Zucchini Roses

I have a confession to make. I’m a guy that watches British fashion vloggers. Well … my wife does, and I’m just there for the gardening bits. One of the vloggers she follows recently posted a video making Courgette Roses. (“Courgettes” are what Brits call zucchini and summer squash. They have some weird names for veggies. Aubergine? Really?) Anyway, I found a version of the recipe with the temperatures and measurements converted to US units. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (about 8 ounces)

• All-purpose flour, for rolling out dough

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 1 small summer squash (about 6 ounces), cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally

• 1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally

• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the puff pastry out to a 12-inch square on a floured work surface.

2. Brush lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the cheese, thyme and lemon zest.

3. Cut into 6 even strips.

4. Shingle alternating yellow and green slices of squash and zucchini along the length of each strip of dough making sure to leave half the dough strip uncovered and allowing the green and yellow skins to hang over one edge slightly.

5. Fold the uncovered dough over the squash and pinch together at the two ends.

6. Starting at one end, roll each strip into a spiral.

7. Lightly press the rolled tarts into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.

8. Bake until the crusts are browned and crisp on the bottom, the top is dry and crisp and the squash is tender and browned on the edges, about 40 minutes.

9. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Buttery Garlic Green Beans

Green bean recipes make the greatest side dishes. They take very little time to cook and, depending on the method, even less time to prep. This easy recipe for sautéed green beans is a perfect case in point. It preps in just 5 minutes, cooks in about 10 (depending on how crunchy you like your green beans), and is ready in 15 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ⅛ teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning, or more to taste

• salt to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Place green beans into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans just start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and return to the skillet.

• Step 2

  Add butter and stir until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Step 3

  Add garlic; cook until tender and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Step 4

  Season with lemon-pepper seasoning and salt before serving.

Zucceazy

The great zucchini harvest is upon us! Here is another recipe to add to your repertoire of zucchini cookery.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

Season zucchini with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil.

• Step 2

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place zucchini slices, a few at a time, into hot pan and cook until the pattern of the pan is imprinted into zucchini, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

• Step 3

Combine olive oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush cooked zucchini with olive oil mixture and serve.

Roasted Strawberries

Usually strawberries are more associated with Spring, but a post on Instagram by Green Valley Gable got me thinking about folks who grow ever-bearing strawberries that produce fruit throughout the summer. This recipe makes the perfect topping for yogurt or ice cream on hot summer days.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled

• 2 tablespoons white sugar, or more to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

• Step 2

  Quarter large strawberries and halve smaller ones. Place strawberries in a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle sugar on top and toss several times.

• Step 3

  Roast in the preheated oven, stirring once, until strawberries are soft and juices are thick and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

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Restaurant Style Fried Rice

A quick fried rice like you get at your favorite Chinese restaurant. A couple of eggs, baby carrots, peas and soy sauce is all you need.

Ingredients

• 2 cups enriched white rice

• 4 cups water

• ⅔ cup chopped baby carrots

• ½ cup frozen green peas

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 eggs

• soy sauce to taste

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

• Step 2

  In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.

• Step 3

  Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

Fair Sausage and Peppers

It wouldn’t be a county fair with questionable sausage and peppers that have probably been cooking for far too long.

Ingredients

• 8 (4 ounce) links Italian sausage

• 1 tablespoon garlic flavored olive oil

• 3 medium (blank)s green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

• 2 medium (blank)s red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips

• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 large onion, cut into wedges

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons garlic flavored olive oil

Directions

• Step 1

  Slice each sausage link into 5 pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, and cook until browned, turning as needed.

• Step 2

  Drain excess grease, then add the green, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over all, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

• Step 3

  Remove the lid, and stir. Add the garlic and onion to the pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover, and simmer for 15 more minutes. Stir, then top with mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the heat and enjoy.