Tammy's Recipes

See upcoming In-Season Recipe Swap themes here! :)

This week, you're welcome to share the recipe for anything that you've been eating recently that is in season right now in your area! :) Recipes need to include your own photo of the finished dish. :)

I don't have a new recipe to share because we seem to be eating the same in-season stuff we were eating a few weeks ago! :) (I'm also busy with some behind-the-scenes technical issues, so hopefully by next week I'll be back to blogging full steam!)

Asparagus --  Grilled Asparagus is a newer favorite, although I've also just steamed the asparagus and sprinkled with salt for an easy veggie side dish. I'm glad my family loves asparagus! :)

Zucchini -- Apparently in some areas, zucchini is already big enough to pick! I got some on sale this week for Chicken Squash Bake. Super yummy and very healthy, and definitely one of our favorite meals! :) Oh, and it's easy to make, too. :)

Also, if you have cherries and blueberries, do check out this 4th of July Cherry Berry Dessert, something like a cobbler and very yummy-looking! :) (Browse around the rest of that blog for loads of cooking inspiration as well!)

Have a favorite in-season recipe to share? We'd love to see it! :)

How to participate:

Post your recipe, including your own photo of the food. Link to this post, and then come over here and let us know where to find YOU! Just leave your link in a comment and I will manually add them to this post throughout the day. :)

1. Dark chocolate cherry muffins
2. Turnip greens quiche (Shannon)
3. Rhubarb crisp (Trixie)
4. Zucchini beef skillet (Gina)
5. Walla Walla sweet onion rings (Kristin)
6. Cherry-apple bran muffins
7. Healthy zucchini bread (Rachel)
8. Twisted Chicken Tetrazzini (Sara)

Originally published in September, 2007

Are any of you still using food from your gardens? (Or food gifted to you from a friend's garden!) :) We have lots of bell peppers, tomatoes, and squash still -- and the red raspberries are producing fruit again! (They bear twice a year.)

I made Raspberry Crumble Muffins yesterday... what a treat! I found that recipe last year when I was searching for a good use for fresh red raspberries (besides jam!). These muffins are one of my favorites... almost like a dessert, with the crumb topping!

The dozen I made didn't last long at all (less than 24 hours!). :)

And since this is about kitchen tips, here are a couple tips for making muffins, in case your recipe doesn't specify:

1. Use a wire whisk to combine the dry ingredients for your muffins. This helps remove lumps easily. Combine wet ingredients before adding to the dry, and stir just until moistened.

2. Grease only the bottoms of the muffin tins. This helps the muffins rise better, or so I've read. :)

3. Wait about 5 minutes before removing muffins from their pans, because hot muffins are very fragile! :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please!

In order to keep the kitchen tips more easily accessible, posts not adhering to these guidelines will be removed. We need to be able to easily find/see what your kitchen/cooking tip is. :) Thanks for your participation! :)

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Mandy (preparing for cooking when tired)
2. AmyG (baking tips)
3. Mrs. Brigham (Storing Fresh Herbs)
4. Save time prepping coffee (Heather)
5. Less waste when cooking with wine (Alison)
6. Keeping recipes handy (Donna)
7. Using greens that are past their prime (Shannon)
8. Grill safety tips
9. Tips for using lots of various CSA veggies (Christy)
10. How to "bake" without using the oven (Laura)
11. Making dry muffins mixes (Amanda)
12. Steaming veggies in the microwave
13. Chip dip tip (Kolfinna)
14. Preparing oatmeal for toddlers (Lenetta)
15. Frozen casserole on the grill (Lenetta)
16. Making breadcrumbs (Jessica)
17. Tuna melt tips, kitchen helper tips (Melinda)
18. Alternative to breadcrumbs
19. Half-feedings for Friendship Bread (Jane)
20. Using the last dregs of salsa (Alea)
21. Keeping pre-made foods for last-minute dinners (Tara)
22. Reading PLU labels on fruit (Jan)
23. Topping pizza with hot dogs
24. Leftover food storage (Melissa)
25. Cutting pretty brownies (Tracey)
26. Pitting cherries without a cherry pitter (Tiffany)
27. Re-packaging milk to freeze (and more) (Shari)

Upcoming themes for the In-Season Recipe Swap each Wednesday:

July 1, 2009 -- This week you can use any recipe that involves something in-season for you right now. :) Recipes need to include your own photo of the food, as usual. :)

July 8 -- green peas (without edible pod)
July 15 -- raspberries (any color)
July 22 -- green beans
July 29 -- broccoli
August 5 -- cauliflower
August 12 -- summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)
August 19 -- cucumbers
August 26 -- tomatoes
September 2 -- corn
September 9 -- blackberries
September 16 -- peaches
September 23 -- apples
September 30 -- cabbage

Mmmm... this list is making me hungry! :) What a delicious summer we get to enjoy! :)

Frozen Blueberries are one of my childrens' favorite snacks during hot summer days. Blueberries are naturally so sweet that they taste like candy to us! :)

The boys (ages 5 and 3) sit at the table with a bowl of blueberries and a spoon, instructed not to get their hands all blue (and certainly not to wipe it all over their clothes!). ;)

I usually pop the blueberries one by one into Ruth's mouth. She's good about keeping her mouth closed while she eats and not making a mess. :)

We get frozen blueberries in 5-pound bags at Costco for about $2 a pound. Besides eating them plain, we make blueberry smoothies and put them in oatmeal for breakfast! :)

This week's In-Season recipe theme is cherries! Sour cherries, sweet cherries, black, red, or yellow -- such a delicious and versatile fruit! :)

My new recipe this week is No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake, a dessert my mom made (and still makes) using cherries from her trees. :) This year, however, I used sweet cherries (the ones pictured above!) from the store. It's easy to adjust the sugar and use either sweet or sour cherries. :)

This no-bake cheesecake isn't a true cheesecake according to Joshua (and after all, he does create some fantastic baked cheesecakes!)... but it won't heat up your house, and it's smooth creamy-tartness is alluring. And, you can always call it what my mom calls it -- Cherry Dessert -- to avoid the cheesecake stigma. ;)

I'm sure many of you have your own version of this simple cheesecake dessert, but since this website is primarily for sharing family favorites, here it is! :)

Another family favorite using cherries: Cherry-Mulberry Pie, one of my top favorite fruit pies! If you live near mulberries and sour cherries, they complement each other wonderfully in this pie!

Now, I'm ready to check out your favorite recipes that feature cherries as a star ingredient! :)

How to participate:

Post your recipe, including your own photo of the food. Recipes must follow the week's theme, obviously. :)

Link to this post, and then come over here and let us know where to find YOU! Just leave your link in a comment and I will manually add them to this post throughout the day. :)

Coming recipe themes: I will figure this out this week and announce the coming themes. Life has been busy. :)

1. Cherry coffee cake (and more!)
2.
3.
4.
5.

Here's a handy time-saving sandwich-making tip for those of you who (like me!) make cold-cut sandwiches for lunches!

At least several times each week, I make a cold-cut sandwich for in my husband's lunchbox. I always make the sandwich fresh, shortly before he leaves for work, so it doesn't get soggy.

My husband likes salad dressing (Miracle Whip or equivalent), mustard, and horseradish on his cold-cut sandwiches, and it always took extra time to get all 3 things from the fridge, as well as at least 2 separate utensils to spread them on the bread.

So, I make a mixture of all three ingredients! First I combine the mustard and horseradish, using equal amounts of each. Then I add Miracle Whip until the spread is the right strength in relation to the horseradish. ;)

I store it in a lidded container in the refrigerator, and then when I need to make a sandwich, I just have to spread one thing on the bread! Much simpler. :) We use this on our burgers, too!

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please!

In order to keep the kitchen tips more easily accessible, posts not adhering to these guidelines will be removed. We need to be able to easily find/see what your kitchen/cooking tip is. :) Thanks for your participation! :)

Leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Hulling strawberries with a straw
2. Freezing fresh fish (Lori)
3. How to read a bread bag (Katie)
4. Using sauerkraut as a condiment (Donna)
5. Growing green onions from bulbs (Beth)
6. Tips for a cooler kitchen on hot days
7. Cleaning and storing fresh garden lettuce (Stephanie)
8. How to keep hard-boiled eggs from cracking (Becky)
9. Food substitutions chart (Lenetta)
10. Making tea with Mr. Coffee
11. How to prepare dried beans
12. Easier strawberry stemming (Kirstin)
13. What to do with strawberries (Laura)
14. Reusing Ziplock bags (Susan)
15. Baking with a limited number of cookie sheets (Alea)
16. Baking two chickens at once (Melinda)
17. Proofing pie crusts before baking

As I finished up my previous posts about sightseeing in the Seattle area, I wanted to get some reader input on more fun and frugal things to do in the Seattle/Tacoma area!

Peggy asked:

I was wondering if you could make some recommendations on things to do and sites to see while in Seattle. Can you recommend places to shop as well? I enjoy flea markets and farmers markets. We all enjoy Living History museums so we will probably go to Ft. Nisqually.

I loved Pike Place Market in Seattle, which is somewhat like a farmer's market, live musicians, and lots of little shops (used bookstores, tea, musical instruments, spices, and probably a hundred more things we didn't have time to see!). After paying for parking, you can basically explore all over. :) I've bought bananas and some wonderful huge apples for snacking while there... and if you love tea be sure to check out the Vital Leaf tea shop there! :) (Read more here)

The Columbia Center in Seattle was another favorite, with a beautiful view (plus the fun of being transported to the top of a skyscraper!).

The Farmer's Market in Ballard (a north Seattle neighborhood) is well-loved by many but we haven't been there yet.

I've also heard that the Museum of Flight (on the south side of Seattle) is a great one!

We enjoy riding on a ferry (since it's something we have only done a couple times!) and after touring the battleship in Bremerton, we took the Bremerton ferry across to Seattle. (The ferry is cheaper that direction.) You can find all the ferry schedules and fares here. :)

There are lots of nice parks and hiking trails, though we've only explored ones north of Seattle for the most part. :)

So, dear local readers, what do you recommend for the Seattle area? :)

Here are a few links worthy of your spare minutes today, should you have such. ;)

Leah posted about making our Spicy Grilled Steak Stir Fry... only her photo is about 100 times better than mine! She makes it look appetizing and admonishes her readers to give it a try.

My sister Amy posted pictures and the recipe for my family's Sugar Cookie. It's from a 100+ year old cook book and has a yummy old-fashioned flavor, with nutmeg. :)

The Sifford Sojournal, a fascinating tutorial-laden blog by a couple homesteading in Texas, shares about making homemade apple cider vinegar and cheese waxing, among other topics.

The Purple Foodie is a fun food blog I recently found with some delicious-looking recipes like Olive and Rosemary Crackers, Garlicky Baked Fries,  and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits. Yum!

This week's in-season (or just starting!) recipe theme is blueberries! Blueberries are one of the most popular fruits in the U.S. and we love them! :)

If you still have rhubarb in your garden, you could combine it with blueberries for a delicious Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp. :) This easy fruit coffee cake recipe lends itself well to blueberries, as does my overnight challah french toast recipe (adapted from an overnight blueberry french toast recipe!). :)

But, I have a new recipe typed up for today:

Blueberry Streusel Muffins. Yummy. Easy. Sweet. (Think dessert, not breakfast.) Yet another unhealthy recipe for special occasions! ;)

Now, I'm ready to check out your favorite recipes that feature blueberries as a star ingredient! :)

How to participate:

Post your recipe, including your own photo of the food. Recipes must follow the week's theme, obviously. :)

Link to this post, and then come over here and let us know where to find YOU! Mr. Linky has issues, so just leave your links in a comment and I will manually add them to this post throughout the day. :)

Coming recipe themes: All varieties of cherries (June 24); more TBA this week! :)

1. Lemon Blueberry Scones (and others)
2. Blueberry Streusel Muffins (Gina)
3. Blueberry Buckle (Brandy)
4. Blueberry Pound Cake (Sara)
5. Blueberry Pecan Pancakes (Shaina)
6. Blueberry Cheesecake (Donna)
7. Berry Muffins (Summer)
8. Blueberry Muffins and Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
9.
10.

We love making real whipped cream -- you know, the heavy whipping cream kind? Soooo delicious!! Costco carries half-gallons of Darigold 40% whipping cream for $5-something, and that lasts us quite a while even though we love whipped cream on just about anything! (Fruit, ice cream, smoothies, etc.)

I used to use a large mixing bowl to whip the cream, but last week I discovered an easier way when making whipped cream that will need to be stored before use.

I got out a fairly tall plastic container with a lid, that I could store the whipped cream in -- and then just whipped it right in that container! When it was done, I put the lid on and popped it straight into the fridge! :)

By the way, if you've never made homemade whipped cream but want to try, usually the cartons of whipping cream from the store include directions on the side.

My basic method: Whip cream on high for a minute; add sugar if desired (a tablespoon or two per cup of cream, but I don't usually measure!) and whip until cream is stiff. I stop as soon as it gets stiff, to avoid over-beating. We sometimes add vanilla extract to the cream, as well, but it's delicious even without. :)

To Participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays:

Post a kitchen tip in your blog. Link to this post, and then leave your link here, so we know where to find YOU! :) No giveaways or non-tip posts, please!

In order to keep the kitchen tips more easily accessible, posts not adhering to these guidelines will be removed. We need to be able to easily find/see what your kitchen/cooking tip is. :) Thanks for your participation! :)

Mr. Linky is on sick leave, so leave your tip links in a comment. I'll manually add them to this post!

1. Tips for baking with kids (Danelle)
2. Milk substitutions (Mary Ann)
3. Is it still fresh?
4. Temporary side board for entertaining (AmyG)
5. Cut cookies with parchment paper (Amy)
6. Varieties of homemade ice cream (Tara)
7. Freezing (Angela)
8. Freezing cookie dough (Erika)
9. Cross-contamination prevention (Melinda)
10. Minced garlic (Shannon)
11. Crispy homemade potato chips in minutes
12. Using bacon grease (Lenetta)
13. Repurposed leftovers
14. Getting rid of fruit flies in the kitchen
15. "Doctoring up" processed foods (Amanda)
16. Ice cube trays
17. Taking the strings out of celery
18. Using oil dispenser for dish soap (Alea)
19. Dry mix for cream sauce (Diann)
20.