Garlic Dill Quick Pickles

This weekend my husband was out of town and thank goodness because if he was home I think that we both would have had a pickle eating contest. I have always wanted to make pickles, mainly due to loving the heck out of them. I am also fascinated with all the different spices that one can infuse into the lonely cucumber to then turn it into something that can be a satisfying snack, chopped up in a salad or be the sidekick to a sandwich. Doing research on my pickle making exploration I found that there is a whole world of fermentation that I had no clue even existed. Well, these here pickles are quick refrigerator pickles and take only a few ingredients and a few minutes to make. The hard part is waiting for them to cure prior to eating them all up.  

Add whatever spices you like and just go to town! I added coriander, peppercorns, garlic and fresh dill. I also split a jalapeno and added it in to kick up the spicy.

Used a mixture of little pickling cucumbers from the Farmer's market along with the Kirby's cut into spears. Some of the information from my little Internet research suggests blanching the cucumbers first as this allows the pickles to absorb more flavor and they tend to be a bit crisper. I did not do this step as having two small children waiting for dinner made me cut some corners. 

The pickles are still curing but I did sneak a taste and they are crisp and salty. The dill and garlic flavors are starting to come through and I think after a couple of more days in the fridge they are going to be heavenly. If they last that long!

Strawberry Lemon Muffins

Someone please tell me that when you see or think of strawberries you also think of Strawberry Shortcake. No, not the awesome dessert with a pile of whip cream on a spongy cake, but the toy. I am ashamed to admit it, but almost  EVERY  time have a big o'l strawberry up in my face I think of that red head little freckled face doll with the stinky strawberry hair, and that the Strawberry Shortcake "la la la" song starts spinning in my head. Mind you, I loved that toy. I wanted to dance and sing like "Ms. Straw-la la" and wear a big hat on my head with a berry on it. I also really wanted to eat all of these strawberry muffins...seriously sometimes things just don't go your way.

Let's get this party started. We had some extra berries and what better way to use them up than making muffins. Strawberries meets whole wheat flour, lemon zest and some buttermilk. Muffin town here we come!

Sugar and berries prior to mashing, added lemon zest and some lemon juice just to brighten things up.

I left some pretty large pieces of the berries to give the muffins some big, bold strawberry flavor.

Pea and Herb Bruschetta

As some of you may know my husband likes bikes... alas, so does my son. Now you say, how does cycling end up on a post about bruschetta. Well you see, we discovered a new book called The Feed Zone by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim. This is book is great and it is full of  healthy recipes There are tasty treats to take on long endurance events, if you're so inclined to be that crazy, and it has really easy quick dinner ideas. The recipes are refreshingly simple and uses ingredients to help satisfy athletes as well as normal folks. This pea and herb bruschetta incorporates fresh herbs as well as a ton of spinach and greens. My toddler even ate it. Amazing!!

 Let's get started. Chopped basil, peas, Parmesan cheese and a baguette. Already sounds good, right?

   I used frozen peas. Although the end result was still amazing.

Brushed slices of bread with basil oil...cuz that is how I roll. Toasted under the broiler. Veggies blanched and added to the food processor and you are now ready for a the tasty spread. A little lemon juice to brighten up the flavors and some fresh grated cheese. Almost like pesto, but healthier and I think tastier. Maybe I should go on a bike ride just so I can put about fifty of these in my face.

Basil Infused Olive Oil

Summer is full of surprises. Someone I know is actually attempting to use the potty...YES, that is happening around here. It can also be full of an abundance. Tons of fruits and veggies have been filling up our home, so I am attempting at trying to use them up. It always pains me to throw away spoiled food. Having extra basil on hand, I was inspired by Tracy to infuse some basil into olive oil. Let's just say you could put this just about anything. I promise, I will not tell if you decide you need an basil olive oil facial. 

 Lets get this going. Olive oil, basil, and garlic ready for some chopping. 

I chopped the basil and smashed the garlic cloves to attempt to keep the garlic flavor more on the mild side.

All into a saucepan to cook for a bit and then steep for a while. The longer it sets the stronger the basil flavor.

Brown Butter Peach Banana Bread

Having kids who love summer fruits always makes me buy lots of them at the Sunday framer's market...Hi Kent! Yes, that much fruit that we are now on a first name basis with the farmer. One family can only eat so many stone fruits before we turn into one, so naturally what to do with the over ripe fruit that you don't want to waste. Banana bread of course! Who says banana bread just has to have a lonely old banana or two. Brown some butter, add a peach, mix it up. Dreams really can come true!

Peaches, brown sugar, bananas....perfection.

Mom's "helper" mashing up the bananas. I use a potato masher and tend to like to have some clumps and bits of the banana in the bread for some texture. 

Peaches chopped for the bread and then sliced for the top. Try not to eat them all while you are prepping. 

Citrus Marinated Olives

For some reason, lately I have been thinking about being a kid. Maybe it is due to daily reminders that pop up when I see my own children. Watching them read books that I used to love or seeing the joy on their face when Mom blows a "BIG BIG BUBBLE." So naturally when I saw this recipe for marinated olives I was reminded of my childhood and putting jumbo black olives on my fingers during  lunches at my Noni's house. There are many of pictures of my sister and I sitting in our Sunday dresses with big giant black olives on the tips of our fingers like giant black balls. We would sit and wave like we were the queen holding court, while I am pretty sure our whole family laughed and thought we were all in crazy town.

Well these olives are much more sophisticated and adult.

 Crushed coriander seeds, orange, bay leaves and chili

Olives (pitted or not) marinated with the citrus for about an hour. 

Olive oil, crushed coriander seeds, garlic cloves, bay leaves and chili just hang out for a while.

The result is a great mix of spicy, sweet and salty all in one little fancy adult bite. If you wanted to put these on your fingers heck even your nose, I am sure no one would care. They taste that good.

Mexican Corn Custard Bites

Living near the beach is a great thing. We have waves and sand about a block away. Plus there are cute surfer boys park right out side our front window. I am NOT complaining. However, we also have fog. Not all the time, but enough that it is really hard to grow veggies. As a kid living in the hot hot sun, we always had a big veggie garden. We grew (what seemed like) lots of corn. One year we also grew jalapeño peppers. When I saw this recipe it reminded me of the time that I dared my little sister to eat a raw jalapeño. I know what you are thinking...ouch! So, when I was making these corn bites I thought of her, and our summers as kids picking corn and double dog dares of jalapeño snacking!  

Simple ingredients. I spy two jalapeños.

Tons of chopped onions caramelized to sweet sweet perfection.

I decided to bake the whole thing in the skillet used to brown the onions. Keep it simple.

Topped of with a dollop (I love that word) of sour cream and some fresh (store bought) Pico de Gallo.

You could add more heat with some red pepper flakes or add some smokey bacon. The sky is the limit. Just don't make your sister eat the jalapeño. From experience that ends poorly.