It's OK To Cheat On Valentine's Day

It stays light out past 5 o'clock.  The seed and garden displays are set up at the home improvement stores.  And, I'm so very ready for this winter to be over.  I can close my eyes and smell the Spring air and imagine the smell of a charcoal grill…

Yup, I've got Spring Fever.  I've got it bad.

Beautiful ripe strawberries ready to
become pie!

I needed something fresh and light and summery to help cheer me up this weekend and remind me of the warmer days.  This beautiful strawberry pie was just the thing.  The finished product might look complicated, but it isn't.  And that is exactly the point.  Even though you are "cheating" by using some store bought ingredients, your friends will still be impressed and the pie still tastes delicious.  So this year for Valentine's Day, its ok to cheat!

The cornstarch is key to a
thick rich filling.

To get started, cut up about 3-4 cups of strawberries.  I quartered most of them and halved some of the smaller ones.  You don't want to cut the pieces too small because after you bake the pie you want some of the larger pieces to hold their shape.  Place the berries in a bowl and stir to coat them with the sugar.  In a medium saucepan, bring the water, cornstarch and strawberry mixture to a boil.  Use medium heat so you don't scorch the sugar.  Add in the zest from one lemon.  Stir frequently until the mixture is heated through.  It took me about 7 minutes from start to finish.  You will see the mixture begin to thicken as soon as it comes to a boil; that is what the cornstarch is for.  It doesn't impart a flavor to the mixture, but ensures it isn't too runny which would lead to a soggy crust.  Turn off the heat, and let the mixture cool completely.  I placed my saucepan in the fridge (on a hot pad) to speed up the process.

One ready to use pie shell and the two rolled pie
crusts make this recipe a piece of "pie"! 

Take the pre-made pie crusts out of the packaging and unroll them.  Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts.  Try and get as many out of the two crusts as possible.  You will have more than enough to cover the pie with, but I have a surprise use for the "extras" that I think you will like!

Small cut outs of hearts.
Ready for the assembly.

Once the berry mixture has cooled, pour it into the prepared pie crust.  When I made the pie, I realized I should have used more berries for the filling.  You can see from the pictures that it didn't quite fill out the pie shell as much as it should have, so I wasn't able to start the hearts all the way at the edge of the crust.  Don't make the same mistake; err on the side of having too much filling that you potentially don't use.  You want the filling to go all the way up to the top of the crust.

All the hearts have been placed on the pie and its
ready for the oven!

Make an egg wash by cracking an egg into a small bowl and adding a splash of water.  Whisk with a fork until it is completely beaten together.  Working in small batches, brush one side of the hearts with egg wash using a pastry brush and begin placing them firmly around the outside of the crust.  Continue to place the hearts on the pie by layering them in between the gaps.  Press down to adhere the hearts to each other.  The egg wash works just like "food glue".  Leave a small hole in the center of the pie uncovered.  Once you have the hearts placed, brush the entire pie with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with Turbinado sugar.

Place the finished pie onto a cookie sheet or tray to catch any bubbling juices during baking.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the filling bubbles and the top is browned.  I turned mine about half way through to keep the crust from getting too dark.

You need to let the pie cool completely so it sets up before you cut into it.  You don't want to cover it up until it cools because condensation will make the crust soggy.  So set the pie someplace out of the way and leave it be!  But... you will want something to nibble on and that crust looks so tasty.  So, keep reading for a bonus recipe that fits the bill.

Straight out of the oven!  Isn't it beautiful?!

** BONUS RECIPE **  After I finished covering the pie with the cut out hearts I had quite a few left unused.  Rather than waste the dough (and scraps) I sprayed a sheet pan with Pam, laid out the hearts (and scraps) and sprayed them lightly with the Pam.  Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the cut outs and bake them off in the oven until they are crispy and brown.

These are just the thing to nibble on to keep you from cutting into the pie before it is ready!  They are nice little snack and go great on a bowl of ice cream or with a cup of coffee.

Close up shot of the pie crust.  

Strawberry Heart Pie
Recipe adapted from missbuttercup.com / adapted from MarthaStewart.com
- 3 - 4 cups of strawberries (cut into quarters)
- Zest of one Lemon
- 1 Frozen Pie Shell
- 1 package prepared pie crust
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup water
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- Turbinado sugar or Sanding Sugar

Cinnamon Sugar Hearts make a great
little treat!  

Red Velvet Valentine's

I've decided to stop saying that I don't bake.  Honestly, I've done more baking in the last year than I ever remember doing all previous years combined.  From various kinds of zucchini bread to trying my hand at pretzel bread calzones and bites (I promise to recreate and share this recipe with you guys soon as it is super amazing and tasty!) and even working to perfect a made-from-scratch tart shell - - I've really had fun learning about the world I was formerly terrified to go near.

The ingredients are pretty common items you
might have in your pantry and fridge!

So with a new year upon us and Valentine's Day fast approaching, I wanted to share a fun recipe that will have your sweetie declaring their love for you.  Or, if you find yourself sans Valentine this year, it will help you make it through a day you are probably not too fond of.  Either way - - RED VELVET BROWNIES!  :)

If you have the option of "No Taste"
go with that one.  The gel, as seen
here, or the liquid will work.

Last year, I surprised my husband by baking him Cherry-Poppyseed Muffins which were delicious.  But this year, with my new-found baking confidence I wanted to tackle red velvet, one of his absolute favorites.  I did some research online and finally decided on a recipe for these Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies and there was no looking back.  This recipe comes from Sally's Baking Addiction and I can't thank her enough for sharing such an awesome recipe.  She adapted it from a Food Network recipe and it really is a great starter recipe for people who haven't braved into the red velvet realm (ahem….namely me!) Its a super fudgy brownie with swirls of sweet cheesecake batter mixed throughout.

The brownie batter is an absolutely amazing color
when you have it all combined!

In order to make an authentic Red Velvet recipe, I needed to use high quality red food coloring to get that amazing color.  For the red gel, there was an option of "no-taste" because when you use a lot of the intense color it can lend an off or bitter taste to your end product.  So go with the tasteless if you have the option.  I was a bit nervous using so much of the gel but I think that is what makes these brownies so special for Valentine's Day.  I mean just look at that color!

The critical thing about this recipe is that you mix together the ingredients for the brownie batter in the exact order they are listed.  Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl until just melted.  Stir in the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar - - mixing in each ingredient in that order.  The vinegar in the recipe helps to keep the red color vibrant, and is key to the recipe so don't skip it.  I promise you won't even taste it in the final product.

I've learned to use this tool for mixing
a lot more than guacamole! 

Next, whisk the 2 eggs together in a separate bowl until well mixed, and then incorporate them into to the batter.  Then fold in the flour until fully incorporated.  Don't over mix. Poor the brownie batter (minus about a 3/4 of a cup keep in reserve for the top) into a prepared 8x8 baking dish that you have sprayed with cooking spray.  Be really careful with the batter and anything you use to stir it.  The dye really stains so wash out your bowls right away.  I wouldn't recommend using a white spatula or spoon either as I'm guessing it would end up turning pink!

To make the cheesecake swirl, you need to make sure your cream cheese is room temperature or it won't mix together smoothly.  I do have a confession to make though - - I hate using the handheld mixer.  It might be the noise its makes, or the extra dishes, or having to dig it out of the cabinet and finding the beaters - - but I always prefer to mix things by hand whenever I can get away with it.  I've found that using my handy dandy avocado masher works really well for applications like this.

Dollop the cream cheese
batter on top - no need to
be precise.

Place the softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in a bowl and mix until smooth.  I mashed it all together and had no problem at all getting it mixed.  If you prefer, use your hand mixer for about a minute to blend all the ingredients.  Then you just take the mixture and dollop spoonfuls on top of your prepared brownie batter.  Cover that with the remaining batter you kept in reserve and take a bread knife and pull it through the layers creating the swirl pattern.

All swirled together and
ready for the oven!

Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  I purposefully cooked the brownies to the point where they were still a bit soft in the middle because I really like fudgy soft brownies, but you could certainly cook them longer.  Just follow your heart!  Hahaha, I couldn't resist at least one Valentine's pun!

Here is a close up shot of the brownie goodness!
The photo really doesn't do these justice. 

The end result is this gloriously decadent - - and slightly gooey - - unmistakable Valentine's Day treat for your sweetheart. I hope you will try making them for yourself and let me know what you think!

Happy Valentine's Everyone!
- xoxo -













Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
(Recipe courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction)

Brownie Mix
2 Large Eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon liquid or gel red food coloring (Go with No Taste)
3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Cheesecake Swirl
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hot Sauce Heaven

With Thanksgiving already behind us (where did the Fall go?!), and the Christmas holiday fast approaching, visions of my beautiful garden seem like distant memories.  I find myself already dreaming about the new layout I am going to try, and how I may be growing some special varieties of heirloom tomatoes….But, I digress.  The end of the growing season was a plentiful one this year and I found myself with piles and piles of jalapeños and habaneros.  And you can only eat so many Bacon Wrapped Cheddarwurst Jalapeño Poppers, right?

Habaneros! My two amazing plants
this year gave me more than
60 peppers!

So, what better way is there to preserve the freshness of those little beauties than making some hot sauce?  There are a few chefs I always turn to when I want good recipes that utilize hot peppers.  One of them is Food Network Superstar, Bobby Flay.  The other is a local Chicago chef and owner of one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Frontera Grill - - Chef Rick Bayless.  Both of them have a deft hand at turning what most people consider just a condiment into the star of the show.  Both of these recipes are courtesy of their genius.  Try a batch and see if your friends go crazy for them like mine did.  They would make completely awesome stocking stuffers!

Jalapeño Hot Sauce

The chopped jalapeños and
onions in saucepan

You can actually buy a bottle of the Mesa
Grill Jalapeño Hot Sauce online, but it will set you back $9.95 for 5 oz.  Thank goodness I can make it at home because this stuff is so addicting I'd go broke for sure.  To get started, heat up 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan.  You are going to be cooking everything in this pot so be sure it is large enough to hold all of the ingredients.  Add the onions and jalapeños and cook until they start to soften.  Add in the garlic and let that heat just long enough until you start to smell the garlic.  The recipe says 30 seconds, but the key is that you just don't want to brown it.

After the peppers have cooked
add the remaining ingredients
and blend! 

Add in the vinegar and water and bring the whole mixture to a simmer.  I didn't have the rice vinegar that the recipe calls for on hand so I used apple cider. I think it added a nice tang to the finished product.  Cover the pot, and let it cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and transfer the entire mixture to a blender or food processor.  Add in the remaining oil, salt, honey and cilantro and blend until smooth.  This will depend on how coarsely you chopped your ingredients, and how thick you like your hot sauce.  I pulsed mine for at least a minute or two until I got a very liquid final product.  This isn't a salsa or a dip, so it should be very smooth and have uniform consistency.

You can see the little specks from
the cilantro in the sauce.  It's the most
beautiful green color!

Always be careful when blending hot food - it expands when you blend it so use caution and start slowly.  One other very important note - - you have to use fresh cilantro for this recipe.  There is no substitute for the fresh herb in this application.  It lends the finished product an amazing fresh and citrusy flavor which compliments the heat from the chilies and the vinegary bite.  I really can't say enough about how good this sauce is!

Place the blended mixture into bottles (or some other container) with a lid and refrigerate.  You are only going to use a little bit of the sauce at a time, as a condiment, so small bottles or Weck jars would work the best.  I found these cute hot sauce bottles online and thought they made the perfect packaging for gifting the sauces to friends and co-workers, but they are not at all necessary.

After sitting in the fridge, the sauce does separate so give the container a good shake (like a vinaigrette) before you use it.  I even made several batches to use up the peppers I kept harvesting (they just kept coming!), and have placed ziplock baggies (the snack size) of the sauces in my freezer.  Once my bottles get low I can just thaw them out and refill so I can keep enjoying the bounty of the pepper harvest all winter long!

Finished bottles of both hot sauces ready to be given to family and friends
(If you feel like sharing!) 

Jalapeño Hot Sauce 
(Recipe from Bobbyflay.com)
6 Tbs Canola Oil
1 small Onion, chopped
10 Jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups rice vinegar (I used apple cider)
1 cup water
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Beautiful habaneros from my garden!

Habanero Hot Sauce
If you like things a bit more spicy, and want to kick it up a notch (or 10…) then this Habanero hot sauce recipe will be perfect.  I should tell you that you can also buy this one already made, but apparently only a case at a time?  Not sure who needs THAT much hot sauce, but its good to know that  there are people out there who do!  :)

I learned a new technique while making this recipe for roasting whole garlic cloves.  I used to think you had to to do it in the oven, a whole head of garlic at a time.  No sir! Now I use this technique for making garlic compound butter for garlic bread, for dolloping on top of steaks, baked potatoes, pretty much anything ….

Roasted garlic cloves start to
soften and blacken in spots.
They also smell delicious! 

You just take the garlic, unpeeled, and put it in a dry (aka - no oil!) skillet over medium heat. Take a pair of tongs and turn the cloves regularly until they are soft and blacked in spots.  Depending on the size of your cloves that should take about 10 - 15 minutes.  And that's all you need to do for soft, roasted amazing garlic!  Set it aside and let it cool so you can peel it.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the carrot, onion and stemmed habaneros with the vinegar and one cup of water.  Partially cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.  Unlike the jalapeño mixture in the previous recipe, you need to be very careful not to breath in the steam from the mixture while it is cooking because it is pretty lethal.  Once it is cooked, pour it into a blender or food processor.

Add the peeled roasted garlic, salt and sugar.  Blend until smooth.  If the mixture is too thick the recipe as written says to add water but I've never had to do that.  I would guess that would only be necessary if you let the mixture cook down and thicken further on the stovetop.

You can pour the finished sauce into bottles (or some other container) with a lid and refrigerate.  This sauce is pretty potent so only a few dashes are necessary to get the desired burn!  You can use it to heat up BBQ sauces and salsas, or even in pulled pork sandwiches.  Its pretty versatile stuff!  Just use it cautiously!

Habanero Hot Sauce
(Recipe from Rickbayless.com)
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 cup peeled, roughly chopped carrot
1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion
12 medium (5 ouces) orange habanero chiles, stemmed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
About 2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

The finished habanero hot sauce is smooth and fiery hot! 

Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini Bread

I blogged a couple of months ago about the Lemon Glazed Zucchini Bread recipe I had been experimenting with.   And while I sit watching the rain run down my window panes, pondering when this government shutdown is going to end, I remembered I never shared the recipe and photos for that Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini bread.  My sincere apologies.  But honestly, this is just the recipe I need to share today to not only raise my spirits, but also to get my tastebuds going.  This one definitely feels like cheating.

All the necessary ingredients for the recipe.

I mean there is honey, brown sugar, Nutella, chocolate chips, chopped hazelnuts, yogurt,  oh....and zucchini.  :)  It is absolutely delightful.  And rather than making one large loaf this time, I decided to use my new mini-loaf pan.  The thought of being able to share these with friends, pull them out of the freezer for unexpected guests (or government furloughs! ugh!) was just the most comforting thought.  So I treated the mini-pan wells just the same as the larger versions by first spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and then fitting it with little slips of parchment paper.  Once I had that ready and waiting for me, I got down to business.

Greased and fitted with parchment
paper - ready for business!

I started with grating the zucchini so it could sit in the colander to drain off excess water while I got the other ingredients ready.  Grate it on the largest setting of a box grater so you get nice large strips of the beautiful zucchini.  Place that in the sink to drain, and get started assembling the ingredients in a nice large bowl.

First, cream together the room temperature butter and brown sugar.  You will not get as smooth of a batter if your butter is cold.  Make life easy and set it out a few hours before you plan to bake the bread.  If you forget, you can try one of these fun tips and tricks shared on Thekitchn.  But don't just stick it in the microwave and try to cheat.  The consistency of the half melted, half softened butter won't be the same (trust me!)  Once you have the sugar and butter creamed together, add in the eggs, vanilla and honey and mix well.  Then add in the yogurt as well as the dry ingredients --flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.  Stir until just combined.

Mixed batter with the shredded
zucchini, chocolate chips and chopped
hazelnuts ready for mixing in.

Place the whole hazelnuts in a skillet, and toast them by setting them in the dry pan over medium-low heat.  The nuts will only need a few minutes to toast up and then you can remove them to a small plate to cool before chopping them.  Be careful because the oil in the nuts makes them hold onto their heat for a bit.  You can do this ahead of time if you want.  If you can't find hazelnuts or don't care to use them, you can substitute walnuts or leave out the nuts all together if you like.

After you have chopped the nuts, fold them into the batter mixture along with the chocolate chips and shredded zucchini.  Be sure and squeeze out any excess moisture you can from the zucchini before adding it to the batter.  Transfer the batter to your mini-loaf pan (or the larger loaf pan if you are using a traditional size), dividing it up evenly amongst the wells.  Place two small dollops (about a 1/2 teaspoon each) of Nutella on top of each of the loaves and swirl with a fork or knife.

Swirled Nutella on the tops of
each of the mini-loaves.

If you have never tried Nutella before you will be in for a treat.  This chocolate hazelnut spread is smooth and delicious and completely addictive!  You will find it near the peanut butter in the grocery store.

Once you have marbleized the tops of your loaves, place them into a 350 degree oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.  For the mini ones it was only 35-40 minutes, but if you are using a larger loaf plan it will take longer.

Finished Hazelnut Nutella loaves cooling.  

I hope you will give this delicious recipe a try and let me know what you think.  As for me, the rain has stopped and the sun has finally come out.  I have to go pull a mini-loaf of this delicious bread out of the freezer and pretend it is a nutritious snack.




Happy baking!

Close up shot of the swirled finished loaf.  

Hazelnut Nutella Zucchini Bread
(adapted from The Ungourmet)
1/2 c butter (1 stick), softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1/4 c honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 c plain nonfat yogurt
2 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1/2 c chopped toasted hazelnuts
6 tsp Nutella (or to taste)

Tomato Candy! - Oven-Dried Goodness

10 years ago, if you would have told me I would be writing a blog post about how much I love tomatoes, I would have called you crazy.  As a child, I hated tomatoes.  I thought they were gross, slimy and overall just disgusting.  When I first met my husband we would go on dates to nice restaurants and when the salads came, both of us would take off the tomatoes and set them aside.  Any sandwiches we ordered that came with tomatoes got the same treatment.  I used to joke with him that maybe we should both find someone who liked tomatoes, so we didn't have to go through life wasting them.  Thank goodness he didn't take me up on that!  Now, it is just the opposite and neither one of us is likely to share our tomatoes.  Go figure!

Cut the tomatoes lengthwise and line them up
on the baking sheet.

Over time your palate changes and the things you used to like and enjoy become less interesting and other things you never could stand to eat suddenly become some of your favorite foods. I have a very long list of those foods actually - - eggs, mayonnaise, blue cheese, olives, mushrooms and of course, tomatoes, are just a few of the foods I used to abhor and now I absolutely love.  Looking at that list, I actually don't know what I used to eat!  Jeesh.

As I've worked my way through cook books and eaten amazing meals at various restaurants I've had the opportunity to try new foods.  I think the tomato tide started to turn when I tasted my first heirloom variety.  It was so sweet, and didn't have all the seedy pulp and mealy texture I had previously known tomatoes to have.  Drizzled with just a little extra virgin olive oil and nestled in amongst fresh mozzarella cheese and basil, with just the perfect amount of cracked black pepper and salt.  It was delicious!  And from there, the transformation began.

I used several varieties of
tomatoes, but you could use
all one kind.

One of the things I learned about tomatoes is that you should never store them in the refrigerator.  That is what gives them that mealy and gritty texture.  It basically sucks the sweet flavor right out of them.  Instead, they should be stored in a cool, dry place (I keep mine in a bowl on the counter).  In the summer, at the peak of harvest time, I usually have a several bowls of them.  They find their way into just about every recipe from scrambled eggs to sauces and, my absolute favorite way to enjoy them, Caprese Salads.

After they are dried in the oven
this is what the tomatoes look like.

This year was such a great year for my garden that I needed to find a new way to prepare and utilize them so they didn't go to waste.  The Roma's I grew weren't as large as previous years so they didn't lend themselves to making red sauce.  And having done that in years past I really didn't want to spend the time to blanch and skin the tomatoes.  Its just such a process.  So, as I thought about all the different variations of tomato preparations, having them on hand all through the winter in the form of oven-dried morsels of goodness seemed like the perfect way to go.  And man, it couldn't be any easier than this recipe.

Close up shot of the oven dried
nuggets of goodness!

All you need to do is wash the tomatoes and then halve them lengthwise - - cutting through where the stem would be.  Then you simply arrange them on a baking sheet with the skin side facing down.  Then be sure they aren't touching one another, and drizzle them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  I used Silpat baking sheets, but if you don't have them, parchment paper would work well.  I had enough tomatoes to fill two full sheets!

Put the baking sheets into a 225 degree oven for 6-8 hours, depending on what type of tomato you are using and their size.  Since I used a variety I just pulled the ones off the pan as they got finished.  Just check back every 30 - 45 minutes or so to see how they are doing toward the end.  I also took the opportunity to roast some garlic along with the tomatoes by placing unpeeled cloves directly on the pans next to the tomatoes.  You can either put it into the jars with the tomatoes as I did here, or use it to smear on some crusty bread.  Either way, don't miss out on the opportunity since you'll have the oven on low and slow anyway.

Add the roasted garlic and fresh
Thyme right to the jar before
adding the oil.

The transformation that takes place here is something out of a fairy tale.  The peak of the season already produces amazingly sweet and succulent tomatoes, but by drying them you are concentrating the flavors.  My husband happened by while the sheets were cooling on the counter and gave one a try and immediately exclaimed, "Oh my God, they taste like candy!"  Yup, tomato candy.  They are sweet and just a little bit chewy, and taste just like summer.

I put all the cherry tomatoes together in this
smaller jar with the herbs and garlic.

After the tomatoes are dried and cooled, you can fill your jars.  I also put in some fresh Thyme along with the peeled garlic I had roasted.  Then the only thing left to do is fill the jar with olive oil to cover the tomatoes.  Since these aren't sterilized in a water bath, you can't leave them out on the counter.  I don't mess around with bacteria and botulism.  Since I have the fridge space available I don't mind storing them there to be safe.  

The oil will firm up a bit in the fridge and turn opaque, but you just need to set it out on the counter for a few minutes for it to soften up.  It doesn't effect the flavor at all.  The oil, which is now flavored with the delicious flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, is also perfect for making salad dressings or even just drizzling over fish or steak. You could dice up the tomatoes and use the oil with pasta and maybe some fresh mozzarella as a no cook sauce as well.  The heat of the pasta would warm through the tomatoes and be delicious.

Update: After I finished making this initial recipe with the jars of olive oil that you see above, I also made two other batches of these oven-dried tomatoes.  (I told you my garden was doing well this year!)  This time though, instead of taking up fridge space, I just placed them on sheet trays in my freezer (after they were dried) until they were frozen - - about an hour - - and then placed them into a zip lock bag.  Doing this ensured they didn't freeze to one another in a giant blob.

Now I have a huge supply of delicious tomato goodness available for me all winter long.  I can reach into the freezer and pull out as many as I need to use in sauces, soups, meatloaf or with pasta.  The winters around here are long and cold.  So I can't wait for a blustery winter day when I can reach into the freezer and remind myself just what the bounty of summer tastes like!

From Scratch - - Hummus!

With just a few short weeks of summer left (*sob!*), I've been trying to find as many ways as possible to really take advantage of the season.  Like most of my ideas, this one involves food!  I thought it would be fun to try and find as many tasty ways as possible to use up the veggies from my garden and branch out into making things I've never made from scratch.  So I opened my refrigerator in search of some inspiration, and lo and behold I saw one of my "go to" condiments and favorite dips, and I just knew it would be the perfect challenge - - Hummus!  

I love the stuff.  I usually buy different varieties depending on my particular craving, but I've never tried to make it myself.   I've heard everyone say it is easy to make, and that the store bought stuff doesn't hold a candle to the versions made from scratch...but still I reverted to the grab and go containers full of preservatives and artificial, well, everything.

Just a few ingredients is all you need!  I kept double
checking when I  took the photo because it seemed so empty! 

So back to my challenge!

I decided to try my hand at making hummus from scratch to give me something to dip my fresh veggies in.  I'm happy to report that it really is super easy, and now I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a new food addiction on my hands as I try out every possible recipe and variation I can think of.  But considering how my garden keeps on gifting me with cucumbers and peppers, I will have no shortage of tasty vessels with which to eat it up!

Just pile it all into your food
processor and give it a whirl!

For this first attempt though, I stuck to the basics and made a plain variety.  I wanted to test run the original before I went and got all fancy.  I know, I even surprised myself with that decision!  So first things first, I had to find myself some Tahini.  The local grocer didn't have it, (or at least didn't have it in the 3 or 4 different spots I tried to find it) so I ended up at a higher-end grocery store before I located a jar. Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds.   

In my hunt to research various recipes for this challenge, I found a few that claim you can make hummus without tahini.  The flavor profile is so delicious though that it might just be worth the hunt.  And while I don't usually like to buy speciality items or things that are only used in one type of preparation I learned that you don't have to refrigerate the open container and it seems to have a pretty decent shelf life so I will be able to use it up before it goes bad on me.   [Note to self: Find other tasty uses for tahini!]  If you can't find tahini and you still want to give making the recipe a try, you can substitute peanut butter to get some similar nutty flavor.  The consistency isn't quite the same so you will need more liquid from the beans but it will certainly still be tasty!

When I say the recipe is super simple, I'm not exaggerating.  When I lined up the ingredient picture above, I kept having to double check my ingredients because it seemed like I had to be missing something.  The first step is draining the can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) and putting them into your food processor or blender.  You want to save the liquid from the can, so set that aside for now.  Then, throw all the rest of the ingredients into the blender with the beans and puree it together.  Once blended, check the consistency and then add in just enough of the liquid from the can to make it a thick and smooth consistency that suits your taste.  The end.

No, seriously.

Other than spooning it into a serving bowl and drizzling it with a little bit of olive oil and a few sprinkles of paprika to make it look extra "gourmet", you are staring at the finished product ready to eat.

Mini wheat pita bread and fresh cucumbers made great dippers
for this quick and tasty hummus!

You can serve it with your favorite pita, chips or veggies.  As I mentioned when I started this whole entry, I had a serious overflow of cucumbers to devour so I sliced them up and got to snacking.  Another really great way to use hummus is as a spread on sandwiches.

Since it is a dish you are eating raw the real flavors of the ingredients will come through so be sure and use a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Oh, and you absolutely, positively have to promise me that you will use a real lemon.  Not the one that comes in a bottle!!  I know you might be thinking you can get away with it and it will taste the same, but you would be SO wrong!

Overall, I think my food challenge was a grand success.  For the next phase I'm going to start experimenting with different varieties of flavors and toppings, so let me know what your favorite hummus combination is and I will give it a try!  I just finished harvesting and making the most delicious oven-dried tomatoes last night.  The entire time I was making them I just kept thinking about how delicious they would be mixed into this hummus.  I will definitely be mixing up a batch of Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus this weekend. And, of course there are all my other favorite versions - - Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, ....oh, I could mix in some homemade pesto and use it as a spread on a sandwich ....  the possibilities are endless!

Happy Snacking!

Close up shot of the finished creamy hummus drizzled with Olive Oil and just
a sprinkle of Paprika!  So tasty! 

Homemade Hummus
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
1/4 cup (or more to taste) liquid reserved from chickpeas
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Paprika (optional) 

Lemon Glazed Zucchini Bread

Everyone keeps saying that this summer is going by too quickly; the weather hasn't been the greatest in terms of temperature.  Despite that fact, I have been trying to make the most out of every opportunity.  The cooler weather and strange slow start to summer meant great things for my garden.  The first harvest of radishes was awesome, and the two varieties of lettuce I planted (mixed greens and a mesclum mix) have provided an abundance of yummy salads.  My Kirby cucumbers grow faster than I can pickle them and now the tomatoes and squash are competing with each other for who can produce the most!  Seeing my grocery bill shrink because I have all the fresh produce in my own backyard is such a nice rewarding feeling.

Check out those cute 8 Ball Squash!

I tried planting a new variety of squash this year, called "8 Ball" which is a little small round squash that looks just like a little pumpkin.  I have been really happy with how they have grown.  Both of my plants are just humongous! So, because they are coming in so quickly, I keep giving them away to friends and neighbors.  My next door neighbor is an elderly woman who just loves to get the fresh veggies we bring her.  This time, my good karma paid off because she turned my extra zucchini into some yummy bread and brought us over a small loaf as a thank you!  :)  So tasty!

Well that got me to thinking that I hadn't ever tried to make zucchini bread.  We've grilled it, roasted it, put it into salads and even sliced it paper thin and served it as a crudo with a fresh lemon vinaigrette.  So, why not bake it into a tasty bread that we can freeze and eat throughout the fall and winter months?Inspired by my neighbors tasty traditional version, I went in search of some unique and fun variations and found two excellent recipes - - one for a Lemon Zucchini bread with a glaze and one for a version with Nutella and honey.   My husband is a huge fan of lemon poppyseed cakes and muffins and he's never met a chocolate dessert he didn't like, so I figured it was worth a shot!

Shredded Zucchini sits in a
colander to drain the water

I will have to blog about the Nutella version sometime soon, but here is how the Lemon Zucchini bread turned out.  I started by grating the zucchini on a box grater using the largest option and placing it into a colander to let the water drain off.  Then I sprayed a non-stick loaf pan with cooking spray and lined it with parchment paper.  Some recipes will tell you to flour it to keep it from sticking but that method never seems to work for me and then half of whatever I'm baking ends up staying in the pan.  So now I always take the extra minute to cut the parchment to size and tuck it neatly into the pan, leaving just an inch or so of overhang on long sides.  The spray helps hold it in place and keeps the two ends from sticking as well.

Use one bowl for your dry ingredients,
and another for the wet.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Then, in another bowl beat 2 eggs with the oil and sugar.  Mix well.  Add in the buttermilk, lemon juice and zest and combine.  I think the addition of the buttermilk is what gives this bread a great tangy and rich flavor so you could substitute if you didn't want to use it or if you didn't have it on hand you can always make your own quick version.

Once you have all your wet ingredients mixed, you can stir in the zucchini.  Be sure and squeeze out the excess water before you add it.  I just used my fingers to pick up small handfuls and squeezed the moisture out; no need to dirty a dish towel.  Its amazing how much water you can remove that way.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.  Don't do it the other way around or you will end up with lots of clumps of flour and a lumpy finished batter.  You might not think it would make that big of a difference but after you've made the mistake once and tried dumping your dry into your wet only to be met with an awful bowl of lumps, you will believe me!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let it cool for a few minutes and then grab each side of the parchment paper and gently lift it out of the pan.  Set it on a wire rack to cool completely.  I tasted the bread just like this, without the glaze and it was pretty good all on its own.  So, if you want a finished product less on the sweet side you can stop there and enjoy.  But if you like your bread a bit more on the sweet side, you can take the extra step and make the glaze to pour over the top.

Finished loaf right out of the
oven.  Note the parchment paper
"handles"! 

The glaze could not be simpler to make.  You just take 1 cup of powdered sugar (be sure and break up any lumps) and add the juice of one lemon and a little splash of lemon extract (optional).  Then add in the milk and stir until you get the desired consistency.  It doesn't take much milk so I usually add in a tablespoon at a time, stir and then see how it looks. Carefully spoon the glaze over the cake letting it run down the sides and cover the top.  I did this on a plate and just kept spooning the excess back over the top of the bread until it was nicely coated.  Once it sits for a bit, it will harden up nicely.  The recipe I adapted this from also suggested adding 1/2 teaspoon of meringue powder to get the glaze to harden up even better.  I will have to give that a try next time!

It's a nice light color with small
specks of the lemon and zucchini

I'm pretty happy with the end result so I will definitely be making more loaves to tuck into the freezer as my garden keeps providing me with the beautiful squash.  That way I will have them at the ready and can mix up quick batch of the glaze and have homemade Lemon Zucchini bread for visiting houseguests or even just a treat on a weekend!

We can add this homemade bread to the list of reasons I love having a garden.  It might not be the ideal summer temperature, but at least I can complain about it while eating a piece of Lemony Zucchini bread and licking the glaze off my fingers!

The glaze coats the bread and glistens
nicely, beckoning you to cut a slice and enjoy! 

Lemon Zucchini Bread 
2 cups flour (All Purpose)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbl fresh lemon juice and zest (1 lemon)
1 cup grated zucchini

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional)

milk, as needed to reach desired consistency