Author: Ed Hart

Categories
Gardening Woodworking

Planter Box For 5 Gallon Bucket Tomato Plants

This growing season is the first time that I’ve started tomatoes from seeds inside. I’m attempting 5 varieties this year! In this post you’ll find a free plan for a planter box for 5 gallon bucket tomato plants.

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Eat

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

Tangy and bright pickled sugar snap peas are a springtime treat and a great way to preserve a bumper crop of peas.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Course: Appetizer
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • fresh sugar snap peas enough to fill the mason jar
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh mint
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Equipment

  • Mason jar

Method
 

  1. In a saucepan, heat the water, rice wine vinegar, salt, and honey, until completely dissolved.
  2. Pick, trim, and rinse sugar snap peas and fill a mason jar with them, along with mint sprigs, peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Add lemon zest.
  3. Pour the liquid into the jar until the peas are completely covered. Attach lid and gently agitate the jar so all the ingredients mix.
  4. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
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Eat

Clarifying Cooking Oil with Gelatin

Who knew, right? I’ve tried this technique multiple times now on some pretty nasty oil that’s cooked frozen french fries, fried oysters, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and beignets and can attest that it does indeed work. The process is relatively simple:

1/2 cup water + 1 tsp gelatin per quart of used oil.

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Eat

Another Rib Rub Recipe

Another Rib Rub Recipe, Kansas City style

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup paprika
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Method
 

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together.
  2. Make sure ribs are dry and the silver skin is removed. Add dry rub to ribs, coating them until the seasoning falls off, 30 minutes prior to cooking. Note that adding seasoning with salt too early will begin to cure the meat.
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Eat

Classic Shrimp Boil

Classic Shrimp Boil

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Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 can beer
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 red potatoes
  • 2 vidalia onions cut in wedges
  • 2 lbs coneceh sausage cut up
  • 8 pieces corn on the cob frozen
  • 4 lbs shrimp in shells

Equipment

  • 1 Large 8-quart stock pot

Method
 

  1. In an 8-quart stock pot, bring water to boil, with seasoning, salt, bay leaves, and beer
  2. Add potatoes and onions and cook over high heat for 8 minutes
  3. Add coneceh sausage and cook for an additional 5 minutes
  4. Add corn; continue to boil for 7 minutes
  5. Add shrimp (still in shells) and cook for 4 minutes
  6. Drain the cooking liquid and pour contents into several large serving bowls
  7. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay seasoning as desired
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Eat

Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings

Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course: Snack
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 lbs frozen chicken wings
  • 2 tbsp canola oil

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker In this recipe, I'm using the Ninja Foodi that comes with an air crisping lid.

Method
 

  1. Pour water into the pot. Place wings in the pressure cooker basket and place in pot.
  2. Set pressure to high & set time to 7 minutes. Select start/stop to begin.
  3. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the pressure. Carefully remove lid when the unit has finished releasing pressure.
  4. Pat wings dry with a paper towel and toss with 2 tbsp of oil. If seasoning wings, now is the time to generously sprinkle with seasoning. Replace basket in pot.
  5. Close the crisping lid. Select air crisp, set temperature to 390° and set time to 20 minutes. Select start/stop to begin.
  6. After 10 minutes, open the crisping lid, lift basket and shake wings, add more seasoning if desired, replace basket and resume cooking.
  7. When finished, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve hot with celery strips and blue cheese or ranch dressing.
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Eat

Pressure Cooker Short Ribs

Pressure Cooker Short Ribs

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 6 bone in beef short ribs
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 onion peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 parsnips chopped
  • 2 celery ribs chopped
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • water

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker

Method
 

  1. Season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Select sear/sauté on pressure cooker and set to high & select start. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the pot until hot, approx. 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add short ribs to pot and brown each side for 4 minutes until browned on all sides. Remove when done.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute until soft and fragrant.
  4. Add chopped carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add short ribs back into the pot, keeping them in one layer if possible. Add broth, sugar, and bay leaves.
  6. Set pressure to high and set timer for 45 minutes
  7. When pressure cooking is complete, natural release the pressure for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, quick release to vent and remove lid after unit has finished releasing pressure.
  8. Carefully remove ribs and vegetables with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving tray. Set sear/sauté to high and bring the sauce to simmer. Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water together in a small bowl or ramekin and add to the sauce to thicken to the desired consistency.
  9. Serve short ribs over polenta or mashed potatoes with vegetables and sauce.
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Eat

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi

Great recipe for a date night as well as a busy weeknight because it's easy to prepare and quick to make. I usually serve over angel hair pasta, with some crusty bread and a fresh garden salad. I typed this as a recipe for 2 people using 1 lb of shrimp, but it could probably be stretched to 3, depending on how much shrimp everyone eats.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbsp shallot, minced
  • 2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • ½ cup chicken broth or white wine
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
  • ½ lemon
  • 1-2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish
  • angel hair pasta

Method
 

  1. Boil salty water, with oil added, to cook the angel hair pasta. I prefer the pasta cooked al dente, which for angel hair is pretty quick, 4-5 minutes max.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil, preheat a pan over medium high heat, and chop or mince the shallot and garlic. Go ahead and chop up some fresh flat leaf parsley for the garnish while you're at it.
  3. melt butter into oil in the pan. Sauté the shallot and garlic until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the wine or chicken broth, along with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and allow to reduce by about half.
  5. Add the shrimp and sauté until just pink and no longer translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
  6. Squeeze juice from half a lemon and add the parsley for garnish. Serve over angel hair pasta.
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Eat

Sausage Plate with Potatoes and Cheese

I've made this sausage plate many times after getting the idea from the December 2021 issue of Food & Wine. I'm compiling it here because I keep forgetting where I saw it (in the Bottle Service article) so that I can quickly refresh my memory of what they included on the plate.
I like to use chicken sausages from Trader Joes, where there are a variety of flavor profiles to choose from, but any sausage you like will do. This is the kind of recipe where you basically compile a bunch of ingredients together to make a plate, so there's minimal actual cooking involved, other than grilling or pan frying the sausage and roasting or boiling the potatoes.
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Course: Main Course
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package sausages
  • 1 lb baby yellow potatoes
  • 8 oz brie or other soft cheese for melting
  • assorted cured meats
  • salad greens
  • cornichons or pickles
  • baguette

Method
 

  1. Slice round of brie or camembert in half, and then slice lengthwise so that you can place the rounds, rind-down and cut side up, on an oven-safe skillet for melting.
  2. Roast of boil potatoes until ready to serve.
  3. Grill or pan fry sausages until cooked, per instructions, usually about 12-15 minutes. I like to pan fry for 5-7 minutes and then poach in white wine, covered., until cooked through.
  4. Arrange cooked sausage, potatoes, charcuterie, and salad on a rustic plate.
  5. Arrange rack in top of oven and preheat broiler to high. Roast the cheese until pourable, usually 3-5 minutes. Pour melted cheese over the each plate.
  6. Serve with a baguette or crusty bread.
Categories
Eat

Pickled Red Onions

Pickled Red Onions

Super easy pickled red onion (or whatever else you want to pickle!) recipe. You can experiment with different types of vinegars, as well as adding other spices such as peppercorns, red pepper flakes, rosemary sprigs, garlic, or others. You can also substitute maple syrup for the sugar.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Resting time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 red onion
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar (I like to use turbinado)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  • peppercorns
  • red pepper flakes
  • garlic clove, smashed

Equipment

  • Mason jar

Method
 

  1. Heat water in a saucepan.
  2. Using a mandolin, slice red onions as thin as possible. If you don't have a mandolin, slice them with a knife.
  3. Put all the sliced onions in a jar.
  4. In a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt, and stir until solids are dissolved. Pour the pickling mixture into the jar and make sure the onions are completely submerged.
  5. Optionally add spices such as cracked or uncracked peppercorns, red pepper flakes, a smashed clove of garlic, thyme, oregano, or whatever you like.
  6. Pickled onions will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.