Summer Harvest Potato Salad

The freshest locally grown potatoes & veggies come together perfectly with a super simple 3 ingredient fresh basil dressing in this Summer Harvest Potato Salad...

As you all may recall from the recipe I shared for my Farmers Market Frittata last month, I am on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 





For the month of July, I am sharing a fresh & lightened up potato salad recipe with you all. I am all about homemade potato salads for backyard BBQ's and summer picnics. 

But we all know that traditional potato salad recipes usually tend to be heavy and loaded with mayonnaise (which is big no-no when the hot summer sun is pounding down on your picnic table). 

For this Summer Harvest Potato Salad, I combined the freshest in-season locally grown potatoes & veggies with a super simple 3 ingredient fresh basil dressing.

Summer Veggie Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Put all of those fresh garden & farmers market veggies to tasty use with this recipe for Summer Veggie Stuffed Poblano Peppers...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series last summer, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of August, I am sharing the recipe for these Summer Veggie Stuffed Poblano Peppers. I spotted some gorgeous poblano peppers at the market, and I knew I had use them in my next farmers market inspired recipe for you all. 

Poblanos happen to be perfect for stuffing, & what better to stuff them with than a bunch of fresh veggies from the other farmers at the market? ;)

Italian Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Vegetable Tapenade

This farmers market inspired Italian Steak Sandwich is slathered in a rich & flavor packed roasted vegetable tapenade & topped with fresh basil leaves...

As you all may recall from the recipe I shared for my Summer Harvest Potato Salad last month, I am on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of August, I am sharing the recipe for these super flavorful Italian Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Vegetable Tapenade with you all. This sandwich is inspired by a traditional steak sandwich that is a local favorite in the area of West Virginia that I live in. We actually call our steak sandwiches hoagies here, & they are piled high with sliced beef & then topped with peppers in sauce & lots of mozzarella cheese.

Summer Market Potato Salad

Inspired by some gorgeous veggie finds at my local farmers market (and some fresh green beans from my parents' garden), I decided to combine all that summer freshness into one delicious and healthy potato salad.  Not only is this potato salad better for you (no heavy mayonnaise here!), it is also really flavorful and can be served cold or warm.  I had it both ways- warm right after I made it with dinner, and cold the next day and both were equally tasty. ;)

I have a favorite vendor at the farmers market for my potatoes each week.  They grow and sell such a unique variety of local potatoes.  From Yukon Golds to Cranberry Reds, and All-Blue to Russian Banana Fingerlings.  I am pretty sure my husband and I have tried just about every variety they offer by now.  Their booth is always my first stop when I visit the market.  I have to get our weekly potato fix before they are sold out.  For my Summer Market Potato Salad, I used a combination of their All-Blue and their Yukon Golds.  You could use a combination of any potatoes, or just one kind of potato.  But the All-Blues were just too beautiful to not use in this salad...

Summer Market Potato Salad

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

6050382

Ingredients (8-10 servings)

• 2 lbs potatoes (any variety or combination of varieties as long as they as smaller)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Clean the potatoes under warm water. Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan and cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil and continue to cook the potatoes until they are almost fork tender. Remove from heat, drain in a colander, and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine the cut up zucchini and summer squash in a medium sized bowl. Pour a touch of olive oil over them and toss well to coat. Turn out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Now for a quick blanch on the green beans. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil the green beans for 3 minutes. Quickly drain in a colander and then plunge into an ice bath. This can be in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water and ice.

Combine the potatoes, squash, zucchini, and green beans in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh chopped parsley and basil, and cider vinegar.

Pour the Dijon dressing over the veggies in the large bowl and toss well. Taste your potato salad and add salt and pepper to your liking.

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This salad makes about 8-10 servings and is perfect for a barbecue or family get-together.  And since it is mayonnaise free, it is safe to leave at room temperature. 

Looking for other tasty ways to use up all those glorious, in-season veggies from your gardens and local farmers markets?  How about my...

Summer Pomodoro Sauce

Potato & Summer Squash Chowder

Summer Gazpacho

Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup

Enjoy your favorite flavors of late summer in this comforting & nourishing soup that is perfect for fall...

As you all may recall from the recipe I shared for my Italian Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Vegetable Tapenade last month, I am on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing the recipe for this comforting & nourishing Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup with you all. This soup is the perfect dinner idea for making the transition from late summer to early fall with. 

It fully takes advantage of the late summer veggies that are still in season like sweet corn, okra, & fresh basil. But this soup is so cozy and satisfying that it will have you wishing for crisp fall days.

Red Wine Marinated Grilled Chicken & Veggies

You and your family will love this healthier & flavorful Red Wine Marinated Grilled Chicken & Veggies...

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NatureRaised Farms, but all my opinions are my own.

While I am not one to read every label in the grocery store aisles and I may not always buy organic, I do try to make a conscience effort to know what I am really feeding family and to make healthier choices for them and myself.  Some choices are not always so clear. But others definitely are. 

Like the fresh veggies and fruit I purchase from my local farmers market. The just laid eggs I try to pick up from my aunt's chicken coop a couple of times a month. And now with the frozen chicken that I buy for my family thanks to Sam's Club and NatureRaised Farms® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Portions. :)

I can feel good about preparing and feeding my family NatureRaised Farms chicken because it is 100% natural*- meaning no added steroids or hormones** are used. The chickens are raised in large, open modern barns and are fed a 100% vegetarian diet.

Swapping the usual frozen chicken breasts that I buy for NatureRaised Farms chicken is an easy no-brainer for me.

With the warmer weather here and more and more fresh vegetables becoming available, my mind naturally turns to grilling season. We are a family that loves to grill.

Armed with my new favorite frozen chicken, some healthy fresh vegetables, and a simple & flavorful marinade recipe, I grilled up this Red Wine Marinated Grilled Chicken & Veggies for my family earlier this week. The marinade is light and healthy, but is full on rich flavor...

My Family's 2012 Sand Pail List

Inspired by an article I read in my recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens and by a few family blog projects I have come across, I decided that my family and I need a Sand Pail List for the summer.  What is a Sand Pail List, you ask?  A Sand Pail List is a little like a Bucket List, but just for the summer.  My son is off from school.  The days are warmer & longer.  A Sand Pail List is a fun way to set some goals over summer break.  So, what is our Sand Pail List so far?

1. Plant a raised garden bed and grow my own vegetables.
2. Learn to can this summer. (And hopefully I will be canning some veggies that I grew myself in the aforementioned raised garden bed. ;))
3. "Rough it" at least one night camping.  Roughing it for me means IN A TENT.  In a well established campground with people and running water nearby.  This does NOT mean the same thing to my husband and my son though.
4. Go to at least one water park we have never been to before.
5. Plan a trip to Kennywood complete with a stop at Sarris Chocolates for ice cream sundaes.
6. Get to at least one Sunday Pirates home game with the husband and the kiddos.
7. Go on a family outing to a drive-in movie theater.  We still have a few drive-ins open around here, and I want to take my children to one to experience it before they are all gone.  I still have fond memories of going to the drive-in with my parents and little sister, folding down the backseat with our blankets and eating popcorn and pizza.
8. Plan 2-3 day trips to historical sites within a 2 hour drive.  We have a lot of Civil War history in this state- battlegrounds, Underground Railroad sites, etc.  '
9. Run one 5K with my son before the end of the summer.  (Note: I have never run a 5K before.  Ever.)

Our Sand Pail List has a theme- fun things to do, but within a budget.  This will not be the summer of an extravagant trip to the beach or a Disney resort.  We are saving that for next summer. ;)  How about you?  Are you on a family fun budget this summer?  What are you planning on putting on your Sand Pail List for 2012?

Be looking for updates throughout these warm summer months as we cross things off our list and perhaps add a few new ones. ;)


*Last updated August 3, 2012

Potato & Summer Squash Chowder

So earlier this week I showed you just how incredibly easy (and non-labor intensive!) making chicken broth from scratch is. (You missed that post?  No problem.  Just CLICK HERE. ;) ) Now you need a crazy good, cozy, comfy fall recipe to use it in, right?

How about a creamy, delicious bowl of Potato & Summer Squash Chowder?

I went 100% local and picked up Russian Fingerling Potatoes from one of my favorite vendors from the farmers market.  Another local farmer also turned me onto to how incredibly delicious and tender the smaller summer squash are.  Usually I think bigger is better (and goes further).  But not with summer squash.  I will never buy another larger, dark yellow summer squash again.  Look for squash with a pale, almost milky yellow color and that are less than a foot long.  Trust me on this, and thank me later. ;)

I also lucked out that another farmer had thick cut bacon available for sale.  I mean, you have to top potato chowder with bacon, right?  If you can't find a good local thick cut bacon, just pick up the thickest you can find at your local grocery store.

What you will need:

About 1 lb of potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces 

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups of chicken broth (homemade! homemade!)

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup half 'n half

1/2 cup of water

1 small light yellow summer squash, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

2-3 springs of fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 lb of thick cut bacon

First start by prepping and chopping everything.  I usually do this and set them aside in small bowls.  Get all the veggies, the potatoes, and the garlic chopped and minced.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a RIMMED baked sheet with aluminum foil.  Please make sure the baking sheet is rimmed.  (Trust me on this.  I speak from personal experience.  It is not fun setting your oven on fire! ;) )  Chop your bacon in about 1 inch chunks and place them in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

Next heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or a stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and onions, and saute until tender about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, milk, half 'n half, and water.  Heat until you bring it to a slow boil.

Once the broth has been brought to a boil, add the potatoes and summer squash.  Boil for 3-5 minutes, and then reduce to low heat and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato chunks are fork tender.

While the chowder is simmering, pop the bacon chunks into the oven.  It will take them about 15 minutes to get crispy and yummy.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

At this point, take a potato masher or the back of a large wooden spoon and mash up some of the potatoes and squash in the pot.  This will make your soup a bit thicker.  But make sure to leave a decent amount of chunks!  This is a chowder after all. ;)

Be sure to taste your soup and add salt and pepper to taste.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the fresh parsley.

Ladle your Potato & Summer Squash Chowder into deep bowls.  I topped mine with some shredded cheese and a few chunks of the thick cut bacon. 

Spoon up and enjoy!  :)

Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins

Topped with cream cheese & roasted seasonal vegetables, these easy to make Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins come together in just 30 minutes...

This post is sponsored by Thomas' English Muffins & Megaphone. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

Thomas' English Muffins have been a part of my family's breakfast table for years now. We serve them with butter alongside eggs and bacon. Sometimes I toast them up & serve them with various jams or jellies on the side. And we all know that Thomas English Muffins make the perfect base for a tasty egg & sausage breakfast sandwich. 

But have you ever thought beyond the breakfast table when it comes to your favorite variety of Thomas' English Muffins? ;)

Recently Thomas' English Muffins challenged me to head to my local Walmart, purchase my favorite variety of their English Muffins, & do just that- to create a couple of non-breakfast recipes perfect for spring & summertime. 

Since fresh spring veggies are in season now, I wanted to come with a quick & easy lunch recipe using the Light Multi-Grain English Muffins & my favorite spring vegetables. These Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins are loaded with lots of seasonal veggies & come together in just 30 minutes...

Steps in Planning an Edible Organic Garden

I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to work with The Home Depot and receive product to make our dream of having an edible organic garden this summer a reality.

Go green this spring with the latest organic gardening tools, equipment and supplies. The Home Depot has a large selection of raised garden beds, composters and everything you need for your garden. Check out their expert tips for growing great vegetable and herbs in your raised garden bed.

When the opportunity arose to work with The Home Depot Garden Club to #DigIn to spring and get ready for a summer garden, I knew this was right up my alley.  Growing my own vegetables and herbs has been a passion of mine since last summer.  Last summer we tried a raised garden bed with some mixed success.  This year I vowed it would be different, so I was beyond thrilled when I was chosen to grow my own Organic Edible Garden using Bonnie Plants.

Growing organic has always been front and center for me when considering a summer garden.  I love knowing exactly what is in the food I am preparing and feeding to my family.  Growing my own organic vegetable garden means that I have complete control and total knowledge over what I am putting on my dinner table and into my family's bodies.  

The first step in organic gardening is planning.  This is not always easy for me.  I get excited, dreaming of the armfuls of beautiful, dirt caked vegetables I will be carrying into my house and then I shortcut the planning to get right to the planting.  

But good gardening takes planning.  

The first step in my organic vegetable garden plan?  A visit to my local Home Depot to get an idea of what organic vegetable plants were available to me locally.  This was strictly a planning visit.  We made no purchases during this trip.  We walked around, perused the wide selection of Bonnie plants that were available and started making a list of our must-plant veggies and herbs.  

We also took into consideration which vegetables we could readily buy at our local farmers at an affordable price.  We decided against planting corn, zucchini, and summer squash because all of these take up considerable space in a garden, and we knew we could purchase these for relatively cheap from local vendors and farmers each weekend at the market.

The next step in our organic vegetable garden planning was surveying our space.  We knew we had plenty of space available to us for our garden this summer.  The question was just how big of a garden would we want to have to create and maintain. We settled on this square of space that was used by previous owners in years before.  It has some partial shade in the late afternoon, so this part of the plot would be the perfect spot for planting our lettuces that can't take a full day of direct sunlight.

I plan to find a box planter that we can hang here to grow my herbs in.  I prefer to have the herbs in close proximity to the door leading off from the kitchen so I can run out & grab a few snips or leaves as I am cooking.

Step #3 in planning our organic vegetable garden was online research.  And lots of it.  

Where did I head first? 

The Home Depot Garden Club, of course! :)

They have an entire section dedicated to just Edible Gardening.  You can find anything and everything you could possibly want to know about growing your own organic edible garden there.  I found the post on Vegetable Garden Planning especially useful.  

I researched the vegetable plants we had decided on during our planning visit to the Home Depot.  I found out how much direct sunlight they would need, how many inches apart they should be planted, which vegetables should be grown near each other & which ones should not.

I did a little research on what we need to do to make sure that our soil is organic vegetable planting ready. 

I also may have spent a considerable amount of time perusing The Home Depot's Garden Club Pinterest board, finding inspiration and repinning those projects and ideas that I really want to try for myself.

After all the online research, this is the rough draft of the plan that we have for our summer organic vegetable garden.  

One of my favorite things that we are going to try is to build a trellis for the cucumbers so that they do not take over the entire garden.  I am looking forward to our actual shopping trip at The Home Depot so we can ask for some expert advice on how to go about building one.  

How about you?  Are you attempting an organic vegetable garden this year as well?

What have you done to plan for it?  

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products,      monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

How to Make & Can Sweet & Spicy Plum Sauce and Become a Food Snob

So, you all are fully aware by now of my new found love for all things canning.  I am certainly still a novice with just 3 small batch canning adventures under my belt so far.  But today I have a special treat for all of you out there- A guest post on canning Sweet & Spicy Plum Sauce from my friend Annie who blogs over at MontanaSolarCreations.  Annie is much more on the expert side of this whole canning business than I am.  ;)  I will let her dazzle you with her canning know-how now...

Do you remember going to school as a kid and being served lunch with a scoop of mushy, oddly colored vegetables that tasted weird?  I have a vivid memory of this as a kid and trying to figure out why they looked so different and tasted so yucky compared to the veggies we ate at home. I soon learned that the difference was because they were commercially canned and definitely nothing like my mom's home preserved veggies. Growing up in a family that ate primarily homegrown, canned and preserved foods turned me into a food snob!

It took me years to realize the true gift I was given by my mom, grandmother and great grandmother when they taught me the self-sufficiency skills to can and preserve our own food. As I made my way into adulthood in my early 20's, I found myself returning to my roots and started canning and preserving the little that I could while living in small rental spaces in town.

Now that I'm in my 30's, canning and preserving has become a natural part of my life and keeps me busy all summer long. Since we currently don't have a lot of space to store canned goods where they won't freeze, I preserve the majority of our foods by freezing and only do a little canning each summer.

Whatever methods you choose for food preservation it is a fun, frugal, healthy way to feed yourself and your family throughout the year. If you can grow your own food or buy it locally at a low cost, with a little of your time and effort you can preserve it to feed your family healthy food for a lower cost than buying it at the store in the off season.  Be warned though, canning and preserving your own food will likely turn you into a food snob!

If you are new to canning and preserving, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the  Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. This has been my favorite go-to guide since I started doing my own canning and preserving and includes user friendly how-to guides, tips and recipes.

There's also a ton of information online. Here are a few great articles to check out that can help get you set up:

• A Few Tips From a Canning Novice to The Canning Newbies
• Getting Started With Food Preservation
• How to Choose Your Food Canning Supplies
• Canning 101: Water Bath Method

We have a friend in town with a plum tree who does not like plums. Sounds crazy, right? Lucky for us I guess since every summer I head into town and pick as many plums as I want for free. One of my favorite recipes to use up all our free plums is this delicious Sweet and Spicy Plum Sauce. Our favorite way to serve it is on top of grilled venison steaks. Yummy!

Sweet and Spicy Plum Sauce*

4-5 pounds of fresh plums

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup onion chopped small

1 chili pepper seeded and chopped small

2 TBS mustard seed

1 TBS fresh ginger minced

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1 TBS sea salt

I prefer to can this recipe in small 4oz and 8oz size jars which is the perfect amount for our small family, choose which size will work best for your family. You can also easily cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch if you prefer.

To prepare your jars and lid rings for canning, place them in a large bowl or sink filled with hot soapy water. Fill your water bath canner with water, place on stove and heat water to boiling. While the water is heating, wash and pit plums. Then chop the plums into small pieces.

In a large pan, combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

By this time the water in the canner should be boiling. Wash jars and rings in the soapy water, rinse in hot water and carefully place them in your canner. Place lid on canner and boil for at least five minutes to sterilize them.

The sauce in your large pan should now be boiling. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped plums while continuing to stir until the sauce thickens. Once thick, turn off heat. 

Place a clean dishtowel on your counter or work space. Carefully remove the jars and rings from the canner and place them on the dishtowel.

While the glass jars are still hot, use a canning funnel and ladle to fill the jars with the plum sauce. Leave about 1/4"-1/2" headspace. 

 

With a clean wet rag, wipe around the top edge of each jar. Then place a new canning lid on top and twist on a canning ring until just finger tight. Carefully place the jars in the boiling water in the canner, making sure the jars are completely covered by water. Place lid on the canner and boil for 20 minutes (adjust this time accordingly for your altitude, see this chart here.)

After the jars are done processing, carefully remove from the canner and place on the dishtowel to cool. You should start hearing the "POP!" that is music to every canner's ears and means that the jar has sealed properly. If the jar does not pop within the next several hours, it did not can properly and will need to be refrigerated and eaten in several days.

You did it! Congratulations, you just canned some really tasty plum sauce to enjoy throughout the year. There are so many foods, sauces and spreads that you can can and preserve to feed your family. If you're feeling adventurous you can try pears, cherries, salsa, tomatoes, jam and even chicken stock. The possibilities are endless! What have you canned and preserved lately?

*Adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving 2003 edition.

This post contains an affiliate link. 

Annie lives in western Montana with her husband, 1 year old daughter and two lazy dogs. Annie is a frugal, nature loving, simple living, work from home mama with an Etsy shop. She also has a blog where you can find DIY projects, recipes, natural living tips and stories about their outdoor adventures in Montana.

Thank you, Annie for sharing your delicious recipe and awesome canning tips with us all today! :)  Be sure to stop on over at her blog and give her a follow.