Whole Foods Parking Lot - Music Video [HD]

Stuffed Banana Peppers

My mom made this sometimes in the summer when I was growing up.  I always liked it and asked for the recipe.  I have made it before and it was just as good last night!

Ingredients:
About 12 banana peppers
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
chopped parsley (I usually use dried)
garlic salt (about 1 tsp, I didn't measure)
Parmesan cheese (about 1 TBSP, I didn't measure)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I only used half)

Method:
Mix all ingredients together besides peppers.  Stuff the peppers, place in baking dish, cover with spaghetti sauce and tin foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  The recipe says 1 hour but they were done after 30 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini

It says this serves two as a side dish but I used it as a meal for me.  There is enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.  This recipe came from a vegetarian recipe site but I altered it a little.
Ingredients:
3 small to medium zucchini
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, I used two
2 tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp dried oregano or more to taste
1/2 tsp dried basil or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato or spaghetti sauce
2 tbsp bread crumbs
2 tsp Parmesan cheese
Method:
1.Bring large pot of water to boil.
2. Trim the ends of  washed zucchini.
3. Place zucchini in boiling water with tongs.
4. Boil for 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Remove zucchini and let cool.
6. While zucchini is cooling, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
7. Add onion and garlic and stir well to avoid burning for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add tomato or spaghetti sauce and heat through.
9. Stir in breadcrumbs and spices.
10. Cut cooled zucchini in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scoop out insides and add to mixture in skillet.
11.  Fill zucchini shells with sauce mixture and top with Parmesan cheese.
12.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

It was just Nolan and I tonight for dinner.  I couldn't get him to try this though I know he would have liked it.  It was so good.  I ended up eating three of these halves and an ear of corn from the CSA basket.  I will definitely keep this recipe for summer rotation when the zucchini is going crazy!

CSA Week 5

I like this basket the best so far!  Homegrown sweet corn and enough banana peppers finally to make my mom's stuffed pepper recipe tomorrow.  The corn was divine!  Here's what we got this week; 10 ears of sweet corn, a mess of sting less green beans, yellow squash and zucchini, cukes, peppers, onions and garlic.  I am making zucchini bread tomorrow too!

Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

Here's what we had for dinner tonight.  This was yummy and so easy.  I marinated the chicken in Italian dressing for an hour or so and then threaded it on the skewers.  I then just threaded the veggies on their own skewers unless I was running out of room.  I grilled them til chicken was cooked through and veggies were tender.

CSA basket for the week and 100th post!!!

So, I think you can tell that we had cabbage in the last two CSA baskets but not this week!  I was pleasantly surprised by three pickling cucumbers, which I love to peel, slice, salt and eat.  I am using the zucchini and onions in shish kabobs for tonight's dinner.  And I peeled a ton of garlic which I may roast tomorrow for my homemade pizza.
Here's the lowdown:  We got zucchini and yellow squash, garlic and onions, banana peppers, cucumbers and greens.  I am guessing these are greens by their smell but will ask my grandpa tomorrow what kind they are.  My grandpa is from Georgia and we grew up eating turnip and mustard greens with corn bread, cracklin's and all that other good ol' Southern fare.

I guess after posting these last few posts, I have realized just how lucky I am.  I was able to experience the Polish food that my maternal grandma made and the Southern foods of my maternal grandpa's rearing.  I like to think that I have taken some of their recipes and honored them by making them and sometimes by making them my own.  I am mostly lucky that I was surrounded by such great cooks.

Cabbage Soup

This is my mom's recipe.  She never used meat in hers so I always liked it.  My grandma puts diced ham in hers which is good too.

1 can of tomato juice
2 sliced or diced carrots, however you like them
3 small potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 stalked of celery, diced or cut how you like
1 head of cabbage cut into chunks or pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of canned tomatoes
Method:
Add the tomato juice and then all your veggies except the can of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.  Boil with lid on for at least an hour, until all of the veggies are tender.  Add the jar of tomatoes at the end, otherwise they will get too mushy.

I had this for lunch today with half a sandwich.  It was hearty and filling.  Actually, it was perfect for a rainy day like today. Oh, and this makes a ton.  You could freeze half or just eat until you are sick of it. 

Stuffed Cabbage

Mostly because my grandma is Polish, I grew up eating Stuffed Cabbage but because it tastes so good, I think I would eat it anyway. 
Here is my first attempt with a conglomerate of word of mouth recipes from mom and grandma.

1 head of cabbage, cored, outer leaves peeled and boiled in enough water to cover the cabbage with lid on for about 10 minutes or until tender but not falling apart.  Cool in sink or in fridge until able to peel outer leaves without burning yourself.
2 pounds of hamburger.
2-3 cups of rice, cooked and cooled completely.  I used the rice cooker and then refrigerated the rice for a while.
My grandma would sometimes use a mix of burger, ground pork or maybe veal.  But we just stick to burger.
Also, my mom says if you don't get the rice/meat combo right, it hardens inside the cabbage once baked and forms almost into a meatball.
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1/2-1 cup diced onion
2 cans of Tomato soup.

Method:
Mix raw meat and cooled cooked rice, eggs, onion and salt and pepper.  I used my hands.  The less you handle or mix the better.
Peel leaves of cabbage as you go.  Put a small bowl of the mixture inside the cabbage leaf, continue until you have used all of the cabbage.  Just put them into your baking dish as you make them.  I baked mine in a roaster.  Pour the two cans of soup evenly over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for at least one hour.