My journey of cooking, gardening, preserving and more
If you follow my blog on Facebook, you may have seen me share a photo of this salad recently. This is a salad that celebrates summer veggies. It’s cool, crisp, colorful and, of course, delicious. It seems almost too simple of a recipe to post …
If you’re a home gardener, shishito peppers are an easy-to-grow, heavily-producing plant that bears fruit earlier than a lot of other types of peppers. These peppers are fast growers too; two plants easily produce about 10-20 peppers every week or so during peak growing season. …
I have to confess I’ve been on a bit of a frittata kick lately. I mean really, what’s not to love about something that’s so easy to make and that you can pack full of all the veggies you love?
Asparagus is growing rampant in our garden right now; it’s seriously one of the best gardening investments that I’ve ever made. It comes back in full force year after year, it’s really nutritious and, of course, it goes great with eggs. So, needless to say, asparagus frittata has been on our menu more than a few times in the last few weeks. So far, my husband isn’t complaining.
Preheat oven to 375
Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in10-inch ceramic or other non-stick skillet.
Add asparagus and scallions and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The asparagus should still have a bit of a “bite” to it when adding the egg mixture.
While the asparagus is cooking put the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until well-blended and frothy.
Add the egg mixture to the asparagus mixture and place in a preheated. Cook for about 18-20 minutes. When done, the center will have puffed up a bit and the edges will be just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven, let sit 5 minutes, slice and serve.
I love a good frittata – it’s a wonderful Meatless Monday dish, especially if you serve it with a mixed green salad on the side.
If you’re not a fan of asparagus, feel free to substitute your favorite veggie (or veggies) because trust me, this is great with broccoli, broccolini, sweet peppers, zucchini…use your imagination and play with your food a bit.
Enjoy!
One of my favorite spring garden treats is young, tender green garlic. I always pull up some of it to enjoy – I add it to rubs, sauces, salads and more. Green garlic has a more mild taste than mature garlic and can be used …
I had the pleasure last summer of growing rattlesnake beans for the first time. I had never heard of them and was intrigued because they can be eaten just like green beans when they’re young or eaten as dried beans when left to grow and …
Looking for ways to spice up your life? Try adding some hot chili oil to it. Making your own hot chili oil is very easy and it’s a great way to preserve your garden if you’ve got some dried hot peppers laying around. I love drying some of my hot peppers each year; it makes them easy to chop and use throughout the winter and they are far superior to most of the crushed red pepper flakes you can buy at the store.
One of the most prolific pepper plants I’ve grown is the Thai Chili Pepper; it grows at least a hundred of tiny hot peppers on one plant and, added bonus, makes a beautiful landscape plant. The beauty of making your own hot chili oil is that it doesn’t take a lot of peppers to add a lot of heat to your favorite dishes.
Thai Peppers may be tiny but they pack a powerful punch. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow hot Thai Chili Peppers, just give them a well-drained sunny spot in your garden and be sure to give them a consistent amount of water…peppers love water. I assure you that your Thai Peppers will reward you with more tiny bites of hotness than you know what to do with.
In a medium-size saucepan, heat about 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat.
Add chopped peppers, stir well and simmer for just a minute or two. You do NOT want them to start toasting; you want just enough heat to help the peppers release their oils, which is where their heat is.
Add the remaining oil and bring it all back to “just warm”. Remove from heat and stir well for a few minutes; this helps to dissipate the heat and also release more of the hot pepper oils into the mix. Pour into a heat-safe container or canning jar and let cool.
This keeps well for months and has a myriad of uses. Just a bit of it can be added to soups, sauces, and drizzled on chicken wings before cooking. You can also use a touch of it as a rub for pork, chicken, beef, and seafood.
As with any hot peppers, you should be careful when handling them, as their oils can make your skin burn for hours after working with them.
So, are you ready to spice up your life a bit? Make some homemade hot chili oil and you’re well on your way.
You’ve got to keep things spicy, right? And what better way to warm up your winter than with my hot chili oil recipe. Enjoy and stay warm out there!
In case you didn’t know it, I’m huge on Pinterest! Okay, well, my Pickled Hot Cherry Peppers recipe is huge, anyway. One of the things I miss most about living in Connecticut is being able to find both fresh and pickled cherry peppers at the …