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I have moved to a new site!! It's easier for me to maintain and I like the new name better, so head over there!!!


www.cheesyrice.com

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Farmer's Tomato Pie

My blog was recently accepted to the Foodie Blogroll site, which made me realize I really need to stop slacking and start posting! Foodie Blogroll is a collection of food blogs all rolled up into one neat site for you to browse. Check out the widget thingie they gave me over on the left side of the page!

Before I get going on the recipe I thought I'd give a little update on the garden. We're still getting an overwhelming amount of tomatoes, and as a result my mom and I have made at least 4 batches of my grandma's sauce (a recipe that will never be on this blog!) and yet there are still more. There are always more. We went away for a week, and upon our return we had more tomatoes, green beans, an eggplant, and some cucumbers. I'm very pleased to inform you all that I did find a way to use up many cucumbers, Julia Child's baked cucumber recipe! It uses 6 whole cucumbers, and the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking provides a variety of ways to serve them. I've made it with the cheese sauce.  j'ai adore.

My herbs are doing alright. The basil and sage are growing strong, the parsley is ok, and the dill has completely died. I think I over-planted the pot, not expecting them to grow so much, and the dill suffered for it. Also, the green beans somehow made their way over to the dill and started growing wrapped around it. I wanted to take pics, but it's rainy out so I didn't. 

There is also some delicious looking butternut squash growing!! I'm excited! I'm going to make butternut squash risotto for my brother's birthday on Wednesday, and you can betcha that I'll put the recipe on this here blog :)

We had a plethora of chili peppers as well, and as a result we ate some, froze some, and are drying out some more. And there are still many growing. Here's how the drying ones are coming along:

I know, they are very pretty and strange looking. 

Now on to the recipe! Normally I post original recipes, however as a result of my whining in my last post about too many tomatoes, my friend's mom, Marilyn Leibe, generously suggested I make a Farmers Tomato Pie. I was unimpressed at first, thinking of a pie crust filled with ketchup, but she assured me that it is tasty and emailed me the recipe. The recipe looked way more interesting than my initial impression, which was mainly based on the name. When one thinks of a pie, they normally think of the sweet dessert kind and not the savory kind. Since this is full of tomatoes and cheese I chose to think of it as a pizza pie. 

I was wary of making it at first, but faced with so many tomatoes and a lack of desire to make more sauce I figured I might as well try. I've never actually made a pie before, and as you'll see in the pictures I couldn't care less if the crust was properly crinkled or whatever it's called. I probably should have baked the crust a little longer, but lessons have been learned. 

I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I had two bags of cheese that were mostly finished so instead of measuring I just used what I had left. I used up a bag of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. They became good friends in this dish. The recipe also didn't specify what to do with the basil other than just topping the pie after it baked, so I went with a fancy chiffonade (roll up the leaves and cut into long, thin strips).

Before baking

After baking

The end result was quite pleasing. I should have baked it a little longer, but I was nervous about over-cooking it, as well as a little hungry, so I'll try to be more patient next time. It reminded me of pizza, but with a lighter crust and more tartness from using fresh tomatoes instead of a sauce. It tasted absolutely nothing like a ketchup pie, and for that I am grateful. I'll probably end up making it again this week with more adjustments since I now know how it works. Maybe some chili peppers next time? And sausage too? I think it will be spectacular. 

Click here for the recipe!

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Garden Sauce

We are very fortunate in that our garden is producing a large amount of produce, however it has been difficult at times for us to use everything before it goes bad. For example, we have been eating cucumbers with almost every meal and we still have an extra 6 on our counter, and many more left to be picked. We have more hot peppers than I know what to do with (don't worry, I will figure it out!), and up until today we had multiple bowls filled with tomatoes sitting around.

Plus, my herbs are going mad. Check it out:

So today my mother and I decided to make a red sauce, using our home grown tomatoes and fresh herbs. Using more than 7lbs of tomatoes, a healthy handful of basil, and a few extra ingredients we managed to make a delightful garden sauce. I mostly enjoyed how it didn't have any of that tinny taste you can get from using canned tomatoes to make sauces, therefore giving me the freedom to relax and not worry about covering that extra, unwanted flavor.

This is just one bowl of them

We discovered that the best way to get the most juice, with the smallest amount of seeds and skins, was to first blend the tomatoes and then strain them in a mill. In case you are unaware, when I say "mill" I am referring to a strainer that has a handle for you to rotate and squish all the juice out while keeping the seed and skins inside. If you don't have one, then just using a strainer and pressing on the pulp with a spoon will work fine.

Here is a blurry picture of ours:

We washed, cut in half, blended, milled, and sauce-ified. It was a pleasant process. And way less obnoxious than it might sound. In the end we created a very fresh tasting sauce, sort of like pasta fresca but a little more complex with the addition of wine and cheese cooked in. Of course we have many more tomatoes on the way, and I will have to find many more uses for them! 

This recipe does make a lot of sauce, so feel free to cut it down or be prepared to have some leftover. 

Click here for the recipe!

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Rosemary and Sage Peasant Bread

There's this bread that I sometimes make, it's ridiculously easy and versatile, and very quick. None of that waiting 12 hours crap. Plus you can mess with it all you like with a good chance of it resulting in genius. I first came across it through Sarah, who found it here. You don't need to use all the equipment in that post though, I just use a bowl and wooden spoon.

Here it is with ham and cheese! A most delicious combination

We played with it and made many different versions, besides just the rosemary one. For example, we made it with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Fantastic! And we also made it in muffin tins and used it as sandwich bread. Trust me, it was awesome.

The thing about this bread, other than the different ways in which you can play with it, is the fact that you don't have to knead it at all. Not even a little. All you have to do is stir the dough. I hate kneading, and I try to avoid it. This recipe was a godsend. I'm not even joking, all there is to do is stir. Don't be deceived, these are not biscuits! It does take some patience since it is a yeast dough, but when it's done it has a much sturdier and more satisfying bite to it than most biscuits.

Another thing that scares people off the bread making train is the use of yeast. Yes, there is yeast in this one. Here's the thing, it's recommended that the water you use is between 100-110 degrees (it even says it on the packets or jar). One way to go about this is to do what I do and use a little thermometer. You could also just try using water that feels warm but not painfully hot to touch. Or you can cheat and use fast rise yeast. I'm pretty sure that type has you just add it straight to the flour and not worry about dissolving it. There are many things to try, but don't be scared. Adding the sugar the way this recipe tells you to is a huge help in making the yeast dance. And you'll know it's working if the yeast gets kind of foamy. Just give it a few minutes and don't freak out.

The reason I chose both rosemary and sage for this version of the bread is simply because I have come to the conclusion that these two herbs are glorious together. Also, I have an abundance of them in my garden. Adding them into this dough makes the bread savory with a flavor all on its own, but not so overpowering that you can't eat it with other food, such as in a sandwich or with soup. Enjoy it as is, or eat it with other food. Either way I promise deliciousness.

Ham and Cheese, Eggplant, Chili

I chose to make this bread last week (I was lazy in posting this) because I was thinking of all the great herb breads I can make when I get my bread machine in a week (which I now have and have used at least 4 times and love it!), and then I remembered that I know this classic recipe that I can use to tide me over until then. And so bread was made.

This time I made it into little sandwiches, but sometimes I make this recipe into loaves. For your culinary enjoyment I made sure to include instructions for both ways.

Click here for the recipe!

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Winning is fun

Well, this isn't a recipe, and it isn't advice, but instead it's even better. This is me telling you about how amazing I am! Why? Well, besides the obvious reasons, it's because I won a Food Network Magazine Secret Ingredient contest!!!

Every month, on the last page of their magazine they print a new ingredient. Then within that month it's up to readers to make their own recipe using that ingredient, much like an Iron Chef would.

On my second try I won. The ingredient was peanuts, and I had been making many types of semifreddo so I figured I could just go with that. But I needed a fruit to go with the peanut butter, and so I selected bananas. I made the ice cream, and poured it onto a graham cracker and peanut crust that I invented in order to have more peanuts in the recipe. It was good, but not awesome, so I changed it and made it again. It approached awesomeness. So I changed it again. And submitted the recipe.

Many things happened between then and now. That was in April. Now it's July. The point is that I won, and am currently in this month's Food Network Magazine. I won't post my recipe here, you just need to go buy the magazine to see it. It's pretty epic.

Oh yea, and I spent my $500 winnings this morning. It was fantastic!!

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Dill Macaroni Salad

Dill weed. It's a silly name for a tasty herb. An herb I have not much explored. I gathered some recipes, was offered some more, and have been patiently waiting for my dill to be usable. It has reached that point.

I decided to start with a dill macaroni salad. Why? Because I am unfamiliar with dill and I am very familiar with macaroni salad. I found a recipe using dill for a potato salad, and just adjusted it to fit with the way my mom makes macaroni salad to create some sort of monstrous taste-pile of goodness.

I found the dill to be pleasant to work with. Very easy to chop and with a pleasant smell. The reason I have been so hesitant to venture into this culinary realm is due to the fact that I absolutely despise pickles, and in my mind "dill" and "pickle" are forever together. I thought maybe the flavor in pickles that I can't stand came from dill. I was wrong. Turns out that anything pickled, even olives, instantly triggers the up-chuck reflex. Gross.

I have since learned the error of my ways. People have made many delicious treats involving dill, such as the ever hilarious Dill Dip. As much as I now know that dill is not the reason for my pickle hostility, I still am a little uncomfortable with it. Hence the familiar recipe made in a new and crazy way.

Plus, this has mayonnaise in it. You can't go wrong with a recipe involving mayonnaise. I love the stuff! In the recipe I wrote that you should use 1 cup of mayo, however keep in mind that more is always an option. An option I frequently choose. Needless to say, yet I'll still say it, I highly enjoyed this foray into the joys of dill weed.

Click here for the recipe!

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Minty Raspberry Limoncello

It's starting to be a tad bit sweltering out, so it's time to make cooler and more refreshing recipes for this here blog! What's more refreshing than a liquored up citrus drink? A liquored up citrus drink with mint! I'm a genius. Also I've been wanting to use mint in more things, and this was the first thing that came to mind. I have future plans of turning this into a semifreddo. I can already taste it, and damn it's good.

There's no real story of how this drink came to be. Mostly just that I love Limoncello, I wanted to use it in a mixed drink with mint, and I happened to have a bottle of Raspberry Lemonade in the fridge. And so this delightful, lush drink of summertime refreshment was invented! 

You can easily substitute the Raspberry Lemonade with any other juice type drink you may have, for example I think a grapefruit juice would be an acceptable substitution.

The Limoncello, however, should not be substituted simply because I adore it. Go ahead, buy a bottle. You'll need it once you try this golden elixir. I use it mostly when I'm making fruit ice creams, and it's glorious. I usually simmer frozen berries in a little bit of Limoncello and sugar and then mix it into the custard to become the main flavor. I will be posting those recipes eventually, but on my main website and not the blog. No worries, I'll give you a link to it.

And yes, the bottle is almost empty. Time to get some more!

What is Limoncello? I'll just tell you how wiki describes it: 

Limoncello (or lemoncello) is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy.  Traditionally, it is made from the Sorrento lemon, though most lemons will produce satisfactory limoncello. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramic and limoncello production. This tradition has been carried into other parts of Italy.

Sound good? Yeah it does. It's tasty all on it's own, but sometimes it's fun to have brightly colored mixed drinks in the afternoon and not get completely wasted.

The nice thing about Limoncello, besides the color and usefulness, is the flavor. When you drink it, it's very clearly alcoholic but much smoother than vodka. When I have vodka in a mixed drink, no matter how much or little, it's the overpowering flavor. In this drink, you can taste the lemony goodness, but it's a subtle note that pleases your taste buds without feeling like you were just punched in the mouth. 

Click here for the recipe!

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