Month: August 2011

I LOVE Teaching!

I LOVE Teaching!

I am so glad to be back in the classroom and see all of the excitement that my students have as we start this new school year. I’m completely re-energized as we start and see so much new potential with the year and the direction 

Oven Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

Oven Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

This is SO simple and easy – roast up some fresh tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, & salt and you have your sauce. The only “work” to this is planning an hour ahead to roast up your tomatoes. So what are you waiting for – enjoy the flavors of summer and enjoy!!

Hurricane Jiggler Shots

Hurricane Jiggler Shots

I interrupt your regularly scheduled “tomato overload” program to bring you the latest Hurricane Irene survival information… There’s a Hurricane hitting the East Coast! I know that people are stocked up on their water, bread and milk and eggs and generators and flashlights – and that they also stocked up on the booze so they could make it through the storm! Take some of that booze and make a Hurricane right in your own house.

 

I present you with Hurricane Irene Jiggler Shots… may these be the only things to wiggle/jiggle/sway in your life during this storm!

Hurricane Jiggler Shots

as adapted from my favorite: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen – get it!

  • 1/2 cup passion fruit nectar (or mango/guava/etc)
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup grenadine
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • 2 1/2 packages (2 packages plus 1 teaspoon) Knox Gelatin
  • 1/2 cup white rum
  • 1/2 cup dark rum

Put  all the non-alcoholic liquids into a small saucepan & sprinkle your Knox on top – allowing it to soak for a minute or two. Then turn your heat on very low and stir constantly for about 5 minutes until gelatin is fully disolved.

Remove from heat & pour in your two kinds of rum. Pour the entire mixture into either a loaf pan or a 9×9 square pan (as long as its flat – you are pretty much ok with anything). Allow to set for at least 3 hours (or even overnight) and cut as soon as possible to serving as possible (I often just cut a few at a time when serving, and even if I cut them all – leave them in the ‘fridge to stay cool). This should make about 18-24 Hurricane Irene Survival Jiggler Shots!

One Year Ago – Salsa

And I leave you with this, today’s Question of the Day… What has the worst storm been that you have ever lived through & what ‘survival items’ did you need?

“Classic” Chocolate Whoopie Pie

“Classic” Chocolate Whoopie Pie

Rich LOVES Whoopie Pies. His mom picks them up for him every time we have a trip to the lake & she gets them from a small Amish Bakery stand. The stakes were high so I have avoided making him Whoopie Pies for quite a 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

IT’S TOMATO SEASON And just in case you don’t believe me – take a look at my counter!! I love tomatoes and at this point I am still enjoying them and all of their bounty (from our garden & the CSA) – so I am 

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

Just the other day I was wishing that I had some Tomatillos because I was craving a green salsa! That day just happened to be a Friday and I was getting ready to go over to our CSA. Lo & Behold we got a pound of tomatillos in our pick-up that day. I let out a little cheer and got to researching some recipes so I could make the most of my salsa without screwing it up! This is a mixture of dozens of websites worth of research on Tomatillo Salsa, including Jersey Girl & Tyler Florence.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Self – what is a tomatillo”.  I’m here to help! Tomatillos are a fruit (related to tomatoes) which grows in a paper-like husk that must be removed (and the fruit washed to remove the film from the husk) before using. They are most often picked and used green (although the husk often has a yellowish-brown color to it and like tomatoes, there are many different varieties with different colored fruits). When used fresh they have a slight lemony/acidic flavor to them so roasting them brings out the flavors and softens the skins, but also breaks them down (making them more soupy – not a problem for a salsa). Growing up working at Quiet Valley, we grew these things – but called them “Ground Cherries”. I do not remember what we used them for but I just recently found out they were the same thing! 

That was your lesson for the day, hope that you feel more educated & learned something new for the day (can we tell its back to school time & I will be once again just a “teacher by day” and only a “chef by night”).

This is awesome on chips, used to kick up your quesadilla, on top of grilled meats, eaten with a spoon, mixed into something to spice it up – just enjoy (we enjoyed it as an appetizer before my dad’s birthday dinner & cake celebration).

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Tomatillo Salsa

  • 1 pound tomatillos [husked & rinsed]
  • 1 white onion [peeled, sliced, quartered or whole]
  • 4 garlic cloves [in paper]
  • 2 – 4  jalapenos OR 1 – 2 habaneros
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1 T sugar (optional)

Pre heat oven to 400 On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

One year ago: Grilled Fresh Veggie Panini 

Oh yeah & have you checked out my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY post from earlier his week about an AWESOME Chocolate Ice Cream Layer Cake I made to celebrate Dad’s Birthday and my Blog-iversary??

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And I leave you with this… What fruit/vegetable/etc have you seen at the market and have had no idea what to do with. (AND – did you buy it and experiment or just keep walking?)