Today I’m continuing the harvest theme, showcasing more of my hard work from Labor Day weekend (I’m sure there’s a joke to be inserted there). This time it’s what I did with the bulk of the green beans I had picked.

The funny thing about green beans is, I don’t particularly care for them. I buy most of my vegetables as seedlings from Cole Canyon Farm at the Campbell Farmer’s Market (and really, I should buy all of my vegetables from them – they do really well). The guy that runs the booth is really nice, and he tossed in a free green bean plant. I decided to take it since my husband likes green beans. When we got home, I wasn’t quite sure where I would plant the beans, and they sat in their plastic box for about a month, getting occasional water and almost dying before I finally decided to plant them in a narrow strip of dirt along the patio.

So, I don’t care for green beans, I almost killed them before they prospered, and the other amusing thing about this story is I don’t care for pickles much, either. Over time, I’ve found that I like pickled peppers, Indian mango pickle, and giardiniera, but that’s about it. So what do I do with my green beans? I pickle them, of course! (more…)

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Appetizers, Dairy free, Gluten free, In the Garden, Prep for Later Use, Vegetarian by Courtney

As the weather cools down, I’m starting to crave comfort foods. Chili, beef bourguignon, and especially spaghetti with meatballs. Queue up the Godfather, because this is a recipe I’ll be making again soon.

One of my favorite places to find recipes is Williams-Sonoma, and once I saw Spaghetti with Stuffed Meatballs, I knew I had to make it. I thought about it for months, never getting around to it, then by the time I decided to take the plunge, I was afraid it was so played up in my mind that it would never live up to my expectations. I was wrong! (more…)

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Comfort food, Dinner, Italian by Courtney

This weekend it didn’t take me too long to figure out what to do with all of the zucchini that came in. “Stuffed zucchini!” I declared and went off to the store to procure the ingredients I would need.

I forget how I happened upon this original recipe from Giada de Laurentiis for stuffed zucchini and bell peppers, but I’m glad I did because it introduced me to the world of stuffing vegetables besides peppers.

I’ve made both her version (slightly adapted*) and a vegetarian, mushroom-stuffed version because I had some left over portobello mushrooms. I loved both, so they’re both in my repertoire now. Get the recipe for my mushroom-stuffed version below. (more…)

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Dinner, In the Garden, Italian, Prep for Later Use, Vegetarian by Courtney

Another quick weeknight meal for you, as you continue to recuperate from the marvel that is the 3-day weekend. While this may take just a tad longer than the zucchini and onion stir-fry I featured yesterday, it’s not too much longer, and it’s oh-so-delicious! Plus, it’s another use for that stock you’ve made; this time it’s not a soup!

There are two things you will want to do before you start slicing and dicing. Put your water on to boil, and get the Italian sausages defrosted and ready to go in the pan. Now that we’ve cleared that up, 1-2-3–Let’s cook!! (more…)

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Dinner, Italian, Quick and Easy by Courtney

If you want to make things really easy on yourself, prep your ginger in advance. When you get home from the store, use a spoon to scrape the skin off of the ginger. This removes only the peel, without wasting the meat of the root (note: it works best with really fresh ginger; if your ginger is a bit older, you might still need to break out the paring knife). Then, pop the root into a freezer bag, label it “ginger” (because you’ll get it confused with horseradish later on), and stick it in the freezer. Now when your recipe calls for grated ginger, bust out the microplane, grab your ginger from the freezer, and zest away. Soooo much easier than mincing by hand with a knife!

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Prep for Later Use by Courtney