I’ve been in a nostalgic mood this week. Remembering, fondly, the picnics and cookouts from my childhood. For summer cookouts, we always had this salad. Long enough ago that it was called macaroni salad, not pasta salad. I loved it then, and I love it now.
I won’t say I don’t make other pasta salads. I do. I make all sorts of combinations, but this is the salad that brings me home.
Mom used mostly mayo, with a little salad dressing like Spin Blend. She felt it gave the salad just a little more zing. I use straight mayo, but that part of the recipe is flexible.
She added quite a few hard cooked eggs and I think they add a richness to the dish. My dad would cut up the celery and green onions for her. Mom liked the veggies cut into a fairly small dice in this dish, and Dad had great knife skills. I love the image of them cooking together.
So here it is- a family recipe wrapped up nicely with some memories, too.
Mom’s Macaroni Salad
1 lb. uncooked pasta, shells are preferred
Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise, about 1 1/2 cups
3-4 ribs celery, sliced thin
4-5 green onions, trimmed and sliced thin
8-12 hard-cooked eggs, cooled and peeled
Cook pasta according to package directions, but do not overcook. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Place drained pasta in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add mayo and vegetables and stir until well mixed. You may want to add more dressing to suit your taste. Chop eggs and stir into salad. Adjust seasonings if needed and chill before serving. Serves 8-10.
If you want a really tasty dessert that requires no baking, this one just might do it for you. Rather than being baked, this cheesecake is prepared, then frozen. Because it is made ahead of time and frozen, you can keep it on hand for when you need a dessert.
You can make one large cheesecake, or you could also make smaller, individual serving cheesecakes, in ramekins.
It also pairs chocolate with coffee- a classic combination. The crust is normally made with chocolate cookies- I used chocolate graham crackers for the crust. They worked great.
Great dessert for hot weather. Who am I kidding? I would want this even if there was a blizzard.
Frozen Mocha Cheesecake
1 ¼ c. chocolate cookie crumbs
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c. chocolate syrup
2 T. instant coffee crystals
1 t. hot water
1 c. whipping cream, whipped
Combine crumbs, sugar and butter and press into 9-inch springform pan. Chill. Beat cheese until fluffy and beat in milk. Stir in syrup and dissolve coffee in water. Add to cheese mixture and fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared crust and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours. Garnish with additional cookie crumbs if you like or with shaved chocolate. Keep leftovers frozen and use within a few weeks for best flavor.
This is one of the easiest jams you can make. You don’t need pectin and it cooks pretty quickly into sweet, thick jammy goodness. I prefer a softer set, so I stopped cooking mine a little sooner than you might prefer. I like a jam that spreads easily, even after it has been opened and stored in the fridge. I love this jam.
When I hand chopped the plums in the past some of the pieces of the peel seemed too big. I could see them in the finished jam. To insure the skins got chopped up, I chopped the plums in a food processor this time. I did not puree them, but pulsed enough times to have fine chopped plums This is just a cosmetic preference. You can just cook down chopped up plums and they will be fine. Or use an immersion blender after the plums have cooked a bit to smooth it out more.
So here is the recipe. I got it from the NCHFP website. The only changes I made was to up the processing time to 10 minutes, so I didn’t have to sterilize the jars. I also let the jam sit in the canner a few extra minutes to prevent siphoning.
Plum Jam
2 quarts chopped, pitted tart plums (about 4 pounds) – any plums will work
6 cups sugar
1½ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
Combine all ingredients; bring slowly to boiling, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly to, or almost to, the jellying point (which is 8°F above the boiling point of water, or 220°F at sea level). Stir constantly to prevent sticking or burning.
Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow jars to remain in canner 5 minutes before removing. Set jars on cooling rack or towel in a draft free place while they cool down. Check seals once jars are cool. Yield: About 8 half-pint jars.
After making lemon Italian ice recently, I had thought about variations. What else could be added to the base recipe? I decided to try cherries because I love the way cherry and lemon taste together. I was not disappointed. The cherries took my lemon ice to a whole new level. And the color!!! This may be one of my favorite frozen desserts ever.
You can use sweet or sour cherries for this recipe. I reduced the sugar from my original Lemon Ice recipe. Taste it before freezing and adjust sweetness to your preferences. Keep in mind, it will taste less sweet after freezing.
I am definitely making this recipe again. Besides just enjoying it as a dessert, you can add scoops to cocktails or non alcoholic drinks.
Cherry Lemon Italian Ice
2½ c. water
1 c. sugar
1¼ c. lemon juice*
Zest of 2 lemons, optional
2 cups pitted cherries
Combine water and sugar in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and zest, if adding, and stir until well combined. Add the cherries. Place in a food processor or blender and process until cherries are liquefied. Since I knew I was going to be processing the ice in a food processor after freezing, I didn’t bother to blend the mixture up first. I just made the lemon ice base, tossed in the cherries and through it in the freezer. It really is about how smooth you want it to be.I knew I didn’t mind a few small flecks of cherry. Freeze.
You have options here. You can place the mixture in a shallow tray- preferably one with a tight lid- and place in the freezer. Or you can put the mixture in any shape container with a tight lid and freeze. It kind of depends on how you plan to serve your ice, once it is frozen. Some recipes call for stirring the mixture every 30 minutes as it freezes. Then to serve it, you just scrape over the surface with a heavy spoon for a grainy ice- a granita. This is one option and a tasty one. Works best in the flatter, longer container.
Another option is to just freeze it. Once frozen, allow the cherry lemon ice to soften a few minutes, then break into chunks and place in a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth- then serve or put back in the freezer until you want to serve it. You can even repeat the food processing part another time for a smoother end product. This is what I did with this batch. I wanted a sorbet – like texture.
If you didn’t have enough choices already, you can also put the mixture in an ice cream machine to freeze. This method will also give you a sorbet like final product.
No one way is best- it is just what you like. Makes about a quart and a half.
* you can use lime juice and zest instead, for lime ice- or even use them together.
I hadn’t made Italian ice in a long time. As a kid, I remember getting little cups of this treat in the summer and I loved it. I decided it was time to make some again. We have hotter weather coming this week and it seemed like a great time to make this frozen treat.
The recipe couldn’t be simpler. Just water, sugar and juice. You can also add zest. You don’t even need any special equipment. Lemon is more traditional, but lime works great, too. You can add more juice or less or more sugar to suit your own taste. I like my lemon ice to have a nice strong lemon flavor. Taste it before you freeze it to make it to suit your taste.
Italian ice is a great, light dessert or it can be served as a palate cleanser. Make more than you think- it goes fast. A neighbor stopped over last night and we added scoops to our vodka cocktails. Very tasty!!
Enjoy!!
Lemon Italian Ice
2½ c. water
1½ c. sugar
1¼ c. lemon juice*
Zest of 2 lemons, optional
Combine water and sugar in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and zest, if adding, and stir until well combined. Freeze.
You have options here. You can place the mixture in a shallow tray- preferably one with a tight lid- and place in the freezer. Or you can put the mixture in any shape container with a tight lid and freeze. It kind of depends on how you plan to serve your ice, once it is frozen. Some recipes call for stirring the mixture every 30 minutes as it freezes. Then to serve it, you just scrape over the surface with a heavy spoon for a grainy ice- a granita. This is one option and a tasty one. Works best in the flatter, longer container.
Another option is to just freeze it. Once frozen, allow the lemon ice to soften a few minutes, then break into chunks and place in a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth- then serve or put back in the freezer until you want to serve it. You can even repeat the food processing part another time for a smoother end product. This is what I did with this batch. I wanted a sorbet – like texture.
If you didn’t have enough choices already, you can also put the lemon juice mixture in an ice cream machine to freeze. This method will also give you a sorbet like final product.
No one way is best- it is just what you like. Makes about a quart.
* you can use lime juice and zest instead, for lime ice- or even use them together.
These tarts are a perfect dessert for summer parties. Sweet fruit in a tender crust. Fun to take to your next summer party, picnic or cookout.
I used homemade peach pie filling. You can use store bought pie filling, but I include the recipe at the bottom of the post. The recipe makes just over 2 cups of filling. I had some crust left over. I made the crust with butter this time, but have used other options listed in the recipe. To make them vegan you can use coconut oil, but be prepared for a crust that is a little crumbly.
I got 24 and used a little over half of the dough recipe. Had I rolled them out a little thinner, half a recipe would be enough.
Peach Mini Tarts
dough for 1 pie crust
About 2 cups peach pie filling, room temp or chilled
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, chilled – you could use coconut oil, chilled, lard or shortening
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt in food processor and add coconut oil. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in vinegar and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing as you add, until dough just holds together. Remove from processor and press dough together to form a ball. Chill at least 30 minutes before using. Makes enough for 2 pie crusts or up to 48 tarts.
Peach Pie Filling
3 cups diced peaches
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. water
3 T. cornstarch
2 t. cinnamon
Heat peaches and sugar in a saucepan until bubbly. Stir to prevent sticking. Combine water and cornstarch and add to the peach mixture. Heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the cinnamon, too. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more cornstarch and water. Sometimes the peaches are extra juicy.
To Bake the Tartlets
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough circles in mini muffin pans. Press them in gently being careful not to tear them. Repeat with remaining dough and re-roll scraps. You should end up with about 3 dozen in all. If you don’t have enough pans, keep the extra dough circles under a towel or plastic wrap so they don’t dry out until you are ready to use them. Place a rounded teaspoonful of peach pie filling into each of the tartlet shells in the prepared pans. Don’t over fill. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes about 3 dozen.
Can be frozen. To reheat take straight from the freezer and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes but check after 15 minutes. Or thaw in the fridge and serve cold.
These are one of my favorite pickled veggies. I like pretty much any type of pickle, and I love green beans, so no surprises there. They have a great, tart flavor.
If you have an abundance of green beans, you might consider making a batch of these to enjoy year round. Green beans are also at local farm markets now, and are at their peak.
These are good just eaten like other pickles, as a side. But they are also a fun addition to a Bloody Mary- or so I am told. I also like to serve them as an appetizer with cheeses, crackers and olives. Who am I kidding? I eat them right out of the jar.
While the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes per jar- feel free to add more, for a spicier version.
Dilly Green Beans
4 lbs. table‑perfect whole green beans
1 3/4 t. crushed dried hot red pepper
3 1/2 t. dried dill seed or seven fresh dill heads
7 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled
5 c. vinegar
5 c. water
1/2 c. less 1 T. pickling salt
Wash beans thoroughly. Remove stems and tips, and cut them as much as possible in uniform lengths to allow them to stand upright in canning jar, coming to the shoulder of the jar. have jars clean and very hot, and lids and sealers ready in scalding water. In each jar place one dill head or 1/2 t. dill seed, add one garlic clove, and 1/4 t. crushed hot red pepper. Pack beans upright in jars, leaving 1 inch of head room. Heat together the water, vinegar and salt. When the mixture boils, pour it over the beans, filling each jar to 1/2 inch from the top. Run a plastic knife down and around to remove trapped air. Adjust lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, start timing after the water in the canner returns to a boil. Remove jars. …Wait at least 2 weeks for these beans to develop their flavor. Yield: 7 pints
I am a big fan of homemade bread and butter pickles. I make several batches every year. Friends and family really like them, too. I get requests, every year, for these Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles.
While you should follow recipes for pickles carefully- those amounts of vinegar, salt, sugar etc., all are important for safety and a good end product, you can play around with seasonings a little.
In this case, I just add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to each pint jar for the spicy version. Just enough of a kick. You might want to add a little more or less, according to your taste.
So here is the recipe for classic Bread and Butter Pickles- with the variation for Spicy included.
Bread and Butter Pickles*
6 quarts thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
6 medium onions, peeled and sliced thin
½ c. pickling salt
1½ quarts vinegar
4½ c. sugar
½ c. whole mustard seed
1 T. Pickling spice
1 T. celery seeds
Wash cucumbers and trim off ends before slicing. Place in non-reactive bowl
(stainless steel, enamel, plastic) add the onions and then salt and stir. Allow cucumbers and onions to sit in the salt for 3 hours. After 3 hours drain well, but do not rinse. Meanwhile combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add cucumbers and onions and return to the boil. As soon as the mixture is boiling ladle into clean, hot pints jars, leaving a good ½ -inch of headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids firmly. Place in boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes. Remove to counter and allow to cool naturally. Makes 12 pints.
* For Spiced Bread and Butter Pickles add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to each pint jar just before filling.
Note: These need a couple of weeks for the flavors to develop. They can also be made with firm, small zucchini. For crisper pickles, you can also add Pickle Crisp, which Ball makes. Follow package directions.
Source: Putting Food By
I love basil so much I once owned a cat named Basil. I make pesto and use basil in almost every tomato dish I make.
This time of year, I am also freezing and drying basil, so I will have it year round.
You don’t always have to use basil in savory dishes. Its flavor actually compliments sweet dishes, too.
I used fresh basil in these butter cookies and the flavor is wonderful. You could use dried basil, too. Just decrease the amount to 1 tablespoon of dried basil. Chop the fresh basil finely, just before adding it to the dough.
To add a little extra pop of flavor, I finished the cookies with a lemon glaze.
Here is the recipe. I hope you like it.
Basil Butter Cookies with Lemon Glaze
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour
3 T. fresh basil, chopped fine
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
Glaze
2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 T. lemon juice- or enough to make a thin glaze.
Beat sugar and butter together until fluffy and then beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture. Chill dough at least a couple of hours. Roll dough into ¾-1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will flatten somewhat. Make glaze and dip the top of the cooled cookies in the glaze. Glaze will harden a little as the cookies set. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
This time of year, I am looking to preserve as many herbs as I can, to enjoy year round. Basil is one of my favorites. I grow, and use, a lot of it. I am doing a major harvest of basil today. Some will be frozen in olive oil, some dried, and some added to vinegar.
None of the preservation methods is difficult. Basil can be tricky to dry, though. Unlike a lot of herbs, basil does not air dry well. It tends to turn brown. I have a dehydrator, but if you don’t have one, you can still dry your basil successfully. Believe it or not, you can dry basil, and other herbs, in a microwave. Directions follow.
So I am off to harvest my basil. One thing is sure- my house will smell really good today.
Freezing in Oil
To use basil in pesto sauce, dried just won’t do. You can easily freeze your basil in olive oil and have it ready whenever you want it. Just place clean basil leaves in a blender or food processor and add olive oil. It is important that you use olive oil because it freezes solid. While the machine is running pour in oil until basil is blended. I use very little oil for two reasons. It takes up less room in the freezer and I don’t need so much oil. I can add more oil when I use it, but this way if I am doing a big batch i don’t go through all my oil. Once the mixture is blended pour or spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen solid pop out the basil cubes and put in freezer bags and return to the freezer.You can also freeze chopped basil without the oil. I like it better in the oil, but I freeze other herbs by just chopping them up and freezing them.
Frozen Basil Cubes
Process basil and olive oil until smooth
Spoon mixture into ice cube trays and freeze
Microwave Drying
If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry herbs in your microwave. It only takes a couple of minutes per batch. Just place a handful of fresh, clean basil leaves in a linen-type kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the herbs and place in the microwave. Be sure to put a raw potato in with the herbs in the oven. If you only put the herbs in, it is like running the oven empty and can damage the microwave. Just put the potato off to the side. If you do several batches you will have a baked potato. ? If you have a turntable, just cook on high for 2 minutes. Check and see if they are dry- you might need a little more time. I need about 2 1/2 minutes in my microwave. Better to put them in for 15 more seconds at a time than to over dry them. If you don’t have a turntable microwave on high for a minute. After the first minute turn the herbs 1/4 turn and cook 15 seconds, turn again and cook another 15 seconds. Repeat four times in all. You can dry other herbs in the microwave. Small leaved herbs like thyme are done even faster. Remove the herbs from the oven and allow them to cool. check if they are dry enough and return, wrapped to cook longer if needed. Store in containers in a cool place.
Microwave dried basil on the left and fresh basil on the right
Place fresh basil on a towel and fold towel over the herbs
Place in microwave with a potato
All microwaves are different. Some will take longer and some even less time. Watch your herbs carefully. While I have never seen it happen I was told once that theoretically, they could catch on fire if left in too long. Urban legend perhaps, but just be careful.
Herb Vinegar
When I grow basil, I try to keep the blossoms pinched off. Better for leaf production. But by this time of year some are blooming. Rather than dumping the blossoms you can use them to flavor vinegar. Just snip off the blossoms and place them in a sterilized bottle or jar. Use several sprigs of basil flowers for every 2 cups of vinegar. Make sure the vinegar is at least 5% acidity. I like to use different vinegars for different herbs. I often use cider vinegar, red wine vinegar (for purple basil) and white wine vinegar. Leaves can be used, too. Vinegar should be heated up to 190 degrees- or just below the boiling point. Close up the jar and store in a cool place (50-70 degrees) for a couple of weeks. Before using strain out the herbs and filter- I use coffee filters or you could use cheese cloth. Store in a pretty bottle, if you have one. They can be kept for up to a year when stored in the fridge.
