Summer Veggie Retrospective and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Don't have time to do a full regular post with new recipes and menus and costs and all, so instead I'm going to do a retrospective of summer veggie recipes that have been published on the new blog.

Have you been to the Farmers Market recently? It's in full swing with heaps and piles and boxes and truckloads of bright, vibrant, fresh veggies. Zucchini. Summer squash. Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Peppers. Eggplant. Green beans. Lettuce. Greens. And lots more. Plus the usual eggs and meat and honey and flowers and bedding plants and prepared food. And all the people and the buskers and the whole ambiance. It's wonderful. It's Bloomington.

And don't forget that you can exchange up to $18 of food stamps for twice as many Market Bucks! That means you can get the wonderful fresh veggies, meats and dairy for half price. What a deal!

But back to the specials at the grocery stores.

Marsh has family packs of ground beef for $1.99 per pound and family packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts also for $1.99 per pound. Seedless grapes are $1.99 per pound. “Colossal” Vidalia onions are 89 cents a pound. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are “buy one get one free” but they don’t say how much that first one costs. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 2.

Aldi has blueberries for 99 cents a pint and strawberries for $1.49 a pound. Seedless watermelons are $2.99 each. Avocados are 69 cents each. Peaches, nectarines and plums are all $1.98 for a two pound package, or 99 cents a pound. Prices are good through Tuesday, July 1.

Kroger has peaches for 88 cents a pound. Tomatoes on the vine, green beans, and red, orange and yellow peppers are all 99 cents a pound. Half gallons of milk are four for $5.00, or $1.25 each, or $2.50 per gallon, with a limit of four half gallons. Barbecue sauces are ten for $10.00, or $1.00 each. Cheeses are $2.99 for 12-16 ounce packages. Cottage cheese is two 24-ounce cartons for $4.00, or $2.00 each. Chicken drumsticks or thighs are 99 cents a pound. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 2.

IGA has chicken drumsticks and thighs for 99 cents a pound. Vidalia onions are 89 cents a pound. Zucchini and yellow squash are $1.49 per pound. Corn on the cob is six ears for $2.00, or 33 cents an ear. Prices are good through Sunday, June 29.

When the first of the summer veggies come out, I usually want to just savor each one individually for its uniqueness. But pretty soon I'm looking for more ways to incorporate them into my menus. That's what these recipes are for, after you've had the first green beans just plain or with butter, or the first tomatoes with just a dash of balsamic vinegar, or the first zucchini lightly sauteed with a touch of dill. I hope some of these will make it onto your roster of go-to summer recipes.

By the way, did you know that there's an index of sorts to the recipes on the blog? I say "of sorts" because the blog is still a work in process as we move posts from the old site to the blog and try to get everything linked everywhere it should be. Bear with us! But anyway, to get to the index, start by clicking on the COOK icon right under the picture of the carrots and all, which will take you to a list of broad categories - FOOD PRESERVATION, PASTA, VEGGIES & SALADS, etc. And a link to get you to all of my columns, too! Click on the VEGGIES AND SALADS link and it will take you to a list of - you guessed it - recipes for veggies and salads. All of these recipes are on that list along with lots more, and more will be added almost every week as we find more recipes to post and as we finish migrating recipes from the old site. Or you can enter the ingredient you want in the search box and find your recipes that way.

Happy Cooking and Eating!

Mary Anne

PS - Turns out that trying to pick my favorite old summer veggie recipes is a lot like picking my favorite child! (Well, not that I have any kids to pick my favorite from, but you get the picture.) So I've just listed all of the recipes for cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini and summer squash. Some are mine, some Kayte and others posted. Enjoy!

CUCUMBERS
Creamy Gazpacho
Cucumber Salads
Easy Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sauce
Panzanella Bread Salad
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad

EGGPLANT
Easiest Eggplant and Sausage Casserole
Eggplant Casserole
Eggplant Chili
Eggplant Tempura
Moussaka
Sichuan-Style Eggplant
Simplified Moussaka

GREEN BEANS
Cheesy Beef and Green Beans
Green Beans Almondine
Savory Bread Pudding with Vegetables and Cheese

PEPPERS
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Fajita Salad
Italian Sausage and Peppers
Panzanella Bread Salad
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Smoked Sausage and Peppers
Stir-Fried Italian Sausage and Peppers
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad
Unstuffed Peppers

TOMATOES
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Eggplant Casserole
Panzanella Bread Salad
Provencal Tart with Gruyere and Herbs
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Tomato Bread
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad
Tomato Salads
Tomato Soup Three Ways

ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH
Chicken and Vegetables
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Italian Sausage and Zucchini
Microwaved Summer Squash with Garlic and Dill
Sausage Squash Casserole
Savory Bread Pudding with Vegetables and Cheese
Taco Summer Squash Casserole
Veggie Manicotte with Tofu Ricotta
Zucchini and Carrots
Zucchini Spice Bread