Thursday, November 6, 2014

Roasted Tomatoes

What a crazy year. I am STILL harvesting tomatoes....in November.  In Boise. They aren't as tasty as the fresh fruit of summer, but when roasted, they're a dream. Loosely chop tomatoes, even greenish ones, and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar and plenty of basil. The dried basil is from my garden this year. Bake at 300 degrees for several hours, until juicy and browned. Puree and use as a sauce, a cream sauce base, or freeze to use later.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

So, Your Ornamental Plum Tree Produced Fruit this Year?

This happened to several of my friends' trees. The bonus is free plums for me and a nice batch of freezer jam.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Caprese Pesto Grilled Cheese

Homemade pesto put to yummy use on a Caprese grilled cheese on sourdough. I just look for anything I can add pesto to!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Dreaming of French Fries

I'm an Idaho girl who loves French fries. Look at this pile of goodness. Idaho potatoes, sprinkled with salt, shaved Parmesan cheese, candied bacon and a balsamic vinegar reduction. This plate was seriously my whole dinner at Edge Brewing - a new place in town.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Hash Browns in the Waffle Maker

I saw it on Pinterest! Results: meh. I brushed the grates with vegetable oil for the first shot, and used peanut oil for the second round. The peanut oil hash browns tasted better. For both experiments, I used frozen shreds and sprinkled them with seasoned salt. The upside is that they cooked more quickly than the regular frying pan method.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Fried Rice - Basic Recipe



I was so fortunate to receive a fried rice cooking lesson from a friend from China. The best tip: use rice that was cooked at least 24 hours ago.



She did the cooking in an electric wok. I used a large frying pan (not a non-stick).

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice (long grain, cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight)
2 eggs - beaten
sliced green onions
sliced carrots, peas, whatever vegetables you want to add
diced or chopped cooked meat (again, whatever you want, I used Chinese pork)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
garlic granules
soy sauce 
sesame oil

Heat the wok or skillet so it's very hot and add a tiny bit of vegetable oil - maybe a teaspoon. When the oil shimmers, add the egg. When eggs are almost done, add the green onion and break everything up. Add rice and vegetables. Stir while everything fries, add salt and pepper. When you see some browning of the rice, add the soy sauce. Only about a tablespoon. Sprinkle the garlic granules over everything and keep stirring until as done as you want it. Add a drizzle of sesame oil (optional) and stir in after the rice is done cooking. 

You can freeze this. To refresh - just start over with the egg and sliced green onion step - and then add it all in and no need to thaw.


Friday, October 4, 2013

Green Olives Stuffed with Cranberries

Picked these "Citrus Crantini" olives up at the Capital City Public Market a couple of weeks ago. Green olives stuffed with cranberries with citrus zest and soaked in vodka. Cheers!