Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Well okay, these were dehydrator dried tomatoes but same concept. Note that I said dehydrator so that is what these instructions are for. With the heat we have been having across the nation, you could certainly do the rustic sun-dried method and let the sun actually dry them out but I decided to go the lazy route and use my trusty dehydrator.

I had an abundance of tomatoes and I wanted to use as many as I could before I had to start throwing them out to the wild animals that live in our woodline. I love cooking and even baking with sun-dried tomatoes so I figured this would be a great way to use some of these 'maters up.

Now, from everything I read, roma style tomatoes are the best but any kind work. The key is not to have any that are too overripe otherwise they will take forever to pull the moisture from. I just used what I had...
I sliced the tomatoes in half, then scraped out the seeds and pulp out of most of them and even quartered some of those slides. I then sprinkled salt all over the sliced tomatoes. For the last batch (which isn't pictured) I sprinkled salt and Italian Herbs to give a little different flavor.

I lined them up on my dehydrator trayIn my dehydrator these took almost 8 hours to dry (they were a little juicer than I thought, so they took a bit longer). You want them to be dry of moisture but not so dry they crumble.I put most of them in freezer bags and froze to use later. But a few of the regular and a few that I sprinkled Italian Herbs on, I put in jars and covered in olive oil to use for cooking/baking later on.

Zucchini Brownies

We got some great zucchini in our Harvest Box last week and I decided to do some yummy baked goods. School is getting ready to start so it's time to bake up some breads and muffins that I can freeze and the kids can grab and go in the morning. But today I started off with a nice treat of Zucchini Brownies. I love using Zucchini in brownies because it makes them so moist! My kids love these and they add a little bit of veggies (or fruit if that is what your vote that zucchini is!) into their snack!

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional...I do not enjoy nuts of any type in my baked goods)
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended.

Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.

Fold in the zucchini and walnuts.
(Your batter will not look as thin/runny as regular brownies, but don't worry, they will be fine! The zucchini will bring out the moisture as it bakes!) Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

For Chocolate Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1 package (8 Oz. Size) Cream Cheese, Softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar,
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth

Cantaloupe Sherbert

We received some wonderful cantaloupe in our harvest box this week. It was nice and ripe and ready for whatever we desired to do with it. I found this simple recipe in a Taste of Home Magazine a few years ago and decided now would be a good time to try it! It turned out awesome! It was easy and so good!

Cantaloupe Sherbert

• 1 small ripe cantaloupe
• 2 cups cold fat-free milk, divided (I used 2% milk and it still turned out very good!)
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Cut cantaloupe in half; discard seeds. Scoop out pulp (there should be about 4 cups of melon).
• Place cantaloupe and 1 cup milk in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth.
• In a large saucepan, combine sugar and remaining milk. Sprinkle gelatin over top; let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is complete dissolved.

• Stir in the corn syrup, salt and pureed cantaloupe.
  

• Pour into a 13-in. x 9-in. pan. Cover and freeze until partially frozen, about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Place cantaloupe mixture in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Return to the pan. Cover and freeze until almost frozen, about 1 hour.

Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin

We continue to enjoy the fresh vegetables from our Farmer's Market. This week we got some beautiful yellow squash. This dish may seem a little fancier because of the goat cheese but it was super simple to make and very tasty!

Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin

2 medium yellow squash

4 small to medium red potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Use a mandoline or chef's knife to slice the squash and potatoes into very, very thin slices, 1/8-inch or less.

Toss the sliced vegetables with the olive oil in a large bowl.

Pour a small drizzle of olive oil in a casserole dish (around 8 or 9 inches square) and spread it around the bottom and sides. Place 1/3 of the squash and potato slices in the bottom of the dish—no need to layer them squash-potato-squash-etc.—then season with salt and pepper.

Top with half of the goat cheese, scattered evenly in large chunks.

Repeat with another 1/3 of the vegetables, seasoning again with salt and pepper and topping with the other 1/2 of the goat cheese. Finish by layering on the final 1/3 of the vegetables and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Pour the milk over the entire dish. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until the top browns.

Basic Spaghetti Sauce

Back in May, I posted about doing a Freezer Meal class and my intention was to share the recipes I put in my little handout...I think I may have shared one or two but wanted to share a few more.

Basic Spaghetti Sauce

A great spaghetti sauce for once a month cookers. Can be used for pasta dishes and sauce.

1/2 lb Italian sausage (mild or hot)
1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
3 (28 ounce) cans Italian-style tomatoes or plain crushed tomatoes in puree
2 cups water
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt

In pot, brown ground beef and sausage with onions until completely brown. Drain fat.

Add remaining ingredients, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat, loosely cover and simmer for two hours, making sure to stire occasionally.

Allow to cool completely, then package in Ziplocs or plastic containers in serving sizes.

To use: thaw in refrigerator or defrost in microwave, then heat in pan.

Eggplant & Italian Sausage Casserole

I mentioned in a previous post about the Harvest Box I received from my local Farmer's Market. In this past week's box I got three eggplant. Now I am going to admit that I had never really given eggplant a chance and I was hesitant to do something with it even now. But I decided I was going to be brave and try it. I surprised myself and four of my five family members with this dish. We all actually like it and it has already been requested that I make it again. (My 10 year old is the one who didn't like it and to be honest, he didn't even try it, he did however enjoy the sausage and sauce!) My 13 year old enjoyed just the fried eggplant and told me to make some more!

This recipe was super easy to make! (I found this recipe in the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen...here is the blog I found it at.)

Eggplant & Italian Sausage Casserole

1 1/2 pounds of ground Italian sausage

1 large eggplant (or two small ones work as well)

4 cups mozzarella cheese (I also added in some Parmesan cheese for a little extra flavor)

8 cups spaghetti sauce (as you can see I make my own but store bought works just as good)

1 cup flour

oil for frying

salt

1 cup milk

Peel and slice the eggplant in rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Sweat your eggplant (sweating helps to pull the bitterness out of it, it is mostly in large eggplants but some smaller ones can be bitter as well. If nothing else you are seasoning the eggplant. How do you sweat an eggplant? Place slices on a kitchen towel or on paper towels in a single layer. Moderately salt each slice. When the eggplant sweats (about 10 minutes) flip each slice over and repeat the process.)
After the sweating is complete heat up about 1/2 cup of oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip each slice in milk and then flour and fry until slightly brown.

(I do not know why this picture turned and won't turn back, so sorry, it wants to be posted in this direction and so I'm leaving it!)

Drain on a paper towel. In a separate skillet brown and drain the sausage. Add the spaghetti sauce to the sausage.
Assembling the casserole: Spray a good size casserole dish and spread about 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom. Place a layer of fried eggplant on the sauce.
Next spread part of the sausage mixture on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sausage. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used ending with the cheese on top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until it bubbles.

Quick & Easy Hawaiian Punch

The other night I receive a frantic text from a friend who needed to come up with refreshments for a ceremony the next day. We talked and I shared with her this fool proof punch. I love this punch, I have used it for years and everyone always enjoys it. It's simple to make and you can pour it into a punch bowl, accent it with some orange or lime slices and it looks like you worked so hard!

Quick & Easy Hawaiian Punch
1 (12 oz) can frozen orange juice plus 12 oz water
1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade plus 12 oz water
1 (6 oz) can frozen limeade plus 6 oz water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (46 oz) can unsweetened pineapple juice
2 - 2 liter bottles of gingerale or Sprite

In two (1 gallon) jugs/pitchers (you will split the syrup), combine the all the ingredients EXCEPT for the soda. Shake to mix well. Fill jugs to the 1 gallon mark with water. Refrigerate (the longer it sits, the more the flavors blend). At serving time, pour 1 gallon mix in punch bowl and slowly add 2 bottles of chilled soda.