~ Blueberry Muffins ~

Ingredients

1 cup of blueberries

2 cups of White Lily® Self-Rising Flour
1/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil

Directions
1. HEAT oven to 400ºF. Spray bottoms only of 12 muffin cups lightly with no-stick cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
2. RINSE, drain, and thoroughly dry blueberries on paper towels. Combine flour and sugar in small bowl. Toss blueberries in 1/4 cup flour mixture.
3. WHISK milk, egg and oil together in small bowl until blended. Add liquid ingredients to remaining flour mixture; stir 5 to 7 strokes (batter will not be completely mixed).
4. FOLD in floured blueberries. Stir only until ingredients are moistened. Batter will be lumpy (do not overmix). Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full with batter.
5. BAKE 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Place a small pat of butter right in the middle. Now sit back and ... Enjoy! ~ Chef ~

- Fried Pickles -

Ingredients
1/2 cup of buttermilk
salt and black pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) jar of dill pickle slices or spears
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon of seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
1 quart of oil for frying
- - - Keep separate - - -
1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
1 (12 ounce) jar buttermilk ranch dressing

Directions
Cover a plate with parchment paper or wax paper. Set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine buttermilk, salt and pepper. Place pickles in mixture and set aside.

Pour the flour, cornmeal, seafood seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning into a large, resealable plastic bag; shake to mix well. Add pickles a few at a time and tumble gently to coat evenly with the flour mixture. Remove and place on prepared plate.

Heat oil to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C) in deep-fryer or heavy deep skillet.

Fry pickles until golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside with a moist interior, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk ranch dressing with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; blend. Serve as a dipping sauce for warm pickles. ~ Chef ~

~ Romano's Macaroni Grill ~

If you haven't had the pleasure of eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill ... you have been deprived! My first visit was this past week and it was spectacular. The food was excellent! The meal started off with a House Salad topped with House Dressing and served with a fresh loaf of bread. I could have stopped there and the meal would have been worth every penny. Then we had an entree of Penne Rustica® (succulent shrimp, roasted chicken and aged prosciutto tossed with Parmesan cream sauce then baked until golden) and Lasagna Al Forno (authentic Bolognese meat sauce, ricotta and mozzarella topped with tomato sauce and fresh basil). I would hate to chose between the dishes as both were magnificent. The Lasagna Al Forno was like none that I had ever eaten before (in a good way). We were stuffed but just had to try the dessert menu since everything else had been so scrumptious. We had a serving of Tiramisu (Ladyfingers soaked in espresso, then layered between rich, mascarpone cream) and Panna Cotta (Southern Italian-style vanilla custard with fresh strawberries and hazelnut). Tiramisu was the better of the two (personal preference). Not only was the food outstanding but the service was the best I have had in YEARS! (Our waiter was Shawn) The atmosphere was cozy (they don't cram you in like sardines). So if you are wanting to impress your sweetheart for Valentine's Day this is the place to do it (or any other day). We will definitely return! ~ Chef ~

- Plant Nutrients -

Plants get most of their nutrients from the soil. In fact, there are seventeen essential nutrients, and fourteen of them come from the soil. However, before a plant can utilize a mineral, it must be able to dissolve into the soil solution. Most minerals are dissoluble in neutral or slightly acidic soil. If the soil is too acidic, when minerals dissolve, it can increase the concentration of metal ions to toxic levels. On the other hand, if the soil is too alkaline, mineral deficiencies may occur because the minerals are unable to dissolve. In addition to mineral solubility, soil pH levels also affect the micro-organisms that live in the soil that break down organic material. So if your plants are struggling, you might want to consider testing the pH of your soil. Sometimes, even when you fertilize your plants, if the pH level is not at the right level, the fertilizer won't be available to help the plants. ~ Chef ~

- Protons, Neutrons and Electrons -

To understand soil pH, a basic understanding of chemistry is important. Everything in the world around us is made up of subatomic particles. An atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons and electrons. A neutral atom has an equal number of protons and electrons. The protons and neutrons live in the nucleus (center) of an atom while electrons fly around the nucleus. While protons have a postive charge, electrons have a negative charge. In its pure state, water is neutral. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the hydrogen and hydroxyl concentrations in an aqueous solution. It ranges from 0 to 14. Seven is neutral. Neutual means the concentration of hydrogen ions is exactly equal to hydroxide ions. While anything above seven is basic (alkaline), anything below seven is acidic. For each pH level above or below seven the pH levels increase tenfold. Tomorrow, we will talk Plant Nutrients. ~ Chef ~

- pH -

In some ways plants are like people. To grow into strong, healthy plants they need five basic requirements for life. These requirements are air, sunlight, water, food and the right type of environment. For a plant, the pH level is more important than people think. Not only do different plants like different soil pH levels, pH affects other factors too. Soil pH can affect nutrient availability. For most plants, the soil needs to have a pH between 6.0 and 6.5 for nutrients to be available. An accurate soil test will indicate your soil's pH level which will specify the amount of lime or sulfur that is needed to bring it up or down to the appropriate level. A pH of 6.5 is just about right for most home gardens, since most plants thrive in the 6.0 to 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral) range. Some plants (blueberries, azaleas) prefer more strongly acidic soil, while a few (ferns, asparagus) do best in soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline. Acidic (sour) soil is counteracted by applying finely ground limestone, and alkaline (sweet) soil is treated with gypsum (calcium sulfate) or ground sulfur.

* pH Index for Vegetables *

Asparagus 6.0-8.0
Beans (pole) 6.0-7.5
Beets 6.0-7.5
Broccoli 6.0-7.0
Brussels sprout 6.0-7.5
Cabbage 6.0-7.0
Carrot 5.5-7.0
Cauliflower 5.5-7.5
Celery 5.8-7.0
Chive 6.0-7.0
Cucumber 5.5-7.0
Garlic 5.5-8.0
Kale 6.0-7.5
Lettuce 6.0-7.0
Peas (sweet) 6.0-7.5
Peppers (sweet) 5.5-7.0
Potatoes 4.8-6.5
Pumpkin 5.5-7.5
Radish 6.0-7.0
Spinach 6.0-7.5
Squash (crookneck) 6.0-7.5
Tomato 5.5-7.5

A pH and Nutrient Soil Tester can be purchased from your local Farmer's Coop. Tomorrow, I will go into greater detail the chemistry of soil ... there is definitely more to it than just being plain ole dirt. ~ Chef ~

- Back to Gardening -

OK let's face it you can't write about gardening without mentioning fertilizer - specifically manure. Manure creates nutrient-rich, moisture-retaining soil for your plants. The most common sources of manure are cows, horses, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry. (Other animal waste is generally not recommended as manure or fertilizer today.) For a vegetable garden the best type of manure to use is cow or horse and the best time to apply the manure is early spring. For potatoes or root crops use chicken, cow or horse manure and apply it in either the fall or spring. For acid-loving plants such as blueberries apply cow or horse manure in the early fall or not at all. Tomorrow, we will talk Ph Levels. ~ Chef ~