Monthly Archives: July 2017

Spiced Beet and Tomato Soup

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Spiced Beet and Tomato Soup

I had picked up some beautiful fresh beets at the market over the weekend. Since it’s was a little cool today, I thought I’d make soup with them. I took inspiration from what I had on hand including onions, potatoes and home canned tomatoes. Adding the tomatoes was a last minute decision that worked out really well. The tomatoes added just the right amount of tart/sweet flavor.  The color was pretty, too.

I know beets aren’t everybody’s favorite, but I love them. I love how they taste.  I love the color. I love how everything I cook with beets turns out the most gorgeous color.

I don’t, however, love the way my kitchen looks whenever I cook with beets. It’s like something out of a crime scene. Not blaming the beets. Just wondering how it is I can clean up everything, then walk in the kitchen the next day and find flecks of red all over?

Here is the soup recipe. It was a small bunch of beets, so I just made a small batch of soup, but it could easily be doubled.

 

Spiced Beet and Tomato Soup

1 bunch beets, about 1 lb.

oil

1 onion, chopped

1 t. cumin seeds

1 t. fennel seeds

3-4 c. stock- I used chicken

1 potato, cubed

1 pint canned tomatoes – or 2 c. diced tomatoes – or 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1t. dill

1/4 t. cayenne, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Wash beets and trim leaving about 1 inch of the stem attached. Reserve greens.  Place beets in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove beets and cool in cold water until you can handle them. While beets are cooling, cook onion in oil until tender. Add seeds and cook until they are toasted and onions are golden.  Peel and cube the beets. Add to the onions along with the stock, potatoes and tomatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Rinse and chop up about 1 cup of the beet greens and add them to the soup along with the seasonings. Cook until greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 3-4.

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Dilly Beans

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Dilly Green Beans

In a pickle making cooking class last night, we made dilly green beans. These are one of my favorite pickles.  I like pretty much any type of pickle, and I love green beans, so no surprises there. If you have an abundance of green beans, you might consider making a batch of these to enjoy year round.

These are great just eaten like other pickles, as a side. But they are also great added to a Bloody Mary- or so I am told. I also like to serve them as an appetizer with cheeses, crackers and olives.

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

 

Source: Putting Food By

 

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Fresh Cherry Cake

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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.

 

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Four Fresh Tomato Salads

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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. 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

Tomato Feta Salad

Warm Pasta Salad

Warm Pasta Salad

BLT Salad

BLT Salad

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Caramel Crepes with Honey Ice Cream

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Caramel Crepes with Honey Ice Cream

I had made dessert crepes last week and still had some in the freezer. It had been hot around here so I wanted something cold to serve for dessert.

I had made honey ice cream, so that part was covered. I made a simple caramel sauce to top the crepes and finished them with a little whipped cream. It really was an easy dessert, but looked special. Tasted pretty good, too. The thing is, you can get all the components made, then just put them together when you are ready to serve them.

When I make crepes, I often have extra and freeze them for later use. I was happy that I did. Of course, use any ice cream flavor you have. I will say, the honey ice cream is worth the effort. I just spooned some ice cream along one edge of the crepes, and rolled them up. I kept them in the freezer until ready to serve. Then I drizzled with the caramel sauce. Much easier than you might think.

Dessert Crepes

1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. sugar
2-T. orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled

Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 2 teaspoons of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen.  Makes 20.

Here is another variation that would be great with chocolate or strawberry ice cream.

Chocolate Crepes

Add 2-3 T. cocoa to flour and mix well before blending. You will probably need to add 1-2 T. extra milk, but mix first.

Honey Ice Cream

1 ½ c. whipping cream

1 ½ c. half and half

2/3 c. honey

6 large egg yolks

 

Heat together cream and half-and-half to simmer . Whisk honey and yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Return to pan and heat until mixture thickens (about 170 degrees) but do not boil. Strain into large bowl. Chill until cold. Process in ice cream maker. Makes 4 ½ c.

Easy Caramel Sauce

1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons butter
Pinch salt
4 t. vanilla extract

Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can serve it cold, or warm a little before using.

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Pizza Day in Teen Cooking Camp

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The kids made great pizzas today. We even had enough time to make some tortilla pizzas. They made their own dough, rolled it out, and topped them according to their preferences.

The fresh basil I brought in was a big hit, and a number of the kids opted to add it to their pizzas.

 

 

Here are pics of what they did.

 

 

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Cupcake Baking in Cooking Camp

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The kids baked and decorated cupcakes today in camp. This week’s camp is with teenagers. It is a little different with older kids.

Don’t get me wrong. I adore the little kids, but the older kids are more self reliant. In all, they baked 8 dozen cupcakes- which meant 8 cupcakes per child. I gave them a few pointers for frosting and decorating,then let them just be creative.

Here is some of what they did.

 

 

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Fun with Fruit in Cooking Camp

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Today was all about fruit in cooking camp. The kids made smoothies and several fruit sorbets. They also worked in two teams to make a fruit tray using strawberries, blueberries, mango, watermelon, pineapple, red grapes and cherries.They also had knives and cherry pitters to help them.

They were to make a display that looked like something. The idea was for them to create the fruit tray- and then see if I knew what they had created. One team created a fruit volcano, the other team a day at the beach. I thought they were all very creative. Below are some of the pics from class- and some fun recipes using fruit.

 

Pink Lemonade

2 qts. prepared lemonade

1 pint strawberries, washed and hulled

 

Place berries in blender and add about 2 cups of the lemonade. Process until strawberries are pureed. Add strawberry mixture to the remaining lemonade. Serve over ice, garnishing with whole berries, if desired. Watch as seeds will accumulate on the bottom of the pitcher.

 

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

 

1 large pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes

1 qt. strawberries, washed and hulled

2 pts. blueberries, washed

Toss all together and chill about 1 hour before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

 

Strawberry Sorbet

2 c. fresh or frozen strawberries (allow frozen berries to thaw a little first)

1/4 c. sugar, or to taste

3 T. fresh lemon juice

Place ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Place in shallow pan and freeze. If you are using frozen berries re-freezing will take only about 1 hour. Up to 30 minutes before serving remove sorbet from freezer and allow to soften enough to break into chunks. Place in processor and blend again until very smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

 

Fruit Smoothie

1 can (6 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate

1 large ripe banana, sliced or 1 1/2 c. sliced fresh of frozen strawberries, or 1 1/2 c. sliced fresh, frozen or canned peaches

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. water

2 T. honey

4-6 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender, except the ice cubes and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add ice cubes and blend 1 minute more until thick and frothy. Serves 5.

 

                                                                Sun Fruit Salad

2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced

1 8oz. carton lemon yogurt

2 T. sugar

2 t. lemon juice

lettuce leaves

8 c. cut up fruit, using what is seasonal

1/4 c. toasted nuts

 

For dressing in blender combine bananas with yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and blend until smooth. To serve arrange lettuce on serving plates. Divide fruit among plates and drizzle with dressing. Makes 8 servings.

 

Grapescicles

Freeze green or red seedless grapes. Eat right out of the freezer. Great snack in hot weather.

 

Watermelon Pops

2 c. seeded chopped watermelon

1 c. apple juice

1/2 c. chocolate chips or raisins

 

Combine watermelon and juice in blender until smooth. Pour into a shallow pan and freeze until thickened. Fold in chips or raisins and pour into Dixie cups. Cover with foil and insert sticks. Freeze until firm, makes 6-8.

Making their fruit trays

Fruit volcano

A Day at the Beach

Strawberry, cherry, cranberry sorbet

 

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Cookie Baking Day in Camp

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Cookie Candies

This is always a favorite day in cooking camp. A hot day, and a kitchen with no air conditioning, did not deter the kids from baking cookies- a lot of cookies. They did such a great job. Here are the recipes for the cookies we made and some pictures I took of their creations.

 

 

Versatile Butter Cookies

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 ¼ c. flour

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

 

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 and roll in sugar, sprinkles or nuts. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will flatten somewhat. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Variations: You can bake plain cookies and then dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate and then in chopped nuts or sprinkles.

Form into balls and place on baking sheet then press a nutmeat into the center of each. When cool you can drizzle with a small amount of melted chocolate or glaze.

 

Cookie-Candies

1 c. butter or margarine

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 T. vanilla

2 c. flour

½ c. rolled oats

½ c. chocolate chips

¼ c. milk

finely chopped nuts

assorted sprinkles

shredded coconut

 

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and oats. Shape teaspoonfuls of the dough into different shapes like rounds, ovals, cones cubes etc. Try to make them look like little candies. They will hold their shape very well while baking. Bake in a 325- degree oven for 20-25 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. Cool. In microwave safe dish combine chocolate and milk and melt. Dip tops of cookies in chocolate mixture and then in one of the toppings you have. Chocolate topping will harden up after a while. Makes about 4 dozen.

Chocolate Sparkles

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 ¼ c. sugar

2 eggs

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

½ t. vanilla

2 2/3 c. flour

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

¼ c. sugar

 

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, chocolate and vanilla. Stir in next four ingredients. Chill dough. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in ¼ cup sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400- degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Makes 5-6 dozen.

 

 

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4th of July

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So what is the 4th of July about? Cookouts and noisy celebrations abound, but what is it we are celebrating? We are celebrating revolution, protestors and people who fought their government.

We were a colony, ruled by a monarchy. Had it not been for those who saw injustice, and tried to fix it, we would be bowing to the queen today. They were brave and very forward thinking.

Had the Revolutionary War gone the other way, they certainly would have been hung as traitors. I’m not sure how many of us today would be that brave.

So in your daily life, remember and honor the rebel. If you see an injustice, speak up. Do something to make this country better.

There is always room for improvement, after all. Think about the people who risked death to fight for the freedom we enjoy today. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Don’t ever take that for granted.

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