Planning and Planting for Fall

Our summer garden is nearly tapped out. We've had an amazing bounty of tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, & peppers. But, our harvesting is slowing down and it's about time for us to put our Winter Garden in the ground. We started the seedlings several weeks ago and they're off to a great start.

We're pretty lucky that Georgia weather allows us to grow things well into fall/winter. Our winter garden includes: lettuce, radishes, green beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers, squash, onions, and, of course, pumpkins. The girls are so excited to grow their own Halloween pumpkins and I can't wait to see how big they get!

One of the things I've got to learn is how to can if we're going to keep growing our own food, 'cause our tomato crop was out of control and we ended up with tomatoes everywhere!

Though I can't can (yet) we did learn about freezing tomatoes (and other veggies). It's an easy and fast way to preserve tomatoes for later use in sauces and soups. These tips work for freezing a variety of veggies, though you'll probably forgo the whole skinning and squeezing seeds out for most.

1. Boil a pot of water and drop your firm red tomatoes in (they can't be too soft) for a 2-3 minutes.

2. Transfer them quickly to an ice bath and peel off the skin.

3. Cut them in halves or quarters and squeeze out excess water and seeds. (Don't worry about getting all the seeds. Just try and get as much done as possible.)

4. Place them in ziplock bag and squeeze out excess air.

5. Stick them in the freezer for quick and easy sauce!

Thomas had read something about sucking the air out of the bag through a straw to make sure you don't get freezer burn and gave it a try when freezing our first batch. He wants me to let you know that you should NEVER do that unless you feel like passing out from hyperventilating disgusting tomato air. Instead, you might opt for one of those Reynold's Handi-Vac systems from the grocery. They're cheap, easy to use and get rid of any air in the bag that could cause problems in your freezing.

So, we've now got a whole freezer of good veggies for winter and a winter garden ready to plant! Our eggs should be coming along soon or else we'll be eating some really lazy chickens (totally kidding - can you see me killing and plucking pet chickens? Not that hardcore yet!)

I'll be sure and post more when our winter garden gets productive!

Not that size matters...

Check out my zucchini. Can you believe this? And I'm proud to say this zucchini was grown in my very own backyard. I'm gonna make some fierce zucchini bread with this. Lots of it.

Anyone want some?

Cooking creativity

I like to think we're pretty creative people in our house. But, one area where I'm not very creative is in the cooking realm. I don't love to cook. I do enjoy baking (particularly in the colder months) but cooking is just not my thing. So, I don't really involve the girls in cooking and that means they don't get to express their creativity in the kitchen all that much.

Today, though, Kai was at her Nina's house and making herself a snack. She hand selected which goldfish crackers to put into her cup. And, then asked me if she could sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over them. I immediately said no, more out of reflex than anything, and she looked so incredibly disappointed. It was a little heartbreaking 'cause I think she was really looking forward to making this snack her way.

And, as I busied myself with something else in the kitchen I remembered the bacon ice cream that won such acclaim on last night's Top Chef and it occurred to me that maybe discouraging her from mixing cinnamon sugar and goldfish crackers would hinder her creativity in the kitchen and forever prevent her from being willing to take a risk in the kitchen.

Yes, I know I tend to over think and over estimate the importance of the tiny things, but it convicted me enough to make me go back and hand her the cinnamon sugar and tell her to have at it. And, she was thrilled to have the chance to mix these flavors together.

Now I've made a resolution to let them cook with any ingredients they want at least a couple times a month and let them experience the fun of unlimited creativity in the kitchen.

I even tried her cinnamon and cheddar goldfish mix and it was darn good. Kind of like the preschool version of bacon ice cream. Maybe she'll make an appearance on Top Chef 30 someday!

Does any one know...

what to do with crabapples? I have a bumper crop here and have no idea what on earth I should do with them.

They are currently:

being eaten by squirrels/chipmunks/rabbits
tripping me in the yard
being used as very effective weapons by my children

But, I'd love a more productive use for them. They are super tart so I know you don't really eat them on their own, but what, pray tell, are they good for?

Pumplini Picnic

My dad was usually charged with cooking breakfast on Sunday's before church. I don't exactly know how this came about but for as long as my memory stretches, if there were a hot meal on Sunday it was produced by my dad. These meals usually consisted of onions, green peppers and some sort of meat wrapped in egg omelet's slathered in salsa; mile high stacks of pancakes bathed in butter and topped with fruit jams—guava, lilikoi, or passion fruit—with sides of portuguese sausage; and on some Sundays when we were lucky enough to find ourselves in a particularly poor state he'd fry up pumplini's.

Pumplini's are apparently one of those poor foods that grew into tradition and live on in a culture as a favored food by those lucky enough to have lived through hard times and yet were young enough in those times that a families love and a warm meal, no matter how meager, were enough to make bright those times of stress and hardship. As far as I know, my grandma brought with her the pumplini from hardships of Puerto Rico to Hawaii where an independent farmers life allowed her to pass the pumplini to my father. My father was able to pass it to me during some difficult financial stages of our family. By then though, it had already transcended the food of the poor to the food of a family. And so I'm able to pass the spirit of the pumplini on to my daughters.

Pumplini's, my dad says, is spanish for 'small bread' or 'pan bread'. It's the most basic of breads that you can fry or cook over an open flame. It can be made from just a couple of cups of flour, baking soda, salt and water. Mixed into a dough you fry it in shallow oil. If you're feeling rich you can add an egg, half a cup of sugar, milk instead of water and even a touch of vanilla to round out the flavor.

Easy Chocolate Bread Pudding

Okay, so though I'd failed at this endeavor about a month ago, I thought I'd give it another shot. I got this recipe off Recipezaar and altered it a bit.

3 cups milk
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
6-7 slices day-old bread, cut 1-inch cubes (5 cups lightly packed)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

On stove, heat milk, butter, chocolate chips. Heat until well-mixed. In 8X8 baking dish, arrange bread cubes evenly. Sprinkle with salt. Beat eggs and add vanilla and cinnamon. Remove chocolate mixture from heat. Mix well with eggs mixture. Pour evenly over bread cubes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

It turned out delicious! So very, very good with a little bit of vanilla ice cream on the side. Try it some time. Oh, but make sure you really mix the egg mixture and the chocolate mixture really well 'cause we did have one little spot with what appeared to be a slightly scrambled egg...

Best Tomato Soup Recipe

We were supposed to have some good friends over tonight but Thomas wound up in bed with 103 degree fever and miserable. So I broke out my favorite tomato soup recipe and whipped up some grilled cheese. Perfect comfort food for the ailing. I thought I'd share the soup recipe since it is SO good and easy. My Grandma got it from the country club kitchen where she lives and it is just the best way ever to make tomato soup.

Here's the recipe:

1 Jar Chunky Marinara Spaghetti Sauce
1 container Heavy Cream
1 can of diced tomatoes (undrained)

Pour above ingredients in a pot and heat through until nice and warm. Serve and enjoy!

**you can get creative and add all kinds of spices and extras to this. I usually do it just like this because I either lack creativity in the kitchen or I am too lazy. Still, this is perfect for adding cool stuff to. Let me know if you do try some things. I'd be curious to see how it turns out!

In case you ever wondered...

Pimento Cheese sandwich spread is not the same as other sandwich fillers (i.e. tuna salad, chicken salad, etc.). It cannot be eaten on its own from the container without causing an immediate gag reflex from dairy overload. Nor can it be eaten on tortilla chips for a tasty snack. Alas, Pimento Cheese is an excellent addition to white bread slices with the crust cut off, but it is not suitable for any other purposes. In case you were wondering.

So, if you ever find yourself starving and trapped in a showroom downtown with a refrigerator containing ONLY pimento cheese spread and tortilla chips. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try to pull a Top Chef maneuver and combine them for a meal of some sort. Opt for the chips alone. Or go ahead and starve. Anything else will only give you recurring nightmares of food gone horribly, horribly wrong...

Cool Fake-it Recipe

I think Shepherd's Pie is a great comfort food. It's always been one of my favorite "English" dishes and I've found an awesome Fake-it recipe in Real Simple. I made it tonight for Thomas and the girls and I thought I'd share it in case you're interested in trying it at home. Its as easy as it is delicious...

Sorry there's no picture. It was actually a really pretty dish, but everyone gobbled it up before I got the chance to grab my camera...

1lb. ground beef (I use Boca vegetarian meat crumbles)
frozen or canned peas, carrots, and/or corn
frozen or refrigerated mashed potatoes (This late time I used the boxed flake kind, but the frozen kind are much easier.)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Brown beef in skillet. Add veggies, ketchup & Worcestershire sauce. Prepare mashed potatoes as directed on package. Add meat & veggie mixture to casserole dish. Add potatoes on top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese if desired. Bake for 15 minutes at 250.

Even worse than it looks...

Hard to believe, I know, but this "Chocolate Bread Pudding" was absolutely horrible.

It's just, lately, I've really gotten into baking. It's therapeutic and it makes me feel better. So, I had a hankering for some chocolate bread pudding and thought I'd just try my hand at making some. This is what happens when I'm alone. And considering how long Thomas is going to be in Hawaii you can probably expect to see a bunch of these posts. Anyways, this particular venture got complicated because I didn't have all the ingredients. So, I improvised. It tasted even more horrible than it looks and I know that is saying something because it looks really bad.

So, if you ever need a recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding don't call me. Unless of course you want to make it for someone you really, really don't like...

Buttermilk Goodness

I hadn't made (or even had) a Buttermilk Pie until Thanksgiving, but they are quickly becoming my favorite. It's kind of like the poor man's creme brulee.

I had a mad baking urge at about 11pm and decided to make three to take to the girls' school tomorrow. Okay, two to take to school. One to keep for home. They've just come out of the oven and I can't wait to sneak a little taste while they're still warm.

I got the recipe out of one of my favorite cookbooks ever, A Taste of Georgia. Give it a try sometime and let me know what you think!

Oven: 350 for 45-50 minutes.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 rounded Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash Nutmeg
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Cream together sugar and butter. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Add buttermilk and flavorings. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.

Heavenly Zucchini Bread

Today the baking bug continued its hold on the Loving family and I recruited Thomas to help me bake some Zucchini Bread. Since we signed up for Off the Vine we have veggies coming out of our ears and we never can use them all up. So, I grabbed a recipe for this bread and set out to see if it was something that could make both little and big Lovings happy. It did!

I know Zucchini and heavenly don't generally go in the same sentence, but seriously folks this stuff is super good. In my opinion, the trick is to shred the zucchini as fine as possible and since we don't love nuts too much in bread we eliminated them altogether. What we got was a wonderfully soft, moist and sweet bread that is perfect warmed with a bit of butter.

It's not like you can't find a recipe for Zucchini Bread online, but I thought I'd post the one I used in case you'd like to give it a try. It sounds kinda gross, I know, but I promise you won't be disappointed!

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups zucchini, finely grated,raw and unpeeled
1 teaspoon cinnamon

**you can add 1 C of walnuts if you like nuts in your breads.


1. Beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.
2. Add the other ingredients, beating well.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour in two oiled and floured loaf pans.


If you try it let me know what you think!

okay, so i can't cook...

I can do lots of things. I can write some kick-ass haiku. I can bargain shop like a mad-woman. I can do math in my head. I can read really fast. I cannot, however, cook well. Not at all. The picture above was taken by Thomas in an attempt to capture my inability to cook. See, on more than one occasion Thomas has come home to smoke and the scent of charred food in our kitchen. I burn lots of things. Steaks, hamburger helper, scalloped potatoes (see above pic). I undercook lots of things. Pizza, fish, chicken, biscuits. I am a menace in the kitchen. To be honest, I’d rather clean the kitchen than cook in it.

The story of the scalloped potatoes pretty much sums up my cooking abilities. One night I made a boxed scalloped potato casserole. It was pretty simple. I boil water, add the packets, and bake. After it was finished, I took it out and set it on the stove to cool. But, guess what? It didn’t cool. It actually seemed to get hotter and hotter. I noticed it steaming, and then bubbling, and then smoking over the course of about 10 minutes. Perplexed, I walked over to see what was going on only to realize I had left the stove on from when I boiled the water. That meant they were cooking the whole time. I scooted them back off the burner and BAM! the whole dish exploded. Scalloped potatoes and glass covered the kitchen. We went to Cici’s which has now become our favorite “Jenna-burned-the-dinner-so-let’s-get-out-of-the-house spot.”

Oh well. At least I still have haiku.