Cheddar/Bacon Pull Aparts

Refrigerator biscuits (small size), cut in half. Toss with bacon grease. Yes. Bacon grease. And shredded cheddar. Bake. Depends on how many layers of biscuits, about 15 minutes @400F, enough to get a nice crust on the outside and cooked through.

Collard Greens

I had never tried them before, so thought I'd give it a go... Remove the ribs/stems. Put into water, pull out; repeat (I do it 3 times). Roll the leaves up, slice, then rough chop. In a stockpot, I put a large smoked ham hock, and the root end of an onion (what was left from dicing onions for the stew); covered the meat with water, added the collard greens. It takes awhile for the greens to become tender. When tender, I added one can of rinsed and drained garbanzo beans. I served this with the chicken stew, put the leftovers into the stew, reserving the ham hock for another use.

West African Chicken Stew

Dice onion, green pepper; mince garlic. Saute until tender, not brown. Remove from the pan. Mix coriander, cumin, cardamom, tumeric, pepper, and dried chili; sprinkle over boneless/skinless chicken thighs. Add a bit more oil to the pan, brown chicken, half at a time (I used 8 thighs). When all are browned, return to pan, putting a light layer of flour over each layer of chicken. Top with the reserved peppers/onion/garlic. Add dried chili, a couple of tablespoons thai chili sauce, a large can of crushed tomatoes, small can of tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, then braise in the oven (or slow-cooker) a coupe of hours. At the end, stir in a couple of tablespoons creamy natural (no sugar) peanut butter. I served it with collards greens/garbanzo beans, and brown rice.

Oatmeal and Wheat Germ Cookies

1/2 C. butter, softened 3/4 C. sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 tsp.salt Cream Together. Then add: 1 C. flour 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. allspice 1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 C. toasted wheat germ 3/4 C. rolled oats Stir together, when mixed, put on parchment paper and roll into a cylinder. Chill. Slice and bake on a greased cookie sheet, 350F for about 9 minutes. Cool. Very crispy! Perfect for dunking in milk.

Chickpea Salad

To a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans), add diced celery, diced carrots (I minced some shreds), raisins. Dress with lemon infused olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Salt to taste.

Breakfast Sandwich: Assembly Line

I crowded the biscuits (regular size, small) onto the cookie sheet so that they would rise straighter; I used a flay style. I sliced a semi-frozen tube of Jimmy Dean sausage with a serrated knife. They will shrink while baking and fit the biscuit. Bake these on a foil lined baking sheet until done. Scramble some eggs, but try not to stir them after they hit the pan. Flip to cook the other side. Cut egg rounds using a med. size biscuit cutter. Cut cheese into squares. Refrigerate all the components; assemble and microwave as needed.

Baking Potatoes

Mixed Vegetable Pickles

A friend had given me some vegetables, and I wanted to preserve their goodness in some way. I decided to make pickles. The brine is water, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, and a blend of spices including cloves and allspice. I boiled the brine and poured it over the vegetables. They sat in the fridge for awhile, took them out and boiled the brine (strained, put into a saucepan), and poured it over the veggies. I did that a couple of times over a couple of weeks. Then I put the veggies into jars, boiled the brine (added some more cider vinegar), and poured it over the veggies in the jars. I used a waterbath canning method.

Leftovers: Stuffed Zucchini

I had half a zucchini that needed to be eaten today, so stuffed it with some leftover brown rice, diced red onion, diced salami, chopped roasted garlic, and finely grated cheese. I drizzled the cut zucchini with some leftover garlic oil, I sliced a bit off the bottom in order to have it sit without falling over. The salami was leftover from sandwich stuff we had from a road trip over the weekend. I diced a couple of slices. I added just enough cheese to hold it together. I used a fine grater. It was seasoned with some oregano from the garden, leftover from a tomato pizza the other day. It was sitting on a plate on the counter, had dried. After mounding it in the zucchini boats, I drizzled it with a bit of truffle infused olive oil. I baked it in a hot oven, until internal temp of 165F. The zucchini was just tender, not overly mushy.

Leftovers: 4 Pizzas

Leftover spaghetti sauce, salami, provolone cheese, parmesan.

Leftover spaghetti sauce, sliced leftover grilled steak, shredded cheddar.

Shredded "Pizza" cheese, sliced tomatoes (from a friend's garden), red onion, basil (from my garden).

Camembert cheese, caramelized onion, oregano. All crusts were brushed with garlic infused olive oil. Hot oven.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad

Using the bounty from a neighbor's garden, I made a cooler friendly, picnic salad. I simmered 1 cup quionoa (rinsed), with 2 cups water, and some salt. When the grain was al dente (still a bit chewy), I took the lid off, and let the rest of the moisture evaporate. I tossed it with a tablespoon or so of Meyer Lemon Olive Oil (Queen Creek). When cool, tossed it with diced zucchini, red onion, halved small cherry tomatoes, minced fresh oregano and cilantro, and a few dashes of lime juice. I put it in individual serving plastic containers, and will have in a cooler. Perfect for a picnic later.

A Good Trade

I wasn't going to be able to eat all the pear/camembert tarts, so traded them with a neighbor... this is what she brought me!

Roasted Golden Beets

I got some golden beets from a friend at farmer's market last week, so thought I'd serve them along with grilled T-bones for supper tonight. I washed them, cut the root and stem ends off, cut into smaller pieces, and boiled in salted water until tender. Then, I peeled them, let the steam dissipate, then tossed with some olive oil, a bit of butter, salt and pepper. I then spread them on a baking sheet, and baked in a hot oven until they started to caramelize. Good with a green salad, tossed with your favorite vinaigrette.

Asian Pear and Camembert Tarts

I poached the pears in lemon/lime soda. Yep. It's what I had on hand (like all summer, unopened) and it was taking up space. To the simmering liquid, I added allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Peeled and cored the pears, cut them in half, simmered until softened. I then reduced the poaching liquid, adding honey, sugar, and a tablespoon or so of corn syrup. I used this resulting syrup to glaze the tarts halfway through baking, and a couple of times while they are cooling. When pears were cool, they were sliced thinly. On top of each raw puff pastry round (that was waiting for me in the freezer), I placed sliced camembert cheese, chopped walnuts, thyme, and a few slices of pear. Baked in a hot oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. Drizzle thickened syrup over while cooling.

Easy Puff Pastry (for reals)

Pretty self explanatory... used purchased pie dough, softend butter. Then just did a series of folds/roll-out/fold/chill. Do that a couple of times and the layers grow exponentially. I used my largest biscuit cutter, then another two sizes down to cut the inner wall. I cut almost to the bottom of each piece. Then docked the inside. I proceeded to fill and bake. The outside rose up to make a rim for the tarts. Hot oven about 15 - 20 minutes.