POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

• 2 small zucchini, cut in ½” chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 large onion, cut in chunks
• 1 green pepper, seeded and cut in chunks
• 4 stalks of bok choy, cut in chunks
• 4-5 medium potatoes, cut in chunks
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 TBSP. olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP. soy sauce
• salt & pepper

  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together well.  Set out a large square of tin foil.  Place vegetable mixture in the middle, adding any liquid from the bowl.  Cover with another square of tin foil and seal edges together tightly to form a packet. (You can use two packets if the one is too big.)  Place packet on hot BBQ and let cook for approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.   Open packet cautiously as escaping steam will be very hot.

• ½ medium eggplant, cut into large chunks
• 2 med-small zucchini, cut into large chunks
• 3 red peppers, cut into large pieces
• 1 tsp. Cajun spice
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt & pepper
• Red Leaf lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• 10 olives cut in half
• ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled

DRESSING:

• 3 TBSP. olive oil
• ½ tsp. dried basil
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 3 TBSP. Balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Place cut vegetable chunks on hot BBQ rack.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper & spices.  Grill vegetables over med-high heat on BBQ grill, turning to get those great grill marks (about 5-7 minutes per side) until vegetables are tender but still a little firm.  Vegetables should be tender when pierced with a fork, but not really soft. Remove and let cool.

In large bowl, tear up lettuces and add olives.  Add cooled b-b-q’d vegetables.  Mix together gently.

Place dressing ingredients in jar and shake together thoroughly.  Pour over salad.  Gently mix in feta cheese.

• 4 large bananas
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips
• Ice cream (vanilla or butterscotch)

Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise.  Place both halves of banana on a section of tin foil measuring approximately one foot long.  Spread marshmallows and chocolate chips around banana.  Fold up edges of tin foil to create a little package.  Seal tightly. 

Place banana dessert packages in 350? oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Remove dessert from oven and serve in their tin foil wraps on individual plates.  Open foil packets and serve with a scoop of ice cream on top of bananas.

(For a really special treat for adults, spoon 1 TBSP. liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Tia Maria, on top of ice cream/banana packet)

• 5 medium red peppers, cut lengthwise & seeded2 TBSP. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 large carrot, diced fine
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• ¼ cups breadcrumbs
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. basil
• ¼ tsp. chili powder
• Dash of dry jerk seasoning (such as Grace’s Jerk seasoning-found in the international aisle at your grocery store.)

In medium saucepan, cook onion, carrots, zucchini, sauce, and spices until vegetables are soft.  Stir in breadcrumbs.  Spoon vegetable mixture into pepper boats.  Place on BBQ over medium-low heat and grill for approximately 7-10 minutes.  (Peppers should not be too soft.)  Top with combined cheeses.  Close lid on BBQ and heat boats just until the cheese melts.  Serve hot.

Blueberry Pie is one of those summer delights that everyone waits for each year.  The sweet flavor of the mature berries combines well within a flakey pie crust and is ambrosia for the taste buds.  Serving blueberry pie hot with whipped cream or ice cream adds an extra dimension of extravagance.

Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods available, as well as being great tasting. They are one of the richest sources of antioxidants of all the fruits and vegetables studied.  Antioxidants help fight cell damaging free radicals, which are unstable substances that our body produces as it gets older.  Free radicals damage human cells and DNA.  The antioxidants in blueberries help to slow your ageing processes and reduce the risk of various forms of cancer.  The antioxidants found in blueberries are contained in ‘Anthocyanins’ (which comes from the Greek word meaning ‘plant’ and ‘blue’) and are the reason why blueberries are blue in color.

Blueberry bushes bear fruit from May through October, but the season peaks in July in the Northern Hemisphere.  In fact July is National Blueberry Month in Canada and the United States. 

In Canada, British Columbia is the largest producer of the Northern Highbush Blueberry, which is the most common cultivated variety.  The British Columbia region is the most productive blueberry region in the world and yields about 63 million pounds a year.  Another variety of blueberry, the Lowbush Blueberry, is found in the Atlantic Provinces through to Quebec and Northern Ontario. 

The United States also contributes greatly to the blueberry yield, with New Jersey being a leading producer of the Highbush Blueberry.  Other significant areas of Highbush Blueberries are in the southern states of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.  Maine produces approximately 25% of all the Lowbush Blueberries in North America.

Blueberry pie is one of the easiest pies to make.  You don’t have to do any chopping or cutting up fruit.  You simply have to wash the fruit, make sure there are not stems still attached, mix the fruit with the sugar, seasonings and corn starch, and throw it in the pie crust.  The addition of lemon brings out the flavor of the berries and adds a brighter taste to the overall pie.

The correct ratio of sugar to get the desired level of sweetness required for a blueberry pie is about an amount of sugar equal to one-fifth of the number of cups of blueberries. 

Blueberry Pie

PASTRY:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup butter

FILLING:

• 3 pints blueberries, washed and cleaned
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup cold butter
• 1 egg, beaten with a small amount of water
• 2 TBSP. sugar

Measure all pastry ingredients into food processor.  Blend until just mixed together (do not over-blend or pastry will be tough.)  Pieces of dough should be about the size of small peas. 

Shape dough into a ball and flatten.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 450º. 

Remove dough from fridge and unwrap.  Cut dough in half and roll out one half on floured board.  Line pie plate with dough.  Add blueberries into pie dough and top with lemon juice.  Sprinkle flour and sugar over top, and dot with cold butter pieces.  Roll out remaining dough and top the pie.  Brush beaten egg over top of pie and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 450º for 10 minutes.  Lower oven heat to 350º and bake for 40 minutes longer (until crust is golden brown.)

There is nothing so sweet as a juicy peach when they are in season.  Biting into a ripe fuzzy peach, with the juice running down your chin, is surely one of the freshest and tastiest treats you can find.  That is the food stuff that is made for the gods.  Then when you translate that sweet juicy goodness into a pie it is truly a bit of heaven.

Peaches are the second largest commercial fruit crop grown in the United States today, with apples being the largest.  Major peach producers outside of the States include Italy, China and Greece.  In fact, peaches actually originated in China and have been cultivated there since very early in the Chinese culture.  You can find references to peaches mentioned in 19th century Chinese writings and were considered a favored fruit of the emperors.

Peaches were brought to America in the 16th century by Spanish explorers.  It was not until the 17th century that peaches were introduced into England and French cultures.  In Queen Victoria’s court, no meal was deemed to be complete without the addition of a fresh peach.

Peaches are not only a great tasting fruit, but also a very healthy one.  They contain antioxidants that help protect your body from daily cell damage and many chronic diseases, including certain types of cancer.  Peaches also contain beta-carotene (Vitamin A), Vitamin C and Vitamin E. The red-pigmented Beta-carotene, responsible for the peachy color, transforms into Vitamin A in the body.
Vitamin A helps maintain the skin, internally and externally, and also protects the eyes, helps build strong teeth and bones and helps maintain healthy hair.  Recent Vitamin A research has been linked to reduced rates of cancer and heart disease. 

Vitamin C helps boost your immune system and promotes healing.  It also helps prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke.
A significant amount of Vitamin E is found in peaches.  Vitamin E has been found to be particularly effective in preventing heart disease and breast cancer.

Since peaches are such a healthy, tasty food, it is not surprising that they are used in many recipes—especially in desserts.  Their sweet juiciness provides a delicious way to get many of the vitamins your body needs.
Peach pie has long since been a favorite in many family homes, as well as being a major contender at many county fair competitions.  Peach pie can be made with tinned peaches, but the best ones always use fresh peaches.  Although you can get peaches from May until October, the height of the peach season is in August.

Here is a peach pie recipe that you may want to try when peach season arrives this year:

PASTRY:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 2 TBSP. white sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 TBSP. very cold water (approximately)

FILLING:

• ¾ lb. fresh ripe peaches
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 TBSP. corn starch
• Juice from ½ lemon

Egg wash (made up of one beaten egg plus a small amount of water)
Sugar to sprinkle on top of pie

Measure all pastry ingredients, except water into food processor.  Pulse a few times until mixture is the size of small peas.  Through top, add just enough cold water until dough forms a ball.  (Do not over-blend or pastry will be tough.)  Shape dough into a flattened ball and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 450?F.

Remove dough from fridge and unwrap.  Cut dough in approximately thirds- two-thirds will be used for the bottom crust, and one-third for top.  Roll out two-thirds of dough on lightly floured surface and line a pie plated with dough.  Peel peaches and slice in wedges.  Place in pie crust.  Sprinkle lemon juice and then corn starch over fruit, then white sugar.  Roll out dough for top crust and spread over pie.
Crimp edges to seal.  Brush egg wash over top crust and sprinkle with a little white sugar.  Cut vent holes in top of crust with a sharp knife.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

There is nothing better in comfort food than the taste of Mom’s Apple Pie.  That rich smell of apples and cinnamon mingled together just makes you think of cozy family times gathered around by the fireplace on a cool autumn day.  Nothing speaks of home more clearly.

You can create that same feeling of comfort each time you create your own apple pie masterpiece.  Think of the ultimate in flakey pie crust filled with the sweet-tart flavor of apples and cinnamon baking in your own kitchen. 

The best time to make apple pies, of course, is when apples are in season in the fall.  There are thousands of varieties of apples the world over, but the best kinds of pie making apples are the crisper firmer varieties.  Many of these are found readily in Canada and the United States.  One of the more popular pie making apples include the Granny Smith apple, which is a crisp, juicy, tart apple that is speckled and light green in color.  Other good varieties would include Jonathan, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Winesap, or Pippin.  Sweeter varieties that also work well include Fuji, Pink Lady, Suncrisp, Rome Beauty, and Empire. 

Apples that you eat raw out-of-hand do not always make the best apples to use in pies.  Although the flavor of the apple may be great, sometimes the texture of your regular eating apple does not hold up when baking and your pie filling will turn to mush.  An example of a good eating apple that does not do well in pies is the Red or Golden Delicious apple. 

You can also use a mixture of different apples to create your pie, or even a mixture of apples and crisp pears for a little different flavor. 

Making a flakey pie crust can be intimidating for some people, but it really isn’t a complicated process once you know what you are doing.  The trick is not to blend the fat (or shortening) into the flour too much (as you would in a cookie dough).  You also need to make sure that the ingredients you use, like the fat and the water, are extremely cold.  You should learn to work quickly when making pie dough so that the ingredients do stay cold.

A handy tip to making pie dough is to use a food processor.  This eliminates using your hands to mix the dough and the ingredients will stay colder for longer.  If you do use a food processor to mix your dough, don’t overmix it.  Use the pulse setting instead of just letting it run on.  Your flour-fat mixture when pulsed together should have flour-coated pea-sized pieces of fat throughout. 

When adding the cold water to your pie dough, add it a little at a time.  You don’t want to add too much so that the dough is sticky.  You just want the dough to hold together when you squeeze it together with your hand.  Then shape your dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour before attempting to roll it out.

The recipe below is for a cinnamon-y sweet-tart apple pie that will fill your kitchen with yummy smells.  Use the tips above to make your pie and expect to receive rave reviews. Enjoy!

Mom’s Apple Pie

Pastry:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 TBSP. white sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 TBSP cold water (approximately)

Filling: 

• 1 lb. bag of firm cooking apples
• 2 TBSP. + 2 TBSP. cinnamon
• 2 TBSP. + 3 TBSP. white sugar
• 1 TBSP. cornstarch

Egg Wash -made up of one beaten egg + small amount of water
Sugar to sprinkle on top

Measure all pastry ingredients, except water into food processor.  Pulse a few times until mixture is the size of small peas.  Through top, add just enough cold water until dough forms a ball.  (Do not over-blend or pastry will be tough.)  Shape dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 450?F

Remove dough from fridge and unwrap.  Cut dough in approximately thirds- two-thirds will be used for the bottom crust, and one-third for top.  Roll out two-thirds of dough on lightly floured surface and line a pie plated with dough.  Sprinkle 2 TBSP. cinnamon and 2 TBSP. sugar on bottom of crust.   Peel apples and slice and place in pie crust.  Sprinkle corn starch over apples, then 2 TBSP. cinnamon and 3 TBSP. white sugar.  Roll out dough for top crust and spread over pie.  Prick top all over with a fork to create a few holes for steam to escape.

Crimp edges to seal.  Brush egg wash over top crust and sprinkle with a little white sugar.  Cut vent holes in top of crust with a sharp knife.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

What better way to warm up your loved ones on a cold winter day or when they are sick in bed than with a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup!  This tasty recipe will warm their hearts as well as their stomachs.

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 TBSP. oil
• 6 cups water
• 4 packets chicken bouillon
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 ½ cups fine egg noodles

In a large stock pot, heat oil and brown chicken cubes.  Add water. Bring to a boil and skim liquid of fat.

Reduce heat and all remaining ingredients, except egg noodles.

Simmer, covered for approximately 2-3 hours.  Add egg noodles and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Although typical chowders contain bacon, this recipe offers a bit of a lighter flavour.  The taste is all about the creaminess of the soup broth and the delicate seafood.  It is a great soup to start a gourmet dinner, but it is still relatively easy to prepare.  Wow your guests by preparing this wonderful seafood chowder!

Ingredients:

• 3 onions
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 3 TBSP. butter
• 2 TBSP. flour

In a large stock pot, melt butter.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are transparent.  Stir in flour and brown.

Add to pot:

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 small potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ½ tsp. Pepper
• 1 TBSP. Basil
• 1 tsp. Thyme

Bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and let simmer until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.  In small batches, puree soup in blender until smooth.  Return mixture to pot.

Add:

• ½ pkg. Mixed seafood
• 2-3 pieces of fish (cod, sole, etc.) cut in chunks
• 1 cup baby shrimp

Bring soup to a boil and turn down and simmer for 12 minutes.  Add 1 cup half and half cream.

Heat through and serve hot.

Although rhubarb is often mistaken for a fruit, it is actually a vegetable.  It is closely related to garden sorrel, which makes it a vegetable.  Its unique tart taste is a favorite in many desserts and it is especially good in pies.  It is often combined with other fruit like apples or strawberries to give it a sweeter flavor.

Rhubarb was initially cultivated for medicinal reasons and it was not until the 18th century that it began to be grown for culinary purposes in England and North America.

Rhubarb is a perennial plant that is rich in Vitamin C and dietary fiber.  The leaves of the rhubarb plant crop up in early spring and can grow up to a foot or more in width and length.  The plant can reach the height of several feet if not cut back.  The leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous and should not be eaten.  Only the stalks are used for cooking purposes.  Rhubarb is often used in jams, jellies, sauces, stewed fruits and juice, as well as in pies.

Although rhubarb is commonly found in most supermarkets around the country, it is also very easy to grow.  Once planted the rhubarb stalks appear yearly (because it is a perennial) and the plant expands.  The best quality rhubarb is said to be found in Michigan, other northern states and in Ontario, Canada.  You can find fresh rhubarb in early spring through to summer, and winter rhubarb is commercially produced in forcing houses in Michigan and Ontario.  You can usually get two crops of rhubarb out of your garden per year, the first in early May or June and then a second crop in late August.

There are several varieties of rhubarb and it comes in a spectrum of colors ranging from deep red to green.  You can also get pink or speckled rhubarb.  Many believe that the red rhubarb is sweeter than the green, but that is not necessarily true as the sweetness is not really related to the color.  The red is the more popular type among consumers, but the green varieties are often the more productive plants.  Any type of rhubarb can be used in cooking.

As mentioned, rhubarb is excellent when teamed up with other fruit.  The sweet crispness of apples makes a great pairing with the tartness of the rhubarb.  Firm, crisper apples like Granny Smith’s hold up better when cooked with rhubarb, which generally tends to soften and provide a fair bit of juice. 

Here is an excellent recipe for you to try for a true rhubarb taste experience.  It offers both the fruity goodness of apples and rhubarb and has a bit of crunch with the topping.

Apple-Rhubarb Crunch Pie

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 ½ TBSP. cold water (approximately)

Add flour, salt, sugar and shortening in food processor.  Process in short bursts until ingredients are combined and has the texture of small peas.  Add cold water a little at a time.  Add only enough water to hold pastry together.  Shape into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for about an hour.  After and hour, unwrap and roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8” thick shaping into a circle as you work.  Gently lay pastry in pie plate.

Preheat oven to 350? F.

Filling:

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup melted butter

Mix together above ingredients in a small bowl.  Spread evenly over top of pie.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until top is golden and filling is bubbly.