Texas Memories - A Neighbor's Penthouse

Red okra

The neighbor. :-)

Thousand Word Project - The End of Autumn

The last bright colors are here,
Lending a bit of cheer
To the darkest days of the year.

MES

Texas Memories - September In A Texas Garden

Swiss chard

Red Okra

Squash blossom

The Thousand Word Project - Fuzzy Yellow

 

Squash blossoms. Texas.

Texas Memories - Okra

 
Okra - Enough said. :-)

My dad with is okra plants in 2012.
(Yes, I got the wrong year on the photos.)

The Thousand Word Project - Living Filigree

 

Mouse gourd flowers. Central Texas.

Fresh Beet Salad

Photo property of Sister in the Mid-West - Simple Inspirations

Root vegetables are a good way to make a winter salad. This beet and carrot slaw style salad with fresh apples and lemon juice from Sister in the Mid-west sounds like it would be refreshing and very nutrient rich. 

By the way, I was thinking that a handful of fresh cranberries before shredding or a handful of dried ones added afterwards could add a nice flavor variation. Also, if it isn't quite sweet enough for you a bit of honey or your other favorite sweetening could be added. This is a versatile recipe. You can make variations. It would be good served with a variety of meals as well, or added to sandwiches or wraps. The color alone makes it a winner for making winter meals pretty. :-)

Simple Inspirations - Beet Salad Recipe!

Tutorial for Cabbage and Kielbasa

Here's a nice winter recipe for the northern hemisphere from Mary's Nest. However, this can also work well in summer because it doesn't take very long to cook it all up, meaning less heat in the kitchen. 

Enjoy!

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Homemade Tomato Soup Tutorial - Video

Here is a tutorial for homemade tomato soup from Mary's Nest. (Although she lives in the Texas Hill Country also, I do not know this Mary.) :-)

My sister and I have made cream of tomato soup from scratch and it is really good, but this is not what this Mary is specifically making although she tells how to make this soup into cream of tomato soup at the end. Let me say this, it can be hard to get the cream to mix in nicely without curdling. There is a trick to it. So, if you want to make that I suggest looking up some instructions on how to mix in the cream with the least risk of curdling. Or, you could use sour cream or softened cream cheese to make your cream of tomato soup. Because these two products are already soured, they are less likely to give you grief. (Also, if you cream does curdle the soup is still edible, it just doesn't look as nice.)

She also talks about adding basil at the end and making this into a tomato basil soup with parmesan on it. Another yummy option you can try if you like Mexican is to add some cumin and then sprinkle it with grated cheddar and chopped black olives. This would be delicious served along side quesadillas. 

Tomato soup is a good lunch or supper staple for cold weather, but it can be good any time. If you don't want to make it and serve it the same day you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for a few days. I am not sure if it would freeze well, but it would be easy to reheat from the fridge. If you are making cream of tomato soup I recommend waiting till you reheat it to add the cream.

Enjoy!

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Texas Memories - Artichokes

 

My dad grew these artichokes. They were perennials, so they came back a year or two, as I recall. These were not the variety that you would find in the grocery store. These are the buds. The following picture I think was from the next year.

Texas Memories - Noodle Beans

 

These noodle beans made a lot of food, however, the consistency was just a little weird and they didn't can or freeze well. I don't remember if my dad grew them one or two years before we decided that ordinary green beans were more to our liking. Plus, if you tried to cook them without cutting them up they just looked weird. Like earthworms. Yeah, not the most appetizing thing to have on your plate, unless you happen to like earthworms. 

The Thousand Word Project - Pick A Pepper

The Thousand Word Project - Hoping for Squash

 

Squash blossoms.

Pretty Edible - Cauliflower with Cheese

 

This is so easy to make. Simply cook your cauliflower whole. Make sure it will sit flat by checking it on the counter/bench. Trim the stem if necessary. Place in a pan big enough to hold it without crowding it in tightly. Add enough water to come up about half way. Add salt to taste.

After it is cooked, carefully remove it to a bowl where it will look pretty and immediately sprinkle generously with grated cheese. You may also sprinkle it with paprika or black pepper if desired. Serve hot. 

This is obviously a great side dish for a meal, but it could also be a meal for a few by itself with maybe some crackers or chips to accompany it.

Refreshing Cucumber Salad

My mom made this salad often during the summer months when the garden produced a lot of fresh vegetables. It is a light, cold, and refreshing salad for summer. These will keep for a good while in the fridge, gradually becoming more pickles than salad. I am guessing that good probiotics will develop, especially if you use raw apple cider vinegar. You may reduce the water to taste.

Cucumber Salad

2 Cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 Tbs. sugar

Mix all and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Serve cold.

Regrowing Vegetables from Kitchen Scraps

Here is video showing how you can grow new food from vegetable trimmings. If you don't have a garden to plant the things in later after they root and sprout, you can plant most of them in pots. The pots would need to be large. For potatoes you would need something quite large since they are going to grow under the surface and will need plenty of room.

I do not know this lady, but she lives in the same part of the US as we do. Her aprons are a fun addition. :-)





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Crown Jewel Patties

I think I found this recipe in a magazine years ago. Sadly, I never made them and now there are several ingredients that I can't eat any more due to intolerances. I still like the idea, though. :-)  I wonder if I could make them with mashed beets and some gluten free bread crumbs. Hmmmm.


Crown Jewel Patties

In a mixing bowl beat:
1 egg
Add and mix:
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 C. mashed cooked carrots

Add and mix thoroughly:
3 C. soft bread crumbs

(If mixture is too wet to handle, add more bread crumbs or saltine cracker crumbs. If using cracker crumbs, let stand a couple minutes or so to allow it to soak in good.)
Shape into 2 1/2-3 inch patties and coat with:

2 C. crushed cornflakes

(Crush cornflakes in small "batches" as you need them for this, to avoid crushing too many.)

Bake on a greased baking sheet for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Yield: 5-6 servings.

Lazy Day Peppers

1 pound hamburger (or ground meat of your choice)
1/4 lb bacon, sliced
1 onion, minced
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 - 4 green peppers, chunks (1 inch)
1 28 oz can tomatoes, broken up
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs paprika
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups water

Brown hamburger and bacon with onion. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes (add more water as/if needed) or till rice is tender.

Thanks to Denise, South Dakota

One Bed Garden - Successive Plantings

Here is a video showing how much food can be grown in one small bed over the course of a growing season by making successive plantings (reusing spaces). This could be done in even a small back yard (garden).

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The Thousand Word Project - Red and Green