‘R Garden Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers topped & seeded

1 ½ lb hamburger raw

1 med. onion chopped

Fresh mushrooms sliced

1c shredded cheese medium cheddar

1 sm can tomato sauce

1 sleeve Saltine Crackers crushed

2T Worcestershire

1 can diced tomatoes

 Preheat oven 350°

In a big bowl mix together hamburger, onion, mushrooms, cheese, tomato sauce, saltines & Worcestershire. Mix well. Stuff each pepper. Place stuffed peppers in a covered dish, keep them close together. Pour diced tomatoes & ½ can of water over peppers. If you don’t have a covered dish cover w/ tin foil. Cook 30 to 40 min. check for doneness. Peppers should be tender & hamburger done. Add more cheese to tops of peppers let melt, serve & eat.

How to Roast Peppers.

Roasting peppers adds incredible flavor. It must be done quickly. Do not cook till soft. Place peppers under a very hot broiler, a very hot grill or the flame of a gas stove. Turn peppers till all sides are blistered & blackened. Peppers can also be blistered by dropping in hot vegetable oil. Remove from heat & place in a paper or plastic bag. Secure opening to let peppers sweat & cool (aprox. 15 min or until you can handle them). This is a job that you can really get “hands on”. Leaving the stem attached, peel the outside skin from the pepper. Some like the Anaheim & Pimento have a very thick plastic-like skin. Others like the Poblano have a very thin skin & some people prefer not to remove it. After peeling use your finger to slit the side of the pepper from the stem down. Curl your finger around the bottom on the stem inside pepper & kind of pinch off the seeds! It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy! Now that you have all these nice roasted peppers, what you don't eat right away, you can freeze these in freezer bags. Put enough in a bag for a recipe get as much air out as possible & pop in the freezer. Now your ready for a taste of summer in January.

Happy Roasting, Kitty

Stuffed Roasted Peppers

Aconcaqua, Marconi, Pimento, Poblano & Anaheim

Roast & peel peppers, place on baking sheet. Heat oven to 325^o .

Chorizo or Italian sausage (cooked & crumbled)

Med. Onion (sautéed)

Cup of rice (cooked)

Grated cheese (your choice)

Mix sausage, onion & rice. Stuff peppers on baking sheet close together. Place a nice layer of cheese on top. Melt cheese in oven. Enjoy!!

Aconcaqua, Marconi & Pimento are sweet peppers. Anaheim peppers have a mild heat at the stem end & have a fabulous flavor. Poblanos are really tasty & have a little more heat. Both of there are still on the low end of the heat scale.

Chicken & Rice

10 chicken legs or thighs

½ T dried oregano-----------------½ T ground cumin

½ t freshly ground pepper---------3 T vinegar

2 med onions, finely chopped

4 med bell pepper, seeded & finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 sm can tomato sauce-----------3 cups water

1/4 tsp saffron threads

Salt & pepper, to taste

olive oil----------------------------1 ½ c rice

Wash chicken & dry w/ paper towels. Mix oregano, cumin, S&P, & vinegar in a bowl. Add chicken, turning pieces cover well. Let marinate abt. 15 minutes.

Heat oil in Dutch oven or heavy pot w/ lid. Brown chicken pieces all over, abt. 2 min. per side. Transfer chicken to a platter & keep 2 T EVOO. Add onion, bell pepper & garlic, cook med heat till soft (not brown), abt. 1-2 minutes. Return the chicken & cook abt. 1-2 min. Add water, saffron, tomato sauce, salt & pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer for abt. 30 min. (This really does make a difference) Wash rice swishing w/ your hands, & drain off the water. Continue doing till water is clear. Bring chicken to boil, stir in rice, reduce heat, cover & simmer till rice is done, abt. 20-25 min.

'R Roasted Pepper Pie
Roasted Peppers
Any cooked sausage, hamburger or chicken.
Sautéed onion & garlic
Grated cheese
Pie pan
When peeling & seeding peppers, also remove stem. Coat pan w/ a little EVOO & layer peppers on bottom, next layer meat, onion & garlic, now cheese. Bake in 325o oven to melt cheese.
You can use any of the peppers on this sheet, plus sweet bells & pimento peppers. Serve in wedges topped w/ salsa.
 

There are many, many different kinds of peppers. Most peppers start out green & ripen to red. Some turn yellow, orange or even chocolate. A few like purple, lilac & ivory actually begin that color. They have a slightly citrus flavor & are wonderful raw in salads. Then there are all the different kinds of hot peppers but that’s another story!
 

'R Grampy’s Eggplant Stuffed Poblanos
 

'R Cool Cucumbers

8 cucumbers quartered & chopped
½ onion small dice
2 sprig of thyme
4 basil leaves shredded
2 Cloves garlic peeled
S&P to taste
6T herbal vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1c sour cream
1c mayonnaise
1 ¼ t dill weed or 1t fresh dill

In a bowl put cucumbers & onions. Using a knife or mortar & pestle mash up thyme, basil, garlic, S&P, vinegar & add to bowl. Mix well check for enough S&P, cover in put in fridge 30 min. Go back & mix ingredients up a few times. Drain off  liquid then add sour cream, mayo & dill, mix well & put in fridge 10 more min. If that is to long go ahead & eat!

If you don't have all these ingredients don't worry. You can leave out the thyme, basil & garlic & still have a nice cool summer dish.
 

Sour Cream & Cucumbers

Recipe by Marjorie Williams NBFM Member

16 oz. sour cream

1 big Spoonful Mayo

1/2 c Sugar

4-6 Sliced Cucumbers

1 Medium Onion

1/2 c Vinegar

Mix above ingredients together. Add season salt, pepper & dill weed to taste. Refrigerate over night.

Tomato Pie

By customer Robin Duncombe
1 9" deep dish pie shell
2lb Tomatoes
8 ounces of grated Italian blend cheese
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 c mayonnaise (not light, not low fat, not salad dressing - MAYO)
1/2 cup (or more) fresh chopped basil
 freshly ground pepper

Take pie shell, prick w/ fork & pre-bake at 375 for approx. 15 min until very lightly browned. Tomatoes, wash & sliced VERY thin (1/8"). Lay the slices out in a single layer on paper towels & sprinkle w/ sea salt & fresh ground black pepper. I usually let mine drain for about 1/2 hour - really wet tomatoes make a too soggy pie. Divide cheese blend in ½ set 1 ½ aside. Turn the oven down to 350. Start layering the pie - single layer of tomato slices, sprinkling of fresh basil, little bit of pepper, sprinkling of cheese. You should be able to repeat 4 times in a deep dish pie shell. Mix the remaining cup of cheese, mayo, & garlic in a small bowl &  spread evenly over the top of the pie. (This is not a really "spreadable" mixture, so I usually drop small spoonfuls all over the top & then gently press them together w/ the back of the spoon.) Bake at least 30 minutes until top is lightly browned & pie is thoroughly hot. I've actually turned my oven down again to 325 to make sure that I get the pie good & hot w/o burning the topping &/or the crust. Let the pie sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing. It makes a great side dish, or served w/ a nice salad as a light & reasonably healthy supper. ANOTHER HINT: If my tomatoes are nice large ones, I cut the slices in half or quarters to make sure I get a nice layer w/o overlapping the slices. This can also be made using a flat rolling of pie dough on a cookie sheet (pierced & pre-baked, of course) & one layer of tomatoes/basil etc. Then cut into squares as an appetizer. I've added Vidalia onion, sliced paper thin, spinach, etc. Make it your own according to your tastes - just as long as you don't mess w/ the mayo!!!! HA!

'R customers are the best & they have great recipes too!

Tomato & Eggs

2 lbs mild or hot country sausage (White's Meat Market go to links page)

6 farm fresh eggs beaten

1 pint canned tomatoes

1/2 sleeve of saltines

1 small onion chopped

1 small sweet pepper chopped

1 dash of Ground Chipolata pepper

Fry sausage till done set aside. Lightly sauté, onions & peppers add tomatoes & Chipolata, salt & pepper to taste simmer till most juice is cooked off.  Add eggs stir till done. Crush up a few of the saltines to soak up the rest of the juice.

Ok, now some hints - And yes this does make a difference, after frying up the sausage, keep a few table spoons of grease to sauté & simmer the tomatoes in. Just do it, don't think about it! This was the first meal I had (minus the onions & peppers) at my husbands grandparents. He raved about tomato & eggs all the time. Now I have to admit this is not the best looking meal, and at the time I was thinking, "How am I going to eat this!?" Well guess what, all it took was one bite & I was hooked. My husband usually fries up the sausage & we take turns with the rest. It's a quick, meal easy to make even when you are tired. For us this is a meal for two so add accordingly for more,

Kermit Eggplant & Chicken

By customer: Adrienne Hardison
1lb chicken breast cut in bite size pieces
½ lb Kermit Eggplant Quartered
1 onion sliced
1T Red Curry Paste
1cn coconut milk

Stir fry chicken & vegetables until cooked. Stir in paste & milk. Simmer 5 min. Serve over cooked jasmine rice.

Everybody here at 'R just loved this one! I now add more red curry paste, sliced mushrooms (browned) & even used left-over pork chops cut in bite size pieces. Yum!

EASY 'R  EGGPLANT IDEAS
2 med eggplant (long slim) cut in bite size pieces
2 any color bell pepper chopped
1 med onion
1 clove garlic chopped
S&P
EVOO
Heat EVOO in pan. Brown onions & peppers. Add garlic & eggplant cook till eggplant is tender. Serve over rice or noodles.

Several long slim eggplant
Italian Dressing
S&P
Grill
Slice eggplant the long way leaving it attached at stem end each slice about ½” thick. Leave skin on. Place eggplant in zip bag & add Italian dressing. Let marinate about 5 min (remember eggplant is a sponge). Place eggplant on grill & cook till tender. Use the stem end to flip eggplant on each side.

Bake or stir-fry any eggplant in oven till tender, add it to spaghetti sauce. Then pour over noodles or spaghetti squash.

The first 2 ideas work well with any of the long eggplant (Ping Tung, Green Goddess, Ichiban, Napoli).  The last recipe will work with any eggplant but I prefer it with the rounder ones.
 

'R Grampy’s Eggplant Stuffed Poblanos
 8 med. poblano chilies
1/2 lb. ground round
1/2 lb. sausage (hot or mild)
1 large Mattamuskeet Sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small red or chocolate bell pepper, chopped
3 med. white eggplant, skin on,1/4 in. cubes
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
1 T. olive oil

 
Cut top out of poblanos. Remove stem, seeds, and ribs. In skillet,
brown ground round and sausage, remove & drain. In same skillet over high heat, sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic and eggplant in 1 T. olive oil. Return meat to skillet, mix, S&P, and simmer 1 min. Preheat oven  350°. Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Fill poblanos with mixture & place in dish. Bake 20 min. Remove dish & sprinkle with both cheeses. Bake 10 min. longer. Serve with tomato salsa.

What a great recipe it has 2 vegetables that come off at the same time eggplant & peppers. We really like recipes that have veggies that are producing about the same time. If hot  is not your liking you can always use a sweet stuffing pepper. Enjoy!

Summer Squash Cakes
4-5 medium summer squash, yellow, zucchini, or a mixture of both
1 small onion
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese
1-2 eggs
flour
salt and pepper

Shred the squash & onion. Mix together with beaten egg, cheese, salt & pepper. Add enough flour to make a batter-like substance, fairly thick. Heat non-stick griddle, or griddle sprayed with non-stick spray. Place mixture on hot griddle in about 3-4 inch rounds, flattening slightly. There will be no expansion, so you can place
them close together. Cook on one side until golden brown, about 5 min. Turn & cook other side. Keep warm in 250° oven while others cook. Serve warm

Dot’s Squash Casserole

friend of the garden
8 sm yellow squash. sliced
1 lg. onion sliced
1 c mushroom soup
1 c sharp cedar cheese grated
1 c brown bread crumbs or package of herbed bread crumbs, melted in 1tsp butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil squash and onions until tender, drain. Layer squash and onions in casserole. Add mushroom soup. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes @ 350°

This is a great recipe to put in those square tins. Just double the recipe, make one to eat & one to put in the freezer. Wrap it up good with tinfoil & then a layer of plastic wrap. Yum!!

Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash & onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in a small amount of water. Cover, & cook until squash is tender, abt. 5 min. Drain well, & place in large bowl. In  med bowl, mix cracker crumbs & cheese. Stir half cracker mixture in cooked squash & onions. Small bowl, mix eggs & milk, add to squash mixture. Stir in melted butter & season w/ S&P. Spread  9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture, & dot with 2 T butter. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned
 

You Can’t Call this Slaw
This recipe is really very easy except for the chopping and slicing. The small pieces are worth the effort and really make a difference in the outcome. The cabbage is the one thing I am willing to fudge on, shhh,,,,,sometimes if we don’t have any in the garden I’ll get it at the………grocery store. OK, there I said it but don’t tell. Now, every thing else I will use fresh when it is coming off in the garden. For the measuring, every cup of cabbage, you need to chop up at least the same amount of the other vegetables. Example: If a head of cabbage is 3 cups, you want 3 cups worth of vegetables, combinations depend on what is coming off in the garden. Everything needs to be chopped in little pieces, once all the chopping is done squeeze out any extra liquid. Put all ingredients in a colander over a bowl. Salt liberally to draw out more liquid. approx 15 min. Pour out liquid & put veggies in bowl. Add CC Slaw Dressing mix well. Slaw should be coated but not sopping in liquid. Taste often & adjust. Cover put in fridge to let flavors meld, stir a few times.

 My Basic Vinaigrette

1 to 2 Tablespoon Herb or Fruit vinegar

Sugar, salt & pepper to taste

2 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Slowly add olive oil and whisk in. Or, shake all ingredients together in a small jar with a tight lid.

The best way is to use a blender or food processor & slowly add EVOO while mixing.

Classic French vinaigrette is typically three parts oil (usually olive oil) & one part acid (frequently red wine vinegar). We like a bit more of the flavored vinegar tastes. If you start with a 1 to 1 mixture you can always add more of what you like. Adding a little sugar or sweetener to your vinaigrette really helps to bring out the flavor.

This is a good slow cooker Recipe

Pork roast or tenderloin

Rub w/ salt & pepper & some dried garlic & onion

Place in pot add ½ to ¾ c Rosemary vinegar & ½ c water. Cook on low or med depending on how long you need to leave it on. You can always do the same thing in the oven @350° for aprox. 2 hours depending on weight of meat.

I love this recipe if your using the slow cooker, fix meat w/ vinegar & put in refrigerator (mine has the removable crock) the night before. Wake up in the morning, put it on & the house smells wonderful when you come home.

Storing your Vinegar

Store the flavored vinegars in a cool, dark place. Refrigeration is best for retention of freshness and flavors. Date the bottles or jars when they are opened. Flavored vinegars should keep for up to 3 months in cool storage.   Refrigeration of all flavored vinegars may extend the quality for 6 to 8 months. Always keep vinegar bottles tightly sealed. After six months, even if there is no sign of spoilage, taste the vinegar before using to make sure the flavor is still good.

Deviled Eggs

Boil eggs, cut in ½  & pop out yolks in dish.

2 good squirts of brown mustard

1 T mayonnaise

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 T dill cubes

Splash of Flavored Herb Vinegar (pick your favorite)

After filling egg whites sprinkle w/ paprika

You Can't Call This Slaw Dressing

1 c flavored vinegar (rosemary, basil or mix up 2 or 3 flavors)

1/2-3/4c mayonnaise

2 big pinches of sugar or 2 T of local honey

2 shakes 'R Chipolata ground pepper

1 pinch 'R dried garlic or fresh

salt & pepper to taste

Jelly Ideas

Quick appetizer

1/2 lb thin sliced deli roast beef

1 pkg cream cheese

Chipotle Pepper Jelly

Hot Banana Rings

Lay out 2 slices roast beef over lapping

Along the middle 1/4 inch or less of cream cheese. Spread Jelly over the cream cheese and roll beef up into logs. Slice in 1/2 or 1 inch rounds. Instead of jelly on the next one do 3 or 4 Banana Pepper rings.

Jelly Ideas

Jelly is not just for toast or biscuits anymore. But it does do justice to a good biscuit. Here are a few ideas next time you open up that jar of fruit, herb or pepper jelly. And when your friends ask just say, “Oh, it’s just something I picked up at my local Farmer’s Market one Saturday. Isn’t it interesting?”

To give yourself a little treat one morning drop a spoonful of cinnamon basil or lemon verbena jelly in your coffee. It has a wonderful aroma & just a hint of flavor. Try in ice tea also. Add some spice to a nice fall day & add a spoonful of a hot pepper jelly to that steaming mug of hot chocolate. Just try it once, you will be hooked.

Cream cheese and jelly are meant to be together. Of course fruit jellies are always the first choice but next time try a nice herb or hot pepper jelly. Roll some up in a thin slice of prosciutto or roast beef add a slice of cheese next a little cream cheese now the jelly. What an elegant appetizer tray or just a good tv snack you will have.

Ice cream & hot pepper jelly? Yes, 2 heaping tablespoons, a little water & heat in the microwave just long enough to melt the jelly. Spoon over vanilla, you can still add chocolate & now it’s a great combination. Do the same with the herb or fruit jellies, add more jelly and now you have a flavored syrup to pour over pancakes or waffles.

Hope you enjoyed ‘R jellies!
The ‘R Garden Family

Herb Butter

1 nice size bunch of herbs

1 stick of butter (just soft enough to mash with a fork)

This is a good recipe (easy) to use up that bunch of herbs you haven't used. Chop up herb very fine. With a fork mash them up in your butter. Work them in well. It's ok if it seems like a lot of herbs to butter. Rip out out a sheet of wax or parchment paper, put butter in a line across paper, pull paper over butter mixture (don't crease), and roll in a log. Twist ends and put in the freezer. Now when ever you want herb butter in a dish, unroll, cut off a piece & throw it back in the freeze or fridge.

My only hard rule with the use of herbs is....if you like the taste throw it in the pot. Here are just some combinations we like & use at home. I will continue to add to this one.

Hearty soups & stews - rosemary, oregano, basil, chives

chicken & turkey - sage, any lemon flavor herb, chives

seafood - lemon flavored herb, dill, chives

chicken, tuna or potato salad - celery, brunette, dill, basil, chives

tomatoes - basil, cilantro, oregano, sage, chives

Watermelon Breakfast Lasagna
4c corn flakes
2c minced watermelon
2c Blueberries
2c fat free vanilla yogurt

Place 1/3 of flakes in a even layer in bottom of 8X8 dish. Mix together the watermelon, blueberries, & yogurt. Spoon half over the flakes layer evenly. Sprinkle another layer of cornflakes & remaining yogurt over that. Sprinkle the remaining flakes evenly over the top. Adapted from the National Watermelon Promotion Board

This is a great recipe & very kid friendly. You could also put it together in individual serving bowls.
 

Blueberry Salsa

2c fresh blueberries, washed & rough chopped

1/2c pineapple chunks, drained & rough chopped

1/4c red onion, fine chop

1/4c cilantro or mint fine chop

Juice of one lime

optional: 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced.

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Chill until serving

This salsa is a great snack with tortilla chips & is also good with grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp

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