Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Monday, February 25, 2013

Tuesday's Table - February 25, 2013






Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Last week had such great ideas - can't wait to see what is in store this week!

This week's feature is from Kaylee at Couponing & Cooking.  Check out this Lucky Leprechaun Bark - looks amazing!  She's got so many wonderful recipes, you'll want to visit and stay a while.




Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!


I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:
  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Sign up for my email reminder here.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!



Zentmrs
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Harvest Monday - February 25, 2013

Even with the less than stellar weather, we had a nice garden week.

Peas!


Ghost peppers...


... cayenne peppers...


...carrots..


... and broccoli.  A very small amount of broccoli.


Even some sweet bell peppers!


Nice week - about 2.2 pounds!

Linked up with Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday... hop on over and see what else is being picked this week.

Zentmrs
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Saturday, February 23, 2013

On Our Way

In a couple of hours we'll be winging our way to the other side of the country, where we'll be seeing some of this....

... and drinking in the flavors of the Caribbean! Looking forward to all kinds of inspiration for the kitchen! Pin It

Friday, February 22, 2013

Almond Meringue Oscars


The Oscars are coming up - we are great fans of the Oscars, though we tend not to see many of the nominated movies.  The event is very flamboyant and quintessentially Hollywood.  All in all, entertaining.

We like to have Oscar-themed dinners too.  My favorite was the year that Lord of the Rings won, and we had "One True Ring Tortellini" and "Sea Biscuits".  That was a fun one!

This year, I had the idea of making little Oscar cookies.  Though I love a great sugar cookie, I wanted something a bit easier with a bit fewer calories.  These are just perfect!



Almond Meringue Oscars

Ingredients:


  • 4 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • yellow food coloring
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds



Directions:

Heat oven to 250°F. Combine egg whites, almond extract and cream of tartar in large bowl.







Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until soft peaks form (about 1 minute).






 Increase speed to high. Beat, gradually adding sugar 2 tablespoons at a time and scraping bowl often, until stiff peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved (2 to 3 minutes).   Add 4 or 5 drops of yellow food coloring, to make a gold colored batter.






Fold in the almonds.


Scoop the batter into a large plastic bag.  Cut one corner and pipe Oscar shapes onto a parchment covered baking pan.



The secret to the shape?  The head is round, the body is basically an inverted triangle, and the base is a short line.



Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off oven; let stand in oven for 30 minutes.

And the Oscar goes to....




... you!

Zentmrs
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Flavors of the Caribbean


We're getting ready to go  on a wonderful 14 day vacation in the Caribbean.  As part of the anticipation, I've been doing some research on Caribbean cooking.

The flavors of the Caribbean started very simply in the kitchens of local women who were creative in using what they had on hand.   Most of the women did not have an abundance of food, and fixing meals on a daily basis meant lots of flexibility in the preparation and ingredients.

The essence of Caribbean cooking is found in the use of fresh foods enhanced by island spices and herbs. The particular regions of each island serve as an incubator for various products.

For instance in the mountainous region of Jamaica are found the most  flavorful coffee beans. On the coastal areas of the Caribbean islands coconut trees are abundant, and the lowlands of the Caribbean produce sweet pineapples. Vast sugar cane fields are found within the interior of Caribbean islands such as Barbados.
No matter the island, good home cooked Caribbean cooking style always starts with staple local ingredients: Fresh fish, vegetables, tropical fruits, and chicken.

The distinct flavor of the Caribbean comes alive when the addition of spices, coconut, mangoes, passion fruit, limes, papayas, guava, cassava, apples, breadfruit, yams and peppers are added to these staple ingredients.

Caribbean residents use limes much in the same way lemons are used in the US. Lime is a favorite marinade for fish, and most locals will tell you the lime starts cooking the fish.

Even with all this, it is nearly impossible to define "Caribbean cooking" for there is no one type of food that is unique to the region. You just can’t come up with one definition that would encompass every islands style, culture and cooking techniques.

Conch recipes are a favorite of the Bahamas.  Cuba is known for tasty black beans and rice.  Jamaica is the land of jerk cooking and seasoning.  Barbados favorite dish is flying fish.  Puerto Rican cooks are famous for their flavorful chicken and rice dishes.  The French Caribbean islands of St Barts, Martinique and French St Martin serve up fine creole dishes.

Nutmeg is used to flavor deserts in America, but this spice is often combined with other native island spices to produce an altogether different, yet somewhat recognizable flavor.  The distinctive flavor of Jamaican Jerk comes from allspice, a spice not usually associated with a meat marinade.  The Cayman islanders have a favorite chocolate cake recipe to which they add spicy peppers.

Many of the best tasting Caribbean sauces are made up of sweet fruits such as orange, papaya and mango, along with spicy, hot peppers.   Coconut milk serves as a base for many popular stews, soups, and sauces. Even oregano and garlic are used with citrus marinades.

And of course Rum is a favorite ingredient throughout the Caribbean, and is applied liberally in marinades, soups, deserts, and sauces.

Once back from our trip and after having tasted the native versions, I can't wait to come back and add some Caribbean flavor to our dinner table!



Zentmrs
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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Roasted Pepper Soup



We eat a lot of peppers at our house.  As many as we can grow and more.  I love the different flavors and heat levels of different peppers.  And roasting them adds even more complexity to the flavor.

This soup is a showcase for roasted peppers.  It feels a little like you've invited Summertime over for dinner.  This is super-easy to make, healthy and oh-so-delicious!  Serve with some crusty Italian bread - yum!

Roasted Pepper Soup


Ingredients:

  • 6 red bell peppers, roasted
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • I medium sweet onion, diced
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 


Directions:

Add the olive oil to a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the onion and sautรฉ until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the peppers and sautรฉ for another 3 minutes.






Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes.






If you like, add a couple of hot peppers here.  Because we like to torture ourselves, I added two scorpion peppers (HOT!)  Simmer for 2 more minutes.




Blend in blender or food processor in batches until smooth.  Return to the pot to cook for another 5 minutes.




Serve!





Really, this is a fabulous soup.  For a more hearty meal, add some cooked chicken and noodles or rice after blending.  Or just have a second bowl.  You'll be glad you did!


Zentmrs
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Monday, February 18, 2013

Tuesday's Table - Time for Spring!






Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Did you know that the first day of Spring is just about 4 weeks away?  Are you are ready as I am?  What is your favorite Spring recipe?  Bring your favorite ideas to share here!

This week's feature is from Melissa's Cuisine - Blackberry Peach Cobbler.  This breakfast... umm... dessert looks so delicious!  And she's a great read too - you'll have to stop over and see her.




Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!


I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:
  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Sign up for my email reminder here.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!



Zentmrs
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Harvest Monday - February 18, 2013

We had a gorgeous weekend and I was able to spend some time in the garden.  Some cleanup, some weeding, some planting.  And some planning.  Great way to spend the weekend!


On to the harvest:  Still growing - peppers!


Lots of carrots left.  I'm hoping eventually they'll grow bigger.  They taste wonderful though!


Tomatoes.  Still flowering, still growing.


And lots of peas.  Every couple of days.  Fabulous!


And a lovely crop of Meyer lemons.  So fragrant and tasty!  I spent some time zesting and juicing them, to save that taste for later.


This week's harvest was just over 7 pounds.  Good start for the season!







 Linked up with Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday... hop on over and see what else is being picked this week.




Zentmrs
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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Lemon Juice - for Later

Lemons are in season right now.  That means great prices on lemons, as you'll find sales on in-season produce.  (Or if you are lucky enough to have lemon trees, this is the time you'll start to see your lemon trees producing.)

Either way, this is the wonderful time for lemons.  

You may want to buy a lot - but you might not want to use them all right now.  Here's a great way to save that lemony goodness for use later.

First, you need to make sure your lemons are clean.  I soak mine in warm water for a bit and them scrub them.


Now use a micro-grater to zest all of the lemons.  It is best to do this BEFORE juicing them.  Both the juicing and the zesting are easier.  Zest the lemons onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Once all the lemons are zested, spread the zest evenly on the sheet and freeze.



After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer and place in a large freezer bag.  Break up the zest so that it is in individual strands (more or less) can easily be measure out later, and store in the freezer.  Be sure to label the bag so that you can remember when you put it in the freezer!






Now to juice them.  


I like to juice them into a large measuring cup - this makes it easy to pour into my containers.




Pour the juice into small freezer-safe containers.  I have 1 ounce plastic containers to use for this.  This is a pretty good size for use later.


Pop the tops on, and freeze.


I store these in large freezer bags (labelled with the date) too.  And now I can have fresh lemon any time!

And a nice side benefit?  The kitchen smells lemon-fresh!


Zentmrs
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