Mmm…Cake

Coda’s birthday cake. We had a midsummer’s nights dream fairy party.

We made this lemon and mixed berry cake for Coda’s birthday party from an inspiration from a pintrest pin that caught our eye. This cake was not make from scratch, but we did put some of our fresh strawberries and raspberries on it.

The party table after it had been picked over…

Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup

Cabbage-Potato-and-Sausage-Soup1The quest continues in this warming and hearty soup. I am not much for cooking dishes that take forever to make, since time is a precious commodity when you are the cook, gardener, driver and maid….not to mention working a full 40 hours and week and taking care of my girls too. Simple and quick are my friends!

Polenta Zucchini Eggplant Stacks with Basil

Polenta Zucchini Eggplant Stacks

The challenge continues with finding creative ideas for using the the fresh garden veggies. The kids really liked these, which is good since they both claim to hate eggplant and zucchini. Polenta for those who have never had it, is really just an Italian corn porridge that can be baked or fried. Here we choose to bake it with zucchini and eggplant. This is a quick and yummy.

I used Polenta that I cooked according to package directions, but there is a pre-made polenta you can get that comes in tubes that is even easier. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of quick cooking polenta (I found it in the Italian section at the supermarket)
  • Fresh Eggplant. I like mine with the skins peeled. You can leave the skins on if you prefer. Slice them into thick rounds
  • Fresh Zucchini sliced into thick rounds
  • Marinara sauce
  • Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • Dried Italian Herb Mix
  • Fresh Basil
  • Fresh Corn, 2 Ears
  • Cooking spray

Step One:

Preheat the oven to 375. Place a large stockpot with water and a lid on high and bring to a boil. Cook Polenta according to package directions. Spray a large muffin tin with cooking spray. (there we go again with the muffin tins…they are so handy!) Scoop about polenta into each muffin tin and press down to about 1/4 inch thick. I placed the tin into the fridge covered up while prepping the veggies. Shuck the 2 ears of corn and place into the boiling water to cook for about 15 minutes while prepping a

Baked Hash Brown Nests

We are experimenting all summer with all the different recipes that we are able to make with what we grow in the garden. Some great successes, some that the little food critics said two forks down too.

Baked  Hash Brown Nests with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil