String Beans in the Freezer

Fresh string/green beans (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

My daughter brought home a huge bag full of fresh string beans the other day along with the snack tomatoes and peppers. I finally got to them yesterday and ended up with 3 1/2 quarts in the freezer! 

I haven't prepped string beans since I was maybe in Kindergarten, so I'd forgotten just how much fun it was (NOT!). That required cutting off the ends, tossing the bad ones and cutting the lengthy beans into smaller segments. It took me just over an hour to get them trimmed and cut up before I could begin cooking them. 

Now, I say cooking them because I chose not to blanch them. I don't have ice to quickly cool them off, so I just cooked them through and froze them in a cooked state. I also added a bit of ham broth to the pot to add some flavor along with the salt I'd put in. 

Of course, once I was done cooking them, my daughter came home from work with a bag full of regular tomatoes. I guess our vegetable supplies aren't going to fall short this year, for sure!

A New Day

The title of today's post has multiple implications. It could refer to the literal fact that today is a new day, different from yesterday. It could also refer to the concept of today being a new opportunity or even the beginning of a new era following major change. I'm thinking of it as a blend of all three of those ideas.

It is Sunday and that makes it another day on the calendar, new to you, new to me. But, it is also the beginning of a new era since my daughter started her new job this past week. She is learning new things that she's excited to learn that will benefit her in any future jobs she might hold. In addition to accounts payable and receivable she's also being trained in shipping logistics. She works for a fresh fruits and vegetables distributor and really likes the people and the job, even though for now, it's part-time.

She's supposed to go full-time in three months at which time she'll be eligible for full-paid medical and dental benefits. Since we've both been without any medical for years, she's looking forward to that. She's also going to see if I can be on her insurance since I have been her dependent these past couple of years. I don't believe that can happen, but who knows.

The peppers Deb brought home.

Anyway, another benefit of her job is that any excess or undistributed produce is shared with their employees. The other day she came home with a bag full of bell peppers. She gets to bring home fresh produce when they have excess or need to make room for new shipments. I'm looking forward to eggplant (aubergines) and tomatoes at some point.

She's learning accounts payable and receivable as well as logistics. They told her she'd go full-time in three months and then her full-paid benefits would begin.

Meanwhile, I have a phone interview tomorrow morning with Campbell's soup. If they like me, I may be working within a week. It's a contract position that's supposed to last a year. 

It's interesting that both my daughter's job and this potential job for me are food related. Can't be any more perfect for a life-long foodie like me!

Hamburger Helper Cheesy Enchilada

I was supposed to go out to dinner the other night, but the person who was going to take me, after making a big production of where we were going to go, suddenly decided we were going to go somewhere else. Because he's done this numerous times in the past to the point of extreme annoyance, I decided not to go out at all and make something at home. I'm glad I did.

From Google images - this is how I ate mine!

I went to our trusty pantry and pulled out the box of Hamburger Helper Cheesy Enchilada. I didn't really look at it, other than the name and that it would be Mexican inspired. I assumed it would be pasta as all of them usually are. (Obviously, I failed to look closely at even the photo on the front of the box - and, yes - I am the kind of person who tries to assemble things without reading the instructions.) 

I had already decided that I would incorporate some vegetables because we had a half can of corn my daughter had opened and left in the fridge plus two small portions of limas and green beans in the freezer. That way we have more of a one pot meal than anything. When I realized this particular HH was a rice dish, I wasn't sure the veggies would work out well. I did it anyway.

The instructions said to put the rice in with the hot water and milk, so that's also when I added the three small portions of vegetables. I lowered the flame and put the lid on and let it simmer the 20 minutes required. 

Of course, being the lazy butt that I tend to be, I didn't stir during that time, so I had quite a mess on the stove and counter from the hot liquid escaping past the lid. But, the end result was wonderful!!! 

The flavoring was mild and only hinted at being Mexican-esque. The vegetables incorporated themselves quite well without altering the overall flavor. Even my daughter ate it and she's not a fan of either lima beans or rice. 

I have one more box of this flavor in the pantry. I will not hesitate to make it when I'm craving a rice dish.

V is for Vegetables in Hamburger Helper

We like Hamburger Helper in our house. We REALLY like it. My daughter LOVES it. She's made it twice just this week. But, we also add vegetables to it. It's not just meat, sauce and noodles for us. 


First Deb made Beef Noodle Helper to which she added French-style green beans. It was delicious. Today she made Philly Cheesesteak Helper and added whole kernel corn and peas. I might have liked it better without the peas, but it's still good. It's not that I don't like peas, but they added a "sweet" to it that I'd have rather not had in something called Philly Cheesesteak.


Adding vegetables allows Hamburger Helper to be a one pan meal instead of having to dirty another pan to cook a vegetable separately.


Do you make Hamburger Helper (or something similar)? When you do, do you change it up in any way?

Vegetarian Meal, Mediterranean-style

There is a small and unassuming restaurant in Cherry Hill that we used to go to fairly often called Norma's Eastern Mediterranean. It is in a strip mall and has a Mediterranean grocery attached. Behind it is its sister restaurant called CousCous Moroccan Cuisine and Hookah Lounge. There's no escaping the flavors of the Mediterranean in this part of Cherry Hill. 

Photo by UrbanQ

We were at Norma's one time when a belly dancer came out and danced among the tables. I vowed to never return on the night she danced. I just can't get into that. I mean, it's great exercise, but when they started sticking money in her outfit (ala pole dancer), I knew I wouldn't be back for that little bit of entertainment. It just wasn't to my taste.

Speaking of taste, there is something on their menu that is very much to my taste and that is their Mediterranean Medley. It is more like a vegetable stew that consists of eggplant, squash, green pepper, onions and tomatoes cooked in a tomato sauce and served with rice pilaf. Oh my....I so totally enjoy that dish! The flavors are melded perfectly and perfectly paired. 

Moroccan Stew that resembles the Mediterranean Medley. -Flickr on Wikimedia

I usually start out with Harrira Soup (Moroccan Bean) which is a tomato based soup with lentils, chickpeas, onions and fresh cilantro. I totally enjoy my meal when I'm there. I'm in vegetable heaven and that's coming from someone who avoided most vegetables throughout childhood into young adulthood. I love it!

Moroccan Lentil Soup similar to the Harrira soup -Flickr on Wikimedia

I have tried and tried to find a recipe that duplicates theirs, but to no avail. Almost all of them seem to be more sides than main courses and aren't stew-like at all. But, I want to make this at home some time. It is just wonderful. Ratatouille seems to have all the right ingredients, but isn't cooked down like this is. 

I've had other dishes here. I'm not a big fan of their Moussaka, which I generally like. Their Laham Mishwe (grilled skewered lamb) is darned good, but I've only tasted it when Tom ordered it. The flavors in the meat are perfect, the meat juicy and tender. On my budget, I stay away from the pricier options.

But, when I'm on a vegetable binge, Norma's is one of the places I'll ask to go because I know I'll be able to get my fix with Norma's Mediterranean Medley. In fact, I think I'm about due for another visit.

Container Gardening for Kinder-gardeners (appropriate, eh?)

I've decided that container gardening is what I'm doing this year since my happily anticipated actual garden in the back yard never happened since it requires actually digging up the yard, raking and seeding. As much as I loved growing up in a rural community and eating foods picked from Mom's garden, and as much as I LOVE driving through what remains of the rural Garden State and the scenery of Lancaster County, and as much as it pains me to see the demise of the American Farmer, I'm afraid I'm just not one who can pull it off. However, I desperately want to grow my own veggies (especially since we use so many tomatoes, bell peppers and onions when we cook); so I've decided that I'll grow these things in containers with bagged soil (already full of nutrients and not the mystery chemicals that may be part and parcel of our back yard courtesy of a toxic dump next door that was to have had a school built on it. I kid you not! See the picture below. If the sign wasn't there announcing the building of the school (originally canceled because the state authorities in charge of the money SPENT all the money set aside for these schools on their own offices instead!), you'd be able to see our house as we're right on the corner!

Bill WolfeGloucester City - middle school to be built on Superfund site. Millions waste on cleanup and relocation of residents (http://blog.nj.com/njv_bill_wolfe/2008/06/polluted_land_and_urban_school.html)

Bill WolfeGloucester City - Polluting industry located directly across street from proposed school on Superfund site.

Bill WolfeGloucester City - school located in an industrial zone on a Superfund site (we live on the left just before the street bends a bit to the left)

The area inside the yellow perimeter on the bottom left is where we live. See the bare area? That's the field where the school was to be built. We're directly across the street. (from http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/welsbach/images/welsbach_aerielmaplayout.jpg)
So, I think containers are the better way to go, no matter what. This despite the fact that somewhat behind the photographer here and to the right there is a community vegetable garden where people who can't grow at home can go to grow their veggies. Regardless, it's probably better than I do containers. 
I will, however, be putting my rose bush out back. It requires little maintenance and plenty of sun and water, AND we don't eat roses. I think I'm good there.
So, here for your perusal and use is a chart supplied by Ohio State's Extension service about which vegetables work best in which containers. Now I need to figure out where a child's beach bucket and a couple of 8 qt round totes fit in.

Vegetables	Varieties/Cultivars	Container Size
Beans, Lima	Bush Baby, Fordhook Bush Lima, Fordhook 242	12" wide, 8-10" deep
Beans, Snap	Bush Romano, Contender, Provider, Tendercrop Stringless, Bush Blue Lake	8" wide, 8-10" deep
Beets	Baby Canning, Spinel Little Ball, Red Ace Hybrid, Burpee Golden	6"-12" deep
Broccoli	Any variety but Crusader	20" deep
Brussels Sprouts	All varieties	12" wide, 12" deep
Cabbage	Baby Head, Dwarf Morden, Minicole, Fast Ball, Flash	8"-10" wide, 12" deep
Carrots	Short root or round, Nantes, Gold Nugget, Best of the Bunch, Little Finger, Baby Spike, Short & Sweet, Thumbelina	10" wide, 10" deep
Chard	Any variety	8-12" deep
Chinese Cabbage	Bok Choy, Michihli, Wong Bok	20" deep
Collards	Any variety	12" deep
Corn	Space saving varieties, F-M Cross, Golden Bantam, Kandy Korn, Precocious	21" wide, 8" deep. Need 3 plants per container to assure pollination.
Cucumber	Salad Bush, Burpee Hybrid II, Bush Crop, Spacemaster, Burpee Pickler, Bush Champion, Fanfare, Pickalot, Picklebush, Pot Luck	20" wide, 16" deep
Eggplant	Dusky, Morden Midget, Bambino, Millionaire	16" deep
Horseradish	Maliner Kren	5 gallon or larger
Kale	Any variety	8" wide, 8" deep
Kohlrabi	Grand Duke	12" deep
Lettuce	Black-seeded Simpson, Red Sails, Salad Bowl, Tom Thumb, Green Ice, Little Gem	8" wide, 6-8" deep
Onion	Bunching types work best: White Pear, Japanese Bunching, Beltsville Bunching, Crystal Wax Pickling PBR	10-12" deep
Peas	Little Marvel, Sugar Bon, Sugar Mel, Laxton's Progress, Sugar Rae, Melting Sugar, Burpee's Blue Bantam, Early Patio, Snowbird	12" deep
Peppers	Any variety	16" deep
Potatoes	Charlotte, Kennebec, Red Pontiac, Irish Cobbler, Epicure	1-20 gallon containers
Pumpkins	Autumn Gold Hybrid, Bushkin, Jack Be Little, Small Sugar, Baby Boo	5 gallon tub
Radish	Cherry Belle, Early Scarlet, French Breakfast, Sparkler, Burpee White, Comet. Avoid winter radishes.	4-6" deep
Spinach	Any variety	4-6" deep
Squash, Summer	Early Yellow Summer, Crookneck, Goldbar, Park's Creamy Hybrid, Straightneck, Scallopine, Peter Pan, Gold Rush, Pic-N-Pic Hybrid, Richgreen Hybrid, Sunburst	24" deep
Squash, Winter	Butterbush, Bush Acorn, Table King, Cream of the Crop	24" deep
Tomatoes	Patio VF, Pixie, Small Fry VFN, Yellow Pear, Sweet 100, Tumbling Tom, Container Choice, Rutgers, Tiny Tim, Husky Red, Husky Gold, Yellow Canary, Whippersnapper, Basket Pak, Red Cherry, Gardener's Delight, Sundrop	Dwarf--12" deep Standard--24" deep
Turnips	Any variety	10-12" deep

Courtesy of the Ohio State University's Extension Service. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1647.html