Ben's Produce available at Music on the Porch this evening

Hi all!

Well, today will mark our third appearance at Music on the Porch, selling produce at Ben’s Produce stand. Ben and I are psyched about the bluegrass music and about seeing you all again.

Here’s the list of the produce we’ll be offering this evening:

Cubanelle peppers

Sweet bell peppers

Anaheim chiles

Pablano peppers

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Cucumbers

Summer squash and zucchini

Basil

Onions (red and yellow)

If you’re interested, I’ve included a few recipes below. Each of them incorporates at least some of the produce we’ll be offering this evening. I highly recommend Paula Deen’s tomato pie recipe. I made it earlier this summer and Ben made it a couple nights ago. It’s so good, you’ll want to eat the whole thing at once!

Oh, one more thing. We’ll be reducing our e-mails to one per week from here on out. We still may be posting more than one blog entry per week, but we’ll be keeping our e-mails to a minimum.

That’s all for now! Thanks again for stopping by! See you in a few hours. Until then…



When we make this pie, it doesn’t look nearly as pretty as Paula’s…but it sure does taste good! Also, I’m lazy on the tomato peeling front, so I leave the peel on. Some people seed the tomatoes, so it’s not so wet once it’s finished. Since I don’t care about the appearance and really care about the flavor, I also don’t do this…but each to her/his own.




Tomato Pie
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 (9-inch) prebaked deep dish pie shell
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.
Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
To serve, cut into slices and serve warm.
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tomato-pie-recipe/index.html

Available at the stand: tomatoes and basil

Another one from Paula Deen...

Tomato Grits

Ingredients:
• 2 cup water
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick cooking grits
• 1/2 and 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 green onions, diced
• 1 6-ounce Kraft garlic cheese roll
• 2 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel dice tomatoes and green chilies
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Add the salt and slowly add the grits and return to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. While stirring the grits add the butter and stir until butter is melted. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Using a skillet, saute the onions in the remaining tablespoon of butter for 1 minute. Add the garlic cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar, and onions to grits, and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Stir in the beaten eggs. Pour the grits into a greased 8x11x2-inch casserole and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Ease of preparation: moderate
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Source: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipe_view/158

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

Recipe:
8 Poblano peppers (2 for each person)
1 medium size onion chopped
15 oz can or 1 cup corn
15 oz can or 1 black bean
3 – 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 – 3 tsp red chili powder or per taste
1 – 1&1/2 tbsp cumin powder
3 – 4 cups cooked rice
1 lime or lemon
Salt to taste
Oil
1/2 – 1 cup grated cheese of your choice. I prefer fontina as it is mild.
Roast the pepper in an oven with broiler on or stove top on all sides. Then, put the peppers in a ziploc or paper bag and let them cool.

Roasted poblano pepper
In the mean time heat oil in a pan and saute onions and garlic. Then add the chili powder, cumin powder, mix well. Add corn, black beans and mix with spices. Add rice, salt, squeeze some lime juice, chopped cilantro and mix. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Now, if the peppers have cooled down, peel the skin. Core the top of the pepper so that the seeds are removed. Stuff the rice mixture in each pepper and slit open the narrow side of the pepper half way. Sprinkle with cheese on th slit open end and bake it in a preheated 350F degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted well and the pepper & stuffing has warmed through. Serve hot with a side of salsa and guacamole.

Stuffed Poblano Pepper with a side of salsa and guacamole
Source: http://365daysveg.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/stuffed-poblano-peppers/

Mom's Cucumber Salad


Ingredients:
4 medium cucumbers
1 ½ cup sour cream (fat free or regular) OR plain yogurt
Salt (to get the juices out)
Garlic (to taste – powdered or cloves are both fine)
Dill (to taste)
1 tsp white vinegar

Instructions:
1) Peel cucumbers
2) Thinly slice (or grate – depending on how you like to eat it) cucumbers
3) Sprinkle salt on cucumbers, let sit for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze water out of cucumbers. The goal here is to get the water out of the cucumbers so the sour cream (or plain yogurt) salad isn’t watery.
4) Add sour cream (or plain yogurt).
5) Add dill, garlic, and vinegar.
6) Stir. Taste it to make sure you like it. If not, adjust to your taste. Serve and enjoy.

How to cook eggplant:

How to cook eggplant:
Last week, I received a lot of questions from folks about how to cook eggplant. I thought I’d find a good site that gives the basics. Check it out, if you’re interested: http://www.ehow.com/how_2888_cook-eggplant.html