Zucchini Garden Chowder

A creamy & rich soup featuring the zucchini.

Probably my favorite soup from Simply in Season so far.

This recipe could easily feed 8 people.

Melt in soup pot two tbsp butter or margarine.

Add & saute until tender: two medium chopped zucchini, one medium chopped onion, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 tbsp fresh).

Stir in: 1/3 cup flour, salt & pepper.

Gradually stir in three cups of water.

Add & bring to a boil: 3 vegetable bouillon cubes & 1 tsp lemon juice.

Reduce heat & cook two minutes stirring often.

Add & return to a boil: two cups chopped tomatoes, 1.5 cups evaporated milk, & two cups corn.

Reduce heat, cover, & simmer for five minutes.

Just before serving add two cups shredded cheddar. Garnish with Parmesan.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

The Horn the Hunt- Old Town Cow

Stoplight Salad

A festive dish. It added some zing & colour to a dreary evening. Definitely a keeper. I love corn & black beans. Especially with just a bit of citrus & crunchy peppers.

Mix together two cups each: corn, tomatoes, black beans.

Add: one medium green bell pepper & one medium red bell pepper, chopped. Also some chopped fresh cilantro.

Whisk together: three tbsp olive oil, a dash of lemon juice (or lime juice/ vinegar), salt, & one minced clove of garlic.

Pour olive oil mixture over the rest. Mix together with slotted spoon.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Love and some Verses- Iron and Wine

Cucumber Salad

These were quite good. What it tasted like to us, to be honest, was sweet pickles with an onion-celery kick.

Remember to allow at least a few hours for prep time.

Thinly slice one half cup of onion & 3 cups of cucumber. Sprinkle with one tsp salt. Let sit for one hour.

Bring to a boil 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, & 1/2 tsp celery seed. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cucumber-onion. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or over night. Keeps several days.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Dolorean- The Unfazed

Zucchini Cookies

I would not change a thing about these cookies. They are sweet-addictive-cakey discs of temptation. & you can have some too!

Cream together: 3/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, & 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Add & beat until fluffy: one egg.

Sift together in separate bowl: 1.5 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, salt, & 1/2 tsp cloves.

Add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients: 1.5 cups shredded zucchini.

Add optionally

a) raisins & walnuts.

b) chocolate chips & vanilla (perhaps then leaving out the cinnamon & cloves).

c) all of the above.

(We took option c minus the walnuts.)

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. (Don't let batter stand for long or it will get watery.)

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Knockin' on Heaven's Door- Bob Dylan

(They also have a playlist of Bob Dylan tracks up, in honor of his 70th birthday today. I rather like that. They played Everything is Broken on the regular channel as well as Knockin' on Heaven's Door.)

Southwestern Corn Chowder

A fresh & festive bowl of soup on a cool-pleasant eve. It suggests variants such as black beans or chicken. These both sound like they have great potential to me.

Saute: 1/2 cup chopped onion in olive oil until soft.

Add & Cook for ten minutes: 2-3 cups corn & 3 cups broth.

Chop & Stir in: one medium red sweet pepper & one small tomato.

Garnish: lime juice & finely chopped cilantro.

We sprinkled a bit of cayenne on top, & my husband had his with crumbled tortilla chips.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

The Aliens- The Sunlamp Show

Heirloom Beans with Leeks

These beans take some time, but the end result is well worth it. I love how the subtle flavor of the leeks shines through. & bacon! The beans in our case were a bit overcooked, but smacking of nutty bean flavor.

1) Soak overnight two cups of dried Great Northern Beans (or other medium dried beans). Drain.

2) Add fresh water to cover, 1 bay leaf, & 1 tsp salt & bring to a boil. Simmer covered just until tender 20-45 minutes.

3) Fry up 2-4 slices of thick cut bacon. Drain on a paper towel.

4) Saute 6 cups of thinly sliced leeks in the pan for ten minutes. (or for healthier & more flavorful version remove the bacon grease & use olive oil.)

5) Crumble in the bacon & add the beans. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar & mix well.

(I forgot the vinegar at first & then added it. It really does make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the dish. It highlights the other flavors & sits nicely in the background.)

The recipe recommended serving with cornbread, so we did! Good thing, too.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Ed Sheeran- The A Team

Corny Cornbread

This Simply in Season cornbread was smooth & the flavors were spot on. Spicy-corny sweetness with a golden-crisp crust.

However, honey was in order & sadly nowhere to be found. & if you desire a traditional or crumbly bread we recommend trying more milk & nixing the plain yogurt.

Combine: 2 cups cornmeal, 1/4 cup honey or brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, & 1 tsp baking soda.

Mix in: 2 cups milk, yogurt, or combination & 3 beaten eggs.

Optionally, Mix in: 2 cups corn & 1 tsp minced hot or mild green chilies.

Pour into greased 2.5 quart casserole or fry pan & bake at 350 until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. (It was about an hour for us. Start checking around forty minutes, though!)

My brother really helped me out with this one, so much so I feel he deserves the credit for this dish.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Neutral Milk Hotel- King of Carrot Flowers Part 1-3

Garlic Spinach Dip

Last night, weeks of helping my parents paint the rooms in their house caught up with me. Spray painting the lawn chairs yesterday must have been the last straw for my body. My arms were rubber & my wrists & even my fingers (from the spray painting).

Good thing Simply in Season came through for me again with this fresh & creamy pick-me-up.

My brother helped me modify the recipe, because our food processor has not been up to speed.

Mix: 2 tbsp sauted garlic, four cups finely chopped spinach, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup milk, salt, & hot sauce.

We dipped slices of summer squash & zucchini.

I meant to garnish with a chopped tomato but I plumb forgot. Maybe I will try that with the leftovers.

Also, such things as Monterey Jack, tortilla chips, or toasted pita wedges are optional.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Between the Minds- Joanna Chapman-Smith

Strawberry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

If I were to change anything about this recipe, from Simply in Season, it would be to half the strawberries rather than putting them in whole as the last step. & that probably depends on the size of the berries.

Other than that it was superb. A bit sweet & the right emphasis on tart. & Strawberries are just the thing round-abouts now!

1) Blend in a saucepan 1 cup of sugar & 3 tbsp cornstarch.

2) Add one cup mashed strawberries & 1/2 cup orange juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture boils. Stir for one minute then remove from the heat & stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice. Allow to cool.

3) Fold in 4-6 cups strawberries & pour into a baked Graham Cracker Crust. Chill for at least three hours.

The Graham Cracker crust is even more simple: Combine one and one half cup crushed graham crackers, 1 cup sugar, & 1/3 cup melted butter. Press into the pan & bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Julie Doiron- Glad to be Alive

A Picnic by the Lake with Orange Mint Tea

I had another meal planned for dinner tonight, but when the sun came out I decided it would have to wait. We piled up some tuna sandwiches & grabbed the Orange Mint Tea I'd made earlier in the day. We headed out.

Forgive my over-indulgence in today's post. It was all so stunning.

This tea was one of the few beverage recipes in Simply in Season, & I intend to make it as much as possible this week/summer. I was at first afraid the mint would not come out, but I must not understand mint very well.

Orange Mint Tea: Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add 4-6 sprigs of mint & steep for at least fifteen minutes. Remove the mint. Add one cup orange juice & 1/2 cup lemon juice. Sugar to taste or 1/3 cup. Fill 2 quart pitcher the rest of the way up with ice & water. Let chill.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Gan to the Kye- The Unthanks

Garden Ratatouille

My husband & I cooked up this ratatouille last night, based largely on a recipe from Simply in Season but with some modifications. It was more herby than the ratatouille I've had in the past. This was a good thing, turns out.

We split up the following work pretty much in half:

1) Chop two onions. Mince four cloves garlic. Saute in 3 tbsp olive oil with one bay leaf, five minutes.

2) Chop one medium eggplant. Add to the pan along with 2 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried rosemary, salt, & 1/2 tsp dried marjoram. Cover and cook over medium heat twenty minutes, or until eggplant is soft.

3) Add two summer squash & one zucchini chopped. Stir in one can diced tomatoes. Simmer for around ten minutes.

We served over pasta with grated Parmesan cheese.

All in all a tasty recipe for the weekend when I have time to chop & a husband to help me!

& we have a particular fondness for the zucchini & summer squash. Our first summer living near each other, we would buy up a bunch at the weekly Farmer's Market, & we pretty much incorporated them into every meal every day.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Herman Dune- When We Were Still Friends

Pesto

My only regret with this dish is that I didn't take more photos of the lovely broad-leafed basil. I was cooking at my parents' house & foolishly neglected to bring my camera. Ah, well.

This is another gem from Simply in Season, though it should be noted that I have never had bad pesto.

For every one packed cup of basil add: 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (or pine nuts or walnuts), 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, & some fresh parsley.

Finely chop together in a food processor. Add olive oil slowly while chopping until desired thickness is reached. (About half a cup for one cup basil. )

We served with pasta & garnished with parsley. After dinner we finished planting our garden. Including some basil...

Then we headed to Whole Foods and picked up a bottle of Mango Lemonade for one dollar even. One of our favorite first signs of Late Spring.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Erland and The Carnival- Springtime

Garlic Potato Salad

We had our first grill out of the season, over at my Parents' place, last night. My brother grilled some pork chops to perfection, & some sweet corn on the cob. My Dad also provided us with root beer floats. This potato salad was my contribution.

Another smash hit from Simply in Season. Garlic, rosemary, & a pleasant undertone of balsamic.

1. Boil six diced red potatoes & set aside.

2. Chop up one cup of green onions. I used a little bit less than a cup of yellow onions instead.

3. Mince three cloves of garlic, or you can use garlic scapes. (As I am sure we will when my parents' annual crop of garlic arrives.)

4. Combine two tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, one teaspoon rosemary (or two teaspoons fresh rosemary), salt & pepper. Then mix with onion, garlic, & potatoes.

5. Chill for at least three hours before serving!

After dinner we worked hard, especially my husband, to put seventeen small squash, zucchini, tomato, & cucumber plants into planters & or the dirt. We slept deep last night. The windows open & the fan blowing.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Sparrow and the Workshop- I Will Break You

Also, here's some info about this group.

Creamy-Dill Tomato Soup

It seems lately a silly thing has been happening here. I have been cooking meals so simple that they seem not post-worthy. However, simplicity is the whole principle behind basically all of the recipes I post here. So I'm back. At least for now.

Simply in Season does in fact have a recipe for tomato soup. I tried it a few weeks ago. It was quite pleasant. I especially liked the kick of garlic. I recommend you try it for a straight full-bodied version:

Fresh Tomato Soup

Combine in saucepan 8 medium tomatoes & four or more cloves of minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes are soft.

Add three cups of vegetable juice, two bouillon cubes, & basil. Bring to a boil, simmer five minutes, serve!

But I have an additional way of making tomato soup. So I want to share that here as well. It's a bit spicy & very dilly.

Creamy-Dill Tomato Soup

Combine in saucepan one quart tomato juice & two cups half & half.

Add garlic powder, red pepper, & two tablespoons fresh chopped dill.

Also add three pickle spears, finely chopped. I use zesty pickles for added kick.

(the cream balances out the spiciness to some degree.)

Bring to a boil, then let simmer for five minutes.

Today I have two favorite songs

(led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

alessi's ark- magic weather

&

Darren Hanlon- Electric Skeleton