My Seven Links and First Year Blogiversary!

 

One year ago today I put forth into the world my very first post on my brand shiny new food blog.  It was all about gingerbread waffles and caramelized pears and I was pleased as punch.  One year.  Time has flown, friends.  Almost 100 (!!) posts later, and I'm still over the moon that I've created a little world here for you to stop by, stay awhile and hear what I have to say about food and cooking.  Given the healthy measures of gardening, cat talk, single-girl bitching whining, lots of lovely photos and perhaps an over-active imagination when it comes to my boyfriend Don Draper, I hope you've enjoyed letting me share little pieces of my world with you.

Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Tomato and Feta Salsa

 

The end is in sight my friends, the end is in sight.  No, I haven't been on some massive mountainous trek (though that sounds like fun!).  My news is more ground level:  I'm down to my final 2 zucchini.  Woo hoo!  For the last couple of months I've been somewhat overwhelmed by the plethora of yellow squash creeping along my vegetable garden floor.  This is the first year the zucchini seeds have actually done anything, and I blame it all on that manure I lovingly spread across the garden way back in May.  The garden rocked this year, plain and simple.  Never before have I grown vegetables with such success - goes to show that the health of your garden really does depend on the health of your soil.  Plus the weather in Saskatoon was absolutely perfect - lovely, hot, sunny days, with not a lot of rain.  Dragging the hose around the yard was no fun, but I like to think I burned a million calories while doing so.

If you've been reading me regularly, and are aware of my squash "issues", you know I've stuffed it and grilled it; eaten it roasted and raw.  There was a week in early September where I was eating zucchini every day...and tempted to put them into neighbour's mailboxes.  Yes, there was a squash-palooza at my place this Summer, and I'm happy to report it's finally winding down.

My friend Chelsey texted me a couple of weeks ago, just to say hey, and to let me know she made the most amazing zucchini fritters.  Hello!  Chelse and I have been friends since the days of big hair and bigger glasses; since the dawn of cassette singles and stirrup pants; since the days of "Twin Peaks" and gorging on Ritz crackers with barbecue sauce.  Chelse was clearly reading my mind when she sent that text.  Further follow up resulted in her giving me the recipe, which she acquired from a lovely British food mag called 'Olive'. 

Looking at it online, I'm thinking I may just have to get a subscription...

So about the fritters.  They were freaking amazing.  The batter is quite simple - coarsely grated zucchini, with some eggs, flour, diced onion and hot pepper.  I added a little lemon zest just to brighten the flavour, and a good shake of coarse salt.  Next time - and yes, there will be a next time -  I would add some fresh herbs to the mix - like cilantro, parsley or basil.  The fritters were like how fritters should be:  crispy good on the outside and tender on the inside.  The fresh salsa (Yay!  I get to use up some tomatoes sitting on my counter too!) was the perfect accompaniment - and really, there's never a bad time for feta cheese, is there?  I only had yellow zucchini, so I had to purchase some green from the market, just to add more pop of colour in my photos.  You can imagine how ridiculous I felt buying zucchini!  Oh well.  Just two more to go, and I think I'll just grate them up too, for something deep, dark and decadent.  Stay tuned for that.

Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Tomato and Feta Salsa

Fritters:
1 hot pepper, finely diced (use any variety you like, just remember to seed it if you don't want it too spicy, and wear rubber gloves while handling!)
1/2 red onion, finely diced
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp coarse salt (more for sprinkling after)
1 tsp baking powder
3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated, juice squeezed out (about 2 cups, packed)
canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine the pepper, onion, lemon zest, spices, eggs.  Stir well.  Add the flour, stirring to moisten, then add the grated zucchini, stirring until all combined.   Heat oil, about 1/2 inch deep in a large skillet, dropping the batter by heaping spoonfuls.  Spread out a little to make round.  Fry on each side, about 3 minutes over medium high heat, until golden.  Sprinkle with salt, heap with your fresh salsa.  Makes about 8 fritters.

Salsa:
Combine in a bowl:
Fresh tomatoes, diced
red onion, diced
fresh herbs like mint, cilantro or basil
squeeze of honey
squeeze of a lime
drizzle of olive oil
salt, pepper, dash of hot sauce
diced feta cheese

Season it as you like!

Grilled Italian Bread Salad with Basil and Feta

 

I'll let you in on a secret, only if you promise not to laugh:  I haven't been using my barbecue throughout most of the summer.  Not since propane ran out while I was cooking this salmon, in fact.  Silly, I know, but I have a fear of changing propane tanks.  Sillier still, I work with natural gas on a daily basis and have lit my fair share of pilot lights.  Heck, I even know what a thermal coupler is! 

Nope, that tank was empty all summer.  You maybe even wondered why I wasn't featuring more grilled dishes, but were too polite to ask.  Given that there's no man action around the place to take care of such jobs, I had to suck up my crazy phobia and figure it out, eventually. 

Not sure why I thought changing a propane tank was so darn complicated, or why I had visions of myself being blown to smithereens, but in the end all I had to do was unscrew the tank (thanks to Tara's bf for giving such an excellent demo!).  That was the easy part!  Trucking it to Canadian Tire, while it rolled around in the trunk, freaked me out big time.  Driving with a full tank of propane in the passenger seat, also super freaky!  Home re-attached to the barbecue, not so freaky.   Whew!  That was intense.  And all so I could make this salad.

When I was first learning to cook for myself, way way back then, I ate this salad, or a version of it, loads.  Who knew toasted stale bread with heaps of fresh tomatoes and basil could be so delicious?  Plus I was a student and perpetually broke, so this cheap and cheerful salad kind of made my summer.  Years later, it still does.

 

Grilled vegetables and feta add a more sophisticated turn to the salad.  Everywhere I look I see zucchini (still!) so I grilled that up, and some red onion too. (I'm super happy my barbecue is back in business!)  But peppers, eggplant would also be fabulous.  Tossed with heaps of glorious tomatoes and scattered with my favourite herb, this salad is a lovely way to showcase the best of the best vegetables.  Switch things up and add goat cheese and other herbs too.  Just be sure not to use junky white bread.  Get thee to a good bakery and buy a nice crusty loaf of Italian, or baguette, or even sourdough.  The bread I used had whole cloves of roasted garlic in it - amazing stuff.  Rustic and fresh, with all kinds of flavours running around,  this salad was totally worth the freaky drive with the propane tank in the passenger seat.

Grilled Italian Bread Salad with Basil and Feta

2 small zucchini sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 small red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 red or yellow pepper, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
4 slices Italian bread, preferable day old, 1 inch thick
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

Preheat your barbecue to  medium.  Brush the vegetables with 1 tbsp of oil.  Lightly oil the grill and barbecue the vegetables, turning often until tender, 3 minutes or so.  Remove each piece as it is done.  Grill the bread until it is toasted, about 2 minutes per side.  Chop the bread and vegetables, combine with tomatoes in large bowl.  Whisk remaining oil with garlic and balsamic vinegar, seasoning it with salt and pepper.  Drizzle over bread mixture, tossing to coat.  Transfer to platter and scatter the feta and basil.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4.  Adapted from Chatelaine. 

And lastly, aren't my Lemon Boy tomatoes just lovely?  They taste super sweet, and were perfect in this salad.

Stuff It! Zucchini with Beef, Asiago and Fennel

 

Zucchini Palooza!!!  That all I've got to say.  Or can say about what is currently happening in the garden patch.  The yellow gourds have gone seriously out of control.  I knew I'd have a problem when I left for holidays and there was a multitude then.  But I did not prepare myself for the sight of them upon my return.  Yellow.  Zucchini.  Everywhere.

Now I like zucchini.  I really do.  But like everything else in the garden this year, somehow the harvest is for a family of twelve, not for um, one. Good thing my Mom brought me up well, because I've been sharing.  And sharing.  Even with strangers.  I've fantasized about sneaking around the neighbourhood in the wee hours and stuffing the crazy yellow things into people's mailboxes.  Yossy planted the idea and it may have to come to that!

I've had zucchini for dinner, every night, for the past week.  No, I'm not joking.  I've pan-fried the smaller ones with butter, lemon and fresh basil.  Delicious.  Next night I added goat cheese.  More delicious.  I've roasted it with olive oil and herbs and a little balsamic drizzle. Super delicious.  But they are getting away on me.  Growing bigger.  Everyday!!!  And the big ones aren't that great for grilling or roasting because their shell gets tougher and they get seedier.  But, never fear!  A solution is at hand.

Take the biggest zucchini, slice it in half lengthwise and hollow out all of the seeds so you get two cute little boats.  My Mom, ever the wise and resourceful one, has been stuffing zucchini forever.  Recently she stuffed one with well seasoned ground turkey and Parmesan, and it kind of knocked my socks off.  Any ground meat and cheese combo would be delicious, really.  I had some local organic beef on hand so that's what I went with.  I've fallen in love with fennel seeds and they were a brilliant addition to the meat mixture.  Lovely stuff, fennel seeds.  But you can season the meat however you like and add whatever cheese you have on hand.  I had shredded Asiago, but I've tried it with Emmental and it's well.  Awesome.  I love chopped tomatoes with melted cheese, so those went on top too.  The melted cheese forms this gooey crust over the tomatoes and meat and anytime zucchini is a vessel for melted cheese, it's never a bad thing.

I love that I can still pad out to the garden, yes, still in bare feet, and rustle up something for dinner.  These are early days of September, and while the sun still shines warm and bright, the nights are darker, longer.  Which is a good thing when you have run around the neighbourhood stuffing zucchini into unsuspecting mailboxes.

Zucchini Stuffed with Beef, Asiago and Fennel

1 large yellow or green zucchini
1 pound lean ground beef (or chicken, turkey or pork)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp each fennel seeds, basil, oregano, thyme
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tomato, diced
shredded Asiago cheese (or your favourite cheese)

Slice the zucchini lengthwise.  Take a spoon and hollow out all of the seeds, forming two boats.  Set aside.
In a frying pan, cook the meat with the diced onion and garlic and seasonings.  When completely cooked, let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the egg and bread crumbs.  Take a spoon and fill the zucchini.  Top with diced tomatoes and cheese of your choice.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, until cheese is golden. One half of a large zucchini is lots for one person. If the zucchini skin isn't too tough, I eat it too. Depending on the size of your zucchini, feeds about 4.  

Scenery, Changing

 

The past couple of weeks have kinda kicked my ass physically (working way too much!), and emotionally (roller coaster boy drama!), so my upcoming vacation (like, starting tonight!) could not have come at a better time.  A change of scenery does a girl good, now and then.  I'm not going very far, for very long; just visiting old friends and favourite cousins.  Heck, I may even go for a ride in a tractor.  (You just never know what I'll get up to, but my camera is never far from hand so there could be documentation of said tractor ride.)  There are no recipes in this post (if you've ever worked in an extremely hot, busy kitchen, you know why), just some of my favourite photographs of the garden this summer.  I'm leaving it behind for a little while, knowing full well it's going to be an absolute jungle when I get back.  There is currently a yellow zucchini explosion, that frankly scares me a bit.  You know you'll be bombarded with zucchini recipes in the future - just a heads up.   Time to pack, and arrange for someone to water the tomatoes while I'm gone.  See you soon!

 

Peas, in a pod

 

Rainbow chard

 

Blue, blue delphinium 

 

Squash blossom #1

 

Squash blossom #2

 

Hollyhocks

 

Beets

 

Beans and Toes!

 

Calendula, everywhere

 

First haul of Yukon gold

 

At its peak

 

Sunflowers, everywhere

 

First tomato.  It fell off its stem prematurely!

 

 Purple Coneflower (my absolute favourite!)

Just a Few Favourite Things...

 

It's smokin' hot here in Saskatoon (finally!) and if I'm not working or gardening, I've been out playing...So this post is a random round-up of stuff that I'm kind of loving right now...crazy gorgeous lilies, no?

Out In My Garden

Shasta Daisies make me happy!

Alliums, especially gorgeous this year.

Icelandic Poppies, so pretty! 

Food and Drink Around Saskatoon

If you find yourself downtown Saskatoon, head over to Flint, and grab something cool and frothy alongside their tapas....Shan and I ducked in there before we saw the Tegan and Sara show, and my oh my we loved their selection of cheeses (the smoked applewood cheddar is super awesome!), meats and sides.  All served with your very own loaf of fresh crusty bread.    

When the urge hits for fantastic dim sum, look no further than Yip Hong.  Amazing shrimp cakes and pork dumplings.  We were especially fond of the steamed coconut buns.  Get there early or be prepared to stand and wait.  It's that good.  

For days when you are too hot and lazy to make your own Sangria, crack open a bottle of this stuff:  Aromas de Turis, Spain.   Pretty decent at an excellent price - $12/bottle.  

 I'm Dying to Make...

Always a fan of strawberry shortcake, I can't seem to get this one from Orangette out of my head.

And this pizza, has all of my favourite things on top.  Grilled peaches?  Hells yeah. 

Julie made bacon jam.  Not sure what I'll do with it, but I know I need it in my life.  Pronto!

Shelley is always baking up extraordinary things, but this cobbler caught my eye and won't let go.  

As soon as BC peaches come to town, I know I'll be making this upside down cake from Zoe. 

Now that the thermometer is going through the roof, this iced coffee is the only way to get caffeine!

Summer Anthems and the Best Book Ever

My gorgeous friend Stacy Lee is always keeping me up to date on the best music.  She passed this song on to me and it's kind of become the anthem to my summer.  Cute boys to boot!

Lucinda Williams.  Love her, and this song.  Oh Buttercup. 

REM put out a really great album in the spring, and this song says it all.  Sounds a lot like their earlier stuff from the mid '80s and '90s.  Love!

So the best book I ever read.  Big words, but this book lives up to them.  "One Day" by David Nicholls.  Get your bad selves to the book store and read it this summer.  Soon, before the movie comes out and ruins it for you.  Anne Hathaway is in it so maybe it won't suck 100%, but DO read the book.  I've been finished reading it for a few days now and I'm STILL thinking about it.  I almost need a support group to talk about the ending.  Seriously.  If you've read it, let me know your thoughts!!!

And Finally...

Sunny with the right idea of finding shade wherever you can!