Don't Forget the Ice Cream

Last year was my first trip to our local Peach Festival.  I had no idea what I had been missing.  It was hot summer day, but well worth the trip.  I made the trip with two dear friends and the three of us split a large crate of the best peaches I have ever eaten.

Among the booths filled with jewelry, art and food were booths filled with peach pies, peach smoothies, and peach cobblers.  We tried the peach smoothie—best I have ever had!  So we went back to find out how they made theirs.  They added peaches, peach yogurt, peach juice and ice. No measurements were given, so you can make it as thick or thin as you like.

Use Your Leftover Mashed Potatoes

If I was marooned on a deserted island and could only have a couple of things to eat, one would be potatoes.  I love potatoes! I love them fried, I love them scalloped, and I love French fries and baked potatoes.  I love my Mother’s potato pancakes with a little ketchup!  So when you need a side dish try this one:

Start with a Tabouli Box Mix

We have a cook’s nightmare in our house.  My youngest is a vegetarian who doesn’t eat any meat including fish, but at least eats dairy products. My other two sons and my husband are big meat eaters.  Oh, they can tolerate a meatless meal about once a week, but that’s about all before I hear about it.  And I sway like the breeze with what I’ll eat because I’m about the only cook in the family.

Some nights after a long day at work, I give up!  Only one “extreme” gets fed, meaning I either make a meaty entree, and the vegetarian forages for side dishes and leftovers, or I make a meatless entree and be done with it.

But other nights I feel more creative and satisfy all of them. That’s what happened last night with this delicious dish.  It started from a recipe from Martha Stewart magazine called Wild Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Pecans.  It certainly sounded yummy enough, and I had a nice large container of fresh mushrooms on hand that needed using up.

Easy Paella

This classic Spanish rice dish sounds exotic, but is so easy to make.  Paella is visually appealing because of the mix of bright healthy colors. This is a simplified version of the classic recipe with substitutions to make your life even easier.  This versatile recipe is perfect for any meat lovers, vegetarians, or gluten-free folk that you need to feed. It’s a one-pot dish that will please  both the cook and guest alike.

Don’t let the long ingredient list dissuade you…most are spices and flavorings. For the vegetarian, remove meat and add more vegetables like chunks of winter squash, precooked sweet potatoes, or even eggplant.  For the gluten-free, read your ingredient labels and be sure to use gluten-free chicken broth, tomatoes, and sausage.

Pinecone birdfeeder

Please don’t pour fat, oil and grease down sinks or drains because this leads to sewer blockages. Instead, collect the fat from your roasting pan or from frying or grilling meat and mix it with seeds, nuts and raisins to make a “cake” for birds to eat. We recommend that you use as many ingredients as possible, for the health of the birds. The birds will eat everything that is put out. The shortening gives the birds energy they dearly need during cold weather.

Commercial wild bird food can be expensive. Homemade bird food is easy to make if you use up some left-overs from your green kitchen and add a few choice elements to keep the birds well fed and happy. Feeding the birds is a good way of upping your green living, especially if you are using locally sourced, organic foods and scraps for the most part.

Bleu cheese

This Bleu Cheese Dressing recipe I borrowed from my brother-in-Law.  It is my favorite dressing by a mile. I look forward to our family meals knowing that this is one of his staples.

The characteristic flavor of bleu cheeses tends to be sharp and a bit salty. Give it a try!

Red Chilies

This is a very basic and simple recipe for a quick sauce to use over homemade enchiladas.

3 Tbsp. your choice of oil
1 to 2 garlic minced garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. flour
½ cup red chili powder
2 cups water

Saute the garlic in oil. Whisk in the flour, add chili powder and water. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn because this produces a bitter taste.

Make up a large batch and freeze to have on hand. This basic sauce can be used for many different recipes. Change it up a little by adding one or more of the following: minced onions, oregano, basil, cumin and parsley.