Summer Squash - an EASY Veggie to make!

Summer squash

Summer

Description: Three main kinds of summer squash are available: zucchini, yellow, and patty pan. They range in color from a white, light green through yellow to almost black. In shape, they range from round with scalloped edge to crookneck to long.

Selection: Choose young tender squash, small to medium in size, with shiny, taut skin. Avoid any with soft spots or scarring. 

Storage and handling: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to a week. When ready to use, wash and trim the ends. No need to peel if young and tender.

Preparation: Sauté thin half-moons of zucchini and yellow squash in olive oil and garlic, and serve as a side dish or toss with pasta.Steam peeled squash chunks in a basket, covered, over boiling water, 15-20 minutes. Boil unpeeled chunks of squash until soft, about 20 minutes

.

Serving suggestions: Use young squash raw in salads or on vegetable trays. Since squash are rather bland in themselves they are usually paired with other foods such as tomatoes or herbs (SIS, p. 112). Larger squash can be stuffed. Shred and use in baked goods muffins, cookies or cakes (SIS, p. 160).

Nutrients: Vitamins B6 and C, riboflavin.

1 lb. raw = 4 cups
1 lb. cooked = 2 1⁄2-3 cups

Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Bones Steakhouse
Located in the Battle Ground Village
http://www.bonessteak.com

Reference Simply in Season

Join us at Bones Steakhouse for a Mothers Day Brunch! Our menu includes BBQ Ribs, Superior Angus Beef Round, Salmon Hash as well as your traditional breakfast items.  Hurry and make your reservation today!  360-723-0810.

Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Bones Steakhouse
Battle Ground WA in the Battle Ground Village.
http://www.bonessteak.com

Honey! Natures Sweetener.

About Honey:
To substitute honey for sugar in recipes, start by substituting
up to half of the sugar called for. With a little experimentation,
honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes.

When baking with honey, remember the following:

Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
Add l/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.

Reduce oven temperature by 25 F to prevent over-browning.

Because of its high fructose content, honey has a highersweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.

When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey. The honey will slide right out. To retain honey's wonderfully luxuriant texture, always store it at room temperature; never in the refrigerator. If your honey becomes cloudy, don't worry. It's just crystallization, a natural process. Place your honey jar in warm water until the crystals
disappear. If you're in a hurry, place it in a microwave-safe container and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Remember, never boil or scorch honey.

http://www.bonessteak.com
Bones Steakhouse, Battle Ground WA

Join us at Bones Steakhouse for an Easter Brunch Buffet!

Join us at Bones Steakhouse for an Easter Brunch Buffet!

History of Herbs

Herbs have played an important part in man's life for countless years -- in his politics, romance, love, religion, health, and superstition. 

Celery was used by the Abyssinians for stuffing pillows. Ancient Greeks and Romans crowned their heroes with dill and laurel. Dill also was used by the Romans to purify the air in their banquet halls.

Some herbs were given magical properties, probably because of their medicinal uses. The early Chinese considered artemisia to have special charms. In France during the Middle Ages, babies were rubbed with artemisia juices to protect them from the cold. Ancient Greeks used sweet marjoram as a valuable tonic, and parsley as a cure for stomach ailments. Rosemary was eaten in the Middle Ages for its tranquilizing effects and as a cure-all for headaches.

Chives, still a common herb often found growing wild, had economic importance throughout Asia and many Mediterranean countries. Odd as it seems now, the early Dutch settlers in this country intentionally planted chives in the meadows so cows would give chive-flavored milk.

Mint, another popular herb today, also had its beginnings early in history. Greek athletes used bruised mint leaves as an after-bath lotion. In the Middle Ages, mint was important as a cleansing agent and later was used to purify drinking water that had turned stale on long ocean voyages. Mint also was given mystical powers It was used to neutralize the "evil eye" and to produce an aggressive character.

Mustard was lauded by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, and Shakespeare called it a desirable condiment in several of his plays.

Other herbs with importance dating back to early times include basil, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, and thyme.

Early settlers brought herbs to America for use as remedies for illnesses, flavoring, storing with linens, strewing on floors, or burning for their pleasant fragrances. Some herbs were used to improve the taste of meats in the days before preservation techniques were developed. Other herbs were used to dye homespun fabrics.

Herb gardens were almost an essential feature of pioneer homes. They were placed in sunny corners near the house to be readily available to the busy homemaker. As the population of the new country grew, people from many nations brought herbs with them. This resulted in an exchange of slips, seeds, and plants.

Many herbs familiar to settlers from other countries were found growing wild in the new country. These included parsley, anise, pennyroyal, sorrel, watercress, liverwort, wild leeks, and lavender. American Indians knew uses for almost every wild, nonpoisonous plant, but they used the plants chiefly for domestic purposes -- tanning and dyeing leather and eating.

http://www.bonessteak.com