What I See From My Back Door – A Challenge From C

A couple of weeks ago Cecilia, over at The Kitchen’s Garden, posted a challenge.  [yes; I'm a bit behind on this. who's surprised?]  She wanted to know what we see from our back porch or back doorstep. C lives on a beautiful farm and when she looks out from her back porch she sees a garden, an orchard, fields and barns, and even Queenie her gentle old cow.

Hummm. Look out my back door and you see the grill, a table and chairs, and the wall of the neighbors garage. My  house is kind of odd-shaped and the back door and kitchen door both open onto a little patio that is closed in by the house walls on three sides. To look into the back yard you must cross the patio and go around the corner.

I didn’t think a shot of the neighbor’s garage was very exciting so I put a little twist on C’s challenge and took a couple of detail shot of what was outside my back door the other day.

Don’t you just love it when the weather allows you to cook dinner outside?

Summertime Refrigerator Pickles

Time to share another recipe–

This is one of my favorite things to do with all those tasty cucumbers.

As you can tell from the photo I’ve added a few thinly sliced strips of yellow sweet peppers to this batch. Yum!

Cucumbers and Onions
(Summertime Refrigerator Pickles)

2 large cucumbers sliced
1 large onion sliced thin
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
3 tablespoons of white sugar
1 or 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
salt and pepper

Mix cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl.

Mix vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper in another bowl.
Stir to dissolve sugar.
Pour over cucumbers and onions.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Overnight is best!

Picture Of The Week – Mexican Dinner

A little food photography for you today…

 

Plate Of Mexican Food On Black Background

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Sloppy Italian Sandwiches

Here’s a new twist on the old Sloppy Joe… Sloppy Italian Sandwiches!

I know it sounds a little odd but trust me these are good sandwiches if you like messy things; and sausage with peppers and onions that is!

We just had them plain, like in the picture, but I’ll bet they would also be great with a thin slice of mozzarella on top. Or maybe even some of those pickled pepper rings; YUMMY!

Sloppy Italian Sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil

19 oz package of mild Italian sausage links; casings removed and crumbled

2 bell peppers; diced small

1 large onion; diced small

2 small cloves of garlic; minced

1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes; undrained

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

Salt and pepper

Sandwich rolls; toasted

Drain juice from tomatoes into a small bowl and stir in the corn starch; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet; add crumbled sausage, peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium to medium high heat until sausage is browned and fully cooked.

Stir in tomatoes and heat to a boil; add tomato juice with corn starch. Mix well.

Stir in sugar, red pepper flakes, and seasonings.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve on toasted rolls.

ENJOY!

Slow-Cooker Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Looking for lazy weekend meals? Break out the slow-cookers!

Last weekend I tossed a roast in one pot, corn in another, and potatoes in a third and dinner was ready when I was with very little work.

You gotta love a slow cooked meal.

Slow-Cooker Garlic Smashed Potatoes

5# russet potatoes – cubed

3 to 4 garlic cloves – minced

¼ cup onion – finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

¾ cup water

6 to 8 oz cream cheese with onion and chives

6 tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup milk

Place potatoes, minced garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and water in a 6 qt slow cooker.

Mix.

Cover and cook on high 4 hours (quickly stir and re-cover half way through cooking time).

After the 4 hours (or when potatoes are done) add remaining ingredients and mash by hand with a potato masher (or whip with electric mixer).

Mix well and serve immediately or hold in slow-cooker on warm for up to 2 hours.