Bobonne's Patio

The arborvitaes I overwintered in our garage that has a west-facing window. They are close to 8-feet tall!  They provide a natural screen on the curve of the east-facing patio. The agastaches pop against the green of the coniferous trees.

I also overwintered boxwood in the garage successfully.

Pots of rosemary and apple mint (which I pruned heavily after reaching 3 1/2-ft; much prettier contained).

I rescued the feverfew out of the garden and it has thrived in the pot.
Thyme for cooking and coral bell for color; which I will plant in the ground this fall.

More boxwood, coral bell, and a baby balsam fir.

The lady fern I will plant in the garden when weather starts to cool. Philodendron 'Brazil' was an experiment. They get about 1 hour of direct sun and seem happy. The succulent pot came from inside the house and so far so good...

Neetles and a coral bell standout on the dark patio table.

The coral bell was struggling in my too dry shade garden, but look at it in the pot! Tripled in size and tons of blooms...
Cute boxwood I could not resist purchasing this spring.

Antipasti Stuffed Chicken

Another Giada de Laurentis recipe. Next time I make this I will up the sundried tomato and pepperoncini and perhaps add some red pepper flakes. The dressing is superb. Served over fresh Boulder County romaine accompanied by fresh figs topped with chive and garlic Haystack Mountain goat cheese. Are we smacking our lips yet? There is a bit of prep with this dish, but Rob is on countdown to retirement and I will have a prep chef at my disposal... Made the entire recipe, saved some aside for the weekend lunch and froze the remainder.
Ingredients for Dressing:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup olive oil

Directions for Dressing:

In small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar, oregano, fennel seed, kmustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Gradually whisk in the oil. 

Ingredients for Chicken:

• 6 slices Genoa salami, chopped
• 4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped
• 4 large pepperoncini, stemmed, chopped
• 4 oil-packed sundried tomato halves, chopped
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions for Chicken:

In a medium bowl, combine the salami, pepperoncini, prosciutto, provolone and tomatoes with 1/4 cup of the dressing; toss to blend evenly.

Place chicken breasts, smooth-side down on the work surface. Using a sharp knife , cut each chicken breast almost in half horizontally, creating a pocket for the stuffing. Open the chicken breast like a book.

Mound a fourth of the stuffing onto the chicken and press firmly to compact. Fold the flap of the chicken tightly over the stuffing. Tie up each stuffed breasts in 3 intervals to keep the flap closed over the stuffing.

Place chicken breast on parchment paper and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing.

Place in a preheated 450-degree oven until cooked through; about 18-20 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

Serve over a bed of greens of choice (arugula or romaine). Cut the strings off the chicken. Cut each breasts on a slight diagonal into 1/2 inch wide slice. Fan over the greens and drizzle with the dressing.

Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini








Receipe from Cooking Classy.  Are we not lucky to have so much foodie information on-line. Trouble is having the time to do so...
Ingredients for Zucchini:

• 4-5 medium zucchini, washed, stemmed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• zest of one small lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Zucchini:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. I use parchment paper to line my baking dishes. Combine olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Brush on the top surface of the zucchini. Sprinkle tops with cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Bake 11-13 minutes until parmesan turns golden.

Serve as is or cubed to use in desired recipe (soups, rice bowl, etc)

Roasted Shallots

I had purchased some shallots from the farmer's market and was curious if they could be roasted. Most likely will not prepare any other way! Found the recipe on danatreat.com Shallots are the healthiest onion of all, containing six times more antioxicant phenols than Vidalia onions. 

Ingredients for Shallots:

• 1 pound shallots
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• fresh thyme sprigs

Directions for Shallots:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. 

Peel shallots and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with oil. Pour on vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Lay thyme sprigs on top and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove and disgard the thyme. Allow to cool and serve or use in desired recipes.

Seasonal Rice Bowl

This is my creation; spicy and made with ingredients on hand. Summertime in the Rockies; with fresh tomatoes, zucchini and shallots. I have made all my Green Chili Sauce (blog: 4/15/13) from 2013 green chilies. So great to have the sauce premade, frozen and ready to be added to any dish! We will be buying the 2014 roasted green chili batch in a month or so, placed in freezer bags and devoured once again... A lot of prep involved, but so worth it. I am convinced the best way to cook vegetables is to roast them; as I did with the shallots and the zucchini. It brings out such flavor and so much easier than sauteing. This dish is like layering clothing or a garden; just intensifies everything!  Enough said, here is the recipe; however, will definitely change with the seasons! The recipe feeds 2 happy people.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Roasted Zucchini (blog: 8/13/14)
• 1/2 cup Roasted Shallots (blog: 8/13/14)
• 2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and cubed
• 1/2 cup uncooked basamati rice cooked according to package (I saute a minute in 1 teaspoon ghee, before adding 3/4 cup water) 
• 1 cup meat from Taco Seasoning (blog:2/25/14)
• 1 cup or more Green Chili Sauce (blog: 4/15/13)
• 1/4 cup or more crumbled soft goat cheese (I like Haystack Chives and Garlic)
• 6 or more tortilla chips, crushed

Direction:

In two soup bowl: equally layer in this order:  the hot cooked rice, warm zucchini and shallots, tomatoes, hot taco meat, hot green chili, goat cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

A yummy meal in one bowl.

Best of Bobonne

The Best of 2014 Garden

Agastache 'Bolero' (Anise Hyssops)
Planted in a large pot on east facing
patio.
Blooms mid-summer for over a month!
Spectacular!
Likes full sun in moist well-drained soil.

Sutera cordata 'Snowstorm Blue' Bacopa
Great annual with delicate blooms.

Philodendron scandens 'Brazil'
Photo did not capture the tiny white
flecks in the heart-shaped leaves.
They just say "happy" to me...
Receiving about one hour of direct
early morning sun on our east-facing
covered porch.

The plants are all perennials in our
Zone 5 garden. Heuchera 'Marvelous
Marble', Lamium maculatum 'Pink
Pewter' and Lamiastrum galeobdolon
with their silver-green foliage; pop
as a center piece under our east-
facing porch. Most likely will plant
in the garden this fall.

Heuchera 'Fire Chief' does not have to be blooming
to be a standout. The foliage is spectacular. My kind
of plant. Again a perennial I will later plant in the
ground this fall.

Diascia hybrid 'Flirtation Orange'
is a great annual to fill-in splashes
of color.

Angelonia angustifolia ' Angel Face Blue'
Love the foliage; deep green, glossy and
blooms the best...

Nemesia fruiticans 'Opan Innocence'
The color is just like opals! Love this
annual. Need to have an enourmous
budget for annuals!

Weber's Kofta Burgers

The kofta spices, parsley and garlic make for a extremely flavorful burger. I did not make the dressing to go with, but will next time around; just did not have the ingredients on hand. I used a pound of ground chuck and adjusted the kofta to accommodate the lesser amount.

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions for Dressing:

In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients. If the dressing is too thick, whisk in up to 3 tablespoons of water until your desired consistency is reached.

Ingredients for Kofta:

• 1 1/2 pound ground chuck
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fresh pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Directions for Kofta:

Combine the kofta ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into 6 patties of equal size and thickness and make an indentation about 1-inch wide in center of each patty. Brush patties with oil.

Grill the patties over direct high heat, with the lid closed until cooked to medium, 8-10 minutes, turning the patties once.

Serve the the dressing and slices of fresh tomato.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

It is the first of August; which means Patty Pan squash is available at the Farmer's Market. Just love that name and so fun, as you create an edible shell. The flavor of this squash is one of my favorites. Feel free to use whatever type of cheese that turns you on. The choices are endless. I plan on serving the hot stuffed shells topped with a fresh tomato slice and a grind of fresh pepper. Another idea would be to add a teaspoon or two of chopped walnuts or roasted pinenuts creating a crunchy topping.

Ingredients:

• 4 patty pan squash
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup Favorite Pesto (blog: 4/12/13) or store bought
• 3 1/2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cubed

Directions:

Wash and trim the woody ends of the squash and halve crosswise. Scoop out the flesh leaving 1/2" of the shell. Brush the cut side with olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn over so that the cut side is facing down on a sheet of parchment paper. Roast at a preheated 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Chop the scooped out flesh and saute in olive oil along with onion and garlic until softened; about 8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled add the cubed cheese and combine.

Add a layer of Favorite Pesto to the bottoms of each shell and then stuff the patty pans with the prepared filling and place on a sheet of parchment paper.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes until pipping hot.