Ratatouille

Since summer is in full swing, I thought I would share one of my favorite summertime recipes: ratatouille! Don't be fooled by the fancy French name. It is actually a relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive dish to make. Furthermore, it's a perfect summer dish as all the ingredients are in season and many of them can be harvested from your own garden.

If you are a food hobbyist or enjoy food photography, the original recipe can be found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/ but if you prefer the faster, simpler version I've included it below.

Simple Ratatouille

- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1 tsp. minced garlic--it comes in a jar at the store)
- 1 cup spaghetti sauce
- 1 eggplant
- 2 zucchini
- 2 squash
- 2 bell peppers (yellow, orange, or red)
- olive oil
- parsley flakes
- *you can add salt and pepper if desired, but I've found the spaghetti sauce adds plenty of flavor.

- Pour spaghetti sauce into a large casserole dish, spread evenly, and top with onion and garlic.
- Slice eggplant, zucchinis, squash, and peppers. (I usually quarter the eggplant first if it is large.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Arrange eggplant, zucchinis, peppers and squash in neat circles around the edge of the dish, working your way in.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over top and sprinkle with parsley.
- Place casserole dish atop a sheet of parchment paper and use scissors to cut around the bottom. The paper should be the approximate shape of the casserole dish.
- Cover with parchment paper and bake 45-50 minutes.
- Serve hot over rice. Bon appetit!

Autumn Sweets

Autumn is my favorite season for baking. Brisk, chilly days are the perfect setting for enjoying moist, spicy treats in front of a crackling fire! (And if that moist, spicy treat happens to have pumpkins, pears, apples, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon, cloves or maple flavoring in it, so much the better!)



This Banana Nut Waffle recipe from Joy the Baker would make a happy start to any day.



So would this Spiced Pear Breakfast Crumble from Perry's Plate.



Or these delectable Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Recipe Girl.



For a slightly different twist, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes from Two Peas and their Pod would serve nicely. (Can you tell I love breakfast foods?)



Can you imagine eating warm, melty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars fresh out of the oven?



Or savoring this lovely Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Creamy Pumpkin Glaze from I Am Baker?

Mmm, I think my waist just got thicker...

Blackberrying

This week we've had produce coming out of our ears. Beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and most of all--blackberries.



After several heavy rains, the blackberries were starting to ferment, so mom and I were pressed to pick them and use them up before they went bad.



Accordingly, we picked four recipes that call for the most blackberries: jam, jelly, syrup and cobbler. Above I crush the berries and strain the juice through a colander.



I tried to capture the blackness of the juice, but it shows up purplish red in this picture. In actuality it was black as ink.



The results of a long, hard day of processing. The jars on the left are blackberry jelly. The large jars on the right are blackberry syrup, the medium jars on the right are blackberry jam, center is a picture of blackberries my little sister colored, and in the foreground is the best blackberry cobbler you will ever eat! My mom took it to a church function and everyone who tried it raved about it. You can find the recipe here.

Raw Eggs

When my siblings and I were little, my mother would never let us eat batter with raw eggs in it because of the risk of salmonella poisoning. Now that I'm older and can cook by myself, I often sample my raw batter to make sure it is good before I pop it in the oven. (My mother still scolds me when she catches me ;) Yet with all the people out there that eat cookie batter, I never hear of very many salmonella cases from raw eggs. So I did a little research.

Salmonella is a bacteria that is caused by fecal to oral contamination. It can be found on raw meat, raw eggs, unpasteurized dairy products, and on reptiles (cdphe).

According to ehow.com, one in 20,000 eggs are infected with salmonella and around 400 people die from salmonella poisoning every year in the U.S. Some other sources said 600. (*Note: not all the salmonella deaths were caused by eating raw eggs. Salmonella can be contracted in a variety of ways) People with weak immune systems such as the elderly, and children under 5 are especially susceptible to Salmonella (ehow).

However, I also found some other interesting facts regarding Salmonella and raw eggs. Apparently, eggs contain natural antibiotic proteins, two of which are ovotransferrin and lysozyme. These proteins deplete the amount of iron, which is essential for bacterial growth, and destroy the cell walls of some bacteria. This defense is important because bacteria can penetrate through cracks and fissures in the eggshell (international).

According to the FDA and the CDC, raw eggs and unpasteurized dairy products are to be avoided like the plague. Yet I have talked with people who have grown up eating things with raw eggs in them and drinking unpasteurized dairy products. With the mind-boggling amount of conflicting research out there, it is hard to know what is best. However, I think that as long as the environment is kept clean (e.g. clean nesting boxes for the hens, proper sterilization methods for dairy tools and containers) natural is healthier. Besides, I've been eating batter with raw eggs in it for years and I haven't died yet. ;) What about you? Do you eat raw batter or is that a strict no no?

Sources

http://www.international.inra.fr/press/natural_defences_of_the_egg
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/epidemiology/salm_fs.html

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5179695_raw-eat-healthy-cooked-eggs_.html

Soup Recipes

Though I'm not a huge fan of cooking in general, one thing I do enjoy making is soup. It's warm, aromatic, easy to experiment with, and an all-in-one meal! Not to mention you can dip things in it. :) While at school, I collected several yummy looking recipes to try when I came home. This week I'm planning to test them out.



The Zuppa Toscana is one of my favorite things to order at Olive Garden. Now I can enjoy its creamy goodness at home!



Beef Bourguignon. Ever since I watched Julie and Julia, I've wanted to make Beef Bourguignon. I hope it's as fun to make as it is to say!



This White Bean & Winter Squash Stew looks delicious! I can't wait to taste all of these soups with a hearty side of french bread and blue cheese/craisin salad. :)

I Made It!

I finally made it to spring break! When I arrived home, there were so many delightful things I wanted to do I didn't know where to begin!



I began Saturday morning with a hearty breakfast of scones, muffins and hot tea!



Followed by time in the word. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!...The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned." --Psalm 34:8 & 22



After working a bit in my rose garden, I took my pillow and quilt outside to rest under the orchard tree.



With the wind stirring the soft spring air and the busy hum of bees above me, it felt like a taste of paradise.



"O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." --Psalm 104:24



I was about to head out the door later this afternoon when I saw this breathtaking scene and just had to capture it. I hope you all are taking time to enjoy the simple delights of this glorious season!

Tasty Turnips

This afternoon I harvested some turnips we planted to cook with dinner. (See post below.) After capping, washing, and dicing about 30 of them, I put them in a frying pan with a clove of garlic and half an onion and sautéd them in olive oil.



Once they were evenly coated with the oil, I started to season them. Heavily.



Among the spices I used were: garlic powder, onion powder, sage, marjoram, terragon, perfect pinch saltless seasoning, and table salt. I must confess that I know nothing at all about herbs and spices so my method is: if it smells like it will go with what I'm cooking, pour it in!



My mom, dad, and little sister were big fans, but my brothers and I weren't quite as taken. Even as heavily seasoned and salted as they were, I couldn't quite disguise the strong, turnip-ey flavor. The next time I cook them, I think I'll put them in a soup or serve them with some sort of meat stir-fry. If you're thinking of cooking turnips, unless you like the way turnips taste, I would definitely suggest serving them with or in something. :)

Baking Delights

For several weeks I have been looking forward to coming home and trying all the delicious new recipes I found via the internet. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons for cooking/baking and I've been having a ball experimenting in the kitchen!



Yesterday I was going to make the beef and barley soup featured above, only we didn't have any beef and I couldn't find the barley so it turned into vegetable soup. ;)



After being frustrated with my current yeast roll recipe, I decided to try a new one and this one is amazing! I would venture to say they were the best rolls I've made yet!



Then this morning I got up early to try out the pumpkin muffin recipe featured here. I did everything they said except instead of sprinkling the walnuts on top, I mixed them into the batter. Also, we had some cream cheese icing left over from mom's sweet potato cake, so I spread the icing as a light glaze over the tops. Moist spicy pumpkiny goodness with warm melted bliss overtop...Does it get any better? Needless to say, this weekend has not been good for my waist, but it has been a wonderful break from cafeteria food! ;)

Cold Foods

Recently, this summer heat has been making me feel very unmotivated as far as cooking (or eating) goes. So after asking various people and doing some brainstorming of my own, I made a list of ten cold foods perfect for beating this hot summer weather!

Fresh fruit salad.



Chilled coleslaw.





Potato salad.



Raw veggies.



A cold turkey sandwich.



Tuna salad.



Pasta salad.



Cucumber sandwiches--and not the bite sized ones!



Crisp chicken salad.



And creamy deviled eggs. Bon apetít!

Cooking Confessions

People are always surprised to find out that I cook. I suppose it's something most normal teenagers don't do. After they get over their initial shock, they always ask the inevitable question. "Do you like to cook?" Then they're even more shocked when I tell them no. I like to eat. I like to wear pretty aprons. I like to see the happy looks on people's faces when I've made a good meal. But I don't like to cook.

I believe that cooking is an invaluable skill that every homemaker needs in her repertoire. Thus, I am trying to learn as much as I can before I go off to school. And it's not so bad. In the winter, cooking is almost pleasant. It's nice to be in the warm kitchen baking tasty breads and soups and washing the dishes in front of the frosty windows. But cooking in the summertime is another matter.

The oppressive humidity and blazing heat suck the energy and motivation right out of me. Not to mention what it does to my appetite. Whenever I get over-heated, I don't want to eat food or even be around it. The last place I want to be is in front of the hot oven making hot, greasy foods. So I have a bit of a dilemma. What are some good (preferably non-hot, non-greasy) summer foods? Do you have any favorites?

Cheesecake and Daffodils...

All week long I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my favorite spring heralds. Almost every day saw me hiking through the woods to see if the buds had opened yet. After a week of warm rainy weather, I am happy to say that they are blooming in profusion over a square footage that astonishes me more each year. When we first moved here, the daffodils probably covered 10 x 10 foot square. Now their starry blooms easily spread across an entire acre.

I can't describe what it is about daffodils that makes me love them so much. They certainly don't have a particularly attractive fragrance, foliage or a graceful bloom. Perhaps it's the memories I associate with them or the fact that they are almost always the first flower to venture out in the spring. Whatever it is, other flowers don't hold a candle to them in my opinion. :)





I am also happy to announce that I have finally learned to make cheesecake. (Something that I've wanted to learn for a very long time!) A kind lady in our church offered to let mom and I come to her house and make one under her careful instructions. The one in the photo below is the first cheesecake that I have made by myself. A thin slice generously heaped with strawberries is to die for! Though this recipe is close to perfection already, I am eager to improve it and try different recipes as well. I am aiming for a thicker crust and a lighter center. (This particular recipe is extremely dense and rich!) However, I'm just happy that I have finally learned how to make one!!!