Grandma's Kitchen Table

GFGF: Ukrainian Cuisine

       Good Friends Good Food has made a thematic swing to selecting a country once a month and cooking whatever you wish from that country’s cuisine.  The second country chosen was the Ukraine. If you look at cooking endeavors on the internet this month, there are people cooking for the Ukraine for various causes hoping to raise awareness of their current political situation. Ulrike suggested that we make recipes from the Ukraine this month, so we were all off doing a search of the cuisine of the Ukraine and learning about the people and their culture, especially their culinary culture. Throughout the month I made recipes to fit in with our meals here and we enjoyed all the recipes very much.  

 
       For the Salad Course:  Leek Salad with Apples and Carrots and the recipe can be found here.  The ingredients:  leeks, carrots, apple, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. This is a fast recipe and it instructed me to serve immediately but I parked it in the refrigerator for an hour to serve as a side with a meal and it was just fine, very light and refreshing, we enjoyed the combination of flavors and light dressing. Since there are just two of us here most days for meals, I always make pared down versions of recipes, which often leaves me with little bits and pieces like a half a leek or a carrot or half an apple (if I eat half an apple for lunch), etc. so it was nice to find a recipe that I could just morph these pared down ingredients into and have it seem all fresh and new.

 
       For Another Salad: Olivier Salad (Also known as Russian Potato Salad and very common in the Ukraine (called Olivye Salad in the Ukraine), you can research Ukrainian History to learn about the connections with Russia), and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: ham, potatoes, carrots, boiled eggs, dill pickles, onion, peas, cucumber, mayonnaise, fresh dill, salt, pepper, and sugar (optional). This is so good, I knew I’d like it from the list of ingredients, and although I usually have a very strict rule about “not too many things touching each other” on my plate, there are some exceptions, if one can just sort of pick at it one ingredient at a time.  This is one of those exceptions, probably because it is served cold. It works well in a lettuce wrap as well.

       For the Main Course: Easy, Creamy Ground Pork Stroganoff and the recipe can be found here.  The ingredients: egg noodles, ground pork (or beef or chicken), oil, butter, mushrooms, onion, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, paprika, flour, chicken broth, half-and-half (or cream or whole milk), cream, fresh dill, and fresh parsley. There is a video on the site which makes everything very clear and shows how easily this recipe goes together.  It’s different than a regular Stroganoff recipe in that it uses ground meat, has grated carrots in it, and doesn’t use sour cream like I’m accustomed to using in a Stroganoff.  That said, it’s a very good dish, simple, easy, delicious, and fairly easy on the budget. (You know, it kind of reminded me of a fresh take in a hamburger-helper kind of way, good or bad, there you have it.)

 
       For a Side Dish: Ukrainian Dill Potatoes and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: small young potatoes, salt, sunflower oil, garlic cloves, and freshly chopped dill. I saw a lot of recipes that used dill so I’m assuming that the Ukrainian people love dill, as do we, so I was happy to add this to the little potatoes. Recipes like this are quick and tasty, making a nice side dish to any main meal.  Mark loves potatoes, possibly more than another food item, so he is always happy with any sort of potato recipe, the dill added a very nice touch.

 
       For Dessert: Syrnyk - Sweet Ukrainian Easter Cheese and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  (I saw several versions of this recipe and some added lemon, so I added lemon zest as I’m never one to pass up an opportunity to put lemon into a recipe. This took no time at all to assemble and baked for an hour, cooled for an hour, and then went into the refrigerator to chill.  It’s sort of like a crustless cheesecake, and since I added the lemon, we were very happy with the idea of a lemon crustless cheesecake. I drizzled a little thinned blackberry jam over the slices just for fun, a suggestion I found on a similar recipe. She says that the Ukrainian people serve this at Easter.  I’m thinking that’s a great idea and may become a new Easter tradition here as well.  

 
       For Dessert: Honey Babka Cake and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar, honey, sour cream, baking soda, white vinegar, and salt for the cake and cream cheese, whipped cream, and powdered sugar for the topping.  I made a quarter size of this cake and it was lovely, just light and flavorful (the honey is such a nice flavor in this cake), with that little surprise topping treat with the cream cheese and whipped cream. She cut hers into 1" squares and things like that are half a laugh when cooking for guys...guys don't really appreciate tiny small food as one would imagine, so this is a 2" square, not as cute, but definitely more guy-sized. Mine also did not get the deep color that she got in the photo of her recipe, so maybe I need to bake it longer, it was testing done and I didn't want to risk going too much over the recommended time, but next time, I might try to bake it longer.  I will make this one again.  

         It was all a lot of fun, and for April we are going to be making Middle Eastern Cuisine. You are welcome to come along, blogging is not required if you would just like to cook along with us.  Ulrike has blogged several Ukrainian recipes this month and you can find them at her blog here.  Margaret also blogged her Ukrainian recipes and you can find them at her blog here .

GFGF: Moroccan Cuisine

       Good Friends Good Food has made a thematic swing to selecting a country once a month and cooking whatever you wish from that country’s cuisine.  The first country chosen was Morocco. I always enjoy doing a search of the cuisine of a particular country to discover what they specialize in making for their families. I chose four recipes to make this month for our Moroccan meal: a main course, a side dish, a bread, and a dessert. 

       The Main Course: Moroccan Chicken Tagine and the recipe can be found here.  The ingredients: paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, coriander, cinnamon, lemon, garlic, chicken thighs, salt, pepper, olive oil, onion, flour, chicken broth, honey, carrots, green olives, and cilantro leaves (I used parsley because I am one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap). These were so delicious, very tender and flavorful, all the spices are a delight.

       The Side Dish: Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables, Chickpeas, and Almonds and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: red bell pepper, carrots, red onion, zucchini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, couscous, chicken broth, turmeric, raisins, chickpeas, almonds, cilantro, and mint. (Mark does not eat chickpeas so I omitted those and parsley was substituted for cilantro.) This went nicely with the chicken and I can tell you that this side dish was delicious and beautiful and I can see myself making it again just for those reasons alone. Nothing is complicated, the steps all add up to a perfect union.

 
      The Bread: Moroccan Khobz (Basic Moroccan Bread) and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast, oil, water, and cornmeal. I’m not sure I did this recipe justice. I think that I need to have a go at it again to try to figure out the flour content a bit better as it seemed heavy and dense to me, so while it had a nice flavor, I think I need to work on the texture aspect.

     
       The Dessert: Moroccan Spiced Oranges and the recipe can be found here. The ingredients: sesame seeds, oranges, and ground cinnamon.  These were so good, so light and refreshing after a rather large meal of the other components.  I would make these again anytime just to eat, they were delicious and a perfect end to our meal.  

       It was all a lot of fun and I’m not sure what country we are doing in March, but I’m excited to see what they chose.  You are welcome to come along, blogging is not required if you would just like to cook along with us.  I think Margaret is the only one who blogged about it this time.  Her post is here.

GFGF: Season of Blessings - Baked Feta Soup

      This week in the Good Friends Good Food theme of Season of Blessings, we all chose whatever we liked as a new dish for the Christmas Season this year.  I chose Baked Feta Soup. Here is the recipe I used for it if you would like to make it for yourself: click here.

       The ingredients:  cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, onion, crushed red pepper, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, garlic, basil, and orzo pasta. 

       Sometimes during the holidays you have so many choices and so many of them are maybe not that healthy…so it’s nice to put in a recipe that can pass for holiday excitement but maybe not leave you feeling like you are overwhelmed with rich food all season long. This recipe delivers all that and a ton of flavor.  It came together easily in a few steps, not speedily quick, but quick enough, especially if you have leftover feta and baked tomatoes to use.  I left out the orzo pasta, you can put it in if you like…you just make it and add it into the soup at the end.  I might do that at another time, but for this week, I was perfectly happy with the other ingredients being satisfying enough without the added pasta. The red pepper gives it a bit of a kick which is ever so nice, and if you have fresh basil, which I did not so I used dried, that would be even prettier and tastier.  As it was, the combination of feta and tomatoes is always a hit here and there wasn’t a drop left after lunch was served.

       If you are looking for a fast, easy, and pretty addition for a Christmas lunch, this is a winner.  I served it in a Christmas bowl and the colors all blended nicely to create one very delicious and pretty Christmas time lunch.

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

       Next up is the theme Season of Renewal (pick a recipe that sets your culinary hopes for the New Year), it can be absolutely anything you like, posting date on December 31st.  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.

 

GFGF: Season of Advent - Christmas Brie

       This week in the Good Friends Good Food theme of Season of Advent, we all chose whatever we liked as a new dish for Advent Season this year.  I chose Christmas Brie. Here is the recipe I used for it if you would like to make it for yourself: click here.

       The ingredients:  Brie cheese, rosemary, pomegranate arils, and pistachios.  She suggests serving it with crackers or toasted baguette slices. 

       Trying to find easy and beautiful recipes for the holidays is always enjoyable.  I stumbled upon this one and knew it would be perfect.  You can bake the brie or serve it at room temperature. In her post she gives instructions for getting the arils out of the pomegranate in a non-messy and delightfully easy way…I am never doing it any other way again.  Whenever I see those little cartons in the supermarket of pomegranate arils, I always wonder whose job it is to get those little seeds out of the fruit and in such vast numbers…I figured there had to be a better way than cutting it open and whacking the seeds out with a spanking as everything flies everywhere and the red juice makes it all look like some sort of ancient sacrificial rite…I am not a fan.  A visit to her site (link above) will tell you about how she does it, there’s even a video, but really, you will see that it’s so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t know this before now. 

       If you are looking for a fast, easy, and pretty addition to your holiday tables, this is a winner.  It is definitely going in my keeper files to be pulled out again and again. Christmas Brie also makes a wonderful contribution if you need to take something to share anytime during the season.

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

       Next up is the theme Season’s Blessings (pick a new recipe for the holiday celebrations, it can be absolutely anything you like), posting date on December 17th.  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.

 

GFGF: Season of Thanksgiving - Carrot and Kale Vegetable Saute

      This week in the Good Friends Good Food theme of Season of Thanksgiving, we all chose whatever we liked as a new dish for our Thanksgiving tables this year.  I chose Carrot and Kale Vegetable Saute. Here is the recipe I used for it if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself: click here.

       The ingredients:  bacon, carrots, butternut squash, poblano pepper, red onion, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, plum tomatoes, and kale.

       This past week I was able to get carrots, butternut squash, peppers, onions, a few lingering tomatoes, and kale at my local farm CSA…all fresh… all featured in this recipe, a match just waiting to be made.  This is such a great dish, it does not take long to make and has so many vegetables in a wonderful combination.  In a big dish it all just looks like a bountiful Thanksgiving, perfect for the Thanksgiving table, although I’m not just saving it for Thanksgiving as this is something we would enjoy regularly. I love all the bright colors, each vegetable shines on its own, and the smoky taste from the paprika and bacon brings a warmth to the season.  It's a tasty side to have at hand.  Definitely on repeat status.

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

 

       Next up is Season of Advent (pick a new recipe that reflects the coming of the holidays and celebrations, it can be absolutely anything you like), posting date on December 3rd.  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.

GFGF: Rainbow Chard - Chard with Bacon-Citrus Sauce

        This week in the Good Friends Good Food theme of Vegetables, we all chose whatever vegetable we could find fresh at the end of the season, I chose Rainbow Chard. Here is the recipe I used for Chard with Bacon-Citrus Sauce if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  bacon, rainbow Swiss chard, orange juice, butter, orange zest, salt, and pepper.

 

       We can get fresh chard in the spring and a second planting in the fall here, it’s one of my favorite greens so I cook with it a lot, and believe it or not, I usually eat it with an egg more times than not for breakfast. This looked like a fine idea for breakfast…you know, egg, bacon, orange juice…chard.  It was everything I hoped, absolutely delicious and easy as well.  Definitely a repeat. 

 

       To see what the others made with their Season’s End Fresh Produce, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike.

 

       Next up is Season of Thanksgiving (pick a new recipe for your Thanksgiving table, it can be absolutely anything you like), posting date on November 19.  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.

 

GFGF: Vegetables (Winter Squash) - Italian Sausage Butternut Squash Soup

       This week in the Good Friends Good Food theme of Vegetables, Margaret chose Winter Squash. Here is the recipe I used for Italian Sausage Butternut Squash Soup if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  onion, red bell pepper, butter, Italian Sausage, garlic, butternut squash, chicken broth, bay leaf, northern beans, fire roasted tomatoes, salt, pepper, and parsley (optional heavy cream for garnish).

 

       This week I hauled out my trusty soup pot that spends its summer break in my pantry.  It happens every year, grilling weather cannot be counted upon in Indiana during October, so at-the-ready is my soup pot that can lounge on the stovetop a good part of the morning or afternoon producing a warm and comforting lunch or dinner when the temperatures outside are suggesting just that.  Over the years I have made various forms of butternut squash soup and loved them all, so a new recipe seemed an ideal way to use my choice of butternut squash this week.

 

       There is something so relaxing about chopping vegetables and ingredients for soup.  So really, the comfort part starts well before it even hits my spoon.  I like the slow and steady progress of making soup/stew…a little of this and a little of that creates something way more delicious than just the sum of all its parts. It’s an odd thing really that I love soups/stews so much because generally I don’t like foods touching on my plate, or too many ingredients in close quarters, but it all seems okay in soup/stew. It’s a mystery.  This soup is very flavorful, a nice amount of spice to it all, and a cup goes a long way, very satisfying.  Although the recipe says that it is all ready in under an hour, it’s so much more delicious if you let it simmer longer so that the flavors have a good amount of time to buddy up.  Definitely worthy of a repeat, on the Soup Rotation List here already.

 

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

 

       Next up is Season’s End Fresh Produce (pick whatever vegetable you like that you can still get fresh), posting date on November 5.  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.

 

GFGF: Parsnips - Cinnamon Parsnips

       This week in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, Ulrike chose Parsnips. Here is the recipe I used for Cinnamon Parsnips if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  Parsnips, butter, cinnamon, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. (I threw some chives on top as I have a nice big pot of them growing and that first frost is going to get them sooner than I'd like.)

 

       When I saw that parsnips were chosen for this week, I was thinking I needed to find something new to do with them as I usually just add them to stews/soups or roast them in the oven with various seasonings.  Those are not unhappy occasions, as parsnips are great used those ways, but maybe there was something else I could be doing with these guys.  And so I stumbled upon this Cinnamon Parsnips recipe…another way to use cinnamon, one of my favorites in sweet or savory.

 

       The recipe is easy and delicious, addictive really...you have a couple then a couple more, and before you know it, you've eaten a dozen, a nice little side dish…and, just as I wanted, something new to do with parsnips. It also gives me all sorts of ideas about using other seasonings with them prepared this way. Definitely worthy of a repeat.

 

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

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Winter Squash chosen by Margaret, posting date on October 22.  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: Sweet Potatoes - Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potato, Plantain, and Spinach

   
       This week in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, Peggy chose Sweet Potatoes. Here is the recipe I used for Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potato, Plantain, and Spinach if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here.   (To give you an idea of the size of the pieces, this is a small dinner service bread plate.)

 

       The ingredients:  Sweet Potato, olive oil, plantain, red bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, pepitas, and optional hot sauce and/or sour cream for serving.

 

       When I was a child, I would never eat any sort of Hash.  After all, one never knew exactly what was in it and there were way too many ingredients touching in a small space.  I’m still pretty much that way, but I do like dishes that have ingredients that I like that can be moved about so that you can make small piles of the various things and eat them that way.  This is one of those dishes, full of good vegetables with lots of color, a nice inviting way to start the day or to serve as a side dish with any sort of meal.  I would never call it Hash, however…Hash just doesn’t sound right.

 

       This recipe doesn’t take long to make, most of it is in the chopping of the vegetables. I find chopping vegetables rather relaxing actually. One ingredient can be cooking while you chop the next and so forth, and in the end you have a lovely colorful healthy plate of food. The flavors are delicious, the various ones popping up throughout.  The optional hot sauce and sour cream give it a bit of excitement if you like dressing it up a bit.  All in all, a lovely thing to do with Sweet Potato and her friends.  Definitely worthy of a repeat.

 

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

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Parsnips chosen by Ulrike, posting date on October 8.  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: Vegetables - Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with Dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette

       This week in the GFGF theme of Vegetables, I chose Brussels Sprouts. Here is the recipe I used for Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with Dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette if you would like the recipe to make it for yourself:  click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, dried cranberries, Dijon mustard, and rice wine vinegar.

 

       Brussels sprouts seem to continually get a bad rap.  I don’t understand why, they are one of my favorite green vegetables.  Mark won’t touch them and was completely appalled when I first tried to serve them to him when we were first married.  Time has not endeared them to him.  When the boys were at home, I had help eating them, now I’m on my own.

 

       This recipe is very easy with the vegetables roasting in the oven while you make the dressing, also very easy. The taste was wonderful, that little kick of mustard with these vegetables was just perfect.  Would Mark eat them? No, of course not, but I didn’t mind as I had leftovers for other times all to myself.  I will keep this recipe within easy reach, definitely worthy of a repeat.

 

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

 

       Next up are Vegetables featuring Sweet Potatoes chosen by Peggy, posting date on September 24.  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: 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.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Salads with Artichokes - Artichoke Salad

       The week of May 7 in the GFGF theme of Salads, Donna chose Artichokes. Here is the recipe I used for Artichoke Salad if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  artichokes, black olives, grape tomatoes, onion, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

 

       As you can see from my photo, I made this recipe into a Pasta Artichoke Salad by following her recipe and then just combining it with cooked rotini pasta. We like cold pasta salads in the summer.  They are easy to grab for lunch or for a side dish with something grilled for dinner.  

 

       The dressing is very good and complimented the ingredients, I doubled the amount as I wasn’t sure how much dressing I would need for the addition of the pasta to the basic artichoke salad.  As it turns out, I didn’t need all of it, but it is nice to have the leftover dressing on hand to use for salads or vegetables. The Balsamic vinegar added a nice depth of flavor, the garlic and red pepper flakes jazzed it all up nicely. I used frozen artichokes instead of the canned ones that she used in the original recipe, they just have a better flavor for me, and likewise I used jarred Kalamata olives in place of the black olives in a can.  I marinated the onions before adding them to the salad as I’ve said before, raw onions just do not agree with us these days, so I marinate them in the dressing overnight before adding to the salad.  This one goes on our Pasta Salad lineup list as it is definitely a repeat. 

 

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

 

       Next up are Salads featuring Spinach, chosen by Peggy, posting date on July 16.  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: Salads with Cucumber - Avocado Feta Cucumber Salad

       The week of May 21 found the members at GFGF using the theme of Salads with the ingredient chosen by Nancy:  Cucumbers. Here is the recipe I used for Avocado Feta Cucumber Salad if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  cucumbers, avocado, feta cheese, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.  (I have fresh Oregano growing in my herb pots so I added a bit of that on top as well.)

 

       Cucumbers are highly underrated in my opinion…they are usually just added to lettuce salads here or sliced to eat with dip on a vegetable platter, so I went in search of a salad recipe that would feature Cucumber as one of the main ingredients, minus it’s best friend here, Lettuce.  This is an easy salad as you just gather everything and assemble it on a plate.  I made the dressing the night before as I wanted to put the thin slices of raw onion into it so that it would marinate and take away some of that pungent onion flavor as neither of us like raw onions these days.  That worked nicely and the onions were nice and soft, just how I like them. The dressing doesn’t pack much of a punch, it’s basically a vinaigrette, Mark thought it was too much of a vinegar taste without much else to compliment it, but I liked it fine…Vinegar Girl that I am and all.  You could switch up the dressing by adding other things to it. All in all, this was a nice salad full of flavor and definitely worth a repeat. 

 

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

 

       Next up are Salads featuring Spinach, chosen by Peggy, posting date on July 16.  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: Salads with Peas - Sweet Peas and Radish Salad

       The week of April 23 started the GFGF theme of Salads…we all chose an ingredient for each bi-weekly post through mid-July and then I promptly fell off the wagon with posting bi-weekly, what can I say…life sometimes gets in the way. I’m hoping to do a bit of rewind and make the ones I missed. The first week Ellen chose Garden Peas.  I happen to love garden peas, so you’d think I would have been right on that…and I was, but I just didn’t get around to posting it.  I knew some of the ladies were making the salad we all think of when we think of Pea Salad…a nice combination of peas, cheese, mayo, etc. so I figured I would just go a different route.  There aren’t a whole lot of Pea Salad recipes that don’t involve peas, cheese, and mayo.  I decided that peas would make a fine addition to a basic lettuce salad and found a recipe that agreed with me.  Here is the recipe I used for Sweet Pea and Radish Salad if you would like to make it for yourself: click here.  

 

       The ingredients:  green garden peas, radishes, hard boiled eggs, Bibb Lettuce, chives, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, Dijon mustard, sea salt.

 

       This is a very simple salad that goes together quickly once you have the eggs boiled (we usually always have hard boiled eggs at the ready in the frig on any given day).  Assembly is easy, I lined the plate with the Bibb Lettuce leaves, mixed the peas and radishes in a little bowl, added some dressing and chives, mixed it up, and put it on the lettuce leaves with the boiled egg wedges on the side. Quick, easy, economical, and delicious.  I’ll be making it again, and the dressing is a good one to have at the ready as well, nice and tangy with just a touch of sweetness and the zing from the horseradish. Definitely a repeat. 

 

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

 

       Next up are Salads featuring Spinach, chosen by Peggy, posting date on July 16.  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: Salad with Fruit - Apple Cucumber Salad with Feta and Blueberries

       This week we are making Salads with Fruit, chosen by Margaret.  Here is the recipe I used for Apple Cucumber Salad with Feta and Blueberries if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. (The original recipe called for Honeydew Melon but we don’t really care for that as much so I substituted Apples.)

 

       The ingredients:  apples, cucumber, blueberries, feta, fresh mint leaves, honey, white wine vinegar, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil. 

 

       After I substituted the apples for the honeydew melon, I followed the recipe as it was written with great success.    The dressing is nice and light and compliments the other ingredients.  The combination of the fruit, the cucumber, the cheese, and the mint works great for a simple summer salad, very cool and refreshing. We both loved it.  Definitely a repeat. 

 

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

 

       Next up are Salads featuring Spinach, chosen by Peggy, posting date on July 16.  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: Corn - Creole Shrimp and Creamed Corn

       This week we are cooking with Corn, chosen by Peggy.  Here is the recipe I used for Creole Shrimp and Creamed Corn if you would like to make it for yourself: click here.

 

       The ingredients:  corn, milk, cornstarch, butter, salt, shrimp, Creole seasoning, smoked paprika, black pepper, olive oil, grape tomatoes, thyme, garlic, green onions, dry white wine (or chicken stock).

 

       I followed the recipe exactly, don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you, they are all fairly common so you probably have a good many of them on hand.  It came together easily and quickly, especially if you use frozen or canned corn (don’t judge, fresh corn is not currently in season here). It was delicious, nicely seasoned, and the little Creole kick was very nice.  Mark is not the biggest fan of corn but he enjoyed it prepared this way and says he would be happy enough to eat it again if I want to give it another go when fresh corn season is upon us.  It certainly is a beautiful presentation, very colorful and happy looking.  I’m all about the colorful and happy looking in food.

 

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

 

       Next up are Salads featuring Garden Peas, chosen by Ellen, posting date on April 23.  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: Eggplant - Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas

        This week we are cooking with Eggplant, chosen by Margaret. We like eggplant here and we cook with it a bit, the health benefits make it one of those better-for-you choices, and it’s very versatile.  Eggplant doesn’t have much of a taste all on its own, so you can morph it into any number of things just by changing up the flavorings you use with it.  It makes a great little pizza option. Here is the recipe I used for Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas if you would like to make them for yourself: click here.

 

       The ingredients:  eggplant, salt, olive oil, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, mozzarella, hot pepper flakes (and I added mushrooms and black olives).

 

       I followed the recipe but added the mushrooms (I lightly sautéed them) and black olives as we like those on pizza…you can add anything you like for your personal preferences.  You can also use jarred pizza sauce if you like to make it even quicker.   Honestly, this is so good, I don’t even miss the pizza dough crust and when one is looking to find a healthier more calorie-friendly version for a pizza fix, this recipe will absolutely do that in a delightfully delicious way.  Definitely worthy of repeat status. And you thought you didn’t like eggplant. 

 

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

 

       Next up is Corn, chosen by Peggy, posting date on April 9.  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: Leeks/Onions - Creamy Caramelized Leek Soup with Maple Glazed Bacon

       This week we are cooking with Leeks/Onions, chosen by myself. Leeks are fun to use, they have a nice mild onion flavor, and seem a bit exotic, but they aren’t really as you can find them in most any grocery store these days.  French Onion Soup is something I always order when it is on the menu, and I make it here at home often enough as well, so it was interesting to come across a different kind of onion soup and I knew when I saw this recipe, that my leeks were going to be used for this soup.  Here is the recipe I used for Creamy Caramelized Leek Soup with Maple Glazed Bacon if you would like to make it for yourself: click here.

 

       The ingredients:  leeks, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, roasted garlic, dry white wine, chicken stock, half and half, green onions, and bacon.

 

       I followed the recipe with one exception, I caramelized the leeks a little more instead of leaving them with their original green/yellowish color…which accounts for the color differences in the end product between my soup and the one pictured in the recipe link.  I just happened to like the taste of more caramelized leeks, so I went with that as a personal choice.  Although the list of ingredients is a bit long, I don’t think I would change it at all as each ingredient added something magical to the soup, I think you would have a different taste if you left any of the ingredients out, and you wouldn’t want to do that because this soup is excellent, truly excellent.  Definitely worthy of repeat status. 

 

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

 

       Next up is Eggplant, chosen by Margaret, posting date on March 26.  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: Rutabaga - Rutabaga Fries

     
       This week we are cooking with Rutabaga, chosen by Ulrike.  Rutabagas are popular in Germany where Ulrike lives. I chose to make fries with mine as I figured that was the best chance I had to get Mark onboard to eat the rutabaga.  Here is the recipe I used for Rutabaga Fries if you would like to make some for yourself: click here.

 

       The ingredients:  rutabaga, cooking oil (I used olive oil), salt, and pepper.

 

       I followed the recipe using only one large rutabaga (one large rutabaga makes a lot of fries) and I only used half of the amount of oil suggested as it seemed a little much to me (I used maybe a scant two tablespoons of oil for the whole batch).

 

       I liked this recipe as it showed me how to cut the rutabaga into fries.  Rutabagas sold in the supermarkets here are waxed so you need to remove the outer peel for sure.  I had never actually worked with a waxed vegetable before and I learned a lot about that...first, your vegetable peeler probably won't work to removed the waxed peel, mine didn't, so I had to cut the peel off with a knife which was not a big deal.  The wax, however gets on the cutting board and you have to scrape it off with something after you finish, again, not a big deal, but it was interesting to see how all that works.  

 

       Instead of baking the rutabaga fries in the oven, I used the air fryer and it took 12 minutes at 400 degrees (I just selected the root vegetable setting and it did it all for me and worked just perfectly). The fries taste just like regular potato fries to us and Mark was willing to eat them as well…which is saying something as he wasn’t too thrilled when I brought home that really big ugly rutabaga and said I was going to make something with it.  Neither of us had really ever had rutabaga before so this was a fun week to try something new.  I think next I’ll try it like a mashed potato recipe and see how that goes as a couple of my fellow cooks said that was a good use of this vegetable.  And, of course, it’s always fun to see what the others in the group made with theirs and try their recipes. Definitely worthy of repeat status. 

 

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

 

       Next up is Leeks/Onions, chosen by myself, posting date on March 12.  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: Mushrooms - Creamy Mushroom Pasta

   
          This week we are cooking with Mushrooms, chosen by Nancy. Here is the recipe for Creamy Mushroom Pasta I chose if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  mushrooms, butter, olive oil, garlic, wine, chicken broth, cream, parmesan, and fettuccine (optional parsley but I didn’t have any on hand so I skipped the parsley this time).

 

       I followed the recipe and was very happy with all of it for ease and taste.  I like that, although it is a creamy sauce, it seemed very light and was not swimming in the sauce.  All in all, a very good use of mushrooms with things that we all more or less have routinely on hand in frig and pantry.  Best of all, my pasta-mushroom-loving husband enjoyed it very much.  Definitely worthy of repeat status. 

 

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

 

       Next up is Rutabaga, chosen by Ulrike, posting date on February 26.  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: Fresh Shell Beans - Carrots & Fava Beans Salad

       This week we are cooking with Fresh Shell Beans, chosen by Ellen.  Ellen grows these in the summer in her garden in Iowa and freezes them. While I don’t grown them in the summer, I can find them bagged in the fresh frozen section at my local grocery store.  I saw this recipe for a salad made from fresh Fava beans that I wanted to try for this post.  I couldn’t find Favas in the frozen section, and no fresh ones to be found this time of year, so I substituted Lima beans for the Fava beans.  I made Carrots & Fava Bean Salad. Here is the recipe I used if you would like to make it for yourself: click here. 

 

       The ingredients:  Fava beans (I used Lima beans), carrots, cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg, cider vinegar, walnut oil, sweet mustard, salt, pepper, and fresh basil.

 

       I followed the recipe for the most part, making only a half recipe and substituting Lima beans for the Fava beans, I figured they were just littler cuter versions and would probably work nicely.  It all comes together quickly. It is a beautiful dish with the added advantage that it tastes even better Day 2 and Day 3 when the flavors have had a chance to mingle a bit.  I enjoyed it for lunches on top of salad greens, Mark isn’t fond of Lima beans so I had this one all to myself.  It’s definitely a good way to serve Lima beans and since I still have a partial bag in the freezer, I’m sure I will make it again soon as we are riding out the winter just waiting for fresh spring vegetables to be back in season.

 

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

 

       Next up are Mushrooms, chosen by Nancy, posting date on February 12.  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: Greens - Roasted Butternut Squash with Sautéed Chard

     This week we are cooking with Greens, chosen by Donna.  The Southern gals in our group (Peggy, Margaret, Nancy, and Donna) are going to have this covered well, hands down.  I’m hoping to learn a lot from their recipes and posts.  I’m not as familiar with collards, turnip, beet, or mustard greens, and I don’t even know where I would really get those around here, so I picked Rainbow Chard as I love the flavor of chard and I can find it easily. Here is the recipe I decided on Roasted Butternut Squash with Sautéed Chard, click here.

 

       The ingredients:  Rainbow Chard, Butternut Squash, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Red Onion, Garlic, Lemon, and Parsley.

 

       I followed the recipe for the most part, leaving out the parsley as I didn’t have any on hand, and instead of heating up the oven, I just stuck the butternut squash cubes in the air fryer for ten minutes.  It all comes together fairly quickly and is a beautiful dish.  We loved the flavors and this recipe will be guesting again soon and frequently.

 

       To see what the others made with their Greens (Collards, Mustard, Turnip, etc.), you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna.  I think Ellen and Nancy are sitting this one out.

 

        Next up are Fresh Shell Beans, chosen by Ellen, posting date on January 29th.  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: Carrots - Carrots with Mustard

       This past week we cooked with Carrots.  Several years ago we discovered that we love Carrots with Mustard.  It wasn’t something we had ever tried before, and I’m not really sure how it came about, but I’m guessing that I must have seen a recipe for carrots and mustard somewhere and remembered it.  So now, quite often, we have carrots and mustard and it is quite tasty.  

 

       The ingredients:  Carrots, Stone Ground Mustard, Butter, Salt

 

       There really isn’t a recipe as such…I just steam carrots until they are nicely tender, put in a little pat of butter, maybe a teaspoon for the amount of carrots you see here, and then start adding the stone ground mustard until it looks right to me.  I taste it and then add just a little sprinkle of salt if needed. 

 

       Really, the only reason I chose to post this dish is that I thought it might encourage you to try carrots and mustard (please don’t use the bright yellow kind of mustard but Dijon works nicely if you don’t have stone ground around).  We are mustard lovers here and as I count, we have 11 different kinds of mustard in the refrigerator at the moment with another couple lying in wait in the pantry.  Carrots and mustard are a great combination.

 

       At Christmas I was gifted this beautiful cutting board you see in the photo by my friend Ellen.  Her husband Allen made it for me.  It’s so beautiful that I haven’t used it as a cutting board yet…and decision is still pending whether I will actually be able to do so anytime soon because I don’t want to mar it, so right now it’s Kitchen Art and I am using it in various other ways.  All the woods are special as they were grown on their farm in Iowa…oak, cedar, largo pine, poplar, cherry, bass wood, and arborvitae. My apologies to Allen as my first photo with it here is one of carrots, a vegetable that Allen doesn’t care for at all.  I will do better in the future.

 

       To see what the others made with their Carrots, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Donna.  I think Ellen and Nancy are sitting this one out.

 

       Next up is Greens (Collards, Mustard, Turnip, etc.), posting date on January 15th.  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: Green Christmas Vegetables - Broccoli: Cranberry Almond Charred Broccoli Salad

       In December we cooked with Green Christmas Vegetables.  I found a new variation on an old favorite and it’s now the new favorite.  No doubt you are familiar with the Broccoli Salad that has been serving us all nicely for years and years.  It’s one of Mark’s favorites, so if I don’t make it often enough, he stops by the deli and picks some up.  While I like the old variation just fine, raw broccoli can sometimes not set well in my tummy so I was eager to try this new variation which uses roasted broccoli instead of raw broccoli.  Here is a link to this new variation should you wish to try it for yourself:  https://www.thecookierookie.com/cranberry-almond-charred-broccoli-salad/ 

 

       The ingredients:  Broccoli, Red Onion, Mayonnaise, Honey, Cider Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, Bacon, Dried Cranberries, and Almonds (the only substitution I made was using walnuts instead of almonds because that’s what I had and we like those a lot).

 

       The little bits of charred edges on the broccoli bring a whole new dimension to the flavor profile of this salad.  An added plus is that it goes so nicely with the bacon pieces.  The recipe is simple and easy, mostly a matter of assembly (probably why it has been so popular over the years).  The Air Fryer roasts/chars the broccoli perfectly in five minutes.  I am constantly using the Air Fryer for roasted vegetables so I don’t need to heat up an entire oven. 

 

 

       To see what the others made with their Green Christmas Vegetables, you can click on the members’ blogs listed here:  Peggy, Margaret,  Ulrike, Nancy, Donna.

 

       Next up is Carrots, posting date on January 1st.  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: Cabbage - Sautéed Cabbage with Gruyere and Jalapeños

 
     This week we are cooking with Cabbage.  I found a new recipe I wanted to try in Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French: Sautéed Cabbage with Gruyere and Jalapeños.   

 

       The ingredients:  Cabbage, jalapeños, garlic, butter, salt, chicken stock, gruyere cheese, and parmesan cheese. (I try not to post recipes that belong to others on my blog because I think that one should give the author the courtesy of purchasing the book, and this book is worth the purchasing for sure.)  So I will give you the ingredients, and the basic instructions and you can have a go at it from there. Or you can buy the book.  Melt butter, stir in jalapeños and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cabbage, salt, and chicken stock, and cook for about 10 minutes until the edges of the cabbage have a little toasted coloring. Sprinkle on the cheeses and broil for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.

 

       I didn’t make any changes to her recipe as it seemed good as it was and I had all the ingredients on hand. This was easy, quick, very tasty, and something new to do with cabbage as we both like cabbage.  What I can’t figure out is that someone who likes cabbage should also like Brussel Sprouts, right? I mean they are just little bitty heads of cabbage after all…but that someone doesn’t see it that way and no matter how I might try to disguise them, he won’t eat the little bitty heads of cabbage…but he will eat cabbage.  Life is a mystery. 

 

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

 

       Next up is Green Christmas Vegetables, posting date on December 18.  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: Cauliflower - Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Raisins, and Capers

      This week I am cooking with cauliflower.  I don’t usually do much with cauliflower, so I needed to do some looking around for a recipe.  This is a good thing as the main reason I cook in groups is so that I try new recipes and new ways to use ingredients.  I found just the recipe I wanted to try in Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French: Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Raisins, and Capers.  I am linking the recipe (click here) from her so that you can have the recipe from the author herself. 

 

      The ingredients:  Cauliflower, Olive Oil, Salt, Pine Nuts, Butter, Golden Raisins, Nutmeg, Capers, Parsley, and Lemon.

 

     I made just a couple of changes to her recipe as one of us does not care for pine nuts (he shall remain nameless), so I used walnuts instead and I didn’t have golden raisins so I used dried cranberries as we both love those…a very good decision as it turns out, they were delicious in the salad.  The salad goes together quickly once the cauliflower is cooked, and all the flavors worked nicely together.  Truly a wonderful find…I will make this again as all the players make the cauliflower sing in a zesty sweet and sour kind of way, just the sort of company that cauliflower needs to be hanging around with on a regular basis.

 

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

 

     Next up is Cabbage, posting date on December 4.  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: Pumpkin - Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

     
      This week we are cooking with pumpkin.  It's November after all, officially Cooking with Pumpkin Season here in Indiana.  In the Baking with Di group I also belong to, we made Pumpkin Streusel Muffins so I’m presenting these for Pumpkin Week. You can see the recipe here.

      The recipe is easy enough, just follow along nicely and do as she says. I made half a recipe as it said it would produce 6 muffins, in fact, it produced 8 muffins with no complaints here, even a full recipe would have been most welcome.

      This is a repeat recipe, the flavors were excellent, nicely spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.  The texture was soft and melt-in-your mouth delicious, perfect for these autumnal days.  To see what the others made with their pumpkin, you can click on the members' blogs listed here: Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Nancy, Donna, and Ellen.

      Next up is Cauliflower, posting on November 20.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in the comments section at any of our blogs and we will come and see what you made!

Good Friends Good Food: Zucchini - Grilled Zucchini with Red Onion and Feta

      This week we are cooking with zucchini, there is still a lot of garden zucchini around yet in Indiana.  We eat a salad daily, so I like to change it up for variety and am always looking for interesting salad recipes.  Earlier in the year I came across this recipe from Bon Appetit and saved it for zucchini season. You can see it here, Grilled Summer Squash with Red Onion and Feta.

      The recipe is easy enough, Mark grilled the zucchini and red onion on the grill and I just had to arrange it on a plate with the banana peppers (from a jar), the feta cheese, red pepper flakes, and the dressing.  Very simple but a delicious combination and it looks like more than the sum of its parts, as they say.

      This was an easy and tasty salad that put the fresh garden zucchini to good use.  I am very happy to have made its acquaintance and will make it again.  To see what the others made with their zucchini, you can click on the members' blogs listed here: Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Nancy, Donna, and Ellen.

      Next up is Pumpkin, posting on November 6.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in the comments section at any of our blogs and we will come and see what you made!

Good Friends Good Food - Tomatoes: Taco Tomatoes

 
     This week we are cooking with tomatoes.  We eat a lot of tomatoes, both cooked and uncooked. Most every dinner we have a salad with some kind of tomato...that said, there is nothing like late summer in Indiana for fresh garden tomatoes to make those salads sing.  Now, at the tail end of tomato season, I find myself actually cooking with them more, making sauce and such.  This week I made Taco Tomatoes.

      Making Taco Tomatoes is easy enough, I just sliced a thin top portion off the top of the tomato, hollowed out a good portion of the harder pulp and seeds, and filled it up with a mix of taco meat filling.  I topped it off with a bit of cheddar cheese, plopped the thinly sliced top portion back on the top, and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

      My taco meat mix is nothing out of the ordinary.  Ground beef (cooked and drained of the drippings), salt, pepper, chili spice, cumin, onion, finely diced hot chili pepper, sliced black olives, black beans (drained and rinsed) and some tomato paste, add some water to get the right consistency for your taste.  You can make whatever taco mix you like. 

      I served the Taco Tomatoes on a bed of lettuce and with some homemade tortilla chips seasoned with chili lime seasoning.  By "homemade," I mean I cut small corn tortillas into wedges and dabbed a little olive oil on them, seasoned with the spice and baked them in the oven for the same time as the Taco Tomatoes, flipping the chips halfway through the baking time.

      This was a delicious meal, we are thinking we will put this process to good use in the future. I made four of them, I ate one, there were no leftovers so it can be said that Mark was a huge fan. To see what the others made with their tomatoes, you can click on the members' blogs listed here: Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Nancy, and Donna.

      Next up is Zucchini, posting on October 23.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in the comments section at any of our blogs and we will come and see what you made!

Good Friends Good Food - Green Beans: Green Beans with Bacon and Onion

       This week we are cooking with green beans, mostly because they are still in season here and we all happen to love green beans.  I cook green beans a lot, and one of our favorite ways is to steam them and then mix a little stone ground mustard into them, no other seasoning.  While that is an easy and handy method to have on hand, I remember loving my grandmother's green beans from my growing up years.  Sadly, the recipe went with her when she passed.  Why did I not think to write that down while we were making them?  After searching online I found a few recipes that matched ingredients and maybe would work, so I experimented a bit, mixing and matching, until I came up with one tasting very close, if not exactly, like hers.
       Ingredients:  One Pound of Fresh Green Beans
                                3 slices of bacon
                                1 small red onion
                                1 teaspoon cornstarch
                                1/4 cup water
                                2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar
                                1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
                                1 Tablespoon of German mustard
                                1/2 teaspoon salt
                                1/4 teaspoon black pepper
       Wash a pound of fresh green beans and cut off the stem end (she always left the tails on, so I do that, too).  Snap or cut the green beans into one inch pieces. Steam the green beans to your desired doneness. 
       While the beans are steaming, in a small saucepan saute 3 pieces of bacon cut into one inch pieces until slightly crispy.  Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings and set the bacon aside. 
       To the pan with the 1 Tablespoon drippings add one small onion in thin half-moon pieces and cook until they are opaque.
        In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon of German mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Stir and add this all to the pan with the onions, cook until thickened and then add the bacon pieces back into the pan. 
       When the green beans have finished cooking, place them in a bowl and pour the sauce mixture, stir gently but thoroughly and serve warm.  Serves 4-6
       We loved these Green Beans with Bacon and Onion, and while they aren't meant for every day, having them as a special treat now and again makes me happy.  To see what the others made with their green beans, you can click on the members' blogs listed here.  Peggy, Margaret, Ulrike, Nancy, and Donna
       Next up is Tomatoes, posting on October 9th.  If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in the comments section at any of our blogs and we will come and see what you made!

Good Friends Good Food - Squash: Stuffed Delicata Squash

        This week Margaret, Peggy, and I were chatting about missing our times cooking/baking/blogging together in all those groups for all those years and decided that maybe we would enjoy doing that together again.  Food blogs have come a long way since those early days when we all met in Tuesdays with Dorie and cooking with the Ellie Krieger groups, etc., baking and cooking together each week.  Food blogging became a little intimidating and I didn't particularly want to keep up with all the new things, sponsorships, and food photography programs that go into today's food blogging, so we just sort of let it go.  Our real joy was in making friendships and getting together weekly in our separate kitchens, bonding over our joint endeavors, comparing notes, chatting about recipes/ingredients/tips/life...you know, like you would over your grandma's kitchen table.  Always in the back of my mind, there was that sense of loss about those weekly friendships and the new recipes we would all enjoy making together. So, nothing fancy, nothing too involved, here we are again, just cooking and posting to share with each other and anyone else who happens along...we are encouraging anyone who wishes to join in, to please do so...we are posting on our pages as Good Friends Good Food and we have a very loose agenda.  (Just link your post in the comments and we will come and find you.)

       Peggy and I had delicata squash on hand, and Margaret ventured to the store to score an acorn squash and this week's theme was born: Squash.  Neither Peggy nor I had cooked with delicata squash before, strange that we both had it on hand.  We googled some online recipes and each chose something we felt our husbands might enjoy as well.  I decided on a stuffed squash recipe and then proceeded to take bits and pieces from the ten recipes I found that looked interesting to come up with one that had ingredients I knew we would happily find on our plates.

        Delicata squash is delicate in flavor, the outside is tender and edible, and the green and cream colored stripes on the outside are charming...I kept looking for it in the stores here but didn't have any luck until I chanced upon the last one at the farm market this week.  I cut it horizontally in halves to form two long vessels that I could fill with a mixture of my choice after scraping out all the seeds.  (My squash was 8" long and the circumference was about 6" so that size is perfect to serve four.)

        After cutting and seeding the squash, I placed it on a sheet pan cut side down to bake it in the oven at 350 degrees, with a very light brush of olive oil on the cut surface.  It baked for 30 minutes and it was nicely soft when pierced with a knife tip.  When turned over, the flesh had a lovely golden brown color while the outer skin retained the green and cream stripes (it really is pretty). I put a little salt and pepper on it.  You could bake the squash with the filling in place, but I wanted that nice golden color and caramelized flavor that you get from roasting it on a pan.  I then filled the squash cavity with a filling that I made in the crockpot for the ease of it all.

        Filling:  Place the following ingredients in a 2 quart crockpot and cook on high for three hours (every crockpot is different so the timing may be different on yours):  1 cup wild rice (not wild rice mix, true long grain wild rice), 2 cups of chicken broth (or water), 1 small diced bell pepper, 2 carrots diced the same size, 1 small red onion diced the same size, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or butter.  After it cooked I added 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

        After stuffing the filling into the squash, I put little pieces of butter along the top and put it back into the 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to warm it all through.  We cut one to share (we served it with baked fish and a tomato salad) and the other we will have at the ready to rewarm for another meal this week.  It was all very tasty.   Definitely a repeat and I'm definitely on the lookout for more delicata squash.  Next post on September 25...theme: Green Beans