Who Knew??

Pickles could be so easy...

I went with Catherine Newman's pickle recipe.   She has never failed me yet and I figured it was worth a try.  Best pickles ever.  Sadly we only got 6 cucumbers, I am hoping for more tomorrow, because I have more dill.

Todays Challenge....

This is our basket from this week.  I was very excited about the asparagus and red peppers, Maddie begs for both when we are at the store, but it can be pricey so I just buy them on sale.  That is a full dozen tomatoes at the right, and toward the back are some plums, but I am not sure what variety they are yet.  ( they are pluots!)

I am going to try and do pickles with the 6 pickling cucumbers.  I have never made pickles, so I am excited.  Trouble is my dad is in town and then we are leaving for  a few days so I don't know how the pickling will work??  Hmm  looks like I need to do some research.  

Eggplant Update

Let's say you are laying in bed in the morning and you hear your two year old talking.  Then you hear a weird, unidentifiable sound, and you and your spouse discuss what is this strange sound??  Hmm well, she isn't crying so leave her be.  NO. NO you get up immediately and see what the demon seed is doing:

No idea where she found a pencil but she really gave the wall and bookcase a work out.  She will not contain her muse to a piece of paper.  She has colored on everything in this house, we hide  writing utensils like most people hide matches.

So the eggplant.  I have mentioned my Meta Givens cookbook before, I found a recipe for  Eggplant En Casserole and had all the ingredients so what the heck.  I made some changes because I strongly believe onions are bigger now that they were in 1947.

Eggplant  (peeled and diced mine was about 4 cups)

2 tomatoes  sliced (peeled, but I didn't because how do you do that?)

1C cheese  ( I used cheddar jack also I don't measure cheese I just throw handfuls)

Butter

Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the eggplant and onion is butter until semi cooked about 5 minutes.  Then layer eggplant/onion then tomato then cheese then repeat.  On the top sprinkle more cheese and some breadcrumbs.  Put a few dabs of butter on top.  Cook at 375 for about half and hour.

Bud and I both loved this, the tomatoes added a nice bit of freshness.  Owen nearly vomited just looking at it, and Ellie liked the first bite but refused anymore.  Maddie at three helpings, of course she thinks edamame is a huge treat so she is not your typical kid.  Definitely something I will make again.  Owen use to eat tons of vegetables but has been more picky since hanging out with more kids, I think since he use to love veggies as a little kid he will eventually get back to them as he gets older.  I hope.

I can't wait to see what this Saturday brings.





Trying New Things

For the last few week we have participated in Bountiful Baskets.  It is pretty cool, especially since we live in a desert and don't have lovely farm stands like we visit in PA when we are there.  Each week we sign up and pay for a basket.  Then on Saturday we shlep out the the designated location and pick up the basket.  It is $16.50 for a basket, and this week in the basket we got a bag of potatoes, 2 tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, leaf lettuce, a cantaloupe, 5 plums, 5 peaches, a couple pounds of grapes and bananas.  Which where I live is way more the $16.50. 

Each week there is one item that is "unusual" at least for us.  This week it is the eggplant.  Last week we got kale, and another week it was swiss chard.  I love the opportunity to try something that our family has not tried.  I love looking for the recipes, and trying them out.  So my project this week is the eggplant.



Just try to get your children to eat me....

So I think I found a recipe, lets see how many I can get to eat eggplant.