In the past, I have tried to grow tomatoes and peppers in my garden. I have never been successful. Not ever. This year, my cousins told us they were trying a product called Earth Box. They suggested that I try it also.
To my amazement, I was soon growing tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower and red peppers! They all grew so well, I found myself with more of these vegetables than I had ever imagined!
Finding uses for all my lovely produce was quite the challenge! I had more cucumbers and tomatoes than I knew what to do with. Some I shared with friends, some I kept. They were delicious!
I remembered reading about this salad many times throughout the summer months. I thought I would give it a try.
You should too! I read through many recipes and combined the ingredients I liked the most, and came up with this delicious salad. It is great as an appetizer, a side dish or for brunch.
Whatever you decide to use it for, just give it a try! It really is delightful and I promise you will not be sorry!
Ingredients for the Salad
2 english cucumbers, peeled, seeds taken out and cut into cubes
4 tomatoes on the vine, cored and chopped
1/4 seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
1/2 red onion, halved and sliced into thin moons
Juice of 3 limes
4 tbsp. olive oil
6 1/2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp. salt
Cut lime into quarters to easily extract juice.
Mix red onion slices with lime juice in a bowl. Set aside.
Peel cucumbers and cut them into quarters. With a spoon, carefully remove seeds. Cut cucumbers into cubes.
Toss cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon and feta cheese into a large bowl.
Add olive oil and salt to red onion.
Pour the red onion mixture over the watermelon mixture.
Sprinkle oregano over the salad. Toss and add more salt if needed.
It’s that simple! Hope you enjoy it! It is really delish!
Need something easy and quick to whip up for company? Stop searching; I have the perfect recipe with the most creative name.
It was handed down by a distant cousin to a former food editor at Food 52. I wish they had mentioned how they came up with the name. It is a scrumptious blueberry delight, topped with a crust that tastes more like a cookie. It looks so beautiful when it comes out of the oven. It is a good thing they suggest you serve it hot because you will want to eat it right away! Every bite is sinfully mouthwatering.
Food 52 recommends that you double the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13-inch pan. That is how I made it. I had a feeling that my family and friends would want second helpings. And there are always those yummy leftovers to have the next day.
It also suggests that you can use other berries and stone fruits. I am definitely going to try that as well. You are going to have to break out the vanilla ice cream for this one!
This recipe is courtesy of Food 52-Baking and will serve 8-12 people who will be begging you for more.
Ingredients for Blueberry Schlumpf
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 4 cups fresh blueberries 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature but not yet soft, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 375.
Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour and the granulated sugar over the blueberries and stir gently until evenly coated.
Transfer to an 8 inch square baking pan.
Put the brown sugar, butter, and remaining 1 cup of flour in a medium bowl and stir with a fork or mix with your fingers just until the ingredients come together and form lumps.
Sprinkle evenly over blueberries.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden, caramel brown and beginning to sink and melt into the bubbling filling below.
Serve hot and enjoy the leftovers either cold or gently reheated in the oven or microwave.
My husband requested that I make this Lemon-Orange Chiffon cake after seeing a picture of it on the cover of one of my magazines. I took a look at the ingredients and directions and thought I would give it a try. After all, it did have lemon, orange juice and zest. It is definitely my kind of cake.
So, one rainy Saturday I attempted to make this wonderful cake. I know there seem to be a lot of instructions, but do not let that stop you. Once you have all the ingredients laid out (mise-in-place), the entire process proceeds quickly and easily.
Frosting the cake was the biggest challenge for me. I am just not very good at it. After I was finished, my husband took the frosting knife from my hands and skillfully iced up the cake! Who knew!
This cake is so light and fluffy, despite the heavy ingredients. The combination of the lemon and orange zest in the cake and frosting was delighful. Although I do not typically eat cake, I found myself licking my fork and definitely wanting more. I will be making this magnificent cake again and again. This is a “must-try” for sure.
This recipe is courtesy of myrecipes and will serve 12 people who will be asking for seconds. Maybe you should make two. LOL!
Ingredients for Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Ingredients for Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter softened
3 tbsp. orange zest
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 (32-oz.) package sugar (4 cups)
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. additional fresh orange juice
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round cake pans.
Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add oil, egg yolks, and orange juice.
Beat at medium-high speed 3-4 minutes or until smooth.
Stir in zest.
In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. (This took a while 5 or more minutes).
Gently fold into flour mixture.
Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely.
For the Buttercream Frosting:
Beat butter, orange zest, and lemon zest at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with lemon juice and 5 tbsp fresh orange juice, beating at low speed until blended after each addition.
Add up to 1 tablespoon additional fresh orange juice, 1 tsp. at a time, or until desired consistency is reached.
Spread Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top of sides of cake. (Place parchment paper on the bottom of the cake to prevent it from getting on the plate).
This is the second anniversary of my blog! Has it really been two years? Time goes by so fast!
I am really craving anything with oatmeal these days. Last week, I posted a recipe for pecan-raisin oatmeal cookies. Today, I’m loving blueberry oatmeal bars. This is a great recipe for your 4th of July celebration.
Actually, I was searching for a recipe with blueberries. I had bought way too many for company, and I did not want them to go to waste. Since I seem to be so consistent with my taste these days, I ended up with a recipe that included oatmeal as well. I completely forgot that I had made the cookies last week!
Well, it all turned out for the best (as it always does) and these blueberry oatmeal bars were out of this world. They were simple to make. Using the parchment paper was so helpful that it will now be in my cooking tips repertoire. The bars lifted right out of the pan and were easy to cut. It is a perfect suggestion for a non-baker like me.
These bars blended the sweetness of the oatmeal with a little tang from the blueberries. The oatmeal added a wonderful texture and the icing topped it off impeccably. I was scooping up the parts left in the pan, trying to get every little splendid bit just to have “a little more”. I have a feeling you will enjoy them just as much as I did!
This recipe is courtesy of wellplated.com. It will make about 16 bars. Be sure not to take your eyes off them for a second or your family will gobble them all up!
Ingredients for the Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk
Place a rack in the center of the oven.
Preheat oven to 375.
Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs the side like 2 handles.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Pour in the melted butter and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened.
Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
Scatter half of the blueberries over the crust.
Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle with the lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar.
Scatter on the remaining berries, then the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar.
Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
Bake the bars for 30-40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden.
Place pan on wire rack to cool completely ( you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
For the glaze:
While the bars cool, prepare the glaze in a medium bowl; briskly whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth.
Fell free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired.
Using the parchment paper handles, lift the bars from the pan.
As the years progress, I have somehow inherited the role of hosting most of the holidays at my home. Don’t misunderstand me; that is NOT a complaint. In fact, I enjoy hosting the holidays at my home despite the work. My own family is growing so quickly. Nieces and nephews are getting married and having children. Ten guests have easily grown into 20 over the past ten years. I love having every one of them.
There are some ways that you can make hosting the holidays at your home easier. The most important thing is to be very organized. Plan your meal ahead. Find your recipes and make copies of them. This will keep your cookbook pages nice and clean! Organize your shopping list (read and reread so you do not omit anything) by the location of items in your grocery store (i.e., produce, baking goods). Bring the copies of the recipes with you just in case you need to refer to it while you are in the store.
You can easily shop for your non-perishables a week ahead and your produce 2-3 days ahead. This gives you ample time to run back to the store as needed. (Don’t we always forget something?).
Make what you can in advance. For example, soups, many appetizers and baked goods freeze really well, as does brisket. If you work, you might want to plan your menu around recipes that you can freeze. There are also those recipes that can be prepared the night before, so all you have to do is place them in the oven the next day. Any free time for you is the chance to spend more time with your guests.
Throwing any holiday or family get-together does not have to be stressful. Create place cards for your guests. Turn off the bright lights and light candles, which will give your room a warm glow. Use cloth napkins and fold them in a special way. Don’t forget to plan the music. This will really help set the mood for your holiday. Do as much as you can in advance (i.e., set the table) and you will find yourself stress-free and enjoying every minute.
Onto the recipe for today. I wasn’t sure about the pecans. Then I thought why not? I love almost any kind of oatmeal cookie. I love the texture and the chewy inside. It was worth a try.
To my surprise, I loved these cookies. They were crunchy on the outside and chewy and soft in the middle. They are like eating soft, flavorful mounds bursting with all that crumbly goodness.
Again, Ina Garten’s recipe is spot on. This recipe made about 25-30 cookies. I would make the mounds a little larger than 2-inches, as the recipe calls for. But maybe that’s just me. I like my cookies big. However you make them I know you will love them. It made a pecan-raisin walnut cookie lover out of me!
Ingredients for Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 cups pecans 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1 cup granulated sugar 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. kosher salt 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal 1 1/2 cups raisins
Preheat oven to 350.
Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop coarsely.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
Sift the flour . baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer n low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Add the oats, raisins, and the pecans and mix until just combined.
Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
Flatten slightly with a damp hand.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.
