I Can't Believe I Made Sun Dried Tomatoes

Have you ever tried sun dried tomatoes? I've been cooking with them for years but not all sun dried tomatoes are the same flavor. Some are in oil with very heavy Italian flavors and too salty. Some are dried to a crisp. Oh, but some are perfectly soft , like a dried apricot and can be used on sandwiches and in various salads and hot dishes. Can you tell which are my favorite?

I came across some sun dried tomato recipes on Youtube and this was  one that made me step up and make them, by Gennaro Contaldo

along with this one by Cuoredicioccolato .

I used organic grape tomatoes for my recipe. Oh so cute too!

So easy . 

1. Wash and dry the tomatoes.

2. Cut and lay out on a flat surface. I use a stainless steel cookie sheet.

3. Salt the tomatoes. (This is a heavy salt as you will see in the photos but fear not, that heavy layer of salt will be boiled off later.)

4. Dry the tomatoes in the sunlight outdoors in the summer sun for 3 days or more. (Please take them in at night so they will not get the moisture on them at night.)

5. Boil water with  2 tablespoons of vinegar.

6. Add the tomatoes

7. Let them come back up to a rolling boil.

8. Remove tomatoes.

9. Place the tomatoes on a flat surface to dry . Use kitchen cloths or paper towels to lay the tomatoes out on and to help the drying process.

Also, I have a room with fans and left them to dry under the fans overnight. 

10. The next day I packed them in a jar and submerged them in olive oil. The tomatoes must stay under the oil to keep them food safe.

11. These should stay shelf stable in the refrigerator for at least  1 year. However, the video says these will be shelf stable covered in oil out on the shelf.

 

Quickly...I know you are thinking about bugs and flies and things while these are drying. Forget about it. Everything will be taken care of in the vinegar and water bath!

These taste amazing and perfectly soft and chewy and smoky and sweet. I'm in love!!!

With love and gratitude,

Michele

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Garden Fresh Celery Soup

Over the years, I have use the condensed version of cream of celery soup to make a variety of recipes. It's a great way to pull off a quick meal, create a gravy or make a potpie. 

 This is not that lack luster, artificial cream of celery soup. This is a simple easy recipe that both my hubby and I now look forward to for lunch or dinner.

But let me start by saying, I love freshly grown celery. My Dad has always grown it and it is a deep rich green color, unlike the one you find in the store.

Here's a peek at what's left growing in the garden now.

 In the past, my Dad has been my fresh produce stop and I always take some of the fresh celery because I love the leaves in salads. Well this year, I planted my own and happily froze a giant bag of it too. I'll need to be thinking about drying some, also.

If you have never tried freshly grown celery, I urge you to give it a try. The flavor is much different than the store bought. Oh those leaves, make sure to use them because they are so full of flavor!!!It's a great addition to soups, stews and salads. I especially love it in bean salads. 

Quick tip-You'll need an immersion blender to pull this off. Good, now we're ready.

Garden Fresh Celery Soup

Ingredients

 2 cans of broth -chicken or veggie 

1 cup of chopped fresh celery stalks and all those leaves

(Honestly , you can add as much as you want, go ahead and add two cups if you have it)

1/2 of an onion diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbl olive oil

1 tbl of butter 

3 tbl of milk, cream or half and half

(I always have half and half in the house for my coffee)

Sauté the chopped celery and onions in the oil and butter until they are soft and cooked through. Add the broth. Warm through. Add 3 tbl of cream or milk or half and half, something to boost the creamy factor being careful not to bring it to a boil. Blend.  Finish with salt and pepper.

We loved this so much I even canned 2 jars for the pantry, minus the milk/half and half.

Michele

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Cyprian Style Burger recipe

My plans for dinner tonight were cast to the wind as the day got longer and the chores kept piling up. In my mind, I was going to sauté beef with onions and parsley add some spices and rice and stuff grape leaves, you know, they call them Dolmades. 

So now I'm looking at that beef and he's looking at me and I say burgers, in my head I say burgers. 

In my home, this exact burger has never been done, so hear we go.

Cyprian Style Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb of ground beef (pork would have been better)

3/4 of a can diced tomatoes (well drained)

1-2 tbl chopped parsley 

1-2 tbl chopped onion

1 tbl lemon juice 

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon (I know it seems weird but try it)

Mint 1 tsp chopped 

1/4 lb Feta cheese for the crumbled top

Ok, from here it's easy. Mix it, grill it, add the cheese and let it melt. Serve it on a bun. 

Note-This burger is meant to be cooked through completely and not eaten rare. The parsley and onions get cooked through and the tomatoes impart their flavor as well as the lemon .

I'll show you some pics but don't judge the no bun situation. I'm not eating traditional buns anymore unless I can find them organic. 

This was so juicy, packed with flavor and delicious. It was a nice change from the traditional day to day recipes we all get used to in our lives. Suddenly, these last minute burgers felt special. I would make these burgers for a dinner party. Serve it with a big salad and fries. Go ahead and make a homemade hummus crudité as a starter. 

That's a party!!

With love and gratitude

Michele

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Healthy Breakfast Pork Patties and Papaya

My husband and I have been keeping processed food out of our diet. 

But, who doesn't love a good breakfast sausage? Am I right? 

I have tried to make pork breakfast sausages in the past and we have enjoyed them, however I had this idea to create a breakfasty (so not a word), pork fillet. 

I had a pork roast  from the evening prior and my brain is always looking for ways to incorporate the leftovers into something different. 

I sliced off a few pieces of the roast pork and marinated them in the refrigerator. I used maple syrup, molasses, and organic cane sugar, seasoned salt( homemade),a little bit of fresh rosemary and fresh sage, white pepper and olive oil. 

I just griddled them up in the cast iron and serve with breakfast. 

I am so making these every time there is left over pork roast. Or, or, or I can make them in batches and freeze them so they are ready to go for breakfast any time.

Here's an approximate recipe. 

Maple syrup- 1 tbl

Molasses- 1 tsp

Organic Cane Sugar- 2 tsp

Seasoned Salt- 1/2 tsp

White Pepper-1/4 tsp

Fresh Rosemary 5-6 fronds from a stalk(Can use dried)

Sage Leaves 4-5 very tiny leaves(Can use dried)

Olive Oil -1 tbl

Mix together pour over slices  of leftover (cooked) roast pork. Marinate.

Ok, now lets' talk about that weird looking green stuff in the pan. 

Not apples!

.0

Green Papaya 

We grew papayas this year and have had an abundant crop. 

 

And there are more on the tree.

We made.....

Papaya jam- canned 

Papaya Jalapeno jam- canned 

Papaya hot sauce

Papaya bbq sauce-canned

Papaya bread

And you can eat papaya green. Yep, we made..

Papaya salad

Papaya slaw

and now 

Sauted Papaya

Basically, I tried to sauté them like a potato. They were ok, the ones that cooked through that is.

Next time, they are getting roasted.

With love and gratitude

Michele

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NY Times Iconic Plum Torte Recipe w/ Orange Powder

So, I've been trying to buy organic fruit wherever I can find it and that it actually looks decent . I mean the struggle is real people. Anyway, I love to make a seasonal fruity dessert with my fruits too. I hit up Pinterest and found a compilation of Plum recipes that I immediately Pinned!!!

Check out this compilation at Easy Plum Recipes by Kitchen Substitute

But this recipe stood out and it was a star dessert at my girls book club 2 weeks ago.

Before we get into the recipe let me show you my secret weapon, Orange Powder. I have been making powders with all my organic citrus peels. I have orange powder. lemon powder and lime powder. That's right no more zesting but all the flavor.

And you may want to check out this Lime Basil Cookie Recipe using Lime Powder too.

Now here are a few pics so you can see the basic s of the recipe and see that you are getting it right.

This is the thickness of the batter and you'll need to work it a bit to get it even and spread out.

Once it's spread out place the half sections of the plums on top of batter and gently press down so the batter hugs the plums.

Shockingly , you'll be adding the lemon juice over the tops of the plums where it will pool around the plums. 

Now the mix of orange powder and sugar will carmelize the top of this as it mixes with the lemon juice.

Here's the recipe from Kitchen Substitute 

marked with my changes highlighted in blue .

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon, divided*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6-12 plums, depending size, pitted and halved**
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I did not use cinnamon in mine because I used the orange powder in the batter and in the sugar mix topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I find a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease to the job just fine.
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated.
4. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.( Here is where I added the 1 tablespoon orange powder.)
5. Spread the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
6. Arrange the halved plums cut-side-down, then use your fingers to gently press them into the batter.
7. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then mix together the remaining tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon(here is where I added a tablespoon of orange powder instead of cinnamon), and sprinkle over the top.
8. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes prior to cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake is also excellent served cold after chilling in the fridge overnight.

Notes

• *Depending on how sweet your plums are and how sweet you like your cake, the sugar can be cut down to ¾ cup.
• **You will use more or less plums depending on the variety and size, but also depending on your preference. I tend to use more plums for a fruitier cake, but you can always opt to use less for a cakier-cake. You can’t go wrong either way, trust me.

With love and gratitude

Michele

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Alternative Allergy Medicine and Allergy Tea #Quercetin #Goldenrod

At around the age of , well, let's just say mid life, I realized I was allergic to cats and dogs. I have always been the type of person to stop and pet the puppies ,get down on the ground and roll around and play with them and play with the cats but I never put two and two together.  You see I would get itchy palms and then itchy skin , headaches, tired, achy, swollen eyes. I began to pay attention when I was petting , playing and rolling around with the pets. Am I allergic to pet dander?

Sure enough I was able to confirm my allergy suspicion.

So I started the whole over the counter game, trying to find an allergy pill to take when I visited with friends and family with pets. (Now , mind you I have a dog considered to be "hypo allergenic and honestly, I'm not allergic to her)

OMG, those pills are horrible. I could not function and often times my heart hurt. WTFunk?

So, I did some research and found that Quercetin was supposed to be a great way to combat allergies without medicine. 

I'm here to tell you that it has been helping me tremendously.

During my research I found that Goldenrod Flower was a way to combat allergies too. I foraged some wild organic Goldenrod Flower from a local trail. 

Again, I'm here to tell you it works amazingly well. 

Look it's even for sinus' and to clean the kidneys  but I cannot confirm that to be true.

*****Disclosure  I AM NOT A DOCTOR. You should consult your doctor and do your own research ********

I make a two cup batch of tea using two tablespoons of Goldenrod. I drink one cup hot and save the other cup in the refrigerator , to drink cold, for later in the day or for the next morning.

I'm so into the alternative solutions and am happy to have found the answer to my problems. 

I hope this helps someone else!!!!

With love and gratitude

Michele

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