plums

I was talking with some one today about their plum tree. They have too many plums and are looking for ideas. The spicy plum sauce recipe that I mentioned as an idea is on page 80 of the Ball Blue Book called plum sauce. When canning at home please follow the Ball blue book or information given out by an extension service. The national center for home preservation looks like the best one for information. Home canning is not a DIY project. Food safety is extremely important.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html

stuffed zucchini

stuffed zucchini
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

Zucchini Stuffed with Rice and Cheese

3 cups cooked brown rice, 1 cup raw

1 can nibblets corn or two cups corn kernels

1 cup diced or grated zucchini

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 ½ low fat milk

½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon white pepper

Enough hollowed out zucchinis to fill two casseroles.

Place zucchinis in casseroles

Heat oven to 350 F

In a large mixing bowl combine the rice, cheese and vegetables.

Stir the seasonings into the milk. Pour the milk over the rice mixture, blending well.

Scoop rice mixture into hollowed out zucchinis. Place casseroles full of stuffed zucchinis into oven. Bake for one hour in 350 F oven.

This recipe can be halved.

As is this recipe is gluten free and vegetarian. To make vegan, minor changes of substituting vegan cheese and milk type product.

Bulgur

Cooked Bulgur is nice to have in summer salads. It is traditional in tabbouleh salad. Most of the recipes for cooking bulgur make it harder than necessary. I found this method in a cook book that I purchased in the seventies on whole grains.

1 cup Bulgur, picked over for chaff

3 cups boiling water

Pour boiling water over Bulgur. Let the bulgur soak for at least on hour. It is ready to eat when the grains are soft enough for you to eat. Drain off any excess water. Makes about four cups.

Barley Turkey Cabbage soup

This is what I am cooking for dinner tonight.

It takes about 15 minutes to get everything in the soup pot. It can be cooked in a crock pot. Leftovers can be frozen.

1 pound ground Turkey
½ cup Barley
1 46 ounce can of tomato juice or 6 cups of liquid (suggestion 2 11.5 fluid ounce cans of tomato juice, 1 5.5 fluid ounce can of V-8 and the rest beef bullion.)
2 teaspoons beef or chicken bullion (for adding to start tomato juice)

1 large onion diced
1 small head of cabbage sliced
3 large carrots peeled and diced
3 ribs of celery diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown Turkey and onion in large skillet. Into soup pot or crock pot pour six cups of liquid. Heat liquid to boiling then add barley. Add vegetables and ground turkey. Reduce to simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours on stove top. 6 hours in crock pot. If the soup gets too thick add a little water.

Taste of home cooking school

Kristi and Mary Anne
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

I had great fun helping Kristi the culinary specialist and Michelle part of the management team with the cooking school. I was so excited about the cooking school that I couldn’t sleep the night before.

I helped with the cooking school held in Hillsboro Oregon. In the morning I helped prep the recipes for the evening show. The directions were will written. I was impressed with the logistics of putting the show on. The other volunteers were great.

I prepared a dish called Shanghai Chicken and Zucchini with spicy mandarin ginger glaze. The dish was cooking in a Zip loc zip and steam bag. The bag was easy to use. The dish turned out tasty. Bruce enjoyed eating it.

It was fun demonstrating the dish on stage in front of a large attentive audience.


Go to Taste of Home website to find recipes and more about cooking school.
www.tasteofhome.com

Valentine scones

Valentine scones
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
½ cup milk
Red food coloring

Heat oven to 425 F

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix together milk, egg and red food coloring, using enough red coloring to turn the milk red. Add milk mixture to flour mixture. Stirring until the dough just clings together. Kneed gently on floured surface, about 12 to 15 strokes. Cut dough in half. Roll each half into a circle. Place each circle on parchment line baking sheet. Cut circles into wedges. On outside edges cut the valentine shape. A v slit and a little forming does the trick. Bake in oven at 425 F for about 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 12 scones. Serve with jam.

Mustard Glazed Turkey Loafs

1 cup cracker crumbs
½ cup minced onion or ½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 egg

1 pound ground turkey

Glaze
2 tablespoon prepared mustard
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon vinegar

Heat oven to 400 F

Line sheet pan with foil. Spray foil lined pan with spray oil. Prepare glaze before mixing up turkey loafs. To prepare glaze, mix glaze ingredients together in a measuring cup.

To make turkey loafs combine egg with seasoning. Add in cracker crumbs. Mix in ground turkey, kneading well. Form into mini loafs about baseball size. Place turkey loafs on baking sheet. Glaze. Then bake for 30 minutes or until temperature reaches 160 F

Makes about six loafs.
Serve with your favorite vegetable and potatoes.
Try varying the mustard and vinegar. There are many types of mustard and vinegars in the market place to choose from.

Lentil Burgers

Lentil Burgers

Based on a recipe from Whole Food for the Whole Family

½ cup dry lentils
½ cup raw brown rice

1 small onion, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stock of celery, diced
Additional optional vegetables
1 beet, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 5.5 ounce can of V-8 juice
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
Enough vegetable or beef broth to make 2 ½ cups liquid

Fine grain cornmeal

Dry milk powder, mashed potato flakes or potato flour for thickening

Prepare vegetables. Sauté onion in canola oil. Use a sauce pan with lid, big enough to hold 6 cups. When onion has started to soften add other vegetables and sauté a couple of minutes longer. Add broth, soy sauce and V-8 juice. Bring to boil. Add lentils and brown rice. Stir, then cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for about one hour. It is done when the brown rice is soft. The simmering stage can take part in a Crockpot. It will take twice as long in a Crockpot. I put it in a crock pot before church and finish the lentils burgers after church for lunch.

Making of burgers

Take burger mixture off the stove. Mash like you mash potatoes. Cool burger mixture a little to a temperature that you can safely handle with out burning your fingers. If mixture is too sloppy to form into burgers add a thickening ingredient, Dry milk powder, mashed potato flakes or potato flour.

Put corn meal in a shallow bowl. Form burgers. Dredge lentil burgers in corn meal. Fry on both sides in a little oil. The burgers are finished when they are golden brown on both sides.

Serve with your favorite burger fixings.

If the appropriate ingredients are chosen these burgers can be vegan,vegetarian or gluten free.

strata

strata
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

Strata

A tasty use of stale bread.

One loaf of stale artisan type bread, torn into bite size chunks.

8 eggs beaten

1 ½ cups milk

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cup diced cooked ham

Use 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Coat baking dish with spray oil. Toss bread pieces, cheese and ham together in baking dish.

Blend eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and white pepper together. Pour over bread mixture. Combine bread mixture with egg and milk mixture coating bread well with egg mixture.

Cover and place in refrigerator over night.

In the morning heat oven to 325 F. While oven is heating take strata out of refrigerator. Cover with aluminum foil. When oven is to temperature of 325 F bake strata for 45 minutes to one hour.

When finished baking Strata’s internal temperature should be 160 F. And the strata will be browned with the eggs set.

This recipe can be scaled up or down. To do this, keep the proportions of milk to egg to one to one. Any cheese or meat that you have can be used. Suggested other meats are cooked sausage, leftover beef, chicken or turkey. You can leave the meat out for vegetarians who eat eggs and cheese. Cooked or roasted vegetables can be added to the strata. Play with the seasonings. Try chili powder or curry. Any stale bread works. This is a good recipe for using up free loafs of bread.