorite time of the year.

I love this soup recipe because it is healthier than most using water instead of salty broth, the ingredients are short and easy to find, and it is not based in creams or milks which doesn't upset my husband's stomach as bad. I made two large batches Saturday for the freezer.  (I am not really in the mood yet for soup - but I will be in November!)

Adapted from Cooking Light, October 2004
3 pounds butternut squash (about 2 medium)
5 teaspoons olive oil
5 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (about 2 large)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic

1. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet (or on a silpat). Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. Scoop out pulp. Discard skins.

This is cut side up. After they come out of the oven I flip them over like this so that they cool faster. These are ready to be scooped.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, parsley, sage, and thyme; cook 15 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.  Add squash, water, salt, pepper, and garlic. Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.
3. Puree.  You can do this by placing batches into your food processor 2 1/2 cups at a time.  OR - and my favorite method - use an immersion blender. This was my best purchase of 2009.

Inventoring Your Stocks!

Anything that you read about make-ahead meals will stress the importance of keeping an inventory of what you have stock-piled away. I read a Better Homes and Garden article once that put my freezer to shame.  Here is the link:
 http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/storage/organization/savvy-ways-to-store-food/#page=15

Anyway you slice the cake, you need to keep an inventory of what you have squirled away. Otherwise, you forget about it and your time-saving efforts are now wasted.  In the Better Homes article the author recommended keeping a list of what was in the freezer on the door. When you take something out, erase that item. She used a mini whiteboard and kept pens and labels in the magnetic box.

I started using a different method this summer which is really working for me.  I printed off a blank calender and wrote down on various days what was frozen. For example, if I froze three containers of Zucchini Meatballs, I wrote one on August 31st, September 27th, and October 4th. This way I am not only eating my inventory, I am meal planning at the same time.  As my freezer fills, my month of meals fills also. Since menu planning for the week saves money at the grocery store, I assume planning for the month will save even more money because I know how many times next month I will need ground chicken and can therefore watch the sales.

Between canning and freezing this summer, I have the entire months of August, September, October, and November and half of December planned out and prepared.
Here is a picture of October. You now know everything my family will be eating that month:

Time to Plant the Fall

After about a month break, it is time to get back into the garden to plant fall vegetables.  From plant you can buy:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bok Choy
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Greens
Collards


From seed you can start:
Lettuces
Bok Choy
Kale

We cleared out the dying tomatoes and made room for 10 broccoli plants, 8 cauliflower plants, 4 brussel sprouts, 4 cabbage, and planted seeds for kale and lettuce.  So, I am now working into the winter meal plan grilled chicken salads with fresh broccoli, roasted cauliflower casseroles (as opposed to potatoes Au gratin) and deep fried kale!!

Figs

It is FIG TIME again. Dad and Steve were out Saturday morning picking figs. I think I might have the largest fig tree in Cabarrus County. If you would like to help me pick them, or hold Camilla while I am picking them, you get to keep half for your own recipes.  I could definitely use the help.

I recently had the pleasure, no the honor, of visiting Ocracoke, NC. If you have never been to Ocracoke it is time you discover a hidden, literally hidden jewel. Isolated by a 2 hour ferry on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Ocracoke has a history of being self sufficient and unique. Did you know that North Carolina even has a dialect know as Brogue which is also found in Irish dialects of English? Well, it is on Ocracoke and unfortunately it is dieing on Ocracoke.

On of the most fascinating things I discovered on Ocracoke is their native Fig Trees. I am the gardening nerd who also has a Fig Tree and was excited to talk to locals about which recipes they prefer for preserves and cakes. All of the locals kept mentioning a Ms. Ruth's Fig Cake. So, I share with you....

"On Ocracoke it's a small step from routine to extraordinary," Ruth Fordon
Fig Cake Recipe
3 large eggs
1 1/2  cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
2 cups preserved figs cut up

Grease and flour one large tube or bundt pan.
Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add sugar and beat until pale, add oil slowly and beat another minute. Sift together flour, spices, salt and soda. Add to eggs alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in figs, nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan and place in preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests are done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 20 minutes then invert onto a rack and cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy.

Bree's Fig Preserves
For each pound of fresh figs, add 1/2 cup of sugar and lemon juice.
For example:  7-8 jelly jars
6 pounds of figs
3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of lemon juice.

Cut stems off figs and cut in half.
Boil the mixture down for about 35 - 40 minutes.
Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a water bath canner for 35 minutes.

Here are some beautiful images from my week at Ocracoke:

The view from the top of the Life Saving Station at Portsmouth, NC.

As we were touring the ghost town of Portsmouth we walked into the church to hear live organ music being played by our group leader Diane. What a surreal moment!!

Sailing on the Windfall through the Pamlico Sound.

The view from NCCAT looking out over the harbor at Ocracoke.

Sunset at Ocracoke

Before and After Pictures

I was out of town last week. Although I had a wonderful time, I always hate getting behind. This is what the kitchen looked like Saturday morning after I went and got everything out of the garden from this past week:

Then, by Saturday night it looked like this:

Inventory:
6 jars of pickled Okra
12 jars of Fig Preserves
1 Fig Cobbler
1 batch of Rachel Ray's Squash-A-Mole
2 Grilled Vegetable Lasagnas (1 for next week and 1 to put in the freezer until October)
and enough grilled vegetables for pizza tonight for the family



Why cook the extra amounts??? Bree preaches a little.....

The Suburban Challenge, for any new readers, is living up to and owning the idea of being a domestic diva while not being a stay-at-home diva. It is the handbook for all of us multi-taskers who want it all - career and domestic bliss.

The key to The Suburban Challenge, if you choose to accept it, is cooking in bulk. You must be willing to cook one time per week and get in 4-7 meals from your time in the kitchen. Rachel Ray preaches this, but cooks a lot of different entrees on one day using similar ingredients. I preach this by cooking the same entree times 4 or 7 and preserving it properly.

In either case, you are providing a healthy, home cooked, fresh meal for your family every night of the week while also saving one hour of each day by not having to cook it. With that extra hour you are able to achieve domestic diva status by gardening, working-out, running errands, sewing, playing outside with the kids, crafting, ... whatever your heart's desire.  People ask me all the time - "Bree how do you do it all?" Well, time management. Make the most of your cooking time on Sunday, then spend the rest of the week WITH THE TV OFF getting done what it is you seek to achieve.  Peace!

White Chili Starter

This is a great recipe to freeze or can. Imagine using this starter to cook a batch of white bean chicken chili on a cold Sunday afternoon watching the NFL playoffs - if there are NFL playoffs..... And to think, the tomatoes, peppers, and maybe even the beans came from your own garden!

6 cups of cooked beans (This year in the garden I grew a white bean that is no longer sold which my grandmother passed along to me. It is a cross between a Crowder Pea and a Pinto Bean.)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 yellow onions
3 chopped bell peppers (mixed in colors)
3 jalapenos (or other hot pepper from your garden)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
6 cups of peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoons black pepper
6 cups water

Makes 5 quarts

The longest part of the prep is the tomatoes.  It took me one hour to peel, seed, and chop the six cups. After that, the starter came together fast.

1. Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft - about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in peppers and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Stir in spices and cook for 1 more minute.
4. Stir in tomatoes and beans. Cover with water (about 6 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Package and freeze or Ladle starter into prepared canning jars. Process in a pressure canner at 11 lbs. for 90 minutes.

*When ready to serve. Cook 2 chicken breast then shred them. Add chicken to one jar of starter, heat and serve. Serves four. If you need to serve a crowd, add another chicken breast and another can of beans to bulk up the starter to serve six.

Cuccumber Bread

A follow up to last weekend's blog about the Cucumber Bread recipe.  I didn't really care for it because there were bitter bites (from too much baking soda or cooking the cucumbers with their peels on?). However, it did inspire me to bake a cucumber.  I came up with two recipes for you:

Cucumber Bread/Muffins - this recipe is adapted from a Paula Dean recipe so IT IS NOT HEALTHY! This is a good recipe to prepare for a housewarming, hostess, new baby, etc....
3 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs beaten
2 cups of cucumber (about 3 medium cuc.s)
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Prepare two loaf pans or muffin pans.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3. Peel strips off of the cucumber, leaving some to give the cucumber strength in the food processor but getting rid of some of the bitter skins.  Slice longways into fourths so that you can cut the seeds out easily. Then grate in a food processor.

4. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
5. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs, almond extract, and cucumber.
6. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Bake loaf pans for one hour or muffin pans for 30-35 minutes.

Cucumber Carrot Breakfast Muffin: The sinfulness of that last recipe encouraged me to come up with something I could actually keep around the house and eat.
1 cup cucumber, peeled in strips, seeded and grated (see  recipe and photo above)
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup flour
1 cup old fashion oats
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon allspice

1.Combine the cucumber, carrot, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, egg and raisins in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the flour, oats, flaxseed, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and allspice.
3. Slowly incorporate the two bowls together.
4. Spoon into a greased muffin pan.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

A Weekend on The Suburban Farm

Weekends are work!!  Especially when there is a garden involved.  Knowing that Steve and I had a lot to do in the garden this weekend, we took advantage of the cooler temperatures on Friday evening to get started.  Once we put Cam down to bed, we then mowed, "weed eated", and weeded the garden to get a head start.

Saturday, we took turns plowing and raking up grass to prepare two rows for the soon to come fall garden. Steve would work a little while I stayed inside with the baby and then we would take turns. We started where the spring garden was (potatoes and broccoli) and got two rows ready for sweet potatoes.

You can see the space ready for sweet potatoes in front of the okra which is still providing a lot of produce and green beans climbing on a fence. The green beans are almost done.

While I was inside, I also had the front carrier on so Cam could help me can some Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce. This recipe came from Better Homes and Garden and works great with the Summer Meatballs recipe from June 8th, 2011. 
Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/canning/tomato-basil-simmer-sauce/

I was able to get 7 pts canned and the garden prepared for sweet potatoes all before 12:30 (with Steve's help of course).  Then it was off for family time and  The Band of Oz.
Sunday I had to wear another hat and work at my third job (WS) where I was inspired by Kale!!  We made deep fried Kale.  So, next weekend I will start clearing the space where the corn was in the garden for fall broccoli, spinach, and KALE!
After work I tried a new recipe for Cucumber Bread that was in the Salisbury Post.  I am not impressed.  But, I have some ideas on how to make it better. Once I develop it, I'll share with you!

IF YOU LIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA, YOU MUST PLANT SWEET POTATOES!
HERE'S WHY:
1. North Carolina actually has a Sweet Potato Commission: http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/
2. North Carolina is the leader in sweet potato production, supplying 40% of the annual US production of sweet potatoes.
3.  This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese.
4. It is easy to grow. Plant, make room for the vines to spread, and then harvest in the fall.
5. Sweet Potato Biscuits, Sweet Potato Pie, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Sweet Potatoes, need I say more??

Okra and Tomatoes

Freeze it or Can it!! The easiest canning meal yet!

1 qt sliced okra
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
cayenne pepper to taste
2 tsp salt

Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil.  Add green pepper, and cook 3-4 minutes.  All all the other ingredients.  Cook till soft, about 10 minutes.
Freeze or Can.
For canning: process in a pressure canner at 11 lbs for 30 minutes for pints and 35 minutes for quarts.

Last night, after we put Cam to sleep, Steve and I were able to can a double batch of Okra and Tomatoes and make a large batch of Yellow Squash/Sweet Potato Baby Food in 2.5 hours - GO TEAM!

Okra and Tomatoes for Dinner: Steve and I ate this a lot this past year heated over rice. But to make it an even grander meal, serve with some smoked sausage or chorizo and you will have yourself a southern/Cajun delicacy.

Provencal Simmer Sauce

Here is another canning recipe that combines the wonderful flavors of Ratatouille in a ready to serve sauce all year long!

8-10 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 cubes
5 bell peppers, mixed colors, also chopped into 1/2 cubes
4 medium zucchini cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 onions diced
1/2 cut fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
4 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons olive oil separated
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup pickling salt

1. Prepare tomatoes
2. Blanch peppers (boil for 30 seconds then immerse into ice water). This helps to breakdown the coarse pepper skins for the recipe.
3. Prepare canning jars.
4. In a large (7 qt) saucepan, heat the 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden, about 8 minutes.
5. Add zucchini and saute for 5 minutes stirring often.
6. Toss the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the eggplant making sure to coat it well. You want the eggplant to absorb the oil.  Add to the zucchini along with the salt. Stir well, cover and reduce heat to medium cooking for 5 minutes.
7. Add bell peppers and tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Add both vinegars and bring to a boil.
9. Stir in chopped herbs, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
10. Ladle sauce into sterilized jars with one inch of head space.
11. Process in a pressure canner at 11 pounds 45 minutes for pints and 50 minutes for quarts.


Provencal Chicken using the Provencal Simmer Sauce:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic in a 2 qt sauce pan over medium high heat.
2. Add sliced chicken breast strips and brown on both sides about 2 minutes each side.
3. Add Provencal sauce (about 1/4 cup per chicken breast).
4. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Serve over Couscous or egg noodles.

Chicken Pot Pie Starter

The problem I have with canning is that I cannot feed my family all year with pickles, relish, and jams.  I love to can these items, but The Suburban Challenge needs to prepare for another year of cooking meals in little time. Therefore, I created a canning recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Starter.  I was able to preserve vegetables from the garden and have also managed to cut the preparation time for dinner down to about 10 minutes. (You will need a pressure canner.)

Makes 7 qt (That's 7 meals for later in the year!!)
10 cups of snapped and cut green beans
10 cobs of corn, corn cut from the cob
5 cups white potatoes, pealed and chopped

2 lbs (about 3 lg breast) chicken breast, boiled and shredded

(*You may use other vegetables to substitute for some of the corn or green beans if you don't have enough and have squash, zucchini, onions, or celery available. The cooking times will remain the same.)

1. Boil the chicken. Reserve the cooking liquid. This broth is good flavor to use when hot packing the jars.
2. Prepare your jars for canning.
3. Evenly distribute shredded chicken into your sterilized jars.

4. Bring a large pot of water to boil.You will be boiling one vegetable at a time since their cooking times vary. This will also allow you to even distribute the vegetables in each jar. Start with the corn. Boil 5 minutes then pack into jars. Boil green beans 4 minutes. Boil potatoes 3 minutes. If using zucchini, squash, onions, or celery, also boil each for 3 minutes and distribute into jars. Bang jars lightly onto counter to allow vegetables to settle. To remove vegetables from the boiling water without dumping the water each time use a small sieve, a small colander, or a slotted spoon to remove.

5. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt to each jar.

6. Boil reserved chicken stock. Add to each jar leaving 1 1/2  inch head space. If you don't have enough stock use boiling water to fill.

7. Prepare the Pressure Canner.

8. Process at 11 pounds for 90 minutes.

To Make the Chicken Pot Pies:

1 tablespoon flour

10.5 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

10. 5 oz can Cream of Celery Soup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

can of 12 Oven Ready Buttermilk Biscuits

2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Drain the vegetables reserving the liquid in the jar. Return the liquid to the jar and add flour. With the top on, shake the jar mixing the liquid and flour. Return liquid to the vegetables.

2. Mix in soups, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top dish with 12 biscuits. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of all biscuits with melted butter.

3. Cook at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until biscuits are golden and mixture is bubbling around them. Allow 5 minutes for the casserole to set before serving.

Food Processor Pizza Dough

This is a great way to use up left-overs in the fridge or vegetables from the garden. Last night, Steve and I had a pizza with homemade pesto (frozen at the end of last season), roasted zucchini and tomatoes from the garden, and some fresh mozzarella left over from the beach.

This food processor recipe comes from a free handout I received at Williams Sonoma about two years ago. It is easy and makes two doughs.  Steve and I will probably eat the other one tonight. Enjoy!

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the flour and salt and process with 3 or 4 pulses. With the motor running on the dough speed, slowly add the yeast mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Continue processing until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 1 minutes, then process for 1 minute more.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough in half and roll out as directed in your pizza recipe. Makes two 12-inch rounds.

Prepare pizza making sure to precook any meat or vegetable toppings.  Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

A Garden Hoe-In!

Checking in on your garden progress  :)

Challenges Facing Preserving ALL the Harvesting!
I have made just about every Squash and Zucchini recipe I can get my hands on, and I still have it coming out of my ears.  Rachael Ray's August Every Day magazine has a lot of mouth watering recipes that I am also going to try - like Squash - a - mole. But I still want to preserve some of it for when my tomatoes and eggplant are ready. (Why can't they all get on the same schedule? Who didn't get the memo that I wanted to make Ratatouille?)

Well, I am trying something new this year.  I am blanching it (boiling for thirty seconds and then submersing into ice water) before freezing it. Hopefully this will allow me to thaw some semi-fresh and semi-raw vegetables for recipes later in the year.  My thinking is that freezing raw vegetables will not work as well because both squash and zucchini tend to sweat a little when they are cut into. By blanching them, I stop the sweating process before they go to the freezer. 

Now the big question I had was how to cut them. If I wanted to use them for lasagna or the grill, flat circles are best. But, if I want chunks for ratatouille or zucchini bread, spears are best. So, as an experiment, I cut some both ways and placed them all into a bag together.  

The mistake I may have made (only time will answer) was that I placed them into the bag together to freeze. A friend suggested that I should have frozen them on a cookie sheet first and then placed them into a bag together. This is how you should freeze fruit - so maybe I should have done my veggies the same way. We shall see.

The big point is: I no longer feel pressured to use up my produce before it goes bad. I have just bought myself about another three months to cook it up.  This process should work with any abundance you have hawking at you from the kitchen counter, screaming as it starts to go bad....All that hard work...All that hard work...Don't lose me....

Time to Plant!
Time to plant Pumpkins, Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash, and Spaghetti Squash. This is my favorite food group and one of the reasons I love fall cooking - the sweet starch group. (Sweet Potatoes fall into this group but wait about two to three more weeks before starting those.) Most of these plants start from seeds so they will need longer to germinate. So, if October is the date you are seeking - plant now! I planted mine about a month ago so they will be ready in September.

All of these plants are vine growers so they will need are large area to spread. Work while they are young to keep the grass away - you will appreciate this once the vines go wild in September.

Reaching Goal # 3

On February 20th, I posted my five goals for The Suburban Challenge. Number Three was to learn how to sew.  I also mentioned that I was going to have to wait until the summer to begin that challenge. I am envious of the talents that my friends Meredith MK, Erin CH, Kimberly HL, and Leslie WS all have at the helm of a machine. I told my sewing instructor that my first goal was to make a pillow case dress. Now, whether I stop at the pillow case dress or whether I forge ahead and tackle other items (skirts, curtains, pillows, etc...) is yet to be determined.

Step one - buy a sewing machine. CHECK  The Husqvarna 500E



The plan for tomorrow is to try and make it work. Then I have my first sewing lesson at Anderson Sew and So in Rockwell on Friday!

Summer Must Read

I have become fascinated and infatuated with "The Fabulous Beekman Boys". My obsession first started when Williams Sonoma started carrying their heirloom vegetable seeds and their memoir.  Their memoir? Since when does William Sonoma carry novels?
"The Fabulous Beekman Boys" are two Manhattanites who bought a million dollar weekend home/mansion/farm in rural New York. Originally their journey began as only a weekend retreat and turned into a business. Their story is about risking it all to become gentlemen farmers.

Come to find out - one of the boys - Dr. Brent Ridge who was formally Martha Stewart's health and wellness expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - is from North Carolina. Dr. Brent is from Randleman, NC which is close to Ashboro. Also, in one of their episodes, the pair travels to North Carolina to pick up baby sheep from a "farm" for Martha Stewart and who meets them in the driveway other than Lynn Scott Safrit! (For those of you who don't know LSS is David Murdock's right hand woman here in Kannapolis for Castle and Cook.)

The memoir was written by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, the other half of the Beekman Duo. Josh is an ad executive in New York City and juggles farm life with the pressure of big city deals. I could not put this book down! It is farming and living the American Dream told through the perspective of a drag queen. Believe it or not, there is a lot I can relate to in this book; but not the walking on gold fish filled platform shoes at 4 am through New York City part. In the Epilogue, Josh pays tribute to his inspirations from Oprah and Martha by saying,

My only dream was to live the rest of my life at the farm, pickling, weeding, and mucking. It's what Oprah told me I should do, and what Martha inspired me to achieve. But they were wrong. Actually, they weren't wrong. I just heard them wrong. Martha isn't about achieving perfection - God knows she hasn't. It's about going back time after time trying to get there. It's about graciously, meticulously, fabulously hosting that last-chance New York Times reporter house guest even when all you want to do is lie on a fly-littered bed, read gossip magazines, and die. And Oprah's call to live your Best Life isn't as simple as it seems. Your Best Life isn't necessarily your favorite life or the one you selfishly want. It's simply the life you're best at.

This is a great read that will keep you motivated to weed, can, and cook all summer long.

Lemon Yellow Squash Pie

Need to get rid of your squash?

This recipe was featured in The Salisbury Post by Sue Davis about 3 years ago.  It was an instant smash with my husband and family.  (Unfortunately, the joke was on my uncle who hates squash and whom I tricked into eating and loving in front of everyone - Sorry Uncle Gray.) It fits perfectly into the Suburban Challenge because it is simple and freezes easily.  I made four.  I took one to a Father's Day get together last weekend and have frozen the other three for the next time I am "asked" to bring a dessert.

1 cup yellow squash grated in food processor
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pie shell (I used the graham cracker ones)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate squash. Mix all ingredients together and put mixture into pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes on the oven's lowest rack.

I was only able to cook 2 at one time since that is all that would fit on my lowest rack.

My freezer is starting to look good!  You can see the three extra pies in the back, zucchini bread in the front, and a bag of muffins ready for next month.

Canning 101

I can my own fruit jams and my own vegetables - big deal! I get a lot of weird looks when I tell people that, like their thinking, "That is so old school,"  or "I would never have the time or the patience for that,"  or even, "I'm scared to do that."

I got into gardening three years ago inspired by my grandparents' successes. Realizing how much more I could do if I could preserve some of this food to last longer than the three weeks its harvest is fresh, two years ago I bought Canning & Preserving for Dummies, Karen Ward. Literally, canning for dummies because I didn't have the slightest clue how to can food.  Thoughts of botulism and salmonella danced in my head as I dreamed of creating cute little Christmas presents for the secretaries at work. However, I rationalized to myself that canning has been a survival skill for over 100 years. If farmers could do it in the 1800s without a class - so could I. Thus, I set out on a journey to self-educate moi-meme about canning.

I quickly learned that there were two types of canning: water bath and pressure.  After reading the chapter about pressure canning, I decided that I was going to start off small and just focus on water bath canning. Water bath canning is placing the jar into boiling water to seal the jar. Simple - yes. The canners with racks can be purchased at Walmart for $30-40. With this process, you can preserve anything that has acid - fruit, salsa, pickles, tomatoes, and relishes.  This was a great way to start small.  I had so much fun that first year that last year I decided to take the plunge and begin pressure canning as well. This canner is a bit more expensive than the water bath and much more technical $70-85.

Now, my sister-in-law who has an exploding garden wants to also preserve some of her cucumbers with pickling recipes.  I am walking her through the very easy process. I think that America is having a renewed interest in learning the art of canning - proof is in the canning aisle at Walmart. It is fun, safe, and even easier with today's modern-day techniques. Here are some tips:
1. My biggest piece of advice is - Don't buy a canner if you know someone who has one.  Borrow It!!!  Why add another piece of equipment to the house if you don't have to. If there are of two of you in a circle of friends who want to start canning but don't know of anyone who has a canner, split the cost and share it. You only use it for about four-five times in a harvest.
2. Think of all of the cute, cheap Christmas gifts you can start creating.  Make cute little labels that say "From the Kitchen of Jane Doe 2011," and you have got yourself the best teacher, secretary, neighbor, step aunt, mailman, preacher, hair dresser, or swim coach gift ever.

I so don't have room in my kitchen for all of the extra cans, so I found room in my front living room to store them.  Magazine, picture frame, candle, ...... green beans?

Healthful Squash Breakfast Muffin

Similar to my issue with Zucchini, all of my yellow squash wants to harvest at the same time. And, as with zucchini, there are wonderful ways to eat it fresh.  My favorite is grilled with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil - or the casserole Kimberly made on memorial day from Southern Living.  (It had BACON!)

I set out on a mission to create a healthier breakfast muffin involving the yellow squash. I researched other healthy breakfast muffins as well as squash dishes to maximize the yellow boy's flavor. It took me three attempts - but I nailed it! (At least I think it is good for having no white sugar or oil.) Enjoy!

Healthful Squash Breakfast Muffin
1 medium yellow squash grated
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup non fat vanilla or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
the juice and zest from one lemon
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon poppy seeds.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together the egg, applesauce, yogurt, honey, brown sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Add the grated squash. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, flax seed, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds. Stir in the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture. The mix will be lumpy. Pour batter into a greased muffin pan or liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top edges start to brown. Makes 12 muffins. Can be frozen.

Reader Recipes

Some of you have sent me your awesome recipes in response to my previous posts.

Maureen, my dear friend in Richmond, VA and former roommate, sent me her breakfast casserole recipe. This recipe, similar to "Clean the fridge out Frittata" is flexible enough to use with whatever you currently have in the fridge that is getting ready to go bad:

"So I have been making this breakfast casserole for the last month and I thought you might like it for your blog. Which by the way love it.   I started doing it to make things easier during the week when it came to packing lunches so I didn't have to think about what I was going to eat for breakfast.  It's easy and I can heat it up in the microwave at work. 

 

Egg casserole: 

choice of meat

choice of veggies

8-10 eggs beaten

cheese (if desired)

 

Cook the meat (bacon and/or sausage). Once cooked, place in casserole dish crumbled.  Saute veggies (this week was left over peppers that weren't used in salads, onions and mushrooms). Once soft place in dish, then pour eggs and cheese if using over the mixture and bake at 350 for 45-60 mins until firm.  Cool, cut into serving sizes and put in fridge.  It's quick easy and we eat it all week. One less thing I have to think about during the week... "

 

Here is Maureen and her daughter Liliana at the Kannapolis park when they visited in January.

 

My cousin Becky King just had a baby one week ago today and has still found time to email me her wonderful zucchini recipes:

 

"I have 2 zucchini recipes  that I wanted to share with you.

 

Zucchini strips:
Cut zucchini into strips

blanch it (boil for 5 minutes)

Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle parm cheese.  Can also add some garlic powder or salt.

Boil low till browned.

 

Zucchini casserole:

Cut zucchini into round pieces (like a cucumber slice)

In casserole dish add layer of zucchini, then place a spaghetti sauce (I use hunts) on top of the zucchini.  I think place a layer of mozzarella cheese. and repeat for another layer (zucchini, sauce, moz cheese). Bake on 350 for about 25-35 minutes."

Introducing the newest member of our family: Avery McCall King.  We love you already!!

Summer Meatball

Sneaking in zucchini, this kid friendly recipe is also healthy.
It is easy to make all four batches at once so that you can prepare dinner and freeze three batches for later. For each batch of meatballs you will need:

1 pound of ground turkey
1 egg
2 tablespoons mayo
1/3  cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup of grated zucchini (for all four batches you will need about 3 medium zucchini)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together.
Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed cookie sheet. Form one inch meatballs and place them onto the cooling rack. This allows the grease to drip through the meatball and keep it crisp while baking.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are brown and hard.
Using a fork, lift the meatball off the cooling rack and place into a freezer safe container till ready to eat.

The meatballs will have cooked and formed to the rack and will leave lines. However, cooking them this way allows you to cook an entire batch at one time without using a lot of oil and smoking up the kitchen.

To serve: Thaw if frozen. Place meatballs into a large fry pan with a jar of marinara of your choice. Reheat over medium heat for 15 minutes or when sauce begins to bubble.  Serve over pasta.

Zucchini

When it rains it pours!!

I love to plant zucchini every year.  It is easy to grow and produces a lot. However, its just my luck that it is all ready at one time.  There are tons of great recipes out there for eating zucchini fresh - however, it is a little more difficult to think in terms of The Suburban Challenge and making the zucchini last much longer. Here are three of my favorite ways of transfer zucchini from plant to freezer so that I can continue to enjoy it for months longer.


1. Zucchini Bread.  Make extra batches and freeze them for the holidays, house warming gifts, or when a friend has a new baby you can take over a breakfast dish for sleep deprived mom and dad.  I like hosting friends every year at Christmas for a holiday brunch. As with last year, I will already have one dish made and ready to thaw - the zucchini bread.  Paula Deen's recipe is my favorite:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zucchini-bread-recipe/index.html

2.  Meatballs.  While grating the zucchini for the zucchini bread, I also grate some to incorporate into a summer meatball that freezes well.  Recipe to follow!

3. Baby Food.  Peal, steam, puree, then add liquid (breast milk, formula, or water) to create a creamy consistency.  Freeze in ice cube trays. Last week I made a vegetable blend of zucchini, broccoli, and green peas all from the garden. Cam loves it!

3 Ways to Save Money in June

Here are this months ways to save money:

1. Spoon yogurt into single-serve dishes. Everyday I pack a individual yogurt and applesauce in my lunch for work. I have done this for two years. I recently realized how much extra money I am spending that is not necessary. A carton of four yogurts at Aldi is $1.86. Or, the average individual yogurt is $.75.  However, if you buy the large, 2 lb container, it is $1.26.  Last week I purchased the large container and portioned the yogurt out into recycled baby food jars and got six servings out of my $1.26, and it took me less than five minutes. Well, this rule applies to my applesauce as well.  So, if my calculations are correct, and I continue buying the larger jars, I will have an extra $100 to spend at Christmas (as well as creating less waste for the environment).

2. Washing Lettuce. Too tired to rinse your own lettuce so you end up buying the pre-rinsed, chopped bag lettuce in the produce? The red leafy kind is $1.99 per pound if you bag it yourself and wash and chop at home, or $4.33 per pound if you toss a pre-washed bag in the cart. If you can wash a pound in five minutes, give yourself credit for making $30 per hour.

3. Peeling carrots. Baby carrots are cute, but at $2.65 a pound, they'd better be.  Peel regular carrots that cost 88 cents per pound in 5 minutes, and you made $53 per hour.

Burger Time

The simplest of recipes can be made ahead of time and stocked in the freezer to save money and time. Burgers are a great summer meal and, if your household is like mine, all I have to do is prepare them. Then, the other party (husband) insists on cooking them - even more time efficient. Here are a few tips on freezing burgers and some fun recipes to stock the freezer. Make four batches of your favorite, or two of each.

1. Mix all ingredients together. Form patties and stack two-by-two onto layers of wax paper with an extra layer of paper on the bottom and top.

2. Wrap the patties first in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
Label and freeze.

Fiesta Burger
2 lbs Ground Beef
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Turkey Burger
2 lbs ground turkey
3 tablespoons mayo
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 scallions chopped
4 basil leaves chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt

Chicken Burger
2 lbs ground chicken
3 tablespoons mayo
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Paula Dean's Essence (or other spice blend)
2 scallions chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Adantages of Make-Ahead Cooking The Suburban Challenge Style

Keeping a supply of homemade, ready-to-eat food in the freezer or pantry is one of the smartest things you can do to save time and money and improve the quality and nutrition of the food your family eats.  I began this journey because I found myself resorting to too many frozen pizzas and take-out meals for evenings when there was no time to cook (a meeting after school followed by an aerobics class, then handbell practice....). Before you get out the army-sized pots and pans, here are some helpful tips I recently found at redplum.com:

1. DO automatically think, every time you make a meal, about whether you can cook extra and save it for another meal.

2. DON'T make a double or triple batch and put it all on the tale, expecting to freeze what's left. If it was really, really good, it may disappear.

3. Try a recipe - or more importantly, have your family try it - before you make a quadruple batch!

4. Label everything clearly and well. The label should have a description, date, and any cooking instructions. Write with something big and bold enough that you can read it through a little frost if necessary.

5. Start small. Instead of trying to cook every meal for a month in one day (a task so daunting especially by the time you clean up, you may never repeat it), make large batches of your family's favorite freezable recipes. It's not much more work to make a bigger pot of chili, for example.

6. Clean and sort your freezer before you start your make-ahead plan. Don't feel guilty about throwing away freezer-burnt old food no body's going to eat. It has to go, or you won't have room for you new, money saving make-ahead meals.

7. Put safety first. Keep your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Don't add too much food at once, and never add hot food to the freezer, or it will warm up the whole freezer.

Spinning Away Monday

This past Monday, Abby commented in our Spin Class that she looked forward to "Spinning away her Monday." We all then laughed about how that sounded like the title to a new pop song. But, in all seriousness, she was really spinning away all of the drama, fatigue, and frustration that follows any "Monday, Monday - can't trust that day..."

"Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away," - Barbara DeAngelis

Personally, I love Spin Class. I can sit, with the lights off, listen to great music, sweat off 350-400 calories, and just daydream by myself. For me, it is the perfect marriage between being productive towards my Suburban Challenge goal and rewarding myself. For all of us, working out should not be dreadful and regretful. It should be that 45 minute period of the day where I can say "Thank you for the opportunity - this is for ME!" Of course that high also comes from the body's release of an all natural Prozac or Zoloft, GO SEROTONIN AND DOPAMINE!

Frittata: AKA "Clean the Fridge Out Frittata"

I love Frittatas! It is a crust-less quiche that is easy to make and has limitless possibilities. It is also a great way to clean out all of the odds and ends of produce left in your refrigerator. Since you are using up produce that would otherwise be thrown out, it is also saving money.  I use to work with a person at Camp Tekoa who would always say, "Waste Not Want Not." That phrase has always stuck with me.

You can make up your own Frittata with any combination of vegetables and meat with this easy guideline:
8 eggs
1 cup of grated cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
chopped fresh herbs
Whisk these ingredients and then incorporate your cooked leftovers/odds and ends. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes in a 10 inch pie pan. Presto, a main entree four four or a side dish for six.

Here are two examples of how I cleaned out the fridge this month:
Zucchini Tomato Frittata:
I had one left over zucchini from the Mango Pasta Salad recipe that was one day away from mold and a pint of cherry tomatoes that I have no idea why I bought them almost three weeks ago.
I cooked two slices of bacon chopped up. Removed the bacon and used the grease to saute the chopped zucchini, 2 leaves of Bok Choy, 1 red bell pepper, and the pint of halved cherry tomatoes. I sauteed them for about five minutes and then added 1 teaspoon minced garlic and four leaves of basil chopped. I sauteed them for one more minute. Then combined the vegetables with the cooked bacon and the egg mixture and into the oven it went.

Sweet Potato Swiss Chard Frittata:
Last year in the garden we grew sweet potatoes. I still have some that we have not eaten but they are too small for baking. So, I pealed one and finely chopped it for a Frittata. Once again, I started off with two slices of bacon chopped up. Once they were crisp, I removed them and used the grease to saute the chopped sweet potato and 2 leaves of Swiss Chard from the garden. I sauteed them for about five minutes before adding the herbs. I used fresh rosemary this time along with the salt and pepper. Returned the bacon and added the egg mixture. FIN.

In preparing your vegetable filling, her are my suggestions. Start out with the thick vegetables in olive oil or grease from meat such as bacon or sausage. Adding bacon or sausage allows some people (men) to be convinced that this egg dish is actually a main serving. But, you can always keep it vegetarian by sauteing the vegetables in olive oil. Soft vegetables like green onions, broccoli, and spinach can go in towards the end of the sauteing time. Cook them for about 5-8 minutes until they all seem soft, then add your herbs and cook for one more minute.

Spicy Marinade with a Mango Pasta Salad

Cuisses de Poulet Epicees et Salade de Pates

This is another great marinade to stock up on and make all four batches. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two months without having to freeze.  The pasta salad is just awesome and should only be made fresh.

For each batch of the Marinade:
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup pineapple juice (It is cheaper to buy canned pineapple, drain it, then reserve the fruit for snacks or another use. If you are making four batches of marinade, you will need 2 20oz cans of pineapple)
3 teaspoons curry powder -or other spicy spice blend
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and store till ready to use.

This marinade is great on Chicken. I used it two different ways.
1. I marinaded chicken breast for one hour, then grilled them. The picture below also has the pasta salad in it.

2. I browned 8 chicken thighs in 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium high heat, about 5 minutes each side. Then placed all the chicken into a slow cooker with the marinade. I topped the dish with fresh cut green onions and the reserved pineapple from the juice. I then cooked it on low for one and a half hours.

The Pasta: I love this salad because it has one fruit serving, one vegetable serving, one dairy serving, and no oils (my old days of LA Weight Loss of counting servings are coming back to me now).
1 pound of pasta
1 mango
1 cup plain yogurt
white pepper
1 medium zucchini
2 green onions chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1. Cook the pasta.
2. Peal the Mango and cut the pulp into small cubs. Add to the pasta with the yogurt, salt and pepper. Toss well.
3. Slice the zucchini into fourths, seed, then slice. Blanch the zucchini with the green onions (drop into boiling water for 60 seconds then remove quickly and drop into ice water to stop the cooking process). Toss the vegetables into the salad.