Canning Zippy Bread & Butter Pickles

Bread & Butter Pickles

When I was thinking of what the heck to do with all of these cucumbers I Googled Crispy Pickles and this recipe is one of many that caught my eye.   Mostly because I have made a lot of pickles and never before seen a Bread & Butter Pickle recipe calling for a couple of jalapenos and grated fresh ginger, not to mention brown sugar.  This version calls for all three.  I was too curious not to try these so here they are.  They are finished, cooling on my counter, and looking fine.  As with all pickles they need to sit awhile before opening so I leave you with me, in suspense as to the flavor.  The recipe was found on Epicourious and I did do a little adaptation.

Ingredients for ZIPPY Bread & Butter Pickles :

2 1/2 pound cucumbers sliced about 1/4" thick  (mine were closer to 1/8") about 8 cups
2 large thinly sliced red onions, about 2 cups
1/3 C. pickling salt
2 C. apple cider vinegar
1 C. water
1 1/ 4 C. packed light brown sugar
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 T. turmeric
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 t. whole coriander seeds
1 t. celery seeds
2 fresh jalapenos or Fresno chilies pricked with a toothpick

Sterilize the jars and lids.

Toss together the cucumbers, onions, and salt in a large bowl.  Add 3-4 cups ice and set aside for 2-3 hours.   Drain; rinse well and drain again.

Combine the vinegar and the remaining ingredients with 1 cup of water in a large Pot and bring to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the sugar then add the cucumber mixture and return to a boil.

Ladle the hot vegetables and brine into clean sterile jars.  Press the vegetables to submerge  below the vinegar leaving 1/2" head space.  Wipe the rims.  Place the lids and bands onto the jars and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.  (Water should cover the lids by at least 1" and start the time after the water comes to a full boil.)  Remove the jars to a clean kitchen towel and leave undisturbed to seal.

Yield about 2 quarts.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Garden

Brian came into the kitchen as I was flitting around with something or another.....he asked if I had seen the half eaten tomato up in the big Dogwood tree? (Big as Dogwoods go.) As I looked at him in disbelief he repeated that there was a half eaten ripe and juicy tomato lodged between the limbs out front in the Dogwood tree.

I looked at him in disbelief wondering if he was "pranking" me.  But then he seemed serious.  We went straight out the front door and to the tree and it was right there!  Big as life a fat red tomato wedged into the branches half eaten just as he had said.

Alas, by the time I got to the house and grabbed the camera the breeze, or gravity, or maybe the squirrel I suspect put it there had knocked it to the ground. 

This was not a small tomato, not a cherry tomato but a full sized 3" tomato!  I keep trying to imagine just how a squirrel, the suspect, got it from the vine, across the yard, up the tree, and wedged between the branches?  A funny thing happened on the way to the garden.

Slow Carb Diet Results: 7 pounds lost in the First 15 Days Whoopee!

Just to keep me honest and psyched I am reporting that from Tuesday July 15 to Wednesday July 30 I have lost 7 pounds and am delighted!!  My favorite snack is cherry tomatoes right from my own gardens vines!

Honestly when I want a sweet treat they hit the spot.  My other snack foods include peanut butter on celery, and mixed nuts.  I only go overboard on the cherry tomatoes though!

I am really tickled to report that of the 30+ pounds I lost almost 2 years ago I have gained hardly any back.  I called the doctors office this week to confirm my weights officially and was delighted at my findings.  I attribute this to keeping one of the four diet rules and making them a habit.  That rule was to not drink any calories.  At the time I just started drinking water and have never stopped.  It is very rare for me to ever have a soft drink or sweet tea even.

If you have an interest in the other 3 rules of this diet here is the link where I explain it.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/09/slow-carb-diet-how-to-lose-20-pounds-in.html

While I may not loose as quickly as some I really like the diet because I can stay on it.  Indefinitely I think.   Why?  Because the 7th day you eat whatever you want all day long!  So there is always that to look forward to and it does help with any cravings!  Actually my 7th day runs from Saturday night for dinner through Sunday night through dinner!  That may be fudging a bit too but I works for me!

My plan is to stay on this until whenever my knee surgeries happen and that is at least a year away.  It seems logical to me that the less I weigh the easier it will be.  So then, why not?

Canning Week!

These cherry tomatoes are my favorite treat!  Love to snack on them!

Wednesday morning I intended to check out the garden and of course enjoy the beautiful morning.  Unbeknown-st to me the garden had exploded since I last harvested Saturday!  I carried 5dishpans of cucumbers, green beans, peppers, and tomatoes to the kitchen.  Each time I returned to the garden I found yet another cucumber! 

There were two pans plus of the cukes!

Almost a gallon of beans.

Two dishpans of tomatoes.

Beautiful fragrant basil goes into my canned tomatoes.

After canning 40 pounds of tomatoes Monday and Tuesday I really was not looking to do much more but I am...can't let things go to waste.  You would think with only 4 cucumber plants this harvest unlikely.

40 pounds of tomatoes yielded 16 quarts of lovely tomatoes.

Here are my favorite tomato and tomato sauce recipes.  But, I do admit to adapting even my own favorite recipes by this year tossing in a fresh clove of garlic into each jar!   Just click on the links that follow to take a peek at the recipes.    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/08/canning-tomatoes.html   and for sauce    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/08/canning-basic-tomato-sauce.html

This is a recipe I LOVE for sweet and chunky hand cut pickle relish and I have it going right now.  I use it in potato salads, tuna salads, ham salad, chicken salad, macaroni salad, and more!  So very handy as well as delicious.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/07/fresh-cut-chunky-sweet-pickle-relish.html     Just click on the lick to check these recipes and directions out.

I have also been working on two more pickle recipes and look forward to sharing them too!

The Flowers and the Garden Today Remind Me of the Beauty and Bouny We Are Blessed with.

This is the first thing I see when leaving my front door.

There are a lot of worries in our world today.  One has to but turn on the news!  War, illness, scandal, porous borders, it seems much more chaotic than I can ever remember in the past.  On a personal note there is serious illness in our family on several fronts and lets face it the economy is not roaring either.  So I take comfort in the simple blessing of nature today as well as a scripture verse I may share later. God Bless America and help her along her way.

These Dragon Leaf Begonias are the second thing I see.  I love them!

Nature reminds me to pause and just enjoy the minute I am seeing and sensing it's beauty.  Here are some photos I took this morning of the flag and the flowers that happen to be blooming.

This is what I see on my path to our little vegetable patch.   I sure felt better after stopping and really looking at them!  I hope you have enjoyed them too.

The Downstairs Reorganization Is Finnished....

Labeled and stacked fabrics.

And more labeled and stored fabrics.

So finally after almost a year I have gone through every single drawer, closet, cabinet, appliance, nook, and cranny, tote, and box in this house.  I have pitched and reorganized until I am blue in the face!  But I am finished....well I do need to dust again!   At any rate there are a few chore type things to do like cleaning the downstairs carpet, hauling off the treadmill, and buying more power cords before the holiday season but those things pale in scope.

This is 4 of 5 boxes of my favorite notions!

There were 40 some boxes and totes of things to be gone through down here and it has been condensed to 17 totes and trunks of things I really want and plan to use.  The closet system has been refurbished and things as old as dirt hauled from it too.  The freezer has been cleaned out, gone through, and moves as has been the bookcase.  So I am happy now to tend to my garden and do normal chores and an looking forward to many sewing projects I have in my head.

My chair, bookcase, and John Wayne watches over me.  This is where I visit with you and post.

Now I sit before you surrounded by as George Carlin so often mused "my stuff."  And it feels so good to be done and able to move on!

This is not a fancy room but a large one.  The two quilting frames from my daughter-in-laws family sit tucked behind the back and end of the sectional.  Soon I hope to have one put up.  So on now to the next thing!  See you soon!

Special thanks go out to Grandma Neukam who got me interested in sewing, Grandma Powell, my Mother, sisters, Linda and Sheree, Julie Wade, Diane Goss, my best friend, my dear friends Joyce Bruce, Doris S., and others too for sharing their sewing treasures with me.

Creating a Fancy Cake for a Whimsical Baby Shower

We have pink cheetah bottom vanilla layers,  pink zebra chocolate layers, and a whimsical pink giraffe sitting atop!

Our oldest granddaughter loves to bake and decorate cakes and cookies, cupcakes too.  This afternoon she has delivered a special shower cake she made for one of her friends with a little help from her Grandma!  Her friend is expecting twin girls and is all aglow about pink!  She when asked had a vision for pink cheetah, pink zebra, and a pink giraffe!

I love this little guy.  We used raw pieces of spaghetti to support his neck on the inside.

We started this project Thursday evening by baking layer cakes and cupcakes which I wrapped and froze.  Next we made two batches of marshmallow fondant.  This is not new for me and here are the links to my previously posted recipes and directions.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/07/making-marshmallow-fondant-part-1.html       and     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/07/baking-birthday-cakes-marshmallow.html     and also    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/07/marshmallow-fondant-final-episode-two.html

It is always advisable to make the fondant ahead and refrigerate at least overnight and longer is fine.  It can also be frozen and thawed when needed. One more thing lest I forget....it tastes a whole lot better than the fondant you buy!  The cake layers are much easier to trim to size while frozen and the frosting goes the frozen layers so much more easily.

Friday evening we frosted, decorated, and put all of the finishing touches on the cake and cupcakes and were ready for bed at 11PM when we were finally done.  This morning both granddaughters arrived to make the delivery.  Poor Katie sat with "big eyes" and the giant cake on her lap as Emily backed her car out of our driveway.   Such wonderful girls.  I am so proud!

Happily Emily sent me this picture from the shower!

I missed my chance to get a picture of the cupcakes.  She found black and white zebra cupcake papers at Wal-Mart which were perfect.  We baked two dozen chocolate cupcakes and piped on white butter cream.  We melted white chocolate over a pan of simmering water and colored it pink.  Next Emily piped pink hearts onto parchment paper and we placed them in the freezer to harden.  After sprinkling the frosted cupcakes with a bit of fairy dust (sanding sugar) each one was topped with  pink twin hearts.  I am sure they were beautiful arranged around the towering cake!

Cute cake even sitting on my cluttered dinning room table.

We had a lot of fun making this and I am so happy to help and encourage her. 

Fresh Summer Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil

The tomatoes are so ripe and delicious this season and I always look foreword to making a fresh kettle of tomato with basil soup.  So today I have brought a kettle of water to boil and placed tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute then plunged them into a big bowl of ice water and slipped their skins.  After coring each one I cut them into sections and with my thumb pushed out all of the seeds placing only the remaining flesh into my 4 quart measure until full to the top!

Next I went outdoors and picked a nice bunch of basil and brought it into the kitchen and rinsed the leaves well as I pulled them from their stems.  I picked enough to make 2-3 tablespoons after slicing.

Ingredients for Fresh Summer Tomato Soup with Basil:

4 C. fresh tomato, peeled, seeded, and chunk-ed
2-3 fresh shallots sliced thin
2 cloves fresh garlic chopped finely
2-3 T. fresh basil leaves sliced thin
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. sugar
1/2 t, baking soda (keeps the soup from curdling when the cream is added)
2 C. chicken stock
1-1 1/2 C. heavy cream or milk
6-8 slices crisp cooked bacon as garnish, optional

After harvesting and preparing the tomatoes and basil set them aside.  Place the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed non-reactive kettle over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sweat for a minute and add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt, pepper, baking soda, sugar, and stock. Simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft.

You can leave on simmer until just before serving of complete the recipe by adding the cream and pureeing in the blender or using an immersion blender.  Taste and correct the seasoning.  Serve with a couple of slices of crisp bacon as garnish if desired.  Yield 6 servings.

Optional step:

Note:  If you would like the soup thickened mix together in a small bowl with your fingers 2 T. butter and 4 T. flour until all of the flour is absorbed into the butter and is a thick paste consistency.  Whisk into the hot soup until completely melted and smooth and the soup has thickened.

Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole

This makes plenty and even after everyone has a generous serving they are great reheated for another meal. We had 7 for dinner and devoured better than half of a very large and deep 9" x 13" casserole.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe of my sister Linda's and has been a big favorite with our entire extended family.  It is ALWAYS  requested family occasions.  Our daughter-in-law asked for these or twice baked potatoes for her birthday dinner last Sunday.  These are way, way easier to make!  I will confess I had trouble getting it to come out right the first few attempts because I did not initially THAW the potatoes....bummer!  You need to either set the out ahead of time or thaw them under hot water before mixing them up and they will be delicious as well as E-A-S-Y.   This dish easily serves 12.

Ingredients for Easy Cheesy Potatoes:

32 ounces of frozen square cut hash browned potatoes thawed
1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
2 C. sour cream
1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
3/4 C. melted butter divided
2 C. corn flake crumbs or butter cracker (example, Ritz or Club) crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Generously butter the baking dish and set aside.

Using a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and mix thoroughly.   In another bowl stir together the crumbs and 1/4 cup of the melted butter.  Set this aside.  Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of melted butter into the potato mixture.  Dump the potatoes into the prepared casserole and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with buttered crumbs.  Bake in preheated oven 50-60 minutes until browned and the edges are bubbling.  Serve immediately and be prepared for complements!

Sourdough bread from my "NEW" 1847 Oregon Trail Starter AND I Resume "The Slow Carb Diet"

Adaptation of The Doctor's Sourdough Bread.

It's Friday evening at 9:30 PM. and I took my jar of sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and set it out to come to room temperature at around 4 PM.  I had also saved the excess potato water from Brian's mashed potatoes Wednesday evening in a clean mason jar and set it out at the same time.  I just finished adding a cup of the potato water and a cup of bread flour and stirring it well, using a glass or plastic bowl, not metal.   Now it is sitting in my gas oven alone but for the pilot light covered with a clean damp tea towel.  For the record I am using water that has been through our reverse osmosis filtering system and King Arthur bread flour.  More in the morning!

Saturday morning and as I read on I need to add 2 C. warm potato water and 2 1/2 C. bread flour and just to give her a kick I also added 1 T. sugar and 1 T. apple cider vinegar and mixed well.  It says to leave again overnight  in a warm place covered with a damp cloth.  Until I get home from Church Sunday it can stew away.

I also took 2 cups of the starter after feeding and before adding the ingredients above put a cup in each of two mason jars and deposited them in the deep freeze for another day long term or to share.  There was one more cup of starter left and I returned it to the refrigerator for another day short term.

I have adapted the recipe somewhat but it did beautifully!  It yielded four one pound loaves.  I will give you the recipe the way I made it but the original directions as well as the starter can be found at the following link:    carlsfriends.net/source.html

Adaptation of The Doctor's Sourdough Bread:

1 C. Sourdough Starter
2 C. Warm Filtered Water (90-95 degrees)
2 C. Warm Milk (90-95 degrees)
1 T.  Butter, Melted and Cooled
1 Scant Tablespoon or 1 Pkg. Active (I used Instant ) Yeast*
NOTE:   I purchase yeast by the pound and not by the package so I always use a scant tablespoon when replacing a pkg. of yeast.
1/4 C. Honey
7-9+ C. Bread Flour
1/4 C. Oat Bran
2 T. Sugar
2 t. Salt
2 t. Baking Powder

3 Evenings before planned bread baking perform paragraph 1 above.  Next day perform paragraph 2 above.  The third day proceed as follows:

The following morning mix the butter with the warm milk and stir in the yeast whisking until it is dissolved.  Add the honey and continue whisking until it too is dissolved.  Add 2 C. of the flour and the oat bran stirring together well.  Sprinkle the sugar, salt, and baking soda over the mixture.  Gently press it lightly into the dough with the back of a wooden spoon.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to stand 30-50 minutes until it is bubbly.

At this point I emptied the mixture into a large (7 quart) stainless mixer bowl, although the recipe continues by hand.  Using the dough hook starting a low speed add the flour to the dough UNTIL THE DOUGH CLEANS THE SIDES OF THE BOWL AND FORMS UP THE HOOK.  Just increase the speed to medium and sprinkle the flour a bit at a time until the sides stay clean.

Either turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or knead by machine for 3-5 minutes until it has a silken texture.  I machine kneaded 5 minutes.  Meanwhile generously butter 4 one pound bread pans, 9" x 3"and set aside.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and form into loaves.  Place each formed loaf into a prepared pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place 2-3 hours until doubled in size.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a pan with 3 cups of water in the bottom of the oven as it heats.  Bake in a hot oven 400 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more until thoroughly baked.  Remove from the pans and cool on racks.  Butter the tops of the loaves if you wish to prevent hard crustiness..or not!  Yield 4 one pound loaves.

When cool you may wish to double wrap and freeze as I have done for later use.   The rule of thumb as I have been taught is baked goods are good for up to 3 months in the freezer when wrapped well.
Too recap I have 1 C. fresh sourdough starter in the refrigerator that will need to be fed weekly, 2 mason jars each with 1 C. starter frozen for long term keeping, and 4 loaves of sourdough doubled wrapped for the freezer.

My Diet:

And by the way, I resumed my diet of a couple a years ago, THE SLOW CARB DIET, a week ago Monday.  I will have to have both knees replaced in the foreseeable future although not immediately and it will be in my best interest to "lighten my load" Ha Ha.  This is my thinking anyway!  On this diet you can have anything and I do mean anything you want one day a week .  Restrictions are the other days.  I will be enjoying this bread on Sunday next.  If you are interested in this diet  (IT WORKS FOR ME) here is the link    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/09/slow-carb-diet-how-to-lose-20-pounds-in.html     It was originated by Tim Ferris who also sells his book and has lots of info and recipes and support on his own website. 

1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter from Carl Griffith

Clearly this sat awhile before I reconstituted the sourdough starter.

November 14, 2011 it came.  I had read about a sourdough starter and sent off for it.  It arrived and has sat in the envelope on my counter at the end against the tile until I resurrected it per Carl's directions 3 evenings ago.  He has a brochure available on line telling the historic nature of the starter and how to use it.  carlsfriends.net  is the link to the information as Carl passed away in late 2000 and a group of his loving friends continue his tradition of giving away at no charge with directions for reviving and using the starter at no charge.

Summary of the History:

It is given is that it started west in 1847 from Missouri.  Presumably with the family of Dr. John Savage's daughter, one of Carl's great grandmothers.  It came west and settled with them near Salem, Or.  Doc Savage's daughter met and married Carl's great grandfather on the trail and they had 10 children.  The tale and the starter have been passed parent to child since then.  Carl learned to use the starter in a basque sheep camp when he was 10 when they were setting up a homestead on the Steens Mountains in southeastern Oregon.  The bread was baked in dutch ovens on an open campfire.  People at that time had no commercial starter for their bread so it has been exposed to may wild yeasts for our enjoyment.

A more complete history can be found given at the link given above.

Through the years I have had several sourdough starters and enjoyed them very much.  All had been purchased commercially.  I am truly excited about this as when I reconstituted it as directed it has the most pleasing sour aroma of any I have ever used.  Perhaps because of all of the natural wild yeast?  At any rate it came together perfectly as directed.

The starter came dried and in a small zip lock bag.  To reactivate you dissolve the dried starter in 3/4 cup  warm water (90 degrees) and add 3/4 cup white bread flour and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a glass or plastic container, NOT METAL.  Also you want to be sure to use a filtered water of some sort without the chemicals of treated tap water.

Place the bowl, covered with a damp towel in a warm place (About 85 degrees F. like the oven with the light or pilot light on.) for up to 48 hours.  It will get bubbly from the fermentation because it has come to life!

Next mix 1 cup warm (95 degree F) water, add 1 cup of flour, and 1 tablespoon of dried potatoes or use potato water instead of the dry potato flakes. NOTE:  I made Brian mashed potatoes last night for supper so I poured the water off of the potatoes and into a glass measuring cup and left it to cool and used for this step.  Again cover and let sit in a warm place until bubbly again.  (I left covered sitting on the counter until this morning.)

Next I stirred well and stored in a one quart mason jar in the refrigerator until I am ready to use.  It Is natural to become somewhat lumpy and for a liquid to form on top.

I love the prospect of it's history, I love what I have read of Carl Griffith, and the starter has pleased me very much!  Stay tuned for sourdough bread and recipes!

Cherry Tomato Salad with Garlic and Fresh Herbs, with Variations and Serving Suggestions

Honestly it is a challenge for me to save up a quart of cherry tomatoes because we all want to beat out the critters and eat them from the vine!  I do not recall seeing very many recipes for them although my Grandmother did make Cherry Tomato Preserves which were delicious.  Lately there are a few and this is adapted from one I saw Ree Drummond make on The Pioneer Woman awhile back.

This is a salad born for summer with fresh herbs and tomatoes plentiful.  You could just cut up regular tomatoes but it is so attractive to nestle the little red and/or yellow globes into a butter lettuce cup.  Oh my....just lovely.

You could make this using shallots with chives which I almost did this morning but the fragrance of that basil I have planted outside every door of my home and in the garden just got to me!  I find the scent of basil heavenly mingled with the aroma of growing tomato plants.  Heck, I could toss this salad atop a freshly baked pizza and be in heaven.

Ingredients for Cherry Tomato Salad with Garlic and Fresh Herbs:

4 T. good extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
1 quart fresh cherry tomatoes washed and halved ( nice to vary the color but lovely all red ripe)
16-18 fresh washed basil leaves chiffonade
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T. balsamic vinegar

Using a flat heavy bottomed pan combine the olive oil, salt. pepper, and garlic and saute over medium heat for a minute or so until the garlic just begins to turn golden.  Immediately remove from the heat as it can burn and be ruined quickly. 

Cool while you halve the tomatoes and prepare the basil.  Stir everything together to combine.  Cover and let sit to meld the flavors.  Serve as is or pour into lettuce cups or over a big bowl of washed and prepared lettuce greens.  Or, top a perfectly grilled steak, a burger, a tuna salad, gosh I can go on and on!

Yield 1 quart tomato salad.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake for Sunday Dinner

Yesterday I saw this on "Facebook" and had to adapt and throw it together for dessert for Sunday dinner.  So easy to make.  The main thing was to remember to pull the cream cheese and butter out of the refrigerator last night to have it at room temperature this morning to mix and bake. 

So indeed this morning I baked this aromatic and judging from the crumbs that broke off and I devoured, delicious pound cake!  It should be very nice served with the remaining strawberry and blueberry sorbet.


Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pound Cake:

3 sticks room temperature butter (3/4 pound)
3 C. sugar
8 ounces room temperature cream cheese (1/2 pound)
6 large eggs (leave on the counter 30 minutes to bring to room temperature)
3 C. sifted cake flour
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Generously butter and flour bunt or tube pan and set aside.

(The directions on the Internet said to bake at 325 degrees F. if you go all the way back to the original posting, but the Facebook directions say 300 degrees F.  I baked at 325 for an hour than turned the temperature back to 300 degrees F. the last 30 minutes.)

Cream the butter, sugar, and cream cheese well.  Add the salt, vanilla, and almond extract.  Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  Stir in the flour just enough to incorporate.    Pour evenly or spoon into the prepared pan and even out the top.  Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool for 15-20 minutes then invert the cake onto a plate or cooling rack until completely cooled.  IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG TO REMOVE THE CAKE IT WILL STICK.


Ingredients for the Vanilla Glaze:

1 C, powdered sugar
1-2 T. cream
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Mix these ingredients together until smooth.  Add additional cream until the desired consistency is obtained.  Pour onto the cake coaxing it gently to spill down the sides of the cake.

Yield 12 generous slices.

Easiest Way I Know to Cut Corn From the Cob, Another Helpful Hint!

This is a super handy way to cut corn from the cob.  First you need a medium to large size bowl, depending on how much corn you are cutting.  Next place a flat bottomed coffee mug upside down in the center of the bowl.  This acts as a platform to rest the end of an ear of corn upon.  Using a large sharp knife slice down the cob stopping just prior to touching the end of the coffee mug. Rotate the cob slicing away until all of the kernels have been removed.  Continue with each ear of corn.

This can be done before or after cooking.  I often do this with leftover corn and make fried corn the next day.  Sometimes I freeze in one cup portions for use later in soups.  At any rate it is the easiest way I have found to do the job.

Easy clean up just rinse the items and dry and you are done.

Fresh Garden Stir Fry, Easy Summer One Pot Meal

Yesterday morning early I went to the garden as I often do, before the sun heats up the day.  I was pleased to find a couple of hand fulls of Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans ready for picking.  That set me to thinking they might prove to be a great basis for a stir fry using the package of pork loin I recently cut and froze for just such am occasion.  So.....I scavenged my vegetable drawers and found plenty of fresh produce to round off a one pot stir fry supper.

One item of note is that I like to French cut fresh sugar snap peas and green beans when using them in stir fry or risotto.  If you do not have a French bean cutter you simply slice the beans and peas once or twice LENGTHWISE and then cut into about 2" portions.  Also I cut the carrots into 2" lengths and slice to form large matchsticks.

Ingredients for Fresh Garden Stir Fry:

1-1 1/2 pounds sliced pork suitable for stir fry (Substitute and protein you have on hand.)
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
1/4 C. olive oil
1 bunch sliced green onions
1 diced red onion
 1-2 diced cloves fresh garlic
2 T. fresh grated ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 C. soy sauce divided
1/4 t. black pepper
1 1/2 C. green beans, French cut
1 1/2 C. sugar snap peas, French cut
2 C. carrots cut in match sticks
1/2 head shredded fresh cabbage
1/4 C. water or stock

Place the sliced pork in a seal able  plastic bag or bowl.  Add 2 T. of the soy sauce, the black pepper,  and the cornstarch and mix well.  Heat the oil in a wok or large flat bottomed pan over high heat. 

Add the meat and stir fry 4-5 minutes until browned. 

Add the carrots, peas, and beans and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, 2 T. soy sauce, and cabbage.  Fry another 3-4 minutes and add the water.

Reduce to medium heat and cover to steam for 4-5 minutes.  Vegetables should be tender crisp.  Serve and pass the soy sauce.  Yield 3-4 servings.