Cream of Celery Soup

 This makes a believer out of even the most skeptic celery or cream of soup eater as long as you use farm fresh/homegrown produce!

Cream of Celery Soup

1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped,

1 large Yukon Gold or red potato, peeled, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (can add or use leek if you need to use some up that is languishing in your fridge)

½ cup bacon grease or unsalted butter

Kosher salt, to taste

fresh cracked pepper, to taste

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

 

¼ cup chopped dill

½ cup heavy cream

Throw everything but the broth, dill, and cream in a pot.  Saute for a while and then add the broth and cook until everything is soft.  Throw it in your blender with the dill and puree the hell out of it.  Pour back into the pot and stir in the cream. Enjoy!

Blackberry Crumble/Crisp

 It's that time of year with way too many blackberries...maybe way too many is a misnomer.  We have plentiful blackberries and this is a perfect recipe for using it up.

Blackberry Crumble/Crisp

Filling part

• 8-12 c blackberries, rinsed off
• 2/3 c flour
• 2/3 c white sugar
• lid full of lemon extract
  

 Topping part

• 1 1/3 c old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 2 T oil
• 6 T softened butter
•  1 tsp lemon extract
  

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, gently combine blackberries, sugar, lemon extract, and all-purpose flour. Transfer to an 9 x 13 baking dish. For the crumble topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl (just use the one you did the filling in cause lie and work together with a pastry cutter until the ingredients resemble a crumble.  Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blackberry mixture. Bake crumble until the the topping is golden brown and blackberries are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Parsley Pesto

This works quite well in a miniature food processor.

 

Parsley Pesto

1 bunch Italian parsley (flat-leafed)

 1⁄4 cup salted roasted sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tsp chopped garlic 

3 tablespoons oil

 

Remove leaves from parsley and put in food processor.  Run until chopped.  Add sunflower seeds and chop again.  Add rest of ingredients and puree until smooth. 

Green tomato bread

A co-worker and I were talking about fried green tomatoes this week and I realized I still had tomatoes on the vine and it sounded good.  Jill and I had some last night and I enjoyed them.  In the process of looking for a recipe, I found a quick bread recipe that used green tomatoes.  Why not!  Turns out it's pretty darn tasty.  I adapted this recipe a bit; namely reducing the amount of sugar.  Jill thought the 1.5 cups of sugar was just right.  I'd like to try one cup next time.

Green tomato bread
3 eggs
1.5 c sugar
1 c oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 c gluten-free flour blend
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 T cinnamon
2 c green tomatoes, grated and then drained a bit in a strainer

Beat eggs in medium bowl.  Add sugar, oil, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly; dough will be thick.  Mix in drained, grated tomatoes.  Divide evenly between two bread pans that have been greased.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  Enjoy and share with others.

Cranberry orange almond scones

Was looking for something to use up some almond flour and that was easy.  I found this basic recipe and added my twist with the cranberries and orange extract. It does make it easier to me if you have a kitchen scale but use the measuring cups if you don't :)

Cranberry Orange Almond Scones
283 g (2 1/2 c) fine almond flour (I used the flour from Costco)
64 g (1/3 c) white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c oil
2 eggs
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 c dried cranberries


Mix almond flour, white sugar, salt, and baking soda together.  In a measuring cup or bowl mix oil, eggs, and orange extract together.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; you don't have to worry about over-mixing!  Add dried cranberries and get them equally mixed throughout.

Put on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Should make between 10 and 12 scones.  I plop them down as balls and then flatten quite a bit before baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Jill likes these because they think it tastes like buttery goodness in their mouth :)