Zucchinin Gratin

This recipe is adapted from one of Martha Stewart's.

4 Tablespoons Butter
5 Medium zucchini
1 3 thick slices of a large onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used a mixture of mild Cheddar, Parmesan, Monterey Jack, and Mozzarella)

• Slice zucchini crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices.

• Dice onion slices with a rough chop.

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

• Add zucchini, onion, and garlic.

• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is crisp-tender (6-8 minutes)
• Add buttermilk.

• Cook until thickened, about 5-7 more minutes.

• Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1 cup of grated cheese.
• Stir in 1/2 Panko bread crumbs.
• Spoon mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

• Sprinkle remaining cheese and remaining bread crumbs over top.

• Bake until top is golden (about 8-10 minutes) and serve.

Beef Stew

Left-over roast beef - I had enough to almost fill a quart container or about two pounds.
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups beef stock
1 can or bottle of beer
2 Tablespoons tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Paula Deen's House Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water (more, if needed)
3 large carrots
3 small potatoes

• Prepare roast beef.  I had a left-over roast that Mike had smoked and we froze 'the remains' as he calls left-overs after a couple of meals.  So, I simply thawed it and diced it up into bite sized pieces with my kitchen shears.
• Melt butter in the bottom of a 4-quart pot.
• Dice the onion into large pieces and cook and stir it in the butter over medium heat till it is a bit brown around the edges.
• Add beer, tomato sauce, seasoning,Worcestershire sauce, and beef stirring to scrape all the crusty bits in the bottom of the pan and bring to a slow boil over medium to medium-high heat. 
• Scrub carrots and potatoes and dice into bite-sized pieces.
• Add carrots and potatoes to boiling mixture and cook about a half-hour more.  (Add more water if stew begins to dry or thicken too much.)
• Serve with cornbread or a crusty French bread.

This recipe was inspired by The Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  It was easy to prepare and delicious. 

Kosher-Style Dill Pickle Spears

Ingredients:

10 pounds cucumbers
1/4 cup mixed pickling spices
2-3 bunches fresh or dried dill
1 1/2 cups canning salt
2 cups vinegar
2 gallons water
6 cloves garlic (optional)
Bay leaves
6-8 cloves of garlic
6-8 hot, red peppers
Mustard seed

Preparation Steps:

I basically had two sized of cucumbers and for these pickles.  I used the larger ones.  I decided to quarter them, slicing them into spears.

• Wash and drain the cucumbers.  Quarter them, slicing them into spears
• Place half of pickling spices and a layer of dill into the bottom of a clean pickling container.  (I used a clean five-gallon bucket.)

• Add cucumbers to within top of pickling container.
• Combine, salt, vinegar, and water; ladle over cucumbers.
• Place a layer of dill and remaining pickling spices over the top. 
• Add garlic, if desired.
• Weight cucumbers under the brine.

• Store container in a cool place.
• Let cucumbers ferment until well flavored with dill and clear throughout.  Pickles should be ready to can in about two to three weeks.

• Remove pickles from brine and rinse.

• Strain the brine; bring to a boil in a large saucepot.

• Pack pickles into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
• Add one bay leaf, one clove garlic, one piece hot red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed to each jar.

• Get out your new plastic, collapsible funnel that you got on clearance at the grocery store and place it in one of the jars.  Ladle the hot brine into each jar leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

• Adjust two-piece caps.  (I'm not pleased that the brine in these jars is a little milky looking.  Wonder if that is how it is supposed to look?) 

• Process fifteen minutes in a boiling water canner.

• Allow to ferment in jars for two to three weeks.
• Hope they turn out to be tasty!