End of Summer --Trying to Save the Flavors of Summer

My new Dehydrator:

Instead of bunches of herbs hanging around the house, basement or garage this year, I decided the buy a dehydrator.  

This was the BEST purchase I made this Fall, I only wish I had it earlier in the summer!  

  


It took only about 2 hours to dry out a large bunch of basil 

and 2 days to dry out my cayenne peppers.     

This week I plan to do a couple of large bunches of Chives and Mint.   I’ll be cooking with clean, home grown herbs all winter!!

Flavorful Papaya, Pineapple, Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Salad Base:

1 Pt. Grape Tomatoes Quartered

2 Cucumbers Peeled, Seeded & Diced

1 Red Onion Diced

1 Fresh Pineapple Peeled & Cut Into Small Pieces

1 Fresh Papaya Peeled And Cut Into Small Pieces

Large Bunch Of Fresh Cilantro

Dressing:

¼ cup of Olive Oil

¼ cup of Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbs. of Fresh Finely Chopped Ginger

1 Tbs. of Chinese 5 Spice

2 Cloves of Garlic Finely Chopped

2 Dried Chili Peppers ( I used Cayenne) Chopped Including Seeds

(1 tsp of Ground Cayenne from your spice rack, adjust the heat to your taste bud preference)

• Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside to allow flavors to combine. 
• Start Cutting up all of the vegetables and fruit.  This is most labor entensive part of the recipe.  If you need some help on how to cut up the Papaya & Pineapple, I’ve posted helpful video links below:
• http://video.about.com/thaifood/Papaya.htm
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJJ-iQkbRNE
• Rough Chop the Cilantro and save it to use last.
• Mix all chopped fruit and veggies in a large bowl
• Add 1 Tb. of Salt and 2 tsp. of Pepper then mix well
• Drizzle in dressing as you stir the salad mix.
• Add Cilantro, toss well, add Salt and pepper if need to taste.

ENJOY!  

This salad is yummy just as it is.  Or you could serve it in lettuce wraps.  I even mixed some of this salad with left over baked chicken, a little mayo and ranch dressing for some YUMMY chicken salad.  Be creative!  All these beautiful colors should be shown off.   

Sometimes It’s The Little Things That Make Me Happy

As my husband will tell you, I’m a BIG fan of Ebay.  Not only do I get to shop for a wide array of things, I only buy from vendors that offer free shipping.  I love the buy me now items.  When I want to buy something I want it then and there.  I really don’t have the patience for auctions.  LOL.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been looking for some new cooking tools on ebay.  I was so happy to find a set of Cast Iron Skillets.  These came with 6”, 8” and 10” skillets.  

I also found a 15” one!!  

I can't wait to fry some chicken in this pan.

Now that Fall is here, I can’t wait to cook rustic meals in these beautiful pans.   Although these are pre-seasoned, I did feel the need to rub them down once again with good vegetable oil then put them in a 350 degree oven for an hour.  

True story, when I was a kid, my dad use to take our iron skillets camping with us.  Once a year he would oil them down and throw them in the big bon fire he always made on these trips.  We would take them out the next morning and rinse off the ashes from the wood.   Now that’s rustic

Another wonderful item I bought on ebay last that day was a set of 4 Half Sheet Pans.  Just in time for all the holiday baking coming up!!

It really is the little things like new “toys” for the kitchen that can make me smile!