Late Summer Garden Harvest Dinner

Did you have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend? We spent the weekend with my youngest sister Mary Kate, her husband Adam, and their five children. Also present were my parents, and my sister Heidi and husband Mikey, with their four children. All in all, there were 8 adults and 11 kids. The little girls spent the weekend putting on a production of the musical, Annie. They all took turns playing the part of Annie, in democratic style. By the way, I was cast as Miss Lily St. Regis with my Quiet Man as Rooster Hannigan. He surprised me by hamming it up more than just a little bit. And me, well, I didn't take three years of high school acting for nothin'. Thanks, Mr. Byers, you taught me everything I know.

As for the little boys, they spent the weekend collecting sticks and rocks, wrestling, and trying to heckle the Annie actresses.

Ah, it was a great weekend. I think I could put on a play every weekend, provided I was just given Monday off. Pretty please. A looong break makes the week much easier to face.

Speaking of long breaks, our garden is just about to take a hiatus until next spring. I'm going to miss my backyard bounty, especially those juicy red tomatoes, the golden corn, and the crisp green beans. Last week, I fixed a dinner of all of my favorite summer garden vegetables. It's not a farewell, not quite yet, but you can tell it's coming. Here's what we had:

Avocado and Tomato Salad with Lime Drizzle

Buttered Corn on the Cob

Green Beans and Red Potatoes in Cream

Roasted Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Olive Oil

If you're feeling really ambitious, a nice crisp or cobbler would be ideal for dessert. Especially with your last batch of homemade ice cream.

Money Saving Tips: Use what you've got from the garden, or hit up the farmer's market. You can use any variety of tomatoes, even cherry or grape. Just shorten the cooking time. Use other thin skinned potatoes, if red are expensive this week.

Tomato and Avocado Salad with Lime Drizzle

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for four servings

1 small avocado, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

juice of one lime

2 teaspoons olive oil

Layer avocado, tomato, and cilantro on plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil.

Grandma Darland's Red Potatoes and Green Beans

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 4 servings

2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 lb. green beans, cut into one inch pieces

1/2-3/4 cup cream of half and half

Place potatoes in cold water in a large pot. Salt water. Bring to a boil. Cook for about eight minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender. Add green beans and cook until just tender and bright green. Drain well. Return to pot. Add cream, mashing a few potatoes with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Tomatoes with Bread Crumbs and Olive Oil

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 4 servings

4 red ripe tomatoes, halved

olive oil, for drizzling

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (made from 1-2 pieces of bread)

1 clove minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 4000 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, combine crumbs, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake an additional ten minutees, or until crumbs are toasted.

Next Up:

Peanut Butter and Honey Popcorn

Spicy Green Beans with Pork

Photo: Courtesty Family Fun Magazine

In my former life, before I became a dedicated food blogger, I used to be a competitive cook. I'd enter several recipe contests a year, and sometimes when extremely lucky I'd even win. (Think money, trips, Food Network appearances, and more aprons than I care to admit.) I've always enjoyed the challenge of creating new recipes and I particularly like using common ingredients in exciting, new ways. Since I started blogging, however, most of my creative recipes land right here at Prudence Pennywise. That's a good thing; I love being able to share what's cookin'. And frankly, before this blog, I wasn't exactly a stellar record keeper. I'm constantly clicking on my own blog to get my own recipes. This is where I keep them; it's their home. I'm absolutely giddy over the idea that other people are using my recipes and enjoying them too. So, thank you! But still, once in a while, I do miss the thrill of cook-off, and that good-news phone call or letter in the mail, and that chance to win a prize or trip. So here and there a cooking contest will lure me in, like this one. 25,000 bucks for a recipe. Not bad, eh? It's worth a shot,right?

And besides the grand prize, there's a cook-off in NYC in the spring for the semi-finalists. I need your help to get there! All you have to do is click here to vote for my recipe. You'll see my recipe (Cheery Cherry Chicken with Crispy Onion Grits), and a box that says Vote Now. Click on it and I'll earn another star, and be one step closer to becoming a semi-finalist.
You can vote one time per day till October 31st. And if you're so inclined, try coming up with a recipe and enter yourself. I'll vote for you too, promise.

Today's recipe, ironically enough, isn't mine. I lifted it straight from the pages of Family Fun magazine. A couple of months ago the mag ran a "Homemade Takeout" section with some fast and fabulous restaurant quality recipes. This Spicy Green Beans and Pork caught my eye immediately. Oh, mama-the taste of crisp-tender green beans with garlic and ginger together with thin slices of pork and a sprinkle of sesame is just to die for! You've got to make this one this weekend!

Money Saving Tips:

Look for 2 for 1 sales on pork chops and then stock up. If you like, you can substitute chicken for the pork. I swapped out the hoisin sauce for ketchup, since they are both essentially sweet and vinegary. Be creative if you don't have a lot of Chinese sauces on hand. You could also substitute red pepper flakes and fresh garlic for the chili garlic sauce. Sesame oil is pricey but it only takes a little drizzle to pack a big punch.

Spicy Green Beans with Pork

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 servings

From Family Fun magazine
1 pound pork tenderloin (I used chops)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (I substituted extra chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce (I left this out)
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (I substituted ketchup)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
Cut pork into the thin possible strips. (Tip: first partially freeze it for 30 to 90 minutes.) In a small bowl, toss the shaved pork with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, and the pepper. Marinate the pork at room temperature while assembling the rest of the ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of rice wine, the stock, spicy bean sauce, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch, and set aside.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the beans and stir-fry them until they begin to brown or blister, about 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the pan using a slotted spoon and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Return the pan to the heat and add the pork, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry the mixture until the pork is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute.
Add the reserved sauce and green beans, mix well, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about one minute. Finally, sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

Next Up:

My sister Heidi's Chicken Curry