A Gardening Article in Meridian Magazine By Jim Kennard

If you are interested in growing your own vegetables, check out the article that my husband Jim prepared for Meridian Magazine.

http://www.ldsmag.com/gardening/090626laws.html

Jim's Pancake or Waffle Mix

This is a very healthy recipe and very tasty

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour*
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/4 cup pecans crushed
1 banana mashed


Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a prepared hot skillet or griddle and cook until done, about 2 - 3 minutes each side.


Makes 6 pancakes.

*Jim's tip: I like to mix 2/3 whole wheat with 1/3 freshly ground blue corn that I grind in my blender just before making the pancakes.

Quote of the week

"ABILITY is what you are capable of doing.
MOTIVATION determines what you do.
ATTITUDE determines how well you do it."



LOU HOLTZ

Green Tomato Salad (Armenian)

This is one of our favorite salads. This recipe is great for bottling for winter or as a Christmas gift.

Ingredients

5 green tomatoes halved and sliced thinly

1 red bell pepper *

½ bunch Italian parsley

½ cup oil

¼ cup cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Core and clean seeds from the pepper and put it in a blender with the rest of the ingredients on the list except for the tomatoes. Blend well. Put the sliced tomatoes in a glass bowl and pour the blended mix over the tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days, stirring once a day. It’s ready to eat on the third day.

* You can use green bell peppers if you don’t have red peppers.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread recipe

Makes 5 loaves

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup warm water
3 (0.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 cups oats (any kind you have)
4 1/2 cups warm water (110-115F)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
12 cups plus 1/4 cup whole wheat flour


DIRECTIONS:

1. In the mixing bowl stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup wheat flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes.

2. Measure oats, 4 1/2 cups warm water, whole wheat flour, salt, 2/3 cup honey, and 2/3 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix them for 1 to 2 minutes. Then begin adding the rest of the whole wheat flour, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.
3. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Divide dough into 5 pieces. Shape loaves, and place in greased pans. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, usually 1 hour.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until tops are browned. Turn them out onto wire racks to cool.


Araksya's Tip: I grind my own wheat to make the flour for this bread. You can also add sesame seeds and other nuts to this recipe.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Casserole

1-1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 pounds summer squash (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
2 pounds zucchini (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
1 pound eggplant, quartered and thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup crushed butter crackers
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Heat the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish.

Whisk the eggs and cream in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish. Using a spoon, gently shift the vegetables around so the egg mixture is evenly distributed. Bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle first with the crackers and then with the Parmesan and return to the oven. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 10 servings

Back to United States!

I apologize for the long silence as we were in Europe for 6 weeks. Now we are back and I hope I can update my recipe blog more often. Thanks to those who follow my blog and I appreciate your comments!

Araksya