Bounty from the garden

My basil has been going crazy all summer. I didn't have any luck growing any from seed this year, but fortunately, I found some large plants for sale at a good price. They did well in my garden and I finally got around to making some really good use of them. I started with the recipe from Simply Recipes, but ended up modifying it a bit.

Ingredients
4 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
6 garlic cloves (we like garlic, you might want to use less)
2/3 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (some recipes call for Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Pulse the basil and garlic in a food processor. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.

2. Add the pine nuts and pulse some more. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.

3. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. (I have no idea why you need to add the oil in a steady stream rather than dumping it in all at once. But I guess that's why I'm not a chef, lol.)

4. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This made about 1 and 1/2 cups. I'm just guessing at the amount since I didn't meaure. It was plenty to cover 1 pound of penne pasta.

Zucchini chowder

Mom gave me an oversized zucchini since she had an overabundance of them (how could she miss so many??). I was hoping Mr. Fix-it would make stuffed zucchini, but after waiting a week, I figured I should do something with it.

This was an easy soup; I just used what I had on hand. I diced up the zucchini, along with some onion, carrot, and celery, and tomato. I sauteed the onion w/some olive oil, then added the rest of the veggies and enough water to cover. It turns out I didn't have any chicken stock in the freezer or pantry, but I did have a chicken breast in the freezer, so I chopped that up too and added it to the soup. The only seasonings were the usual salt, pepper, and garlic. Oh, and some chervil.
I was going to add some pasta or frozen corn, but didn't have any corn and I couldn't fit the pasta in the pot, lol. The soup turned out better than expected, I think because the tomatoes were so flavorful. This soup is a great way to use up those leftover veggies in your fridge. I think you could add almost anything to it.

Peach cobbler

Tonight I made a variation of the Pioneer Woman's cobbler. She used blackberries and I've made this in the past with blueberries. That was a winner, but since we had an abundance of peaches, I tried that tonight. It was a winner too. I think that some vanilla ice cream would have made it even better. We had some plain yogurt though and that was good. The cobbler is sweet enough that even plain yogurt is tasty. And that's with me reducing the sugar by 1/8 cup. Oh, and if you try it, you might want to check if it's done at 50 minutes instead of waiting the full hour. I think mine is a little overdone.

Tea eggs

Eggs were on sale this week so I decided to make some Chinese tea eggs. Mr. Fix-it likes hard-boiled eggs so I thought he would like this variation. He doesn't remember, but I used to make them oh, so many years ago. I couldn't remember how I made them before so thank goodness for the internet. A search turned up several recipes and I modified it to match the ingredients I had on hand.

Ingredients
8 eggs
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I think that 5 would have been better)
2 tablespoons black tea
3 star anise (whole stars, or the equivalent in pieces)
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

Directions
1. Place unshelled eggs in saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for two minutes.
2. Remove the eggs. Crack the egg shells in a few places, but not so hard that the shells fall off.
3. Add the other ingredients (and water to cover if you tossed the water) in the previous step. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, adding water as necessary.

If you simmer for a longer period of time, the eggs will have more color and a stronger flavor. Note that flavor is subtle so "stronger" is a relative term. Most recipes said to store the eggs in the cooking liquid, so I did. But I don't think it really matters. It is a little messy to store the eggs in liquid.

Serve the eggs warm or cold, as desired.

Mirepoix

Carrots, celery, and onion were on sale so I loaded up. Knowing I wasn't going to be able to use it up in a timely manner, I decided to make a mirepoix and freeze it in 1/2 cup quantities. I spent I don't know how long chopping; I just can't bring myself to use a food processor. I ended up with three cups of carrots, three cups of celery, and six cups of onion. That's a lot of chopping. Here's the result.

Channa Dal with Swiss Chard

Adapted from The Gourmet Perscription for Low-Carb Cooking by Deborah Chud. A friend passed the book onto me and while most of the recipes didn't grab me, this recipe tempted me because I had most of the ingredients available. Plus it was easy, lol.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup channa dal (yellow split peas)
1 15 oz can diced canned tomatoes
2 to 2 1/2 cups of water
1 bunch of Swiss chard (I use a huge bunch, about 1 1/2 pounds)
Dash of salt and pepper

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet or stockpot.
2. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
3. Add the spices and saute for another minute.
4. Add the channa dal and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
5. While the stew is simmering, wash the Swiss chard. Chop the stems into 1/2 inch pieces and the leaves into 2 inch pieces.
6. After the stew has simmered for 30 minutes, add the can of tomatoes. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so, covered. The peas should be soft and start to break down. If necessary, add some more water.
7. Add the Swiss chard stems and simmer for 5 minutes, covered.
8. Add the Swiss chard leaves, stirring them into the stew. They cook very quickly, just a couple of minutes (or less!).
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I've served this as a main dish and as a side dish. Also, I have brought it to work for lunch and it reheats great in the microwave.

Although I've always made this with Swiss chard, I bet you could use other greens like kale or turnip tops.

The Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings

Just in case you're one of the few foodie scrappers who doesn't know about The Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings, you're in for a treat. I call these the Lipitor special dessert.

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Here's her version. This text doesn't do justice to the photos and commentary and reader comments on her blog. Be sure to check out her blog.

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

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I made a "healthy" version by cutting back on the sugar and butter, and doubling the apples.

Apple Dumplings, heathly version 1
2 Granny Smith apples
1 can crescent rolls
1 stick butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1/2 can Hansen's grapefruit soda (because that's what I had on hand)

Same assembly and baking instructions above.

I made these one night and Mr. Fix-it and I demolished 2/3s of the pan. Yum!

Apple Dumplings, heathly version 2
4 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
1 3/4 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar (heaping)
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 can Hansen's grapefruit soda (because that's what I had on hand)

Use a large roasting pan and follow the same assembly and baking instructions above.

I took these to work and boy, were they popular. I was asked for the recipe several times and this weekend, a couple people made the full calorie version. I disclaim any weight gain or any sudden urges to run laps.

Mexican pork

This couldn't be easier. Place a pork roast and a jar of salsa verde (the green stuff) in a crockpot. Cook on high for an hour, then lower to medium for eight hours. Serve with rice and beans.

You could probably cook on high for five or so hours, but since we knew we'd be gone all day, we decided to cook the meat on medium.

I read about this online somewhere (probably 2peas) and there was a pork roast on clearance at the groocery store so this was perfect. The meat and salsa cost about $9; I expect to get at least 8 large servings out of this (we each went back for seconds, hence the large comment), more if I make burritos or tacos or some other meal where a hunk of meat isn't the main event like it was tonight. If you made this the day before, you could take out all the fat that solidifies on top (which I'm planning on doing tomorrow).

P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos. I was too interested in eating my dinner, lol.


*Update* Since this posting, we've eaten two more meals, I froze enough meat for another 10 burritos, and we've still got a couple more servings in the fridge.