banana pepper rings

i have 4 banana pepper plants in my garden this year, and they are producing nicely.  i've been able to harvest 5-10 at a time, a that's quite a bit of banana peppers all at once!  my favorite way to enjoy these veggies is to pickle them.  i have a simple recipe and method that takes very little effort, yet produces delicious pickled peppers; the recipe is adapted from a refrigerator pickle recipe shared with me by my mother in law.

ingredients

5-10 banana peppers

white vinegar (1-3 cups)

water (1-2 cups)

1-3 garlic cloves

instructions

1. remove pepper tops
2. slice the peppers
   
3. remove seeds & white flesh within the peppers (i prefer to do this after slicing, as it proves to be more efficient - a few minutes in a salad spinner, after being sliced and rinsed, helps as well).
4. place clean, sliced peppers in a gallon-sized ziplok bag, or another container.  i use a tupperware pick-a-deli and it works PERFECTLY!  i highly recommend it!!
   
5. add enough vinegar and water to cover the peppers.  a 50/50 mixture is probably ideal.  i prefer a bigger bite, and tend to go heavier on the vinegar than the water.  this recipe doesn't require a perfect science - experiment and see what your taste buds prefer!
6. add the garlic cloves - i always add 2-3.  if you love garlic less than i, perhaps use only 1 small clove.
   
7. refrigerate overnight, and they will be ready to go the next day!!!
8. they keep for weeks (1+ months) in the fridge.  if you eat them quickly, you can reuse the vinegar/water mixture for a second batch (though i usually top off batch #2 with a bit more vinegar).
9. feel free to add sea salt, a hot pepper (jalapeno or red hot chili), or anything else you might enjoy!

fudge puddles

my sister's mother-in-law shared this recipe with me.  the recipe is rather simple, but is more time consuming than basic chocolate chip cookies.  there is nothing healthy about this delectable dessert, but your taste buds will surely approve :)

"wet" ingredients
1 C butter
1 C peanut butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

dry ingredients
2.5 C flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

filling ingredients
12 oz milk chocolate
12 oz dark chocolate
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla

cookie instructions

1. preheat oven to 350 F
2. mix wet ingredients
3. add dry ingredients - mix or cream together
4. place paper cups in tiny tart pan or cupcake pan 
5. add cookie dough
6. bake 15 minutes for mini tarts, or about 18 minutes for cupcake sized (or until browned)
7. remove from oven, and press each cookie with "tart smasher," creating a hollow space for filling



this is what i refer to as a "tart smasher" - there may be a proper term to which i am ignorant.   mine has a small end for mini tarts, and a large end for cupcake-sized tarts.

8. let cool - remove from pan to wire rack until about room temperature

filling instructions
either use a double broiler, or a stock pot + sauce pan - i use the latter and will proceed with those instructions

1. fill stock pot with enough water to cover sauce pan (i.e. add water to stock pot, and place sauce pan within, to determine proper amount of water).
2. set stock pot to high heat to boil water
3. combine all filling ingredients into sauce pan
4. once water is boiling, place sauce pan within
5. stir mixture continuously until well melted and consistent texture (20 minutes or so)
6. pour the hot filling into the hollowed cookies/tarts (i use a 4 cup pyrex glass measuring cup - i heat it in the boiling water, and then empty the contents of the sauce pan into it - be very careful not to burn yourself - you'll need a well insulated oven mitt, or, a rubber handle cover for a cast iron skillet).

here's a sample of the finished product (cupcake-sized).  i failed to take a photo while they were displayed beautifully on the cake plate, so this will have to suffice.

* these tarts freeze well!!!
** recipe makes about 3 dozen cupcake sized tarts, or 6-8 dozen mini tarts

granola

i checked out the recipes at allrecipes.com and reduced a few of them to the one i am about to share with you.  my son woke up from his nap a bit early today, so he helped me with the preparation!

dry ingredients
10 C rolled oats
2 C walnuts (as large or as fine as you wish)
1 C flax
1 C oat bran
1 C raw sunflower seeds
1.5 tsp sea salt

wet ingredients + cinnamon
1/2 C olive oil
1 C local honey
1/2 C maple syrup
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract

instructions

1. combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly
2. preheat oven to 325 F
3. combine all wet ingredients together in a sauce pan, and heat on medium heat, mixing until everything is well mixed
4. add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and mix thoroughly in the large bowl
5. spray two large baking sheets (with edges) with olive oil
6. divide contents of bowl between the two sheets
7. bake for 15-20 minutes      
8. 
9. remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes or so
10. leave chunky or break it up 
11. it fits nicely into a tupperware "super cereal storer" 20 C volume container
12. 

we eat granola with yogurt, or simply as "cereal" with cold milk.  however you choose to eat yours, i hope you'll enjoy!!

*pardon the strange numbering with the pictures - there is a new posting configuration in blogger, and i am still figuring things out.

käsespätzle

käsespätzle is german for cheese noodles, as far as i can tell :) i acquired this recipe from toby, who got it from his friend bernhard, both of whom are german.

ingredients
the legit, german-recommended recipe
750 kg flour
5-6 eggs
3 tsp salt
250 mL cold water
300 g shredded cheese
onion

i weighed my whole grain flour and ended up doing this
2 C whole grain pastry flour
2 1/2 C unbleached flour
5 eggs
3 tsp salt
250 mL water (250 mL is just about 8.5 ounces)
1 pound of emmentaler cheese (this is more like 450 g of cheese, but my rule of thumb is that you can never have too much cheese!!!!)

notes
1. i had intended to use whole grain flour only, but ran out, and hence switched to processed flour. but i am very happy with the results. if anything, i will use 2 1/2 C whole grain flour + 2 1/2 C processed flour when i make this next (to thicken it slightly)

2. as for cheese, the stinkier the cheese, the better! the emmentaler is stinky relative to something such as cheddar, but i plan to stink it up a bit more next time!

3. this recipe calls for a special tool, called a spätzle press. the first time i ever made käsespätzle, i used my potato ricer, but wasn't happy with the results (too thin). i do not (yet) have a spätzle press, so i used a cheese grater and a wooden spoon - i will explain the technique later. a colander is an option as well.

instructions
toby just provided the ingredients, and this is how i saw fit to execute:

1. put a large pot of water on to boil (approximately 1 gallon + of water)
2. beat 5 eggs with mixer
3. add flour one cup at a time, mix well
4. add 3 tsp salt
5. add the cold water
6. mix well. scrape sides. continue mixing while you move on to step 7
7. dice one medium sized sweet onion
8. shred the cheese

boil the spätzle
1. once the water is boiling, place the tool of choice (grater, colander, legit spätzle press) over the top of the pot of boiling water.

2. place a blob of dough on top of your press (cheese grater, colander, etc.), and move a wooden (or plastic) spoon (or other implement) back and forth across, until all of the dough has been pushed through. don't worry about the size of the noodles - my preference is variation in size and texture - just press the dough through.

3. continue working one blob of dough at a time until all noodles are in the pot. (stir the noodles in between blobs if you wish)

4. stir periodically.

5. cook for 5-10 minutes (the time required depends on the flour and noodle thickness - whole grain flour requires more time than processed flours)

6. remove from heat. strain.

prepare the dish
1. heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, on medium-high heat

2. saute the onions

3. add the noodles and the shredded cheese

4. reduce heat to medium. mix well and continuously to avoid burning, until the cheese is melted.

5. serve and ENJOY!!!!

this makes an excellent side for any meat, and personally i enjoy it as a main dish with a lovely salad of greens, avocado, tomatoes, and vinaigrette dressing.

wood floor and furniture cleaner (homemade)

remember that post from january about homemade cleaning products? well, i am finally getting around to blogging about them!

i made the wood cleaner in the fall of 2010 sometime, and have been using it ever since. i REALLY love it! it's easy to make, it's effective at removing spots and such from my hardwood floors, and leaving them wonderfully shiny! i use it on my wooden dining table, coffee table, end tables, you name it!!!

you can make this recipe (adapted from the naturally clean home book), and store it in a spray bottle. i did a double batch last fall and just finished up this week (is that a testament to how little i clean?) :)ingredients
2 C lemonbalm tea, cooled (i brew it fresh from lemonbalm, from the farmer's market)
15 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil*

instructions
1. combine ingredients in large spray bottle (you can get these at a hardware or home improvement store for about $2 each, or you can clean and re-use a spray bottle from a commercial cleaning agent. i would avoid one that had any chlorinated compounds)

2. spray directly on surface of interest - i do a lot of spot cleaning. it's a good agent at breaking up spots from water, dog drool, baby food goo, etc.

3. go and clean something, and enjoy the fresh scent of lemon while you work!

storage & safety
store in a normal, room temperature environment. i keep it beneath my kitchen sink. generally speaking, essential oils are highly concentrated and can irritate skin, mucous membranes, etc... so while this product won't be toxic in the way bleach would, be sure to keep it away from children and pets.

*i use a different combination of essential oils compared to the original recipe, which calls for 20 drops lemon essential oil and 2 drops thyme essential oil.

storing baby food

i am a big fan of using these ice cube trays (with covers) for storing baby food. fresh, preservative-free food holds up fine for 2-3 days in the fridge, and about 2 weeks in the freezer. each cube is about 2 tablespoons (1 oz) in volume. as for serving frozen food, i place the frozen cubes into plastic or glass containers each night before bed, so that peanut has enough food for the following day. i recently purchased 16 libbey containers; they are 6.5 ounce glass bowls with plastic lids. they are perfect and hold 2-3 cubes! at 8 months, peanut is eating about 6-9 ounces of food per day. this requires 42-63 ounces of food per week. in an effort to provide a balanced diet with a variety of foods, i often remove cubes from the trays once frozen, and place them into sandwich sized bags. i then place the sealed, sandwich bags into freezer bags (which can be reused over and over), for storage in the freezer. it may be a good idea to label the bags in order to track the age and contents of each bag.

liver

liver is an excellent source of protein for little ones. peanut is 8 months old now, so i have added liver to his menu.

ingredients
1 lb free range, beef liver (free of antibiotics and hormones)
olive oil

instructions
1. heat a few tbsp of olive oil on med-high heat (large frying pan)

2. add the beef liver

3. turn every few minutes (prevent sticking, burning), and continue to cook until blood ceases to pool up on top of the meat (20-30 minutes)preparation
1. cut into small chunks (1x2 inches)
2. place in food processor, and grind or chop
3. add a teaspoon of water if necessary
4. repeat until all meat has been "pureed"storage
1. place in individual containers or ice cube trays (covered).
2. stays for 2 days in the fridge, or 2 weeks in the freezer.

serving
the liver was pretty pasty post processing, so i rolled it into tiny pate-like balls for peanut. he LOVED it - i was truly surprised that he enjoyed it so much.