The Gardener Cook

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Gardens
  • Love Affairs
  • Cookbook
  • About / Contact

Easy Peasy Soup

April 27, 2020 by Sheila

Easy Peasy Soup

Everyone is hitting their pantry. I’m guilty of neglecting dried fruit (although dried apricots are not around long) and dried split green peas. The Spring garlic from the garden is perfect for harvesting now before it jumps into its May growth spurt. Then the garlic shoots become too woody, forcing us to wait for scapes […]

Filed Under: Beans, Peas, and Lentils, Soups and Stews Tagged With: carrot, celery, dried peas, easy, onion, soup, split green peas

Savory Broccoli Cheddar Pudding

November 26, 2019 by Sheila

Broccoli Cheddar Pudding

This is so rich! Forget any calorie counting here. Reserve for luscious occasions. Serve as an indulgent side dish or with a salad. A leek instead of an onion would be lovely here. Savory Broccoli Cheddar Pudding   Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 1 hour 10 mins Total time 1 hour 20 mins […]

Filed Under: Vegetable Side Dishes Tagged With: broccoli, cheddar cheese, cream, eggs, onion, parmesan

Minestrone

September 26, 2017 by Sheila

Minestrone

This is the time of year I freeze a whole lot of minestrone for the winter months. I leave the pasta out, to keep it from becoming mushy upon defrosting and heating. That allows me to change it up at whim into a Moroccan, Mexican, or Indian stew or soup. This is what I traditionally […]

Filed Under: International, Noodles, Preserving, Soups and Stews Tagged With: cannelini beans, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, green beans, Italian, onion, parsley, parsnip, pasta, potato, rigatoni, summer squash, sweet potato, white beans, zucchini

Tomato Peach Chutney

September 22, 2017 by Sheila

Peach Tomato Chutney

  Tomato Peach Chutney   Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 15 mins   Recipe By: Sheila McDuffie Serves: 8 half-pint jars Ingredients 6 peaches, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half ½ cup raisins l 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 2 cups raw […]

Filed Under: Preserving, Sauces Tagged With: cheese, cheese board, chutney, ginger, onion, peach, peaches, preserves, preserving, tomato, tomatoes

Roasted Ratatouille

August 27, 2017 by Sheila

Roasted Ratatouille

This is the time of year that I always make a big batch of ratatouille to freeze for the winter. Grab some Roma or other paste tomatoes for this. You want a meaty tomato, not the delicate (and expensive) heirlooms as a base. I had green Italian peppers from the garden, but of course you […]

Filed Under: Preserving, Soups and Stews, Vegetable Side Dishes Tagged With: artichoke, artichokes, basil, cucuzzi gourd, eggplant, garlic, olive oil, onion, parsley, sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini

Mexican Salsa Verde

August 21, 2017 by Sheila

Mexican Salsa Verde

This recipe can be made raw, roasted, or boiled. I prefer boiled to cut the harshness of the onion, so that’s the recipe I’ve given you below. Mexican cuisine dry-roasts aromatics and vegetables and the oil is added later, in this recipe once the ingredients are cooked and put through a blender. I quadrupled the […]

Filed Under: International, Preserving, Sauces Tagged With: cilantro, garlic, hot pepper, lime, onion, salsa, tomatillo

Kendra’s Cucumber Salad

August 13, 2017 by Sheila

Cucumber Salad

Kendra and Eduardo are visiting for a few days before they head back to grad school and Kendra made us a cucumber salad for our lunch. I ate it with a smile, despite my disdain of raw onions soaked in vinegar. Kendra loves sour things and worked in a Korean restaurant when she and her […]

Filed Under: Salads Tagged With: cucumber, dill, edible flowers, garlic chive blossoms, garlic chives, garlic chives. garlic chive blossoms, olive oil, onion, vinegar

Roasting Vegetables

December 28, 2014 by Sheila

Roasted Vegetables

Clockwise from top left: Shallots, red bell pepper, fennel, sweet potato, butterball potato, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, blue sweet potato, rutabaga. Roasted vegetables are the umami of the plant world. Their depth of flavor is without compare. The browning (maillard effect) is how you develop the umami, caramelizing the natural sugars in the vegetables. […]

Filed Under: Cooking Basics Tagged With: asparagus, beets, Blue Hubbard squash, Brussels sprouts, bulb fennel, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery root, fennel, garlic, onion, onions, potato, potatoes, red bell peppers, roasted vegetables, root vegetables, shallots, sweet potato, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash

Red Lentil and Tomato Soup with Ras el Hanout, Harissa, and Preserved Lemons

November 24, 2014 by Sheila

Red Lentil and Tomato Soup

All at once my neighbor Mark showed up with 30,000+ lbs. of gravel for the driveway and outdoor kitchen area, the sun came out, and I was craving some red lentil soup. This Moroccan inspired soup comes together in just over 30 minutes. Remember the recipes I posted for Preserved Lemons, Harissa, and Ras el […]

Filed Under: Beans and Greens, Beans, Peas, and Lentils, International, Soups and Stews Tagged With: harissa, lentils, Moroccan soup, onion, preserved lemon, ras el hanout, red lentil soup, tomato

Composed Salad

November 19, 2014 by Sheila

Composed Vegetable Salad

This photo is over the top! First I think Mardi Gras, then I’m looking for the vegetable man a la Giuseppe Arcimbold. Still, I wanted to share this because parts of this salad were purchased at Green Thumb Farmstand in Southampton, NY. Yes, I actually got out of Upper Black Eddy and had a whirlwind […]

Filed Under: Eggs, Salads, Vegetable Main Dishes Tagged With: baby spinach, carrots, composed salad, edible flowers, eggs, farm market, greens, hard-boiled eggs, onion, potato, potatoes, radicchio, red onion, snap beans, Southampton, spinach, string beans, sweet bell pepper, The Hamptons, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable salad, walnuts, Watermill Center

Welcome!

So glad that you stopped by! Please join me in my garden and kitchen on our little farm in gorgeous Bucks County, PA.

As the seasons progress, we’ll gather and prepare an abundance of vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers.
– Sheila

Search

Subscribe for updates!

Copyright Sheila Ritz McDuffie @2026 Copyright © 2026 · Foodie Pro 5 by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress