My tomato plants haven’t done very well this year, and what few tomatoes they have produced a sneaky momma bunny has managed to steal to feed her family. I wouldn’t mind sharing so much except for the fact that those rascally rabbits pick the tomatoes when they are just beginning to show the least bit of color, take a couple of bites, and leave the then useless fruit on the ground. No barrier has stopped them! How far do Nerf guns shoot?
Anyway, out of desperation, I went to the farmer’s market and bought a $20.00 box of tomatoes. I’m happy with that purchase. Not all of these tomatoes are in the same stage of ripening. None are at all green, and none are overly ripe, and I haven’t been forced to stay up until three AM to keep up with them! So far, I’ve gotten a good supply of Simple Plain Tomato Sauce in the freezer along with my years’ quota of Eggplant Marinara. A few of these tomatoes were gratefully harvested before Momma Bunny discovered the buffet, but not many!
I did manage to make a batch of Hearty Tomato Sauce and from that a pan of Roasted Vegetable Lasagna which also uses Fresh Ricotta Cheese. You don’t get much more homemade than all that!

One of the dinners we particularly enjoyed this week was Chicken Divan over Porcini Rice . Unfortunately, Lily, our adopted abandoned cat did too. I left the casserole on the counter to cool before putting the leftovers away and Lily took advantage of the opportunity. I could have strangled her, but it was my own fault, too, so I didn’t.
I have always taken great personal pride in the fact that I buy very few convenience foods. In this house, convenience foods are jarred mayonnaise and store bought sandwich bread. I just like knowing where our food comes from and what’s in it.  I do appreciate the luxury of having the time it takes to do all that prep work that goes into clean eating.  Along that line, I have always spent countless hours making broth. Too many, really, but why throw away all those good vegetable trimmings and bones and then turn around and buy canned broth. What’s in that canned broth and where did it come from? Well, anyway, I splurged a bit this week on a real time saver. I bought an electric pressure cooker. Wow! It takes me longer to prep a recipe than it does to cook it. Talk about a learning curve! This old dog’s got some learning to do!

A while back, I promise a remake of the recipe for Blueberry Upside Down Cake. Well, here it is, Blueberry Upside-Down Cake II. I think it’s much better than the original, more moist and better balanced. Try the recipe for yourself and see what you think.
While we’re on the subject of desserts, I recently took a trip into the land of “What in the world were you thinking?”. Or maybe it would more appropriately be “not thinking”.  As I often do, I was trying to think of ways to use peaches, and dreamed up a recipe for peach tartlets.  I thought it would be fun to make them kind of free-form, and off I went. Well, see the results for yourself!

The second attempt was better, but the recipe is not quite ready to share.  Michael says they look like fried eggs.  Sometimes my dreams turn out to be nightmares!
Be thankful for what like gives you.

Last week we celebrated peaches. Now it’s time to explore all the wonders of the summer’s smallest treasure, blueberries. That is, if we can manage to steal a few berries from the mocking birds!
I’m afraid this year’s crop is going to be small. In years past Michael has harvested as many as 24 quarts off of 3 bushes, but that won’t be the case this summer. Blueberries are rain dependent, and we’ve been in a drought. For some reason, blueberries don’t respond to watering with a garden hose as well as they do to rain, so I’m going to have to be stingy this year. Since I still have some of the aforementioned peaches, I think a Peach-Blueberry Upside-Down Cake might be a good place to start.

I cut my recipe for a “Berry Good” French Toast Bake in half for a weekend breakfast treat, and a treat it was, while only half a cup of our precious blueberries were needed. I’m working on a recipe for an Upside-Down Blueberry Cake. It’s small, just a 6 inch cake pan is used. I hope it turns out well. The first attempt was too heavy on berries and light on cake, but I’m going to give it another shot tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Our week’s dinners were unremarkable. Everything went according to plan. How boring is that? Sunday’s Beef Stroganoff served double duty by providing leftovers for Wednesday night. I didn’t have any brandy, so I substituted red wine and it turned out just fine. (But the brandy would have been better. Add it to the shopping list.) Michael was disappointed that I didn’t put more sour cream in the sauce, so I did add some more to the leftovers on Wednesday. That made him happier. Strait up leftovers aren’t really his thing unless it’s pinto beans.

Meatless Monday was meatless for a change. I switched my recipe for Tortellini with Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Spinach around a bit.  Spinach and cheese filled ravioli was the freshest option at the store and I had Fresh Ricotta Cheese on hand, so that was substituted for the Parmesan. I never feel bound to follow a recipe exactly.
Tuesday’s Taco Salad is an old standard around here and couldn’t be easier. I almost always keep Taco Seasoned Beef in the freezer, along with Simple Refried Beans. All I have to do is pull out a bag of tortilla chips, some cheese and condiments, and dinner is served. We’re happy!

Thursday night’s Chicken Croquettes aren’t what most folks would call chicken croquettes at all. They’re really double duty chicken patties. They can be pan fried and served with a sauce as I did this time, or they can be grilled and served as a burger. Either way, we like them.  A word of caution. These little patties are delicate and must be handle with care on a well oiled surface or they will break apart. Do not try to turn them too soon, and only turn them once.
Friday night’s dinner made me rather wistful. Every year for the last 17 years we have stayed at the same beach house and eaten at the same seafood restaurants. This year, for a variety of reasons, we are unable to do so. One of those restaurants is Boss Oyster in Apalachicola, where we often dined on their shrimp and grits. This is my version of their recipe. Of course, it’s not as good as theirs, and it never will be, until I can serve it dockside!

Be thankful for what life gives you.

Say What?
No, I’m not kidding! Nothing contributes more to the flavor of home cooking than stocks and broths. And homemade is best. It’s kind of a joke around here, but I throw nothing away. Well, OK, I usually throw away the fat I trim from meat or skim from broth, but that’s about it. Almost all the trimmings from veggies go into the freezer until it’s their turn in the stock pot. Ham bones and chicken carcasses are prized possessions, and I must confess, I’ve even paid good money for beef bones. Reading all this, you may think I’m really odd, but think about it. Other than buying an occasional beef bone, all my broth is cost free and 100 percent quality controlled. No additives, preservatives, or excess sodium, and as fat free as I can produce.
Still think I’m crazy? Give these recipes a try. They were originally written for the stove top, but I’ve recently started making them in a large slow cooker for the sake of convenience. I transfer the broth minus the solids to a Dutch oven and then to the fridge to cool so I can remove the chilled fat.  The recipes for Rich Chicken Stock,  Rich Beef Stock,  and Fat-Free Ham Broth are available here, but you can use these same principles to produce any type of broth from vegetable to fish.  Once I’ve made a pot of broth I divide it into one and two cup portions and store it in the freezer, ready to go.  The costs and hands-on time are very little, but the rewards are huge.
Now, on to the past week. I’ve had back to back appointments keeping me busy, so the week has been a bit of a blur for me, as well as making my postings late, but anyway…
Father’s Day was a quiet one for us. Emily had to work and suggested we put off the celebration with her dad till the next week. Aaron’s wife, Jen, recently had surgery, so travel was out for them. That left it up to our four legged children to host Michael’s Father’s Day appreciation which they happily did with CHICKEN LIVERS! Oh Yeay! You know my thought on that subject. Well, it wasn’t my day, it was his. Chicken livers always make him happy, and the animals are always happy to share. It was a good day.

Father’s Day wasn’t quiet for everyone, though. Our good friends, Carol and Randy, welcomed their second grandchild early that morning. They are wonderful grandparents!
Meatless Monday it was back to the work week, (yes, we retired folks do work, although not for pay), and straight to the freezer for a batch of Vegetable Lasagna Rolls. That recipe is so versatile. It’s really up to you which vegetables to include, and the fat content depends on how much cheese you pile in. Now if you ask my husband, the more cheese the better. I try to create the illusion of more cheese by adding an extra egg to the ricotta blend, which incidentally ups the protein factor as well. What you don’t know won’t hurt you.

Tuesday’s dinner was all American. Michael grilled Two Part Chicken and I whipped up a bowl of UnPotato Salad as one of the side dishes. I do like that recipe. It’s one of those things that’s the best of both worlds. Cauliflower makes up the bulk of the unpotato salad, but a russet potato gets mashed into the dressing, imparting that real potato flavor without adding too many white carbs. The recipe does have one flaw, though: It’s hard to make just a little bowl of that stuff and you sure can’t freeze it, so you better plan on leftovers!
Wednesday was more comfort food, Country Style Pork Cutlets. My favorite local grocery had pork cutlets on sale this week, so dinner for the two of us cost a whopping $1.34! (The meat, that is.) Who can beat that? On a side note, WalMart just opened a new store right down the road. I don’t mind buying non-grocery items there, but I’m going to do everything I can to support my independent grocery store. They’ve supported this little community for a long time, and now it’s their turn to get the support they deserve. I know it won’t do much good, but I can try.

When Michael grilled Tuesday’s Chicken he threw extra on for Thursday’s Smoky Chicken Barbeque Sandwiches. My biggest downfall as a cook is that I always misjudge how much food to cook! Once again, we ate more than we should and there was still enough for another meal or two packed up for the freezer and another day. I guess I’ll never learn. Blame it on the chicken. It’s just too darn big!
Friday was grilled again, a recipe we’ve made over and over again, Spicy Tuna Steaks. I did absolutely nothing different this time, but Michael though they turned out better. It must have been the grill master…Him!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

That’s a Question! I think sometimes we have just plain old leftovers, and sometimes we serve repurposed food. That’s the difference. As I work through this week’s dinners you’ll see what I mean.
Sunday’s dinner was White Spaghetti and Meatballs. I choose to use boneless breast meat, but thighs would work as well, if that’s your preference. This ground chicken recipe is rather anemic in appearance, but it packs a lot of flavor, and a little chicken goes a long way. One recipe makes six servings, but there are only two of us. Leftovers?

Monday Michael and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary by going out for a seafood dinner. (He had no idea what he was getting himself into that day so long ago!) When it comes to seafood, I always bite off more than I can chew…Leftovers?
Tuesday I needed to be thrifty. I had recently trimmed up some pork tenderloins and saved all those little bits and pieces of meat that were too small to make a real meal but I couldn’t bear to throw away. Pork Fried Rice was the perfect recipe for those little pieces of pork, and guess what? I repurposed the leftover shrimp scampi at the same time!  I drained off the sauce and chopped the shrimp into the rice along with the pork.  No leftovers were left!

Bella’s been having some medical issues lately, so dinner was really late on Wednesday and I neglected to take any photos, so you’ll just have to take my word on the fact that our repurposed chicken meatballs were served in a much more colorful presentation that night. I retrieved half of the remaining meatballs from the original six servings and froze the rest in the original sauce for another day. A new batch of Lite Alfredo Sauce bathed the chicken meatballs along with red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions over penne pasta for a quick but satisfying late night supper.
Thursday’s dinner was a mystery meal straight from the freezer!  I have no recipe for this one, and it’s one of those things that tastes better than it looks.  I guess after St. Patrick’s Day I mixed the very last of the corned beef with some O”Brian style potatoes and formed the whole mess into patties.  Thursday night I threw them, still frozen, into a skillet with a little film of oil and pan fried them.  They were just plain ugly!  No picture of those!  They did taste good though, so maybe next year when I make our annual corned beef I’ll try again.  That is, if I remember!
Friday was a new recipe adapted from something I caught the tail end of on TV, Spicy BBQ Shrimp. I can’t tell you exactly how the television version went, but we liked the way this version turned out. These are large shrimp that are split and stuffed with a piece of jalepeno, then wrapped in partially cooked bacon and grilled. When almost cooked, Michael brushed them with BBQ sauce. No leftovers to repurpose here.

OK. Here’s my definition of leftovers…Leftovers are those foods that are served a second time in their original form. Foods that are cooked in larger quantities than will be needed for the first meal and served in a different form in subsequent meals are NOT leftovers.
So there!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

It’s not at all hard to do. That is, as long as two of those folks are not teen aged boys!
We’ll start with a large whole fryer. I can usually find one in the 3 1/2 pound range, 4 pounds if I’m lucky, but size doesn’t really matter. It’s how I deconstruct the chicken that makes everything work.
Sunday’s dinner is easy, just Simple Roast Chicken served with my Simple Pan Sauce and some side dishes. Before we ever sit down to dinner, the chicken is carved up and portioned out. One side of the breast is sliced for dinner along with the two drum sticks.  Kids love those. The rest of the meat is separated from the bone and saved for later in the week and the carcass is popped into the crock pot with some vegetable trimmings to make broth as a bonus. I’m all set!

Of course, one doesn’t want to dine on that chicken three nights straight. Meatless Monday called for a Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche. Zucchini is at its prime this time of year, so why not take advantage of it? I like to keep Basic Caramelized Onions portioned out in the freezer, so this quiche is a quick and easy meatless meal that makes great leftovers for lunch or dinner.  I make it quite often.
Tuesday it was back to that thrifty chicken. Chicken tacos sounded like a plan to me, so half of the remaining chicken went into Taco Seasoned Shredded Chicken Filling. I did’t want to use the full 3 cups of chicken that the recipe called for, so I adjusted the seasonings to match and it worked out fine. With Refried Beans and Salsa Rice we had more than plenty to eat. There was one problem, though. I dropped the bag of taco shells, turning them into chips. Whoops! What was supposed to be chicken tacos turned into wraps. It’s a good thing I had some tortillas in the pantry.
I often try to plan leftovers for Wednesday. This serves a couple of purposes. For food safety, Sunday’s big meal should all be cleared out by then.  With a clear fridge, I’m ready to take advantage of the new grocery ads and start planning for the weekend. Since Wednesday’s dinner was indeed leftovers, Chicken Salad salads were the perfect lunch.

Well, that chicken salad polished off the last of the chicken, and we enjoyed every thrifty bite.
Time to move on. Thursday was a busy one, so before we left I just popped some kielbasa and veggies in the slow cooker. When we got home we were greeted by our dinner, Kielbasa and Cabbage. I really prefer this meal cooked stove top, but who can argue with dinner waiting when you get home? No fast food in this house!
Since I was so thrifty in planning our dinners all week, I didn’t feel one bit guilty when we splurged on Friday night’s dinner of steamed crab legs. Besides, they were on sale!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

While I can’t call our recent trip a vacation, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
We’re finally home from our extended stay and ready to start up again. We’re both ready for some home cooking, so, Here We Go!
Since we’ve been gone and eating restaurant fare I don’t have much to offer this week, but we did have a couple of successful meals before we left. Both My Enchilada Casserole and My Baked Penne Pasta were hearty and filling comfort foods. Both recipes also made an extra freezer friendly meal. You should try them.
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I need to go work on tonight’s dinner, but I’ll be posting more soon.
Be thankful for what life gives you!!! Really.