Shards of Peach Peel

I did not make any peach peel jam with my bushel of peaches this year. I have plenty and since no one really likes it I have to find ways to use it up. I often substitute it for other jams in recipes. Here is one that works well.



Chicken Salad

2 lbs. chicken
4 ribs celery or 1/2 t. celery salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. red grapes-can cut in 1/2
1/2 c. golden raisins

Poach chicken in water with a little apple juice and white wine vinegar by simmering for 45 min. (depending on the size) or until meat register 160 degrees. Let cool. Dice or shred chicken. Stir in rest of ingredients and mix in dressing. Spoon into romaine lettuce leaves.

Dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. half and half Or cream OR plain yogurt OR sour cream
1/2 c. apricot preserves OR peach peel jam
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
2 T. curry
1/2 t. white pepper

I use 2 t. curry and I don't add the vinegar. I increase the dairy instead to about 6 T. Add more if too dry or add a little vinegar.

Cereal and Fresh Peaches

Thanksgiving Stuffing 2008

Stuffing Sandwich

Bread
Turkey
Stuffing (can be formed into patties and heated)
Cranberry sauce
Add gravy or anything else you would like
Grill it or eat cold

EEK! Only 92 Days Until Thanksgiving!

I better hurry up and use my 2008 stuffing I found in the freezer. I am going to need the pan. Once I made stuffing soup. It wasn't very good and nobody would eat it. But then I added cheddar cheese dumplings and it was a hit.

Cheddar Dumplings from Martha Stewart

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in cheese and corn. Add egg and milk; stir vigorously to make a slightly sticky dough. Using lightly floured hands, form dough into 1-inch balls; set aside.
2. Bring soup to a gentle boil; add dumplings. Cover; cook until dumplings are cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve warm. Or follow the directions for Bisquick dumplings which are mix both ingredients just until soft dough form. Do not over mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto boiling soup or stew. Cook uncovered on low heat for 10 mins. Cover and cook 10 mins. longer.

Moldy Spaghetti Sauce

I found in my refrigerator a bottle of spaghetti sauce with mold on top (a common occurrence). I just scooped out the mold and the infected sauce and used the rest to make this...

Baked Ziti 

Serves 7

From allrecipes.com

• 1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
• 24 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Calories per serving: 703

Brown Peaches

Once the freezer door was left open for three days. And then was shut. But not until peaches partially thawed. Then they refroze, being a lovely brown color. Nobody would eat the brown peaches. So I put them in this...

Peach Bread

Serves 24
From allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups diced peaches (about 3 medium peaches. Can used canned,drained)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Sprinkle top with sugar.
4. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 222 | Total Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 26mg

Fresh Peaches

I bought a bushel of peaches today to freeze. Delicious.

Be sure to lay them all out as soon as you can.
They will keep longer and you can put them up as
each one ripens. This way you can do a little each day.

Shriveling Tomatoes

What's with all the tomatoes? I have some grape tomatoes that are shriveling. Nobody will notice in this recipe.

Sauteed Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onions, and Parsley

from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, side muscles removed
• Fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon mild Spanish paprika (pimentn dulce)* or Hungarian sweet paprika
• *Available at specialty foods stores and online from tienda.com.

Preparation

Rinse and drain scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté until browned outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to plate; cover. Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; add white parts of green onions and sauté until almost tender, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and green parts of onions and sauté until tomatoes begin to burst and release juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, and paprika. Return scallops and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer scallop mixture to platter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.
Update: I am going to try to plump up the shriveled ones by soaking them in water next time.

Tomatoes That Look Like Prunes

I have some old marinated dried Roma tomatoes. Quite a bit actually. Fifty cents a jar! Who could resist? I can't even remember when I bought them. I am going to use some to make this tomato tart instead of drying my own. Oh and I get to get rid of some puff pastry that needs to be used. And some goat cheese.

Oven-Dried Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Black Olives

Bon Appétit

Oven-drying the tomatoes before baking the tart concentrates their sweetness and prevents juices from softening the filling. yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 6 medium tomatoes or large romas, cored, halved crosswise, seeded
• 2 small garlic cloves, thinly slivered
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme, divided

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

• 1 cup coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup soft fresh goat cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/3 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; brush foil with 1 tablespoon oil. Place tomato halves, cut side up, on baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic and 1 tablespoon thyme over tomatoes; drizzle remaining 1/4 cup oil over. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes begin to shrink and are slightly dried but still soft, about 2 hours. Cool tomatoes on sheet. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in covered container in refrigerator.)
Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 13-inch square. Transfer pastry to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom, pressing pastry firmly onto bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold overhang in and press, pushing crust 1/4 inch above pan. Pierce crust all over with fork; chill 30 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line pastry with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans; bake until crust edges are golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 12 minutes longer. Cool crust 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Meanwhile, using fork, mash mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme together in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add eggs and cream and stir until mixture is well blended. Spread cheese filling evenly in crust. Arrange tomato halves in filling, cut side up. Place olives between tomatoes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over top. Bake until filling is puffed and set, about 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Push up pan bottom, releasing sides. Serve tart warm.

Brown Bananas

If your bananas aren't black but are getting there, here is a quick way to use them besides smoothies and bread.

Low-Cal Banana Dessert

Smash banana, sprinkle with sweetener.
Heat in microwave.
Top with whipped topping/cream.

Separating Slaw Sauce

This was on sale for 99 cents. I bought 44 of them. Last year. You can only eat so much slaw. Using it up in other dishes. Like broccoli salad. This is a flexible recipe. Add/remove/substitute whatever you like.

Broccoli Salad

1 large head of broccoli cut into flowerettes
1 cup sunflower seeds (toasted almonds or pine nuts work too)
1 cup raisins (dried cherries or cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (or red onion)
3-6 slices bacon crumbled or 1/2 bottle of bacon bits
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/2 cup cheese (optional)

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
3 T. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Stir briskly until almost all of the sugar is dissolved. (It won’t all dissolve, yet). Pour over the broccoli mixture and toss or stir to coat. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving to allow flavors to blend. If you don't like the taste of broccoli, blanch the broccoli for 1 – 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain, then plunge the florets into ice water. This will get rid of the raw broccoli taste, but keep enough crunch to make this a pleasing cold salad.

I substitute the slaw dressing instead of making my own. The Marzetti's is on the vinegary side so I still add about 1/4 c. of sugar to it.

Shriveled Blueberries

I have some blueberries that are shriveling up. This is a great way to use them. Lightly coat the blueberries with flour to stir them in. They will mix in easier and won't sink to the bottom. If you are using frozen blueberries, no need to coat. They don't sink to the bottom.



Blueberry Buckle  
From allrecipes.com
Serves 10

Buckle is an old American term for a simple, single-layer cake made with blueberries (blueberry buckle) or other berries.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch pan.

1. Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, shortening, and egg.
2. In a separate bowl mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan.
3. To make topping: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter.
4. Bake at 375 degree F (190 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes. It will seem slightly undercooked.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 319 | Total Fat: 10.8g | Cholesterol: 34mg

Homemade Bread, Corn on the Cob

Fresh Friday. I made my own Hawaiian bread for Cuban sandwiches and we had fresh sweet corn on the cob picked at a farm nearby.

Corn on the Cob

• Fill your pot with water.
• Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of sugar.
• Drop in your corn.
• Bring everything to a boil, making sure the sugar is dissolved in the water.
• Boil for no longer than 8 minutes.
• Remove from the water and let it cool enough for handling and eating.
• Handle it and eat it.

Hawaiian Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour, potato flakes, sugar, yeast, salt and ginger. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water, butter and pineapple juice to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.
3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Shape each into a ball. Place in three greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Old Beans

We aren't talking beans you can possibly cook soft. Unless you use a pressure cooker for 2 hours. These are as old as dirt. But still good! If you having Cuban sandwiches, you have to have Cuban black beans and rice with them. This is from my Cuban friend.

Carmen's Cuban Black Beans and Rice

2 cans black beans

1 can French onion soup

1 can pureed black beans

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T sugar

green pepper

1 can water

Combine all. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer covered 45 min.- 1 hr. Stir occasionally. Serve over/with rice.

Dried Up Pork

I have some pork I need to use. I think I will make Cuban sandwiches. I like to use Hawaiian rolls/ bread as the recipe indicates use a sweeter bread. A non-sweet Cuban bread recipe follows.

Classic Cuban Midnight (Medianoche) Sandwich

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 4 sweet bread rolls
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 pound thinly sliced cooked ham
• 1 pound thinly sliced fully cooked pork
• 1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
• 1 cup dill pickle slices
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Split the sandwich rolls in half, and spread mustard and mayonnaise liberally onto the cut sides. On each sandwich, place and equal amount of Swiss cheese, ham and pork in exactly that order. Place a few pickles onto each one, and put the top of the roll onto the sandwich. Brush the tops with melted butter.
2. Press each sandwich in a sandwich press heated to medium-high heat. If a sandwich press is not available, use a large skillet over medium-high heat, and press the sandwiches down using a sturdy plate or skillet. Some indoor grills may be good for this also. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, keeping sandwiches pressed. If using a skillet, you may want to flip them once for even browning. Slice diagonally and serve hot.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 1453 | Total Fat: 88.4g | Cholesterol: 275mg

Cuban Bread
From Carrot Jello
 
5-6 cups flour
2 T yeast (yes Tablespoon is correct)
2 T sugar
1 T salt
2 cups hot water
 
Mix 4 cups of flour with yeast, sugar and salt. Pour in hot water and beat with mixer for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until no longer sticky. Knead the dough right in the bowl you were mixing it in (no need to make a huge mess on the counter with flour, just keep it in the bowl). Let rise 15 minutes in a greased bowl. Punch down. 

Divide into two round loaves and place on a baking sheet.  Cut an X on top of each loaf. Put in a cold oven. Add a cake pan filled with water onto the bottom rack of the oven. (This is the secret to crusty bread) Heat oven to 400 and bake 40-50 minutes.

Slimy Spinach

There is so much you can do with slimy spinach. One favorite of mine is to put it into smoothies. You can't taste it and it is an easy way to get more greens. Not an appetizing color however. Rinsing the spinach will take away some of the slime/bitterness.


Favorite Smoothie

1 c. apple juice
1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. frozen peaches
1 banana
handful of spinach
1/2-1 c. ice depending on desired thickness

Add to blender in order and blend. Drink with a straw. :)

Often I substitute the strawberries and peaches with 1 c. frozen Dole mixed fruit from Sam's.

Door County Cherries

This is a Fresh Friday post on Monday. Hopefully Fresh Friday will be a post about something fresh. Hopefully I will have something to post about. L and T went to Door County and brought back delicious cherries. Thank you!

Black Bananas

Most people do use their black bananas. Here is a banana bread that beats them all. Sprinkle with sugar before baking for a sweet crisp top. Or you can put the bananas in a smoothie.

Banana Bread
From allrecipes.com
Serves 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Nutritional Information: amount Per Serving Calories: 229 | Total Fat: 8.8g | Cholesterol: 56mg

Double Dip Your Marinade

Marinaded a pork roast and grilled it. It was delicious.

But don't throw out the marinade! You can use it once more. Just keep it in the freezer until you are ready to marinade something new.

Hard beans and Torotoes

I found a bottle of American Ranch Barbecue Brine at Williams-Sonoma for only $2.99 reg. $12.95. But I started brining the meat too late for dinner so I made tacos instead.

Extra people showed up so I stretched the meat with beans. Now these beans are at least 30 years old and the only way to get them to cook until soft is to pressure cook them for about 2 hours. And the tomatoes? Let's just say some were riper than others. But on a yummy note everything was wrapped up in these:

Hawaiian Haystack Dribble

The other night I made Hawaiian Haystack for dinner and there was a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce left over. I wasn't going to throw it out but what could I do with it? Well tonight I didn't do much for dinner except open some cans of chicken soup so I threw in the left-over sauce.

Hawaiian Haystack
Adapted From Make-A Mix
Serves 6-8

2 1/2 cups chicken gravy, see recipe
1 cup chicken broth, see recipe
2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
4 cups hot cooked rice
9 1/2 ounces chow mein noodles
3 medium tomatoes -- sliced
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks in water
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup coconut
2 ounces pimientos -- drained and diced
Combine chicken gravy and broth in a medium saucepan. Stir to blend. Add chicken. (Makes about 6 cups.) Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until heated through. On 8 individual serving plates layer all ingredients. First layer rice, chow mein noodles and chicken and gravy. Add tomatoes, celery, bell pepper and green onion. Top with pineapple chunks, shredded Cheddar and more chicken and gravy. Garnish with almonds, coconut and pimiento.

Chicken and Broth
1 pound boneless chicken breast
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion
1 t parsley
1/4 t thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove
1 t basil

Place all ingredients in a pot. All of these flavoring are optional but will make the dish taste better. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer chicken for about 45 min. (depending on the size) or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Remove chicken and set aside to cool for handling purposes. Strain vegetables from broth. Discard vegetable and save broth. Strain broth by lining a strainer or colander with damp paper towel. Pour broth into colander allowing it to drain into a bowl or pot.

Alternative method would be to simply poach the chicken in water and use prepared broth or broth made from Better Than Bullion.

Chicken Gravy or Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken SoupMakes about 3 cups
3/4 c butter
3/4 c flour
3 c milk
1/4 t dried sage leaves
1/8 t dried thyme
1/8 t black pepper
4 t Better Than Bullion
Melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook 1 min. Turn down heat. Slowly whisk in milk. Whisk in rest of ingredients. Cook, while stirring, until thick.

Old Grapes

There are grapes in the refrigerator that are dried up and turning... lets just say bad. Time to bite the bullet and do something with them before they get worse. Then I might have to actually throw them out. Luckily I have a great blender and can turn anything into a smoothie. I love this blender!

Whole Grape Juice

4 c. grapes
1/2 ice

Place in blender and blend.

I think the grapes are so sour it may need some sugar. Plus many of the grapes are dried up so it is hard to get an accurate measurement. But I don't think it matters with this recipe.

Update: Maybe I should use fewer shriveled grapes and add a little water to rehydrate them.

Peach Peels

Peach season soon will be upon us. I love freezing peaches and have learned to actually put them up before they rot.
It has only taken me 20 years.

Here is my recipe for freezing peaches:

1 quart peeled and sliced peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. Fruit Fresh

Place peaches in a Ziploc freezer bag and add sugar and Fruit Fresh. Seal the bag. Gently shake the bag to mix the ingredients. Let the bag lie on the counter. Turn over/gently work the bag every so often until the sugar is dissolved and a syrup is created which covers the peaches. Freeze flat.

To thaw, I microwave the frozen peaches for 3 minutes. This makes them partially thawed/frozen. Of course I am using a 28 year old Amana Radarange. Your times may vary.

These frozen peaches make a perfect foundation for fruit salad.

1 quart frozen peaches, partially thawed
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 apple, peeled, cored and cubed
1 quart of strawberries, hulled and halved
add the following to taste:
grapes
blueberries
raspberries
kiwi

Combine and stir gently.


Hey wait a minute! I thought this was a blog about using up old rotten food or stuff that gets thrown out.

I give you peach peel jam.

Don't throw out those peels! Follow the directions on the SureJell instructions for making peach jam and substitute the peels. All those peels make a lot of jam! Or use one of these recipes.

http://www.recipezaar.com/41035
http://hemmeke.blogspot.com/2008/08/peach-peel-jelly-aka-peach-pit-jelly.html

http://aclangston.blogspot.com/2009/09/peach-pit-jelly.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1623,155163-236192,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1623,152163-232193,00.html