7.31.2009

11-22 Best Apple Pie Muffins Ever

Topping

* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffins

* 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1 egg or 2 egg whites
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose flour if you want)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2 cups diced peeled firm tart apples (I leave the skin on for extra fiber)

For Topping: In a small bowl mix together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.
For Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, applesauce, egg or egg whites and vanilla until smooth
In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, soda, salt and cinnamon.
Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Fold in apples, mixing just until combined.
Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full.
Sprinkle topping over evenly.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the tops spring back.

11-22 Fabulous Fruit Sorbet!


Fabulous Fruit Sorbet

4 cups prepared fruit
2-4 tablespoons sugar, to taste
Juice of half a lemon or lime (to reduce acidity with some fruit use orange juice instead. Specifically fruit like pineapple)

1. Prepare the fruit by peeling and pitting, if necessary,and cut into chunks. You should have about 4 cups. Don't add sugar yet!
2. Cover a cookie sheet with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Spread fruit evenly on cookie sheet. Cover with more plastic wrap or waxed paper. Freeze overnight.
3. Puree the fruit in either a food processor or blender. Add sugar and lemon juice, adjusting the sweetness to your taste. Blend until smooth scraping down the sides.
4. Spoon into serving dishes or a covered storage tub. Freeze until dessert time. Put in the fridge to soften slightly about 15 minutes before serving.

Suggested combination's:

1 mango plus 8-10 apricots

2 cups raspberries plus 2 cups apricots

4 cups plums

2 cups blueberries plus 2 cups plums

2 medium bananas plus 2 cups strawberries

2 medium bananas plus 2 cups peaches. Replace lemon with orange juice

2 medium bananas plus 2 cups pineapple. Replace lemon with coconut milk. You could also add a little coconut or vanilla extract.

Valuable Info on Gardening in Utah on this website!

http://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/

7.29.2009

11-22 Zucchini Recipes - Mock Apple Pie and appetizers

For Zucchini, BIG ones, slice them down the middle, lengthwise, and then into pieces about 3" long.. Scoop out the seeds (or make a trough if there are no seeds). Steam them until almost done. Then fill with sour cream, sprinkle with grated Romano cheese, and a little paprika, and broil them, watching to see that they do not burn. People who don't like zucchini do like it when done this way!


Mock Apple Pie: I have used huge zucchinis...ones that everyone thinks are way too big...ie 12-"18 long by 3-4" diameter! But you can use any size.

Peel and cut up into pieces 4-5 cups of zucchini. Be sure to remove any even hints of seeds.
Cover boil 5 min. Drain well.Mix in:
1 c. sugar, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, pinch of salt, and 3 Tablesp. cornstarch.
Bake in 9" double crust...400 degrees for 10 min, then 350 for 20 min. YUM!! Most people will not guess that you didn't use apples!

GARDEN NEWS as of July 29, 2009

About our Garden Schedule:

You can always plan on M, W, F from 8 - 11 am AND T, TH from 6 - 8:30 pm.

As the harvest becomes more demanding, we'll add additional times to the schedule BUT for sure plan on this schedule until you hear otherwise.

This is ALSO the best time to pick up food.
Now that the harvest is on, everyone who comes and works in gardens is taking home some food EVERY time they come, with no exceptions! I can't promise what kind of produce or how much, but they are getting at least something, if not a variety of fresh produce.

We've turned a corner in our Gardening and the harvest has begun!!! It's VERY exciting to see the beautiful and tasty fruits of ALL of our hard labors for the past several months!

RSVP: Give me a heads up on when you are coming and I'll make sure you get some food and I can plan ahead to make sure we get stuff done.

Please tell me if this schedule does NOT work for you and we'll work out another time that you can come, work and get food. We need LOTS of help with several things - picking produce, watering, weeding, getting reading for the fall planting, etc.

In late August, we begin our fall planting! There are plenty of delicious foods to start planting at that time.

7.02.2009

Oven-Fried Zucchini Fingers


I'll be sharing a LOT of recipes - perfect to use from our harvest! A big thanks to Lisa and Andy for this recipe.

This zucchini appetizer is perfect before an Italian dinner, or just for an afternoon snack!

6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cups bottled marinara sauce or light ranch

BATTER
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup skim, low-fat milk or buttermilk

CRUMB COATING
3 1/4 cups corn flakes (you can also use bread crumbs, about 1 cup)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the zucchini, pat dry, and trim and discard the ends. Quarter each zucchini lengthwise; then cut each piece in half crosswise. You should now have about 32 zucchini sticks, each about 31/2 inches long.

2. To make the batter, place all of the batter ingredients in a shallow dish, and use a whisk to mix well. Set aside.

3. To make the coating, place the corn flakes in a food processor or blender, and process into crumbs. (You should have just under 1 cup of crumbs. Adjust the amount if necessary.) Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish, and stir in the remaining coating ingredients. Set aside.

4. Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Dip the zucchini fingers, 1 at a time, first in the batter and then in the crumb coating mixture, turning to coat all sides. Arrange the zucchini sticks in a single layer on the prepared sheet.

5. Spray the zucchini fingers lightly with the cooking spray, and bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is golden brown and crisp.

6. While the zucchini is baking, place the sauce in a small pot and cook over medium heat until heated through. Arrange the zucchini on a serving platter, and serve hot, accompanied by the bowl of hot sauce.