Skip to main content

Yummy Summer!

Life had been busy around here lately. Things have finally slowed back down as the school year is winding down. I have been thinking a lot about summer and all of the farmer’s markets and the opportunity we in the Midwest have to enjoy fresh local produce. I am even doing my part this year and have our garden ready, we have even been able harvest some of our strawberries. This was the perfect opportunity to have my daughters do a taste test as we had some store bought strawberries in the fridge. They both overwhelmingly agreed that our berries that were grown organically (probably not certified as I can’t attest to the ingredients in the pot, but organic soil and fertilizer) tasted much sweeter than the store bought berries. One of the reasons organic veggies and fruits taste better is that they are allowed to grow at their own pace, usually in a very nutrient rich soil. They also tend to be sweeter, brighter in color, and higher in vital nutrients and antioxidants. Summer is the perfect time to try eating locally from our local farmers or even growing some produce in your own garden. Not only will you be supporting local farmers, eating fresher food, you will be helping the environment by saving the resources needed to ship food cross country. I will be posting some of my favorite recipes to help us start enjoying all that summer has to offer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sloppy Joe's without the can!

This recipe for Sloppy Joe’s has gotten the stamp of approval from my picky eaters and it’s so easy you will never go back to the canned stuff. What’s great about making your own Sloppy Joe’s is that you control the sodium and spices so you can customize it for your own picky eaters. Another healthful benefit to making your own is that there will be no high fructose corn syrup or other nasty ingredients. Did you know that for just a few cents more you can buy organic ketchup and it does not have corn syrup in it? Here’s what you will need…. 2 pounds of lean ground beef, organic preferably                1 can organic tomato sauce 1/3 cup organic ketchup 1 onion chopped 3 cloves of garlic finely minced 2 tsp dry mustard 3 T Worcestershire sauce 2 T brown sugar 1T apple cider vinegar Salt and Pepper to taste Sauté beef in large sauté pan on medium heat and drain any fat if necessary. Add on...
2 comments
Read more

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

As the weather and the falling leaves turn crisp we naturally start to think of meals that are warm and comforting. Nothing fills that order better than a warm and hearty soup. Not only are soups a budget stretcher, but they are not as difficult to prepare as you may think. While canned soups may be a tempting convenience they are often loaded with sodium. I guarantee that the soup recipes that I am going to introduce you to will be so tasty that you will find yourself not be able to crack open that canned soup again. The first soup in this series is a creamy potato leek soup. I like to make it completely creamy, but if you prefer some potato chunks you can make it to your liking. In a large pot brown about a half of a pound of good quality chopped bacon. I like Boars Head peppered bacon myself. Once bacon is crispy remove bits to a plate lined with paper toweling. I mop up most of the bacon drippings from the pot with a paper towel, leaving only little brown bits. Melt about 2...
Post a Comment
Read more

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie ~Sunday Dinner Worthy, Weeknight Ready

  When the frigid chill of winter has set in and we are no longer basking in the glow of the Christmas season we crave comfort food to get us through until the spring thaw.   Unfortunately for some of us the wish for sun and spring starts on December 26.      This creamy chicken pot pie is Sunday dinner worthy, but with a little planning it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner.   The only do ahead I would recommend is to make the pie crust on the weekend and have it ready in the fridge.   If the thought of even attempting homemade pie crust just made you want to write this recipe off, then by all means buy some Pillsbury pie crust and have it in the fridge. Have a nice salad with it and you are ready to go.   Flaky Pie Crust 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar   1 teaspoon salt   1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes   1/2 cup chilled non hydrogenated soli...
Post a Comment
Read more