Greg's Garden

Back in March, I wrote a post about Greg's gardening.  In it, I showed pictures of some of the cups of dirt and seeds that Greg had planted around the house.  Back then, that's exactly what it looked like to me: a lot of dirt and seeds.

But, not anymore.  I am happy to report that all of the cups have officially moved out of the house, and our yard looks like this:

Looks like organized chaos to me, but Greg spends HOURS out there working on his garden.  He brings things inside each day and we cook them for dinner.  He's very proud of that garden, and visitors get a tour each time they come over.  I'm not complaining, because I enjoy eating fruits and veggies that come from our very own backyard. 

Here's a picture of some chicken legs he made on our fire pit over the weekend. 

When it comes to matters of cooking and gardening, Greg is much better at it than me.  I do enjoy eating it, though.

.

.

.

G's Spot: Fish Tacos

Ingredients

serves 4

3 Mahi Mahi filets

6 small tomatoes, chopped

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or cilanto micro greens

1 Tbsp chopped onion

1 tsp chopped jalapeno pepper

2 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

lime

salt & pepper

flour tortillas

Mise en place

Instructions

Mix the cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder and rub the filets with it.

Saute the filets in a pan for a few minutes on each side.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Chop the mahi mahi into large chunks.

Mix the tomatoes, cilantro, onion and jalepeno into a bowl, creating a salsa.

Assemble the taco with a flour tortilla, a few mahi mahi pieces, and a scoop of salsa.  Sqeeze a wedge of lime on top, wrap, and enjoy!

.
.
.
.

G's Spot: Vegetable Spring Rolls

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Small spaghetti squash (you will only need ½)

3 small baby zucchini, julienned

10 Vietnamese spring roll wrappers

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ Tbsp. rice wine

Salt and pepper to taste


Mise en Place:

Instructions:
1) Cut spaghetti squash in half; take out stringy inside and all seeds. Put ½ away. (You can wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a few days before preparing.) Brush the other ½ with olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 40-60 minutes. Shred and chill.

2) Sauté the julienned zucchini with a little olive oil. Chill, then add rice wine.

3) If you have never used Vietnamese spring roll wrappers, it’s simple. It may take a few tries to get the hang of it. Put some water in a shallow bowl. Place a wrapper in the water for about 30 seconds to a minute. You want to soften the wrappers to perfect rolling consistency. As you do more, you’ll be able to tell how long it takes for them to soften up to the working consistency you want. If you let them get too soft, they will rip; too hard and they can’t be worked with. Keep in mind they will continue to soften as you fill and roll them.

4) When you are ready to roll the wrappers, be sure to season the zucchini and squash with salt and pepper.

5) Place a softened wrapper on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon of the zucchini down the length of the wrapper.  Sprinkle a little of the goat cheese on top of the zucchini.  Spread a tablespoon of the spaghetti squash on top of the mixture.

6) Begin by rolling the back of the wrapper over the filling.

7) Fold in the edges.

8) Continue rolling.

 

 
9. Enjoy!
 

G's Spot: Potstickers

Scene: Greg is in the kitchen, gathering ingredients.  Dana, a sexy, beautiful, youthful woman, walks in the room.

Dana: Whatcha making?

Greg: Potstickers.

Dana: HOLY CRAP THAT IS THE BEST NEWS I'VE HEARD ALL DAY!  HEALTH CARE REFORM? WHO CARES!  MARRIAGE EQUALITY? WHATEVAH! BRING ON THE POTSTICKERS PLEASE! AND KEEP THEM COMING! UNTIL I EXPLODE!

End Scene.


Ingredients:

1 package Wonton wrappers
1lb. ground pork
Zest of 1 lime
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1 tsp. dry chili flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. chopped or dry parsely
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Mise en Place

Mixed together all the ingredients, except for the wrappers and the oil.

Chill for an hour to allow flavors to meld.

To assemble, lay wrapper flat.

Moisten with water 2 edges of the wrapper along the sides,

and add a small amount of the meat filling.

And then fold together to form a triangle.

Need to see it again? Ok, double time!

In a large pan, add a little bit of water. 

(Just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan.)

Add 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil.  Heat on medium/high.

When the water/oil combo starts to boil...

...add the dumplings to the pan and cover.

Cook for 2 minutes, and then take the cover off.

Turn the dumplings over and cook until the water evaporates and the dumplings are lightly browned.

Drain on a paper towel.

Then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Enjoy! (And then call Weight Watchers tomorrow.)

G's Spot: Bananas Foster French Toast

YAY!  Greg's first recipe!  And, as the official taste taster of this recipe, I can attest that this creation is phenomenal!  Greg wanted me to tell you that he created this recipe completely from within his head, which, is very large, but also very creative.  Let's begin!

                      Bananas Foster French Toast
     1 tsp. cinnamon
     1/4 tsp. nutmeg
     1/2 cup dark rum
     6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
     2 Bananas quartered and cut into 1 inch pieces
     1/4 cups packed brown sugar
     2 eggs
     2 Tbsp. of milk
     1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
     Several slices of bread

Mise en place:

Q:  Hey, why is that one banana really brown? 

A:  Because I froze it when it was on its way out so that I could use it in a recipe like this one day.



Combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a shallow casserole dish.

And whisk 'em up!

Dunk the slices of bread in the egg dip, making sure you flip them and both sides of the bread get coated evenly with the egg.  In this recipe, honey wheat bread was used. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter on griddle and cook the slices on medium/high heat.  (You can also cook the bread in a pan if you don't have a griddle.) 

editor's note: my friend Gabrielle bakes her french toast on a baking sheet in the oven, so you can do that too! Gab-if you're reading, what temperature do you bake your french toast on? Leave answer in the comments.

And the other slices...

Once the bread is brown on both sides, it's done.  And, it's now officially french toast.  Set your slices to the side.

Now get out a medium sized pan.

And heat the rest of the butter in the pan until it bubbles.  Then add the bananas and sugar and heat it until the sugar melts and is bubbling.

Add the nutmeg and cinnamon. Then add the rum.  If you have a gas stove, take the pan off of the stove before adding the rum to avoid a fire.

editor's note: FIRE?! Greg, what are you doing to my readers?!  I gave them a bread machine recipe; you have them preparing something that requires protective eye wear!  This recipe may be for more experienced cooks.  Fire!  Moving along...

Keep cooking on medium/high heat for approximately 2-3 minutes, which will allow the alcohol to cook out.  When the juices thicken, pour over the french toast slices. 

Enjoy!