The first time I watched laughing gulls in any great number my family was vacationing at the outer banks in North Carolina. It was early June and they were the predominate gull species. Their call sounds just like a laugh, at least one a gull would have. Continue reading Laughing Gull information indentification
Make this blueberry strata for brunch it will be a hit with all parties! The only thing I want to specify is to use fresh blueberries if you can get a hold of them.
1 1/2 loaves of white bread
2 pints of blueberries
12 eggs scrambled
1 quart of heavy cream
1 cup of sugar
1 tbs of vanilla
2 tsp sugar
Making blueberry strata is close to a bread pudding and is rather simple.
First, preheat your oven to 350° F.
Next, cut the bread in pieces and place in a standard sized baking pan, roughly 9″ x 13X.
In a large bowl, place all ingredients, other than the 2 tsp of sugar, and toss. Once all is fully mixed pour over the bread.
Place in the preheated oven and bake until firm to touch. You can, and should, do the toothpick test. Before taking the strata out, push a toothpick into the middle. If it comes out clean and the strata is firm, it is done.
Take out of the oven. Sprinkle the 2 tsp of sugar on the top. You can serve warm or cold.
If you want to kick it up a bit, you can add a blueberry syrup.
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 tbs of butter
Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the 1 1/2 cups blueberries; continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter. Serve warm over slices of the strata.
For more blueberry recipes: https://traderscreek.com/category/recipes/orchard-recipes/blueberry-recipes/
Pickled Pepper Onion Relish is great to make when the peppers start coming during the summer. It is a quick but tasty recipe. We’ve used this relish on hot dogs, brats and sausages.
3 large onions, cut into thin slices
8 large green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (optional)
6 tablespoons pickling spice
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
Place onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, pickling spice, sugar, salt, and vinegar into a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Look at other pepper recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/
This roasted pepper recipe is a great starting point for many Italian side dishes. Try layering the roasted peppers with minced garlic, breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
1 large pepper – most commonly a bell pepper but hot peppers work well too
1 teaspoon of olive oil
This is a very simple recipe. You can use a gas stove burner or a barbecue grill even the broiler in an oven. If you use a stove burner, turn it on medium. Give it a few minutes to heat up. Take the olive oil and lightly coat the pepper and then place the pepper right over the flame, be careful, if the flame begins to flare up pull from the burner. Let the skin begin to burn. You will see the skin turn black, that is perfect. The trick is to not over cook. As a section burns turn the pepper to cook another section.
Once you have cooked the entire pepper it should be soft and burnt all around, pull it off the burner and immediately place it in a paper bag and then close the bag to seal up the pepper. This will allow the pepper to finish the cooking process and steam at the same time. Give the pepper about 15 minutes to finish cooking and cooling.
Now you just open the paper bag, take out the pepper and place on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, scrape the burnt skin off the pepper. Once complete, cut off the top of the pepper and slice in half length wise. Scrape out the seeds and the pith. You now have roasted pepper.
A great way to eat is to add to salads or just sprinkle with an Italian dressing and enjoy.
Look at other pepper recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/
This Hot Pepper Relish Recipe is great you can cut back on the sugar and added some hotter peppers for extra heat
1/2 pound hot green peppers (such as jalapeños or serranos), stemmed, seeds removed for a more mild relish
1/2 pound hot red peppers (such as fresnos or cherry peppers), stemmed, seeds removed for a more mild relish
1/2 pound yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
Cut off the tops of the peppers and slice in half. Remove the seeds and inner white pith (where a lot of the excess heat is). Dice the peppers and onions on a cutting board to the thickness your desire.
Place in a bowl and add salt and let sit for 2-3 hours. After sitting, rince off the salt under cold water and strain off any water.
In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add in pepper/onion mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer relish to an airtight container and store in refrigerator up to a month.
Look at other pepper recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/
This is a great recipe, red pepper soup is quick, easy and has a limited number of ingredients. Change up the heavy cream with yogurt or even add in some butternut squash as a flavor enhancement. Also, if you like hearty/chunky soup, do not strain, just blend and serve.
2 tablespoons butter
4 red bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
24 fluid ounces chicken broth/stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Place the red bell pepper, onion and garlic in the saucepan and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
Pour in the chicken broth, stirring well, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. This recipe is much easier if you puree the soup using an immersion blender right in the soup pot
Run the soup through a strainer and return the liquid to the saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and the ground black pepper and allow to heat through, about 5 to 10 minutes.
You can serve with chopped chives and sour cream on the side
As a shakeup change, roast the peppers and onion in the oven for 30 minutes before starting the soup.
Look at other pepper recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/