Grandma's Kitchen Table

Good Friends Good Food: Sweet or Hot Peppers - Keto Fried Chorizo Eggs in Bell Pepper Rings

       This week in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, Nancy chose Sweet or Hot Peppers. Here is the recipe I used for Keto Fried Chorizo Eggs in Bell Pepper Rings if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  Chorizo ground sausage, bell pepper, egg, salt, pepper, and a little green herb to brighten up the top (I used chives). The only addition I made was to add a few drops of hot sauce to the top.

 

       Breakfast here needs to be something quick but healthy as going the doughnut, muffin, cereal, pancake, or waffle route…so many carbs to start off the day...has never worked for me. When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a winner.  This time of year we are gifted peppers each week in our CSA basket and I find myself adding them to all sorts of recipes and letting them star in others. I was happy to come across this one to add into the mix.

 

       This recipe is incredibly easy and takes very little time if you brown the sausage to have on hand for the week so that morning assembly goes quickly.  I can pack my lunch while the egg rings cook.  I’m not a fan of runny eggs, but Mark likes them well enough, so I cook his like that and leave mine in a bit longer to firm up.  I’ve used green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers for this and they are all wonderful.  Lots of texture, lots of deliciousness without a lot of time.  Definitely on repeat status here.

 

       To see what the others made with their Sweet or Hot Peppers, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Brussels sprouts chosen by myself, posting date on September 10.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Potatoes - Bombay Potatoes

     

       The week of August 13 in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, Margaret chose Potatoes. Here is the recipe I used for Bombay Potatoes if you would like the recipe to make these potatoes for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  potatoes, salt, turmeric, vegetable oil, onion, black mustard seeds, and curry powder or paste.

 

       Searching around for something new and different to do with potatoes, I came across this recipe for Bombay Potatoes that looked delicious and seemed fairly doable for a weeknight.  I made just a small portion of the recipe (1/4 of the recipe) as it was easy enough to divide it all into amounts that would work nicely for just the two of us. The only “out-of-the-ordinary” ingredient for me was black mustard seeds as I have never used those before.  I wasn’t sure they were something I could find easily, having never looked for or noticed them before, but there they were, right on the supermarket shelf next to the yellow mustard seeds. They were fun to use, and just a little tiny bit spicier than the yellow mustard seeds so it’s a nice find that I can enjoy experimenting with in other recipes.

 

       This recipe does not disappoint.  The flavors are light and delicious, just a hint of the flavors we love in Indian cuisine. They accompanied our grilled chicken and carrots ever so nicely.  The turmeric gives them a nice yellow color which makes them seem buttery even though there is no butter in the recipe.  Definitely a repeat very soon.  

 

       To see what the others made with their Potatoes, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Sweet or Hot Peppers, chosen by Nancy, posting date on August 27.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

Good Friends Good Food: Beets - Refrigerator Pickled Beets

       The week of July 30 in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, I chose Beets. Here is the recipe I used for Refrigerator Pickled Beets if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  beets, cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, ground mustard, and whole peppercorns.

 

       The Good Friends Good Food group has switched from the theme of Salads back to the theme of Vegetables for this next round of cooking through October. Then the next round will center more around cooking for the upcoming holidays.  I chose beets because I love beets.  I might be in a minority here because I’m not sure anyone else is planning to play around with recipes for them and make something.  Oh, well.  I was hoping for a convert or two. I don’t know why…I have no fans here at home, with beets I’m on my own. 

 

     I like beets prepared any way you want to prepare them.  I had never before pickled them myself, always just picking up a jar here and there at the store when the pickled beet urge presented itself.  I figured this would be a good time to learn how to make some pickled beets.  So easy…making them is so easy.  Since I am the only one who will eat these here at home, I decided I would just make a small jar and not bother with a canning process, etc., as I could just eat them within a few days.  I hunted around in my pantry for an appropriate jar and came across this TJ’s Peach Bellini Jam jar that looked like it would work just fine, and it did.  I even included it in the photo, it seemed like such a perfect vehicle. (And, btw, that jam is really good if you were wondering about picking up a jar the next time you are at TJ's.)

 

       The recipe is really wonderful, I have copied this into my permanent recipe cards and will definitely be making these again…and again…and probably again and again.  I like that it doesn’t have as much sugar as some of the other recipes.  I made it as she stated but I’m thinking I could probably reduce the sugar even a tiny bit more for my taste and still be happy with it. I let it sit in the refrigerator for two days before I used the beets, they soaked up a great deal of flavor in that amount of time. So good. Here I simply served them on some lettuce with some feta cheese and drizzled some of the pickling brine for the dressing. Simple, delicious.  Are you sure you don’t like beets? Because if you aren’t sure, you might want to try this recipe. I’m looking for converts.

 

       To see what the others made with their Salad with Beets, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna, Ellen, and Nancy.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Potatoes, chosen by Margaret, posting date on August 13.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Spinach - My Favorite Spinach Salad

       The week of July 16 in the GFGF theme of Salads, Peggy chose Spinach. Here is the recipe I used for My Favorite Spinach Salad if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  spinach, apples, red onion, walnuts, dried cranberries, feta cheese, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and honey.

 

       Almost every week I buy spinach.  I never make it from one week to the next without running out as I find that I add it to any number of recipes during the week and make any number of salads with it.  It’s nice to have recipes that feature spinach because in our house…one can never have too much spinach. This was a really nice recipe, the accompanying dressing for it has just the right flavors to match the fruit/nuts/cheese combination going on in the salad. I’ll be making this one again and again. 

 

       To see what the others made with their Salad with Spinach, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna, Ellen, and Nancy.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Potatoes, chosen by Margaret, posting date on August 13.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

Good Friends Good Food: Herbs - Mixed Herbs Salad with Olives, Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella

       The week of June 18 in the GFGF theme of Salads, I chose Herbs. Here is the recipe I used for Mixed Herbs Salad with Olives, Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  grape tomatoes, salt, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, black pepper, arugula (I used red leaf lettuce), fresh cilantro, fresh parsley, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh mint, olives, and fresh thyme.

 

       Each year I grow ten pots of herbs so I’m always looking for ways to use them as they grow fast and furious.  It’s just wonderful having them on hand from spring until late fall.  

 

       After coming across this recipe, I couldn’t wait to give it a try.  Usually I add an herb or two here or there but I have never had so many all in one recipe equally highlighted.  Fresh herbs are delicious but I wondered if having so many together like this would be overwhelming. It seemed like there would be an explosion of all the flavors at once and maybe quite chaotic, but it wasn’t at all.  It was just very nice coming across the different herbs in different bites.  I’m going to do this more often when I have my herbs all growing profusely all summer.  Definitely a repeat. 

 

       To see what the others made with their Salad with Herbs, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna, Ellen, and Nancy.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Potatoes, chosen by Margaret, posting date on August 13.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Asparagus - Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach, and Feta

       The week of June 4 in the GFGF theme of Salads, Ulrike chose Asparagus. Here is the recipe I used for Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach, and Feta if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  orzo pasta, vegetable broth, almonds, asparagus, yellow bell pepper, spinach, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, chives, parsley, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and minced garlic.

 

       Many of the salad recipes I have been choosing lately have a similar profile as I tend to get on a kick for something and go with it for a couple of months, until I get on a different kick, and then go in that direction and so forth.  Right now we are on a Mediterranean kick, lots of Italian and Greek flavors.  We grill outside daily in the summer and those flavor go so nicely with grilled proteins. This is a salad you can make and keep in the refrigerator for several days...you can have it for lunches or dinners so you don’t have to be constantly heating up the stove to cook every day.  The dressing is a basic vinaigrette, nothing too complicated, you can change up the taste by adding different spices/herbs/flavors if you like.  

 

       There are quite a few ingredients and it does take a little time to prepare the different steps, but none of it is complicated.  Things need to chill, I like that I can make it in steps throughout the day while I’m doing other things and then it all just comes together at some point.  There are people who like to cook beginning to end in one long process but I’ve always preferred to do a little here and there throughout the day and bring it all together at mealtime. This is a good recipe for that style of cooking.  It was all very tasty.  The only thing I changed was adding half again as much lemon as we really like lemon. Definitely a repeat. 

 

       I want to give a shout out to Traci at Vanilla and Bean: Sweet and Savory Vegetarian.  I really love her recipes, and while we are not strictly vegetarian here, we do eat a lot of vegetables and her recipes are always very flavorful.  Her recipes are easy to follow and execute with success on the first try.  I love that. I find myself cooking from her blog several times a month.

 

       To see what the others made with their Salad with Asparagus, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna, Ellen, and Nancy.

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Potatoes, chosen by Margaret, posting date on August 13.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.