Foodie Friday // Garden Update

The lovely ladies at Arkansas Women Bloggers host a weekly feature called Foodie Friday, in which local writers share recipes.

And would you believe I was asked to participate?? Debbie is likely unaware of how little I know when it comes to the kitchen, and I doubt she wanted a recipe for thawing nuggets or stirring mac and cheese. She had a motive, though. July's Foodie Friday theme is "eating our gardens" and she knew my thumb is as green as my culinary skills. I accepted, then turned right to my husband for help. We decided to share his delicious homegrown stir-fry, and used a version that featured produce from all over our town. You can read my narrative and his recipe on their site today.

Click HERE to read the post, leave a nice comment, then give it a whirl for dinner tonight. If you have a bag of rice, soy sauce, and some form of veggies and protein on hand, you're good to go. Kids can pick around what they don't like, and they'll probably accidentally eat a vegetable or two. Bon appetit, y'all!

GARDEN UPDATE // This particular harvest season has come with plenty of help, even if the "help" consists of sprinkling dirt on everything. Nora loves searching the plants to fill her basket and counting how many sunflowers are open. The weeds are back with a vengeance and the excruciatingly hot afternoons don't exactly make garden labor inviting. She doesn't mind, though. She thinks her garden is beautiful, and so do I.

With late summer does come new trouble, though. We have hordes of stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs on the tomatoes and they're starting to invade the nearby cucumbers. We have tried various methods, but we are still knee-deep in battle. Trust me, I'd love to share these vegetables with whichever humans {and chickens} can appreciate them, but I hate sharing with bugs. We carry on, though. I'll shudder when I see them, ask Jonathan to remove them, and pick tomatoes like nothing happened. It's easiest this way.

That's your official garden update. Everything is overgrown, leggy, and maybe a bit past its prime, but the bounty keeps coming. How does your garden grow? More importantly, how are you using your garden this season? I showed you my recipe, now show me yours. Seriously, leave me tips in the comments. Share recipes to use up tomatoes, pickling ideas, and maybe even a salsa or two. Don't be shy, show me what you've got!

Have a great weekend, y'all. Get dirty!

Pepper Preservation

"MOM. You are the worst cooker ever!"

That has to brighten your spirits to hear this coming from a four-year-old who's covering his face with a blanket and passing one to his brother in order for him to do the same. While I'm not known for my cooking prowess, I do have an excuse this time around. I don't think a big pot of vinegar and garlic boiling away on the stove top is going to whet anyone's appetite. It was all in the name of pickles.

Last week I wrote about ripping out much of the summer garden to pave the way for fall, but that doesn't mean all that fresh goodness was going to waste. Jonathan pulled all the pepper plants out by the roots and laid them in a line on the grass. Then the kids set to work grabbing peppers. Nora was the most excited about this task, and even babysat the harvest as we moved on to the next chore:

We knew we were going to freeze all those lovely bells to use in soups and chili this winter. That's as easy as slicing, removing seeds, and freezing. The jalapeños were a different story, though. Sure, we could freeze those puppies just as easily, but I prefer a different form of hot pepper. Picked jalapeños are delicious on everything from nachos to hamburgers, so we thought we'd cook up a batch or two. Despite the awful stench that resonated through the house while the brine was coming together, the end result was perfection. I looked through several different recipes for pickling jalapeños online and settled on the easiest {naturally}.

All I did was combine a cup of water, a cup of white vinegar, two tablespoons of kosher salt, four tablespoons of sugar, and a garlic clove or two in a pot. I let that come to a boil, added in the sliced jalapeños and took it off the heat. After letting those peppers warm up for about 15 minutes, I moved the whole thing to a jar and let it cool to room temperature before sticking it in the fridge. I ended up with two pints. I think this recipe should work for canning, but I just did refrigerator pickles. I know they won't last long.

The fresh peppers were still spicy, but that sugar gave them a sweet kick, too. Give this method a whirl if you find yourself sitting on too many jalapeños when the weather tells you it's finally time to pull your peppers.

What are you pickling or preserving this time of year? I have a request for pickled okra, so I may try to figure that out next. Have a great Tuesday, y'all!

Chef Daddy: Roasted Okra

Today I might lose some of you.

Okra has been one of my favorite crops to grow in the backyard garden, because it grows in extreme heat and because it's extremely tasty. I've never been a fan of pickled okra, but I love those crispy little morsels the South is known for. I understand many people's okra issues: the slime. If you've ever chopped it up fresh you'll know it's not a figment of anyone's imagination. It's gross. That could be why most people have resolved to batter it and fry it to a crisp.

Today I'm here with an alternative. Though I will always and forever love fried okra {bags of it line my freezer, waiting to meet the oil}, we have found another way. And dare I say it: a better way. This may not be news to you, but it was the first time we gave this method a whirl. The cooking was easier, the cleanup was easier, and the end result was delicious. That's why we have found a favorite in roasted okra.

Now, this isn't a "Chef Daddy" recipe post like you've seen in the past. There are no rows of ingredients to photograph or processes to print and save. Basically, you chop up the okra {or slice it, or leave it completely whole}. You spread it out evenly on a foil-covered baking sheet {or some of other form of heat-safe dish} and you stick it in a 425-degree oven. Leave it in about 20-25 minutes and take it out when it's nicely browned. Salt and pepper it {go crazy and add some other herbs or garlic salt if you want}, and then you eat it. It's not as crunchy as its breaded cousin, but the slime is gone and there's nothing left but flavor. Flavor that goes beyond cornmeal.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume most of you who are knee-deep in fresh okra already know this one, but for the few who don't, do me a favor and try it. You might be surprised!
Have a great weekend, y'all.

Chef Daddy: Creamy Potato Soup

Some days are just soup days.

If you could see the view from my window, you'd know today is one of them. The grey skies and drizzly rain call for something warm and filling. It's a good day for a big pot of goodness and Chef Daddy has just the thing. While gloomy autumn days often call for a vat of chili, sometimes nothing hits the spot like creamy potato soup.

This recipe is adapted from my mother-in-law, and is a favorite throughout the family. We've served it with sandwiches for an easy way to feed the masses during cold weather celebrations. It's very rich and a little thicker than many potato soups. Do note that it gets thicker with time, so don't worry if it's watery at first. If you start too thick, you could end up with mashed potatoes.

It's so simple you may have everything you need on hand already. Obviously you need potatoes, then grab an onion, butter, milk, and heavy cream and you have soup! I top mine with bacon, diced green onion, and shredded cheese. You might like chunks of ham or a dollop of sour cream, too. Load it up, my friends!

Variation: My sister-in-law also cooked this recently and she tossed in a couple handfuls of shredded cheese while cooking rather than on top {or perhaps in addition to}. It made the soup a lovely yellow color, and even creamier than before. Try this if you could use a little more cheese. Go ahead and snag the recipe card above. Just click to enlarge and then save it. Get a pot going tonight to bring warmth to this grey day. Although all grown-ups who have tried this have sung its praises, I regret to report that Nathan did not:

Please don't let this deter you, though. His words were, "This tastes just like potatoes! I love potatoes, but I really love pizza Lunchables." So, take that with a grain of salt. Stay warm and dry today, y'all, and be sure to give this recipe a try. It's simple, it's comforting, and it's good.

Chef Daddy: Chili

You know the chill in the air has descended on southern Arkansas when it's too cold for me to walk outside barefoot.

I'm like the groundhog or something. I had to actually pull on my fuzzy slippers before loading the car for school. Classy. I'm even seeing words like "freeze warning" and the little blue counties on the overnight low map seem dangerously close to mine. What a perfect day to talk about a very easy recipe that'll warm your family. Today I'm spilling the secrets behind Chef Daddy's famous chili.

Tonight all your little ghosts, goblins, and snow queens will fill their buckets and tummies with all the candy they can find. However, dinner may need to be squeezed in somewhere. The taste of this recipe only improves over time, so this is something you can make this afternoon and heat and eat after trick-or-treating. It's your basic no-frills, no-beans kind of chili, but it's really, really good. This is what you will need to make it:

{Maybe I forgot an important ingredient and added it in post-processing. You can't tell, can you?}
I suppose you can add beans to this if you want, just don't serve it to me. You brown some meat with onions and red bell pepper. You pour a bunch of tomato sauce on top of that. You sprinkle in Jonathan's mixture of spices. You give it a taste test and add a little more, then you let it simmer until you're hungry. Easy as pie.

I like mine with a layer of cheese, a layer of Fritos, a layer of diced onions, and extra cheese for good measure. You could mix in crackers, elbow noodles {usually in mine}, or fresh jalapenos if you're feeling frisky. Be creative and make it your own! Click the recipe card above to enlarge, save it, and then whip it up on a crisp autumn night.

Oh, I guess I need to give this recipe a Nathan rating. Please do not take anything away from the following other than the fact that Nathan does not like chili. He didn't even try it, but for the sake of consistency, he was nice enough to give his Daddy a single thumb up.

He decided zero thumbs would be mean. It's not too spicy for kids, though, and if yours like chili, they will love this. Get it ready for your darling little zombies tonight, and have a Happy Halloween! Check back on Monday to see how the evening went for my super trio. Also, cross your fingers that Spiderman makes an appearance. He just asked, "Can I have at least one candy if I don't wear my suit??"

Chef Daddy: Spinach Dip

It's been a long week, my friends.

Not really with an over-abundance of things to do, but more along the lines of picking up the same toys over and over to the point I can pick them up no longer. It's the kind of week that called for warm, cheesy comfort food, and today I'm sharing. This week's Chef Daddy recipe has been a favorite in Jonathan's family for years and for some reason, his is always the best. However, I'd love for you to try your hand. I'll even let you in on his secret ingredient {just a splash of white wine}. It's the one you've all been waiting for. Let's talk Spinach Dip!

This dish is far from your run-of-the-mill dip. It's very lopsided in its cheese-to-spinach ratio {which my kids appreciate}, but it's not baked like most hot spinach dips. You do this on your stove top in just a few minutes with these ingredients:

{We ran out of the aforementioned secret ingredient earlier this week. Like I said, it's been a doozy.}
There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but it's easy enough that even I can offer a play-by-play. One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the beginning. There's nothing like the smell of onions and garlic sweating it out together. It lets me know something delicious is on its way. Once they're translucent and ready to roll, the addition of cream cheese and Velveeta just takes it up a notch.

Here are two important notes with regard to this dip's veggies. Once you thaw the frozen spinach, remove it from the box and use a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of it {see squeezed spinach wads below}. This time Jonathan decided to get fancy and dice the tomatoes himself, but we typically just get a can of petite diced. Make sure you drain them first. Let me repeat: drain the liquid from your canned tomatoes before adding them. If you skip this step, the dip will be runny and pink. Yummy, but wrong. Aren't you glad I told you that?

Follow the easy recipe above {click to enlarge and save} and you'll be snacking in no time. This week we used pita chips for dipping, but tortilla chips work just as well. This was plenty to serve as an appetizer for my family, but double it if you're bringing it to a big party or family gathering. It's a hit with everyone I've introduced it to, especially Nathan. I don't know if he would be willing to eat spinach any other way, but he was quick to give this one a five out of five:

I hope y'all have an incredible weekend. I plan to unwind by getting rid of all three of my children for an overnight stay with their grandparents. This calls for a trip to get more of that secret ingredient, don't you think? Now I'm off to pack bags and enjoy a lunch of leftover spinach dip. Happy Friday, folks!

Chef Daddy: Blackened Tilapia

Today marks the start of a recipe series on this little blog of mine. No, this is not a joke.

You may be wondering why there are no culinary posts in the six-year history of this blog. There's a simple reason, and it's because I can't cook. I could if I tried harder, but it seems my knowledge of the perfect grilled cheese and boxed macaroni have been good enough thus far. It also helps that my husband is really good at it.

I've posted his creations on social media and even brought one to a blogger meetup {spinach dip post coming soon}, but I never thought about sharing recipes. When I approached him about writing down his methods, Chef Daddy was all in. In the interest of alliteration and not reinventing the wheel, I figured Foodie Friday would be a good fit. You get the gist. I will take pictures of food I had no hand in cooking and share the fruits of my husband's labor for you to enjoy. This week's dish has been a popular one in the house lately. Today we're talking blackened tilapia with a side of sautéed vegetables. We've been attempting to trade fried food in for leaner fare, and this rates high on the healthy scale.

My lack of skills means I can't really explain the details, but the recipe card below should point you in the right direction. I will say the way he cooks this fish is better than anything else I've tried, and when I ask what he does, he says, "secret recipe." Consider yourself lucky. He tops it with fresh ingredients: a mix of pepper, cilantro, tomato, avocado, and a splash of lime, but it's just as good without the topping {Nathan prefers it that way}. The veggies seem like a no-brainer. Just turn the left into the right:

For the entrée, I think you take sprinkles of some sort and put it on the fish. Then you put it in the pan, pull it out when it's ready, put some stuff on top of it, bada-bing, bada-boom you've got dinner:

It should be quite clear that I have no idea what I'm talking about, so I'll let the Chef Daddy-written recipe do the talking {hint: click on the recipe to enlarge, then save}. Print it out, ignore my cues, and cook this for your family. It comes with the Jessica stamp of approval, and although I'll admit that both Nora and Owen opted for hot dogs, Nathan gave this dish three thumbs up:

In his words, "I prefer salmon, but this is pretty okay." Nathan is such a picky eater, so to get him to try this, let alone eat the majority of it, is a win in my book. If your kids are open to new and exciting stuff, give this a whirl. It's good for them and comes with all sorts of vegetables disguised with delicious flavors. Bon appetit!