My husband loves canned peas.  I, on the other hand, really don’t.  When it comes time to stock our pantry, my husband will inevitably buy a half dozen cans of peas.  At some point, I have to figure out a way to cook these canned peas that will please us both.  Yes, I’ve asked him to stop buying them, but he really does like them, a lot.

There must be some dishes that are more suitable for canned peas than, say, for frozen peas.  I remember a casserole, or ‘hot dish” as we called them, in our elementary school cafeteria that probably used canned peas.  That hot dish was pretty tasty.  As a matter of fact, I remember it quite fondly.  It was one of those casseroles that I might use to clean up a lot of leftovers.

The ingredients are simple enough.  Of course, start with ground beef that’s browned.  Add onion, tomatoes of some kind, cooked noodles, maybe some corn, then a can or two of some cream of any kind of soup, some cheese, and, of course, a can of peas.  Simple, yes, but every bit a “comfort food.”

If you happen to remember this type of “hot dish” or you have any other suggestions for what to make with canned peas, I’d love to hear your opinions and suggestions.

Ripe olives, also known as black olives, are an odd food.  People often have either a strong like or a strong dislike for them.  One youngster I know loves them and will eat them right out of the can.  I made pizza for her the other day and all she wanted for toppings was cheese and black olives.  What was left in the can after making the pizza, she placed, as tradition calls for, on top of each finger tip and ate them just like that, plucking them off her fingers.

I, too, can sit down with a whole can of black olives and they will disappear.  However, I would prefer to find other ways to serve them.  There is a rather unique sandwich spread that I remember from some time ago, but it is a bit peculiar, so may not appeal to a lot of people.  You simply mix together some chopped black olives, chopped pecans, and cream cheese.  Spread it on small pieces of a sturdy whole wheat, cocktail rye, or pumpernickel bread.  This makes an excellent hors d’ oeuvre for a fancy gathering, but your kids probably will not like it for lunch.

One splendid dish I made the other night, however, turned out to be a family pleasing meal.  In a glass baking dish, I placed frozen fillets of tilapia fish, drizzled a little olive oil on top, sprinkled with thyme, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper, poured on one can of diced tomatoes, added about a half clove of minced garlic, and sprinkled a generous portion of sliced black olives on top.  I covered the dish with tin foil, and baked in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  This baked fish turned out very good and had a Mediterranean flavor and look.  Very simple and very yummy!

If you’ve cooked with black olives a lot, or have used them in different salads or sandwiches, or any other dishes, I’d really like to hear from you!

When we grill out in the summer, we don’t like wasting the heat of the grill, so we always grill a little extra food while the grill is going.  One food in particular that we use this general rule for is fish.  Fish cooks best on a very hot grill, but it cooks for a short period of time.  So, by the time the grill heats up, you’ve used a lot of fuel or charcoal for a cooking process that only takes a few minutes.  Therefore, we always fill our grill to the max with fish.

Of course, this leaves us with leftover fish.  This is great because we love cold fish in green salads, as well as mixed up with a little mayonnaise and turned into a spread for sandwiches.  Using up our leftover fish has never been a real problem, but I sure would like a little variety!

Because seafood is plentiful where we live, I have developed one good bisque recipe that I’ve used over and over again.  I’ll share it here for you.  I apologize for the vague amounts, as I’ve never actually written this down.

Fish & Vegetable Bisque

• 1 or 2 slices bacon, diced up
• 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 a green pepper, diced
• 1/2 a sweet red pepper, diced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup, more or less, of fish, shrimp, or vegetable stock
• 1 cup cooked fish, flaked up
• add salt and black pepper to taste
• sprinkle red pepper flakes

Saute the bacon and all the vegetables together in sauce pan until vegetables are just starting to get tender.  Pour in the stock, cover and simmer until the vegetables have cooked completely.  Then add fish, salt, black pepper, and if desired, sprinkle a little red pepper flakes in.  You can double or even triple this recipe, depending on how much fish you have to use up.

Does anyone have some suggestions as to what else we can make with our leftover fish?  Are there some really good layered salads or even casseroles that use cooked fish?  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Parsnips may not be on your list of favorite vegetables.  They certainly were not on mine, that is, until I learned how to cook them.  Now, when I see a batch of nice, little parsnips at the farmer’s market, I grab a bunch.

Peeling and boiling parsnips like you would potatoes is fine, but not the best method as far as I’m concerned.  I prefer to leave my parsnips unpeeled when I boil them.  Then once they’ve cooled a little, I just remove the skins with a little paper towel, and mash them up with a little butter, salt, and pepper.

You can even eat raw parsnips if you choose the small ones.  If you get young, small parsnips, grate them up in a salad, just like you would carrots.

My favorite method, however, is to bake them.  Like most vegetables, baking, or oven-roasting, brings out the best flavor.  Just peel and cut parsnips into big chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper them generously, and pop in a hot oven until they start to get brown and are tender all the way through.  If you can buy young parsnips, you don’t even have to peel them before you bake them.  Just scrub them well before you cut them up.

Another tip I’ve learned is, if you’re adding parsnips to soup or stew, wait until the final 15 minutes or so to add the cut up parsnips.  They will tend to get soggy if cooked too long.

One last method for cooking parsnips that I like is to cut them up into small slivers and quickly saute the pieces in a hot skillet with a little oil and butter mixture.  This is an especially nice side dish for pork roasts, tenderloins, or chops.

There must be a lot more ways to cook and serve parsnips.  If you have any favorite dishes that you’ve made using parsnips, I’d love to hear about them!

It’s that time of year again when many gardens in the northern regions are over-flowing with corn on the cob.  The trouble is that it’s also the time of year when the frosty nights may sneak up and rob the garden of its harvest.  The pumpkin and squash can tolerate a bit of frost, but the corn must be picked NOW as it won’t tolerate even a hint of cold.

I know from experience that corn on the cob is very, very delicate and must be picked and eaten almost simultaneously.  My Mom used to get the big pot boiling on the stove before she sent us out to pick!  That quick cooking really makes a difference in the flavor.  However, just how much corn can a person eat?

If the stalks are loaded, and the frost is about to make a surprise appearance, you’re going to end up with a bushel of corn waiting to be eaten.  So, what can you do with that much corn?

The easiest, or at least most reliable, method for taking care of an abundance of corn is to cut the kernels from the cob and freeze them.  This is a messy job but it’s very effective.  The actual freezing is easy enough – just put portions in a zip-lock bag and freeze it.  But, the removal of the kernels from the cob is a bit tricky.  You want to get all the “milk” without any of the cob.  You need a very sharp knife and a bowl to catch the kernels.  But, no matter how you do it, it’s a mess.

Once you’ve removed the kernels, the ways to serve corn is endless.  Freshly removed kernels are so sweet and tender, they make the perfect start to a perfect Corn Chowder.  Fresh corn cut from the cob turns any old Corn Chowder recipe into a masterpiece.  I’d have to say that is one of my favorite choices for using fresh corn.

Other uses for fresh corn is to simply cook and serve with butter, salt, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper.  Mix in some diced sweet red peppers for a little color and crunch and you’ve got a delightful dish.  Like I said, the choices are endless.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite recipes for fresh corn, either on the cob or off.  I’d also appreciate any tips you may have for removing corn from the cob and if you have any ideas for keeping the job a bit more tidy!  Thanks!

Although I don’t tend to stock up on radishes, I do often end up with some leftovers after my husband makes his potato salad.  He likes, as I do, to add radishes to potato salad for color, crunch and flavor.  They really perk up a potato salad.  But, we always end up with some extra, and I don’t know about you, but I can only munch on so many radishes.  They’re sort of like green onions to me; a few are yummy.

I have an uncle who used to eat radish sandwiches.  He just sliced radishes very thinly, buttered two pieces of bread and laid the radishes on top.  It seemed a bit much when I was younger, but doesn’t sound too bad now.  I’d add some pieces of romaine lettuce on top and maybe a bit of mayonnaise.  That sounds sort of interesting.

Another strange recipe I’ve seen at a restaurant is a radish relish.  If I remember correctly, the mixture consists of thinly sliced radishes, some shredded carrots, diced green pepper, and, believe it or not, pineapple chunks.  The dressing is a simple vinegar and oil style.  It is a very colorful and crunchy relish.

Has anyone tried to actually cook with radishes or are they strictly to be used raw?  I’d love to hear your ideas.

Even though my local farmer’s market has beautiful beet greens, I never buy them.  I’ve cooked batches of other greens, like kale and collard greens, but for some reason I am a little hesitant about cooking beet greens.

That’s too bad, since according to the USDA, cooked beet greens contain a whole truckload of nutrients.  They are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  Beet greens an excellent source of dietary fiber, Vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as calcium, and iron, and other essential vitamins and minerals.  In other words, beet greens are loaded.  And, boy, are beet greens cheap!

I love the nutritional value, but the idea of just boiling them up and serving them as a side dish just isn’t that appealing without some flavoring and other ingredients.  I have gotten a few cooking tips from folks who eat beet greens routinely and will give those a try.

Here’s a few of the tips and recipe suggestions I’ve received:

• Be sure to wash beet greens two or even three times.
• Trim the stems, discarding the woody stuff, and cut the rest in bite size pieces.
• Cook in very little water, or saute, briefly, cooking only until just tender.
• Add garlic, onion, black pepper, sprinkle of vinegar, and a touch of sugar.
• Make beet greens more savory with the addition of pine nuts and black olives.
• Mix sour cream and a touch of horseradish in cooked beet greens.
• Stir in a bit of French dressing and add diced red onion.

I thought some of the ideas were very unusual, like horseradish and French dressing, so I’ll be sure to give those a try!  I’d like to hear any other suggestions you might have for ways to improve on the basic beet greens dish.

This is a squash I discovered last fall that is so delicious and tender, I can’t wait to get back to the farmer’s market to stock up this fall.  I’m happy to eat it just cut in half, rubbed with olive oil, and baked on a cookie sheet.

One of the tastiest winter squashes I’ve tried, the Delicata squash pulp is sweet and creamy, with a flavor that’s similar to sweet corn, or even a sweet potato.  This squash is so delicate that you actually eat the skin!

Because of it’s delicate skin, it actually wasn’t well known around the world until recently.  Shipping was tough on its tender skin, so it didn’t transport well.  Now that shipping methods have improved, more and more people are finding these wonderful squash in their grocery stores.

Delicata squash is best from late summer through early fall.  If you are fortunate enough to have a farmer’s market near you, be sure to grab some.

My only problem now is that I’d like to find other ways to prepare them.  Like I said, the only way I’ve prepared them so far is to simply cut them in half lengthwise, rub them with olive oil, and lay the halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet in the oven.  I usually let them cook for about 20 to 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Has anyone else fallen in love with this beautiful squash?  If you’ve found a new way to cook them, I’d appreciate it if you could share those ideas with me.  Thanks!

A friend of mine has been growing kohlrabi in her vegetable garden. Apparently they are a german turnip. She gave me a few of them, but I have no idea what to do with them. Here’s what it looks like.

It smells very much like white cabbage and obviously comes from the cabbage family. My friend mentioned that she usually just slices it up and serves it with a dip, but we’re not huge fans of that. Any idea what I could do with it? Should I add it to slaw, or stew it like a regular turnip? I’d appreciate your ideas.