Friday's Fave Foods***Fig Preserves

Do you wonder why I write about figs alot? Figs are a double edge sword in the South. They produce twice a year. Usually a light crop in June, and a heavy crop in Aug/Sept, and you have to pick them every day once they start to ripen, otherwise the fruit rots and attracts all kind of insects. Or, hopefully, birds. So...we tend to have alot of figs, alot of the time, all at once. Here is an old favorite...and just one more thing to do with all those figs!

If you are interested in growing your own figs, try this site. The common species we see around here is Tennessee Mountain Fig, probably shared by early settlers. You find them on older properties, or sometimes growing seemingly wild. It's cold hardy to -10 degrees.

Fig Preserves

Ingredients:
6 pounds figs, peeled or unpeeled
6 pounds sugar
3 lemons, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

Preparation:Wash, drain and stem figs. Pour sugar over figs and let sit overnight. Cook over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved; reduce to low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add lemon slices. Cover and cook until figs are transparent and the syrup is thick, 2-3 hours. Remove from heat, pack in hot, sterilized jars and seal according to manufacturers directions. Makes 5 to 6 pints

Next Week: Get ready to tailgate!

Friday's Fave Foods***Georgia Figs with Lemon Cream

I am in what I call "survival mode". It's where everything gets so busy, it's all I can do to get thru the rigors of the day. It's not really the enjoyable kind of busy, it's the mandated kind. I cherish my time to think about and indulge in domestic pleasures, and right now that time is short. I did take the time to think about this, however, as the figs on the fig tree next door are beginning to ripen!

Figs With Lemon Cream

4 ripe figs

3 oz of cream cheese, softened

2 TBSP of sugar

1 TBSP of lemon juice

Cut the figs lengthwise into quarters, leaving them attached at the bottom. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until well chilled.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese together with the sugar and lemon juice. Gently pry open the figs to expose the interior. Set each fig on a dessert plate. Spoon 1 heaping TBSP of the lemon cream into the center of each and serve at once.

Friday's Fave Foods***Flank Steak

Friday's Fave Foods***Flank Steak

I almost forgot to post today! Been getting crazy busy at work. Got my days all mixed up!
Anyway, this is YUMMY!


Ingredients:

1 1/2-pound to 2-pound beef flank steak
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Trim fat from meat. Score both sides of steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow cuts at 1-inch intervals; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together rosemary, marjoram, oregano, garlic, paprika, kosher salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Stir in the oil until combined.
2. Spoon herb mixture evenly over both sides of steak; rub in with your fingers. Place steak in a shallow dish. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours.
3. For a charcoal grill, place meat on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 17 to 21 minutes or until medium doneness (160 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)
4. Transfer grilled meat to a cutting board. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, slice very thinly across the grain.

Friday's Fave Foods***Easy Balsamic Chicken

I figure if I keep working the healthy recipes at some point I will become 100% committed to healthy eating as opposed to only about 70%. Which is about where I am right now.

Thyroid disorders are tough. I have found out pretty quickly that the medical establishment does not seem to know much about it. My gyno diagnosed me (kudos to him for that) but he also wants to treat me, and it has become painfully obvious he is shooting in the dark. The local endocrinologist will only take new patients with a referral, and the gyno is doing everything in his power to avoid referring me. Meanwhile, my GP got a copy of the lab reports, and now he wants to treat me. Except he did not come close to catching it in the first place, and he is the one that cleared me for my adoption paperwork. He just writes things like "obese" on my records. (Ouch) Actually tho, I trust him the most. All I can say is, if you think you may have this problem, get yourself educated so you can make educated decisions and fight for your health. If you have the energy. Because, you see, that is one of the big problems. That said, lets move on to....

Easy Balsamic Chicken***The Sonoma Diet

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic or 1 and 1/4 tsp. minced

1/4 tsp of kosher salt

1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper

1.)Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound lightly to 1/2" thickness. Remove plastic wrap.

2.) Place chicken in a self-sealing plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and red pepper. Pour over chicken. Seal bag: turn to coat chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

3.) Drain, discarding marinade. For a charcoal grill, grill chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is not longer pink, turning once halfway thru grilling.

Oven Method: Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast chicken in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Serves 4

Notes: Love the grilling method. Especially for us Southern girls in the middle of the summer. Also, you could do these ahead of time and use the chicken for salads, sandwiches,etc.

Knock-Out Roses

Some people say that Knock-Out roses are overdone in the Southeast, but I am here to sing their praises! First of all, it is very difficult to grow other types of roses here. Very difficult. Most roses DO NOT like the heat and humidity we experience in the summer. Can you blame them??? Knock-Outs, however will perform all summer long, even thrive. I planted mine last month in my new border I'm working on. (Everyone knows you don't plant in Georgia in July! Mail order companies won't even ship to you this time of year!) But my roses are doing great 30 days later, blooming, and even producing new growth. Garden snobs will turn their noses up, calling this a no brainer. This time of year, in my yard, I need a no brainer!

They come in lots of different varieties and colors. I just happened to want these red ones, which were on sale at Lowes :)

Friday's Fave Foods***Hearty Lentil Soup

Recently I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, which is a thyroid condition. I am not going to to into too much detail about it in this column, except to say that this explains why I gained 40 pounds over the last 6 years, and have been very frustrated with that. It seems finally now I am on the proper medication which will enable my thyroid to work, which should enable me to lose some weight. Believe me, I will still have to work at it...I'm not one where the weight falls off miraculously. Even after pregnancy and nursing, I really had to work hard at it. My body wanted to hang onto that extra TO PROTECT THE BABY! But...thru hard work and perseverance, I did it. Twice. Now I have to do it again. In case anyone is wondering, it is quite difficult to lose 40 lbs.

The other issue I think about alot, as we all do in these times of gas prices eating our budgets alive, is cost effectiveness, and at the same time providing healthy food. So I will be presenting columns occasionally based on both these factors. And I am open to comment and suggestion. Please feel free!

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBSP of extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups of chicken broth (use low sodium if you are trying to be super-healthy)
1.5 cups of brown or French lentils, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, chopped and seeded
3 TBSP of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 TBSP of lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds, finely crushed
Kosher or Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

In 6-8 Dutch oven cook onion, carrot, and garlic in hot oil for about 10 minutes or until tender.
Add broth and lentils. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until lentils are tender.
Stir in tomato, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, and fennel seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

NOTES: Obviously using all fresh ingredients is going to yield a superior product. Most of us do not live the kind of lifestyle that affords that either financially or time-wise, so I often use a small can of diced tomatoes, and as I've said before, I buy minced garlic in a jar. Also, you can put your crock pot on low and make it there as well. I usually heat the oil, throw the onion and carrot in for a while, until it's cooked down a bit, then add everything else. Be sure the liquid you are adding to a hot crock is room temp or warmer, otherwise you will be cracking your crock pot. I know from experience! :)

Anytime you cook with legumes, you are stretching your nutritional value as well as your dollar value just about as far as you can. I often will cook the liquid down in this recipe and put the lentils over rice for a meal. YUM!