(06-12-2011, 06:31 PM)Cracker Wrote: real mashed potatoes and gravy.

This sounds heavenly actually. I haven't had anything like that since last Thanksgiving. Normally the thought of gravy would turn me off but I'm famished.

(06-13-2011, 01:21 AM)BlueTiki Wrote: Lemme know and I'll pass along a few of my summertime favs.

Pass a couple of the fruit based ones on, sugar booger.

(06-11-2011, 12:40 PM)Maggot Wrote: My strawberries are ripe! :B yumyumyumyumyum.

Here's a chilled soup I serve as a prelude for dessert or as an appetizer course for four:

(Note: Substitute sour cream for the yogurt if you wish. I just like the tast of my homemade yogurt . . . and so would you! Additionally, I use Agave Syrup for sugar.)

• Strawberries - 2 Cups
• Milk - 1 Cup
• Heavy (Whipping) Cream - ¹⁄₂ Cup
• Yogurt (Unflavored) - ¹⁄₂ Cup
• Agave Syrup or Sugar (if they aint sweet like Maggot's) - To taste
• Fresh Mint & Sliced strawberries - Garnish

Toss everything ('cept the mint and sugar) into the Vitamix or food processor and puree. Taste and add Agave Syrup (sugar) if needed.

Chill . . . both you and the soup for 6 to 8 hours.

Plate and serve with garnish.

There's the basic recipe. Have fun with it.

Sometimes I toss in a chunk of fresh ginger while pureeing. I use ginger in damn near everything.

Feel free to add a touch of a "complimentary" liqueur to add panache.

(06-12-2011, 02:29 PM)Duchess Wrote:

Hi, it's me again & this time I'm looking for summer side dishes.

I love our local Trader Joe's. I don't know if they all do this but they keep recipes for stuff that they sample there. It's all good and easy.

The other day they had a dish out. It was basically cous-cous (cooked/chilled) combined with some golden raisins and slivered almonds and topped with a vinaigrette. Easy-peasy but yummy.

I needed an appetizer and they suggested these little crackers that had a dried fruit and almonds (I think) in them, a great brie (room temp) and then top the brie with mango chutney. Num, num. It was good!

Now I'm going to peruse this thread. I can't decide what to make for dinner tonight. I love chili but no, not in the heat.

Okay, Duchess . . .

I see you "poo poo-ed" my gazpacho recipe and opted for fruit suggestions. Consider this one - NO tomatoes ( and tomatoes are a fruit )

Pineapple Gazpacho

1 - Yellow Bell Pepper
1 - Green Bell Pepper
1 - Red Bell Pepper
1 - Red Onion
2 - Cucumbers - Peeled and seeded
4 - Anaheim Green Chiles - Roasted and peeled
1 - Pineapple - Peeled and cored
1 Cup - Jicama or Daikon
4 - Garlic cloves - Peeled and smashed
1 - Fresh Ginger - quarter sized - peeled
¹⁄₂ Cup - Cilantro - chopped
¹⁄₄ Cup - Lime Juice - fresh squeezed
¹⁄₂ Cup - Orange Juice - fresh squeezed
1 Cup - Mirin
2 Cups - Pineapple Juice
¹⁄₂ Cup - EV Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Divide the peppers, onion, cucumber, pineapple and chilis into two groups. Finely dice one group. Puree the non-diced group with the ginger and garlic.

Combine both groups, pureed and diced, with remaining ingredients in a NONCORROSIVE BOWL.

Again . . . you and the soup chill before serving.

Personally, I love the tomato based gazpacho. But this "East meets West" fusion version, always gets the nod from friends and family.

Remember . . . tweak it to your liking . . . this is just a "jumping-off" point.

I didn't exactly poo poo it, it's just that when I'm faced with doing this kind of thing I'm at a complete loss. All of you are totally into making a lovely meal and then there's me. I sigh like it's the biggest chore I've ever been faced with. I bet all of you can make something with nothing other than the contents of your fridge.

My mouth got all drooly and stuff looking at the strawberry shortcake.

I'm not comfortable in the kitchen.

Pitiful.

I'ma make chicken enchiladas, coleslaw, cornbread and refried beans.

Cracker, I often cook turkey breasts in my crockpot using this recipe (if you can call it a recipe with 2 ingredients).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker...etail.aspx

It comes out surprisingly well. Tender but not mushy (maybe because the only liquid in there is what drips off the turkey).

(06-13-2011, 02:46 PM)Duchess Wrote:


I'm not comfortable in the kitchen.

Pitiful.

You have other desirable attributes. I wouldn't sweat it. I am a cook because I grew up in the middle of fucking nowhere and I had to learn. Plus, I love to eat. But I don't cook labor-intensive meals all the time. These are my summer standby meals that everybody likes:

French Dip Sandwiches: Who doesn't love these? Because I live in fatass land and nobody notices ten extra pounds, I start with a crusty baguette cut down the center longwise. I make that into garlic bread for the sandwiches (this feeds 3 or 4 or two hefty folks, haha). Get the aujus packet from the store and make it with a little (1/4 cup maybe) extra water or leftover coffee. Drop in shaved roast beef from the deli (about ³⁄₄ pounds) for just a minute then fish it out for the sandwiches. You can add cheese if you want. I use coffee cups to serve the aujus for dipping if I don't have company, bust out ramekins if I'm being fancy.

Grillos (restaurant food I learned to make from the owner of the place I worked in high school): Make the garlic bread with the baguette. Grill about half a bag or half a jar of drained sauerkraut, remove from skillet or griddle. Put one pound of shaved deli ham on and grill for a few minutes, then top with cheddar cheese and the grilled sauerkraut. Serve on the garlic bread. These are effen fantastic.

Steak Sandwiches: Grill a few nice ribeyes, serve on good bread with tomato, butter lettuce, and sauce made from mayo and prepared horseradish.

Tuna/Artichoke Melts: Toast English muffins. Make tuna however you do at your house but use canned quartered artichoke hearts in water instead of pickles. You don't need to cut them up. Put tuna mixture on muffins and top with cheese then broil until the cheese melts.

For side dishes we usually eat salads in the summer or whatever veggies are fresh. I love Cobb salads, so I keep blue cheese and avocados around. I like Greek salads, too, so I also usually have feta cheese.

Broccoli slaw is great: You can cut up a fresh head of broccoli into really small chunks or buy the already shredded broccoli slaw by the bagged salads. Dressing is about ¹⁄₃ cup mayo, 2 tsp. cider vinegar and 2 tsp. sugar and a little salt and pepper, mix in crumbled bacon (I cook mine in the microwave, number of slices of bacon plus one minute), raisins if you want (ick~ I prefer dried cranberries), drained pineapple tidbits, and half of a diced red onion. Needs to sit to meld.

Wilted cabbage with bacon (or brussel sprouts): Fry bacon in skillet, remove and crumble but reserve the drippings (just about 2 tbsps, not a skillet full of grease). Use the drippings to cook the cabbage or brussel sprouts. Add the crumbled bacon back to it at the end.

Waldorf Salad: Cube up three or four apples, I mix kinds to get sweet and tangy, ¹⁄₂ cup of chopped celery, ¹⁄₂ cup chopped nuts, ¹⁄₂ sliced seedless grapes (I leave these out half the time) mix with enough sour cream to coat and a teaspoon of sugar. Serve chilled.

(06-13-2011, 02:47 PM)username Wrote: Cracker, I often cook turkey breasts in my crockpot using this recipe (if you can call it a recipe with 2 ingredients).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker...etail.aspx

It comes out surprisingly well. Tender but not mushy (maybe because the only liquid in there is what drips off the turkey).

Hmm. I had to crank the air conditioner to keep the house from getting too hot. I might try that if there are drippings in the bottom for gravy. I just make it so I can have the gravy.

I gave most of the food away that I cooked this week so now I have to go to the damn store again. Turkey breasts are NOT cheap in the summer.

(06-13-2011, 05:37 AM)Duchess Wrote:

(06-13-2011, 01:21 AM)BlueTiki Wrote: Lemme know and I'll pass along a few of my summertime favs.

Pass a couple of the fruit based ones on, sugar booger.

Just throw some pineapple on the grill. I love grilled pineapple.

Does anybody make Jello with fruit anymore? Or carrot salad? My mom used to make that crap.

i liked jello with pineapple when i was a kid!

i'm laughing at you and your bacon drippings...you can't fool Inspector Clouseau here, you're SOUTHERN! :B

there was always a crock (usually a ceramic mug) by my Mom's stove for bacon drippings. nobody gave a rat's ass about clogged arteries~ bacon fat delivers flavor!

i don't know how to make small amounts of any damn thing, i made about 9 lbs. of potato salad last night. it may last all summer. :O

SUMMER MEANS LOBSTERS AND BEACH CLAM SHACKS!

i have this overwhelming urge to watch 'JAWS' and have a clambake~~

"it's the 4^th of July weekend, the beaches WILL be open!"

hahahaha live from the home of JAWS

Mmmmm..steamers. nom nom nom

good article for serious steak lovers:

http://www.kitchendaily.com/2011/05/25/h...od00000068

I'm looking for an easy blueberry cobbler or blueberry crisp recipe. I did a google search...there are zillions to weed through!! I would like a tried and true recipe. I just picked a bunch of delicious berries. I did search this thread with that keyword search thingee and nothing came up, but it is no secret that I can be computer challenged so I may have missed it. I saw several that use Bisquick...anybody try using that before?

Bisquick is good to have on hand, especially for the novice baker.

i'm on a blueberry kick, been eating them every day in my morning cereal.

try the simple one on Bisquick box.

the only crisps i make are apple, because my apple trees are loaded in the Fall. i like to use oatmeal for crisps.

[quote='kitty1' pid='177279' dateline='1311129815']
I'm looking for an easy blueberry cobbler or blueberry crisp recipe. I did a google search...there are zillions to weed through!! I would like a tried and true recipe. I just picked a bunch of delicious berries. I did search this thread with that keyword search thingee and nothing came up, but it is no secret that I can be computer challenged so I may have missed it. I saw several that use Bisquick...anybody try using that before?


kitty1 Google" Martha's scrumptious blueberry crisp" it's a winner! I think it's easy forget Bisquick.

you can't go wrong with home-made blueberry muffins~~

The recipe for these wonderfully large muffins proves you can ignore the often-quoted warning to fill muffin tins only two-thirds full. Grease the top of the muffin tin as well as the cups so the batter won't stick when it rises over the top.
i make them HUGE!

add a cup of sugar if you wish.

2 eggs
1 cup milk
¹⁄₂ cup oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat the eggs and stir in the milk and oil. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and stir into the egg mixture until it is barely moistened. Add the blueberries, stir gently, and spoon the batter into greased muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes.

put some sugar on top too.

Lady Cop YUM YUM to the above Love it!! Another winner.

Can you freeze blueberries?