Freezing Produce and It's Ripe NOW!

I was reading my friend's blog the other day and she had written a brief blog regarding freezing some blueberries she had purchased at the store to use later in the year.  Plus another FB friend had questioned how to freeze strawberries after taking her children berry picking earlier this summer.

Of course, I had to comment, as I too often freeze a variety of produce.  Mostly due to seasonal availability coupled with economics.

As long as you have the space in freezer it is relatively simple process.  I have a deep freezer, so I use a cookie sheet.  But, you could use any other freezer safe container that will allow air to flow around the produce without it freezing together.

To ensure that softer items like bananas don't stick to the pan, first line with waxed paper.

Clean or pick your produce and chop if desired.  Spread on pan and freeze for several hours or a day before removing.  Then label and place in freezer safe containers or freezer safe zipper lock storage bags.  Place back into freezer until needed for recipes and consumption.

This is a super way to not waste excess produce you have purchased or have in ripe abundance in your garden, i.e. I just froze a 1/2 dozen peeled bananas and what should be my last crop of figs (figs are extremely fragil and usually mold and rot within a couple of days in the open air).

Items such as sliced peaches and bananas are terrific straight from the freezer into the blender as a delicious addition to a fruit smoothie.  Or quick access when the desire for banana bread or a fruit pie is weighing heavy on your mind.

When shopping, don't ignore the reduced produce.  As I had commented on my friend's blog Berrymorin Bits and Tips, it is a super way to try produce you may not normally purchase or have never tried before.  EX:  I recently bought a mesh bag of tiny key limes and have been using them in my ice water for added flavor.

If you are able to deal with it and think economically, you can definitely make use of some of the ripe produce at excellent prices by preparing and freezing immediately.  One of my favorites is yellow, red and green bell peppers.  I wash, slice and freeze for use later in omelets and other recipes.

This past week, I used two (2) sealed containers of summer squash/zucchini in a huge batch of a vegetable beef soup that I made one night.  I could have easily frozen the squash and used later, but decided to empty my produce drawer and freeze the soup instead.

Trying New Foods - Skyr a.k.a. Traditional Yogurt of Iceland

For the most part, I enjoy trying foods that I have never tasted before.  This past week, Giant Food Stores sent, in the mail, a couple of manufacturers coupons for siggi's Icelandic style skyr strained non-fat yogurt in the amount of $1. per coupon.  (Reference:  http://skyr.com/)
Now, there is a little incentive to give the product a try.  I like yogurt and truly enjoy fruit smoothies made with fresh fruit, plain yogurt, water and ice.

Once at the store, I ended up purchasing two, 6 oz cups of yogurt at a retail cost of $1.99 per cup.  There were four options available at the store and I selected the orange and ginger and the blueberry fruit varieties.

This afternoon, I decided to have a snack and tried the orange and ginger container.

As far as the product, it contained minimal traces of orange and ginger.  Nothing like traditional American cups of yogurt with fruit.  Plus, the consistancy visably looked more like that of ice cream with a bit of texture to it.  When placed in a spoon skyr will remain stuck to the spoon when turned over.  Unlike yogurt which will fall or slide off.

Skyr, reminds me very much of a Mediterranean yogurt cheese a.k.a. labneh that is the consistency of American cream cheese.  Like labneh, the flavor comparison is that it has a slightly tart yogurt taste.

Due to the regular retail cost of $1.99 a 6 oz cup, I would say that it will not often find its way into my grocery basket.  But, if on sale or if I am in need of a high protein meatless diet this is a great product to purchase and consume, as it has 16 to 17 grams of protein per container!

Actually, I am going to recommend this product to a friend of mine who was telling me about a diet plan that her physician has her on; which includes consuming a breakfast of  over 30 grams of protein each morning.

A rather difficult endevor when you have to be up and on the road prior to dawn for a 50 minute or more comute to work.  Plus, she was lamenting on how she really did not care to have a huge breakfast in the mornings nor did she have the time to prepare and consume.

If she can get in roughly half the grams of protein at home before she departs in the AM, than perhaps she can have her reward of a siggi's skyr once she gets to work.  Thus getting the protein her physician is recommending without as much AM frustration.

I would give the product a thumbs up and say to try it out for yourself.  Let me know what your impressions are after you have tried it.

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If you have never tried labneh and live in the DC Metro area it can be found at Middle Eastern food markets such as The Mediterranean Bakery located on Pickett Street in Alexandria, VA.

Or, if you live in an area that does not sell it, you can make it yourself by purchasing yogurt and straining it.  Just follow the recipe provided in the link below or look on-line to find another similar recipe.http://www.food.com/recipe/yogurt-cheese-labneh-88089

More about skyr from the Skyr.com website:

What is skyr?

Skyr is the traditional yogurt of Iceland. It is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey, the water naturally found in milk, is then strained away to make for a much thicker, creamier, concentrated yogurt. So to make just one cup of skyr, with all that water going out, you need 3 - 4 times the amount of milk required to make a regular cup of yogurt. As a result of this process skyr comes out with 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt.

Our farmers do not use growth hormones like rBGH. All siggi’s products are natural and do not contain any artificial sweeteners; our yogurts are very lightly sweetened with agave nectar. We try our best to keep our ingredients list short and simple.

South Africa "Midnight" Orange

Intense citrus flavor, rich orange pulp and memorably delicious, is what I have to say about the South Africa, Midnight, large navel oranges I purchased at Safeway yesterday evening.  Currently, on sale for 99 cents each and I am telling you that purchasing only two was not enough.  I will be going back for more.

P.S. 

Sunday night purchased more and consumed two on Monday.  Each one just as consistently delicious as the previous orange.

Good Vanilla Ice Cream - Turkey Hill, Philadelphia Style

Oh no....  The kid in me wants a root beer float.

There are mugs in the freezer and root beer in the refrigerator.  Even flexible straws in a drawer.  But, alas, there is no Turkey Hill, Philadelphia Style,  Vanilla Bean ice cream in the freezer.

The ice cream is one of those products that Mr. O'Dea introduced me to and I will have to agree that it is one of the best commercially available ice creams that you can purchase at the local grocery store. 

Once in the freezer section, make certain you go for the black box and the "Philadelphia Style".

Super simple ingredients:  Cream, milk, sugar, vanilla and vanilla bean. 

He introduced me to the ice cream served up usually a la mode with pie and I was the soda jerk that would make up the root beer floats to either go with our BLT at lunch.

Either served plain, a la mode or in a root beer float, the texture and flavor will make you as happy as if you were a kid on a hot summers day, sitting on a swivel stool with a longed for ice cream placed in front of you.

Hot Granny, Tomato Crab Soup™

Post written on 10/01

Today the area feels as if it has been cleansed and the ground fed.  The air is fresh, cool and surprisingly dry this Friday evening, after over a day of torrential rains.  It is just the right temperature to induce a subconscious desire for a hot and spicy soup.

How many times do you go into the store for a specific item or two and reach the cash register with a half a dozen or more items in your hand basket? 

This PM, at Bloom, I stalled too long at the seafood section* and picked up a half pound of pre-cooked snow crab clusters that pulled me in and bit me for a total amount of $2.45. (Fair price.)

The majority of the crab was picked and eaten for dinner this evening.  But, I did not get overly zealous in the picking the smaller strands of meat out, as I wanted to experiment by making a tomato crab soup.

You know how you can never quite replicate your grandmother’s dishes because she never wrote the recipe down and always cooked by feel and taste?  Well, not so bad here for what I am calling HOT Granny, Tomato Crab Soup™, as I have some general measurements for use of commercially sold items.

In a large pot add:

·         ½ lb pre-cooked snow crab cluster shells with some strands of meat remaining

·         Use just enough water to cover the crab

Boil for approx. 20 minutes

Remove from heat and use tongs to remove shells from crab broth

Add to pot of hot crab broth:

·         2 – 10 ¾ oz cans of concentrated tomato soup

·         1 – 14 ½ oz can deiced tomatoes and juice

·         1 – 16 oz container of fresh salsa (contains - tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red pepper, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, tomato juice, garlic, poblano pepper, Serrano pepper and salt)

·         ½ teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning (use more or less to taste)

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Check for taste and a slightly thickened consistency to determine if soup has simmered long enough.

Serve up this hot & spicy soup with a dollop of sour cream, ice cold beverage and enjoy!

*I am rather surprised, that some of the local grocery stores, over the last couple of years offer fish in one variety or another on special Friday’s, as not many Catholics and other Christian faiths are strict about not eating meat on Friday.  Mainly, the local Asian supermarkets have Friday seafood offers, but now I am seeing other mainstream grocers also placing seafood specials on Friday, as well.