Another Accomplishment this week! Broccoli!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Besides the Doctor's Visits, Grocery Shopping, Gardening, and Strawberries, another thing I did this week is prepare an abundance of fresh Broccoli.

I cut the heads into small bite size pieces, and blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute. Then I immediately scoop them into a bowl of ice water.














This stops the cooking. And they are ready to package up for the freezer, or put them in a container for the fridge until ready to use. They are perfect for cold salads, dips, hors d'oevres or you add them to your favorite recipe for a hot entree with dinner.


I also prepared the stalks in a similar way, to use in soups or chopped up in stir fries.
OOPS!!!! That was the last straw! Notice the water now overflowing the lip of this bowl!
A little extra cleanup time!!!!

Oh well - stuff happens!

Then they are drained and packaged up into serving sizes. Some for the freezer, and some in the fridge for immediate use.

Here is a recipe I found online this week: from Gourmet magazine:

CREAMED BROCCOLI WITH PARMESAN
yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 20 min
total time: 30 min
Broccoli seems like something new in this rich, satisfyingly chunky side dish, dolled up with parmesan and lemon juice.

Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli (1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Peel broccoli stems, then coarsely chop stems and florets. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water (1 1/2 teaspoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.
Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice.
Cooks' note: Broccoli can be boiled 1 day ahead and chilled.

What a Week!!!!

Busy, busy week this week. So no new blogs till now.

We had routine follow-up appointments with two doctors - all is well!

We were out and about a couple of other days....a fun thing was going to see our two youngest grandsons ages 6 and 8 at their Little League Baseball Practice. Their first game was Friday Night.

It was really nice to see so many young boys and girls participating, and especially nice to see so many supporting parents, family siblings, and grandparents (like us) in the bleachers! Even in a big Metropolitan area like Miami, being at the ballpark just feels like a such a wholesome, comfortable, hometown atmosphere.

~~~~~~~~~~

So, now about home......

Remember I mentioned this being peak season for strawberries in South Florida? Well I got 4 more quarts, and one day this week, I managed to get them ready for several desserts.




Here is one quart, all sliced and ready for the scant 1/8 cup of sugar - just enough to extract the juices. Then they are ready for a colorful and delicious dessert. I prepared all 4 quarts this way. Three of them went into the freezer - ready for guests next week. The 4th quart is in the fridge - ready for tonight's dessert!

And there, next to it, is one of the jars of last week's Strawberry Preserves - half empty already! (That's our second jar - and I've given away two!) Guess I better make some more.....

Below is the recipe I use for my Strawberry Shortcake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup better or margarine

1 beaten egg

2/3 cup low-fat milk

3 or 4 cups prepared sliced strawberries (as above)

1 cup whipping cream

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in butter/margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (We use to say "till peas"). Combine egg and milk; add all at once, stirring just enough to moisten.

Spread mixture in a greased 8" or 9" round pan, building up the edges slightly.

Bake at 450 F for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack 5 minutes. Split into layers; lift top off carefully. Butter bottom layer. Spoon berries and whipped cream between layers and over the top. Serve warm.

Ummmmmmmmm! Pure GOODNESS!!!