It's Strawberry Time!

Strawberries are now ripe and ready for picking in my part of the country - hooray! It's my favorite summer food! Unfortunately, it seems like the shortest growing season of all the summer foods, too. So, when we pick berries, we pick a lot! I usually make "freezer jam" and lots and lots of strawberry shortcake; all of which freeze well.  I've discovered over the years that people eat strawberry shortcake in many different ways: sliced berries on top of spongy store-bought cakes, sliced berries sandwiched between round biscuits and topped with whipped cream, and the way my family eats it:

bake a batch of Bisquick biscuits (the recipe is on the box),

 

puree strawberries in a blender (with a little sugar) and pour over crumbled biscuits and top with milk.

Now, for that freezer jam...when I was younger, I was a Girl Scout (I know, big surprise). My troop was blessed with a leader who was a great cook. The following recipe is the one I learned how to make when I was 11 or 12-years-old, and is STILL the recipe I use!

Strawberry Freezer Jam (a special thanks to Sandy Sherman)

2 cups mashed strawberries

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

one box (1.75 ounce) Sure Jell fruit pectin

Mix sugar and strawberries.  Let stand 10 minutes.  In a saucepan, mix water and Sure Jell.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Pour over berries and stir for 3 minutes.  Ladle into jars and put on lids.  Let set for 24 hours. Place in freezer.

According to the Sure Jell package, you can store the jam in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, and freeze for up to one year. Like it lasts that long...

Cooking With Fresh Local Produce

Last night was Girls Night, and my turn to host. I procured (well, my Mom did)  some local seasonal produce (rhubarb and asparagus) from an Amish farm stand and put it to good use (using my best girlfriends as guinea pigs)! Actually, I made a few old favorites and ONE new recipe: Baked Triple Veggie Dip. I served the dip as an appetizer, but I'm thinking it could seriously be a light entree in the summer (with a glass of really cold white or rose wine)! It got a thumbs-up from everyone, including my 3-year-old daughter (of course, she loves veggies anyway). Anywho...the dinner lineup included: the aforementioned warm veggie dip (accompanied by crackers), oven-roasted sweet potato cubes (see 2/23/12 post for recipe), roast pork tenderloin (have I posted the recipe before?) and rhubarb squares - seriously; hooray for Girls Night!

Baked Triple Veggie Dip (adapted from www.kraftrecipes.com)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided (I used a five-cheese Italian blend)
1 can (1 pound 3 ounces) asparagus spears, drained and chopped (I used fresh asparagus, steamed and cut into small pieces)
1 pkg. (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 can (8 1/2 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 container (8 ounce) chive and onion light cream cheese spread
1/2 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Reserve 1/4 cup cheese; set aside.  Mix remaining cheese and all remaining ingredients until blended.  Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with reserved cheese.  Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve hot with crackers.

I come from a long line of rhubarb-lovers, and have several recipes for preparing the funny looking stems. This recipe comes from a family friend, and I don't really know where it originated.  What I DO know is that it's quick and yummy, and once again, my 3-year-old loved it! I "halved" this recipe to accommodate the amount of rhubarb I had, and we STILL had leftovers! Yay!

Pam's Rhubarb Squares (special thanks to Pamela Houseman)

2 cups flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

Blend and press into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whip together:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Add 4 cups chopped rhubarb and stir to combine.  Spread mixture over warm crust and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Cut into squares.

My First Guest Blogger!

Today, my daughter Regan (http://littleredregan.blogspot.com) is my very first guest blogger...does that mean I'm "big time" now? Ha. She is going to share one of her father's favorite recipes: trail mix!

Hi everybody! Today I am going to show you how to make some yummy trail mix.  You need a big bowl, a spoon, a one-cup measuring cup and a big resealable bag. Mix two cups cocktail peanuts (not the ones with the skins; Mommy hates those...) two cups raisins and two cups M&Ms in a big bowl. Feel free to eat some of the M&Ms when your Mommy's not looking!

Use your measuring cup to very carefully scoop the trail mix into a resealable bag. Try not to eat it all before your Daddy comes home from work, since it might be his favorite treat, like my Daddy's! This was the first time I made a recipe ALL BY MYSELF! I hope you make some trail mix too, it's REALLY, REALLY good!

A Cinco de Mayo birthday brunch!

Yesterday, we hosted a birthday brunch for my Dad (his birthday is actually May 2nd), with a Cinco de Mayo theme; since it was, well, Cinco de Mayo! It was also Derby Day (at Churchill Downs) but I didn't make any mint juleps, bourbon balls or pecan pie; maybe next year! 

I DID make some mini pinatas for occasion - the burro pinata was assembled in such a way that the mini M&Ms inside of it came out it's backside...everyone LOVED that!

Foodwise, I served juices from the Hispanic section of the supermarket (Regan loved the strawberry nectar), a breakfast casserole (see recipe below), hash browns and mixed fruit. Plus, chocolate cupcakes with festive flags I made from the leftover tissue paper I used to make the pinatas. Fun!

Breakfast Casserole (adapted from www.allrecipes.com)

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
6 slices day-old bread, cubed
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp)

Crumble sausage in skillet.  Brown and drain.  Mix together mustard, salt, eggs and milk.  Add sausage, bread and cheese.  Stir to coat evenly.  Pour into greased 9X13-inch dish.  Cover and chill overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees (covered) for 45-60 minutes, then uncovered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.