Every Bit Counts and Baked Broccoli and Cheese Patties...

If the pandemic has taught me anything.. its that food security is a must.. and stocking up on basics is essential. Remember how hard it was to find toilet paper and antibacterial wipes? Well covid is far from over.. and I admit Im a bit nervous about the upcoming election. No matter who wins.. I can see more craziness happening...which may end up with a distruption of the food chain..and even fear of even going out to the store. Over dramatic maybe.. but six months ago did anyone think that shelves would be empty.. there would be months of rioting and destruction.. and we would be locked in our homes.

Shops are a bit more stocked right now although there are a couple of things I still cant find. Would you believe that last week.. my local Walmart had no salt...and very few herbs and spices? There is also a problem right now getting canning supplies like jars and new lids... which is surprising as this is the biggest time of year for them and stores are usually overflowing. And if you can get them..prices are terrible. Anyway we will go looking for some this weekend.  Im especially looking for quart jars. Mari from My Little Corner of the World asked the other day about storing flour for the long term. I looked into it and there is a  way of oven canning flour so it lasts for years. Has anyone tried this? I will give it a try... and will let you know.

I dont know if I've mentioned.. but Im taking part in the Every Bit Counts Challenge on Instagram The goal is to do some kind of food preservation every day of August, regardless of how little the amount is. This covers a wide range including freezing.. dehydrating.. pickling.. canning.. jam making.. etc.

So far this week.. I have dealt with over 8lb jalapenos

and made and stored Cowboy Candy so we now have enough for a year.. 

I had some cherry tomatoes that were getting a but wrinkly and found a couple of punnets reduced in the store so I drizzled them with a bit of olive oil..garlic salt and pepper and roasted them for about 30 minures.

They are now in the freezer ready to put on pizzas (delicious) and in pasta sauce. I should have bought more.

Yesterday I chopped up four bunches of celery.. filled the dehydrator and froze the rest. Ideal for soups and stews.

I also made a loaf of bread yesterday...which MrD loves 

so Im thinking of making these regularly and stop buying shop made.

So today I have two heads of cauliflower to freeze.. 

ready for my favourite Cauliflower Cheese. 

I also need to make the Broccoli and Cheese Patties for tonights dinner

(recipe below)

I had better get busy

Baked Broccoli and Cheese Patties..

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 onion - chopped
12 oz  fresh or frozen broccoli - defrosted
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs - beaten
salt/pepper

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• Lightly grease a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (foil can make them stick)
• Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. 
• Add in the garlic and onions. 
• Season with salt/pepper to taste. 
• Saute until onions and garlic are tender. 
• Set aside to cool.
• Blanch fresh broccoli for 2 minutes or defrost frozen
• Add the broccoli to a kitchen towel. 
• Wrap the towel around the broccoli and squeeze out the extra moisture. 
• Pour the drained broccoli into a large bowl.
• To the same bowl, add the panko, the cooled onion/garlic mixture, the cheeses, eggs, and salt/pepper to taste (i used 1/2 teaspoon of salt).
• Mix together and form into 8 patties. 
• Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. 
• Flip and bake for another 15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x