Well after running my errands yesterday, we went to the big Farmers Market. Let me tell ya we went nuts! They had some incredible sales so we stocked up on just about anything and everything! This was our haul. We got a 25lb. bag of carrots, a 25lb. bag of red onions, a 20lb. bag of grapefruit, 2 big bags of peanuts, 2 ribs of celery, 2 flats of strawberries, a pineapple, 2 bunches of green onion golf balls LOL, 5lbs. of yellow onions, 8 cucumbers, 8 zucchini, 8 yellow squash, 8 green bell peppers, 8 red bell peppers, 16 green apples, 1 Jicama, 7 round zucchini, 14 pounds of jumbo yams, 1 huge cabbage, 10 pounds of bananas, 10 lbs. of broccoli, 10 lbs. of Roma tomatoes, 3lbs. of fresh jalapenos, 1 small personal watermelon, 4 pounds of green beans, 2 lbs. baby new potatoes, 4 pounds fresh okra, 2 bags of radishes, 1- 2lb. 1015 onion, 5lbs. of grapes (both red and green), another 6lbs of carrots (long story LOL), 7 avocados, and a partridge in a pear treeeeeeeeeeeeee! LOL!
Ok, let me tell you about this carrot LOL. I bought the 25lb. bag in the main market right? Real cheap… so I am walking around back with the small vendors and I see this bag of carrots… with one in there that could choke Godzilla! I HAD to have it LOL! The carrots in that bag were about 6lbs, but for only a $1 I HAD to get it LOL! It’s a Goliath carrot… 12 inches long and 8in. around at the thickest part, so about 3 inches in diameter! This thing is flippin’ HUGE!
You Ever see a yam this big? This was one of the smaller ones! Over 9 inches long and 11.5in. around! Like I said, these were some of the smaller ones I found in the bin!
This ugly monster is called a Jicama (hi-ka-mah). Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. Jicama has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Jicama has a unique flavor that lends itself well to salads, salsas, and vegetable platters. The roots can sometimes grow to be quite large, although when they exceed the size of two fists, they begin to convert the sugars that give jicama its sweet flavor into starches, making the root somewhat woody to the taste. Jicama is actually a legume, and it grows on vines that may reach 20 feet (six meters) in length. The vines tend to hug the ground, terminating in tubers that may grow up to 50 pounds (22 kilograms) in size, although the majority of jicama roots sent to market are approximately three to four pounds (1.3-2 kilograms) in weight. Before eating, the coarse brown outer layer of the jicama should be peeled to reveal the white inside. When choosing jicama at the store, look for medium sized, firm tubers with dry roots. Do not purchase jicama that has wet or soft spots, which may indicate rot, and don't be drawn to overlarge examples of the tuber, because they may not be as flavorful. Jicama will keep under refrigeration for up to two weeks. Jicama is excellent raw and is sometimes eaten plain. It can also be used as a substitute for water chestnut in Chinese dishes, in which case it should be thrown in right before serving. Jicama also appears in stews, juiced drinks, stuffings, and a variety of other recipes. In addition to having a unique flavor and texture, jicama takes flavor well, making it well suited to culinary experimentation. Jicama is a great source of vitamin c and is fat free—making it a superb on-the-go snack.
These are some big old green onions I found from the private vendors in the back. The bulbs, as you can see are bigger than golf balls. I measured one of the bigger bulbs… 6 1/4in. around!
Seeing as the last time I had a berry bandit attack my box of strawberries, I went ahead and bought 2 flats yesterday LOL! So that’s about 16 pints of strawberries. Of course, I feel the Berry Bandit right on my heels and a pint (or so LOL) has already disappeared! I can’t catch him though… he’s a quick little sucker LOL!
This is just one of the cucumbers that we got… HUGE! It is the same size as the monster carrot! 12in. long and 3 in. in diameter! It’s crazy! AND on top of that, they were on sale for 50 cents each!
This is the monster 1015 onion I found. It weighed 2 pounds by itself. The DH kept calling it my “baby’s head” onion because it is literally as big as a baby’s head! LOL! Can you imagine the size onion rings you could get out of this sucker? LMAO!
We also paid a visit to the Spice Shop and the Bakery… oh big mistake! I got some churros and brought them home. When I bit into the first one , I did not know that they had caramel filling in them! OMG!!!!! I died and went to sweet treat heaven! I ate them all and didn’t share them with anyone LOL! I know… shame shame on me! (Guess who didn’t take her blood sugars last night cause she KNEW the numbers were gonna skyrocket?! LMAO All in all it was a good day at the market! A very good “OMG-you-came-on-monster-produce-harvest” day! LMAO
I also stopped by H-E-B. and got some of those Okra Snax I was telling you about along with some of the other deals. I let my brothers try them and they liked them so I got them one, and then everyone in my house loved them (I can’t keep them out of them!), so I got us one. And then I bought one for my mom… That’s a lot of okra! LOL! I also picked up the deals on the bread, the donuts, the hot dogs, and a few other things. I had coupons for 75 cents off Ronzoni pasta too, and guess what was on sale for $1 a box? YEP 25 cents a box for Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta… I can deal with that! Same with Idahoan pouch potatoes… on sale 4 for $1 and I had coupons!! WOOHOO! And then the piece de resistance!!! They had LIVE CRAWFISH on sale! OMG I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t… but I did! LOL!
Guess who came to dinner? LMAO yea you guessed it! Last minute crawfish boil! The gang stayed outside purging the crawfish while I was inside prepping veggies and putting stuff away… well putting it away the best I could LOL! (I think that’s when the Berry Bandit followed me into the kitchen LOL!)
Well that was our day and our finds. I got a $10 Kohls card in the mail yesterday too, so I am gonna go see what I can find there in the next few days too LOL! Hey I like free stuff! Now its time to focus on today and all the wonderfully yummy dishes I can make with these items. Of course, there are some of them… just so large I don’t want to cut them LOL. I want to marvel at the sheer size of them! LOL! Kidding. So you guessed it, today is cooking and chopping and kitchen dancing! Of course, I will probably try to do some crafting while each meal is cooking. Which leads me to the idea for you.. I give you the:
Craft Idea for the Day: Soup Can Cup
Materials:
1 Campbell's Soup can 10.75oz pop top type
6 cardboard disc 3.5" dia.
6 cardboard disc 2.5" dia.
6 cardboard strips 1/2" x 5"
1 cabinet knob with screw
2 small brads
Two part epoxy, white glue, walnut stain, and amber shellac
Directions:
1. Cut 6 disc from shoe box cardboard 3.5" dia, glue disc together with white glue(make sure to leave plain surface face on both sides) place a weight on top to clamp.
2. Cut 6 disc from same type cardboard 2.5" and glue together to form lid.
3. Cut 6 strips of same material 1/2" wide and 5" long, glue together and bend into the shape of the handle as in photos, let dry in this shape, round off ends when dry and punch small hole at both ends for small brad.
4. Sand all the assembled cardboard pieces(make sure to sand out any glue marks to allow staining), and stain all pieces.
5. Attach the handle to the side of soup can and larger disc to bottom of can with 2 part epoxy.
6. Cut both brads off(just long enough to go the handle, not the can) so that they can be placed into the holes in the handle to give the look of rivets.
7. Drill hole in center of smaller disc and attach cabinet knob(I used a clear metal knob, but you could use a wood knob, the metal colors the same as can when shellac is applied) the screw may have to be shortened with hack saw.
8. Apply about 4 0r 5 coats of amber shellac(the amber shellac creates the bronze look as in photo) to all assemblies.
9. Allow cup and lid to dry completely before putting together.
Isn’t that pretty cool? I thought it was neat when I saw it, and it keeps with the Earth Day/Week recycling theme! Now let me ask you… are you hungry? Here is a dish that has absolutely no meat… a vegetarian dish if you will. BUT your carnivorous little bunch will never miss it! I urge even those who do not normally like eggplant to try it. You might be amazed!
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Directions
Sweat eggplant in a bowl of water with some sea salt added for approximately 30 minutes to remove bitterness.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Alright kids, I have tons of produce and such calling my name in the kitchen, so I need to get off of here and get to work. I will see you all back here tomorrow to see what I made ok? Until then… HUGS!
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