Lacto- Fermented Dilled Radishes

A friend brought some of these for me to try and they were so good I wanted to try making some myself.
To make them you will need:
2 c. water
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
garlic cloves
fresh dill sprigs
radishes
a clean sterilized jar
I first made a brine with 2 cups boiling water and the salt. I set it aside to cool while I prepared the other ingredients.
I used the "Watermelon" radishes that I harvested from the garden. I peeled and cut them into nice size chunks. They were layered in a jar with fresh garlic cloves from the garden and dill sprigs from the herb beds. I poured the cooled brine over the radishes and placed a small jelly jar filled with water on top to keep the radishes submerged. (Set on a plate or bowl to catch the overflow of brine.) I let sit on the counter for 5 days. They started getting the "kraut" smell and I then put them in the fridge. Crisp and delicious, I am sad to say they are almost gone...

Double Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies

A while back I bought some 88% cocoa chocolate bars. The boys like dark chocolate but did not care for this particular brand. Today I decided to make some brownies using them. Now the boys like eating this chocolate! Enjoy~

1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2/3 c. melted butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped pecans
3 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped

Mix all ingredients until moistened. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.

Red Beans and Rice Soup

Each week I prepare a pot of soup that will be eaten for lunch and/or quick suppers if the day should get away from us. As I perused the fridge to see what ingredients were on hand I spotted the leftover cranberry beans from earlier this week. I decided to make these the base for our soup of the week.
From the freezer I pulled some roasted red peppers and chicken sausage. From the pantry, chicken stock, garlic, onions, and rice. My one cheat for this meal was a packet of Simply Organic Red Bean and Rice seasoning packet, however, you could substitute a Cajun or Creole spice.
To assemble the soup: Cook rice. Saute onion, diced sausage and garlic. Add to beans along with a cup of diced red pepper. These were already cooked, if using fresh, saute with onions. Add rice and enough broth to make of soup consistency and simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Crock Pot Beef Stock

While making room in the freezer for our beef that will be ready in a couple of weeks I stumbled on several packs of beef bones. It was an exciting find since I have long been out of beef stock. I knew I wouldn't have time to cook them stove top so I decided to use my large crock pot and it worked even better than I hoped. Doing it this way allowed me the freedom to work outside while cooking the broth.

After thawing the bones I sprinkled them with a bit of salt and pepper and slow roasted them in the oven for a couple of hours. When they were browned and fragrant I transferred them to a large crock pot in which I put celery, carrots, onions and dehydrated mushrooms from the pantry. I poured the pan dripping over the bones and covered with water. I also added more salt and pepper along with some fresh thyme sprigs and turned it to low. They cooked for about 15 hours and the resulting stock was deep brown and rich. I strained the stock and the bits of meat that had fallen from the bones were separated and put in a container. I will freeze the stock for later use. (The meat bits will be mixed with some homemade bar-b-que sauce for lunch this week.)

Crustless Spinach Quiche

A lovely large harvest of spinach today and an over abundance of eggs lead to this meal.

1 lb. fresh spinach, torn
1/2 c. onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. butter
5 eggs
3 c. swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter. Slowly add spinach and allow to wilt. Add garlic and saute a couple of minutes. In a large bowl beat 5 eggs and add cheese. Add slightly cooled spinach mixture and salt and pepper. Stir together and pour into greased pie plate.
Bake @ 350* about 35 minutes or until set.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Tonight we enjoyed a stuffed portabella mushroom dish that was filled with some farm fresh ingredients.

The mushrooms were brushed with olive oil and grilled until softened.
To make the filling:
Cook some sausage of your choice until brown. We used an all natural chicken sausage but the deer sausage we have would have been good as well. Remove from pan. In the same pan, saute a medium onion until soft. Add several cloves of garlic and about a pound of fresh torn spinach and allow to wilt. Add sausage back to pan and gently fold in fresh goat cheese, set aside.

I then made a pesto using the sun dried tomatoes from last summer's bounty. I made it with garlic, basil, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. (Process ingredients in a blender or food processor.)
The mushrooms were filled, topped with pesto and broiled until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

We ended up with a lot of extra filling and I thought it would make a great pizza topping. It did! I made a whole wheat crust, topped with sauteed mushrooms, the filling, more goat cheese, the pesto and mozzarella cheese. Probably the best pizza we have ever had!

Grandmother's Collard Greens

Due to the unusually hot days I had to harvest all the collard greens before they bolted this week. I am cooking them like my grandmother used to and freezing them to enjoy at a later date. She was born and raised in the eastern part of N.C. where the black sandy soil grew the best collards and sweet potatoes in the state. They were also famous for their peanuts and country hams. Every time I fix collards I hear her telling me how to do it and it makes me smile.

First of all you MUST have the Morris heading collards 'cause those others won't no good. Yes mam. Once you have the correct variety to cook you must wash them real good. At least twice. Yes mam.

 Now put you ham in a pot of water, cover it and let it boil for at least an hour 'cause that's how long it is going to take you to wash, de-stem and cut up the collards. Yes mam. (We are lucky around here to have a ham company that cures using only salt and sugar but she used ham for all those years, so in this recipe go for it!)

Cut the thick center stem out and coarsely chop the collards.

 If you are going to cook 'em might as well do a bunch at one time. Some for now, some for the freezer. Yes mam. Once the ham has created a nice salty broth add your your collards, cover and boil them for another hour at least. Now when I say boil, she did boil them. I prefer to simmer, that way I don't need to hover over the stove! Enjoy~ Thanks Grandmother!