Fall Cleanup Checklist

Here's a quick list of things I do before winter hits:

1.  Disconnect Garden Hoses - You don't want a freeze

to ruin your hose.

2.  Store Patio Furniture - Clear off your patio or porch and store summer furniture in the garage.

3.  Feed your lawn with a Winter Mix.

4.  Remove all dead annuals from your vegetable garden

and do a last weeding before the winter sets in.

5.  Put in Storm Windows and Check Window Locks.

6.  Uncover Heating Vents and Change your Furnace Filters.

Now you're ready for winter:)

Antipasto

Tony makes the best Antipasto.  It's Italian for

"before the meal."  Here's how Tony builds

a beautiful antipasto for a classic

Mediterranean meal.

He buys good quality Soppressata (an Italian salami) and Capicola (a hot Italian ham).  Tony rolls the slices individually and arranges them on a platter with thinly sliced carrots and celery.

He looks for a couple of good cheeses.  Some of our favorites are Soft Asiago, Fontinella, Havarti, and Provolone.

Tony adds the cheese slices to the platter.

We serve baguette pieces with the Antipasto, along with some sliced London Broil or Filet Mignon, 

roasted red pepper salad, chick pea salad, and some dipping sauces.

Here's the table with all the components of Tony's Antipasto.

 Here's another platter he creates, Caprese Salad made with fresh Mozzarella, sliced tomato, olive oil, fresh Basil, and Italian brined olives.

Blueberry Clafoutis

I served a nice lunch to some friends last month.  One of our desserts (!) was a Blueberry Clafoutis, a simple French flan.  It's not too sweet and is best served warm from the oven.  Leftovers are good for breakfast.

For 1-9 inch pie use a quart of fresh blueberries, cherries, or plums, or a combination.  Pour 1/3 cup of sugar and a tablespoon of rum over the fruit and let sit for 30 minutes.  Strain the fruit and keep the liquid.

Grease a pie dish or tart pan and arrange the strained fruit in the bottom.  In a blender mix the reserved fruit syrup, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup whole milk, 3 eggs, 1 Tbsp vanilla, and 1/2 cup flour on high speed for 1 minute.  Pour over the fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and maybe 10-15 minutes more until nicely browned and the center tests done.

It will puff up around the edges and smell wonderful!  You can dust it with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream, but it's great as is.

Cherry Tomatoes

I usually plant a couple of grape tomato plants every summer.  This year my "grape" tomato plants were cherry tomato plants, obviously mislabeled.  To my surprise, they were very sweet and flavorful.  The plant grew beautifully and I harvested hundreds of tomatoes. 

Here's what I did with most of them:

Cut them in half.

Arrange the pieces on my dehydrator trays.

Wait about 12 hours.

Now they are reduced in size, but doubled in sweetness.  I put these in a ziploc baggie, then into the freezer.  I use them all winter on white pizzas and sandwiches.

If you don't have a dehydrator you can get the same results by putting them on a baking sheet in a warm oven (200-250 degrees) for a few hours until they look done.

Here's a pesto pizza with dehydrated tomatoes and roasted red peppers:

Our friends always ask me if I added sugar to the tomatoes because they taste so sweet!