Winterizing the Garden

I was able to get the garden cleared out and winterized 10 minutes before a rainstorm.  After it began, it poured on us more than an inch and a half of water in a matter of a few hours. Whew!  I was so glad I got up early on Saturday.  I didn't even know it was supposed to rain.  :P

I first cleared all of the vegetation out of the boxes.  My cherry tomato plant still had several green tomatoes on it so when I pulled it out of the ground I left it in the cage.  I will turn it upside down and store it in the garage where it is fairly warm for now.  The upside down plant will send the energy it has stored in the leafy green areas to the tomatoes and they will ripen.  It will take about 10 days to 2 weeks.

Next I add a bag of steer manure to each garden box and mixed it in with the garden soil.  The soil is a mix of compost, peat moss and vermiculite.  It is a great, airy, light soil for vegetables.  The recipe comes from the square foot gardening guru.  It is really good for growing vegetables and flowers and only needs to be fertilized each year with compost or manure.  The steer manure is very "hot" and will burn tender plants and seeds if not given enough time to sit.  It should be applied at least 6 weeks before planting.  By putting it in the soil now I won't have to worry about it being too strong when I plant again in the spring as it will have all winter to sit and mellow.  After mixing in the manure I recoiled the drip hoses over each box.  When they heat up in the sun they become very pliable and in the winter they get cold and stiff.  I want them to retain the circular shape I have coiled them in so it is just easier to leave them in the boxes to hold that shape.

The final step was to staple heavy, clear plastic over each bed.  The soil is so light that it dries out very easily.  We get some pretty high winds and in past years I have felt like the garden boxes were pretty low by spring.  Hopefully the plastic will help keep the soil where it belongs.  I cut a 6- inch slit in the top of each of the plastic pieces to allow for a little air circulation and water drainage.

The strawberries are still producing so I will take care of them in a week or two.  They are a little different.  I will cut them back to the crowns and then add a layer of mulch over the top.  The herbs stay the way they are!  Some are perennial and will come back, others are annual and I will have to replant, and a few will actually survive the winter as is.  Good night garden!  See you next spring! :)

Butterscotch Oat Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches with Bacon Sprinkles

The name is super long because I couldn't think of what to call them!  It was a warm day, early in September, when I made these as you can see by the melting ice cream.  My kids liked them without the bacon, but what do they know?!  I liked the slightly salty bacon flavor.  I thought it balanced the sweet cookie and ice cream perfectly.

Butterscotch Oat Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches with Bacon Sprinkles
(Grandma Betty's cookie recipe with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup shortening
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups oats (whole, rolled, not instant or quick!)
1 pkg. butterscotch chips
      Cream shortening and sugars together until fluffy.  Add beaten eggs, vanilla and water.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and then add to wet ingredients and combine just until mixed.  Stir in the oats and then the butterscotch chips.  Place rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and using a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter, cut the cookies into circles and transfer to a cooling rack.  Cool completely.

For the ice cream:  I let a container of ice cream (Breyer's Natural Vanilla Bean) sit on the counter until just softened, about 20 minutes.  I lined 3 glasses with thin, plastic, bread-type bags that had been sprayed with Pam.  Then I spooned the soft ice cream into the glasses and put them into the freezer to refreeze.  When I was ready to assemble the sandwiches I removed the plastic bags from the glasses, peeled back the plastic and sliced the ice cream logs, 1 inch thick.  They were the same size as my cookie circles.

For the bacon:  Cook, drain and crumble several slices of bacon. Place the bacon on a small plate.  After assembling a sandwich I rolled the edges into the bacon.  Yum!

Grape Salad

Grape Salad
2 cups red seedless grapes
2 cups green seedless grapes
1/4 block (2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp.granulated sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
    Wash the grapes and mix them together in a large bowl.  In a small mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar.  Mix on medium speed for about a minute until well combined.  Add the sour cream and mix together.  Pour creamed mixture over the grapes and gently stir to coat all of the grapes.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the grapes, followed by the pecans. 

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (recipe adapted from www.thriftyjinxy.com)
24 ounce pkg. frozen hashbrown potatoes
1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded
1 stick butter, melted
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups frozen vegetables (I used a mix of green beans, carrots and corn)
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a frying pan cook the ground beef and onion.  Drain off any grease ( I use 93% lean and rarely have to drain it!)  Add the flour to the pan and stir it to coat the ground beef and onions.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and stir.  Add the veggies and salt and pepper.  Cook for 4-5 minutes.  Pour meat and vegetables into a 9x13 pan.  In a medium sized bowl combine the potatoes, cheese and butter.  Spread the potatoes and cheese mixture over the meat and vegetables.  Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the hashbrowns are golden and crispy on top.  Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)

Elotes

Corn on the cob
EVOO or butter
mayonnaise
cotija cheese, crumbled
cilantro, chopped
chili powder
        Shuck the corn and remove all the silk threads.  Cook the corn on the grill, brush with either EVOO or melted butter and turn it after about 3 minutes.  I only cook it for about 9 minutes total.  I like my corn kernels still firm not soft or mushy. Remove it from the grill and immediately spread a thin layer of mayo on the corn.  Sprinkle with the cotija, then the cilantro and finally sprinkle on a little chili powder.    

Parmesan Basil Cream Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes

This sauce was really good over linguine with baked, breaded chicken breasts.  I love the taste of fresh basil and I have a lot of cherry tomatoes in my garden right now that I am trying to use creatively.
  
Parmesan Basil Cream Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. EVOO
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
     In a hot medium skillet pan add the EVOO, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, and tomatoes.  Toss and coat the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring it to a boil, stirring and occasionally scraping the sides of the pan to remove and garlic or seasonings.  When boiling add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese.  Turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.  Add the tomatoes back into the pan and the chopped basil leaves.  Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Serve over pasta or chicken or both!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza (makes 2 cookie sheet pizzas)
1 recipe of pizza dough (see below)
3 chicken breasts, seasoned, grilled and diced
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup ranch dip (I use Uncle Dan's)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
6 green onions, sliced
12 ounces of shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
      
Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups hot water (105-110 degrees)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 extra cup flour
      In a medium bowl add the water, yeast, and sugar.  Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.  In another bowl combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, and garlic salt.  In a mixing bowl add the bloomed yeast and flour mixture.  Turn the mixer on low and with the dough hook and mix for about 5 minutes.  Add the extra cup of flour and let it mix in.  Turn the mixer up to medium and let it knead the dough for 5 minutes.  Take the dough out of the mixing bowl.  Lightly oil the mixing bowl, place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it raise about 10 minutes. (I like to turn my oven on for about 3 minutes and then turn it off and put the bowl in the warmed oven for the raising period.  Just don't get it too hot and cook the dough or kill the yeast.)  After it has risen, remove the dough from the bowl and cut it in half.  Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets and sprinkle about 1 Tbsp. of cornmeal onto each cookie sheet.  Stretch one of the dough halves onto each sheet.  You can roll it out with a rolling pin, or just push the dough out to the corners with you fingers.  Bake the dough for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees before adding the toppings.

Topping the pizzas.  Add 1/2 cup of the ranch dip and spread it onto the dough.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese over the ranch.  Next add the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and green onions, half for each pizza.  Place the pizzas bake into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.  Remove, allow to sit and cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.