GREEN FRUIT BOWL with FROZEN GRAPES

GREEN FRUIT BOWL with FROZEN GRAPES

12 ounces green grapes
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon thyme or regular thyme sprigs, coarsely chopped
 green apple
3 kiwifruits, peeled and sliced
4 to 5 cups honeydew melon balls (from 2 melons)

Freeze grapes on a rimmed baking sheet for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Bring water and sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and add lemon thyme. Let stand, covered, until cooled completely. Strain syrup through a fine sieve; discard solids.

Thinly slice apple. Divide apple, kiwifruits, melon, and grapes among 8 bowls. Pour syrup over tops just before serving.

CANTALOUPE and MOZZARELLA with PROSCIUTTO and BASIL

CANTALOUPE and MOZZARELLA with PROSCIUTTO and BASIL

1 cantaloupe, halved and seeded
3/4 pound bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella balls)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

I  Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/3 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn


With a large melon baller, scoop melon flesh into a large bowl (or cut into bite-size pieces). Add bocconcini, oil, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Arrange prosciutto along edges of a large serving platter. Stir basil into melon mixture, transfer to center of platter, and serve.

MELON with GINGER, MINT, and BASIL

MELON with GINGER, MINT, AND BASIL

Halve a cantaloupe melon, scrape out and discard the seeds.  Peel the melon halves and cut into one-inch cubes and place in a salad bowl.  Combine 2 teaspoons of dried ginger and 2 teaspoons of sugar and sprink. le over the melon cubes.  Stir to combine.  Chop about a quarter cup of fresh mint and an equal amount of fresh basil into the melon salad.  Allow to sit for half an hour in the refrigerator, then squeeze in two limes and serve.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

3 (16 oz.) Bags Frozen blackberries
3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
8 Tbsp. Flour
1 ½ c. cold water
6 Tbsp. Butter
3-4 recipes pie crust dough (if using double crust pie dough recipe use 1 ½ recipes)

Thaw blackberries. Add sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. Heat until near boiling. Mix flour and water until smooth and add to hot mixture, stirring until smooth. Roll out large piece of dough and lay in 9 x13-inch oblong baking dish, overlapping sides. Add butter slices and fold crust over top. Fork top with holes to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot with ice cream.

STRAWBERRY-PEACH SALSA RECIPE

The women of the canning collective behind Si Se Puede Salsa Company modified this recipe to make Strawberry-Blueberry Salsa, which is amazing. They recipe came from Ball.

Strawberry-Peach Salsa

Makes about 6 or 7 half-pints

1/2 cup white vinegar

6 cup (total) peeled, sliced peaches and stemmed strawberries

1-1/4 cups chopped red onion

4 jalapeño peppers, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, minced

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons honey (liquid)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

In a saucepan big enough to hold all the fruit at a boil, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring, until thickened. 

Ladle salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

WATERMELON SALSA

Watermelon Salsa

Makes about 2-1/3 cups

2 cups finely diced watermelon

1 to 2 jalapenos, minced

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Carefully mix everything together and let sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Best when used within a few hours of making.

FRUIT SALAD and HONEY-MINT DRESSING

Fresh cherries are cheap right now! We seldom can say that sentence. The beautiful little stone fruit is a summer treat; the rest of the year we confine ourselves to dried or (sigh) canned ones. 
While fresh cherries can be had, let's eat them!

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint Dressing
Makes 6 servings

DRESSING:
1/2 cup vanilla nonfat or low-fat yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons honey, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur (optionnel)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash nutmeg
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint

SALAD:
5 heaping cups fresh fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces, such as melons, peaches, nectarines, grapes and cherries
Whole mint leaves for garnish

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smoothly blended.

Combine the fruits in a mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with whole mint leaves. Cover and chill briefly before serving.

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD

Blueberry Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick butter
2 eggs
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cup sugar
2 cups (4) mashed bananas
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups blueberries, frozen is fine.

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add bananas, nuts eggs, stirring well until blended. Mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to banana mixture. Add vanilla and fold in blueberries.  Grease and flour two loaf pans. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 for one hour or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves. The tops may split open but that’s as things are.

GRAPE SALAD

Grape Salad

2 lbs green, seedless grapes, halved

2 lbs. Red seedless grapes, halved

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup pecan pieces

Mix sour cream, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla by hand until blended.

Stir grapes into mixture and pour into a large serving bowl.

For Topping:

Combine brown sugar and pecan pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the grapes evenly.

Chill overnight

　

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, OLD FASHIONED

This is a very old and uniquely Southern version of Strawberry shortcake. It is pure simplicity . It is a shortbread, the high fat to flour ratio making it very delicate.

1 ½ c. shortening-I use half butter and half lard
3 c. flour
1 egg
5 Tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Vinegar
Fresh Strawberries
Sugar to taste

Cut shortening and flour together until crumbly. Mix egg, water and vinegar together and add to flour mixture. Mix with fork and turn dourh out to floured board. Roll out and cut into rough 3-inch squares, or circles if you're feeling fancy. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the sheet like delicate cookies to cool, use pieces of foil or cookie sheets for cooling.






Mash half the strawberries to be used and sugar berries to taste. Layer crust and berries and served with top cream (as pictured) or whipped cream (more realistic these days).