Garden-Fresh Recipes

Years ago, my family traveled to Racine, Wisconsin to watch my husband's cousin play college football. Being the down-home, country cook that I am (AND an avid subscriber to Taste of Home Magazine since 1992), I realized that Reiman Publications was in Wisconsin and got out my map! Was it pure luck or fate - I'm not certain - but Greendale was only 20 minutes away! I was certain to schedule some time for that little side trip and BOY was it worth it!

We arrived in Greendale and let me tell you, it is the most adorable little town! We ate lunch in a 50's diner and I felt like Fonzie, Ralph Mouth, Potsy and Richie were gonna come in any second! Great food, great atmosphere and lots of locals there.

Anyhoo, we found the Reiman Visitor's Center and I went (as I once put it accidentally in 1997 [by mixing hog wild and nuts together] and haven't heard the end of it since) hog nuts! I went downstairs into the Taste of Home Outlet store and found pallets of hardcover cookbooks, and the best part was they were 4 for $10! Like the cookbook with the entire year's recipes in it? It sells for $30 individually! I found a bunch of books I didn't have and added to my collection.

But the one book that I'm finding more useful than all the rest at this time of year? Garden-Fresh Recipes. I LOVE IT. It's categorized by veggie/fruit and the recipes are divine. Today I made a dinner that I like to call "Old Country Buffet" because there really was no theme and it was a wonderful hodge-podge based on the produce from the garden.

First, I had 2 ears of fresh, organic corn grown at my parent's farm that was cooked but we didn't eat last night. I shaved it off the cob and just KNEW I'd find a recipe to use it in. And that I did - Corn Balls! SO easy and a nice change-of-pace side dish. Next time I would serve them with turkey instead of the chicken dish I created (that's another story!) because the first thing out of my son's mouth was, "This reminds me of Thanksgiving!" It's a mixture of sauteed onions & celery, stuffing, corn, eggs, salt & pepper. Mix it up, ball it, bake it and it's super tasty and good, especially with fresh corn! My husband said he'd like to have turkey gravy over the top but I liked the crispy outside and the soft inside. Yum!

The second dish I made was from the Squash & Zucchini chapter, Cheesy Zucchini Saute. More onions, shredded fresh, organic zucchini from the farm, fresh basil I grew on my deck (that made the dish right there!), salt, garlic powder, cheddar cheese, diced fresh, organic tomato and sliced ripe olives. Sounds kind of weird but I will swear on the Bible that these flavors are so tasty and mingled together so nicely! It was one of those dishes that had so many different subtle flavors that taste so good together your tongue will just go into "flavor tasting" shock!

I'll post the recipes here and I hope you'll be able to enjoy the fresh veggies from your garden or local farmer's market in these tasty recipes. Enjoy!

Cheesy Zucchini Saute

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. butter

2 c. coarsely shredded zucchini

2 tsp. minced fresh basil

(or 1/2 tsp. dried)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. diced fresh tomato

2 T. sliced ripe olives

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until crisp-tender. Stir in zucchini, basil, salt and garlic powder. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Sprinkle with the cheese, tomato and olives. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Served immediately. Yield: 6 servings. * I use EVOO to saute instead of butter and I only sprinkled about 1/4 c. cheese on top to save fat grams and calories. It was divine!

Corn Balls

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. butter

3-1/2 c. herb-seasoned stuffing croutons

3 c. cooked whole kernel corn

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, cook onion and celery in butter until tender; set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine croutons, corn, eggs, water, salt, pepper and onion mixture; mix well. Shape into eight to 10 balls. Place in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Yield: 8-10 servings. * Again I use EVOO to saute the veggies and I used some cooked corn AND corn off one cob of uncooked corn. It turned out fabulous! This is a great recipe served with ham, steak, roast beef, turkey - you name it! Next time I make these I think I'll add a little sage sausage to really add the Thanksgiving flavor (my kids are carnivores and love sausage). I love recipes that can be tweaked! =)