Super Moist Zucchini Bread

This year has been wonderful for our zucchini plants.  We have had an overabundance of produce and one of my favorite things to make and freeze is zucchini bread.  I use butterscotch pudding to make it super moist.

Super Moist Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t baking powder
1 small box of Instant Butterscotch Pudding
2 cups of sugar
2-1/4 cups grated zucchini
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 cups of flour
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Mix eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and pudding.  Add zucchini and flour, mixing thoroughly.  Pour mixture into 2 greased medium size bread pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until middle is done (insert a toothpick in the middle of the bread, if it comes out clear then it's done).

Freezer Pickles

I don't know about you, but my cucumbers are growing wonderfully this year and I have quite an abundance.  We love cucumbers at our house and eat them almost nightly when they are in season.  Before my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, she shared this amazing recipe for "Freezer Pickles" with me.  They are the perfect treat on a hot summer day and when it's to hot to can, you can whip up a batch of these for the freezer.

Wash cucumbers and pat dry.
Thinly sliced cucumbers (do not peel).

Dice, one small onion.

                                                                  You will need the salt!

                                                               
                                               Put cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with
                                                      2 T of salt and let stand for 2 hours.

  You will make a syrup mixture

of the sugar and vinegar.

   Pour the pickles into the sugar/vinegar syrup

and gently mix with a rubber scraper

until all of the sugar dissolves. 

Put the pickles in 2-3 small containers,

pour the syrup mixture over them,

seal and freeze until your ready to thaw and eat.

FREEZER PICKLES

Ingredients:
1 quart of thinly sliced cucumbers (do not peel)
1 small onion, diced
2 T salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vinegar

Directions:
Cut cucumbers and onions as directed.  Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 T of salt and let stand for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, drain the pickles in a colander using as little water as possible to get the salt off.

Next, mix 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of vinegar in a bowl creating a type of syrup.  Do not heat, but stir occasionally while the cucumbers are in the salt mixture.

Now, pour the pickles into the sugar/vinegar syrup and gently mix with a rubber scraper until all of the sugar dissolves.  Put the pickles in 2-3 small containers, pour the syrup mixture over them, seal and freeze until your ready to thaw and eat.

Banana PB Dessert

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but truth be told, I haven't had my kitchen to cook in and at work it's our busiest time of the year.  So to my faithfuls (Misty and Grace), I am sorry!!!

Here's a quick dessert to make on days when it's hot and you want something cold, yet nutritious.
I have to admit though, if I would have had more time, I would have dipped them halfway in some melted chocolate.

Banana PB Dessert

Take two banana's and slice them into about 1/2" chunks.  Add peanut butter to one slice and top with another slice.  Put in the freezer and chill for at least 20 minutes before eating! 

***You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, and for you chocoholics, try dipping them in some melted chocolate!

Emergency Room Fun

I can honestly say that 2013 has been a tough year so far for me medically.  I've had new allergies pop up, tried new medicines for my migraines that didn't work and made me have horrible side effects and now I can say I've had my first trip to the Emergency Room as an adult.

Last Friday, I was walking in the yard to feed the chickens, when my foot found a new hole in our yard.  My foot went in the hole, my ankle popped and down I went to the ground face first.  Between the pain and tears I couldn't do much yelling for Bill, but I tried.  He was in the barn and couldn't hear me...stupid me didn't bring my cell phone.  While I'm screaming for Bill to help me, my beautiful black lab Sadie, licked the tears and dirt off my face.  What a scene that must have been for anyone that drove by.

Long story short, Bill came to my rescue.  Scooped me up in his arms and then asked what he should do with me.  I told him to get the truck and take me to the Emergency Room.  Although I couldn't see any bone sticking out, the pain was so intense, I felt like I had broke or fractured something in my ankle.

Probably because I was sobbing, I made it through the paperwork portion of the Emergency Room in what I was told was "record time."  They weren't very busy, so I was able to see the doctor right away.  They took x-rays and luckily nothing was broken, just severely sprained. 

Needless to say, I used a walker to "hop" around the first two days because I couldn't put any pressure on my foot and they didn't send me home with crutches.  I then graduated to a cane and now I'm just hobbling. 

Fortunately for us, a 4-H friend of ours was one of the nurses working the Emergency Room, so she made the experience better by talking to me and taking my mind off of the pain.

I hadn't been in the ER since I was 3 years old.  Hopefully I can wait another 36 years before I ever have to go back! 

Busy on the Farm

May has been a busy month on the farm, but then again, it always is.  The beginning of the month starts off with the guys double checking all the equipment to make sure it's ready to go in the fields.

Then, I usually try to get Bill to till up the garden two or three times so the soil is just right and all of the weeds are good and dead.  Usually, sometime after Mother's Day, we plant the garden.  It's always a good idea to wait until after Mother's Day to plant a garden or flowers so that all chances of frost have passed.

The weekend of May 17th, my beautiful cousin Emily married the love of her life, Jared in West Lafayette, IN.  It was a gorgeous wedding and I was excited to be able to be in the wedding and share in this exciting event. 

In addition to all of the above things, we have also taken out a loan to build onto our farmhouse and remodel the kitchen.  Things that really need to be done.  The addition on the back of the house will be a mud room for Bill.  It will be a place where he can come in and have all his farm "things" in one area.

Here is a glimpse of our kitchen before everything is taken out and down.  The kitchen is/was functional, but can be much better with a little remodeling. 

I've truly enjoyed seeing all the styles through the years from the past McDonnell wives.  The mushroom wallpaper on the left is from when Bill's brother Mark and his (ex)wife Debbie used to live in the house.  The vegetable wallpaper and the mint green paint (which I haven't taken a picture of yet) is from when Bill's grandparents lived there and the white wallpaper all around the other two are from when Bill's Mom and Dad lived in the home.  Old houses have such wonderful history and again, I am blessed to live in a home where other McDonnell wives have lived and worked.

One thing I've done as we've remodeled is to write mine and Bill's name and wedding date on each wall.  Just for something fun to do and maybe for another generation to find and treasure. 

I hope you've enjoyed the month of May as much as we have.  We're looking forward to the summer and I'll keep you updated on the remodeling. 

P.S. I'm not enjoying eating out.  I'd rather be home cooking:-)

Strawberry Season is Upon Us

Strawberry Season is Upon Us

Since I work for a local Extension Office, I wanted to share the following article with you.  I love strawberries and thought you might find this article useful.

The strawberry is the most popular small fruit grown in the home garden – red, ripe and luscious.
It is relatively easy to grow, produces large quantities of good-quality fruit without requiring extra equipment, and it can be grown in home gardens all over Indiana.   A planting originating from 25 plants can yield 25 to 50 quarts of berries ripening from mid-May to late June, depending upon the area of the state in which they are grown.  Many of us enjoy eating berries frequently during the height of the season. You can buy them at the grocer's or at a roadside stand, but many people enjoy picking their own strawberries at places like Bell’s Strawberry Farm in Hagerstown, IN. There, you can enjoy the fresh vine-ripe quality and the opportunity to select your own fruit.  Strawberry season lasts 3 to 4 weeks, so you can plan several trips to enjoy fresh fruit.  According to owner Ed Bell, “The strawberries are looking great this year, much better than last year.”  In 2012, the Bell’s lost 97% of their strawberry crop because of a hard freeze.

This year, strawberries should be ready to harvest around Memorial Day.  When selecting strawberries, make sure they are free from bruises, cuts, and mold. Strawberries should be evenly shaped and not too seedy or white at the tips. Strawberries are highly perishable.  They will only hold a couple of days. . Berries will last the longest when stored in a stainless steel bowl. For best results do not wash or remove caps until you are ready to use them. To clean them, gently rinse strawberries under running water with the green cap still on. Once they have been washed, remove the green cap and store them between 34 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. If possible, store them in the plastic container from the store. Under ideal conditions, strawberries can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two to five days.

There are many ways to use strawberries such as:  strawberry shortcake, fresh strawberry pie,

strawberry sundaes, and strawberries and cream are hard to beat. Strawberries combine well with dry cereal and milk for breakfast or with custards, puddings, tapioca, and other desserts made from milk. They add color and flavor to compotes and salads.  Popular combinations are strawberries with bananas, pineapple, or cooked rhubarb. Strawberries also make a handsome garnish for salads, desserts, and fruit punches. To use them as a garnish, clean the berries but don't remove the caps and stems.

 

When you have more strawberries than you can eat or when strawberries can be obtained at a
reasonable cost, freeze them to eat later. For freshly made strawberry jam at any time of the year, freeze berries and then make the jam at your convenience.  To freeze strawberries, follow these simple rules:  don't freeze more than 2 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer capacity per day. Strawberries may be packed with syrup or dry sugar.  To make a syrup pack, mix and dissolve 3 cups of sugar in 4 cups of water. Add 1 cup of this syrup per quart of prepared fruit. To make a dry pack, mix 2/3 cup dry sugar per quart of prepared fruit. To package, fill pint or quart freezer bags to a level of 3 to 4 inches from top, squeeze out air, leave 1 inch of head space, seal, label, and freeze. Before freezing, bags may be inserted into reusable rigid freezer containers for added protection against punctures and leakage.  No matter which type of pack you choose to use, follow these general directions for preparing and packaging strawberries for freezing:

        o Use only firm, fully ripe berries.

        o To avoid bruising and soaking the berries, wash only a few at a time in cold water. 

        o Drain on absorbent paper or in a colander or sieve.

        o Remove the hulls with the tip of a floating blade peeler.

        o Chill the fruit in ice water to lower its temperature for fast freezing.

Bell’s Strawberry Farm is open from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. daily except for Sunday.  For additional information or recipes on strawberries, contact the Henry County Extension Office at 529-5002 or Bell’s Strawberry Farm at 765-489-5753 and on the web at www.EatMoreStrawberries.com.


Written by: Bethany Ratts, Purdue Extension - Henry County
Source: Ed Bell, Bell's Strawberry Farm, Hagerstown, IN

 

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Living on the farm and having fresh eggs readily available is such a blessing.  We recently had a cow butchered and one of my friends had a hog butchered, so we made a trade...10 pounds of hamburger for 10 pounds of sausage. 

Since I had fresh sausage and eggs, I decided to make a casserole that we recently had at church for our Easter breakfast.  It's simple to make and will last for several days.  I like to put mine in small containers to take to work and eat there in the mornings.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb sausage
10 eggs, beaten
2 and 1/4 c milk
1 and 1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
(save the 1/2 cup of cheese until 5 minutes before the casserole is done)
6 slices bread - torn up
1/4 t Tabasco sauce

 

Directions:

Brown sausage and drain. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are thick and frothy. Add all of the ingredients to the egg mixture except the sausage and the 1/2 cup of cheese.  Pour the egg mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Drop the sausage on top of the mixture evenly until the casserole is covered on top with the sausage.  Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.  Take the casserole out 5 minutes before it's done and add the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes.