Long Time No Post

    I haven't been posting as much as I would like to because it's been a crazy past few months, but mostly because I was discouraged from pursuing my dream of sharing my creative recipes with you ever since I looked into a small but beautiful coffee shop in my town that I was dreaming of turning into a Pie Shop.  After some planning and calculating I was about to give up on my dream and just consider it a "Hobby" to be more realistic and keep my day job as a Logistics Manager.  But I have come to realize that you should never give up.  If you want something hard enough then you need to make it happen.  And why can't I do both?  So I will keep at it.  Posting new recipes that I try, creating my own recipes, and taking part in cooking competitions.  I will keep trying and maybe one day I will have my own Pie Shop or at least cook book.

   Anyways, here is an update of what I have been up to:

In August I entered the 4H Agricultural Fair for Hunterdon County and I won 7- 1st places, 1- 2nd place, and 1- 3rd place.
My entries were:
1st Place -  Pies, Appleberry Rhubarb Pie
1st Place -  Breads, Zucchini Bread
1st Place -  Relish, Zucchini Relish
1st Place -  Mixed Fruit Jam,  Strawberry Pineapple Jam
1st Place  - Apricot Jam, Apricot Lavender Jam
1st Place -  Pickled Peppers
1st Place -  Jelly, Plum Cardamom Jelly
2nd Place - Preserves, Golden Honeydew Preserves
3rd Place - Scones, Peach Scones

In September I won the NJ Peach Pie Council FINALS for the best Peach Pie in Northern New Jersey! This was so much fun and the judges from the Frog and the Peach had such nice things to say about my Peach Pie!

Just this month of October, I won an Apple Pie Baking Contest that was held at a Local Apple & Pumpkin Festival.  The judges also really liked my Apple Pie and I have to say that it turned out delicious.

Both my Peach & Apple Pies were my own recipes that I created.

This coming weekend I will be participating in a Chili Cook-off.  I have only participated in 1 prior and I won 3rd place with the judges, but also People's Choice!!!

 My plan for next year already is to send out a mass giveaway of Mini Lady Liberty Pies on September 11th.  Any proceeds that I get from the Chili Cook-off, as well as any other cooking competitions I will be putting towards my plan for my mini Patriotic Pie Giveaway!

I will keep you all posted!

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

  I've always wanted to make my own Zucchini Blossoms, but of course they are very hard to come by and only for a very limited time.   This year since I have a nice sized garden I was able to snatch a few.

Here is the recipe I used, minus the ricotta stufffing:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/squash-blossoms-stuffed-with-ricotta-354966

*Be careful of bumblebees 🐝

Wheatberry Salad

 
  Ingredients:
- Wheatberries
- White Sweet Potatoes
- Golden Raisins
- Carrots chips (or grated)
- Sprouts
- Olive oil
- White Balsamic Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Pomegranate arils
- Drizzle Real Maple Syrup
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt & Pepper

Cook Wheatberries and cook White Sweet Potatoes.  Mix all ingredients together and serve warm or cold.

Turkey Taco Quinoa

This dinner was so yummy,  I even ate it two more times for leftovers.  Even my quinoa hating fiancé ate it and enjoyed it. The recipe is from SpoonfulofFlavor:

http://www.spoonfulofflavor.com/2016/01/20/turkey-taco-quinoa-skillet/

I recommend trying it! I just ate it with some shredded cheese - plain in a bowl, I didn't even bother with the taco 🌮

Crawfish Etouffee

  Tonight I wanted to make something different for dinner and I came across this recipe for Crawfish:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/new-orleans-style-crawfish-etouffee/

    Crawfish isn't too popular in the northeast in fact I can't even think of the last time I tried it.  It's a delicious cross between shrimp and lobster to put it plainly and if you can't find them fresh around your area, the frozen tails work just fine, if not better for this recipe.

 First make a roux with flour and I used 1 stick of butter instead of oil, and half the amount of flour.

 Then a mirepoix with red peppers instead of the usual carrots.

 Add the vegetables to the roux and cook until soft, at least 15 minutes.

 I used beef broth instead of chicken. And left out the hot water all together.

A really good New Orleans style dinner!

Strawberry Lemonade Pie

  I made Strawberry Lemonade Pie for Mother's day this year, with Lemon Creme Oreos for the crust.

Filling was a delicious blend of fresh pureed strawberries with lots of juicy lemonade flavor!  A perfect treat for this time of year. 

Steak Fajitas

I made these delicious steak Fajitas for Cinco de Mayo. I decided to use Naan bread instead, which is typically found more in Indian cuisine, but it worked well.

 I grilled both green bell peppers and poblano peppers, red onion, and garlic cloves with a little oil, salt and pepper, and just a dash of herbs de Provence. You could also use just parsley or Mexican oregano instead.

 I choose a nice Ribeye for its wonderful flavor and seasoned it well with the same oil, salt and pepper, and herbs de Provence.

 This Farmhouse Red Relish is my secret ingredient.

Serve with lime wedge and shredded Colby-Jack cheese.