What To Do With All Those Veggies

Remember our humble little raised bed garden we built and planted this spring?  Well,
who knew that such a small area could produce so much?!  Our garden, thanks in large part
to our productive native soil and the amazing weather and sunshine here in Louisiana,
is literally overflowing with veggies.  I have been giving away green goodies to all
my neighbors, stocking up our freezer, and cooking up a storm with this overabundance
of squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.  Not a bad deal, right?
I've been Pinteresting my little heart out and collecting tons of recipes to try and my family
is reaping the benefits.  Today, I'm sharing two super easy recipes that were a big hit and
made great use of a productive week in the garden.

What to do with all those cucumbers:

Bread and butter pickles

Bianca shared this recipe with me and it is amazing!  We have been picking 10-12
cucumbers out of our garden daily and this pickle recipe was the perfect way to utilize
them all.  Plus, I'm pregnant.  And anything with the word "pickle" in it sounds appetizing.  

Here's what you'll need:

5 1/2 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced onion 
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
I also added two banana peppers, sliced and 1 cayenne pepper, sliced for some added Louisiana style flavor

1.  Thinly slice cucumbers.

2. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large bowl, cover, refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove cucumbers from fridge, rinse with cold water, drain, return to bowl, add onion 
and peppers, return to fridge.

4. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium sized pot on the stove.  Simmer over 
medium heat, stir often to allow sugar to dissolve.  Once sugar is dissolved, remove 
mixture from heat and pour over cucumbers in bowl.

5.  Allow cucumbers and vinegar mixture to cool at room temperature for about an 
hour.  Cover and return to refrigerator for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, serve your 
delicious pickles with any dish you wish!  This dish may be stored in an airtight container 
in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.  I used mason jars to store mine and they look so pretty 
and appetizing in my fridge!  Enjoy!

What to do with all those squash and zucchinni:

Baked squash and zucchini parmesean

A coworker shared this recipe with me and we have literally eaten it every night this week.
It is so simple and packed with flavor!

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound of squash or zucchini or both
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese

1.  Slice squash and zucchini into thin slices, place in a foil lined pan, coat with olive oil.

2.  Mix bread crumbs and Parmesean cheese in a separate bowl. Sprinkle mixture over 
veggies, covering them as much as possible.

3.  Place pan of veggies in oven, bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until 
golden brown.

4.  Sprinkle with a little cheddar/Monterrey Jack cheese mixture right before pulling pan 
out of oven, allowing cheese to melt on top of veggies.  Serve right away for maximum 
flavor!  

5.  Attempt to take a finished product photo for your blog before your children devour 
your  dish.  Fail miserably.  Take it as a compliment.  Be thankful your kids eat their 
veggies.  The end.

Liv and Belle Cook: Red Beans

With football season here and the hope of cooler weather upon us, it's time to bring out
my favorite winter recipes: gumbo, chili, and our family's all time favorite red beans and
rice.  Red beans and rice are a Louisiana staple, one of those meals that fills your home
with amazing smells and can feed a huge crowd on a small budget.  It's the perfect meal to
make on a busy family day as you literally throw everything into a big pot and let it go,
taking breaks between your favorite football games or around the house projects to stir it
all together.  Here we share our family recipe for red beans and rice.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried red beans
8 cups water
2 large white onions, chopped
1 large green bellpepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Few shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 lb of smoked sausage or 1 meaty ham bone, your choice

Chop smoked sausage into small pieces, brown in a skillet with a few shakes of your
favorite Cajun seasoning.  I love Slap Ya Mama (Yes, that is really what it's called).  You
may also use ham in your beans.  Crack the bone and drop it in the pot: my grandmother
said that the bone marrow added flavor.  You can also leave the meat out all together for
a vegetarian dish packed with flavor.

Chop up all of your veggies.  I just purchased this Vidalia Chop Wizard and LOVE it.  I can
chop up all my veggies in no time and it doubles as a measuring cup.  It's super easy to
clean, too.

Place sausage, veggies, and water in a big, heavy pot.  Bring to a slow boil, stir, cover, 
lower heat.  Let simmer for 6-8 hours.  Stir occasionally throughout cooking time.  Tip: 
you can cut your cooking time in half by soaking your dried red beans in a bowl full of 
water overnight.  Also, you can throw this whole recipe in your crockpot if you have to 
leave home.  Just set on low heat and cook for 8 hours.

{Ask your Cajun Papa to taste test for you for good measure!}

Now serve over a bed of rice with a side of cornbread and enjoy!

Liv and Belle Cook: Enchiladas

Isabelle has grown up in a house where the kitchen is the main gathering place.  She 

has followed me around as I prepare our meals ever since she was a baby, sitting at my 

feet with a wooden spoon and a bowl, imitating my every move.  The sights and smells of 

the kitchen will surely fill her childhood memories as we spend much of our time 

together perfecting our own family recipes.  This summer, she became more involved in 

the process, learning new concepts and age appropriate techniques.  Here we share 

our recipe for beef and beans enchiladas.  This recipe was originally given to me by 

my cousin, April, and has become one of our favorites.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground chuck
2 purple onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 clove of garlic, minced
2 packets of enchilada seasoning mix
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cans of red enchilada sauce
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 can of Rotel
10 flour tortillas
2 large cans of refried beans
Grated cheese of your choice 
(We like a blend of monterey, cheddar, and pepper jack)

Add ground beef, veggies, and enchilada seasoning to a large pot, brown meat and 

saute veggies.  Stir frequently.

Once meat is brown and veggies are soft, add enchilada sauce and Rotel.  

Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, stir frequently.

Warm refried beans in a side dish.  Heat tortillas until warm.  

Spread beans onto tortilla, spoon beef mixture onto tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, 

fold tortilla into a burrito-like shape.  Place enchiladas in a baking dish side 

by side.  Spoon leftover beef sauce over entire dish, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly.  



Serve your hungry family members who will surely be stalking your kitchen thanks to
the fantastic smells brewing about!