The other beautiful part of fall is the abundance of produce that ripens at the end of summer/early fall. Especially cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans. The cooler weather also makes pickling a little less exhausting at the cottage. Pickles are full of vitamins and minerals and are often consumed to aid digestion as well as other ailments.
A classic and tasty recipe perfect for the whole family.
Fall is officially here and it’s starting to show. Our maple tree is turning red, the plum tree is turning too. We love autumn, especially here on the coast. The weather is mild and sunny and most of the tourists are back home in school. The other beautiful part of fall is the abundance of produce that ripens at the end of summer/early fall. Especially cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans. The cooler weather also makes pickling a little less exhausting at the cottage. Continue reading “Falling for Pickles!”
Not exactly the typical summer crop that comes to mind, but once you try this, you’ll be making it late into the fall with that large zucchini crop!
Today, Day 4 of the Summer Produce Series we are bringing you chocolate! Not exactly the typical summer crop that comes to mind, but once you try this, you’ll be making it late into the fall with that large zucchini crop! Zucchini is a great crop to grow, even if you have a smaller yard. Each plant yields several pounds of vegetables and the blossoms are delicious to cook with too! The plants are hardy and there are many varieties to choose from. We like to grill them with a little salt, pepper and olive oil for a dinner side. When we aren’t grilling them, we’re baking them like this…
All the spices blend well with the moisture of the zucchini to create a flavor party in your mouth!
The inspiration for these muffins came from a recipe that is often made in Dave’s family. They make a chocolate zucchini cake that is moist and divinely full of chocolate. His great aunt made the cake many times throughout the years and it became a signature dish to bring to potlucks and parties. In fact, we made the cake on one of our first dates. Dave had made it several times for friends and we decided to make it together. So, I guess you could say this started our love for cooking together! A cake is a great dish when you have a crowd or large family, but our family is still small and apparently it’s not healthy to devour a whole cake on a regular basis! (Say what?!) So, we came up with these muffins. They are a portable version of the original with a couple twists. A little less dessert and a little more breakfast. They will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 4-5 days. Or you can wrap them individually and freeze them for up to a month. Just pull out however many you want and thaw them overnight.
It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but I promise, they all add to the layers of flavor in these beauties. Hope you enjoy them! I promise, your kids won’t even know that they are high in protein and full of green veggies!
Today’s recipe for mouthwatering bruschetta with tomatoes, is a quick and tasty version that works great when you don’t have a lot of time. It also uses up all those juicy tomatoes and zesty basil leaves that are flourishing this time of year!
We love to cook and experience food from all cultures here at The Sprouted Cottage. Dave is a classically trained chef who loves the adventures of Asian cuisine and classic French techniques. He works as a chef at a local bakery in a neighboring town and gets to play with food everyday. I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures because of my love for art and textiles. I love discovering the unique traits of different people. There is one thing that both Dave and I see in every culture; sharing a meal is a common way to enjoy others company.
In true American fashion, our Sprout is a melting pot of ancestry. She has Italian, German, Polish, Norwegian, Irish, English, Scotch and possibly even Mongolian. We love how unique this makes her and have enjoyed watching her grow and seeing different characteristics show up as she matures. It also inspired us to expose her to foods and cultures that make up her ancestry. Continue reading “Mouthwatering Bruschetta with Tomatoes (Bruschetta con Pomodoro)”
Our Cucumber Pinwheels with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese are a quick and easy appetizer to bring to family bbq’s, beach picnics or even to have in the fridge on those hot nights when you can’t stomach a full meal. They pair well with lots of dishes.
This has been one crazy week! When we planned out this Summer Produce Series, we chose this week in July because our produce would be ripe and our schedule was open.
Day one of our Summer Produce Series is “filled to the brim” with fruits! Or within ¼ inch of the brim, actually. 😀 Last week we went to visit both of our families for a week; half with each family. While we were at the Gerszewski’s place, we picked pounds and pounds of strawberries and we also jammed some cherries from their early summer crop. Dave’s family has their own farm up in the mountains. They have an abundant variety and thanks to his dad and youngest brother, that variety is constantly growing! My in-loves are pros at processing and preserving their crops to enjoy all year. Their cherries were pitted, bagged and frozen. While frozen cherries are a pretty amazing treat all on their own, they also make a tasty jam for toast or cookies.
This is our go to jam recipe for fruits that we pull from our yard or receive from the Gerszewski side up in the sierra foothills. All in all we ended up with almost 2 gallons of jam to enjoy even when the winter weather hits. Continue reading “Simple Strawberry Jam”
Zucchini is a great crop to grow, even if you have a smaller yard. Each plant yields several pounds of vegetables and the blossoms are delicious to cook with too! The plants are hardy and there are many varieties to choose from. We like to grill them with a little salt, pepper and olive oil for a dinner side. When we aren’t grilling them, we’re baking them like this…
A cake is a great dish when you have a crowd or large family, but our family is still small and apparently it’s not healthy to devour a whole cake on a regular basis! (Say what?!) So, we came up with these muffins. They are a portable version of the original with a couple twists. A little less dessert and a little more breakfast.
Hope you enjoy them! I promise, your kids won’t even know that they are high in protein and full of green veggies!
The Sprouted Cottage 
