Category Archives: Recipes

September Harvest Recipes

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2

Late Summer Splendor

September is upon us and my garden has gone wild with offering an abundant harvest for our table. Sunflowers adorn my beds with their cheerful dispositions, and the fairies have taken residence in them for the rest of the season. Tomato vines with tiny red and yellow balls of sweetness have woven their way around the cucumbers. The butternut squash promises bowls of creamy soup on crisp October nights. Green peppers string beans, and carrots have graced many a salad at our family dinner table, and are now ready to be cooked in warm entrees as the days and nights become cooler.

Early Fall Harvest

Spending time in my garden is a delight on these cooler days of September. The string beans are plump and ripe, and there are millions of bright red cherry tomatoes to eat straight from the vine.

a bed of chives to add to a stir fry or Italian vegetable sauté

Rich Herbs for Seasoning

The chives grace their bed with white blossoms and season our food with their tasty stems. They are often used in my kitchen as a substitute to onions in stir fries, or in Italian vegetable and herb sautés.

Rosemary

A full rosemary plant ready to add a dash of extra comfort to a September meal.

Rosemary is the ideal herb for adding to roasted potatoes or home-made pizza dough. It is a cozy, comforting herb that also works well in baked stuffed peppers.

Lush cabbage leaves are ready for the soup pot or Cole slaw bowl

 

 

Two Recipes

Below are a couple of recipes that I have used to serve my home-grown vegetables and herbs in meals. It is my pleasure to share them with you.

Cole Slaw

Ingredients

Red cabbage leaves

(about 1/2 a head)

Green cabbage leaves (a few)

Mayonnaise

1 pkt Concord Foods Cole Slaw Seasoning Mix

Recipe

1. Cut cabbage leaves to shreds.

2. Add mayonnaise and seasoning packet and stir well.

3. Chill in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

4. Serves 4-6 people as a side to a meal.

Baked Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

4-8 Bell Peppers of any color

Olive oil

1 cup of chives

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

1 tspn thyme

1 tspn rosemary

1 small pkg of ground meat (beef, pork, or turkey)

1 cup of string beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 stalk of celery, cut small

1 carrot, peeled and grated

2 cups of brown rice or couscous

1 Cup white wine (optional)

Recipe

1. Cut the tops off the peppers and wash out all of the seeds from both tops and bottoms.

2. Boil the peppers and their tops for 15 minutes, or until their turn lightly golden brown.

3. While the peppers are cooking, also cook the rice or couscous.

4. While the peppers and rice/couscous are boiling, heat 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet pan and add the chopped garlic and chives.

5. When the chives and garlic have a golden edge to them, add another tablespoon or two of olive oil. Then add the beans, celery, carrots, and herbs. Stir well.

6. Add the rice/couscous and the cup of white wine. Stir until all of the stuffing ingredients have been blended.

7. Pour the peppers in a colander to strain the water, then place the bottoms in a baking pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.

8. Stuff the peppers with the filling and place their caps on.

9. Bake the stuffed peppers for 30 minutes and serve warm.

10. Serves 4 people.

If you have enjoyed this blog, you are invited to visit my home page and order my book, The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.

A “Kitchen Goddess” Tells Stories as she Shares her Favorite Recipes

Posted on by Karen
4

"Hilda" is my Kitchen Witch

Introducing the “Kitchen Goddess!”

This June I have been writing a series of stories titled “From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess” on a site called Hub Pages. My nom d’plume for the site is “Seafarer Mama.”

♦♫♥♪♦♫♥♪♦♫♥♪♦♫

The stories share the adventures that Karen the Kitchen Goddess has with her small cadre of friends from her small cottage in a country village. The recipes included with the stories in each diary entry include fruits and vegetables as the main ingredients. Below is a summary of each of the 5 that have been published, with a link straight to it. Please visit, read, and try out the recipes. Bon Apetit.

A bowl of Hearty Harvest Vegetable Soup, garnished with shredded cheese

From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: Hearty Harvest Vegetable Soup ~ In  her first entry, “Karen the Kitchen Goddess” introduces herself to her readers and shares her recipe for a very tasty vegetable soup.

 

Plate of Divinely Comforting Baked Apples

 

 

 

From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: Divinely Comforting Baked Apples is a story about how her friends came to visit her after a symphony orchestra performance. As is her custom, she had just taken a dish of warm baked apples out of her oven, and was ready for her friends to spend some time with her by the hearth fire. Asha enchants the Kitchen Goddess with the story of their adventures, and presents her with a gift.

Plate of Enchanting English Muffin Pizzas, served with a bunch of grapes

 From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: Enchanting English Muffin Pizzas ~ Karen The Kitchen Goddess is surprised by a lovely guest who presents herself as her new apprentice.  She serves her new friend a warm dinner of small pizzas with a variety of toppings and a cup of tea before they move over to sit by a hearth fire for a long chat.

Fun Fresh Fruit Smoothie for two

 From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: A Fun Fresh Fruit Smoothie ~ There is nothing like enjoying a mid-morning snack with a friend, and there is nothing better than making a fresh fruit smoothie for that purpose. Read more from the diary of “Karen the Kitchen Goddess” as you lick a cool smoothie mustache from your upper lip.

Magical Miniature Fruit Tarts on a plate

From the Diary of a Kitchen Goddess: Magical Miniature Fruit Tarts ~ Karen the Kitchen Goddess makes a delectable treat for her neighbors, and hosts a party to celebrate Midsummer. With the help of her new apprentice, all of the children in the neighborhood help to create the decorations, and everyone enjoys an evening of music, dance, and wholesome celebration.

You are invited to visit my home page and order my book, The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.

Mother Earth is Coming Back to Life

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14

My gardening tools are out and ready to use.

Early Spring in New England

It is a chilly, rainy day in New England. Early this morning, I spotted snowflakes as I ambled around my home. Since then, the wet snow has turned into rain and I am heartened by the

My new 50' hose from Lowe's and other irrigation tools

rise in temperature. I’ve been spoiled by the unseasonably warm and sunny week we’ve had, and am I happy to see more green around me. The grasses have come back to life and some of my perennials are beginning to stand up straighter.

Ready to Dive into my Garden

Today’s typical New England early spring weather has not dampened my gardener’s spirit, though. I am still inspired.  My new 50′ hose that I bought from Lowe’s last Tuesday has already watered all of my beds: vegetables, flowers, black current bush, hydrangea bush, rhubarb, chives, and even the greenery around my rock garden. My tools are out of the shed and ready to use.

Fresh chives make a savory addition to a soup or stir fry.

New Life

Though Easter Sunday is still a week away, there are herbs producing an edible harvest. I will throw a handful of chives and savory into this evening’s stir-fry meal.

The garlic is also sprouting, and I will add cloves to future stir fries when they are ripe.  The foliage on my strawberry runners looks promising, too.

Strawberry runners ready to blossom and bear fruit

My garlic patch is sprouting already!

I am looking forward to digging deeper into the dirt and planting more of the food we’ll be eating this summer. In the meantime, I will sip tea, wait for the rain to stop, and plant my sweet peas.

Vegetable Stir Fry with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

Brown rice or whole grain noodles

1 bag of frozen stir fry vegetables

1 container firm Tofu, cubed

Handful of chives and savory, chopped

1 can of pineapple chunks

Sesame oil

Teriyaki sauce

Recipe

1. Defrost vegetables and boil water for rice or noodles.

2. Heat sesame oil in a skillet and cut up chives and savory.

3. Stir chives and savory into pan until they are covered with the oil, then add tofu cubes.

4. Add the defrosted vegetables.

5. Cook rice or noodles as directed.

6. Add pineapple chunks and teriyaki sauce.

7. Keep stirring until the vegetables are soft.

8. Serve stir fried vegetables on top of rice or noodles.

9. Enjoy! Serves 3 or 4.

You are invited to visit my home page and order my book, The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.

Recipes for Midwinter Comfort: Vegetable Soup and Baked Apples

Posted on by Karen
10

Winter has taken its hold on New England. Snow has blanketed the ground several times and the temperatures have vacillated between balmy and raw. This is the time of year that beckons us to stay inside and hibernate a while like some of the wild animals that inhabit our region.

But alas, there are days we must work, whether that means driving to an office or shoveling through snow drifts to collect the mail. After a few hours out in the wind and snow, we are ready for a warm batch of comfort food. I have developed two recipes that have won popular acclaim among my neighbors. One is a vegetable soup and the other is a baked apple dessert. Bon apetit!

Now, pop in a CD of your favorite cooking music, light a few candles for extra warmth,  Tie on your apron, and get chopping.

Coconut Vegetable Soup

Bowl of Coconut Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 or 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 red or yellow  onion

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped

3 carrots, cut thin

3 or 4 celery stalks, cut thin

Vegetable Soup topped with shredded cheese and Craisins®

 

2 or 3 handfuls of organic baby spinach

1 container vegetable broth or stock

Dashes of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning

Coconut flakes (optional)

Craisins®

Italian shredded cheese mix

Steps for making the soup:

1. Pour olive oil in a big soup pot and sauteé the onion in it. Sometimes I also add a few pats of butter to melt in with the mix.

2. Add  carrots, celery, and butternut squash. Stir and simmer.

3. Stir in the broth or stock, spinach, coconut flakes, and seasoning.

4. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes while you relax.

5. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Italian shredded cheese and Craisins®. Enjoy your hearty, healthy soup with family and friends.

Serves 4-5

The meal would not be complete without a sweet, healthy dessert. From fall until spring, apples are in season, and served warm in a baking dish serves as a cozy respite from the winter chill outside. Here is one recipe that I have developed from trying recipes from a variety of sources.

Baked Apples

Dish of baked apples fresh out of the oven

Ingredients:

6-8 medium sized baking apples, such as Macintosh or Empire

Juice of 2 lemons

2 Tablespoons organic honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Plate of baked apples, drizzled with pure maple syrup and ready to eat

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Juice lemon and pour into glass baking dish.

3. Peel, core, and slice apples.

4. Toss apples with the lemon juice.

5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

 

6. Bake for 15-25 minutes, or until the apples are golden.

7. Turn off oven and keep the dish warm until ready to serve.

8. Serve on a fancy plate with a drizzle of maple syrup on top and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Serves 4-6.

You are invited to visit my home page and order my book, The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.