What do you do with your leftover packets of white rice? You know, those plain white rice boxes that clutter up the fridge after an order of take-out or two. Don’t ditch them. Make some fried rice.
Duck Egg Fried Rice
1 onion, diced
splash of peanut oil
2 carrots, finely minced in a food processor
1 small box take-out white rice
a splash mirin
a splash of soy sauce
a splash of hot sesame oil
1 duck egg, fried sunny side up
In a wok, swirl a quick drizzle of peanut oil. Place over moderate heat and swirl the pan. Add diced onions and stir fry. When edges begin to turn golden, add carrot and continue to cook. Add rice and stir over the heat until the rice, carrots, and onions are evenly distributed. Drizzle mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil over the rice mixture. Stir fry until some crispy bits form at the bottom of the wok. Stir vigorously and plate your fried rice in a shallow bowl.
Top with fried duck egg. (Or, a fried chicken egg)
Yellow Heirloom Cherry Tomato
The first ripe tomatoes never made it through the back door. We popped them in our mouth …straight off the vine. That’s one of the benefits of a chemical free back yard garden. You know for a fact that there isn’t a single chemical leeching into that delicate tomato skin.
Speckled Green Cherry Tomatoes
A Row Of Rainbow Blend Cherry Tomatoes
(Botanical Interests)
Snow White Currant Tomatoes
Heirloom Green Cherry Tomatoes
Orange Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Red Cherry Tomatoes (Super 100s)
As usual, the Super One Hundreds are turning out beautifully. We’ve already dished up at least two giant bowls of tomato salad and one big bowl of pico de gallo (AKA salsa fresca). And, three Costoluto Genovese as big as my husband’s fist. They’re gorgeous and next year I’ll be doing a whole row of these beauties. These were a huge success.
String Trellis Holding Up The Vines
Black Plum Tomatoes
These are a real show stopper. …And, a MUST HAVE for next year!
Black Krim
Black Krim …Down the Mini Row
Florence Fennel
A Couple More Weeks For Most
Just Over One Week For Two or Three
Jalapenos… 6 Plants Are More Than Enough
Jalapeno Pickles Are In Our Future
Down The Row
California Wonders Starting To Grow
We’re also watching the cayenne and gypsy peppers grow. But, we don’t see any mature peppers, yet. The jalapenos came first … then the gypsy peppers …cayenne and California Wonders are bringing up the rear. Something was eating the California Wonder’s leaves. They took some time to recover. Even with that abuse, each and every plant came back strong.
Cherry Tomato Salsa Fresca
makes one large bowl
3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 onion, finely diced
1 small bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 jalapeno, finely diced (How spicy? You choose.)
1 clove of garlic ground to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 stalks of cilantro, leaves saved
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapeno. Set aside. Juice lime into a small bowl. Remove any seeds that sneak in. Add sugar, salt and garlic paste. Stir until sugar and salt melt. Pour over salad. Taste. Add salt & pepper as desired.
Pour into serving bowl and scatter cilantro leaves on top.
And, The Kadota Fig Tree That Could …Hanging In There!
We love key limes. And, we adore this ice cream. So, it’s mandatory to have a supply of key lime juice and zest available at all times …Seriously, at all times.
I always buy extra bags of key limes when they’re available. Most large bags of key limes yeild at least 2 cups of juice. That juice freezes beautifully, if carefully packaged. And, you’ll be blessed with a boatload of key lime zest, too. I like to press the zest into 1/2 teaspoon mounds. Then, I freeze the little mounds. Depending on the packaging, they’ll last from 6 months to over a year.
This incredibly rich ice cream is best served as small scoops on mini cones or with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half and half
2 cup cream, whipped
scant 3/4 cup key lime juice
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups high quality white chocolate chips or chunks
Combine sweetened condensed milk, half & half, lemon juice, key lime juice and vanilla extract in a large. Set aside. Whip cream to stiff peaks in a medium-sized cold bowl. Delicately fold whipped cream into key lime mixture. Cover with saran wrap and freeze for 3o minutes. Briefly stir and return to freezer. Stir briefly every 30 minutes for at least 2 hours. Then, fold in white chocolate chips or chunks. After 3-4 hours, the ice cream should be the perfect creamy consistency.
If frozen for longer than 5 hours, it will get quite hard. You will need to set it on the counter for 5-7 minutes to soften.
The most important part about griddle frying?
Get the griddle good and hot before cracking your eggs. But, not too hot… or you’ll burn the butter. There’s a fine line between hot and smoking hot. Hot is good. Smoking hot is bad. (When it comes to cooking, that is.)
The rich, flavorful yolks took a bit more time to cook than I expected. This had me worried for a moment. I thought that I’d overcooked the whites. They have that rubbery, translucent look to them that chicken eggs get when you overcook them. But, these turned out beautifully. The whites were surprisingly tender. And, those gorgeous deep orange yolks were thick, rich and delicious.
Worth the money? Hell, yeah… without a doubt.
Griddle-Fried Duck Eggs
2 duck eggs per person
2 teaspoons butter
two tiny dots of olive oil
Heat the griddle for approximately 1-2 minutes over moderate heat. (If the griddle smokes, it’s too hot. Lower the heat and let it cool down a bit.) Place one tiny dot of olive oil at the front of the griddle and one dot at the back before dropping each teaspoon of butter on top of the olive oil drops. Carefully spread butter evenly over every inch of the griddle. Now, you’re ready to fry.
Reduce the heat slightly and cook each egg to your desired state of doneness.
Serve with toast or biscuits.
One Sunny Side up, One Once-Over
A Dozen Duck Eggs
The search to find good Cuban bread in Atlanta is a serious challenge. So, until I learn to bake my own, I’ll be substituting my favorite baguette in its place. Since this is “almost” a Cuban sandwich, I’ve also decided to crisp my baguette in the oven in lieu of pressing my sandwich. And, since I’m not pressing my sandwich, I’ve also omitted the butter. A traditional Cuban sandwich may have butter both inside the sandwich and the press or griddle may be brushed with butter.
My Cuban Sandwich
1 portion of baguette, sliced lengthwise
2-3 slices roast pork (Here, I’m using smoked pork.)
2 slices boiled ham
1 slice Emmentaler Cheese
mustard
razor thin slices of dill pickle
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the sliced piece of baguette in the oven. Toast until golden brown and crisp (approx. 4-5 min). Spread a thin layer of mustard on both sides. Layer sandwich with pork, ham, Emmentaler and thin pickle slices. Slice.
Serve immediately with a pickle wedge or two.
This simple loaf smells like banana bread. But, it tastes more like carrot cake.
Carrot Banana Bread
makes one full-sized loaf
2 carrots
2 bananas
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, pulse carrots until very finely chopped. Add bananas, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Pulse until well-combined. Briefly, set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and fine sea salt in a large bowl. Stir vigorously with a fork. Add wet ingredients. Stir gently and briefly… just until combined.
Pour batter into buttered loaf pan and place in preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes.
Thai Basil
The herbs are doing beautifully. So, we decided to add 2 Thai Basil, 2 Sicilian Oregano, and 2 Mother of Thyme (AKA Creeping Thyme).
Sicilian Oregano
Wild Mountain Mint
…gorgeously mingling with purple violas and rosemary
Double Sprouts of Fennel
The poor little fennel sprouts that keeps getting devoured by the rabbits make another miraculous comeback.
My “Charlie Brown” Kadota Fig
Another Cluster of Kadota Figs
These two clusters with about six leaves make up almost 40% of this scrappy 4 foot tree tree.
The First Cherry Tomatoes
The only downside to Botanical Instincts Cherry Tomato Rainbow Blend? I have no idea what variety of green cherry tomatoes I’m growing. But, we do love the color coding that allowed us to plant an even number of each type.
Perfect Shot — Missed
The tomato killer was attempting a snatch, grab and run. But, she got caught red-handed. Her evil little snout was within an inch of that far left green cherry tomato.
The Prettiest (and healthiest) Of Three New Black Mission Fig Trees
Ripening Costoluto Genovese
We Need More Basil …This Is Not Enough
Chocolate Mint
…And, The Giant Rosemary Bush Needs A Trim
These are essentially a cookie. So, I’d never suggest eating these for breakfast on a daily basis. But, one small bar on rare occasions makes a nice breakfast treat. Add a banana and a small vanilla yogurt. And, you’ve got a real breakfast. Sure, it’s not one you’d want to eat every day. But, it’s not a super-crazy indulgence either.
Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Makes one 9×13 inch baking dish
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup blueberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Stir briefly. Add rolled oats, oat bran and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Stir briefly. Add blueberries and white chocolate chips and stir gently until all ingredients are combined.
Butter one 9×13 inch baking dish. Gently spread oatmeal cookie dough to form a thin, uniform layer. Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
One day, I was grating vegetables in a food processor for a quick vegetable stock. Hungry and looking for a way to use up a bit of roughly minced carrot , I whipped up this super simple salad. And, now, it’s one of my favorite companions to a quick weekday sandwich or grilled meat… especially grilled or bbq chicken.
Carrot Salad
makes one small bowl
4-5 carrots, peeled
juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, finely ground
Place peeled carrots and juice of one lemon in a food processor and pulse to a rough mince. (Or, use grating attachement.) Place minced carrots in a medium sized bowl. Add sugar, salt and finely ground black pepper.
Serve with sandwiches, grilled chicken breast or bbq’d meats.
Is there anything better than biting into a tender peach? The feel of the soft velvety skin brushes your tongue as a rush of sweet juice fills your mouth. All the while, the heady scent of the sugary ripe fruit washes over you.
If anything can come close to that piece of heaven, it’s the comforting scent of warm peaches and cinnamon filling the air of your home as you bake a peach crisp in the oven on a warm summer day.
Oatmeal Peach Crisp
4 large peaches, washed, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss sliced peaches, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon until well combined. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Stir well to combine. Drop in dots of butter and cut in with a pastry cutter. Cut butter in until chunky crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the peach mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes…. or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sweet peach juices are bubbling.
Serve with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream.
|
|
