Dill Pickles

Homemade dill pickles...just like the ones my mother used to make...are on my 'to do' list every summer. There's just something about homemade dills that can't be found on the storeshelf! This is my mom's recipe...the same pickles I grew up with.


Ingredients:

• 10 pounds of pickling cukes (yield about 8 jars)
• 5 cups white vinegar used for pickling
• 13 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pickling salt…coarse
• garlic pieces (peeled and cut in half)…two pieces per jar
• fresh dill
• small dried red chili peppers…one or two pieces for each jar

Method:

1. Wash cucumbers well...and leave in tub of cold water while packing jars.
2. Mix vinegar, water, sugar and the salt in a large pot. Stir the mixture well. Heat to a rapid boil on medium-high….then keep simmering while filling jars.
3. Prepare wide-mouth 1-quart jars. In each jar, put 1 piece of garlic, one head of dill, two small chili peppers and then enough cucumbers to fill the jar. Then add one more garlic piece and another sprig of dill.
4. Fill jars slowly with the hot brine and seal (being sure to clean all residue from the top of the rim of the jar first).
5. Place the lidded jars in boiling water bath for about 15 minutes…water in canner should cover the tops of the jars.
6. The pickles should be stored in a cool place for two months before serving. (So they say...I’m not sure we ever waited that long!)
   
   *If your water is hard, high in mineral content or has chlorine added, use bottled water.
   ** Pack the cukes into the jars really tight…they shrink as they are processed.

If you like a little zip to your pickles...be generous with the red chili peppers!

Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

The tomatoes are ripe...and there is fresh basil in abundance...and what could be better for lunch than bruschetta...with fresh garden ingredients? I'll give you my basic recipe...which can be changed up a little to suit your taste.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette or Italian bread
• 1 pound tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)...plum tomatoes work well
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at broiler setting.
2. Combine tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper...and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
3. Cut baguette in 3/4" slices and arrange in single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly brush with olive oil...and toast lightly under broiler for 1 or 2 minutes. Repeat toasting with the other side.
4. Put a generous layer of chopped basil on each piece of bread.
5. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices.
6. Top each piece with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Return to the broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly golden.
8. Serve hot out of the oven...for a wonderful appetizer...or add a salad and call it lunch.

Enjoy!

Zippy Zucchini

Zucchini...again! There seems to be no end to the zucchini coming from the garden...and here is another simple yet delicious way to cook it. When I got my first microwave oven...way back when...I took some microwave cooking classes. Since that time...this zucchini recipe has been a summer favorite. Cooked totally in the microwave...the kitchen stays cool. Add some fresh tomatoes...and maybe a cob of corn...and call it a meal.


Zippy Zucchini

• 4 cups zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 jar (2 0z.) pimiento, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  

1. Place zucchini and onion slices in an 8" square dish...or a quiche pan.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, turning one edge back to vent.
3. Microwave at High for 7 minutes.
4. In large bowl, mix together eggs, cheese, pimiento, salt and pepper.
5. Add zucchini and onions, stirring well.
6. Grease dish in which veggies were cooked.
7. Pour zucchini mixture into dish...cover with parchment paper and microwave at medium-high for 5 minutes.
8. Stir...and microwave uncovered for another 3-4 minutes at medium-high...or until set.
9. Makes 4 large servings.

*I actually used the pimento called for in the recipe this time...but have used diced red, orange or yellow bell peppers instead...blanching them with the zucchini and onions. A dash of cayenne pepper adds a little zip as well.

Fresh Fruit Salad ~ Pineapple Dressing

Fresh fruit salad is a summertime favorite...and the recipe for this cooked pineapple dressing has been a standard at our home for decades. It is from the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes...and can be stirred into the fruit salad or served separately as a topping for the fruit.

Use fresh fruit of your choice...strawberries, pineapple, grapes, blueberries or peaches.

Pineapple dressing:

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream

Method:

1. Beat eggs....add sugar, pineapple and lemon juice.
2. Cook in saucepan over medium heat...stirring constantly...until thickened. Chill.
3. Whip cream...and fold into mixture just before serving.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pineapple Loaf

By now we are in zucchini overload...but when the first ones appear in the garden every year...this is the recipe I reach for. It's on a tattered and stained recipe card...origin unknown...but tested and tried in my kitchen on many occasion. This year I made mini-loaves and muffins....easy to freeze and pull out a bite or two at a time.

Pineapple Zucchini Loaf

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 cup raisins (optional...or substitute chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Whisk eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl.
2. Stir in zucchini and pineapple.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts and raisins.
4. Mix dry ingredients together with wet ingredients...and stir until moistened.
5. Pour into two large, greased loaf pans.
6. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour.

*or grease 8 mini-loaf pans and bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.

I challenge you to try to keep up with your zucchini plant!

Raspberry Clubhouse Salad

This salad is simply a summertime version of several salads that I enjoy. Since the raspberries are plentiful at this time of the year...they are showing up in everything from desserts to salads around here...and it's all good! Mixed greens, crumbled feta, red onion, caramelized pecans and raspberries...combined with the sweet and sour tang of raspberry vinaigrette...make for a delightful summer lunch.

Layer the following ingredients on individual salad plates:

• mixed greens
• sliced red onion
• feta cheese, crumbled
• real crumbled bacon (optional)
• caramelized pecans (*see note)
• fresh raspberries
  

Drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette (recipe below)....and enjoy on a sunny summer day!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (**see note)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Blend raspberry vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and honey...slowly add olive oil and blend well.

*To caramelize pecans, combine 1/2 cup pecans with 2 Tablespoons sugar in a large frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts to a golden syrup and roasts the pecans (about 5 minutes). Turn onto parchment paper; cool and break into pieces.

**To make your own raspberry vinegar, combine 2 cups fresh raspberries with 2 cups of white vinegar in a glass jar with tight fitting lid. Mash raspberries slightly with handle of wooden spoon; store in refrigerator for one week...shaking jar daily. After seven days, strain the liquid and use in your favorite gourmet dressings. Store in refrigerator.

Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon chess pie is an old-fashioned southern favorite...which is quite new to me. We have a coffee shoppe in our town...located at our local airport that draws people from far and wide...mostly for their delicious pies. It was here that I first sampled lemon chess pie...with blackberry sauce and whipped cream. It was simply delicious...and so I decided to replicate it in my test kitchen. My recipe is a combination of several...but quite like the one found in the Company's Coming Pie cookbook by Jean Parè.


Lemon Chess Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (use your favorite pastry recipe or purchase frozen piecrust)
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 5 large eggs
• freshly grated zest of one lemon
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Place pie crust in 9-inch pie plate...and flute edges.
3. Combine sugar and flour in mixing bowl.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed with mixer until well blended.
5. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and melted butter. Mix well.
6. Pour filling into the prepared pie crust.
7. Bake on lower rack of oven for 45 minutes at 325°F...or until puffed and golden brown in colour.
8. When cool...cut and serve each wedge with a dollop of whipped cream...and a sauce of fresh raspberries or blackberries.

Since the raspberries are in season at the moment...and readily available in the garden...I simply mashed the fresh berries, added sugar to taste...and drizzled a little over each piece of pie.

*If a thicker sauce is preferred...combine 1 1/2 cups mashed berries with 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water...and cook in microwave until thickened (about 3 minutes on high)...stirring every minute. Cool and chill before using.