(Or 'good grief, it's suppertime again')

BY  MARY JOHN RESCH
 

This is my daughter Margaret’s current favorite recipe when she has to take an hors d’oeuvre to a party. She says this disappears so quickly that she usually just takes a double batch. This will be a great dish for Super Bowl Sunday.

She found this recipe on Facebook and it was fun to go there and print the recipe because it came with seven pages of rave reviews for the recipe as well as some variations that people had come up with probably depending on what they happened to have in their pantry at any given time. Someone even tried serving it over rice and loved it.

Reading the comments will give you some idea of any problems people had with the recipe and how they corrected them.

I believe when Margaret makes this she makes two separate batches rather than doubling the recipe. Margaret does not use canned chicken but cooks chicken breasts and shreds them.

FRANK’s REDHOT BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

½ cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing

½ cup FRANK’s REDHOT Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or

    FRANK’s REDHOT Buffalo Wing Sauce

½ cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cans (12.5 ounce each) Swanson white premium chunk

   chicken breast in water, drained or 2 cups shredded cooked

   chicken

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cream cheese into a deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

Mix in salad dressing, Frank’s Red Hot sauce and the cheese. Stir in the chicken.

Bake for 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

This shrimp chowder is incredibly quick and easy to prepare and the result is a satisfying and delicious main dish soup. I would make this several hours or the night before I planned on serving it because I think the flavor is even better if you allow time for the chowder seasonings to develop.

The idea for this recipe is from Cookin’ Emerald Isle Style II, published by the Emerald Isle Chapel by the Sea. I think you would enjoy this cookbook so look for a copy the next time you visit North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. 

SHRIMP/EASY & DELICIOUS CHOWDER

1 tablespoon butter

½ medium onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped celery

1 can cream of potato soup

2 ¼ cups milk

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or to taste

¾ pound fresh peeled shrimp

     (we cut the shrimp into smaller pieces)

2/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add onion and celery and sauté for about 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in the cream of potato soup, milk, pepper and Old Bay. Bring to a boil. This will take a few minutes. Then add shrimp, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, just until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the shredded cheese until melted. You may serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.

To serve: Reheat but do not boil. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley.

Mary Alice gave me this recipe a long time ago and I finally tried it late last fall. We both really enjoyed this chicken dish. It is easy to prepare but you do need to be careful to caramelize your onions – not burn them. Take your time and watch what you are doing and this should not be a problem. Any leftovers that you might have will make a very tasty sandwich later.

CHICKEN with CARAMELIZED ONIONS

6 cups thinly sliced onions

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup low-salt chicken broth, divided

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cover and cook 10 minutes or until onions are deep golden in color, stirring frequently.

Combine salt, thyme, red pepper and black pepper and stir well. Sprinkle half of spice mixture over the onions. Add ¼ of the chicken broth to the onion mixture, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons more broth and cook until liquid evaporates, scraping bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits.

Repeat this procedure with the remaining 2 tablespoons of broth. Add vinegar and cook an additional 2 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove the onion mixture from the pan; set aside and keep warm.

Rub the chicken with the remaining spice mixture. Recoat the skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side and until done.

Serve the caramelized onion mixture over the chicken.  

I saw this recipe for Turnips Roasted with Parmesan Cheese last winter and was anxious to try it. This was easy and the turnips had a delicious flavor that we both enjoyed. The leftovers were good, too.

TURNIPS ROASTED with PARMESAN CHEESE

(Serves 4)

2 pounds turnips (about 4 medium) peeled and cut into ½-inch

   wedges

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, combine turnips, cayenne, nutmeg and olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and toss well to coat.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and toss gently to combine.

Arrange turnips in a single layer and toast until golden on both sides, 20 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

After all the rich food that a lot of us have indulged in over the last month, I thought the perfect way to start the New Year was with this recipe for Taco Soup that Gloria Lee sent me. Gloria gave a sample of the soup to a friend of hers who runs a restaurant and he thought is was so good that he was thinking about adding it to his menu. This soup is quick and easy to prepare and I think you and your family will enjoy it.

TACO SOUP

1 pound ground chuck

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups water

½ diced green pepper

1 16-ounce pinto beans, undrained

1 16-ounce jar medium picante sauce

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 11-ounce can yellow corn with red and green bell peppers,

   undrained

1 14-ounce can tomatoes, undrained

Brown meat and onions. Add water and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortilla chips. You could also serve with some sour cream and or cheese sprinkled on top.

Gloria said the original recipe simmered the soup for only 12 minutes but she prefers the slightly longer time but if you were in a hurry you could cut back on the simmering time.

Once again it’s time to review the year’s recipes and choose the ones that I think were especially delicious. These choices are of course subjective but they are influenced by comments that I’ve heard from you. My time frame for these selections is December 1 through November 30.

The Sticky Bun recipe is a favorite not only because it’s yummy but because it has the magic words prepare the night before and let rise overnight. You might want to butter the aluminum foil you use to cover the rolls. Also be careful to use regular butterscotch pudding mix rather than instant.

The Chicken and Corn Chili is so quick and easy to prepare. Serve this with a green salad and a small piece of corn bread and you have a perfect cold weather meal. When I prepared this, I used Great Northern Beans.

I enjoy this recipe for Special Green Peas because it really jazzes up this vegetable and uses ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Many of you have told me how much you like this recipe for Coconut Custard Pie. This is very easy to prepare and a friend said that her husband liked it so much that he wanted it for his birthday rather than a cake.

This recipe for Old Bay Roasted Sweet Potatoes is perhaps my husband’s favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes. We make these a lot.

I make the Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake frequently. I have found that if I measure and mix the dry ingredients the night before I can easily assemble and bake this and still be on time for an 8:30 church service. I individually wrap and freeze the leftovers and they freeze beautifully. I also like this recipe because it is not extremely sweet.   

STICKY BUNS

20 frozen white yeast rolls (I used Rhodes white bake and serve

     yeast dinner rolls, purchased locally)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 package butterscotch pudding mix, not instant

¼ pound (1 stick) butter

1 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon to sprinkle over top of rolls

Grease a 9”x13” baking pan.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans on the bottom of the pan. Evenly space the frozen rolls on top of the pecans. You need to space the rolls so that they have room to rise. Sprinkle the dry pudding mix evenly over the rolls.

Melt the butter; mix the brown sugar in the melted butter and pour over the top of the rolls. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the rolls. Loosely cover with foil and leave out overnight to rise. (Use enough foil to allow for this rising process.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place covered pan in the oven, after 10 minutes gently remove the foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and place a platter or a foil covered baking pan on top of the Sticky Bun pan and flip over, remove baking pan. Serves 20.  ENJOY!!!

CHICKEN and CORN CHILI

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, cored and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

2 teaspoons chili powder or more to taste

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes

1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into

   bite-sized pieces

1 box (10-ounces) frozen shoe peg corn

2 cans (15-ounces each) cannellini or great northern beans,

   drained and rinsed

¾ teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and peppers. Cook, stirring 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander and chili powder; cook 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Stir corn, beans and salt into the pot. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve. Top individual servings with shredded cheddar cheese.

Serves 8.  

SPECIAL GREEN PEAS

2 cups frozen green peas, slightly thawed

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups coarsely shredded iceberg lettuce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried

  Cook peas, onion, and red pepper in butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 or 6 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Reduce heat; gently stir in lettuce and remaining ingredients.

  Cover peas and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

COCONUT CUSTARD PIE

2 cups sugar

½ cup self-rising flour

4 eggs

1 stick oleo

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups grated coconut

  Pour all of the ingredients but the coconut into a food processor or blender and mix. Pour this mixture into 2 9-inch greased pie pans. (This pie does not have a crust.)

  Sprinkle 1 cup of coconut on top of each pie or if you prefer add this coconut to the food processor after you have blended all the ingredients and give it one more very quick blend – you don’t want to pulverize the coconut, just mix it in.

  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until lightly browned and set. Serves 16.

OLD BAY ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch slices with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. (If you think your slices are too large, halve them.)

Bake until potatoes are a deep golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes, flipping over about halfway through the baking time. Serves 4.

BLUEBERRY OATMEAL BREAKFAST CAKE

1 1/3 cups flour

¾ cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup frozen blueberries (blueberries should be firmly frozen

   when used in baking)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan; set aside.

 In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.

 In a measuring cup, stir milk, oil and egg. Pour at once into the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy).

 Fold in firmly frozen blueberries; spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes. Cook on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 8.

Linda Walls, a friend of mine from Greensboro shared this recipe with me and told me that she would be baking these muffins for Thanksgiving because her family loved them. Linda said the recipe is supposed to have originated at the Swanson House in Perry, Georgia. These muffins would make a great addition to one of your holiday meals.

I have not made these myself but have made an almost identical version called cheese biscuits that added 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese to the batter and baked them for 10 minutes at 425 degrees and they are yummy.

MINI MUFFINS

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

2 cups self-rising flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons

   baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt

(2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated – about 8 ounces, if you want to make cheese mini muffins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon into greased mini muffin pans a tablespoon at a time.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on wire tacks.

Can be prepared ahead and frozen for up to a month. Thaw on the counter, and reheat wrapped in foil for 10 minutes or until warmed through if desired. Also completely delicious eaten at room temperature.

If you decide to try the cheese version, bake them at 425˚ for approximately 10 minutes.

Evelyn Tidy made Chocolate Peanut Clusters which she sold at our church bazaar last month. I thought these were better than the ones that are so often sold at this time of the year and asked Evelyn if she would share her recipe. She gave made a copy of the recipe and I was surprised to find that the candy is made in a crock pot. Evelyn says the recipe was originally submitted to a newspaper that was featuring holiday recipes. The instructions are very specific and state that this recipe should be made exactly as written.

I agree with Evelyn what one of the best things about this recipe is the number of pieces of candy it yields – of course that may vary slightly depending on the size of your clusters. This recipe should definitely make your holiday preparations a little easier.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS

1 16-ounce jar roasted, unsalted peanuts

1 16-ounce jar roasted, salted peanuts

1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 4-ounce bar German chocolate, broken into pieces

3 pounds (2 24-ounce packages) white almond bark, broken

   into pieces

Put ingredients into a 4 or 5 quart crock pot in EXACT order as listed. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. DO NOT REMOVE LID! Turn off crock pot and allow mixture to cool slightly. Mixture will not be melted but will be soft. Mix thoroughly and drop by teaspoon-size cookie dropper or a teaspoon onto wax paper. Let cool thoroughly. Makes approximately 150-170 pieces.

NOTE: This candy is made best by following the recipe to the letter. Make other variations and changes at your own risk as this is the voice of experience speaking. Please take into consideration that varying the recipe may alter the quality of the finished product.

Margot Sizemore shared this recipe that a friend had given her recently. She says that these are so delicious that they are addictive. Although I have not tried these myself they certainly sound as if it would be difficult to stop after only one muffin.

They undoubtedly would be a very welcome Christmas gift for some of your friends and neighbors.

I was able to find a jar of macadamia nuts at a grocery store. If you have trouble finding this you could try substituting a different nut but you would be adding another color and you would have a slightly different flavor and consistency.    

WHITE CHOCOLATE & MACADAMIA NUT MUFFINS

2 cups flour

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk at room temperature

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾ cup white chocolate chips

3 ½ ounces (scant ¾ cup) lightly salted, chopped macadamia

       nuts

¾ cup shredded toasted coconut

Position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter twelve regular muffin cups or use paper liners and spray very lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Gradually stir in the liquid ingredients just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and coconut.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling just barely level to the top, but not mounding.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until a light golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Transfer the muffin tins to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and cool completely on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store the muffins in an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to one month.

You will be glad to know that Gloria Lee sent me several recipes lately because her recipes are ones that we all seem to enjoy – a batch of her Sausage Muffin recipe is almost always in my freezer.

Gloria said that a friend prepared these when they were on vacation earlier this year and that they were both delicious. They would both be very quick and easy to prepare – a real plus this time of the year. Look for Gloria’s Taco Soup Recipe in the column in January. 

DEBORDIEU CLAM DIP

(8 Servings)

1 4-ounce package softened cream cheese

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 drops hot pepper sauce

1 8-ounce can minced clams, drained

2 tablespoons grated onion

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Add clams, onion and parsley. Mix well.

Chill before serving with assorted crackers.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SQUARES

(Yield: 24 squares)

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 1/3 sticks butter or margarine

2 packages Graham Crackers, finely ground

1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar

1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Spray a 9x13” pan lightly with cooking spray.

Thoroughly mix the peanut butter, butter, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioners sugar. Firmly pat into your prepared pan or pyrex dish. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and add the sweetened condensed milk. Mix well. Remove from the heat and spread over the peanut butter mixture.

Cool in the refrigerator and cut into squares.

These squares may also be frozen with good results.

Yield: Approximately 24 squares but this may vary depending on how large you cut your squares.

The leading news story about this Thanksgiving seems to be the increased cost of putting the food on the table. Since that is the case you want to try to get every penny’s value out of your meal. The best way to do this is usually to make creative use of your leftovers. Here are two recipes that should help you do this.

The Turkey and Ham Tetrazzini is a version of an old favorite. If you prefer you could use more ham and a little less turkey. I personally don’t care for the olives in the dish so I don’t use those. If you make several smaller casseroles you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.

The Turkey Carcass Soup is the way you knew the turkey was gone in my family and if you will do this you really don’t waste anything. I’ll frequently do this with a turkey breast also. There is really nothing scientific about making this soup so be creative and use whatever you like or happen to have on hand. Because I am usually going to freeze some of this soup, I don’t put potatoes or rice in the soup because I don’t like the way they freeze and reheat. 

TURKEY and HAM TETRAZZINI

1 7-ounce box thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

¾ cup milk

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 ½ cups cooked, diced leftover turkey

2 cups cooked, diced leftover ham

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped sweet red bell pepper

½ cup halved pitted ripe olives (optional)

1 8-ounce package sharp shredded cheddar cheese

Rinse cooked spaghetti with cold water to maintain firmness.

Mix together almonds, both soups, milk and wine in a large bowl.

Stir in spaghetti, turkey, ham, chopped peppers and olives. Spoon into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish or several smaller casseroles if you prefer to freeze one or two to use later.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly.

Remove cover and sprinkle top of casserole with the cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

We brined our Thanksgiving turkey last year and thought it was one of the best we had ever cooked. We used this recipe that I found in Our State magazine and I’ll use it again. If you have never tried brining a turkey, this is an easy technique and gives you a very flavorful and moist turkey. As you can see from reading this recipe it is not necessary to buy any special brining kit to do this.

HONEY-BRINED and ROASTED TURKEY

(Serves 10)

1 turkey, approximately 16 pounds, neck and giblets removed

6 quarts water

1 ½ cups kosher salt

1 cup honey

10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

20 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups ice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place turkey in a large clean container that fits in your refrigerator. Heat water, salt, honey, garlic, and thyme in a large stockpot set over medium-high heat. Cook until honey and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature; stir in ice. Once cool, pour over your turkey and refrigerate overnight.

Move oven rack to lowest position. Remove turkey from brine. Discard brine. Pat turkey dry, and place on a nonstick roasting rack in a roasting pan. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine, and tuck wings under the body. Rub the turkey with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast turkey at 350 degrees until the internal temperature of a thigh registers 175 degrees on a meat thermometer, rotating the pan halfway through the roasting. Remove the turkey from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving. (The internal temperature will rise approximately 5 to 10 degrees.) 

A friend of mine made this Cranberry Salad last Christmas and she says that it is delicious. She thinks as well as serving this as a salad that it would also make a nice, light dessert. The colors of this salad really make you think of the holiday season. This is a great make ahead dish for either Thanksgiving or Christmas or any other time.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY SALAD

(Serves 12)

2 packages (3-ounce each) raspberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water, divided

1 can (14-ounce) whole-berry cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened

½ cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. In another bowl combine cranberry sauce and remaining water; add the gelatin mixture and the lemon juice to the cranberry mixture. Pour into a 13x9-inch dish coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate until this mixture is firm, about 1 hour.

In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in ½ cup of whipped cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in ½ cup of whipped cream into the cream cheese; then fold the remaining whipped cream into the mixture.

Spread this over the gelatin mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

I tried this recipe for Chicken and Corn Chili last winter. This is very quick and easy to prepare and we both enjoyed it. When I prepared this I used Great Northern Beans because they were what I had on hand and I probably will opt to use them when I make this chili again. I served this with a green salad and a small piece of corn bread – a perfect cold weather meal.

CHICKEN and CORN CHILI

(Serves 8)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, cored and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

2 teaspoons chili powder or more to taste

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes

1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into

   bite-sized pieces

1 box (10-ounces) frozen shoe peg corn

2 cans (15-ounces each) cannellini or great northern beans,

   drained and rinsed

¾ teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and peppers. Cook, stirring 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander and chili powder; cook 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Stir corn, beans and salt into the pot. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve. Top individual servings with shredded cheddar cheese.

This recipe was featured in an advertisement last winter and the combination of flavors intrigued me so I had to try it. I was not disappointed and I found that the flavors developed and were even better after several days in an air tight tin box. I did serve the wafers with fig jam and I also enjoyed them by themselves. I chopped the raisins in my food processor with the ¼ cup of flour and this certainly made making these easier.

CHEESY RANCH WAFER

(Serves 20)

1 ½ cups butter, softened

8 oz. Asiago cheese, finely shredded (2 cups)

1 ¼ cups walnuts, finely chopped

¾ cup raisins, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 1.0-oz. envelope Hidden Valley Original

   Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning mix

Measure flour, reserving ¼ cup to use when chopping raisins.

In a very large bowl combine butter, cheese, walnuts, floured chopped raisins and white pepper. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. In a medium bowl stir together remaining flour and seasoning mix. Add to beaten mixture, a little at a time, beating until just combined.

Divide dough into three portions. Shape each portion into a log about 8 inches long. If desired, roll each log in black pepper to lightly coat. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and freeze for about an hour or until firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs in ¼-inch slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Store in tin box in a cool room.

Serve with fig jam and/or fresh fruit. 

Jean Reitzel from my Greensboro Knitting group shared her favorite shrimp recipe with us. (Jean is married to former Siler City resident Paul Reitzel.) I tried this recipe this weekend and we both enjoyed it. I thought you might like to have it now since some of you like to stock up on the fall shrimp.  

If you have extremely large shrimp you might want to halve them before assembling the casserole.

SHRIMP and ANGEL HAIR PASTA CASSEROLE

2 pounds shelled  and deveined raw shrimp

1 tablespoon dried parsley or a generous handful of fresh

   chopped parsley

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 teaspoons chopped basil

1 teaspoon chopped oregano

9 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked

32 ounces mild thick and chunky salsa

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or enough to cover your

    dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

Combine parsley, eggs, half and half, yogurt, Swiss and feta cheeses, basil and oregano; mix well.

Spread half of the cooked pasta on the bottom of your prepared casserole dish. Cover with salsa. Spread with half the shrimp; cover with the remaining pasta, Spread the egg and cheese mixture over the pasta and top with the remaining shrimp.

Sprinkle the Monterey Jack cheese over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Last winter I found this recipe for Old Bay Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine and was anxious to try it. I couldn’t decide whether I would like the sweet potato skins. When we tried the recipe both of us thought is was one of the best ways to prepare sweet potatoes that we had tried. This recipe is truly a keeper and we will roast sweet potatoes this way often.

If you are not familiar with Everyday Food magazine it is about the size of a Reader’s Digest and I usually find several recipes in it that I want to try. I have given gift subscriptions to the magazine at Christmas and they seem to be appreciated. 

OLD BAY ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

(Serves 4)

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch slices with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. (If you think your slices are too large, halve them.)

Bake until potatoes are a deep golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes, flipping over about halfway through the baking time.

I had clipped this recipe for an Apple Cider Pound Cake several years ago but had never tried it until last fall. I thought the cake was delicious. The flavors were really subtle – not at all overpowering. This recipe makes a nice addition to the assortment of pound cake recipes that many of us have.

APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE

(Serves 20)

3 cups sugar

1½ cups butter

6 eggs

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup sugar

¼ cup butter

¼ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon baking soda

 Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir together dry ingredients and set aside. Combine cider and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with the cider mixture. Mix until well blended.

 Spoon into a large greased bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour 10 minutes or until cake tests done.

 Combine icing ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While cake is warm, drizzle 1/3 of the icing over the cake. Serve remaining icing over individual pieces.

 If you prefer, just sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.

Brenda Gilliland shared this recipe for Tomato Soup with White Beans and Pasta with me. This is about the easiest recipe that you will ever make and it is really good. Brenda and I agreed that with this recipe you can literally have a pot of home-made soup on the table in 30 minutes.   

TOMATO SOUP with WHITE BEANS and PASTA

(Serves 6)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves – finely chopped

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes

28 ounces of low sodium chicken broth

½ cup tubalini, elbow macaroni or other small pasta

1 15-ounce can white beans drained and rinsed – either

   cannellini  or great northern

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil and add chopped garlic and sauté briefly until the garlic is light golden brown – be careful because garlic will burn easily. Add oregano and stir.

Add diced tomatoes and their juices and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Add drained and rinsed beans and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve and garnish with the chopped fresh parsley. 

I have tried paring apples with a lot of things but had never thought of adding them to Brussels sprouts until I saw this recipe in a magazine. I tried this and we both thought is was delicious and so easy. I used Granny Smith apples when I made this. When your family eats this, even the ones who say they don’t like Brussels sprouts might change their minds.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS and APPLES

½ cup diced apple

8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

2 tablespoons apple cider

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine apple and Brussels sprouts in an 11 x 17-inch baking dish. Add apple cider, olive oil, minced fresh thyme, salt, and freshly ground black pepper; toss well.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until sprouts are tender.

One of Alan’s sister’s favorite vegetables is butternut squash but she confessed that she probably would not prepare it if she couldn’t find it already peeled and diced in the produce section at her grocery store. In the last couple of years, I have started seeing butternut squash available like this here. I bought some last week and after looking at several recipes created this version for Spiced Butternut Squash which we enjoyed. I had enough for one meal with one serving leftover for later and a pint which I have frozen.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (This will yield about

   3 cups mashed)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ - 1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons light brown sugar.

Wash cubes and boil or steam until just tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Add remaining ingredients and stir until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Taste and adjust seasonings.

I prepared this a couple of hours before I served this and then reheated individual servings for us in the microwave. I thought this was even better after resting for a couple of hours so this is obviously a good dish to prepare in advance.

Clipped this recipe several years ago because it called for chopped peanut butter cups – a real weakness of mine. I finally made this recently for coffee hour at the church. I thought the cookie was delicious – the peanut butter flavor was very subtle which was a little bit of a surprise. Although the magazine did not recommend using generic brands of peanut butter for this recipe a friend of mine has told me that this should not be a problem. This made a big batch of cookies and I was able to freeze some for later with good results. When I serve these at church, I did have a label that identified them as containing peanut butter in case someone had a peanut allergy which can be very serious.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

(Serves 30)

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.

  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add this to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and the peanut butter cups.

  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

(Reduced-fat or generic brands of peanut butter are not recommended for this recipe.) 

Mary Alice sent me this recipe that a friend made for Steve’s change of command party. She said that Steve, who says that he doesn’t like potato salad, was caught going back for seconds. I am giving you the recipe as it was sent to Mary Alice with her friend’s comments.

  I know that you are going to read this recipe and think this is about the unhealthiest sounding dish that you can imagine and you are probably right, although you can alter it to make it a little more acceptable. However I think this is the kind of thing you fix to take to a covered dish supper, take a small helping and enjoy it, and then throw away the leftovers if there are any.

  You can buy shredded Colby-Monterey jack cheese. 

LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD

(20 Servings)

7 pounds baking potatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

2 pounds bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (I think it’s easier to cut

   before cooking)

2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened

2 pints sour cream (2 large sour cream tubs is what I use)

Seasoned salt, garlic pepper to taste (I used a lot. I don’t

    measure seasoning)

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Some Bacon grease added to the potato salad to taste

1 pound Colby-Monterey jack cheese, freshly shredded

  Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce the potatoes with a fork; brush with oil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces. (I cook them the night before I am making the potato salad and cut them in the morning and then finish cooking the rest the day I am making the potato salad.)

  In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Keep some bacon grease to add to the potato salad.

  In an extra large bowl, combine the butter and sour cream; add seasoning. Stir in the potatoes, bacon, green onions and cheese and bacon grease, I think last time I added about 4 to 6 tablespoons. It just gives a better bacon taste. Serve at room temperature. It serves about 20 people.  

 I found this recipe in a free magazine the last time we went to Florida. This is definitely a different chicken salad than the one most of us are accustomed to making. It is a good one to make for a luncheon or to take to a pot luck meal. If you have a hard time finding currents right now substitute raisins. I might choose to leave out the artichokes because they are not a favorite of mine and instead, add an extra half cup of chicken.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SALAD

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 cups diced cooked chicken

½ cup orzo (a rice-shaped pasta)

1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup coarsely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives

1/3 cup dried currants

1 ½ tablespoons drained capers

 Combine oil, vinegar, tarragon, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

 Place chicken in a medium bowl. Mix in ¼ cup of the prepared dressing.

 Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain. Rinse under cold water to cool; drain well.

 Transfer the orzo to a large bowl. Stir in the remaining dressing and toss to coat. Add the chicken mixture, tomatoes, drained artichoke hearts, olives, currants and capers.

 Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

It’s the beginning of the end of the garden season but okra and peppers still seem very plentiful so this is a good time to use the vegetables for pickles or relish to enjoy this winter. Both of the recipes are old standbys at our house. The Okra Pickle recipe is one that Alan used in 1981 – I don’t know whether it is an original recipe or one that someone gave him but it is delicious. The Pepper Relish is from one of the original Pinetops United Methodist Church Cookbooks and has always been a favorite of mine.

PICKLED OKRA

3 ½ pounds small to medium, uniformly sized okra pods

5 cloves garlic

5 small fresh hot peppers

1 quart water

1 pint vinegar

1/3 cup pickling salt

2 teaspoons dill seed

 Place a garlic pod and a hot pepper in a pint jar and pack with okra. (I’ve found that it is easier to do this if I use wide-mouth canning jars.)

 Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour this mixture over the packed okra. Cap the jars.

 Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

 Yield: 5 pints

PEPPER RELISH

12 red bell peppers

12 green bell peppers

4 onions, peeled

2 cups celery pieces

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 cups vinegar

Some hot peppers to taste if you want it hot.

 Remove the seeds from the peppers. Grind the pepper, onion and celery or chop in a food processor. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.

 Drain, add salt and again cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.

 Drain, combine remaining ingredients with the pepper mixture and boil for 10 minutes.

 Pack in sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

The Fresh Tomato and Basil Frittata is delicious and so easy to prepare. I made this the night before I planned to bake it so it makes meal preparation easy. As well as being a tasty breakfast I think this would also make an excellent light supper with the addition of a green salad and a fruit. I also reheated the leftovers for my lunch one day and was surprised at how good it still was. The colors of this dish are vibrant and I think that it would be a wonderful addition to a Christmas breakfast.

FRESH TOMATO and BASIL FRITATTA

(8 Servings)

1 medium tomato, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

8 ounces (2 cups) sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

4 ounces (1 cup) Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 tablespoon flour

6 eggs, beaten

½ cup half & half

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  Spray a pie plate with cooking spray.

  Toss grated Cheddar with flour. Place in greased pie plate. Sprinkle grated Jack cheese over the Cheddar.

  Pour half & half into eggs, add Worcestershire sauce, mix well and pour over the cheeses. Sprinkle chopped tomato and basil over the egg mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and your frittata has set when jiggled.

  Can be made up to 12 hours in advance of baking. If you do this, remove from refrigerator about 45 minutes before baking.

  Yield: 8 servings

Alan and I saw this recipe on TV earlier this summer. I believe it was done by a Wake County extension agent on the WRAL early morning news broadcast. We both thought it looked delicious and we tried it with some of the first tomatoes of the season. These “breadless” Tomato Sandwiches were just delicious – I could hardly wait to have them again. These are very easy to prepare and would make a great supper or lunch dish during these endless hot summer days. I found that the sandwiches were also very filling and I did not find myself hungry two hours after I ate.

TOMATO SANDWICH (with no bread)

4 thick slices of ripe tomato

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 clove garlic, minced

chopped fresh parsley and basil to taste

¼ cup flour with a little salt and pepper added

1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

  Mix softened cream cheese, garlic, parsley and basil. Taste and adjust amounts of herbs to your taste.

  Spread this mixture generously on two slices of tomato and top with the other two tomato slices.

  Dredge your “sandwiches” in the flour mixture then dip in the beaten egg mixture and then coat with the panko crumbs.

  Heat olive oil and butter and sauté “sandwiches” on both sides until golden brown on each side. Serve and enjoy immediately. 

This Black Bottom Pie recipe is one that Carol from our knitting group shared. It was her grandmother’s recipe and the family had collected some of her recipes and assembled them in a cookbook that they distributed in the family. Carol said that they had to check the recipes pretty carefully because her grandmother just assumed a certain level of kitchen expertise and would leave out the chocolate in the chocolate pie for instance and told them that anyone would know that you had to put chocolate in chocolate pie! I think you could use one of the already prepared chocolate crumb crusts that are available.

BLACK BOTTOM PIE

(Serves 8)

2 boxes chocolate snaps

3 tablespoons melted margarine

1 pint sweet milk

3 eggs

1 ½ squares chocolate, melted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 ½ envelopes gelatin

  Roll snaps into crumbs and place in pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

  Place milk and ½ cup sugar and vanilla in the top of a double boiler.

  Bear egg yolks and cornstarch together. Pour hot milk over the eggs and return to the double boiler and cook until the mixture thickens. Soak gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water. Dissolve in the hot custard.

  Divide the custard, add melted chocolate to half of this mixture. Let both mixtures cool.

  Beat egg white until stiff, gradually add ½ cup of sugar. Divide and fold half into each custard mixture.

  Pour the chocolate mixture into the shell. Refrigerate and allow to congeal. Then pour the cream mixture over the chocolate mixture and refrigerate again until ready to serve.

  To serve, top with whipped cream if desired.

With temperatures flirting with the 100 degree mark again this weekend you probably want to keep your meals as simple as possible. This recipe which uses the tomatoes that are in season right now is one that you and your family should like. Both of us certainly enjoy this and it’s wonderful not to have to cook that tomato sauce for the spaghetti.  

MIDSUMMER SPAGHETTI with UNCOOKED  SPAGHETTI SAUCE

(3-4 servings)

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 leaves of fresh basil, chopped (or more to taste)

Slat and pepper to taste

1 pound spaghetti or vermicelli

  Pour olive oil in a deep serving dish with the chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil and marinate for 4 hours at room temperature. Then season to taste with salt and pepper and stir gently.

  Cook the pasta in a large amount of rapidly boiling, well-salted water until tender. Drain well.

  Add sauce and stir gently. Serve immediately.

My daughter Margaret sent me this recipe recently for Grilled Chicken with Onion Jam. Her comments describe how she came up with this recipe-my only contribution when she was telling me about it on the telephone was to insist that she write it down while she could remember it. “When one is at home with an infant, you only catch TV in 15 minute increments (or less). Yesterday Giada de Laurentis on Everyday Italian was making a pork dish inspired by a meal she had eaten at Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo – my favorite place to eat in NYC. The dish was a grilled pork smothered with an onion “jam”. I watched the “jam” portion, but was called away during the pork so I improvised. I switched to chicken because that is what I had in the house and I concocted a marinade that I thought would match the onion jam. I also added olives because I love the contrast of sweet and salty and I love the combination of olives and orange. The end product was delicious. Jonathan thought it was one of the best dishes we’ve eaten recently! Enjoy.”

CHICKEN with ONION JAM

(Serves 4)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Marinade:

½ naval orange, squeeze juice & discard rest

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup white wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Onion Jam:

2 extra large sweet onions, sliced in half rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup orange marmalade

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup Kalamata olives

  Prepare marinade and add chicken breast and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.

  Slice onion and begin to sauté in a little olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile measure and add sugar, vinegar, marmalade, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 ½ hours or until dark and caramelized. Add olives and heat through.

  Grill chicken over medium high. Remove from the grill and cover the resting chicken with the “Jam”. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fresh peaches are one of the things that I enjoy most each summer. This growing season should produce an abundant crop since we did not have any late spring freezes. I have already bought fresh peaches this year and the ones that I have had are delicious.

  This weekend I went way back and reviewed some old copies of this column and found some peach recipes that are delicious and I had forgotten about them. Thinking many of you might have forgotten or lost these recipes, too, I decided to rerun some of my favorites. (I’m going to be doing this periodically this summer to give myself a semi-vacation!)

FREEZER PEACH JAM

5 8-oz. freezer safe containers or jelly jars with tight fitting lids

2 pounds fully ripened peaches

5 cups sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ascorbic acid mixture for fruit

1 (1 ¾ ounce package) fruit pectin

¾ cup water

  Prepare containers, washing and rinsing carefully and allowing to air dry or wash in automatic dishwasher.

 Peel, pit and cut peaches into thin slices to make 2¼ cups of fruit. Place in a large bowl. With a potato washer, thoroughly crush the peaches. With a rubber spatula, stir in the sugar, lemon juice, salt and ascorbic acid mixture until thoroughly mixed; let stand for 10 minutes.

  In a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat, heat fruit pectin and water to boiling; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir the pectin mixture into the fruit; continue stirring for 3 minutes (no les). A few sugar crystals will remain.

  With a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, pour peach mixture into containers to ½ inch from the top. Cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours or until set. Freeze to use within one year, or store in the refrigerator for use within 3 weeks. Makes about five 8-ounce jars.

FRESH PEACH SALAD

3-ounce box lemon Jello

¾ cup hot water

¾ cup cold water

8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 cups chopped fresh peaches – white are nice if they are

   available

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup Cool Whip

  Mix and dissolve jello in boiling water. Add cold water. Cream sugar and cream cheese together. Stir into the jello mixture. Pour into a 6x10 or 8x10 pyrex dish. Chill until slightly thick. Sprinkle peaches with the lemon juice and add to the jello mixture. Fold the Cool Whip into the mixture and chill until set. Serve and enjoy.

PEACH MUFFINS

1 cup chopped fresh peaches

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoon butter

1 egg, separated

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup milk

  Put chopped peaches in a bowl. Sprinkle with light brown sugar, put aside.

  Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg yolk; beat well.

  Sift dry ingredients together and add them to the butter-sugar mixture alternately with the milk.

  Beat egg white until stiff.

  Spoon peaches from the bowl with a slotted spoon and dredge in 1-2 tablespoons flour. Fold the peaches together with the egg white into the batter. Pour into greased muffin tins and sprinkle top with additional nutmeg and cinnamon mixed together.

  Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  Yields about 18 regular-sized muffins. These are a favorite at our house. 

 A fourth of July tradition for a lot of people is a freezer of homemade ice cream. When I want something different from vanilla, chocolate or fresh peach sometimes I will go back to these two recipes. The recipe for the Lemon Ice Cream was featured in the old American Home magazine and the editors said that it was a recipe that Thomas Jefferson brought back from France—what could be more appropriate for this holiday. (When you grate your lemon rind be careful not to get the white part or your ice cream may be somewhat bitter.

  The Praline Ice Cream is a personal favorite of mine—yes I know that it uses uncooked eggs but I have eaten a lot of ice cream prepared this way and have never had a problem.

LEMON ICE CREAM

2 ¼ cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

4 eggs, well beaten

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

½ cup lemon juice

4 cups heavy cream

  Combine sugar, salt and flour in a heavy saucepan; gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes just to boiling. Stir one half of this mixture slowly into the beaten eggs. Stir this mixture into the saucepan; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add lemon rind and juice. Stir, then refrigerate and allow to chill.

  Pour lemon mixture and heavy cream into the freezer can. Continue according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

PRALINE ICE CREAM

3 eggs

1 ¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3 cups milk

3 cups whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon maple flavoring (optional)

1 cup chopped salted pecans

  In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until foamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until thickened. Add milk, cream, vanilla and maple flavor; mix thoroughly. Stir in pecans. Chill. Pour into the container of your ice cream freezer and proceed following manufacturers directions for your freezer. Makes about 3 quarts.

Recently I tried this recipe for Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins and I thought they were very tasty. They are not an extremely sweet muffin but I do not object to this. If you wished you could use 2 cups of whole wheat flour rather than 1 cup of whole wheat and 1 cup of unbleached flour. If you try this recipe be sure your flour is fresh as I read recently that whole wheat flour does not have the shelf life of other flours. Also check the date on your baking powder.

  When I make muffins for the two of us I individually wrap the ones we don’t eat and put them in a zip lock bag and freeze them so I can have fresh muffins whenever we want.    

WHOLE WHEAT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

(Serves 16)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

1 cup water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons honey

1½ cups fresh or frozen (dry pack) blueberries

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  Grease or line muffins tins.

  Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

  Stir together egg, water, oil and honey. Add to dry ingredients and stir together just until mixed.

  Fill prepared muffin tins half full.

  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 Last week I tried this recipe for green peas that I had clipped from a magazine several years ago. We both thought that it was delicious. This was so quick and easy and is something that I will prepare frequently.  

SPECIAL GREEN PEAS

2 cups frozen green peas, slightly thawed

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups coarsely shredded iceberg lettuce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried

  Cook peas, onion, and red pepper in butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 or 6 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Reduce heat; gently stir in lettuce and remaining ingredients.

  Cover peas and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.  

Several months ago Carol gave my knitting group copies of this incredibly easy recipe for a Coconut Custard Pie that she says is her go to recipe when she needs to fix a quick and easy dessert. I have not tried this recipe yet, but a friend of mine has and she says that it is her husband’s new favorite pie – he even requested it for his birthday rather than a birthday cake! If you want to you can easily halve this recipe and make only one pie. 

COCONUT CUSTARD PIE

(Serves 16)

2 cups sugar

½ cup self-rising flour

4 eggs

1 stick oleo

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups grated coconut

  Pour all of the ingredients but the coconut into a food processor or blender and mix. Pour this mixture into 2 9-inch greased pie pans. (This pie does not have a crust.)

  Sprinkle 1 cup of coconut on top of each pie or if you prefer add this coconut to the food processor after you have blended all the ingredients and give it one more very quick blend – you don’t want to pulverize the coconut, just mix it in.

  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until lightly browned and set.

I saw a recipe for a Carrot and Summer Squash Sauté recently and tried it. I liked it but thought it would be better and prettier with zucchini because of the green color. When I prepared this I had some leftover rice in my refrigerator that I brought to room temperature and added to the sauté and we both thought it made a nice addition to the dish as well as helping with the never ending leftover problem. I also think you could add additional onion if this flavor is a favorite. If you add these additional ingredients you may need to slightly increase the amount of oil in the recipe.

  CARROT & ZUCCHINI SAUTÉ

(Serves 4)

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

5 teaspoons olive oil

2 zucchini squash, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

  In a large skillet, sauté carrots in oil until crisp-tender. Add the remaining ingredients; sauté 3-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

I tried this pancake recipe late last summer but because strawberries were not in season I used blueberries. We both enjoyed the blueberry version and I think the recipe will be equally good with the strawberries so try this while local strawberries are available.

  I did use the pistachios when I made the pancakes because I had some in my freezer. They added a little crunch but if I did not have any in the house I would just eliminate this ingredient. You could try substituting another nut but you don’t want to use one with a flavor that overpowers the other ingredients.

  STRAWBERRY RICOTTA & PISTACHIO PANCAKES

(Serves 8)

2 cups pancake mix

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest

2 cups strawberries, diced ½-inch thick (or may use blueberries)

¼ cup chopped shelled pistachios

  Sift the pancake mix into a medium size mixing bowl.

  Combine the milk, ricotta cheese, eggs, butter and lemon zest. Mix well. Slowly add this mixture to the pancake mix, whipping well to break up any lumps. Add chopped pistachios.

   Toss diced strawberries (or blueberries) in a little pancake mix to lightly coat them. Gently add them to the batter and stir.

  Pour batter on to a lightly greased hot griddle. Flip over once when bubbles appear and the underside is golden brown.

  Serve with Maple syrup and butter.

This Shrimp and Pasta Salad with Grape Tomatoes is a combination of a recipe that I saw in the paper and Mary Alice’s friend Sharon Martin’s recipe for a Dilled Chicken Salad that I ran in this column about 10 years ago. (I had rave reviews for Sharon’s salad.) When I made the Shrimp and Pasta Salad I used medium sized shrimp that I bought at the grocery store already cooked (not frozen). I thought this salad was just yummy and Alan agreed.

 This is a recipe that I will use often. I would not use popcorn shrimp for this recipe – instead I would switch to chicken or wait to make it later when I could find better shrimp.  

  SHRIMP and PASTA SALAD With GRAPE TOMATOES

(Serves 15)

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups mini penne pasta

1 tablespoon capers, drained

¾ cup sliced grape tomatoes

¼ cup finely chopped green onions (use whites and part of the

    tender green tops)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed

12 ounces cooked and peeled shrimp- depending on the size of

    your shrimp, halve or cut them in thirds

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

½ cup chopped celery for crunch (optional)

  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

  Mix the dressing ingredients. Place half of the dressing in your serving bowl and save the rest in case you need extra dressing later.

  Add the capers, tomatoes, green onions and dill to the bowl. Stir well. Add the drained pasta and shrimp to the bowl. Mix and then add the green peas stirring gently to combine. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Eat now or refrigerate and eat later. If you refrigerate the salad it allows more time for the flavors to develop.

  Optional dressing: 1 envelope (1-ounce) Ranch Dressing mix, 2 cups sour cream, 1 cup mayonnaise, and 1 cup milk. Mix. You will only need about 1 cup of the dressing for this salad. 

My daughter Margaret sent me this technique for Slow-Cooked Onions that was in one of the Tampa Bay Junior League Cookbooks. The ease of “caramelizing” onions this way really appeals to me. Margaret has used these in onion dips and as a topping for grilled chicken. I also think they would be good as a topping for steaks. .

SLOW-COOKED ONIONS

(Serves 15)

5 pounds sliced Vidalia onions

½ cup butter

¼ cup port wine

  Combine sliced onions, butter and port in a slow cooker. Cook on High for 12 to 14 hours or until the onions are dark brown. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Skim the butter off the top before using if desired.

  Unlike caramelized onions cooked on the stove top, these have a lot of juice. If a recipe requires less liquid, strain and use the liquid in sauces or to flavor soups. These make a wonderful topping for grilled chicken breasts or homemade pizza.

  Yield: 6 cups

Mary Alice sent me this recipe for Lemon and Dill Chicken with Orzo last fall. She says that her family thought it was yummy. Both of us thought is was good when I prepared this. The leftovers reheated nicely in the microwave at 50% power. When I make this again, however, for just the two of us, I will halve the recipe because it is so quick and easy to prepare that I don’t want to use my freezer space for this.

LEMON and DILL CHICKEN with ORZO

(Serves 6)

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

¾ cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound chicken tenders cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound orzo

2 cups crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill weed

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and lemon juice. In a sauce pan, bring broth and ¾ cup water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil. Immediately pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and the cooking liquid is creamy – about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

It’s strawberry time again and the ones that I have tasted are some of the best in years. They are available now at our local Farmers Markets so be sure and get some or go and pick your own at some of the fields in the area.

 Last week I tried this recipe for a Strawberry Cake that I had clipped from a magazine five or six years ago. We both thought the cake was delicious and it is such a pretty cake. Alan thinks that it would be delicious with vanilla ice cream and I’m sure he’s right, but you certainly can eat it just as it is. I think you will enjoy this cake.  

STRAWBERRY CAKE

(Serves 6-8)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

  Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk and vanilla.

  Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in the flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of the batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

  Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges to serve. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.   

This recipe for Apricot Nectar Pound Cake is one that Carol  from my knitting group shared. I think it would be a perfect Easter Dessert. Carol says that this recipe is her family’s favorite. I am including her tips for optimum success when you bake this cake. Carol says that she buys her apricot nectar in a glass bottle from Harris-Teeter in Greensboro and refrigerates any that she has left to use in another cake. I haven’t baked this cake yet but it sounds delicious and friends that have had a piece of an Apricot Nectar Pound Cake tell me that it is really yummy. 

APRICOT NECTAR POUND CAKE

(Serves 15)

¾ cup apricot nectar

¾ cup Wesson oil

1 box lemon jello

1 box yellow cake mix – Duncan Hines works best

2 tablespoons lemon extract

4 eggs separated

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 lemons

   Thoroughly grease a bundt pan with shortening. Oil will not work – have tried. Flour the pan.

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Mix apricot nectar, Wesson oil, lemon jello, lemon extract and cake mix with an electric mixer. Add the 4 egg yolks, one at a time. Beat the egg whites and fold them into the cake batter. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until done.

  While the cake bakes, mix 2 cups powdered sugar with the juice of 2 lemons.

  When the cake is done, put the pan on a rack and pour the glaze over the cake. Let sit and cool in the pan for 1 hour. 

When I was visiting Mary Alice last spring, she prepared this recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Blackberry Sauce that has appeared in Southern Living. I thought it was delicious—I especially enjoyed that Blackberry sauce and I think it would really add a lot of flavor to a grilled chicken breast, too.

  We had some leftovers and when we came in late from soccer practice the next day, Mary Alice sliced it and served it over a tossed salad using the sauce as a dressing for the salad. Yummy!

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN With BLACKBERRY SAUCE

(Serves 8)

2 (3/4 lb.) pork tenderloins

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup seedless blackberry preserves

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons rum or orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

  Preheat grill to 350 to 400  degrees (medium-high) heat.

  Remove silver skin from tenderloins, leaving a thin layer of fat. Brush tenderloins with oil and rub with jerk seasoning and salt.

  Grill tenderloins, covered with grill lid, 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 155 degrees. Remove from grill, and let stand 10 minutes.

  Meanwhile, whisk together blackberry preserves and next 4 ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

  Cut pork diagonally into thin slices, and arrange on a serving platter; drizzle with warm sauce.   

Kathy Grigg gave me this recipe and a sample of the granola after she made this. Kathy was served the granola at the Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana, last summer. She thought is was so yummy that she contacted Audra Rutter, the Food and Beverage director and asked for the recipe as well as permission for me to use it in the column. I agree with Kathy that the granola is delicious – you want to eat it by the handful as well as sprinkling it over yogurt.

CHICO GRANOLA

(Serves 24)

3 cups rolled oats

1 ¼ cup bran flakes

¾ cup shredded coconut

1 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)

¾ cup honey

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

¾ cup canola oil

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Prepare two baking sheets by covering with wax or parchment paper and greasing the paper with cooking spray.

  Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the honey, syrup, and oil. Add this to the dry mixture and stir until well combined.

  Divide the mixture between each prepared baking sheet, spreading evenly.

  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, tossing the granola halfway through the baking time to keep the edges from burning.

  Let cool completely before storing.

We grilled chicken breast halves last summer and used this recipe which called for soaking the breasts in a buttermilk marinade. We both enjoyed this recipe—the honey mustard glaze gave the chicken a delicious flavor and soaking the breasts in the buttermilk mixture before cooking seemed to make the chicken especially tender and flavorful.

HONEY-MUSTARD CHICKEN

(Serves 6)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 cups buttermilk

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¼ cup light mayonnaise

¼ cup honey

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

 In a large re-sealable plastic bag or glass dish, combine the buttermilk, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add chicken breasts and submerge. Marinate, refrigerated, 2 hours or overnight.

 Heat gas grill to medium or prepare charcoal grill with medium-hot coals. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Grill for 4 minutes and then flip and grill the other side for an additional 4 minutes or until done.

 Whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, mustard and thyme until smooth.

 Place chicken on a plate or shallow dish; brush with half the honey-mustard sauce. Return to the grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

 Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.

 If your chicken breasts are really large you may need to slightly increase your cooking time.

This may be my new favorite asparagus recipe. Roasting is an easy way to prepare them and the capers and crushed red-pepper flakes really add an extra flavor element. This is an easy recipe to prepare but you do need to be careful not to overcook the asparagus. Depending on the thickness of the asparagus stalks you may need to adjust your cooking times. I started testing the asparagus after they had been in the oven for about 8 minutes.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS with CAPERS & LEMON

(Serves 10)

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed (about 2 lbs.)

¼ cup salt-packed capers, rinsed well, soaked and drained,

   roughly chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

10 lemon wedges – you need 1 wedge per serving

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 Arrange asparagus and capers evenly on 2 rimmed baking sheets.

 Drizzle with oil, turning asparagus to coat. Season with salt and sprinkle with red-pepper flakes.

 Roast, shaking sheets once, until asparagus is crisp tender and golden at the tips, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool slightly.

 Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Margaret called and said that she had tried this potato recipe which her family including my 5 year old grand daughter really enjoyed and she thought it would be a good one to use in the column. I tried it and we agree that it is a good one. I used standard dry unflavored bread crumbs that you probably already have on hand but I think it would be interesting to try it with Italian bread crumbs. The cooking time on this recipe might vary depending on your oven and the amount of moisture in the potatoes.

CRISPY RED POTATO ROUNDS

(Serves 6)

1 ½ pounds red potatoes, sliced into ½” rounds

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 Wash potatoes, dry them and slice into ½-inch rounds.

 Place a large rimmed baking sheet into the preheated oven and allow to get hot.

 Place potatoes in a large zip lock bag and add olive oil. Toss the potato rounds and move them around in the bag until they are well coated. Mix parsley, parmesan and bread crumbs. Add them to the bag with the oiled potatoes and toss until they are well coated. Pour on heated baking sheet and spread them in a single layer.

 Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are done and a nice golden brown.

 Remove from the oven and salt and pepper them to taste.

Mary Alice sent me her friend Sheila’s recipe for Irish Stew. Mary Alice was served this at a covered dish and thought it was delicious. She thought I might enjoy having the recipe to use for a St. Patrick’s Day column. Sheila says that she throws in whatever fresh herbs that she happens to have on hand when she makes this stew – it’s an Irish Stew because she uses dark Guiness beer when she prepares it. 

IRISH STEW

(Serves 8)

2 pounds beef stew meat

¼ cup olive oil, divided

2 cups onions, diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup flour

¼ cup or more dark beer

2 cups beef broth

2 cups chicken broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup carrot chopped

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup frozen peas

 Brown meat in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onion to the pot and sweat covered until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat and combine, cook for 1 minute.

 Add beer and deglaze the pot, scraping bits from the bottom. Add both broths, meat and juices, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low and cover and simmer for 1 hour.

 Stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Add peas and simmer a few minutes longer. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaf before serving.

This Nutella-Chocolate Pie was a prize winner at the State Fair several years ago. I saw it featured on a food segment of WRAL-TV several months ago and thought it sounded tasty and even better, it was incredibly simple to prepare. We both thought is was delicious. I allowed the pieces to that slightly after I cut them – about 5 minutes or so.

NUTELLA-CHOCOLATE PIE

(Serves 8)

1 9-inch baked pie crust

1 cup nutella

1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened

1 cup of whipping cream, whipped

¼ cup of graham cracker crumbs

 Whip cream cheese. Continue beating and mix in nutella.

 Fold in 1 cup of cream that you have whipped. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle with the graham cracker crumbs. Cover pie with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until you are ready to serve it. Allow just a few minutes for the pie to soften.

 (If you want to really bring out the nutella flavor, rather than sprinkling the pie with graham cracker crumbs, drizzle it with nutella when you serve a slice. I also see no reason not to use a graham cracker crust if that is what you happen to have on hand.)

Recently I tried this recipe for a Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake. We both thought it was yummy. I served this with a piece of sausage for a Sunday morning breakfast.

 Because I measured and mixed the dry ingredients the night before, I was easily able to assemble and bake this and still be on time for an 8:30 church service. I sliced and wrapped the remaining cake in individual pieces and have found that it freezes well. This is a great way to use some of the blueberries that you froze last summer.

           BLUEBERRY OATMEAL BREAKFAST CAKE

(Serves 8)

1 1/3 cups flour

¾ cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup frozen blueberries (blueberries should be firmly frozen

   when used in baking)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan; set aside.

 In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.

 In a measuring cup, stir milk, oil and egg. Pour at once into the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy).

 Fold in firmly frozen blueberries; spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes. Cook on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.

I thought these Carrots Roasted with Smoked Paprika were delicious. They were so easy to prepare and I was so glad that I had some leftovers to enjoy later. You might want to cut off the little of the small end of the carrot as that does have a tendency to get really brown.

         CARROTS ROASTED WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA

(Serves 8)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coarse salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 ½ pounds medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

 Place a 10 x 15” pan on the bottom oven rack. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

 Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.   Arrange carrot mixture in a single layer on the preheated pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley or cilantro if you prefer.

Mary Alice sent me this recipe for Mexican Brownies that a friend of hers had baked and taken to a wives function at Fort Campbell. Mary Alice thought that these were just yummy and sure to please any die hard chocoholic. I asked if she could get the recipe because I thought it would be a great valentine column. Her friend Sheila, was more than happy to pass it on. She found the recipe from Epicurious.com. The recipe apparently was featured in Bon Appetit magazine in 1996. I tried these brownies and they really have a delicious flavor. Enjoy! 

 MEXICAN BROWNIES

(Serves 15)

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

¼ cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup sliced almonds

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the sides.

 Using a heavy large saucepan, stir unsweetened chocolate and butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.

 Whisk in the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, then the vanilla. Continue to whisk until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add flour and whisk just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface.

 Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 to 35 minutes. Begin checking a little before that. Cool completely in the pan on a rack..

 Whisk sugar, cream and butter in a heavy small saucepan over low heat until the mixture is smooth and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Mix in the vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes. Whisk until thick enough to spread.

 Spread over the brownies. Sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until the topping sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made a day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

 Using foil as aid, lift brownies from pan. Cut into squares.

 Serve cold or at room temperature.

Once again I’ve been wondering what would be a good dish to serve for Super Bowl Sunday. I finally decided to go with a recipe for Stuffed Shells that Mary Alice sent me that she has made several times and she says her friends always rave about it.

 This is a recipe that you make in advance and all you need to serve with it is a tossed salad and perhaps some garlic bread.

 This recipe makes a lot and the directions call for making two casseroles and freezing one for later. However, you can bake them both.

 I use a plain (no mushrooms or meat added) marinara or tomato sauce for this like Ragu or Newman’s Qwn – there are a lot of different choices out there or you could make your own.

STUFFED SHELLS  

1 box (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped  (we used 3 oz. Proscuitto and 2 links mild Italian sausage, covering removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, chopped

1 head radicchio, cored and shredded (4 cups)

1 tsp red wine vinegar

12 oz ricotta cheese (1¼ cups)

8 oz fresh mozzarella, chilled and cut into small cubes

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

5 cups favorite tomato sauce

Unsalted butter, for dotting

Finely grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook shells for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with oil. Let cool.

 Meanwhile, heat oil in large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage, prosciutto, gralic and onion, stirring until prosciutto starts to caramelize and sausage is browned – 6 to 8 minutes. Add radicchio; cook until tender but not too mushy, about 4 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook until evaporated. Let cool slightly. Stir in ricotta and mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.

 Pour 2 cups tomato sauce into the bottom of two 8 x 12 inch baking dishes (you may want to use one disposable pan as one dish is for freezing). Stuff 32 shells with 1 heaping tablespoon filling each. Pack 16 shells into each dish. Cover with foil. May now freeze if desired.

 Preheat oven to 375 . Dot shells with butter. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Heat remaining cup of tomato sauce and serve with shells. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

* This recipe is easily altered – you can use other greens such as Swiss chard, or Savoy cabbage. Steve also thought it would be nice to sprinkle small amount of shredded mozzarella for the final 15 minutes.

Recently I had some leftover bananas that were nice and dark and I decided that rather than making banana bread that I would try this recipe for Banana-Nut Muffins. I really enjoyed these. We ate some when they came out of the oven and then I individually wrapped the rest and froze them. It is nice to occasionally be able to take one out when you need it without having the rest of a loaf of banana bread that you feel like you need to finish.

BANANA-NUT MUFFINS

(Serves 12)

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 mashed ripe bananas

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Beat in mashed bananas until smooth. Mix dry ingredients together and sift. Alternately stir four mixture and buttermilk into the egg mixture until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Do not over mix the batter. It will be slightly lumpy.  Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins. You may get a few more—I used regular sized muffin pans. 

I tried this Spinach Salad recipe recently and we enjoyed it. It is a nice change from the usual tossed salad. When I tried this recipe I did not use black olive so make that call based on what your family likes and whether you happen to have any on hand.

I used a combination of low fat and no fat sour cream in my dressing but I do prefer to make the dressing several hours before I use it to allow the flavors a chance to develop. I used a garlic press (a very handy kitchen gadget) to crush my garlic for the dressing; I actually prefer this to mincing garlic for something like this dressing.

If you are in a hurry, a bottled ranch dressing could be used.

SPINACH SALAD with SOUR CREAM DRESSING

(Serves 4)

1 pound baby spinach

2 hard-boiled eggs, diced

½ cup sliced pitted black olives, optional

½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

Combine the salad ingredients and toss together. Arrange on individual salad plates.

Pour the dressing over the individual salads or serve the dresing on the side which many people prefer.

As I promised several weeks ago in this column, here are some more apple recipes that you might enjoy. The Apple Cheese Casserole is a favorite of mine that was in this column years ago. You could count this as either a side dish or a dessert, but I usually serve it as a side dish.

I just tried the Sour Cream Apple Squares several weeks ago and Alan thinks it is the best bar cookie that he has ever eaten. They disappeared so quickly that I can’t tell you how quickly they should be used or whether they freeze well.

APPLE and CHEESE CASSEROLE

(Serves 8)

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

7 medium-size tart apples, peeled and diced

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar, salt and flour; cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Mix in cheese, and set aside. Combine apples, water, and lemon juice; toss lightly. Spoon into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle cheese mixture over apples, and pat down gently.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

SOUR CREAM APPLE SQUARES

(Serves 12)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups light brown sugar

½ cup butter softened

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Set aside.

For the crust: in a bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Firmly press 2¼ cups of this mixture into the buttered baking dish. Set aside.

For the filling: to the reserved brown sugar mixture, add the sour cream, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix well and stir in the chopped apples and pecans. Pour over the crust and bake for about 30 minutes or until firm and it begins to pull away from the sides of the dish.

Cool and cut into squares. I had 24 squares that measured approximately 2-inches. They could easily be halved to have 48 pieces. 

I made chili for hotdogs for a function that we had at our church several weeks ago and several people were interested in how I made it and said that I should put the recipe in the paper. A friend who is a member of the Mount Vernon Springs Presbyterian Church told me about this recipe and I found a copy of it in their church cookbook. I tried the recipe and thought it was so good and so easy that I have not bought any chili since. I don’t know who Polly is but I enjoy this recipe as much today as when I ran it in the paper about 20 years ago. If you are having a hotdog or hamburger party to celebrate Labor Day, make your own chili and impress your friends and family.

We freeze this chili in small batches so that we always have some on hand to use if we need it. .

POLLY’S CHILI FOR HOT DOGS and HAMBURGERS

(Serves 20)

1 ½ pound hamburger

1 14 oz. bottle catsup

1 14 oz. bottle water

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon mustard

2 teaspoons chili powder

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Taste and adjust seasonings. I usually add more chili powder.

I made these Buttermilk Bars several months ago for coffee hour at our church and took the leftovers to the Chatham News the next day. Everyone seemed to enjoy these. Alan is not a coconut fan so he wondered if I couldn’t leave this out. When I mentioned this at the office, I was told in no uncertain terms to forget that idea.

BUTTERMILK BARS

(Serves 24)

1¼ cups sugar

¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 cups flour

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup chopped pecans

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour and butter in a bowl and mix with a pastry blender until the mixture is in coarse crumbs. Take our 2 cups of this mixture and reserve the rest.

To the 2 cups of the mixture add the coconut and chopped nuts. Pat this mixture into prepared pan.

To the reserved mixture, add the egg, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Pour over the crumb mixture in the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

Drizzle with a thin confectioners glaze made from 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar and enough milk or cream to reach desired consistency. 

These Four-Cheese broiled Tomato Slices are delicious. You can use them as either a side or an appetizer but unless you are serving them as a first course for dinner they will make a rather juicy (messy?) appetizer. Try to choose a tomato that is ripe but a little on the firm side. I think this recipe would be a wonderful way to improve tomatoes that are a little less than wonderful.

FOUR-CHEESE BROILED TOMATO SLICES

(Serves 4)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated Romano cheese

½ cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

½ cup Ricotta cheese

½ cup mayonaise

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 large tomatoes

In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients.

Slice tomatoes into 4 or 5 slices, depending on their size. Allow 2 slices as a side or 1 slice as an appetizer serving.

Spread each slice with 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture

Place slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Broil 3 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese mixture is golden brown and the tomatoes are heated through.

I don’t think I have ever seen apple trees as loaded as they are this year so I suspect we will all be wondering what to do with all this bounty. These recipes are a couple that you might be interested in trying.

I made the Apple Relish several years ago and liked it. This relish is a nice accompaniment for pork or as a topping for cream cheese to spread over crackers for a hors d’oeuvre.

I tried this Roasted Apple dish one Sunday morning and still easily made it to church at 8:30 without getting up earlier than usual and the only preparation that I had made the night before was find the recipe and washing the apples. I served them with Gloria Lee’s fabulous sausage muffins and it made a wonderful breakfast. The leftovers reheated nicely and were a welcome addition to supper later in the week. I think you could try the recipe with other varieties of apples but I haven’t done this yet.

I’ll try to feature some more apple recipes in another column in the coming weeks.

APPLE RELISH

(Serves 48)

7 pounds Winesap apples, cored and ground

2 oranges, seeded and ground

2 pounds raisins

7 cups sugar

1 pint cider vinegar

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients together in a heavy pot and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Place relish in hot sterilized jars.

Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

ROASTED APPLES

(Serves 8)

¼ cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 apples, preferably Gala, cored and cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Add apples and toss to coat.

Spread apples in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing halfway through, until tender but firm. Cooking time will vary from 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your apples.  

I was able to find some nice okra at the Siler City Farmers Market Saturday so I expect that it is also available at the other markets in the county. I used the okra this week end and tried a new recipe that I was sure that Alan would like but did not know if it would become one of my favorites. It was delicious and is sure to become a recipe that we will use often when good fresh okra is available.

OKRA PILAF

(Serves 8)

3 slices bacon, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced fresh okra

¼ cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

2 cups chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, grained.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until limp. Add okra and saute until the bacon is lightly browned. Add bell pepper and onion; cook until tender.

Stir rice, chicken broth, salt and thyme into the vegetables. Bring to a boil and stir once. Simmer covered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done—be careful not to let it get too dry. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes; serve immediately.

Most of you probably have a lot of tomatoes that you are trying to use in one way or another. You might enjoy trying this recipe for Tomato and Eggplant Pinwheels. The number of tomatoes called for in the recipe is just a guideline – you will need as many tomato slices as eggplant slices. If you have extra tomato slices, you could just have a couple of tomato slices without the eggplant for people who won’t eat eggplant. This can be either a main dish or a side. If you are serving is as a side and your pinwheels are large, some people might choose to only eat half a pinwheel.

TOMATO and EGGPLANT PINWHEELS

(Serves 8)

1 large eggplant, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

4 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

1 tablespoon fresh basil, sliced in very thin pieces

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1¼ cups grated jack cheese

Slice eggplant crosswise into ¾ inch slices. Brush lightly with olive oil; salt to taste.

Place on an oiled cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until the eggplant changes color and is tender. Remove from oven.

Season eggplant with pepper; top with a tomato slice which has been lightly dusted with sugar; sprinkle with thyme. Return to oven for 9 to 10 minutes just to warm the tomato – it may not take that long. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle with fresh basil and top with the grated jack cheese; return to the oven to melt the cheese. Serve hot.

I tried this recipe for Peach Swirl Rolls this weekend and we both enjoyed it – of course I sampled one straight from the oven and I usually think anything that is warm is yummy.

The rolls are easy to prepare but try to have your can of dough in the coldest spot in your refrigerator and don’t take it out until you are ready to start assembling the rolls. I baked mine in a glass pie plate. I found that a slotted spatula made it easier to transfer the rolls to the baking dish.

Because we were anxious to try the rolls, I did not ice them but just sprinkled them with powdered sugar. The next time I bake these I will try to not be in such a hurry and I will ice them which should make them even better. 

PEACH SWIRL ROLLS

(Serves 8)

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 cup finely chopped peaches

½ teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon sugar

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1½ tablespoons fresh peach puree

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove rolls from the can. Do not separate. Place on a lightly floured board and work them into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Brush with the melted butter.

Mix chopped peaches with the lemon juice. Add sugar and stir. Using a slotted spoon, sprinkle them over the suface of the dough. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Roll up jellyroll fashion beginning with the long side of the dough. Cut into 9 or 10 equal slices, Place swirls in a buttered dish, cut side down. Dot with additional butter if desired. Place in oven and immediately reduce temperature from 450 to 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes.

If desired, ice with the peach glaze; mix sifted powdered sugar and mix with 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh peach puree until smooth and drizzle over the baked swirls. Top with chopped pecans if desired.   

I tried this recipe for Oven Fried Buttermilk-Pecan Chicken recently and both of us thought it was delicious. Alan will be requesting this again soon. I tried this recipe because I happened to have some buttermilk in the refrigerator but I have seen similar recipes using this technique that don’t call for the pecans and sesame seed and I think they would be good also. Because two of my bonless chicken breasts were quite large, we used a tenderizer on them (manual not an additive) and I think this is probably a good idea any time you are dealing with oversized pieces.    

OVEN FRIED BUTTERMILK-PECAN CHICKEN

(Serves 4)

¼ cup butter or margarine

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup pecans, ground

1/8 cup sesame seeds

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ egg slightly beaten

½ cup buttermilk

4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned

¼ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a baking dish; set aside. (The size of dish you need will depend on the size of your chicken breasts.)

Combine flour and the next five ingredients.

Combine egg and buttermilk.

Dip chicken in egg mixture and then dredge in the flour mixture, coating well. Place in the baking dish, turning once to coat with the butter.

Sprinkle chicken breast with chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done—time will vary a little depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

If you have some nice small red potatoes I think you will enjoy trying this recipe. We both thought the potatoes were delicious. This is easier to prepare than the usual potato salad and because you are using olive oil rather than mayonnaise it should be a little better for you.

RED POTATOES WITH PARMESAN AND CAPERS

(Serves 6)

12 small red potatoes

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green oniion

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

Drain potatoes: cool slightly. Cut each in half and place in a serving bowl.

Pour cheese mixture over potatoes and toss gently to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

This weekend I experimented with an old recipe and came up with a new version using blueberries which are just becoming available locally. I was very pleased with the results and think you might enjoy trying this.  

BLUEBERRY-LEMON OVERNIGHT COFFEE CAKE

¾ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 8-ounce carton of sour cream (I used light sour cream)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Grated rind of one lemon

1½ cup blueberries

Lemon Glaze

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

Juice of one lemon, plus more if you prefer

1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Combine butter and sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs and sour cream, mixing well.

Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour.

Combine remaining flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add these ingredients to the batter, stirring well. Add lemon extract and lemon rind and stir again. Gently fold in the floured blueberries.

Pour into prepared pan and cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pan from the refrigerator, uncover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until your cake tests done.

While cake cools, prepare glaze.

In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter. Gradually add juice until desired consistency is reached. Stir in lemon rind. (If needed, you can also add a little milk to get the glaze to the consistency you want, but add it by the teaspoon.)

Spread glaze over cooled cake.

This Squash Cornbread is yet another version of something you can do with a box of corn muffin mix. The possibilities are endless. You might enjoy this now when fresh squash are available and you may have too many of them. Who knows, even the non-squash eater in your family may like them hidden is a little cornbread. The 9x13 pan makes a fairly thin slab of bread. I may try doing this in a slightly smaller dish the next time I make this and I will adjust my cooking time accordingly.

SQUASH CORNBREAD

 (Serves 8)

1 box corn muffin mix

2 cups yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 small onion, grated

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 stick melted margarine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Mix all of the ingredients well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

For years I have been seeing cookie recipes that use a cake mix as the base which certainly makes it easier to quickly assemble cookie dough for baking. I finally tried one of the recipes from a file that I had clipped in 2003. All I can say about it is that it is one of Alan’s favorites and it keeps beautifully in an airtight container in a cool room. I especially like the crispiness of these cookies and I’m looking forward to trying the same recipe using a chocolate cake mix as the base. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

CRISPY WALNUT COOKIES

(Serves 15)

1 package (18 ¼ oz.) yellow cake mix

2 cups quick-cooking oats

½ cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oats and sugar. Beat in oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the walnuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches part onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: approximately 6 dozen cookies.

(I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix when I baked these.)

When we were at Mary Alice’s at Christmas, she served us this Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Sweet Slaw. It was delicious so I copied her recipe and we have made it since we came home—in fact we liked the Sweet Slaw so much that we have made that separately. I hope if you try this that you will enjoy it as much as we did.   

GRILLED ASIAN FLANK STEAK

With SWEET SLAW

(Serves 4)

¼ cup reduced salt soy sauce

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided

1 garlic clove, pressed

1½ pound flank steak

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 red jalapenos, thinly sliced into rounds (seeds removed)

5 cups thinly sliced Napa Cabbage

¾ cup chopped green onions, divided

Prepare grill.

Mix soy sauce, vegetable oil, 3 teaspoons minced ginger and garlic in a resealable plastic bag. Add flank steak and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Add jalapenos and remaining 2 teaspons of ginger. Place cabbage and ½ of the green onions in a medium bowl. Pour vinegar mixture mixture over the cabbage and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand while grilling the steak, tossing occasionally.

Grill steak until cooked to desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes a side for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice steak thinly against the grain. Sprinkle remaining green onions over the slaw. Serve and enjoy.   

Needless to say this salad is probably best when locally grown fresh tomatoes are available, but I have found that I can usually buy very good grape tomotoes throughout the year.

I like this salad because as well as being delicious it is very attractive. When I made it I bought some yellow grape tomatoes at our Farmers Market that I mixed with the cherry tomatoes that we had grown that I had managed to pick before the squirrels ate them. I liked the combination of the two colors of tomatoes but all red tomatoes will be fine. I also like being able to make this salad ahead. 

CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pints halved cherry or grape tomatoes

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil (optional)

In a medium bowl, whick together vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper until combined and slightly thickened.

Add halved tomatoes, red onion, parsley and basil and toss gently to combine all ingredients.

Serve at room temperature.

Alan and I both enjoyed this recipe for Buttermilk Parmesan Mashed Potatoes when I tired it. I did not peel my potatoes although you may prefer them peeled—it is up to you. The buttermilk and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese give these potatoes some extra flavor.

BUTTERMILK-PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES

(Serves 6)

2 pounds russett potatoes

2/3 cup fat-free milk

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup buttermilk

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a pot of cold water and cook until tender. Drain for a few minutes and return to pot.

Combine milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until butter melts. Add milk mixture to potatoes; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in buttermilk and remaining ingredients.   

I found this recipe for Chicken Pomodora in a promotion for a magazine that I had not subscribed to. We both like this recipe. I served it over rice with the sauce and it was delicious as well as pretty with the chopped tomatoes.

CHICKEN POMODORO

(Serves 4)

4 chicken cutlets

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup vodka

½ cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons heavy cream

½ cup sliced scallions

Prepare cutlets by placing between plastic wrap and gently pounding to about 1/4-inch uniform thickness. Season cutlets with salt and pepper and dust with a little flour.

Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray, add vegetable oil, and heat over medium high.

Saute cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side, flip over and saute 1-2 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil.

Remove pan from flame and deglaze with vodka. Cook until nearly evaporated. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.

Finish sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over the cutlets. Garnish with the sliced scallions.

The only reason that I can think of that this recipe is called Strawberry Lasagna is because it is prepared in layers. I think this is a good recipe but it calls for so many strawberries that you probably will only prepare this when local strawberries are in season and plentiful. I did find that I had more mashed strawberries than I actually used so you may not need quite so may.  

When you are slicing your pound cake remember that you are going to have 2 layers of ingredients and if your cake slices are too thick you may have trouble getting everything in your dish.

When I made this I halved the recipe because I didn’t want a lot of leftovers.

STRAWBERRY LASAGNA

(Serves 12)

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

2 3-ounce packages vanilla instant pudding mix

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ cup milk

8 cups mashed strawberries

¼ cup Kirsch (cherry brandy)

1 cup sugar

2 loaf pound cakes

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar or to taste

Wash strawberries and allow them plenty of time to dry. Cut them into pieces and mash—you want approximately 8 cups after they are roughly mashed. Combine mashed strawberries, sugar (if berries are really sweet you may not need all the sugar), and Kirsch.

Beat cream cheese, pudding mix, confectioners’ sugar, and milk in a mixer at high speed until smooth.

Slice pound cake into 1/2–inch slices—I did not use the end pieces. Line a 9x13-inch dish with cake slices. Spread cake with cream cheese mixture and top with strawberry mixture. Repeat layers. If you find the cream cheese mixture is getting too thick to spread, add a little additional milk. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

Before serving, whip whipping cream and additional confectioner’s sugar in a small mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Cut dessert into desired size squares to serve. Top with whipped cream.