Blueberry Clafouti Recipe : Dave Lieberman : Recipes : Food Network

Here's a link to one of my favorite brunch recipes.  I saw it once on a food network show and I've been making it ever since.
 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/blueberry-clafouti-recipe.html

The ingredients are simple and it bakes up quite nicely in the oven.  

Now, if I could only grow enough blueberries from my mini bushes around my patio!

This dish reminds me of a  giant blueberry pancake and it would be great served at a weekend brunch or a wedding shower.

Strawberries All the Way



Stawberry Preserves Cooking on the Stovetop



I made another batch of my most favorite berry preserves.  It is quick and easy to do on the stove top and this recipe does not need any boxed pectin.

Just Enough Strawberry Preserves

1 pound fresh strawberries

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

less than a pinch of salt

Hull, then slice or chop the strawberries.  In a saucepot, combine the strawberries, sugar, vinegar, and salt.  Bring to a rolling boil and cook, stirring frequently for 15 - 20 minutes.  Cool and refrigerate.  Keeps 1 week in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long!  I like to spread it on one side of a bagel and put cream cheese on the other, then sandwich it together for a breakfast treat.  It is also delicious when served over vanilla ice cream.

I worked on making a set of freezer jams too. That recipe is just about as easy as this, but I don't know if it set up as well.  It seemed a little thin when I poured it into the freezer jars. 

 

Zucchini Moons

A recipe my husband and I like for a side dish is full moon and half moon zucchini slices. Here is a photo showing the simple ingredients.

If the zucchini is large, I cut it in half before slicing it. If it is a baby zucchini, I keep it whole and make round slices. I toss the slices with a tablespoon of olive oil and coat them in a breadcrumb and Parmesan cheese mixture with a little salt and pepper for seasoning. I lightly press the breading into the zucchini slice before placing the tray in the oven.

Then I bake them off in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 min. We like to serve them with sloppy joes or meatloaf. It is a pretty healthy side dish.

What's for Supper? Taco Bake

If you'd be interested in another recipe swap, Amy of Park City Girl is doing a blog swap of family dinner recipes.

Here's a recipe everyone in the family seems to enjoy. We made it for several evening meals this summer and had it for lunch once. It is came to me from my sister. With a few subtle modifications, even my husband liked it. I needed to disguise the sour cream and the bean have to be sprinkled only over the part of the dish, but those things are easy to change.

Taco Bake
1 to 1.5.lbs of lean ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 can black beans
1 package of taco seasoning (I used Ortega)
½ cup water
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Shredded romain lettuce
Chopped fresh grape tomatoes

Brown beef with onion until done. Add water, black beans and seasoning. Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with sour cream, cheese and crushed chips. Bake 18 to 22 min at 375 degrees. Top with lettuce and tomatoes and serve immediately.
　
　

Rosemary Chicken and Autumn Vegetables

This is a favorite of mine from a Taste of Home Cooking show that was presented in the Fall of 2000. It is very aromatic and really gets you in the mood for fall.


The opening paragraph in the magazine said, " Tender chicken in a savory broth is simmered with wholesome sweet potatoes and crisp green beans to create this mouth-watering main dish. It's nice to offer guests an entree that's low in fat yet packed with flavor."


Here are the simple ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cut up)

2 cups fresh or frozen cut green beans


Directions:

In a non-stick skillet over medium high heat, cook chicken until browned on both sides. Add broth, parsley, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, potatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until done. Makes 4 servings.


Tips:


I found that 3 cups of sweet potatoes was just right in this recipe.


If you'd like the green beans to be crisp, then add them in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.




Bon Appetit!

Aromatic Rosemary

I moved a few things around on our patio today and did a little decorating for fall around the front and side door. My rosemary and bay plant are going to need to be moved inside for the winter. But having them right up against the house and on the south facing wall should buy them a few more days of outside sunshine. I went to the store looking for fall mums, but they have been sold out most places. Fortunately, there were lots of pumpkins and gourds still available so that's what I brought home.

Thinking of all things autumn, Kim from Kim's Country Kitchen and Sugar Creek Hollow is organizing a recipe swap for bloggers. If you are interested in joining click on this link to find out the details: http://kimscountrykitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/autumn-recipe-swap.html

One of the ingredients I plan to use for my recipe for Kim's swap is from my garden herb pot and it is a very aromatic herb.

~Kathy, the Cottage Garden Quilter~

Making Salsa

After shopping at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, I was able to get more tomatoes and jalapenos for making salsa. I enjoy making salsa for my sister's husband each year around the time of his birthday.

Shown in the photo are some of my main ingredients for the recipe.

I'll use 6 large tomatoes, 1 red onion, 4 green onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 large jalapeno pepper or 3 small ones, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes, zest and juice from 1 lime, 2 Tablespoons olive juice, salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of oregano. I pre-chopped the tomatoes, onions, and peppers, then put the cilantro and crushed garlic into the blender with the cans of fire roasted tomatoes and gave it a few pulses. It makes the salsa be the perfect consistency. We love it and it goes quickly.

Making Basil Pesto

The 3 basil plants that I have in my garden have become quite large and it was time to lop off the tops for a large batch of basil pesto. So the trimmings went for a cold water swim in the kitchen sink. Then I dried them on a towel while I gathered the remaining ingredients.

For a small batch I put in 25 large leaves, 1/3 c olive oil, 1/4 c grated parmesan, 1/4 c pine nuts, 1 large sprig of flat leafed parsley, the zest of 1 lemon, one clove of garlic (pressed), a dash of salt and pepper, and a pinch of lemon pepper.






I whirred it up in the blender and it turned to a smooth green spread . What didn't go into the pasta and veggie dish was bagged up and placed in the freezer for pizza and sandwich spreads later.





MMM... delicious!