So, last weekend at the farm stand, I was told that the blueberries were gone for the season. I knew that that wasn’t quite true, although it may have been true for them. I was looking for blueberries to freeze… to be able to pull some out during the grey of winter and have some blueberry-goodness. I knew I’d find some elsewhere, and today I did. 
So, the grocery store had blueberries today, from either Canada or Michigan. I chose Michigan. 
Though they’re not organic, they are mostly-local. The local vs. organic issue is something that I sort of struggle with… I prefer organic, but I understand the importance of local. Where I am right now (geographically-speaking), it’s easier to find the local over the organic. Plus, the ‘organic’ that I do find, is more often the ‘big-bag-grocery-store’ type of organic… Not the know-the-farmers type of stuff… Sigh.
Anyway, I digress, slightly. So, I found some local-ish blueberries, and they are now all in pint-sized vacuum-sealed bags in the freezer. I’m really kind of liking getting fresh fruits and veggies in the freezer right now. In the pic below, one may notice that one bag is more squished than the other. I think the first blueberries got a bit too vacuum-sealed for their own good, but they’re still in there, and I’m sure we’ll still enjoy them come a few months down the road. Silly as this may sound, I really enjoy doing the food-prep, food-freezing, home-prep kind of thing. I think I am just a home-cooking kitchen-gal type of person at heart. When the mood strikes, at least… And don’t you dare try and tell me that I have to be that way, cuz I’ll rip your heart out. Or something like that. Sorry, a bit of the political me coming out… Staunch independent… let’s just call me that.
So, here’s my frozen blueberry goodness, which we will much enjoy this winter…
Yummm…
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I’m not certain where this recipe came from, but I’ve been making variations of it for a few years now. My recipe card is definitely well-worn. No pictures of the finished product, but just some of the process for today. I’ve shared this previously, and I’ve been told others enjoyed it too.
* 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
* Minced Garlic
* 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
* 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
* 12-oz. Mushrooms, sliced
* 6-oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
* 1/4 tsp Salt
* 2 Tbsp Cream Cheese (with or without Chives)
* 16-oz. Red Salsa
* 8 – 6″ Tortillas (I prefer flour ones)
* 1-1/2 cups Shredded Monterey Jack
* 1/4 cup Sour Cream
* Cilantro, chopped
* Optional Items: Mole Sauce, Chopped Cooked Chicken; Green Onions; Red Onions… Whatever else you’d like to add, or remove. I tend to tire of cleaning and rinsing fresh baby spinach, so often I’ll substitute frozen…
1. Preheat broiler. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a skillet. Add garlic through mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Add spinach and salt. Cook for approx. 1 minute more, or till spinach wilts. Drain and return to pan. Add cream cheese and cook 2 minutes, or till cream cheese melts, stirring constantly. Set aside.
2. Heat one cup of salsa over low heat. Using tongs, dredge both sides of each tortilla in the warm salsa, then stack. Spoon a heaping Tbsp. of mushroom mixture into the center of each tortilla. Fold in 1/2 and arrange in a baking pan, overlapping slightly. Top with the rest of the salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil for 4 minutes, or till cheese melts. Top with sour cream and cilantro, and serve. Enjoy!
My camera only lasted through the above steps, but believe me, these are pretty darn yummy!
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This is pre-mixing, which is why it looks so heavy on the walnuts. I tend to toss everything in a bowl, then stir it all up. And sometimes, I take the pic beforehand. Go figure.
I came across this recipe again, after thumbing through my Moosewood Cookbook the other day. It’s been awhile since I’ve opened this particular one, and I completely forgot how much I enjoy this ’salad’. Among my notes on the page is a “Yum!” in a circle. The original recipe uses dill, parsley, celery, feta… I’ve mixed it up a bit over the years, mostly omitting those ingredients and adding the thyme, green onions and sometimes carrots, too. I also opt for canned beans, for ease of preparation, instead of their suggested dry lentils.
- 1 can Lentils
- 1 cup Dry Bulgur Wheat
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp. Dried Mint
- 3 tsp. Dried Thyme
- 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
- 3 medium-sized Tomatoes, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped Walnuts, toasted
1. Rinse lentils under cold water and set aside. Place bulgur wheat in a small bowl. Add boiling water, cover with a plate, and let stand for about 15 minutes.
2. Add everything else to the lentils, mixing thoroughly. Add bulgur wheat once it is soaked. Mix again. Cover and refrigerate. I enjoy stuffing this salad in a pita, and I’m guessing it’s pretty good in a wrap too. That will be my lunch today… Lentil-Bulgur Salad in a wrap. Should be good.
Bulgur Wheat is a wheat grain probably best known for its part in Tabbouleh and Kibbeh. I’ve got my own recipes for each of them, but the links do have pretty pictures. Now that I’ve found a bulgur wheat source here in town, I’m sure I’ll be making both of them one of these days.
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I found these red peppers at the farm stand this weekend. I really loved their shapes and sizes. I got a bagful of ‘em, then I prepped them for freezing. We went over to Granny’s house on Saturday, after going shopping. We ended up with green and red peppers, corn and peaches, all for freezing. It was great to watch her and see how it’s done. I had no idea that peppers could be frozen… I thought they would be too watery for that. I’m not the biggest fan of the pepper, but I’d bet that come wintertime, I’ll be looking forward to grabbing a bag out of the freezer now and again. Here’s the final product of the reds. Everything else is in Granny’s freezer, til we straighten ours out a bit. She kind of wanted to do it that way, too.
I used the vacuum-sealing Food Saver that I had from several years ago. I had forgotten how much I like it! If I was really smart (and ambitious), I’d probably stick all my perishables in those bags for the fridge. Suck out the air and store them that way, making them last longer. Sadly, I’m not quite that ambitious. Maybe for some things… we shall see.
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Well, today in the mail I received two of my three magazine subscriptions (thank you, D.!) I got my Eating Well magazine, which I absolutely love. I have been getting it for probably at least four years now, if not more. I found it while living in NH, and I thought it was a bonus [...]
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- Brown Rice
- Cubed Chicken
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Sliced Almonds
- Scrambled Eggs, Sliced
- Onion
Nothing fancy, but pretty tasty. I had made the brown rice and steamed some carrots earlier. Then, I sort of threw together what was in the fridge. I tend to call these sorts of dinners mish-mosh. Or throw-togethers. Because that’s really what they are. Tasted good… I was feeling the need for some rice and nuts, for some reason.
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Posted in Food Storage, tagged Food, Freezing on August 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Well, the plan on Sunday was to go to the local farm stand and stock up on fruit and veggies for freezing. However, we got roped into helping hang some blinds (bad pun intended). It was for Granny’s sunroom, and some assistance was a good thing. So, we never ended up hitting [...]
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Note the form, the intensity in her eyes, the powerful back legs, the lil belly…
Cooking is always an event around here…
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The Blueberries
The Kiwis
The Dough
The Final Product
I made two loaves (technically, one load and one square pan). One with and one without chopped walnuts. The fruits made it nice and moist. Enough so that I think I might cut back on the oil a bit next time. Anyhow, I’m very pleased with how it turned out, and it is as good as I remember it being. It’s probably been at least five years since I’ve made it. I’ve also baked it using strawberries and bananas as the fruits. Hmmm, Strawberry-Kiwi might be good, too…
- 2 dry pints Blueberries
- 4 Kiwis, chopped
- 4 Eggs
- 1 cup Oil
- 4 cups Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- Chopped Walnuts, optional
Beat eggs until fluffy. Add oil, sugar and berries.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix gradually into egg mixture. Add nuts, if using. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour, and then 10 minutes more, if needed.
Big yum.
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Posted in Cooking, Life, tagged Food on August 10, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The Blueberry-Kiwi Bread came out just as deliciously as I remembered it! I am very pleased! It is just so moist and yummy… I think the juices from the berries and the fruit really add to the melt-in-your-mouthiness. I’ll have the pics and an official recipe to post [...]
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