Watermelon Raspberry Popsicles

As of this week, I had consumed 0 watermelon this summer. That's blasphemy for a girl that grew up in Alabama and ate her weight in watermelon as a kid. I love watermelon in all forms - watermelon salad, gilled watermelon, watermelon snow cones, Italian ice, lollipops, jolly ranchers - if it's watermelon (flavored) somethin' I'm most likely to try it (and probably love it).   To rectify this lack of sweet summer fruit in my life and inspired by our current heat wave, I decided to make popsicles. They are incredibly easy (and delicious). If you don't have a true popsicle mold, don't worry. You can use small paper dixie cups or anything of similar size. I ordered this mold off Amazon. 

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Watermelon Raspberry Popsicles

• 3 heaping cups, cubed watermelon 
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup mint simple syrup (below)
• Juice of half a lime

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. The goal here is to liquify all of the fruit without breaking the seeds up too much. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large pourable container. Scrape the inside bottom of the sieve with a spoon as it drains in order to push the fruit pulp through.  

Fill your molds 90% of the way with your strained watermelon mixture - you want to leave room for the liquid to expand as it freezes. If you're using a traditional popsicle mold, place your sticks in now. If you're using something alternative, like a dixie cup, let the filled cups stand in the freezer for 2 hours (to allow it to harden just a bit) before you insert the sticks. You can also cover the top with a plastic wrap, secure with a rubber band or tape, and then poke the stick through before freezing. Freeze your popsicles on a level surface for 6 hours or overnight. 

To remove from the mold, run warm over the outside of the mold for 3 seconds. If the popsicles don't want to budge, don't force them out - continue running them under the water for 3 seconds increments until they come loose. 

Mint Simple Syrup

• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, tightly packed

Place water and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add mint leaves. Let the leaves steep for 1.5 - 2 hrs. Strain and discard leaves. 

Natural Peach Preserves: Vanilla + Cinnamon & Almond + Ginger

Peaches are probably my favorite thing about summer. Humidity, no thanks. The AC-free state of life in southern California, double no thanks. But peaches...they make both of those things okay. Personally, I think the best peaches are grown in southern soil. Maybe it's that everything in the south seems to be made of sugar, so they're just genetically sweeter :). Or maybe I'm just biased. I don't know, but I will say this; while California peaches may not be my favorite fresh eating peaches, they are wonderful for cooking.

One of the best kept secrets of my neighborhood farmers market (farmers'? farmer's? hm....) is the organic stone fruit farm that puts everything on sale 30 minutes prior to closing. All of their delicious goodies are half price! Such a deal. BUT WAIT. After close, you can pay $10 for a plastic grocery sack and fill it with as many fruits as it can hold. This is where the gold is, and where I stock up for canning. Summer flavors all year long? Yes, please.

Natural Peach Preserves

This recipe is for a basic, naturally flavored peach preserve. It serves as a great canvas for additional flavoring post-cooking, though delicious as-is if you're wanting to keep the pureness of the peaches.  For the following post, I split the cooked batch in half and flavor each one with different spices.

• 8 cups peaches, skinned and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups raw cane sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

In a medium sized pot on medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. A nice juice will start to develop as the sugar draws out the natural nectar of the peaches. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally and lightly mashing the peaches as they cook. Simmer for 10 minutes. Emulsify the mixture with a stick blender. Be careful to keep the blade fully submerged so you don't splash yourself with the hot peaches. I like to keep some of the natural fruit texture in my preserves, so I leave a few chunks, but this is entirely up to your liking - blend more or blend less, chefs' choice! Once emulsified, cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and flavor or cool for storage. 

I can my preserves so I have them on hand and keep those sweet summer tastes available throughout the year. If canning isn't your preference, the preserves can last up to two weeks in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Almond + Ginger  

• 4 cups natural peach preserves
• 1 tsp almond flavoring
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Vanilla + Cinnamon

• 4 cups natural peach preserves
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. For long-term storage, can via water bath method (step-by-step instructions found here) or freeze. For immediate use, store in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks. 

PS - Thanks to the lovely Liz DeZeeuw for being an awesome sous chef and taste tester!

10 Minute Recipes: Greek Basil Pesto

I planted my summer garden a few weeks back and added a new plant to the family this year- Bonnie Plants' Greek Basil. It grows in a tall stalk and has little leaves. It's a bit milder and less bitter than the basil you typically find in the grocery store. So far, I'm loving it. My plant has been growing particularly fast. If you don't have much of a green thumb, are afraid to start out on vegetable plants but are still wanting to grow something, herbs are the way to go. Most are easy to grow and maintain and there's something special about being able to walk outside to your porch or yard and pick fresh herbs. I am by no means a great gardener- I seem to always find my tomatoes eaten by worms and my kale destroyed by slugs- yet, every season I learn something new. I highly recommend you giving it a shot.   

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Greek Basil Pesto

This pesto is on the thicker side, and is perfect for spreading on sandwiches or toast. 

• 1 cup basil leaves 
• 1/3 cup grated or shredded pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Place all ingredients in a food processor and grind for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to stop every 30 seconds to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the basil is getting properly incorporated. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to a week.  

Tip: If you have lots of basil and end up making several doubles of this recipe, pesto freezes well. Divide evenly into ice cube trays, freeze, and then pop them out and store in a zip top freezer bag for convenient use. 

Yosemite Chili

Chris and I spent this past weekend adventuring around Yosemite. For a first timer, about the only way to express what I saw is repeatedly saying "wow." I've seen the pictures and knew it was beautiful, but there's a magic that can only be captured by first-person experience of standing in the meadows with shear granite cliffs stretching a mile and a half above your head. 

If you've never been, put it on your list of places to visit in the near future. You won't regret it. 

Yosemite Chili

• 1 yellow onion
• 1 piece of bacon
• 15 oz can pinto beans
• 8oz can tomato sauce
• 8oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 - 3/4 lb grass fed ground beef
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 cup water
• Chili seasoning mix (see recipe below)

Chili Seasoning Mix

• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (adjustable depending on level of spiciness you prefer)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients of the the chili seasoning together. This can be made at home, stored in an airtight bag or jar and brought with you, or you can tote your spices with you to camp if you want to use them for other meals (I found it to be fairly convenient to have them with me). Set mixture aside for the moment.

Chop the bacon and onion into small chunks and place them in your pot. Wrap the poblano pepper in foil and place each item on the grill grate over your fire. You'll want to make sure you have a grate on the fire pit, or bring one with you. The chili will burn if the pot is set directly on the coals. Cover the pot and let the bacon start to sizzle. Let this cook, covered for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to insure it does't stick. The goal here is to get a bit of the bacon fat to start melting and begin caramelizing the onions.  Check your pepper. If the skin is starting to blacken and the flesh has begun to soften, take it off the fire and dice into small pieces (be sure to discard the seeds). Feel free to throw the pepper directly on the hot coals if you want a smokier flavor and the pepper to cook faster. It will also make the flesh softer, so it really depends on the your texture preference. 

Once the onions are translucent, add the ground beef to the pot. Cover and stir occasionally. Let the meat cook for 5-10 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add the diced poblano and remaining ingredients along with your chili seasoning and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and let simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer it cooks, the richer the flavor becomes and the thicker the chili. If you want to keep it cooking for a while, just be sure to check it every now and then to see if it's getting too dry (if too much liquid evaporates, it will start to burn). Add a half a cup of water at a time as needed. Serve and enjoy, hot off the fire.

Serves 3

Foil Dinners & Campfire Brussels Sprouts

Foil Dinners & Campfire Brussel Sprouts

A few weekends ago, Chris and I went camping up at Palomar Mountain State Park (if you love trees, you should go. Coming from someone who moved from a subtropical rain forest to the desert, this place is tree therapy). We hit the farmers market on our way out and grabbed some ingredients to make our childhood camping favorite- foil dinners.

What I've started to realize throughout my time of frequenting these local markets is that if you are heading out on a road or camping trip, stopping by the market on your way out is well worth the small amount of extra time it takes to shop there than at the grocery store. 

*You can make a vegetarian option by eliminating the ground beef and adding the sprouts to the main meal.

Foil Dinners

• 1/2 lb grass fed ground beef
• 10-12 mixed baby potatoes (or 3 red potatoes)
• 1 shallot*
• 5-6 small carrots
• 2 large lettuce leaves
• 6 garlic cloves
• Worcestershire sauce
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Campfire Brussels Sprouts

• 1 lb brussels sprouts
• 1 shallot*
• 3 garlic cloves
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Start your campfire. Lay out 3 pieces of foil- two for the dinners and one for the sprouts. You'll want to make sure you have enough foil to fold over itself to create a sealed package, roughly 18 inches long.

For the foil dinners, place a lettuce leaf in the center of each foil piece. Cut potatoes, onion and carrots into 1 inch pieces and dice garlic cloves. Divide cut veggies, garlic and ground beef evenly and place on top of the lettuce. The lettuce might seem like an odd addition, but it will keep the dinners from burning in the coals and will keep your meet moist while cooking.

Add 7 to 8 shakes of Worcestershire sauce to each dinner - this measurement can certainly be adjusted based on your taste. Add a couple of pats of butter on top and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and pepper. Starting hot-dog style (or taking the two longer sides of the foil), fold the edges together until they touch and pinch together to form a seal. Do the same with the opposite ends, but make sure they overlap. Check to be sure that all end are sealed- this will steam the dinners and trap the flavors. 

For the brussel sprouts, lay out a piece of foil just like you did for the dinners. Cut each sprout in half, chop the shallot and garlic cloves and place on the foil. Top with a couple of pats of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold over and seal the same way as the dinners.

Place the dinners and sprouts on outer edges of your campfire coals and cook for 15-20 minutes. They may take longer depending on the strength of your fire, so check them after 15 by poking a potato with a fork or knife. If they need more time, reseal and return to the fire and check them every 5 minutes. If the sprouts begin to burn do to the heat of the coals, try moving the to the further edges or place them on the grill grate above the fire pit if it has one. 

*The shallot can be substituted for 1/2 a small onion if you can't find a shallot easily

Serves 2