First Heirloom Tomato Harvest

It has finally happened! The very first heirloom tomato has ripened and been plucked from the vine. And it's a beauty with a bright, red sheen and a wonderful smell. It'll be amazing with some mozzarella cheese, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Mmmmmm!

We had been watching it intently for the past few days, waiting as patiently as we could. First a little pink. Then a few patches of red. A little more red. Then a gorgeous, ripe tomato! We couldn't wait any longer (plus, we didn't want to risk the squirrels getting to enjoy it first). We had a small ceremony and Daniel made the official snip.

We planted a variety called "Oxheart" tomatoes. We are told it's an older variety. They have distinctive ridges and a slightly oblong, heart-like shape, thus their name. Can't wait to see how they taste! A few more are starting to ripen now and should be ready in the next few days.

The cherry tomatoes continue to ripen on the vine by the dozen (they're going to become salsa this weekend along with some of the onions from the farm share).

And the peppers are looking good! The jalapeños are producing and so are the banana peppers. They'll both end up in the salsa. The green bell peppers are finally starting to show the beginning of fruit... so we will look forward to them in a few more weeks.

Ahhhhhh, summertime!

Garden Finally Starting to Produce

At long last! The backyard garden is finally starting to produce results. We planted heirloom (oxheart) tomatoes and a bunch of "large" cherry tomatoes... jalapeños, habañeros, banana peppers and green bell peppers. The plants we bought that were labeled as orange bell peppers seem to actually be yellow banana peppers. But that's okay... they'll still be yummy!

This morning's haul was pretty good. A bunch of tomatoes and a couple kinds of peppers. Combined with what we get from the CSA, this should be a good start on some salsa! Yay!

Making Jam for the First Time

Recipe: Traditional Strawberry Jam

First and foremost... of all the things learned today... know this: Jams, jellies and preserves are made over high heat. Do not attempt this on a 90-degree afternoon! LOL

There is no explanation for why I wanted to try this... but it is something I've wanted to try for years. Now that we have the equipment to do it, it's worth a shot! It actually turned out to be a little more fun than expected!

I remember, as a little kid, my grandmother's friend, Boggess, making jam in her kitchen. We'd go over to visit and the apartment would be a million degrees because the giant pots were on the stove with jam bubbling away. Sometimes, I got to help stir... and, even better... got to taste!

This batch of jam turned out pretty well. Guess what some of you are getting as holiday gifts? ;)

CSA Deliveries Going Strong!

This summer, we signed up for Community Supported Agriculture, a CSA. We get a share of everything the New Century CSA Farm produces this season. Each week, the delivery truck shows up and drops off a whole bunch of produce; whatever is ripe this week goes in the cooler. We've had a ton of sweet corn and even more lettuce. The peppers are starting to come into season and we're getting our first, big tomatoes and potatoes. It's been great so far! Looking forward to fresh blackberries next week!

Crunchie Bars!

We found Crunchie bars in the US! Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati imports them! Woo hoo! Let the munching begin! Yay! We bought an entire box to toss in the freezer. They'll keep for ages 'til we finally have a chance to get through them. Sooooooo yummy!

Here is some info about them from Cadbury NZ... and a couple of recipes that approximate what's inside the chocolate.

http://www.cadbury.co.nz/Products/Chocolate-Bars/Crunchie-Bar.aspx

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Crunchy-Part-of-a-Cadburys-Crunchie-Bar-50122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crunchie

Creamy Coconut Shrimp

The other day, I was having a craving... and asked everyone for their favorite Coconut Shrimp recipes. There were lots of very interesting ones... but I ended up creating something a little different.

Normal Coconut Shrimp involves breading the little buggers in shredded coconut and deep frying them. I was aiming for something a little healthier.

This is a recipe cobbled together from several others, plus a dash of improvisation. It doesn't involve any deep frying... but the coconut milk keeps it from being "low fat." It's shrimp in a creamy, coconut sauce with a little bit of a spicy kick. Turns out, it's delicious and filling!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1/2 medium-sized red onion, minced
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

1 lime, zested and juiced
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

13.5 can coconut milk
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

PREPARATION:

Brown Rice: In a large sauce pan, combine 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of uncooked brown rice a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat and cover tightly for 50 minutes.

Creamy Shrimp Sauce:

Sauté onions, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic in olive oil.

Combine lime, cilantro, shredded coconut, cumin, curry, crushed red pepper and soy sauce in a food processor. Add the sauté mix. Blend until smooth.

Pour the blended mix into a large skillet. Add coconut milk and warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring often.

When it gets to a simmer, stir in the shrimp.

Pre-mix the cornstarch and cold water then stir it into the hot mixture.

Continue to simmer until the shrimp are cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve shrimp and sauce over hot, brown rice.

First Columbus Crew Game

Not a bad way to start. A playoff game! The Columbus Crew took on Real Salt Lake in the second game of the 2009 MLS Playoffs. It was my first Crew game… and Daniel's second.

Plus, we snagged tickets to sit with the "Hudson Street Hooligans" in the Nordecke (the northeast corner of the stadium).

The Crew scored twice in the first half to take a commanding lead. But penalties helped RSL tie the game by half time. Some questionable officiating helped RSL eventually win the game 3 to 2, knocking the defending champions out of the MLS playoffs.

More details about the game are here, on the Columbus Crew's website.

Potato Jalapeno Soup

This is a deliciously creamy potato soup with a delightful kick. It's not as spicy as you might expect… but you'll definitely know there's some jalapeno in there!

We had a bunch of jalapenos left over from this summer's garden. What do you do with them? Here is a great idea. It's a take off on a soup we had aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
3 pounds potatoes, cubed
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 pinch baking soda
4 cups evaporated milk
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro

• In a large stockpot, sauté the onion in butter or margarine until it becomes tender and translucent.
• Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and cumin.
• Bring to a boil, cover and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).
• Remove from heat and add the jalapenos, baking soda (to keep it all from curdling), and the evaporated milk.
• Use a potato masher to coarsely mash the potatoes in the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Put back on the stove and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep the evaporated milk from burning or scalding.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
• Ladle several cups of the soup into a blender and puree for a minute or so.
• Continue pureeing small batches until all the soup is creamy and smooth.
• Return three cups back to the blender, add the cilantro and re-puree.
• Add that back to the main pot of creamy soup and stir until the cilantro flavor is mixed throughout.
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs and/or sour cream.

What A Great Caribbean Cruise!

Back from the Caribbean cruise! We had a great time! Horseback riding in Cozumel… exploring the Mayan ruins in Belize… visiting friends in Key West... and more incredible food than we knew what to do with! Details and photos are posted at Travel.MarshallMcPeek.com.

The Pittsburgh Weekend

It only took me a week to get it all posted... sorry.

But the pictures from the weekend holiday to Pittsburgh are posted at travel.marshallmcpeek.com!