It was so hot today, so we decided to make salads in camp. The kids worked so well together to create four different salads. I think they liked the fruit salad best, but the pasta salad, purple potato salad and taco salad were also big hits.
Lucky we weren’t cooking today. Besides the heat (our kitchen has no air conditioning), we had a power outage for part of the class. the kids just kept on chopping and combining and measuring to make their beautiful and tasty creations.
When you think about cooking with peaches, don’t limit yourself to desserts and jam. Peaches can pair well with savory dishes, too. I often use peaches for glazes and sauces for meats.
In this dish, I paired peaches with traditional chef salad ingredients. I tossed the peaches in a homemade honey French dressing, then spooned them over the salad. The result was wonderful- and a great lunch or dinner option for hot weather.
You can top the salad with cheese, meats or both. I like to add some nuts, too. I made it for lunch yesterday and topped the salad with sharp cheddar cheese and bacon. I really liked the combination of the sweet fruit with the smoky bacon. Use what you like- and what you have on hand.
A chef salad is a great way to use up that leftover grilled chicken or that open package of cheese. Add extra veggies, too, if you like. It also makes a wonderful meal when you don’t want to cook. Lovely, cool meal for a hot day.
Peach Chef Salad
Honey French Dressing:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 t. paprika
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cups chopped peaches
Salad:
6 c. torn salad greens
12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips
1 c. cubed cheese
1/2 c. cashews, optional
To make the dressing, in blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in peaches and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the peach/dressing mixture, add cashews, then serve. Serves 4-6.
Salad topped with bacon and cheese
With blueberry season here, I had to make these rolls. These are a favorite recipe of mine. They are not too sweet, even with a powdered sugar glaze. Great for brunch or breakfast. Sweet enough to be dessert, too.
The base of the rolls is a rich, yeast dough. The dough is divided in half, rolled out, then brushed with butter. Then the dough is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with blueberries. The dough is rolled up, jelly roll fashion, then sliced into rolls.
The rolls are baked in 2 (9-inch) cake pans. The recipe makes 24 blueberry rolls.
I used fresh berries, but frozen work well, too. A good reason to buy extra berries and freeze them!!
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
3-3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
6 T. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. grated lemon or orange peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.
I had a class with kids yesterday and we had made doughnuts. We also made fritters. We made several different fritters, including these banana fritters. These are a fun and easy dessert to make if you find yourself with some ripe bananas. Simple to make and a nice change from banana bread.
We started with a couple of bananas, which they peeled and chopped up. The recipe is basically the same one we used for the strawberry and apple fritters. You can experiment with other fruit, too. I think I may make these with peaches next.
The fritters puffed up beautifully when fried. They were just a little crisp on the outside, tender and light in the middle. There is almost no sugar in the batter. The sweetness comes from the bananas and the powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar they are rolled in. I think they would be great with a powdered sugar glaze, too.
So here is the recipe. A fun way to use ripe bananas.
Banana Fritters
2 large ripe bananas- you want 1 cup diced banana
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk or half and half
2 T. melted butter or oil
2 c. flour
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
Oil for frying
powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar
Peel bananas. Cut up into small pieces. You should end up with about a cup of mashed bananas. Combine in a small bowl with the eggs, milk and oil. Combine flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the banana mixture. Heat oil in a pot to 350 degrees. Oil should be at least a couple of inches deep. By rounded tablespoonfuls, drop batter into the hot oil to fry. Only do a few at a time, so you don’t overcrowd them, or bring the temperature of the oil down too much. Fry until golden brown. It will take several minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with all the batter. You will end up with 2-3 dozen fritters.
Once the fritters are cooled down, you can roll them in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or even make a powdered sugar glaze.
The kids had a great time making doughnuts and fritters today. I lost count of just how many doughnuts they made. I know it was over 200. They had a lot to take home to share with family. They also made strawberry fritters, banana fritters and apple fritters. Wonderful group of kids looking forward to the rest of the week. Tomorrow- we make calzones!!!
I made these fritters sort of by accident. A happy accident, as it turns out. I was planning on making banana fritters. Turns out, the person I was thinking of making them for, wasn’t crazy about bananas.
The only other fruit I had was strawberries, so I used them instead. I had never made strawberry fritters, but I was pretty sure they would work out. They came out great. My friend loved them.
They are very good. Slightly crisp on the outside, tender in the middle with juicy bits of strawberry. They aren’t very sweet on their own, but once rolled in powdered sugar, or glazed, they are plenty sweet for dessert. They are great served all on their own, or paired with ice cream or whipped cream.
We will be making these in cooking camp later today. Pretty sure the kids will love them. Thanks, Amy, for the inspiration.
Strawberry Fritters
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
1 c. diced strawberries
oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the berries. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten-free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about 4 minutes in total, but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. While warm roll in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. You can also dip them in melted chocolate. Makes about 32.
This colorful salad can be a side dish or main dish. I like it as a main dish for these hot, summer days. It somehow manages to be light and filling at the same time. It makes a wonderful lunch, served over a bed of salad greens.
The combination of sweet corn and barley works so well together. I don’t think most people think of salad, when they think of barley. Barley is more commonly used in soups. But this versatile grain can also be a nice ingredient in a salad. Perfect on a hot day, when you want a lighter meal.
I had grilled corn, and had some leftover, so that is what I used. I think the smokiness of the grilled corn added a nice touch. I had some fresh basil so I added that, too.
So, if you are looking for a new salad idea this summer- you might want to try adding barley to your next salad.
Corn and Barley Salad with Basil
½ c. pearl barley
salt
3 T. cider or white wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper
3 T. olive oil
3 T. fresh basil, cut into thin strips
3 c. cooked corn, from about six ears
1 c. diced sweet onion
1 c. diced sweet pepper, any color
¼ c. sliced green onions
Combine barley, 2 cups water and ½ t. salt in saucepan and simmer, covered until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Combine remaining ingredients and toss with barley in large bowl. Makes 6 servings.
I love pineapple preserves. I make them pretty often. More motivated when I get good price on pineapples, like I did recently. I wanted to change things up a little this time. I decided to add cinnamon to the recipe. It turned out to be a really good idea. Just a touch of spice from the cinnamon to cut through the sweetness of the pineapple. I also added extra lemon juice for tartness. The end result is something special. Thought I would share the recipe with you.
Pineapple-Cinnamon Preserves
8 cups finely diced fresh pineapple, rind and core removed- about 2 pineapples
2 cups water
3/4 c. lemon juice
6 cinnamon sticks- about 4 inches long
6 c. sugar
Place pineapple in a pot with the water, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks and simmer until pineapple is tender, about 15 minutes. Add sugar and bring mixture to a boil. Cook until mixture reaches gel stage ( 220 degrees F).* Stir from time to time. This should take about 20 minutes, but can take longer. Remove cinnamon sticks. Ladle hot preserves into hot half-pint jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Yield about 9 half-pint jars.
*When you are making jelly recipes that will sometimes say to cook to the jelly (gel) stage and I bet you are thinking “and that is….” There are 3 ways you can check to see if you have cooked your recipe long enough.
1. Use a candy thermometer, attached to the side of the pan and down in the jelly far enough to cover the bulb of the thermometer, but not touching the bottom of the pan. This is the most accurate method.
2. Spoon test by using a cool metal spoon dipped in the jelly and held on its side so the jelly can run off the edge. When jelly is not ready the drops will be light and syrupy. As it gets thicker the drops will falls off the spoon 2 at a time. When it has reached the proper stage two drops will form together and sheet off the spoon.
3. Freezer test just involves spooning a small amount of jelly on a plate and placing it in the freezer for a few minutes, to cool it down quickly. If the mixture gels, it should be done. While waiting for jelly test to cool, remove jelly from heat.
Summer is the time for picnics, campfires and S’Mores. Summer is also the time of year to eat lots of ice cream and other frozen treats.
This dessert combines the ingredients of S’Mores in a frozen treat. How fun is that?
They aren’t hard to make, but you need to allow time for ingredients to freeze. The mixture is frozen, then cut into squares and sandwiched between Graham crackers. They get returned to the freezer to harden up.
We made these in a cooking camp recently. The kids loved them. Of course the we skipped the step where the sandwiches are assembled and put back the freezer to harden. The kids just ate them right away. A little messy, but a LOT of fun.
So here is the recipe.
S’Mores Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c. chocolate syrup
1 c. coarsely crushed graham crackers
1 c. mini marshmallows
2 c. whipping cream, whipped
72 graham cracker square halves
In large mixing bowl combine sweetened condensed milk and syrup. Fold in crackers, marshmallows and whipping cream. Pour in foil lined 9×5-inch loaf pan and freeze until firm, about 6 hours, or longer. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Slice loaf in half lengthwise and then each half into 18 (½ inch) slices. Place one slice between two crackers and repeat with rest. Wrap and freeze until ready to eat. Makes 36.
After getting some peaches from a local market, I decided to make preserves with some of them. The peaches were so juicy and perfectly ripe. They smelled amazing. I knew I would not be able to eat them all. I used a basic preserve recipe, but added some vanilla and cinnamon for added flavor. I also used pectin in this batch.
You can make peach preserves without added pectin, but because these were so ripe, I knew they would set better with the pectin. There is less pectin in very ripe fruit. The end result was just what I was going for. Pieces of peach, suspended in a soft gel, lightly flavored with the vanilla and cinnamon. I may have to make another batch.
Cinnamon-Vanilla Peach Preserves
4 c. sliced peaches, about 2-3 lbs. of fresh
6 T. pectin
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. vanilla extract
3-4 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks
7 c. sugar
Note: Before starting the preserves have your canning supplies ready including clean jars, lids, rings, water bath canner, funnel and ladle.
Prepare peaches by scalding in boiling water for a minute. Place in cold water, then slip off the skins. Cut in half and remove the pits and any fibrous parts near the pits. Slice peaches and place peaches and any juices in a large pot. Add the pectin, juice, vanilla and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the sugar and cook over high heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil that you can’t stir down. Stir constantly for 1 full minute.
Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon sticks. Skim off any foam, if needed. Ladle hot preserves into clean, hot jars, filling to ¼-inch from the top. Wipe rims and screw on lids until comfortably tight. Repeat until the jars are filled. Place jars in water bath canner filled with boiling water. Water must cover the jars by at least an inch or two. Cover pot. Once water returns to the boil, start timing. Process for 10 minutes, turn off heat and leave jars in pot for 5 minutes longer. Remove jars to counter with a towel on it, or a cooling rack. Keep out of drafts. Allow jars to cool, check seals. Makes about 9 half pint jars.
Adapted from Ball Blue Book
