Simple Pico

When you have fresh ingredients, simple is best.

SIMPLE PICO

5-8 fresh jalapeno peppers
1/2 large red onion, finely diced
3-4 large tomatoes, diced
2-3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon, FGP
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lined baking sheet with foil and throw peppers on.  Roast until skins begin to blacken, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully place peppers in a plastic ziploc baggy and close (this will "steam" the peppers).  Once cooled, remove as much of the peel as possible but a few stray shreds of pepper peel will not be the demise of your salsa.   Finely dice the roasted peppers (you may or may not remove the seeds).

Combine the peppers, diced onion, and diced tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper, lime juice and olive oil.  Best eaten at room temp, allow flavors to meld for 10 minutes then serve.

*This would be really good with cilantro, but I didn't have any on hand.  If using, add 1/4 cup copped cilantro leaves.

©SweatBread

Fried Green Tomatoes with Basil Green Goddess

If you're like me you have basil coming out your ears, but most of your larger type of tomatoes are still taking their sweet time ripening.  We've had a couple of big thunderstorms this summer and sometimes the still-green fruit gets knocked off.  Make use of these emerald gems (or just go pluck a few yourself) with this easy recipe.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES 

3-4 medium to large firm, green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning or paprika

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup peanut oil

flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Using three shallow bowls, combine the flour and seasoning in one, beat the egg with buttermilk in another, and mix the bread crumbs and cornmeal in the third.  Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high.  Dredge each tomato slice first in the flour mixture, then submerse in the egg mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture.  Fry in oil about 3-4 minutes on each side until browned.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate.  Serve with chopped parsley and Basil Green Goddess Dressing.

©SweatBread

BASIL GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
*adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Pesto is the go-to recipe for excess basil, but sometimes you gotta mix it up a bit.  This is good on anything, even just a spoon!  Serve it on salad, fish, chicken, veggie dip, and fried green tomatoes!  This recipe is adapted because I hardly ever have anchovy paste on hand, but that adds an extra punch.  I also use plain yogurt, greek or regular, instead of sour cream.  You can also substitute white onion for the scallions, though I would use less onion in that case.  I use twice as much basil as Ms. Garten (because I always have twice as much basil).

1 cup good maynnaise
1 cup chopped scallions
2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons anchovy paste (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons FGP
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I don't use lowfat)


Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Add the yogurt and process just until blended. (Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.)

Enjoy!

Cucumber Gazpacho with Spicy Crab

CUCUMBER GAZPACHO WITH SPICY CRAB

This is a great way to use those cucs you've been harvesting from the garden.  I mean, sliced cucumbers with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper are delish, but this adds a whole different flair to that humble veggie.  I made this for Dr. Gooch's birthday back in May and grated frozen cantaloupe on top for the garnish.  But, in June we caught some crab out in the outerbanks and after snacking on the succulent crab legs, brought home the pickings on ice.  In a moment of brilliance, this cold refreshing soup came to mind and I knew it would be a great pairing.  I hope you think so.

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup herbs (basil, chives, and mint), coarsely chopped
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp FGP
1 tsp hot sauce (I use Tabasco), plus more for garnish
2 cups fresh crabmeat, for garnish

In a blender or a food processor (or if you are sexy enough to own a VitaMix) combine the cucumber, scallions, herbs, ginger, garlic, olive oil, and yogurt AND may as well go ahead and add the salt and fresh ground pepper, and hot sauce, too.  Process until smooth.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors develop and meld.

In a small bowl mix crabmeat with additional hot sauce, about 2 tsp.  Divide soup into four chilled bowls.  Top with 1/4 cup crabmeat mixture in each bowl.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4.

©SweatBread

End of June Vignettes

baby beans

teenage tomatoes

darling dahlia

melon vines 

cantaloupe

new growth on the Eucalyptus

Happy Harvest

Plucked for some chicken noodle soup on a Friday night.  Seth's particular request submitted in our "Family Fun Bag" for the summer.

Growing and Killing

At eight o'clock in the evening, the fireflies come out and the chickens make their way "in" for the night.  It's a magical time of day.  We are all falling into a new rhythm now that the rigor of school schedules has subsided.  Without an impending morning rush, we feel some give at the end of it that encourages us to linger a little longer outside. Even past eight o'clock in the evening.

It's the perfect time to water.  Holding the hose at least one minute (ideally two) in the vegetable boxes each evening gives me lots of time to plan and think.  Planning for what will take the place of tomatoes and cucumbers come end of August.  Thinking about my own four growing (Seth will be 8 this week) and how they seem to be getting ahead of me.  Suddenly.  How does steady growth in living things always seem so sudden?

Then, there's the killing of living things.  Like squash beetles laying eggs on my zucchini leaves.  Tiny, shiny maroon-colored eggs.  They've begun to hatch.  Lucy would hunt them down and I would smoosh them into oblivion.  I don't have THAT much zucchini.  Not enough to share with hundreds of black and gray bugs.  Also weeds.  June is national weed month.  I am declaring it.  We had a family yardwork day yesterday.  The usual pit stop gardening wasn't cutting it and in the war against weeds, Cicada Cottage was losing fast.

I have some recipes I've made in the past week or so.  One to use the cucumber bounty and one to use the zucchini piling up.  The best recipes.  At least I think so.  Things are not slowing down here: weeds, bugs, vegetables, or kids.  So, hopefully I can show up here with proof of it all happening a little more frequently!

*Dr. Gooch grilling our dinner (chicken) with the chickens.

"We wouldn't have all this good food..."

"...without all this hot weather!"--my Mom.


We've been in the 90s all week!  I love walking out of a building where I've been blasted with AC and feeling like I'm stepping into a blanket fresh from the dryer.  I love summer because that's when things love to grow!

I sprinkled some chamomile seeds in a spare pot.  I hope we'll be drying the flowers for tea once the weather cools off again.

If only you could sniff this shot.  Gardenias love the warm.

Rudbeckia like when it roasts.

Tomatillos, too.

We've been eating cucumbers once they get about twice this big.

I finally have tomatoes beginning to bulge.

These are Chocolate peppers, they'll turn a deep reddish brown.

Jalapenos!!