Fava Beans!

Do you know Fava Beans? If you are like my husband you may only know them from an infamous line in the Silence of the Lambs. But they are very nice beans! Really! And one of the oldest foods in cultivation. Its been around for several thousand years. You may have also heard them called broad beans. I decided to grow a few in garden this year. Couldn't have been easier - you should try some.


I'll have to plant more plants next year to get a bigger yield. As you can see they look fat, but inside is full of fluffy fiberfill.


But I grew enough for a nice little pasta dish. I made about a third of the recipe below.

Capri Lemon Pasta
Adapted from Maria Elia's "The Modern Vegetarian"

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled (or 5 1/2 ounces frozen fava beans or shelled edamame)
1 pound sugar snap peas
14-ounce pasta like fettucini
4 tablespoons mascarpone or fromage blanc
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low combine the cream and lemon zest. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Once the water has boiled, add the green beans, fava beans, pasta and peas. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and produce.

Pour the warmed cream and lemon zest into the pasta cooking pot. Add the lemon juice, mascarpone or fromage blanc and reserved pasta cooking water. Return to a boil, then add the pasta and vegetables.

Add the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss well.

Makes 4 servings.

This is the local cheese I used



The few favas I grew had me wanting more, so I got some in my weekly veggie box - 5 pound this time. Its a labor intensive food - peeling the pod, blanching, then peeling the waxy coating off,


Then you can finally cook! This weekend I tried another great recipe. Made a great lunch - kind of a warm salad.

Warm Fresh Fava Bean Salad



adapted from this recipe at Tasty Trix blog - great photo tutorial showing how to shell favas

3-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 plum tomatoes, quartered
6-8 ounces Greek feta, cubed
5 lbs fava beans, prepared in the manner described above
2 Tablespoons chopped black olives or olive salad
Shaved Parmesan to top
Salt & pepper, to taste

Combine the garlic and olive oil on very low heat in a deep skillet and allow the garlic to infuse the oil. Once fragrant, toss in the tomatoes and fava beans increase heat to medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, season and add feta & olives. Very filling!

Sharing a few summer images taken on 4th of July at Browns Point in Tacoma. Better late than never!


Joining in for Mosaic Monday at Little Red House this week.

Flashback Friday ~Sloppy Joes

This week for Flashback Friday I'm featuring a recipe that I've never posted before, but have been making for several years. Sloppy Joes! If you're looking for a fine gourmet recipe..this may not be the post for you. I would venture to say many of you already have a recipe in your head for this or at least have a store bought shortcut product that helps you put this on the table.

I always used one of those handy dandy mix packets but when I had a request for Sloppy Joes on night and found myself without my trusty packet I turned to a Ground Beef Cookbook put out by Taste of Home a few years back and tried their recipe. Over the years I've tweaked it slightly to our taste, but I can say this - I've never seen the need for the packet again!

My Sloppy Joes



Ingredients

• 1 pound groud beef
• 2-3 celebery ribs, sliced (optional or use celery salt)
  
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning or other cajun spice mix (or salt/pepper to taste)
  
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 6 to 8 hamburger buns

In a large saucepan, cook the beef, celery, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the next 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Spoon onto buns.

In my last post I showed some flowers that I had lost this past winter. How about a few shots of whats left :-)

Daylilies are taking over at the moment. I just adore this one. No idea what it's name is.



This is pretty sweet too


Even the old fashioned orange is pretty right about now
]

This red one is a very nice color


And a few here in the border


A cute little potentilla poking up above the blue hardy geranium.


This lychnis is out of control this year.




Etoile Violette clematis is one that blooms like crazy too.


The tall phlox is just starting to bloom.


I've got a lily or two


This veronica was tiny last year and I thought it was a low growing variety but it grew up!


One of my pots on the driveway. Love the geranium leaves!


Last year I had barely 10 tiny apples on my tree. This year *BANGO*. I'm sure I'm supposed to thin these or something but I don't have the heart for that.


Its Raspberry time!



Things are filling in around the pineapple fountain


My angel corner is getting really over grown. Who knew these plants would get so giant???


This is kind of cheating - I just bought it this past weekend, but lets just call it a fill in for some that I lost. Couldn't resist this pretty frilly coneflower.


Nasturtiums that live in my veggie garden


Red Bee Balm standing tall



This hydrangea is particularly blue! I love this stage...the yellow reminds me of the color of butter.


Hope you enjoyed the midsummer tour!



If you have a flashback of any kind that you'd like to add put your link below.


Joining in this week for:
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Flaunt Your Flowers at Tootsie Time

Flashback Friday ~Missing In Action!

For this week's Flashback Friday I am showing a few things from my flower gardens that have decided to go A.W.O.L this year! We had a strange winter - late spring frosts that I think did a few things in. At least I have pictures to remember them by! I keep hoping some of these are hiding somewhere and will resurface later than normal..still have my fingers crossed. More than a couple roses bit the dust including this beautiful pink one whose name has been lost to me.



My cute little shaggy daisy is missing as well. Sniff Sniff


Bee balm borders on being a weed but I lost two different varieties. A pink and this purple


Another near weed but one I love - rose campion. I have a lighter pink but the neon pink one is gone.


To be honest I have no clue what got this clematis but I had to replant something else in its place.


Cone flowers are a tough one for me to begin with because I just don't have enough sunny prairie like spots in my yard!


And finally - the one that makes me the most sad. My little Hot Lips Salvia that I bragged on for several years as being hardy enough for my zone 7-8ish garden. This is definitely one I will try again! I had actually tempted fate and moved it to a less protected spot so I will be seeking out a tad more cozy spot next time around.




All is not lost though! I have plenty of beautiful plants blooming at the moment. Next post I'll take you on a tour of what IS still around :-)

If you have had a chance to check out the recipes shared at the Ice Cream Social last weekend take a few minutes to check some of the links out. There were some wonderful things blogged about! Click on the cones below to bring you to the Ice Cream Social post. Its actually not to late to add your link - the Social is open til the end of the month!


If you have a Flashback of any kind you'd like to share please add your link below.



I'm joining in for
Flaunt your Flowers Friday at Tootsie Time
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

~Welcome to the Ice Cream Social 2011~

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Ice Cream Social at Kitchen Bouquet! I look forward to this all year and can't believe the time has finally come to have y'all come into the parlor and share all your ice cream creations & posts.


I can't think of a better way to spend time with friends and family than to eat ice cream together! It's hard to not be happy and have a smile on your face when you are enjoying such a cool treat :-)


Hope you all enjoy the social as much as I know Iwill!


With so many wonderful things "Ice Cream" out there in the world its hard for me to narrow down my choices when it comes to choosing something to share for the social. This year I decided to recreate a couple of favorite store bought or Ice Cream Truck treats.



There are so many goodies now days in the freezer case!


But there are just some classics that stand the test of time


If you really want a challenge try your hand at this Frozen Treats ID Quiz at Slashfood. I failed miserably, but did get a few correct! If nothing else it will give you a few blasts from the past.
TAKE THE QUIZ

The history of ice cream treats and ice cream trucks is a little sketchy. The late 1800s saw the invention in Europe of such things as the Ice Cream Sundae & Ice Cream sodas.



There was also a European tradition of bicycle peddlers of ice cream at the turn of the 20th century and this was brought to the United States.


1904 saw the fabled introduction of the ice cream cone to America at the Worlds Fair.


In 1920 the Good Humor trucks started rolling.


1934 was the year the Eskimo Pie entered the scene.


1940 saw the opening of Dairy Queen.


And so many more things followed!



Today I am going to focus on a couple of my personal favorites - The Ice Cream Sandwich & The Nutty Buddy!

For a base for these two yummy treats, I started with an absolutely yummy Double Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.


I wanted to try and duplicate the flavor of the Dreyer's Double Vanilla I love so much and I think it came close.


Double Vanilla Ice Cream
From the Ice Cream Maker website

1 C milk

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 C cream

5 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Warm milk in a sauce pan.
   
   
2. Mix in salt and sugar.
   
   
3. Slice vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the beans with the tip of a sharp knife. Add the beans and the pod to the milk.
   
   
4. Remove from heat, cover and allow to cool.
   
   
5. Whisk the egg yolks.
   
   
6. Gradually pour the milk into the egg yolks, beating constantly, then return mixture to the pan.
   
   
7. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until custard thickens slightly and reaches about 80C (170F). Custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
   
   
8. Pour cream into a bowl. Set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and set a sieve over the cream.
   
   
9. Strain the custard into the cream and mix.
   
   
10. Cool, stirring often.
    
    
11. Add vanilla extract, mix well.
    
    
12. Chill overnight, then transfer to ice cream machine.

With this ice cream I went on to make some really yummy ice cream sandwiches! Look at this 1905 Jersey Shore beach scene that has Ice Cream Sandwiches being sold for a penny a piece! You'll have to enlarge the picture by clicking on it in order to see the sign.


Ice Cream Sandwich
From Family Fun website

Ingredients

• 1 stick margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Half-gallon carton vanilla ice cream (or homemade)
  

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, cream the margarine and brown sugar (using margarine instead of butter and brown sugar instead of granulated sugar produces a chewy, soft cookie). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, stir the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the margarine mixture. Beat until well combined. Gather the dough into a ball and chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a ruler and a sharp knife to cut out rectangular pieces. (I cut cookies to match the ice cream I molded in little pans)


Transfer the cookie rectangles with a spatula to an ungreased baking pan. Makes patterns with fork tines.


Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, cut rectangular blocks from the ice cream. To do this, peel back the half-gallon carton from the ice cream, and cut 1/2-inch-thick slabs that are roughly the dimensions of your baked cookies. Return the blocks to the freezer. (I used my homemade ice cream and patted it down in little pans that were the same size as the sandwiches I wanted.)


Once the cookies have thoroughly cooled, place one ice cream block between two cookies. Trim the sides with a knife, wrap the sandwich in foil or plastic wrap, and freeze for several hours. Repeat until you have used all the cookies and ice cream. Makes enough dough for 6 large sandwiches.

In addition to the traditional sandwiches I couldn't help getting a little more creative.

For these sweet pink hearts I mixed some fresh strawberries with one of my new faves - Coconut Pineapple from Dreyers. Its really great and must be more like sherbet because its lower in fat than most!



Moving on to the Nutty Butty! Ahhh I have such nice memories of buying and eating Nutty Buttys while visiting my grandparents & my Auntie Gussie on my Dad's side. I can't even remember the name of the little store we would go to to buy them, but I can picture it in my head as just a tiny little place. I'm sure there were other things to chose from but Nutty Butty was my pick. Although I haven't seen them in years I found that they are still being made by the Purity company.


Here's a close up of what they look like. The one on the left is the traditional Nutty Buddy!


Here is the way it came packaged. You would pull the top off and then peel back the paper.




Per the ever handy dandy Wikipedia, the "Nutty Buddy" was originally created and produced by Seymour Ice Cream Company, which was located in the Port Norfork section of Dorchester, Mass. and named after its owner, Buddy Seymourian. Seymour Ice Cream ceased operations in the 1980s.

I followed the directions found at This Charming House blog.

Nutty Buddys

What You'll Need
Sugar Cones
Ice Cream, softened
Crushed Nuts or Sprinkles
Smuckers Magic Shell
Wax or parchment paper
Scissors
Tape

What To Do
Set up your cones on an upside down egg crate or in a bowl full of rice. Shake the Magic Shell well, and pour a bit around the rim of the cone and swirl (you may need to use your finger) to create a thin coating on the inside of the cone. Then pour a generous bit into the bottom of the cone. Put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Wrap your cones in paper, and cut tops to about 2" above the edge of the cone. Fill them up with the soft ice cream to about an inch above the top of the cone. I used this nifty parchment/foil that Martha Stewart puts out.


Put them back in the freezer to firm up (about 1 hour). Add some Magic Shell on top of the cones & quickly add chopped nuts or sprinkles.




Put them back in the freezer for a few hours until firm. Enjoy!!!



I was pretty excited by how they came out! The taste was really close and the look was pretty dead on except I'm not sure how they get they chocolate to drip down the sides!

Can't wait to see what all of you have to share! Any ice cream related posts are welcome. Please add a link to your post mentioning the Ice Cream Social so that we can all enjoy each others posts! The Social will be going on all weekend so don't worry about being late to the party. In fact I will keep the linky open until the end of the month. Thanks for coming to this year's Social!






Please also take the time to visit A Musing Potpourri's Ice Cream Social on Sunday!

I'm also adding my link to the following this week:
Sweets for Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads
Fat Camp Friday at Mangoes and Chutney
Sunday Scoop at I [heart} Naptimes
This Week's Cravings at Moms Crazy Cooking