Vegetables & Sides Archives - Page 3 of 3

Alice’s Tomato Pie

September 20, 2016 by Susan Leave a Comment

Cheesy, fresh tomato pie is a treat you’ll want to make again and again! It’s an easy and frugal recipe that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

I know that we’re well into “Pumpkin Spice” season…but I’m still picking fresh tomatoes. Are you? I’m not hating on pumpkin spice, here. Autumn is a lovely season that I plan to enjoy to its fullest. But this feels eerily like “Back to School” sales beginning in July or Christmas decorations in stores in … well, I was going to say October, but we saw some last night!

So when my friend, Alice, shared her recipe for tomato pie with me a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to pass it along to you. Even though it’s pumpkin spice season.

Maybe I’m feeling kind of rebellious because Red Dawn is on TV. Whatever the case… here’s to tomato pie and bucking the system. Wolverines!

Skillet Grilled Corn – Making Summer Last One Kernel at a Time

September 6, 2016 by Susan 5 Comments

Fresh summer corn–so easy! This corn makes a perfect side to serve with any grilled meat, & goes especially well with South-of-the-border dishes.

Did you ever have braces? No gum allowed. No chewy or sticky foods. No corn on the cob.

I had braces when I was younger, and for the past three years we’ve had at least one boy in them.

With corn on the cob off the table we resorted to what most braces-wearing folks do, after cooking, we stood the cobs on end and sliced the kernels off the cob.

And then I decided to introduce my fresh picked summer corn to my cast iron skillet and a hot grill.

Now they’re best friends.

You won’t believe how easy it is, too!

The Lazy Person’s Guide to Canning Tomatoes

August 30, 2016 by Susan 28 Comments

I admire people who put up summer produce by the bushel, stocking their pantry shelves with row upon row of the good stuff. I’ve tried that. My dad does pickles and relish each summer, and I’ve helped out. One time I did get a giant box of tomatoes and canned spaghetti sauce myself. It was delicious and wonderful, but it was an awful lot of work and mess for the amount I got.

I wouldn’t rule out doing a mega canning session again but it’s not really my style.

Here’s my style: I take out my canning pot mid-August and leave it in my kitchen until mid-October. I can two or three or six jars of excess produce as I have it. It’s the same with freezing. As I have extra peppers or corn or whatever, I fill Ziploc bags and stash them in the freezer.

Cheesy, Grilled, Stuffed Jalapenos and Other Spicy Solutions

August 15, 2016 by Susan 10 Comments

We are a drop site for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that we belong to. It’s wonderful, because all summer and autumn long we get a box of produce, just picked that day, delivered to our doorstep. Have you had corn that was just picked? What about melon? I’m pretty sure the cantaloupe that we got last week was the best melon I’ve ever eaten.

Another perk, which doesn’t happen very often, is that if someone else doesn’t pick up their box, we get to keep it!

That happened last week. Double the tomatoes, double the carrots…and double the jalapenos.

How to Preserve Basil

August 8, 2016 by Susan 12 Comments

Freezing basil to add to recipes year round is so easy! All you need is basil, olive oil and ice cube trays. It’s my favorite way to preserve summer.

There’s nothing like walking out onto your deck and picking fresh basil to add to a recipe. But sadly, for much of the year in Minnesota, that is not an option.

I am a terrible gardener, but I’ve always been successful with basil. It grows gangbusters for me, for some reason.

Several years ago, I looked into various ways to preserve my harvest. To maintain freshness, I decided against drying. I found a number of different methods of freezing herbs. Some involved water as a base, some oil. I tried both methods and have settled into what I like best. Olive oil.

This is such an easy process, y’all.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

August 2, 2016 by Susan 12 Comments

Have an abundance of cucumbers? These refrigerator pickles are a little bit sweet, a little bit tart and a lot easy!

I don’t know if these even technically qualify as ‘pickles’. I suppose you could call it a marinade, or even a cucumber salad. I call them pickles because they look like pickles, and I eat them like pickles.

Whatever you call them…make them!

Do you have an abundance of cucumbers this time of year?

We get veggies from the local CSA we belong to, and have been getting lots of cucumbers lately. I LOVE fresh sliced cucumbers, but it’s nice to have different ways to make them. Especially ways that make the goodness last!

Because these aren’t covered in boiling brine and pickled for months, they have a fresh, cucumber-y crunch and taste. They last in the fridge for several weeks.