Fathers Day Brats, onions and apples

 Its Fathers Day and I want to make a meal to please my man.  That would be my husband.  However my Dad is someone I also want to please........but he has a heart condition.........so I'll make him a special low fat meal too.  But here's the recipe I made to please my man. I learned this recipe from my neighbor Joe Bosco a few years ago.  He uses beer, but I use apple juice instead.  This recipe only has three ingredients - sausage, onions and apple juice (or beer).  So simple but so delicious.  It was like eating candy. 

Start with some good old sausages.

 Cut up two onions in slices, and throw them together in a big cast iron pot.

Or you can pre cook your sausages to give the outsides a nice brown color either on your grill

Or just in a frying pan.

Now add the apple juice or beer........whichever you prefer.  I used about 4 cups of apple juice.

Make sure the sausage and onions are completely covered in liquid and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer without a lid, for 1 hour or more until the liquid is almost gone. 
Stir every now and then when the liquid is starting to disappear.

 The onions should look like this.

Serve as is, or in a bun. 

Happy Fathers day!

Spring Rolls and garden stuff

 After being in Canada for a couple of weeks in the cooler weather, and now at home in LA in the warmer temperatures.... for some reason has made me want to eat Asian food at most of my meals. I've made lettuce wraps, Phad Thai, and Spring rolls so far.  Now since we gained a few pounds in Canada (my cooking mind you), both John and I are trying to be good.  We've been taking two walks a day around the neighborhood, and I'm attempting to learn the routines on a Zumba workout.

 Our garden is flourishing.  We came home to admire lots of growth in all three of our tomato plants and our three zucchini plants as well.  We've already harvested a few cherrie tomatoes. 

I'm about to make pesto from all the Basil I have.

Today's recipe is for Baked Spring Rolls...... although the fried version tastes better... this is healthier.

Chop up some green onion, celery, carrot and cabbage.  ( I didn't have any cabbage, so I used pea pods instead).  Saute in some oil in a frying pan.  Add 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 2 tsp soy sauce.

Get your Egg roll wrappers ready.  Heat your oven to 425 oF.  Cover a baking pan with foil and spray with oil.

Add 1 lb of ground turkey, pork or chicken.  (turkey is easier to find)

Cook until no longer pink.

Drain off all the liquid.

Put about 2 spoon fulls of mix in the center of the egg roll wrapper, and fold like a burrito, or in half like a bandanna handkerchief.  Moisten one side of the edge with water to seal and press together.   Place on a baking sheet and spray with oil until the outside is gently coated. 

Bake for 15 mins. 

Remove from oven when the tops are brown.

Or you can fry in hot oil.  They will cook much faster.  Remove once it starts to turn golden brown.

Enjoy with dipping sauce, such as my recipe for cilantro dressing.

Recipe for Spring Rolls

1 lb ground turkey
12 egg roll wrappers
3 green onions, chopped
1 carrot shredded
1/4 cabbage, shredded
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger, chopped
2 tsp soy sauce

Saute the meat and vegetables in a little oil.
Drain off any excess liquid.
Preheat oven to 425 oF
Grease a foil covered baking sheet
Place the egg roll wrappers one at a time on the baking sheet,
put two small spoonfuls of mixture onto each
Fold and seal into desired shape.
Spray with oil.
Bake for 15 mins

June is here and our apricots are ripe.

Spring is in full swing and summer is just about here.........makes me think of all the amazing good times of my childhood.......running freely through the bush to the beach just down the track from our home.

 We had a spot just like this one with its own boat house ........there would be no one in sight and I would just laze around with my dog.

Sometimes I would take out the kayak and paddle out in the harbor............but wait..........I live in L.A. now and my reality is a lovely apricot and lemon tree in the front yard, orange tree and a pool in the back. Surrounded by majestic mountains..........so I'm not complaining.........just reminiscing.

Just yesterday I harvested the first of our tomatoes.  Can't wait to make all kinds of zucchini recipes and basil and tomato dishes from our garden.  I just picked the last of our lettuce and  replaced them with more herbs.  I'm loving our perfect weather.........not too hot........not too cold.........just right. I know that the heat of summer is just around the corner.

Today I made apricot jam...........this is a low sugar version.........using apple juice concentrate, that I created.

 Apricots are the easiest fruit to prepare for jam, because you don't have to peel them.  Simply wash them and cut them in half and remove the pit.  Then chop them into chunks. About 6 cups.

 Put them in a pot with 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 box no sugar needed pectin, (sure gel) and 1 box of normal pectin (sure gel), 1 can of frozen concentrated apple juice, 1 cup of sugar.
Boil  and stir until the apricots break down. 

 At this point you can freeze the jam in plastic containers after they cool down. Don't fill all the way to the top as it will expand as it freezes.

 Or cook a little longer and put in glass jars and seal with lids. and  put in a steamer or boiling water bath  for 20 mins.  When you take them out of the hot pot, the lids should pop and snap inward.

 This is what mine looks like..............I like them very chunky.  You could use a potato masher while they are cooking if you want a smoother consistency.

Recipe

6 c apricots
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 box no sugar needed pectin (sure gel)
1 box pectin (sure gel)
1 can frozen concentrated apple juice
1 c sugar

Chop the apricots
Boil all the ingredients in a pot and stir until fruit breaks down and mixture feels thicker.

Place into jars with lids, then into a boiling water bath for 20 mins. 
Can be stored for up to a year.

Rhubarb crumble - from Canada this time.

 One of my greatest delights is being a Grandmother.  We've been visiting our son Justin, his wife Courtney and their almost one year old daughter Anabel. They live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. 

We also had the blessing of going to the beautiful town of Banff.  What  majestic mountains, forest, lakes and rivers.

One of the joys I have while visiting my children is cooking up a storm.  One of the many dishes I've made while here is Rhubarb crumble.   I love the sweet/sour delight.  You could hear me saying  "mmm....oh this is yummy"  This dish reminds me of my own grandmother........from many years ago.

 Chop the washed Rhubarb into 1 inch chunks.

Mix 1/4 c flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 c sugar into the rhubarb in a large baking dish.

For the topping mix:

1/2 c brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter

 2 c oats

Recipe

Heat oven to 375 oF

6 c chopped rhubarb
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c flour
Mix together in a large baking dish.

Topping
2 c oats
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c brown sugar
Mix in a food processor, or rub together with your hands.

Bake for 45 mins.

Shrimp tacos

Shrimp tacos represent Baja California to me in every way. My friend Patti Lee requested this recipe from me on facebook today, so here it is.  This is what we had for dinner last night.
Toss some pre cooked or raw shrimp in fresh lemon or lime juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp cumin.
Grill until pink, about 2 mins.  If the shrimp is already cooked, then just heat through, very quickly in a pan with a little oil.

                                Chop some cilantro, avocado, cabbage and green onions.

                                        Heat corn tortillas in a little oil.

 Mango salsa goes great with shrimp tacos.  Ingredients are mango, cilantro, green onion, jalapeno, red bell pepper (orange segments and pineapple also work well if you don't have mango) and lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper.

                   This can also be served on flour tortillas if you can't buy fresh corn tortillas.