Kay Wheeler Moore

Welcome to my blog

Hello. . .

The Newfangled Country Gardener is for anyone who has a garden, would like to have a garden, or who simply enjoys eating the garden-fresh way. I don't claim to be an expert; in this blog I'm simply sharing some of the experiences my husband and I have in preparing food that is home-grown.

About the author

Kay Wheeler Moore is the author of a new cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, that features six generations of recipes that call for ingredients that are fresh from the garden. With home gardening surging in popularity as frugal people become more resourceful, this recipe collection and the stories that accompany it ideally will inspire others to cook the garden-fresh way and to preserve their own family food stories as well. The stories in this book center around the Three Red-Haired Miller Girls (Kay's mother and aunts) who grew up in Delta County, TX, with their own backyard garden so lavish that they felt as though they were royalty after their Mama wielded her kitchen magic on all that was homegrown. Introduced in Kay's previous book, Way Back in the Country, the lively Miller Girls again draw readers into their growing-up world, in which a stringent economic era--not unlike today's tight times--saw people turn to the earth to put food on the table for their loved ones. The rollicking yarns (all with recipes attached) have love, family, and faith as common denominators and show how food evocatively bonds us to our life experiences.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Asparagus Mimosa blooms with color and rich flavor

This was just as pretty as it was healthy—a very nice touch to Hubby’s birthday dinner this past weekend. Asparagus Mimosa—doesn’t it just sound appealing? The name relates to the fact that the grated hard-cooked eggs have the look of yellow mimosa blossoms, according to the original recipe source.

The diced smoked sausage was an added extra to the fresh asparagus that had been cooked in boiling salted water, drained, and then plunged into ice water to make it crisp-tender.

We enjoyed this dish served both hot and cold. It was a great accompaniment to the grilled-chicken main course (more on that later this week). A little hot sauce (I used Tabasco) was the perfect crowning touch.

Asparagus Mimosa

1 pound fresh asparagus
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 grated hard-cooked egg
2 tablespoons sautéed finely diced spicy smoked sausage (I used turkey sausage)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
hot sauce

Trim fresh asparagus. Cook in boiling water to cover 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain. Toss with cider vinegar, olive oil, salt (I used salt substitute), and pepper. Place on a serving platter; top with grated hard-cooked egg, sausage, and chives. Serve with hot sauce. Makes 4 servings. (Source: Southern Living, April 2013)

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Nicey, spicey–loved this squash and curry stew

A simple soup supper on a weeknight—with a soup packed with all kinds of goodness. That’s what emerged when I tried Yellow Squash and Curry Stew.

I’ve always loved the kicky spice of curry and was intrigued with the idea of combining it with yellow squash. I made my own vegetable broth instead of purchasing the canned variety; that contributed to the health factor. Hubby’s question when I served it: “Is anything about this not healthy?” Nada, nada.

Roasting the squash in the oven before pureeing part of it enhanced the flavor. And talk about colorful! This fairly danced off the table with its color burst. Fragrant, too! Wondrous aromas filled the house while the stew was cooking.

Yellow Squash and Curry Stew

2 pounds yellow squash, coarsely chopped
1 medium-sized sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (or salt substitute)
3 cups organic vegetable or chicken broth, divided
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup torn fresh basil
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together first 7 ingredients and 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange in a single layer in a 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Stir halfway through roasting process. Remove from oven; process 2 cups squash mixture and 1 cup broth in a blender or food processor until all is smooth. Divide remaining squash mixture among 4 shallow soup bowls. Stir together vegetable puree and remaining 2 cups broth in a 3-quart saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat; whisk in butter, lime juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon broth mixture over squash mixture in bowls. Sprinkle with fresh herbs; serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. (Source: Southern Living, May 2013)


Friday, May 3, 2013

Charming chips give zucchini a new look

From the mixture for Roasted Veggie Tacos that I blogged about earlier in the week I still had some extra medium zucchini. I pulled into service a second recipe from my Kroger flyer and baked up some crispy zucchini chips.

These zucchini thin slices were tossed in a seasoned bread-crumb mixture, sprayed with cooking spray, and oven-baked, so all was healthy. After being flipped in the oven only once, they were nicely browned. They made a wonderful side for some turkey/mushroom burgers we had for dinner last night.

Hubby has decided that the mystery plant in his garden has turned out to be zucchini, so once the garden’s up, we should be growing our own of the veggie and have even more excuses for Zucchini Chips.

We liked these so much for dinner, we didn’t even need to smother them with ketchup. The seasoned breading made them plenty tangy. An easy, healthy side!

Zucchini Chips

cooking spray
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or salt substitute)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
4 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

Prepare oven to 450 degrees; grease two baking sheets with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour milk into another shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk and dredge them in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated zucchini slices on prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spray the tops of the slices with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until slices are crisp and brown. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until chips are crisp and brown. For a pretty presentation serve pre-dished in small bowls lined with parchment paper or large cupcake liners. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 6. (Source: Kroger mymagazine)