This & That Welcome to This & That, our mini newsletter. Here we bring you hints and tips from our members, gardening related announcements, as well as news on Society activities. Check back often for seasonal up-dates. If you would like more information about items posted here or about our Society, Please contact us.   Contents:  Gardener's hints Recipes: some of the food we've had at the Pot Luck Dinners over the last couple of years. Spinach Balls Appetizer Marinated Cucumber Salad Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs Pasta ‘a la Chinoise’ Ripe Tomato Marmalade Marlene's Strawberry Spinach Salad Summer Watermelon Salad **New**     Gardener's Hints From March to November we have gardener's hints.  We are hoping that some of these hints will lead to discussions at our meetings.  If you can think of other hints to be included, please let us know.       FebruaryCheck back in March for gardener's hints!     Back to Top   Recipes   Spinach Balls Appetizer 2 pkgs. frozen spinach, cooked and well-squeezed 2 large onions, finely chopped ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. Garlic salt pepper to taste 2 cups seasoned stuffing mix (Pepperidge Farm or Brownberry) ½ tsp. Thyme ½ cup melted butter 6 well-beaten eggs Mix all ingredients in order given. Drop by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and freeze for about an hour. Then you can bag them and return to the freezer. When you want them – put on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 20 – 30 minutes. Makes 4 – 5 dozen. Submitted by Veronica Mills Back to Top   Marinated Cucumber Salad  Ingredients 2 cucumbers 1 tbsp salt scant ½ cup sugar ¾ cup dry cider  ( Bulmers cider from LCBO ) 1 tbsp cider vinegar 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill (I use dried, lesser quantity) ground black pepper Serves 4-6   Slice the cucumbers thinly and spread them in a colander, sprinkling salt between each layer. Set the colander over a bowl and leave to drain for 1 hour. Meanwhile, mix the sugar, dry cider and cider vinegar in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to become cold. Rinse all the cucumber slices very thoroughly under cold running water to remove the excess salt, then pat dry on kitchen paper and place in a bowl. Pour over the cold cider mixture, cover and leave to marinate for 2 hours. Drain the cucumber and sprinkle with the fresh dill and black pepper to taste Transfer to a serving dish. Mix well, cover and chill until ready to serve. Back to Top   Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs Meatballs: 3/4 lb ground beef 1/2 lb ground pork 3/4 cup bread crumbs 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp pepper 1 egg 1/2 cup cranberry sauce Combine ingredients, shape into meatballs, bake at 400 F 10-12 minutes, turning once. Sauce: 2 cups cranberry sauce 3 tbsp vinegar 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp prepared mustard 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 drop Tabasco sauce Heat sauce ingredients.  Put meatballs in casserole.  Pour sauce over meatballs.  Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes. Submitted by Mary Dawson Back to Top   Pasta ‘a la Chinoise’ ¼ cup cooking oil 1 large garlic clove and finely grated ginger to give you approx. 2 tbls. 1 – 2 green chilies, finely chopped chopped coriander chopped basil 3 – 4 tbls. light soya sauce some chicken broth (maybe a little less than ¼ cup) juice of 1 lime 1 – 2 tbls. Chinese vinegar (rice vinegar?) optional: 1 tbls. of peanut butter for more of a satay flavour Blend above and add to cooked pasta, adjust flavouring. You can use regular spaghettini. If using the fine Chinese noodles, do not boil for more than 3 minutes. Strain and rinse pasta with cold water to reduce temperature somewhat. While still warm, toss with above mixture, add desired vegetables, shrimp or chicken bits and possibly a bit more coriander and basil. Season with enough salt to bring out the flavours. Serve at room temperature. Submitted by Ann Livingston   Back to Top   Ripe Tomato Marmalade  (Back by Popular demand) 10 medium tomatoes (2-1/2 pounds) 2 lemons 1/3 to ½ cup of chopped candied ginger* 4-1/2 cups of sugar   Blanch, peel and cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Slice the lemons very thinly, then cut into quarters. Place tomatoes and lemons in a saucepan. Cover and cook gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove cover, increase heat, add the chopped ginger and cook until somewhat thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring more frequently. Add sugar, bring to boil and boil, uncovered, to jam stage, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Yield: about 6 cups To test for “jam stage”: remove saucepan from heat, place a teaspoon of jam on a chilled saucer and chill quickly. If jam does not set to desired thickness, cook a few minutes longer and test again. *candied or crystallized ginger is available at Bulk Barn. Back to Top   Marlene’s Strawberry Spinach Salad   Fresh baby spinach 1 ½ pint strawberries, blueberries are good as well (English cucumber, celery, green pepper)   Dressing 3/4c olive oil Juice of 1 lemon and zest ½ c sugar ¼ cup chopped onion 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dried mustard Generous tbspn poppy seeds   Blend dressing ingredients well and chill.  Dress salad just before serving. Back to Top     Summer Watermelon Salad **New**   Very refreshing during summer heat. Give it a try! 4 cups Cubed Watermelon Chunks 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 1/2 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar 8 - 10 Mint Leaves, chopped Black Pepper to taste In a large bowl, comine watermelon, Feta and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dressing does NOT have to emulsify. Drizzle dressing over salad. Sprinkle with mint and black pepper. Toss very gently. Serve immediately.