21 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Soups
INGREDIENTS:
1 qt chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 bunch broccoli florets
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups each of shredded cheddar (or your favorite cheese substituted)
Puree broccoli and onion with milk. Pour into crock pot. Add chicken broth, seasoning and 1 cup of cheese. Slow cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours. Twenty minutes before serving, stir in remaining two cups of cheese.
15 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Grow Alabama
Grow Alabama would love to see you at the Birmingham Home and Garden Show. Please visit us at Booth #8 at the BJCC (Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex), 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. North, Birmingham, AL 35203.
DATES & TIME
New customers will receive a 20% discount if they sign up before March 1st.
14 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Side Dishes, Snack
Tags
Cherry tomatoes
Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Herbs such as basil, thyme or rosemary
Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry tomato crosswise and arrange on a greased baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on, if you are using them, and salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.
Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.
Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge for the best summer condiment, ever. And for snacking.
13 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in Desserts
Tags
Ingredients:
BUTTERMILK CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES
2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups unsifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
ORANGE-MASCARPONE FILLING
2 cups nonfat vanilla yogurt, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined sieve in the refrigerator
1/4 cup mascarpone, (Italian cream cheese)
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
ORANGE SYRUP & STRAWBERRY LAYERS
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup red currant jelly, melted
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch round cake pan or coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Add breadcrumbs, tilting the pan to evenly coat the inside. Tap out excess.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a nutty brown, about 30 seconds. Pour the butter into a small bowl. Whisk in oil, then buttermilk; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick and pale and falls in a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Sift half of the reserved dry ingredients over the egg mixture; fold in with a rubber spatula until blended. Fold in half of the reserved buttermilk mixture. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out of the pan and place right-side up on the rack to cool completely.
To make filling and syrup and assemble cake: In a bowl, whisk drained yogurt, mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar and orange zest until smooth.
In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup water. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in orange juice and liqueur.
With a long serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers using a gentle sawing motion. With a pastry brush, brush all of the syrup on the cut sides of the cake. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate, cut-side up. Spread half of the orange-mascarpone filling over the bottom layer. Arrange about one-third of the sliced strawberries in an even layer on top. Spread with the remaining filling. Place the second cake layer on top, cut-side down.
Brush the top of the cake lightly with about 2 tablespoons of the melted jelly. Arrange the remaining sliced strawberries in straight rows on top. Overlap the slices and reverse the direction of the slices in each row. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, remelt the remaining currant jelly and brush it over the strawberries on top of the cake.
10 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Main Dishes
Ingredients:
6 green bell peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1 28 ounce can vegetarian baked beans, drained
1-3 tsp hot sauce, to taste
12 ounce Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
salt and pepper to taste
Cut green bell peppers in half lengthwise to create six boats for filling and scrape out seeds. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos, chopped red bell pepper, cilantro and cumin, and cook over medium heat until tender for about 5 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and stir in baked beans, hot sauce and 8 ounces of cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed peppers and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Set up grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. Arrange the filled bell peppers on the grill away from the heat. Cook until tender and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove from grill and serve.
Oven baked alternative: Place rellenos in greased pan and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
