Drunken Peach Tart

Peaches. Peaches. Peaches. What can I say, other than I love them.  I usually have to hide them from my family whenever they are in the conventional basket because we all fight over who is going to eat them.  In fact, the last time they were offered as an add-on for Bountiful Baskets, www.bountifulbaskets.org ,  I almost ate half of the case by myself.  As I was browsing the internet for different ideas on how to use the case and a half of peaches I have, I came across the idea to put tequila (which I love) and peaches. And let me just say that is really is an amazing combination!!

DRUNKEN PEACH TART

Ingredients

• 5 large, ripe but firm peaches - peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4" thick)
• 3 Tbsp tequila (I used Cuervo Gold)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 pkg pre-made pie crust

Instructions

1. * Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. * Mix together peaches, cinnamon, tequila, cornstarch,and sugar in medium bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. * Roll pie crust into tart pan or deep dish pie plate.
4. * Pour peach filling evenly into unbaked pie shell.
5. * Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until filling is thick and bubbly.
6. * Let cool for about 15 minutes.
7. * Serve with whipped cream, caramel sauce, or ice cream!

Italian Burgers

As I was making hamburgers for our Labor Day meal, I looked around the pantry to see what I could come up with to season the meat.  (My family knows that I NEVER  make hamburgers the same way twice.  EVER.)  I saw I had a lot of basil, onions, and some garlic left from the two Italian packs I contributed for at Bountiful Baskets …. and that case of Roma tomatoes I just got…. and WHA-LA.  Italian burgers were made!  I got so excited about the idea because I just love basil. LOVE it!

My husband and daughter loved them, and I have to say that this may be my favorite burger recipe to date!

So, here’s what I did! 

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1 small onion, half chopped and half sliced
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/8 cup (approximately) finely chopped basil leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp CREOLE seasoning ( I used Tony Cachere's ~ Weird, I know)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Break up ground beef in large mixing bowl.
2. Add all ingredients except cheese and SLICED onions, mixing very well by hand. Usually until beef starts to stick together and hold shape.
3. Shape into four equal sized patties. (There will be about one large handful of meat mixture left over. I used this to make a dozen and a half meatballs to freeze for further use.)
4. Place in hot grill pan along with sliced onions surrounding the burgers, and cook until they reach desired doneness, only flipping once.
5. Add mozzarella cheese to the tops of the burgers during the last few minutes so they can melt.
6. Serve and top however you like it! I used lettuce, tomato and grilled onions.

Try topping the burgers with your own favorite Italian ingredients such as marinara or fried eggplant.  You might just surprise yourself and find a new addiction!

Margarita-Marguerita Pasta

As my husband has learned over the years, what I say we are having for dinner is not always what we end up having for dinner.  I always have a rough idea of what I am going to cook, but most of the time it evolves as I actually begin to cook.  My husband has learned to ask, "What are we really having for dinner?" 

Last night was a prime example of that.  I set out to make pasta with chicken, lime and capers, but ended up making Margarita-Marguerita Pasta instead.  At the dinner table I was listing the ingredients, and the hubby asked if it had capers..... to which I replied, "Not tonight. I changed it.  Capers will be next time."  His thoughts? "Of course you did."

I love limes. I love cilantro. I love chicken marinated in lime and cilantro. I love marguerita pizza from our local Italian restaurant. It has sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and garlic. I love margaritas. I love cilantro, limes, and tequila..... So, I just combined them all together and voila! Margarita-Marguerita pasta was born!  It was a big hit and here's what I did!

Margarita-Marguerita Pasta

2 chicken breasts, cubed to bite-size pieces

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pkg mushrooms, stems removed and cut or sliced according to your preference

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, sliced thinly   (*optional)

2 handfuls cilantro, chopped and divided in half

1/4 c tequila, or more depending on taste preferences (I prefer the gold variety and probably used almost 1/2 cup)

1/4 - 1/2 c lime juice, depending on how much you like lime

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

8-10 grape tomatoes, quartered

pasta water, as needed for sauce

1 small box spaghetti, cooked

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute mushrooms, onion,  half of cilantro for five minutes and then add cubed chicken, tequila, carrot, and lime juice.  Cook on low heat for about ten to fifteen minutes to give alcohol time to cook off and chicken is done.  Add tomatoes  remaining cilantro, and cooked pasta.  Use a little pasta water if more sauce is needed to coat pasta. Stir in mozzarella and serve warm.

My version was quite lime-y but that's how we roll at our house!  This is one way to get my husband to eat pasta without complaining - NO RED SAUCE! 

My next vision involves limes, cilantro, corn tortillas, and sour cream....... Now, I'm hungry!

Very Veggie Pasta Sauce

Hey, Y'all!!  In this post I thought I'd talk about the different ways you can spice up your regular old pasta sauce and make it a little more refreshing.  I don't try and re-invent the wheel when it comes to pasta sauce, but I do like to make it a little more exciting than the regular old store bought kinds that are available. 
 
My husband grew up eating spaghetti every week as a kid because it was very economical for a large family.  I, on the other hand, can eat pasta every day and never grow tired of it.  This made it difficult for me to enjoy pasta without my husband complaining.  As I looked in my basket one weekend, I decided to 'spice up' my sauce and threw in some squash, carrots, zucchini, and cucumber.  While this sauce started out as an experiment, it ended up being a dish that my family loved!  I have varied the ingredients many times - adding kale, onion, collard greens, and bell peppers to name a few,  with great results.  This sauce can contain meat if you like, or it can remain meatless.

 

 

 VERY VEGGIE PASTA SAUCE (with or without meat)

1 cup frozen broccoli (I used the broccoli I froze from a recent add-on basket purchase)
1 half of a large yellow onion, about 1 cup, chopped
1 large, peeled cucumber, grated
1 large peeled carrot, grated
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, stems removed
1 large jar of your preferred pasta sauce, I used a 45 oz jar of plain, or traditional sauce
2 Tbs vegetable oil
Cooked pasta of your choice
*1 lb ground beef, veal, pork optional
* alternate/additional ingredients could be: squash, bell peppers, zucchini, kale, collard greens, spinach, mushrooms, etc...

On medium heat, place oil and frozen broccoli in pan and thaw broccoli.  (If you were using meat, you would brown the meat in the oil first along with the frozen broccoli while it thaws).  Add remaining veggies and break up broccoli into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon when soft. Cook until veggies are soft.  Add in spaghetti sauce and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes to let ingredients come together.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over cooked pasta and serve.
These ingredients can be prepped the night before in order to save time cooking the sauce.


*ON A SIDE NOTE:  Adding carrots to your sauce can help reduce the acidity the tomato sauce would normally contain.  You can add chunks of carrots and remove them when the sauce is done cooking, or you can shred them up and leave them in.

So the next time you want to avoid that "plain old spaghetti", stop and look at what you have that can spice it up and make it more exciting.  You'll not regret it!

Mango Lime Basil Jam

Mangoes are a great fruit to have and use in fruit salads, or even in a green salad with almonds and a light dressing. But what else can you do with them if you get tired of them plain? 

I used my 8 pound case of mangoes to make the best jam ever!  I was researching different jam recipes online when I stumbled across nectarine jam with basil.  I immediately got excited at the possibilities of basil!! Next to cilantro, basil is my number two herb to have on hand! My husband and kids love to eat mangoes, but I wanted to do something special with them.  I let the 8 pounds of mangoes ripen all week until they were wrinkled and soft, but not mushy or moldy,  and then used them to make the best jam in the world - in my opinion!

8 pounds mangoes, very ripe -peeled, cored and mashed
4 cups sugar
10-12 basil leaves, whole
1 package Sure-Jell
1/4 c lime concentrate or fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger, optional

Peel and core mangoes. The mangoes I used were very, very ripe so I just squeezed them from the pit/core making sure they were mashed well. 
In a heavy sauce pan, boil mango puree with remaining ingredients for about 25-30 minutes until mixture begins to thicken.
Adjust lime and sugar content as needed for your own taste.  *I love mine full of lime, so I tend to lime it up!
Pour into nine prepared half-pint jars and seal as usual for canning jams.

(**I discovered last summer that very ripe mangoes make for a more spreadable jam, and that's why I added Sure-Jell to this batch of mangoes.)

Greens, Glorious Greens - KALE!

I always get asked "What do you do with kale?"  The first time it showed up in my basket items I was puzzled too. A friend told me that you can do the same things with it as you can do with spinach, collard greens, chard, etc.  That got me to thinking and I recalled a recipe I came across when I was looking for St. Patrick's Day menu items. (We love to make a big deal about smaller holidays at our house.)  This recipe had kale mixed in with mashed potatoes.  My kids were eager to try it, and they ended up loving it!  Now they love to eat kale and get excited when I tell them it's in something they're eating for dinner. I know it sounds weird, but they do!

Mashed Potatoes with Kale

Potatoes, peeled and cut up how you like them
1/2 to 1 bundle of kale, chopped/shredded
salt, pepper to taste
butter
milk
*mayonnaise ( I always use the olive oil mayo )

Boil potatoes and kale until potatoes are tender. Drain. Add in salt and pepper, butter (if it's a large batch of potatoes I use about 3/4 to 1 stick of butter), and milk ( I use anywhere from 1/4 cup to almost 1/2 cup depending on batch size). Mash ingredients together until they reach desired consistency.  
* A trick I learned from my mother was to add about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise to the potatoes for a creamier finished product. Sometimes I add it, and sometimes I don't!


Another dish I added kale to was pinto beans and sausage.

Pinto Beans with Sausage and Kale

1 package sausage of your choice (I used kielbasa), cut in small pieces
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped
1/2 bundle kale, chopped/shredded
1 package dry pinto beans
salt, pepper to taste
additional seasoning as your taste dictates

I used my slow cooker, not crock pot, to brown the onion and kielbasa before adding the water (as called for on the bag of beans), beans, and Kale. Cook for about four hours on high and serve with cornbread muffins and fresh fruit. 

You can adjust the cooking time as needed.

My family really liked this dish and there was nothing left over for my husband's lunch!  I also add kale to soups, casseroles, and even salads.  It doesn't really alter the flavor of those dishes, but adds more nutritional value and variety!

The next time you want to jazz up your soups or mashed potatoes, try kale and see how much you like it!

Creative thinking ~ zucchini

Hello everyone!  By making this blog I hope I can inspire people to try new fruits and vegetables that they never thought they would, or to change their mind and give a disliked item a second chance.  I volunteer at a Bountiful Basket site locally and I am always hearing participants wonder what they will do with some of the more unfamiliar basket items that they have contributed for so that they are not "wasted".  Sometimes I just do not have enough time to let them know just how easy it is to incorporate those items into their everyday cooking and not be intimidated by it.  My friends are always telling me that they wish they cooked like I do, but they fail to realize - even with me constantly telling them - that what I cook isn't really as complicated as it sounds! Maybe with this blog they will see how easy most of it is!

For instance:  Zucchini

Not many people know what to do with zucchini other than making bread with it or frying it.  I take it and use it in sauces and soups.  You get the extra serving of vegetables and it blends into your other ingredients. My kids love it and don't think twice about eating it.

Penne Primavera

Penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 jars spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 cup shredded zucchini (or squash)
1-2 chopped bell peppers - any color
1-2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cups broccoli, cooked ( I throw these in with the pasta and cook until al dente) 
1 pound ground hamburger, pork, turkey, or Italian sausage

Brown meat and veggies together. Add sauce and simmer for around ten minutes. You can either serve over pasta, or toss together and serve!


This recipe includes shredded zucchini, carrots, bell pepper, and broccoli.  The carrots help reduce the acidity of the tomato sauce and the zucchini will break down in the sauce and become unnoticeable for the most part. Since the zucchini has a mild flavor, it doesn't really affect the sauce.  My kids, 6 and 12, ate this and loved it. They were surprised that the veggies could taste so good!

So, next time you have produce you don't think you will like or don't know what to do with, try thinking outside the box and see where you can sneak it in something you already like!