Home and Garden Chat

Don’t you just love this time of year. Everything is so full of hope and potenial. Memorial Day stands as a holiday that arose out of appreciation for and remembrance of every person who gave their lives defending the nation. For which we are eternally thankful. I especially love Memorial Day weekend as it ushes in the beginning of summer. What fun is it to plan a great party for this special occasion. You can plan on cooking outside and socialize around the pool or whatever you’ve got in your back yard. If you are going to make it a family affair and you have people coming from outside the area you can plan on setting up a tent in the yard for the kids to sleep in and that way it opens up a few rooms for adults. I promise the kids will love this idea.
The food is easy to plan, anything fresh is always welcome. So corn on the cob, watermelon, strawberries, and fresh vegetables are a good place to start planning your menu. Salads are a terrific choice and a healthy one. BBQ is something that everyone loves and there are lots of ways to introduce new flavors. Steaks are always delicious and can be sliced and put on your salad. Seafood is a popular choice and you might even consider doing a clam bake. We grew up on Long Island sound and the beach which is a great place for a clam bake. You need a large hot fire and then put a large pot of salt water on it to boil. We wrapped up the potatoes in foil and throw them on the coals. Once the water is boiling you throw in your lobster and clams. The corn was soaked in salt water and then put on a grill with the husks on and roasted until done. This will be the best food you will ever eat, on the beach with all your friends laughing and enjoying the beauty of the moment.

 

Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Spicy Peach-Bourbon Sauce

Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups peach nectar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Steak
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-pound) flank steaks, trimmed
Cooking spray
To prepare sauce, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add nectar, 3 tablespoons sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 15 minutes). Add bourbon, ketchup, Worcestershire, and red pepper; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in the lime juice. Cool slightly. Pour the sauce into a blender, and process until smooth.
Prepare grill.
To prepare steak, combine 1 tablespoon sugar and next 7 ingredients (1 tablespoon sugar through black pepper); rub over both sides of steak. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with sauce.

 

Barbecued Beef Kabobs

1/4 c Lemon juice
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
3 tb Corn oil
1/3 c Soy sauce
2 tb Yellow mustard
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb Lean round steak, boneless
1 Large green pepper
4 oz Fresh mushrooms
8 Cherry tomatoes
1 large red onion
Make marinade by combining lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, oil, soy sauce, mustard, garlic. Cut beef into 1″ chunks, then put in marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 12 hours or more. Cut vegetables into chunks, making at least 8 pieces of each. Remove beef cubes from marinade, reserving marinade. On 4 medium or long skewers, alternate pieces of meat and vegetables.  Grill over hot coals, basting occasionally with marinade, for about 15 minutes, turning skewers regularly. Serve hot.

 

Barbecued Salmon with Sun-dried Tomatoes Salsa

Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa
1/2 c Sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 c Chopped black olives
2 cl Garlic
1 tb Chopped fresh basil
2 tb Olive oil
1 tb Balsamic vinegar
Place salmon on oiled foil. Sprinkle with lemon juice, herbs, salts, pepper and remaining oil. Enclose with foil. Place on grill and close lid. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes or until white juices just begin to appear.
To prepare salsa, chop tomatoes, olives, garlic and basil by hand or in a food processor until chunky. Stir in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Makes about 3/4 cups. Remove salmon from grill, unwrap, slide onto serving platter and serve with salsa.

 

Marinated Shrimp Kabobs

 

Shrimp
8 oz Pace Picante Sauce
8 oz Bottled Italian dressing

Cook peeled and deveined shrimp in boiling water just ’til they turn pink (watch closely – overcooking makes shrimp tough characters). Drain and place in a bowl. Pour Pace and Italian dressing over hot shrimp, mixing well. Cover and chill at least 2 or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, chill crisp-tender cooked broccoli florets and uncooked cherry tomatoes in equal parts of Pace Picante Sauce and Italian dressing, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving, drain and arrange shrimp, broccoli florets and tomatoes on short, thin skewers or long cocktail picks. Arrange on a lettuce-lined platter to serve.

 

Succotash Salad

Salad:
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen baby lima beans
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To prepare salad, cook beans in boiling water for 12 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Combine beans, corn, and next 5 ingredients (corn through oregano).
To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, and toss to coat.

 

 

Strawberry Avacado and Spinach Salad

1 clove garlic (grated)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 5 ounce bag baby spinach
2 handfuls strawberries (sliced)
1 avocado (peeled, pitted, sliced)
1 handful fresh peas (optional)
2 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled, optional)
1 handful blue cheese (crumbled)
1 handful pecans (choppedDirections:
1. Mix the garlic, honey, mustard, vinegar and oil.
2. Assemble the salad and toss with the dressing.

 

Traditional Potato salad

2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, boiled (or baked and peeled)
3 stalks of celery, diced
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1/4 cup cooked bacon, diced 2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or sea salt)
1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper (or to taste)
Dice cooked potatoes and combine with celery, eggs and bacon Combine dressing ingredients well, then add dressing to potato mixture Adjust salt a little at a time if needed

 

 

 

Best Cole Slaw

1 small head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 very small amount of red cabbage, thinly sliced for color
1 medium carrot, shredded
Dressing Mix (see below)
This cole slaw dressing will last 3 weeks in the refrigerator if you wish to make a larger amount.
Salad Dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 teaspoons salt
2/3 teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons white vinegar
3/4 teaspoons mustard (or to taste)
Dash of white pepper
Add any other vegetables you like to the slaw mix Combine all dressing ingredients and mix well Add only enough dressing to slaw mix to moisten well Refrigerate Adjust additional dressing to your taste as some prefer light dressing and others favor heavier dressing. I recommend you add the dressing to your slaw mix just before serving to avoid the slaw becoming soggy.

 

 

BBQ Beans

2 C. dried red, pink, or pinto beans, rinsed well and picked over
6 C. water
1/4 lb. salt pork, diced fine
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. bacon fat, if needed
1 t. finely ground black pepper
1 t. salt
3/4 t. crumbled dried oregano
1/2 t. crumbled dried sage
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 T. chili powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 T. cornmeal
1 C. peeled and chopped fresh or canned tomatoesWash beans and soak in water overnight. Do not drain. In large frying pan, cook salt pork. After 5 minutes, add onions and garlic and cook until onions are golden. If pork does not render enough fat to continue cooking with add 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add black pepper, salt, oregano, sage, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cornmeal, tomatoes and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes.Combine beans, most of their remaining liquid and mixture from frying pan in 3 quart bean pot. Reserve 1 to two cups of bean liquid to add later if needed. Stir to blend and bake, covered, in 300°F. oven 4 hours, checking frequently to see if the liquid needs replenishing. Taste and correct seasonings.

 

Grilled Cajun Potato Wedges

3 large russet potatoes — (2 1/4 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic — minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme — crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano — crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper — (cayenne)Prepare barbecue grill. preheat oven to 425ºF.
To prepare potatoes scrub under running water with stiff vegetable brush; rinse. Dry Well. (Do not peel.) Cut potatoes in half lengthwise with a chef’s knife; then cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges. Place potatoes in large bowl. Add oil and garlic; toss to coat well. Combine salt, paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper and ground red pepper. Sprinkle over potatoes. Toss to coat well.
Place potato wedges in single layer in shallow roasting pan. (Reserve remaining oil mixture left in bowl.) Bake 20 minutes. Take potato wedges out of oven.
Place potato wedges on their sides on grid. Grill potato wedges, on covered grill, over medium coals 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are browned and fork tender, brushing with reserved oil mixture halfway through grilling time and turning once with tongs.

 

Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms

24 medium mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 Tbsp. margarine, divided
2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
dash pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1 Tbsp. snipped parsley
Remove stems from mushrooms; reserve caps. Chop stems. Cook the chopped stems and onion in 1 Tbsp. margarine just till tender.
Blend in flour, marjoram and pepper; add wine. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in ham and parsley. Stuff mushroom caps with ham mixture.
Place mushrooms on a 20″ x 12″ piece of foil; dot with remaining margarine.
Fold foil to seal edges; grill on gas grill set at medium for 15 to 20 minutes.

Grilled Pineapple

1/2 c Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c Honey
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1/2 c Packed light brown sugar
1/2 c Dark rum
1 Pineapple, cut into 8 wedges and cored*
Vanilla ice creamTo prepare sauce, combine Worcestershire, honey, butter, sugar and rum in 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 12 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat; cool completely.
Brush pineapple wedges with some of the sauce. Place pineapple on oiled grid. Grill over hot coals 5 minutes or until glazed, turning an basting often with sauce. Serve pineapple with ice cream and remaining sauce.
Garnish as desired. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.
*You may substitute other fruits, such as halved peaches, nectarines or thick slices of mangoes, for the pineapple. **Leftover sauce may be reheated in microwave. Microwave and stir for 30 seconds at a time.
8 servings ( 1 1/2 cups sauce)

 

Peach Cobbler with Raspberries

For the fruit:
6 C. peaches (about 2-1//2 lbs.), peeled, pitted and sliced
2 T. mild honey or brown sugar
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 to 2 T. peach brandy, to taste (optional)
1 C. raspberries
2 T. flour
For the topping;
1//2 C. stone-ground cornmeal
1 C. flour
2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
6 T. cold butter, cut into pieces
2/3 C. plain yogurt
2 T. honey
Whipped cream, plain or vanilla yogurt, or ice cream for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 2-quart gratin or baking dish, and set aside.
Toss the peaches in a bowl with the honey or brown sugar, the lemon juice, cinnamon and the 2 tablespoons flour. Sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Transfer to the bowl of your food processor, if using, and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Cut in the butter, pulsing with the food processor or mixing with forks, until the mixture has a coarse, mealy texture. Add the yogurt and honey and process or stir just until the mixture is homogenous.
Gently stir the raspberries into the peaches and transfer the fruit to the buttered baking dish. Scrape all the liquid in the bowl in with the peaches. Spoon heaped tablespoons of the topping mixture over the peaches. They should be just about covered, although there may be some small spaces between the spoonfuls of batter; lightly moisten your fingertips and spread the topping if there are big spots where the fruit isn’t covered.
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet with a rim so that if the fruit bubbles over the juices won’t run over your oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the top golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool until warm on a rack.
Serve warm, with whipped cream, yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Serves 6 generously.

 

Grilled Fruit Kebabs with Grand Marnier Sauce

3 fresh, ripe apricots
2 fresh, ripe peaches
3 fresh ripe figs
2 ripe bananas
4 fresh, ripe kiwi fruits
2 fresh, ripe nectarines
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 C. butter
1/2 C. powdered sugar
2 T. Grand Marnier
1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 t. finely grated orange peel
Mint sprigs for garnish
Prepare the grill. Cut apricots in half and remove the pits. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits and then cut into quarters. Remove the stalks from the figs, cut into quarters. Peel and slice the bananas into one inch thick sections. Sprinkle the bananas with lemon juice. Peel and slice the kiwi fruits into one inch thick sections. Cut the nectarines in half, remove the pits and cut into quarters. Alternate the fruit pieces and thread onto skewers. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat, stir in the sugar, Grand Marnier, orange juice and peel. Brush the sauce onto the fruit kebabs and grill over medium coals for six minutes, basting and turning. Arrange on serving plates, pour over any remaining sauce and garnish with mint sprigs.

 

Red, White and Blue Parfait

1 eight ounces. of vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces (1/2 of an eight ounce container) of frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
3 cups fresh cut up strawberries and / or raspberries
3 cups fresh blueberries
In a large bowl, stir together yogurt and vanilla Fold in whipped topping In 6 twelve ounce glasses or dessert glasses alternate layers of the berries with layers of the yogurt mixture
Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 1 hour.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

2 C. (about 8 oz.) pecan halves
3 eggs
3/4 C. light corn syrup
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 T. butter, melted
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt Pastry for a 1-crust pie, home-made or refrigerated ready-to-use
1 1/3 C. (8 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 T. vegetable shortening
1 C. heavy cream, whipped, if desired Preheat oven to 375°F. In a frying pan over low-medium heat, toast the pecan halves, stirring frequently, until they begin to color and become fragrant, about 7 minutes. Pour into a dish and set aside.Put the eggs in the small bowl of an electric mixer and beat them lightly. Add the syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla and salt, and beat until well-combined.
Fit the pastry into a 9-inch pie dish and flute the edges. Scatter 1 cup of the chips across the bottom. Cover evenly with the toasted pecans, and gently pour the egg mixture over all.Bake until the center is browned and puffed, and a knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack.Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1/3 cup chips with the shortening in a small saucepan over very low heat or in the microwave oven. Stir to make a uniform mixture, then drizzle back and forth over the baked pie from the tines of a fork. When the pie is fully cool, decorate with whipped cream if desired. Serves 8.

Strawberry Shortcake

For the strawberries

3-4 cups sliced strawberries

1 lemon, juice of

2 tablespoons sugar

 For the shortcake

1 1/2 cups sifted all pourpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 finely-grated lemon zest

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup milk

1 cup chilled heavy cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons sugar

To prepare the strawberries, in a nonreactive bowl, combine the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar and stir together until well blended. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are tender and have released much of their juices, at least 2 hours.

To make the shortcakes, position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease and flour a 6-well shortcake pan. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; repeat until well blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30-45 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sugar, beating until blended.

Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes . Beat in the zest.

Add the eggs a little at a time, beating each addition until well blended before adding more, until the mixture is thick and creamy, 1-2 minutes . Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended and no lumps of flour remain. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes .

Transfer to a wire rack and cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes.

Carefully turn the cakes out onto the rack and cool completely, bottom side up, at least 1 hour. If not serving the cakes immediately, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

To serve, slice each shortcake in half horizontally. Place the wide shortcake halves, sliced side up, on individual plates. Top each with some of the strawberries and whipped cream, then top with the other half of the cakes, cut side down. Garnish with additional strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.