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.

Have you ever been unfortunate enough to find the refrigerator’s freezer door has been left ajar, not all the way, but just enough so that the things in the door started to thaw out?  That happened to me a few weeks ago.  Although the items deep inside the freezer were just fine, the door items got quite mushy.

We had peas for lunch, we thawed the popsicles out all the way and refroze them in ice cube trays, but I really didn’t want three pitchers of orange juice.  So, faced with partially thawed orange juice concentrate, I decided to make special drinks.

I made a couple beverages using pretty simple recipes.  For the first one, I just blended together a couple cups of milk, some vanilla ice cream (which was in the back of the freezer, still frozen), and threw in enough of the frozen orange juice concentrate, actually the slightly frozen orange juice concentrate, to make the mix nice and tangy and orange flavor.

Later on that day, I put together what we now call our Poolside Punch.  We put the thawed orange juice concentrate in a big bowl with lots of ice cubes, courtesy of our big freezer in the garage, and just poured some bubbly clear soda pop on top until everything got fizzy.  Everybody got a big cup and drank it right down.  Because we don’t normally keep a lot of soda pop in the house, this was a nice treat, and I liked serving up a little Vitamin C and not just sugar.

What have you used orange juice concentrate for, other than a pitcher of orange juice?  I managed to use mine up, but thought there might be some enterprising people who have great recipes that call for orange juice.  Perhaps a marinade or stir-fry?  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Making S’mores in our house is a favorite past time.  Whether we can build a campfire or not, the ingredients are always handy.  We’ll microwave them if we have to!  Needless to say, there are always graham cracker crumbs that could be scooped up and used for something.

One of the easiest recipes I’ve found to use crushed graham crackers in is also very kid friendly.  This is great fun for kids because they get to use their hands to smoosh everything up and it’s basically a no-frills, no-bake bar that’s ready almost instantly.

This is the recipe, if you can call it that!

Peanut Butter Bars In A Flash

• 1/3 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 1 rounded cup peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl using your hands.  Lightly spray with non-stick spray a small cake pan or other pan about 8 x 10 size.  Press mixed up ingredients into bottom of the pan to form crust.  Melt chocolate chips over warm water, then pour and spread over the top of the crust.  Cool in refrigerator until chocolate hardens.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

While the kids are busy smooshing the crust ingredients, you can be melting the chocolate.  It really does go very quickly.  Simple and delicious!

What kinds of treats have you made with crushed graham crackers?  I’d love to hear from you!

On a road trip our family took recently, I discovered the convenience of making wraps for the travels.  We used to make regular sandwiches all the time, but you know how sandwiches get to look after an hour or two in a cooler.  Not very appetizing.

I bought a supply of small and large corn tortillas so that we could experiment with a variety of wraps and roll-ups.  We found both to be quite a bit easier to eat on the road, as well as holding up better than sandwiches.  The experiment was a success, but now, of course, I have a couple packages of corn tortillas in the refrigerator, waiting for some inspiration to hit.

We do like making enchiladas and will certainly use some of the corn tortillas up that way.  My recipe is pretty basic.  I just mix up a batch of red sauce using tomato paste, tomato juice, ground beef, and lots of spices like garlic, onion, cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce.  Then I stuff the corn tortillas, roll them up in a baking pan, pour the rest of the sauce over, top them with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake them.  Pretty basic.

I’ve also run across a few recipes that use corn tortillas in layers forming casseroles, sort of like lasagna noodles, only using Mexican spices and ingredients.  Has anyone ever made a really good casserole with tortillas?  Any other ideas for wraps, or enchiladas, or any more unusual dish would certainly be appreciated.  I’d love to see what kind of ideas you come up with!

I know, eggs.  It may seem like a silly question, but not when you come home from vacation with a crate of eighteen eggs that really should be used up today.  We can fry up a couple, scramble up a couple, and hard boil a couple.  But, our egg saturation point is about exhausted after only a couple days.

Once more, I find myself digging through my really old recipes to see if there isn’t something that my Mother or Grandmother used to make.  There in my box of scribbled recipes, I found one very simple recipe that will be a little different.  Here it is if you’d like to try it, too.

Egg Dish (Even the name is simple.)

• 1 package croutons, cheddar cheese flavored preferred, but any flavored crouton is good
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheddar cheese

Grease a 9×13 baking pan.  Lay croutons in.  Beat up the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper, then pour over the croutons in pan.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees, until firm, check in 20 minutes with knife inserted in middle.  It should come out dry.  You might want to add some crisp, crumbled bacon, some onions, some mushrooms, or even fried sausage pieces.

Pretty simple, but pretty good, too.  I like that you can add other stuff to it, even use up some leftovers.  Does anyone have another recipe that uses a lot of eggs?  I’d love to see how you would cook up a big batch of eggs for your family.