My Garden updates...

I'm very happy to say that my garden is doing splendid! I have many, many tomatoes growing which makes me smile! Yummy...I can't wait!

Then I've already been eating my lettuce and it's great! I believe that I'm going to plant some more, there's still plenty of time for it to grow!
I have also have a tiny lil baby green pepper and on the rest of my green pepper plants I can see they also have babies growing to! I love my green peppers. Of course, I really enjoy almost every kind of vegetable.


Look at my lil baby zucchini, how cute is that! Poor lil thing though, just as soon as it grows it's mine for the eating! lol I hope it yields some nice ones this year seeing that I only planted one zucchini plant. I really like to put zucchini in a lot of my dishes and besides, I want to make my zucchini bread...it's out of this world and you will love it!
So...To all my fellow gardeners, I'm leaving you with happy thoughts of a healthy and growing garden! Until next time...

Here's some Recipes for yous...

I have to apologize, I've been so busy that I didn't remember until now to post something for today. So I thought that I would pass along some recipes. I hope that yous like them. Have a awesome day! Enjoy...

Tomato Salad

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups sliced field tomatoes
2 cups halved red or yellow cherry tomatoes
2 cups quartered plum tomatoes
1 cup sliced red onions
DRESSING
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Slice sun-dried tomatoes ( I used the ones packed in a jar in oil). Place field tomatoes on a platter. Layer with plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes and red onions. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and pepper. pour over tomatoes just before serving. Serves 6-8.
This is wonderful tasting as well as an attractive salad.

Hoisin Garlic Burgers

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger root
1 egg
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

In bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, green onions, parsley, first hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger root and egg. Mix well. Makes 4 to 5 burgers.
In small bowl whisk together water, second hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Brush half of the sauce over top of burgers.
Place on greased grill and BBQ for 10 to 15 minutes (or until no longer pink inside). Turn patties, once and brush with remaining sauce.
dress your burger and enjoy!

FRUIT PIZZA

This recipe is a really nice end to a pizza party.

1 frozen pizza dough
1 pkg. cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can pie mix fruit (your choice)

Thaw pizza dough and roll out to the size of a pizza pan. Pick the pizza dough all over with a fork, this prevents bubbles in the dough. Bake in 500 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes till golden brown. Soften cream cheese and mix with sour cream and cinnamon. When pizza crust is cool, top with cream cheese mixture. Spread to edges of crust. Top with can of fruit of your choice. You can also top with a variety of fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi etc.)
Slice and enjoy. Serves 8-10

BBQ Burgers
SAUCE:
1 C Ketchup
1/2 C Packed Brown Sugar
1/3 C Honey
1/4 C Molasses
2 tsp prepared Mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Liquid Smoke
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Bring to boil, remove from heat
BURGERS:
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 C Quick Oats
1/4 tsp each Onion salt, Garlic Salt, Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
1/4 C of above BBQ Sauce
Mix together and make 6 burgers.
Grill burgers, basting with BBQ Sauce during last 5 minutes
Serve on grilled buns with toppings of your choice and more BBQ sauce if desired.

Tangy Shrimp Summer Salad

1 lb. medium shrimp
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 lb grape tomatoes
1 medium cucumber thinly sliced (optional)
1 head lettuce
1/2 bottle (about 8 oz.) Kraft Zest Italian Dressing
1/2 bottle (about 8 oz.) Kraft Catalina Dressing

Clean and de-vein shrimp; cook in Old Bay seasoning (do not overcook)
Place onion and shrimp in a deep casserole dish.
Mix dressing together and pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning at least once.

Add shredded lettuce to individual salad bowls. Top with shrimp/onion marinade mixture. Add tomato and cucumber.

Hot Sausage Dip

1 roll (16 oz.) hot sausage meat
1 block (8 oz. ) cream cheese
1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes with chili peppers

Brown sausage meat in skillet; drain off excess oil.
Combine meat, cream cheese and tomatoes. Microwave on high, stirring every 2 minutes until creamy. Serve hot with Tostitos Scoops.

Creamy Veggie Dip

1 cup mayo (can use dairy-free substitute)
2 tsp fresh horseradish

Mix vigorously, keep refrigerated. Pour over the top of the vegetables or serve on the side for dipping.

Grilled Vegetables

2 red peppers, cut in half
2 yellow peppers, cut in half
4 medium Zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch wide slices
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower

Spray the vegetables with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper. Grill on both side 3 to 4 minutes each.

This is a quick, easy summer recipe; can be served plain or with the Creamy Veggie Dip.

Zucchini-Tomato Strata

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or 1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup spicy vegetable-tomato juice cocktail
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup stuffing croutons

Arrange half of zucchini slices in bottom of Crock-pot. Top zucchini slices with half the onion, half the garlic and all of the mushrooms. Repeat with remaining zucchini, onions and garlic. Arranges sliced tomatoes over top. Combine juice, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; pour over casserole. Cover and cook in Crock-pot on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. Top with stuffing croutons and cheese during the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Tomatoes, aren't they grand!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes is what I love to see in my garden! That's because I love them! I love them right off the vine, and I especially love them green and fried! Yummmm! I can't wait for some fried green tomatoes!
With all the great pictures from everyone that I've seen on your blogs, of your gardens, I had to share my garden with yous to! I have a smaller garden but it'll give me all the freshest and best tomatoes and green peppers that I need this year! I also have some lettuce and zucchini.
I have 8 tomato plants, 4 green pepper plants then some lettuce and only 1 zucchini plant this year. I had been in the hospital due to my bad kidneys again and just wasn't feeling up to planting everything that I normally would. But that's quite alright because it's plenty for me! Even some for my sons and their families too!
Everything is doing great and my tomatoes are full of baby green tomatoes, here I go again mentioning green tomatoes it's just because they're so yummy... fried green tomatoes...my favorite!
If you need a great recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes, stop in at Lynda's blog, at:
Swoopin' Along
Hopefully my zucchinis will have some nice ones for me to make my famous zucchini bread with this year! I'll share that recipe with all of yous when it gets time to pick them, somewhat closer to fall. So, to all my fellow gardening friends...I hope that all your gardens are plentiful and yield all the many wonderful things you planted in abundance! Happy Gardening...