Summer Tomato Salads
Marinated Tomato Salad
Tomato season is too short around here. I can never get enough of what my mom called “real tomatoes”. The first few tomatoes never make it in the house. Warm from the sun, they are too tempting. I just pick them right off the plant and eat them.
Then, I start to think about preserving some for after the season is over. So I start drying and canning tomatoes.
Sometimes, in the excitement of canning and dehydrating tomatoes, I find I haven’t remembered to eat enough of them fresh. So anxious to get as many as possible put away for winter, I have denied myself the pleasure of fresh, juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes.
Well, not this year. I have been having tomatoes with my eggs for breakfast, creamy tomato soup for lunch and plenty of tomato sandwiches and salads. I thought I would share a few of my favorite tomato salad recipes with you.
They are pretty simple. I think that is how it should be. When you have something as close to perfection as a ripe tomato, little more is needed.
Marinated Tomato Salad
3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.
Tomato and Feta Salad
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
12 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil -I used a lemon infused olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix the feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, onion, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
Warm Pasta Salad
1 lb. Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. dried basil or 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 T. capers, optional
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 lb. Uncooked pasta
Combine all ingredients, except pasta and chill overnight. Cook pasta, drain and toss with tomato mixture. Mixture should be served right away . Serves 6.
BLT Salad
6-8 slices bacon
2 slices rye bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
5 c. torn up lettuce or mixed greens
3 T. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2-3 tomatoes, diced
Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, drain and crumble. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pan. Make a sandwich with the rye bread and the Swiss cheese. Toast in the skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted. Set aside. Place lettuce in bowl and toss with the oil to coat the leaves. Toss with the vinegars and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and the bacon and toss. Cut the sandwich into cubes and place on the top of the salad. Serves 2.
Note: you can make two sandwiches if you want more bread and cheese in the salad.
Tomato Feta Salad
Warm Pasta Salad
BLT Salad
Cinnamon Vanilla Blueberry Jam
Cinnamon-Vanilla Blueberry Jam
It seems to be a great year for blueberries. The ones in my yard are starting to ripen, and I have more than ever before. So far, the netting is keeping birds and chipmunks away.
Prices at the market have been good, too. I have been eating berries, freezing berries and made some blueberry liqueur. I also wanted to make jam.
I often make blueberry jam with a little added vanilla, but decided to add cinnamon this time, as well. The result was so tasty.
I used the basic berry jam recipe from the Ball Blue Book, but I added both vanilla and a cinnamon in this batch. The flavors worked really well together. I am making more of this one, for sure. Enjoy.
Cinnamon- Vanilla Blueberry Jam
9 c. crushed blueberries
6 c. sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 T. vanilla
Pick over berries getting any stems. Rinse , drain and crush. Place berries, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a large saucepan and heat slowly until sugar has melted. Bring up heat and cook over high heat, stirring often. Stir more as mixture thickens. It will take 20-30 minutes to get to the gel stage. To check for gel stage dip a metal spoon in blueberry mixture and hold it up sideways. Allow mixture to drip off and when two drops come together to form one larger drop- you are at gel stage. You can also use a candy thermometer. When the jam reaches 220 degrees- or 8 degrees over the temp of boiling water- you are at gel stage. Ladle hot jam into clean, hot jelly jars. Fill to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe rims and place on lids prepared according to directions on box. Screw lids comfortably tight. Place jars in boiling water bath with water at least 1-2 inches over the tops of the jars. Cover pot and start timing when water returns to the boil. Process 15 minutes. Remove jars to towel, cutting board or cooling rack in a draft-free location. Check seals once jars are cooled. Makes 8-10 jelly jars.
Source: Adapted from Ball Blue Book
Cucumber Dill Salad
Cucumber Dill Salad
I love cucumbers and find myself eating more of them in the summer. There is something about a cucumber salad that feels like summer to me. It was hot last night, and I was in the mood for a salad. I had a couple of cucumbers, so I decided to make this to have with dinner last night. It was perfect.
I used a mix of vinegar, oil, salt, sugar and dill. By mixing the salad a couple of hours before dinner, the cucumbers become a sort of fresh pickle.
You don’t have to wait, though. The salad tastes good when freshly made. I just prefer the way it tastes after the flavors have a chance to blend a bit.
The nice thing about a salad like this, is that it keeps fresh and tasty for days. I even like to drain the cucumbers and add them to a sandwich, like you would add a pickle.
Cucumber Dill Salad
2 English cucumbers, sliced thin – any cuke would work, though
2/3 c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. oil
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 t. dill weed- I used dried- use about 1 tablespoon if using fresh
1 t. parsley
Fresh ground pepper and hot sauce to taste
Place cucumbers in a bowl and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl and mix well. Pour over the cucumbers and mix together. Chill salad several hours before serving. Serves 6.
Fresh Peach Scones
Fresh Peach Scones
I’ve really been in the mood to make scones lately. It has been hot, so I haven’t been baking as much. Scones bake pretty quickly, though. These were well worth heating up the kitchen for a little while. Since I had some beautiful peaches, I decided to use them in the batter.
They worked out even better than I had hoped. I added cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into the dough, for a little extra flavor. Nicely complimented the sweetness of the peaches.
These are wonderful for breakfast, brunch or with tea or coffee. They would also make a nice base for shortcake. I could see them with berries and whipped cream for a perfect summer dessert.
I used a 2 oz. cookie scoop and got 25 scones. You could make them bigger, just increase the baking time a couple of minutes. I also placed only one baking sheet in the oven at a time. You could put both in at once, but reverse the rack you have them on- half way through baking- so they bake more evenly. Also, if both trays are in the oven at once, increase baking time a couple of minutes.
Fresh Peach Scones
3 cups flour
½ c. sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
½ t. salt
10 T. cold butter (1 stick plus two tablespoons)
¾ c. half and half or milk
1 egg
1½ t. vanilla
1½ c. peeled, chopped peaches – about 3-4 peaches
Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
About 2-3 T. half and half
1 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 425. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or use silicone liners. In a bowl, place the dry ingredients and stir to mix. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and stir in half and half, vanilla and egg. Stir to make a soft dough. Fold in peaches. Use ice cream scoop to make scones, placing scoops of dough onto baking sheets. Bake until browned – 14-16 minutes. Cool on a rack. Make glaze and dip tops of scones in glaze or drizzle it over them. Makes 22-25 depending on size.
Cherry Pie Blintzes
Cherry Pie Blintzes
With cherries in season, I have been using them in all sorts of dishes. I think these blintzes are one of my favorites. They make a great dessert. I just dusted them with powdered sugar, but you can also top them with ice cream or whipped cream. They remind me a warm cherry pie.
Blintzes also make a great breakfast or brunch dish.
I didn’t use a lot of sugar in my pie filling because I was using sweet cherries. I also think with the powdered sugar on top, they are sweet enough. Adjust the sugar in the recipe to suit your own taste. If using tart cherries, you will want to add a little more sugar.
They are easy to make, too. We made them in cooking camp this week and the kids loved them.
These are not traditional blintzes. The secret is that the blintzes are made with flour tortillas instead of traditional crepes. I love the texture flour tortillas take on when softened in milk. They really work well, and with a fraction of the work of making crepes.
So here is the recipe. I think you will love them as much as I do.
Cherry Pie Blintzes
Cherry Pie Filling
4 c. pitted sweet cherries- sour cherries can also be used
1½ c. water
½ c. sugar- use a little more if using tart cherries
Pinch of salt
¼ c. cornstarch
Place cherries in a saucepan with 1 cup of the water, sugar and the salt. Bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with the ½ cup of water and add to the cherry mixture, cooking until just thickened. Cool. Makes about 4 cups.
Blintzes
8-10 Flour tortillas
½ c. Milk
4 T. Butter
Powdered sugar
Make the pie filling ahead of time, so it is cooled down. Place the tortillas in a shallow pan and pour milk over them. Turn them to make sure they all get covered in the milk. Let the tortillas soften for 5-10 minutes. Place a tortilla on a flat surface and spoon about ½ cup of the pie filling in the middle. Fold sides in until they almost touch in the middle. Roll up from the bottom to form a little bundle. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat and brown the blintzes, turning over as needed to brown on both sides. Start them off seam side down, to keep them from popping open. Place on serving dish and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Makes 8-10.
Browning in the skillet
Jim Gibans’ Mother’s Butterscotch Cookies
Butterscotch Cookies
I love these cookies. It’s not often I come across new cookie recipes. Even more special, that I love these cookies as much as I do. My friend Jared, sent me the recipe last week. I made them, and knew right away they were something special. I asked his permission to share the recipe with you.
The cookies aren’t much to look at. Little beige blobs, with a dollop of frosting on each one. Oh, but the flavor and texture are so special. They are like little cakes- soft, really tender, with a little crunch on the bottom. The brown butter icing compliments them perfectly.
The little flecks of brown in my frosting, are because some of the butter solids browned in the pan while I was cooking the butter. I like the flavor they add, so I was sure to get them out of the bottom of the pan. I added the powdered sugar to the saucepan of browned butter and beat it vigorously, to get them incorporated.
I am reprinting the recipe as it was sent to me. The only change I made, was that I baked them at 375, instead of 400. Be sure to grease the baking sheets. Even using a silicone baking sheet, they stuck a little before I greased the pan.
There are two different ingredient amounts for the frosting. Use the one you prefer. I used the larger amount and had frosting left over. Also, I don’t sift flour normally, and I didn’t sift the flour for this cookie.
Even after chilling, the dough was really soft. I used a cookie scoop to get them on the baking sheet. I got about 6 dozen cookies from the recipe. I used a one ounce scoop.
They are wonderful the first day, but even better the next.
I have no idea how old this recipe is. Jim was born in 1930 and passed recently. This post is dedicated to Jim and his mother, Sylva. I am honored to share her recipe with all of you.
Jim Giban’ Mother’s Butterscotch Cookies
Cookies
½ cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 ½ cups sifted flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cups walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 400.
Cream butter, add sugar gradually and cream thoroughly. Blend in well beaten eggs. Sift flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Blend in vanilla and nuts. Chill. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheets. Leave space for spreading. Bake 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool.
Frosting
6 Tbs. butter (or 8 Tbs.)
1 ½ cups confectioner’s ‘sugar (or 2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla
Hot water
Melt butter until golden brown. Blend in confectioner’s sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in slowly up to about 4 Tbs of hot water. Don’t add all at once. Just add enough until icing is right consistency to spread smoothly.
(Gram used the larger quantities of butter and sugar, but I find that I don’t need
that much icing).
Frost cooled cookies. Enjoy!
Gram= Sylva Hirsh Gibans mother of James Gibans
Fresh Cherry Cake
Fresh Cherry Cake
This cherry cake is the perfect summer dessert. It is full of fresh cherries and not too sweet. I love to serve it warm from the oven, but even at room temp, it is a crowd pleaser.
The cake is great, just as it is, but can also be dressed up with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream or a drizzle of melted chocolate.
While fresh cherries are in season, I try to use them in as many dishes as I can. I also pit and freeze some to enjoy later. I used fresh, pitted cherries, but you could use frozen, if you prefer.
The recipe calls for biscuit mix- like Bisquick. You can use store bought, or even make your own. I included a recipe for homemade biscuit mix at the bottom of this post.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Fresh Cherry Cake
2 c. biscuit mix*
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 egg
1½ c. pitted cherries- sweet or sour
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×9-inch pan. Beat all ingredients together, except cherries, for about 30 seconds. Fold in cherries and pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes. Cake should be golden brown on top and test clean with a toothpick. Serve warm, if you can.
*You can use Bisquick or Jiffy Mix, or use homemade. Recipe follows.
Pastry Mix/ Biscuit Mix
8 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk
¼ c. baking powder
1 T. salt
2 c. shortening**
Sift dry ingredients together 3 times. Cut in shortening to resemble cornmeal. Keep in an airtight container. Store in a cool dry place and use within six months.
**You can use coconut oil, if you prefer. If you do, chill coconut oil before making the mix, and store mix in fridge.
Cold Broccoli Soup
Cold Broccoli Soup
I admit to loving broccoli. I could eat it every day. Still, I get a little tired of just steamed broccoli. When I want to change things up, I will often make a broccoli stir fry or a salad.
This time, I decided to make a broccoli soup. I kept it simple, just adding a few fresh herbs from the garden, in addition to the other ingredients. It tasted wonderful and made a great light dinner. The leftovers actually made a nice breakfast, too.
This is a perfect soup for this time of year. A nice change up from all those salads.
I made sure not to cook the broccoli too long, so it stayed a nice, bright green color. As soon as it was tender, I took it off the heat and finished prepping it.
I topped it with shrimp and a little hot sauce. You can add whatever toppers you prefer- or leave it plain. I think next time, I’ll add some diced fresh tomato, as a topper.
Cold Broccoli Soup
1 qt. stock- chicken or veggie
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
4-5 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 T. parsley
1 T. lovage leaves- or celery leaves
2 t. mint leaves
1 c. half and half- or a bit more
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked shrimp, optional
Sriracha sauce, or any hot sauce you like
In soup pot, heat stock and add onions, cooking until onions are very tender, about 15 minutes. Some of the stock will cook off, concentrating the flavor. Add the broccoli and herbs and cover, simmering until broccoli is just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Puree mixture, adding enough half and half to get the thickness you like. Adjust seasonings. Chill soup before serving. Ladle into bowls and top with shrimp, if you like, and a few drops of hot sauce. Serves 4.
Note: You can also serve this soup warmed up, if you prefer.
Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles
In cooking camp today, we will be baking cookies, including Snickerdoodles. This is a recipe that has been around a long time and is still a favorite.
The kids really enjoy rolling the dough in cinnamon sugar, before baking.
The old version I had, called for shortening, but I use butter instead, and chill the dough. I prefer the taste of butter in cookies.
These are a great light dessert for summer and they travel well, too. A nice treat to bring to your next cookout, picnic or road trip.
Snickerdoodles can also be used to make awesome ice cream sandwiches.
Snickerdoodles
1 c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Mix butter, sugar and eggs. Combine next 4 ingredients and add to egg mixture. Chill dough at least a couple of hours. Combine sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowls. Roll dough in 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 9-11 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.
Cherry and Blueberry Clafoutis
Cherry and Blueberry Clafoutis
So what is clafoutis? Clafoutis is a sort of pancake, sort of custard, sort of quiche. It is a lovely dessert for fresh fruit, for sure.
You can serve it plain, or topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream. On a hot day, I like to serve it with a scoop of ice cream.
Clafoutis is really simple to make, too. You start by putting the fruit in a prepared pan. The batter is made in a blender, and takes just a couple of minutes to prepare. You pour the batter over the fruit- and bake.
I used cherries and blueberries in this one, but you can use all sorts of fruits- peaches, plums, raspberries…..
Most people enjoy it as a dessert, but it is also nice with that morning cup of coffee.
I used a combination I thought would make a nice dessert for summer. Blueberries and cherries are in season and so fresh.
Cherry and Blueberry Clafoutis
2 c. pitted cherries, I cut them in half, but you can leave whole
1 c. blueberries
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
3 T. melted butter
½ c. flour
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
pinch of salt
1 c. half and half
powdered sugar, optional
Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish or pie pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cherries and blueberries in the prepared pan. In blender, combine eggs, sugar, butter, flour, flavorings and salt.* Blend until smooth. Add half and half and blend again until smooth. Pour batter over the cherries and blueberries. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until clafoutis is browned around edges and puffed up. Allow to cool and dust with powdered sugar, if you like. It will deflate as it cools. Serves 6.
* You can whisk the ingredients together by hand, if you prefer.
