ZestyCook

Zesty Launches Blog Consulting

ZestyCook — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:57 +0000

I hope you had a great weekend! I have been working on a side project for a while now off and on and the day has finally arrived. I have been receiving tons of questions about blogging over the last year and I have been trying field the questions, help the bloggers and add value to the community.

With that said, I created a new site – zestyblogconsulting.com to help answer generic blogging questions and provide information on making better informed decisions for your blog moving forward. The layout of this site includes blog services, tips, detailed posts on the most popular topics and a portfolio showing some of the blogs I have worked with in the past.

Visit Zesty Blog Consulting when you get the chance and if you’re interested, sign up for the free blogging tips newsletter.

Here are some other snapshots of the zesty design. Let me know what you think of this and whether you feel it is a good idea and will help bloggers.

Quaker Update

I was unsuccessful in making the finals of the Quaker Challenge however I would still like to promote it today as the whole contest is for a great cause. See below for the details on the finalists.

3 semi-finalists:

Catherine Mc Cord of weelicious.com playing for www.stonebarnscenter.org
Jen Yu of userealbutter.com playing for National Farm to School Program www.farmtoschool.org
Laura Levy of www.laurasbestrecipes.com playing for www.foodforthepoor.org

“Congratulations to Catherine Mc Cord , Jen Yu and Laura! Semi-finalists in Quaker’s “Awaken Your Senses Challenge”. You can help support 3 worthy food charities by casting your vote for your favorite Oatmeal Creation at www.youtube.com/quakertalk. At the end of the week the blogger with the most votes wins, and they will be able to award $10,000 to their favorite food. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and vote!

Thanks so much for supporting me – now let’s do our part and ensure one of these charities gets some much needed funding.

Back to the food posts tomorrow!

Take care
zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Zesty Launches Blog Consulting

Makeover Giveaway Winner Is…..

ZestyCook — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:25 +0000

Happy Friday!

I have been working on a special project and I hoped it would be ready to reveal today but due to some hiccups and time constraints I am not able to release it just yet. I am hoping by Monday morning you will be able to see the latest zesty creation. Sorry to keep you in suspense but I think that is kind of fun and I know deep down inside you really love it!

However, I do need to take the time today and announce the winner of the makeover giveaway.

Giveaway Winner

Adi Wrote….

Adi (oatonomy.com) says:
October 31, 2009 at 2:57 pm

This is a great idea Zesty! My blog desperately needs an update. Don’t believe me? http://www.oatonomy.com See what I mean?

I could definitely use your help!

Here is the present design of Oatonomy. Stay tuned for the new and improved look in the near future.

Adi, contact me and I will start moving forward on your design.

The House Saga Continues

It is a bit of a gong show around the house and trying to get some things organized. I think I will take the afternoon off to figure out a few things regarding the fireplace, hearth, mantle and some tiles. It is pouring rain and very windy out today - a perfect day for the window service rep to be back for a water test. I will keep you posted.

Have an awesome Friday and I will talk to you on Monday!

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Makeover Giveaway Winner Is…..

Back to Basics Egg-and-Muffin Toaster

ZestyCook — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:41 +0000

It’s Thursday! I have a special treat for you today. I have been receiving a lot of positive feedback on my new Open Sky store over the last few weeks and I am really loving what the folks at Open Sky are doing for online shopping. The idea of taking expert shopkeepers with their views and experiences on products and sharing that information to the readers/consumers is invaluable.

When I started zestycook.com back in August 2008 I had two goals in mind. They were and still are to add value to all my readers and the general public and to have fun doing it. I definitely know I am doing the latter and I strive to add value to each post that I write.

I’ve wanted to do a feature product for the last little while and today is the day.

Back to Basics Egg-and-Muffin Toaster is a great product that will make you super happy in the morning.

Some of the features of this product include:

Makes the ultimate breakfast sandwich in 4 minutes.
Hard boils up to 8 eggs at a time.
Wide slot toasting function for bagels and croissants.
Individual toasting or poaching function.
Auto shutoff for both toaster and egg poacher.

So there you have it. A fun little product that I wanted to share with you. If you happen to have a favorite kitchen product and think that it would be great in the store… by all means tell me in the comments or email. I am always looking for great products that make your time in the kitchen more fun and enjoyable. Have an awesome Thursday and I will talk to you on Friday.

Oh wait, before I go – make sure you enter the giveaway contest.

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Back to Basics Egg-and-Muffin Toaster

Waste Not… Want Not

ZestyCook — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:47 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I apologize in advance for somewhat of a quick post but I don’t have much time to write tonight. I had somewhat of a rough day at the house build with some scheduling conflicts and the dreaded “windows“. The service rep was on site today and determined that the windows are leaking! Hooray, but we knew that 10 days ago. With that being said we are performing a temporary solution of caulking which does not really tickle my fancy but we have no other choice.

I didn’t have anytime to eat or cook today but I have had this post in the back of my head for a while so I decided to put it on paper and get your thoughts and ideas.

I was reading a magazine a while back and it had an article related to being more resourceful with products and supplies we would normally throw out. I thought about some of these and I also talked to Mother Zesty as well and this is the list we came up with.

Top 7 Things Not To Throw Out

1. Stale Bread – When your bread goes stale before you have time to eat it, freeze it and use it for dressing/stuffing the next time you have a chicken or a turkey.

2. Bones – Never throw away bones! These are essential in making delicious homemade stocks. Great for freezing and adding flavor to many dishes.

3. Coffee Grinds – These are great to place in certain areas as a natural deodorizer. Place them in an airated container in the firdge or freezer to absorb smells.

4. Butter Wrappers – Save these in the fridge and next time you have to grease a baking dish for your baking – grab it from the fridge and lube up your pan.

5. Rotten Bananas – These guys work great in the freezer for smoothies and of course the ultimate zesty bread…. Banana Bread.

6. Onion Peel – These are great for adding flavors to sauces and soups without the onion texture. Just chuck them in your dish and remove before serving.

7. Don’t Forget the Freezer – Utilize your freezer. Certain foods can be frozen and not lose any of their flavor or impact. Instead of throwing out freeze.

I thought this was a fun, but practical, list to come up with. I am sure you have more great ideas so I welcome you to add them in the comments to share with the rest of us. Have yourself a great Wednesday and I will talk to you tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

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Waste Not… Want Not

Honey of a Salad and House Update

ZestyCook — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:44 +0000

Another Monday gone and Tuesday begins. I hope you had a great day yesterday. It seems like the days are flying by even faster with the time change on the weekend. It is getting dark so early.

I want to talk about a couple of things… one being about a killer fruit salad with a honey lime dressing and the other topic being the house. The fruit salad is simple yet so refreshing. I am always trying to find nice fruit all year around but it gets tougher as the season comes closer to winter. This recipe will give you a great idea for a breakfast/lunch addition or just something to have on hand at all times for both kids and adults.

As for the house, it is coming along quite well ( minus the window issue ). The painters started yesterday and rolling on the primer like there is no tomorrow. We hope to have the whole house primed and painted one coat by Thursday.

Before the update I have a funny story. Last night we drove out to the house after work to take some new pictures on the progress thus far. We were rushing as it was getting late so we ran up to the front door, turned the knob and looked at each other – uh oh it was locked. We started to laugh as we both knew there was no key for the door knobs as they were just old knobs the builders had hanging around at their house. We ran to the side door…. locked. Back door…. locked. Windows…. locked. Oh dear the only reason I went to the house was to get pictures for you. I then realized that the tiny little basement window was left open for the hoses to run outside so I crawled in there and jumped down. All in all… too funny.

Ingredients

Any fruit you want ( cut into cubes)
1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
1/2 Cup honey
1 Tsp. grated lime peel

Method

Peel and prepare all the fruit in a large mixing bowl
Mix the lime juice and honey and add the lime peel at the end.
Toss, let rest and serve
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The acid in the lime juice will prevent the fruit from bruising and becoming brown in color.

House Update

As promised, some interior shots after the drywall, seam filling and now some painting. The picture quality is not great due lack of lighting.

Upstairs Hallway

Bonus Room

Family Room

Kitchen

Interior Doors (just delivered)

Awaken your Senses Reminder

Here’s how to vote for me:

1. Go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk. Click on the VOTE tab. Click on my video entitled “Autumn Medley.”

2. Click on the BIG GREEN THUMBS UP to cast your vote. Voting closes Friday, November 6th.

3. Please tell your family and friends and pretty much everyone you know to vote too!

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Honey of a Salad and House Update

Shepherds Pie, House Work & Open Sky

ZestyCook — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:10 +0000

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend. My weekend was action packed with “the house”. We started painting the ceilings this weekend and I had to clean the whole house before paint starts on the walls (today). We are still having window problems – we had some more rain along with a couple of new leaks – grrrrrrr.

We had a lot of help at the new build with sweeping, cleaning and vacuuming. It was greatly appreciated. A zesty in law spent the whole day on Sunday pushing the broom, scraping the seam filling mud off the floor and vacuuming. You gotta love great help! Needless to say I didn’t spend much in the kitchen but we did manage to eat. I wanted to share with you a old time recipe that I am guessing everyone has tried.

Now this is a super dish for leftovers, a great casserole in the winter and even better a pretty healthy dish over all. I know this has ground beef on the bottom but if you are a vegetarian you could simple substitute out the beef for scrambled tofu or just use other vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini or even squash.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1-2 cups vegetables – chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 – 2 lbs potatoes (3 large potatoes)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef stock
2 Tbsp. milk
Salt and pepper

Method

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink.
Add the carrots and let them cook until warmed through.Add salt and pepper.
Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
Add corn or peas near the end of the cooking process before adding to the casserole dish.
Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, add the milk to give some extra flavor and season to taste.
Place beef and vegetable mixture in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Zesty Tip: There are a couple of tips that I would recommend with this dish. Utilizing a can of vegetable soup is a great idea if you don’t have beef stock on hand. It gives a nice flavor and keeps it moist. Another idea is to rub a little milk and butter on top of the potatoes to ensure they get nice and golden brown.

My final idea, which I have yet to try, is to attempt this recipe with a “SWEET POTATO” topping. I can only assume this would be delicious.

Open Sky NEW PROMOTION – 10% OFF SALE

We’ve launched a 10% OFF SALE! This sale applies to EVERYTHING in every OpenSky shop, from Yes You Can Grill’s Outdoor Chef City Grill to Cooking With Friends’ Jarden Ball Home Canning Kit to Veggie Gardening Tips’ Composting Accessory Kit.

Here are the details:

Coupon Code: Cory1009
Offer: 10% off
Expiration: November 15, 2009

Giveaway Update

I am really impressed with the results of my latest giveaway from Friday and I am really grateful for all your nice comments. They really are fun to read! I was thinking of a crazy idea and I wanted to run it by you to see what you thought. What do you think if I get 350 comments on the giveaway that I actually give TWO Design Makeovers. Let me know your thoughts and then tell all your friends and see if we can reach that number.

Wow – I think that was a long post. I hope you have an awesome Monday. If I can remember to take the camera to the house tomorrow – you will be getting a house update.

Take care

zesty

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Shepherds Pie, House Work & Open Sky

You Got It…. Another Makeover Giveaway!

ZestyCook — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:08 +0000

After the great response I received from the last makeover giveaway and the fact that I finally did finish the makeover this week, I thought it was due time to have another and let someone else WIN.

Here are a few of the most recent designs I have completed.

Healthy Living Summit

Operation Beautiful

Thinspired

Sarah Snacks

Heather Eats Almond Butter

Whole Body Love

Zesty’s first ever blog giveaway winner was Lara from thinspiredblog.com

Now I realize that not all readers have blogs so if you would like a blog but are timid or unsure how to go about it feel free to enter and I will sit with you and help you get on your way.

Now onto the details

How To Enter:

New and existing email subscribers will automatically get an entry on draw date. Note that only verified subscribers count (you will receive a verification email). (+1 entry)
Leave a comment about what you think of this idea. (+1 entry)
Earn an extra chance to win by linking back to this post on your own blog (if you have one). (+1 entry) (please email me if you link back)

The Rules:

Please only 1 comment entry / person (please enter a valid email address). Your email will be kept private and never given/sold to third parties.
The winners will receive 10 hours of Blog Consulting/Design Makeover.

So let me know what you think about this adventure in the comments below! A random generator will be used to pick the winner. Contest will end at 5pm EST Nov 5th, 2009.

Take care

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

You Got It…. Another Makeover Giveaway!

A Big Rant and A Little Bit of Apple Crisp

ZestyCook — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:25 +0000

How are ya? That’s good! Let’s just say I have been better. I will take a few minutes to recap yesterday and all its glory. Well in order for the full story you will need some background from the weekend.

On Saturday we had a lot of rain and high winds – which always concerns me as far as the new house – so I drove out Sunday morning to have a look. Ran down the basement to check for water… all is clear. I take a walk up stairs around the perimeter of the house just checking the floors to make sure the roof is not leaking… all is clear. I wander around a little longer to the south side of the house and I see wet marks on the floor next to the windows. My heart beats faster and I say ” Oh Dear”. I look to another window and see the same thing. WINDOWS ARE LEAKING!

I call the builder on Monday morning and tell him and he says “ I know Cory… I was down on Sunday at 7:00am because I couldn’t sleep last night”. What are we too do? Well the guys decided to do a water test yesterday and sure enough the windows are leaking - but how and where. We call in the siding guys and they take some siding off and do a few more tests. It turns out the window is leaking itself. It is not an installation issue but even worse – a product issue. Now I am upset and borderline cranky. I got the call as we are waiting in a three hour line up for our H1N1 immunization. So I immediately called the supplier of the windows and asked to have a rep sent out on site ASAP to get this fixed. As I type this I feel like I am pounding on the keys a little harder than normal so I am going to stop now and get to the good part of this post.

On to the Food

As promised from yesterday’s post I have the easiest tasty apple crisp ever for you today. We had about 8-10 apples left over from the orchard pick so I thought I would use them up and make a sweet treat. 7 ingredients for a dessert is pretty easy so here goes.

Ingredients

8 Cups sliced apples
1/4 Cup White Sugar
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Cup flour
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup soft butter

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking dish by rubbing butter all over it
Combine apples, white sugar, 2 Tbsp. Flour and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix together.

Toss into baking dish and spread evenly

For the topping combine the final 3 ingredients and spread evenly over the top of the apple mixture.

Bake for 45-60 minutes depending on your oven.

Remove and let rest
Serve warm or cool

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to make a thicker apple crisp in a smaller pan because as the apples cook they will begin to shrink and your crisp will fall.

This is a super fast dessert and goes great on a cool fall day. I like to serve with homemade whip cream or my favorite… vanilla ice cream. It can also be a great breakfast or even a nice mix into oatmeal.

Question of the day?

Does anybody like oatmeal? What is your favorite oatmeal topping of all time!

Speaking of oatmeal, I need to try the new Autumn Medley recipe recommend by Chef David from the Quaker Challenge. For those of you who haven’t already, please vote for me by giving my video a thumbs up!

Have a great day and just so you know – by the time I got to the end of this post, I think I feel better. it must have been working with the apple crisp pictures. Have an awesome Thursday.

Take care

zesty

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A Big Rant and A Little Bit of Apple Crisp

Zesty Makeover: Thinspiredblog.com Complete

ZestyCook — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:35 +0000

Happy Wednesday! Do you remember back in June, I ran a contest where one lucky winner would receive a blog makeover free of charge. Lara of Thinspiredblog.com was the lucky winner. Now we had a few hiccups along the way to complete the makeover but the good news is we finished up last night and I think it looks great.

More importantly than that, Lara said she loves it and to me that is all that matters.

Before

After

Some of the new features that have been added give Lara the ability to interact with social media by adding the “Share and Enjoy” plugin. I have also added the comment indent for author remarks. This makes it much easier for the author to interact with their readers. Another addition was a more streamlined look on the side bar in addition to brightening up the background to match Lara’s personality.

Here are a few more snapshots of the changes that I made.

Plugin Additions

Comment Indentation

So there you have it. Another blog makeover complete and another happy blogger. This is such a rewarding thing to do. It makes it all worth while when you read the responses you get from clients once you are finished.

Here are a few words from Lara:

I definitely recommend Cory’s design services. He is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. Best of all, he is happy to do the technical stuff, suggest his ideas, and then let you make the fun decisions. I won this blog makeover in a giveaway he held last summer, so I am especially grateful to him for following through and giving me great service despite it being complimentary. THANK YOU, CORY!

Such kind words Lara – thanks so much. Ok, before I go and wrap things up for today I just want you to know if you are interested in having your blog made over by all means let me know. I am working with quite a few people right now but I am always willing to help and make your blog better.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Zesty’s Dad!

Oh… I forgot to tell you. I made some fresh apple crisp from the apple picking day that very well could make zesty tomorrow depending on how the pictures turn out. Have yourself a great day.

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Zesty Makeover: Thinspiredblog.com Complete

So Good…Maple Nutmeg Vegetables!

ZestyCook — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Hey to you! I was walking around the kitchen on Sunday afternoon wondering what to do with another big squash that was hand picked by “The Best Builders” around when I noticed some nutmeg sitting in the pantry. A little light bulb went off and thought that it would be a great combination. I then wandered over to the fridge as I knew that we had some “real” maple syrup.

That was enough to call it a dish. Below is the scoop on how this goes together. Pretty simple yet a perfect fall treat. Here is a shot of my laptop as I was playing around with the settings on my camera.

Ingredients

Carrots
Squash
Tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare and peel the carrots and squash. Cut into chunks and place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, nutmeg and maple syrup.
Throw in a roasting pan and let cook for 25 minutes.
Remove and toss in tomatoes.
Cook another 15 minutes.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking grape tomatoes, I tend to put them in later in the cooking process so they do not completely break down and become mush.

That dish is pretty simple yet satisfying. Very nice for this time of year for sure.

I spent a little time at the house (with no power) tonight with my car headlights on cleaning out the utility room. I think we are getting some heat in the house tomorrow! The boiler is being installed.

Question of the Day

How do you heat your house? Let me know – I think it will be interesting as we go across the globe.

Have a great Tuesday.

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

So Good…Maple Nutmeg Vegetables!

Zesty’s Photoshoot Results

ZestyCook — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:00:23 +0000

Happy Monday! A ton of rain and a bit of work but overall it was not a bad weekend. Remember back about 6 weeks ago, I bought a new camera for a photo shoot at a large pizza chain. I spent a fair amount of time on the photo shoot as well as preparing the images for production. I mentioned I was a little nervous wondering what the owners would think of the results but with a phone call on Thursday, the news was very positive!

They thought the photos turned out great. I happen to be snooping on pizzatown last Wednesday night so I knew the pictures were finally posted and the menus were updated. I was delighted to hear that they were happy with the results. A lot of time and effort went into this project - but in the end it was all worth it.

I was thinking on Saturday if I should post some of the results. I don’t want to be too much of a show-off but I thought it would be fun to give you a follow up on the photo shoot. Below is a series of snapshots and screen captures. I hope you enjoy it!

Pizzatown Photo Shoot

Amazing Food Blogs

As mentioned in previous posts regarding photography, I get a lot of inspiration from reading professional blogs that take amazing food pictures. A while back I wrote a post on how to take amazing food pictures and a lot of people have used those tips to enhance their work. But if you want to see some amazing shots up close and personal – you need to check out these sites below. If you know of other sites that take amazing pictures, please add them in the comments.

Don’t forget to Vote for my Quaker Topping

Here’s how to vote for me:

1. Go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk. Click on the VOTE tab. Click on my video entitled “Autumn Medley.”

2. Click on the BIG GREEN THUMBS UP to cast your vote. Voting closes Friday, November 6th.

3. Please tell your family and friends and pretty much everyone you know to vote too!

Before I go

I hope you have a great week and if things go as planned, I should have another big announcement to share with you. Stay tuned!

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Zesty’s Photoshoot Results

Zesty’s Video Debut: Plea for Votes

ZestyCook — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:35 +0000

Happy Friday! Today is an exciting day for ZestyCook.com. It marks the debut video of zestycook as well as an opportunity for “The Hunger Project” to win $10,000. Remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was part of the Quaker Challenge. Here is a brief recap of what this contest is all about.

Good Bite is kicking off a challenge sponsored by Quaker Instant Oatmeal that began September 25th. The challenge is called the “Awaken Your Senses” Challenge. Here’s how it works…

Twelve of the most influential bloggers have come together to share their favorite food memories. Our memories will be brought to life by David Lawrence (of Good Bite) who will translate them into a Oatmeal Creation using Quaker Instant Oatmeal and a variety of toppings. Every 2 weeks, a new round of videos will be posted where you can vote for your favorite. With each round, semi-finalists will be selected. We are on the third round starting today and zesty is up! Now I realize my video is a little tacky… but we need to help the hunger project and look past my video abilities!

At the end of eight weeks the blogger’s video with the most votes wins! And $10,000.00 will be donated to their favorite charity!

What I Need From You

Normally I am not a b ig fan of begging people to do anything (well minus inviting me over for dinner) but this is not about me. I really think The Hunger Project is doing a great thing and I would be so grateful to help them even further. Please remember in order to help The Hunger Project- you need to VOTE

Please go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk and vote for me and AUTUMN MEDLEY
Tell everyone you know to do the same ( family, friends etc)
Post a link on your blog, facebook ( if you so desire)
Tweet about it and VOTE

I am representing The Hunger Project in the challenge and all you need to do is go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk every week and vote for your topping creation, you can help a really deserving food charity win $10,000.00!

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Zesty’s Video Debut: Plea for Votes

Pickle Me With Mustard Pickles

ZestyCook — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:13 +0000

This week has flown by thus far! In a way it is good as the weekend is approaching but on the other side of the coin another week is gone and the house is not completed. We are still shooting for early December but some people are looking at me funny when I mention that.

Remember back on Tuesday I shared with you a simple cranberry preserve? Today I wanted to talk about another one of my favorite yet classic preserve – MUSTARD PICKLES. These pickles are drop dead amazing if you like mustard pickles at all. The tartness of the vinegar combined with the crunch of the cucumbers and the silkiness of the sauce = YUM.

This can be a little bit of chopping project, however the cooking process is very quick and simple. For me, mustard pickles are such an awesome addition to a meal. Whether it is on the side or a roast chicken dinner, or in the bread of a nice hearty beef sandwich – I chalk this up as a must have preserve.

Ingredients

20 Cups Cucumbers
3 lbs. Onions
1 Cauliflower
1 Red pepper
1 Green pepper
7 Cups white sugar
2 Tbsp. tumeric
4 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 1/2 Cups flour
2 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. mustard seed
4 Cups vinegar

Method

In a large pot peel and cut up fine, cucumbers, onions, peppers and cauliflower.

Mix all dry ingredients together; add vinegar slowly, mix well.
Pour over vegetables and bring to a full boil.
Boil two minutes.
Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal immediately.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The pickles will thicken slightly after the cooking process is completed so do not be concerned if you think the mixture is too thin when you go to bottle.

Well I hope you enjoyed another preserve recipe. It really is a big party of fall cooking. This is such a popular preserve down here especially when the pickling cucumbers are out in full force – late summer, early fall.

Question of the day

Do you have a favorite pickle?

Have an awesome Thursday, before you know it the weekend will be here.

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Pickle Me With Mustard Pickles

Indeed One Scalloped Potato

ZestyCook — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:36 +0000

Lets just say that yesterday was a whirlwind of a day! We found a vanity for the half bath in Halifax NS that we just had to have! So I took yesterday off work and drive over 3.5 hours to pick up the vanity. Along the way, we made a pit stop for a sandwich ( toasted Ham and Cheese- No sauce ) and drove 3.5 hours back. We better like this “vanity”!

I forgot my cds in the truck and I left the ipod at home – so the music was just fair at best. Does anyone else hate when they are driving and the radio never really works with the reception fading in and out? Anyway, we survived and was fortunately home in time for supper.

Scalloped Potatoes… a true classic and it gets me every time. I am such a potato pig.

It was a traditional meal with a nice pineapple ham roasted in the oven and some bubbly scalloped potatoes on the side. A fresh batch of homemade biscuits thrown into the mix and some good old fashion H2O.

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/4 Tsp. pepper
2 1/2 Cups milk
1 Small onion, finely sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Arrange potatoes in greased casserole roasting pan in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce.
Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes.
Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.

Zesty Tip: I think a key tip with scalloped potatoes is to let them sit out on the stove once you remove them from the heat. This will allow them to thicken and prevent you from burning your tongue.

How often do you burn your tongue? It seems that I do it far too frequently and I think it’s why I’m not a big fan of hot drinks. I actually took some pictures of the scallop potatoes on my fancy shmancy plate but something happened and they were quite yellow. I had them under a different light and I think it gimped something up. I could not even fix it in Photoshop.

Sorry for the short post but I am on my way out of the house tonight (9:00 pm) to go do some clean up at the house. There is drywall pieces everywhere that has to get cleaned up before the seam fillers. Have yourself a great day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Indeed One Scalloped Potato

Cranberry Jelly and A New Zesty Store

ZestyCook — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:26 +0000

Welcome to Tuesday! I hope you had a great start to your week. Today I want to share with you some exciting news and a super simple recipe for a fall preserve. Before we get started, I want to say thank you for all the nice comments in yesterday’s post regarding the marathon.

On to the Food

If you are like me, then you love cranberry sauce, jelly or for that matter cranberry anything. One of the main reasons why I love Turkey Day is because of the cranberry. For today’s recipe it doesn’t get any easier than Cranberry Jelly. Three ingredients, one pot, a sieve and some jars. That’s it.

This yummy side treat takes all of 20 minutes to make so next time cranberries are on sale give this a try.

Ingredients

4 Cups Cranberries
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Sugar

Method

Boil Cranberries in water until berries are soft.
Put through a sieve.
Add sugar and return to heat.
Let boil until thick (about 10 minutes).
Pour into Jars and let cool.
ENJOY!!

Zesty Tip: Be sure to sterilize your jars before using them. You can re-use your jars but I suggest purchasing new lids especially if you are using mason jars to ensure a tight seal.

On with the News

Zesty Opens a New Store

About 6 weeks ago, I was contacted by the folks at OpenSky Project. They had shown interest in myself and zestycook.com to be a part of the Open Sky Project as a store keeper. The company’s concept is “expert-powered e-commerce, connecting consumers to experts and the products they love and use.”

The ultimate idea is a space where blog readers can go to learn more about an item and purchase it on the same page, if they so choose. Open Sky has all the customer service you’d find at any other online store – everything is guaranteed. Their goal and mission is to connect consumers to experts and the products they love and use.

So with that said, I would like to officially announce the opening of the zestycook store! In the upcoming days, I will be adding more products, pictures and videos but for now browse around and tell me what you think.

Have a great Tuesday and contact me if you have an questions or concerns.

Take care

zesty

Download ZestyCook.com's Recipe E-book Free for Subscribers only: Simply Zesty

Cranberry Jelly and A New Zesty Store