Rhubarb Peach Cobbler

Our neighbors left us a huge bag of fresh rhubarb on our doorstep.  This is probably paybacks for the huge zucchini I gave them last week! :)  I was never a rhubarb fan growing up.  People say my grandma's strawberry rhubarb pie was the best tasting pie around.  Sadly, I never tried it.  Rhubarb's tart flavor didn't appeal to me.  Now that I have grown up (not really), I'm a little more open to rhubarb recipes - especially when it involves combining my favorite fruits, like peaches.  I found a recipe from Alton Brown that had very high ratings... Rhubarb Peach Cobbler.  I love cobblers so gave it a shot.

The dough is quick to make but needs time to rest and chill in the fridge.

The beautiful colors of peach and rhubarb.  And some sugar and flour...

The recipe says to place dough crumbs on the bottom of the greased pan.  Not sure I'm sold on this - its not like little bits of dough are super noticeable, but I followed the directions.

The chilled dough shaped in a square to match the pan's shape.

Spread the fruit...

And lay the crust on top. Bake and serve with vanilla ice cream!

This recipe has a five star rating with over 30 reviews and I have to agree it is pretty good! Click here for Alton Brown's Rhubarb Peach Cobbler recipe!

While the cobbler was baking I was cooking up the corn from our yard!  This photo doesn't do justice to the size of the corn... they were maybe 6" long - so tiny compared to what you find in the grocery store.

And I had to weigh the latest zucchini from our yard.  It came in and just over 5 pounds!

Garden

Look what I found in my garden today!  Carrots that are in love with each other...

 And a mega sized zucchini!

Now its time to start making lots and lots (and lots) of zucchini involved stuff....

Garden

A little garden update.  Now that the sun is shining, the garden is growing!  The snow peas are really taking off and so are the carrots!

A broccoli floret.

Pretty snow pea flowers.

And our three raspberry bushes have been producing like crazy!

The corn is off to a slow start this year, but hoping the sun will stick around to really kick in a growth spurt.

And an onion bloom.  They are so pretty!

Onion?

I planted green onions, Walla Walla sweets and some garlic last year.  I never used it all and I never pulled it out of my veggie garden.  Last week I wanted to make room for all my baby veggie plants that are ready for planting and pulled all the onions out.  I set them on the gravel next to my veggie garden and went inside for the next week thanks to rain. 

Today I looked out my kitchen window towards my garden and saw mysterious green things poking up.  Much to my surprise the onions are still growing and happy just laying in a heap on top of the rocks.  I may not move them just to see what happens!

Garden Bonus

The crazy plethora of tomatoes is starting to get super crazy.  Crazy to the point that I'm running out of freezer space to store these suckers.  Looks like I've got some sauce making and roasting to do!

And as a surprise... potatoes from the garden!  They cropped up on their own this year after I apparently didn't dig up all the harvest last year.  This is what I've found so far... 

And for the family birthday gathering tonight... Fresh blackberry pie (thanks mom and auntie for picking blackberries!)....

 And chocolate chiffon pie, mom's special birthday request.

Oh, and pumpkin pie too.  But this was for last night's little birthday shindig. I heart a good pumpkin pie made from scratch (no canned pumpkins in this guy!). 

And the birthday girl!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Sauce

The tomatoes are going crazy!  I've slowly been trimming back the unnecessary branches on both the plants and hoping more of my giant green beauties will start to blush.

Our four butternut squash are slowly growing.  I'm keeping a constant eye on these guys, making sure no slugs eat them up!

And in the spirit of tomatoes, very green tomatoes that broke off the plants, I'm making fried green tomatoes for dinner.

Some parmesan, paprika, and panko crumbs for coating the slices.

Hot oil in a pan for frying (I don't have a deep fryer...sigh...).

The finished product looked nice and tanned.  And with the buttermilk dressing?  Ah-mazing.  And this is coming from a gal who would rather eat dirt than a tomato.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Sauce, courtesy of the Neelys

Oil

4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch rings
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder
4 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch paprika
Buttermilk Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

In a deep-fryer, preheat oil to 350 degrees F.  Season tomatoes, on both sides, with salt and pepper. Place flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with the milk. In another dish, mix bread crumbs with cayenne and paprika. Dredge tomatoes through the flour, then the eggs, and then through the bread crumbs. Add only a few pieces to the fryer at a time, so they can cook evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:

Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:
1 c. apple cider
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
1 lime, juiced
4 scallions, sliced thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the apple cider and brown sugar. Allow to reduce until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, add buttermilk, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and lime juice and whisk well. Add in the scallions and the apple cider mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with Fried Green Tomatoes.

Bread & Butter Pickles

I wasn't sure when to pick my cucumbers from the garden, or what to do with them.  I picked four humongous cucumbers and researched bread and butter pickles.  My grandma-in-law had promised to teach us her recipe for these, but she had to cancel at the last minute.  With four huge cukes (and I mean HUGE) and a fear of them spoiling, I had to venture on my own.

I found two very similar recipes.  One from Smitten Kitchen and the other from Cooks Illustrated.  I stuck with the SK version for my first adventure in pickling and loved the result.

Sliced onion and cucumbers ready for a couple hour long salt and ice bath.

After draining off the melted ice and adding the pickling juices, the project was complete!

It only takes a few hours for the pickling flavor to set in, and these should last a few weeks in the fridge.  I sure hope my neighbors like bread and butter pickles because there are even more cukes waiting to be picked in the garden!

Bread & Butter Pickles, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Makes 4 cups of pickles, filling a 1-quart jar

1 lb cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. Diamond Kosher salt (I used regular kosher salt and a little less than 1/4c.)
1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 c. distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds (if ground, use 1 teaspoon)
1/4 tsp celery seed

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature for two hours. In a pot, bring sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers and onions. Add to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. You can store the pickles in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the fridge. They will begin tasting pickled in just a couple hours.

*I had to double the recipe due to my cucumbers. 

Garden Update - 4

Wow... the tomatoes and pumpkins are grow'n!  (I used my huge phone for size comparison)

Garden Update - 3

Things are starting to really take off in the garden!

Four butternut squashes, so far!

Four huge cucumbers, and quite a few more left to plump up.

Petite, 3' tall sunflowers lining the stairs to our garden area.

Both tomato plants have now topped the 7-8' mark.  They're so heavy with (green) tomatoes that one of the plants has broken the support rods!

Two pumpkins, both about the size of basketballs, and a few more starting to show.

Garden Update - 2

It has barely been a week since my last post on the garden, and it's amazing the growth that has taken place.  One zucchini is very ready for picking (grew at least six inches in a week), and another will be ready in another week!

We now have three pumpkins starting to grow.  This one is growing so fast!

I've got one red tomato so far, and about 200+ green ones.

Our roses are blooming to!  C wanted to touch and smell each one.

And the highlight of the day was my husbands crab catch.  Nine crabs total between two guys - missing the limit by just one crab!