Harvest Celebration

We had a great time "vegging out" Tuesday night, October 6th at our Relief Society activity! We enjoyed wonderful taste testing, cooking demonstrations from Aly Larson, Janet Severson, and Rachel Sheffield. We also learned fabulous tricks from Pam Evans how to make our homes look like we'd hired a decorator - all using veggies. Other sisters brought a wonderful array of veggies and veggie recipes for us to feast on. Thanks to Jenna Pratt, Coco Peterson, Jan Ingabretsen, and Stephanie Post.

Fruit and Vegetable Rinse (Margaret Baker)

How to:

Add 2 Tbs Baking Soda to a basin of cold water

soak produce approx. 2-5 minutes (less is better to keep produce firm)

When water turns cloudy, it is a good indication that the pesticides have been rinsed off.
Rinse produce thoroughly with cold tap water.

(Don't wash strawberries this way, they turn mushy.)

Cool Veggie Pizza (Aly Larsen)

1 package crescent roll dough

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp Miracle Whip

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried dill weed

salt and ground pepper to taste

2 cups assorted garden veggies: like broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, bell peppers, seeded tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, or whatever you can think of.

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll crescent dough and use a rolling pin to seal seams onto a rectangular baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, miracle whip, garlic and dill weed. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread over cooled crust. Cut veggies into desired shapes (shredded, chopped, sliced, etc...) sprinkle veggies over the top of the pizza and cut into squares. Serve and enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini (Tonya Ence)

3 zucchini around 12 inches long

1 lb sausage

8 oz cream cheese

1 c shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Cook sausage in a frying pan. Scrub zuccs, slice lengthwise and scoop out to make a "boat". Add what you scooped to the sausage - seeds and all - along with the chopped mushrooms. When sausage is done and veggies are tender, add cheeses and stir til well mixed. Brush zuccs with melted butter on both sides and place in baking dish. Stuff with sausage mixture and bake for 20 min or until desired tenderness.

Glittered Pumpkins (Pam Evans)

Materials:

3 different sized pumpkins with stems

medium size paint brush

white glue

paper plate or newspaper

powder glitter-several colors

brown acrylic paint

Use a medium size paintbrush to spread a layer of white glue over the surface of a small pumpkin. Hold pumpkin over a paper plate or newspaper to catch excess glitter. Sprinkle powder glitter over pumpkin in several colors, covering completely. Let dry for about one hour; shake off excess glitter. Coat stem with brown acrylic paint. let dry. Pumpkins will keep for months. (But toss them for Christmas.)

Pumpkin Cachepots (Pam Evans)

Materials:

potted flowers (such as chrysanthemums)

medium pumpkins

plastic plant drainer

Plants remain in their plastic containers inside the pumpkin, no repotting is required. Cut a hole in the pumpkins' tops and scoop out the flesh. Put the plastic drainer in the pumpkin and fill pumpkins with potted flowers and display in a sunny spot. They add color to a wagon of pumpkins for a table or outside.

Gazapcho (Nancy Hansen)
3 cups Clamato juice
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 shakes Tabasco sauce
2 large avocados, diced
3 green onions
1 cup celery, diced
5 small tomatoes, diced
Mix all together and let stand in the refrigerator until chilled. Serve cold.

Veggie Dip (Coco Peterson)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

4 green onions

1 tsp dill weed

2-3 tsp Bon Appetit or Beaumond seasoning

Combine all ingredients, cover and let sit at room temperature 4-6 hours to let the flavors blend. Refrigerate and serve with veggies.

Vegetable and Herb Obelisk (Pam Evans)

Materials:

ruler

pencil

sharp knife

florist wire

scissors

block oasis

suitable container

vegetables and herbs of choice

Use ruler and pencil, score the cutting lines on the block oasis. Carve the block to the required shape using a sharp knife. Soak the carved oasis and secure firmly in your chosen container. Wire all vegetables by pushing a wire through from one side to the other, leaving sufficient wire projecting on both sides to allow you to pull down and out of the base to approximately 1 1/2 inches. Some vegetables are very fragile and particular care must be taken when wiring them. Having decided on the order in which you want to use the vegetables work from the bottom, pushing the wires into the oasis to position the vegetables in horizontal, rings around the shapes, decreasing the diameter toward the top. Fill the gaps between the rings of vegetables, using a different herb for each ring. This arrangement is suitable for a buffet table deco. Be creative.

Dilly Beans (Janet Severson)

2 lbs. stemmed tender green beans

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

1 head dill or 1 1/2 tbs. dill seed

2 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups vinegar

1/4 cup salt

Pack beans lengthwise into hot sterile pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Add pepper, garlic, and dill to each pint jar. Boil water, vinegar, and salt. Pour mixture over beans leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Seal the jars and process 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Carrot Cake (Sue Newbold)

2 cups flour

1/34 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. each salt and soda

1 jar (4 oz) baby food carrots

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated carrots (3 large)

1/2 cup chopped nuts - optional

Whisk dry ingredients in medium bowl to mix. Whisk all wet ingredients well and add to dry ingredients until just blended. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 20-23 min. Frost with cream cheese or orange frosting.