Pesto instead of Tomatoes...

This year I decided to have a raised garden that would be much smaller than previous years and much easier to manage.  With my husband's help, I bought some railroad ties and a load of garden soil and got to planting.  I put in tomatoes, peppers, rosemary, basil and Italian parsley.  After several weeks the only healthy, thriving plants are the basil.  Since I love basil, I'm trying not to be sad.  I really had my heart set on some delicious home-grown tomatoes.  Everything else was just extra.

Now I have decided that there needs to be more dirt in my soil and I am digging up the tomatoes and putting in some enriched dirt.  I'm sure Central Market has some wonderful fresh tomatoes I could buy and it wouldn't be near as much trouble, or as expensive either.  However, I will wait and persevere, and I'm planting new plants in the new soil and praying for fall tomatoes.

The family loves pasta.  Any kind of pasta.  So, I went out and picked an enormous basket of basil and made a great pesto to mix in any pasta or spread on bruschetta.  We had some on a bowl of hot spaghetti  and it was fabulous!  When you mix this in the pasta, it can be served warm or cold.  I still have visions of big, juicy red tomatoes to go with my pesto but I will just have to wait...

PESTO
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 pine nuts
3 T. diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Place walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Process for 30 seconds.  Add the basil, salt and pepper.  With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the pesto is finely pureed.  Add the Parmesan cheese and puree for 1 minute.  Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.  Enjoy!

Farmer's Market

Since I could not wait one day longer for my peaches to ripen, I headed to Fredericksburg to buy some to satisfy my craving for peach cobbler.  I found a great Farmer's Market that had wonderful peaches and other fresh fruits and veggies.  I think my peaches will be ready in the next few weeks.  Every day I keep doing the compression test hoping that today is the day...


One summer I was thinking that my pre teen daughters ought to be up in the morning doing something instead of sleeping so late, so I decided to have them pick peaches.  There are three daughters so I figured it would go quickly.  I left to go run some errands and gave them buckets, baskets and a ladder.  After some groaning, and a little arguing, they managed to pick all the peaches by the time I returned.  Oh, how I heard that they were so hot, and the branches were scratchy, and did I have any idea how many peaches were on that tree. (There were alot actually)  It was so cute listening to each of their stories  and seeing the expressions on their faces.  They did have some fun and got all my peaches picked too!

I tried this new peach cobbler recipe which I simply LOVE! Enjoy!

PEACH COBBLER
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 T. butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar  and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Put the butter in a 3-qt. dish and place in oven to melt.
3. Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour and milk slowly to prevent clumping.  Pour mixture over melted butter.  Don't stir.  Spoon the fruit on top of batter and gently pour on syrup.  Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon.  Batter will rise to top during baking.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Of course, serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Sweet Friends

There are several recipes in my collection that I have received from good friends over the years. Each time I look through them or make one, it brings back those fond memories and special times we shared.  I was in a cooking club years ago when my girls were babies. There were about 10-12 of us in the group and it was called "Creative Entertaining".  Each month one person would host and they would choose a menu and gather all the ingredients and put on a 'party' for us all.  We would arrive in the morning to prepare each dish and by lunch time we had it on the table.  It was such a neat time to be together, just us girls, and visit, laugh and share.  And we all came away with some awesome recipes as well.


When we women get together, whether it's with a sweet neighbor, coworker, fellow mom, or church friend, food is a common thread that we weave through our lives.  Sharing these recipes with one another gives us a connection and a bond that we keep with us over the years.  


My friend Becky is a great lady.  Every time I see her she is so gracious and she makes you feel like it was just yesterday that you saw one another no matter how long it's really been.  Years ago when we had a gathering at her house, she made this great soup and served it with baked potatoes.  I still remember the laughs and funny stories from that time when I make this soup.  The name "Shopping Day Soup" makes me smile...it reminds me of when my grandmother would take a shopping day and need to leave my grandad something for lunch. She always made sure he had something to eat.  This is a recipe that she would have loved!  Quick and easy, and so yummy when you add all the fresh toppings!


Shopping Day Soup
2 large cans of chicken, drained or; 2 to 3 chicken breasts cubed
1 large can Progresso chicken and rice soup
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 T. fresh cilantro


Combine all ingredients in a soup pot and simmer.  Serve with grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and avocado. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips and serve!  Enjoy!

Words of encouragement...

I am always looking for some new words of encouragement.  After my quite time, I was online and thought I would share these today instead of a recipe.

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity." - Margaret D. Nadauld 

"When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do." -Randy Pausch 


As long as you have Jesus in your life, you're not missing anything. You are a whole person in Christ. Try to follow Him instead of your feelings.

For the Love of Berries...

Since moving to our property around 15 years ago, I have developed an addiction to dewberries. Picking them and eating them.  Also known as blackberries, these little gems are just about my favorite little fruit and past time.  The season has to be just right though.  The hills here are covered with berry patches and you have to get all those precious early spring rains to ensure a bumper crop.  Some years there are an abundance of them and after a day of picking you can still see them at night when you close your eyes.

My daughters loved to pick when they were younger.  One of the first years we picked, we walked through a chigger nest (which you don't see) and wound up with bites all over us.  We were miserable for days.  But it didn't stop us from continuing the quest next year with bug spray in hand.  Gear for picking:  Long sleeves and jeans liberally sprayed with bug spray, cotton gloves, buckets, walking stick and tennis shoes or boots.  I can walk for hours picking if the berries are abundant.  This year however, the drought is here and there are no berries.  I guess it will make next year all the more sweet.  Praying for rain now and next season!

These muffins are great made with dewberries (blackberries), blueberries or raspberries. Enjoy!

Highview Berry Muffins

For the topping:
1⁄3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1⁄3 cup pecans, finely chopped

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
5 Tbs. butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blackberries
Butter for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and lemon zest. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the pecans and stir to combine. Set aside.

To make the muffins, in a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter and buttermilk. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Sprinkle with the blackberries and gently fold in with a large rubber spatula just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup. Sprinkle each muffin with the topping, dividing it evenly (the sugar will melt and produce a glaze).

Bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature, with butter. Makes 12 muffins.

TIP:  After picking fresh berries, I just pour them un-rinsed in gallon size ziplock bags and lay them flat in the freezer.  They will hold up for at least 6-8 months when frozen this way.  Oh how I miss seeing all those stacks of bags in my freezer right about now...

Dessert First!

Since I love sweets, my first post should naturally be a dessert.  My grandmother Mimi always had a dessert for every meal.  Now there wasn't a new dessert for each meal but every two or three days she had a new one ready.  One of my favorite and everyone else's is Cajun Cake.  This "heavy" cake is great for a dessert or I have been known to eat it for breakfast. If my husband is asked what cake he would like me to fix, it's always this cake.  Not really sure why it's called Cajun, but my grandparents had some good friends from Louisiana that came to our ranch every year to hunt.  They also would faithfully bring us a tur-duck-en every holiday season. Thinking that this recipe may have come from one of them. Enjoy!

Cajun Cake
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1-20 oz. can of crushed pineapple in its own juice
Sift dry ingredients. Add eggs and pineapple; stir well.  Pour into greased and floured 9x13 inch pan and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.

Icing for Cajun Cake
1/2 c. butter
1 small can evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
1 c. coconut
1 c. pecans
1 t. vanilla
Melt butter, evaporated milk and sugar in skillet over medium heat.  Once this has melted, add coconut and pecans.  Bring to a low boil and cook for 6 minutes stirring constantly.  Pour over cake while it's still warm.

Marshall Family Archives 2005