Getting Ready. . .

It feels like spring outside. . . and it tastes like summer in my mouth. Can't wait to eat tomatoes grown in my own garden.

I have a file full of pictures of food and lists of recipes I need to enter.  Now to get them onto this blog. . .

Frozen Blackberry Lemonade

Blackberries are back in season and I can't wait to find new ways to use them. We have been down to the blackberry patch in the forest near our house once already and none too soon. The stash we froze last year is down to about a cup left. In July I thawed some of my frozen blackberries and made Frozen Blackberry Lemonade on a hot summer day. . .YUM. I had to do something with that pile of lemons adorning my counter!

Here is what you'll need:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

3/4 plus 2Tbs simple syrup*

1 pint fresh blackberries--juiced (about 1/2 cup)

4 1/2 cups ice cubes

Juice your lemons--or make your nephew do it like I did!

Combine 1 1/4 cups of lemon juice with 3/4 cup of simple syrup and set aside.

Heat blackberries over medium heat until very juicy, stirring periodically--10 minutes. Press through sieve. Should produce about 1/2 cup of juice.

Stir together blackberry juice, 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 Tbs of simple syrup. Set aside.

Put ice cubes in blender with lemon juice mixture. Crush ice until smooth.

Pour 1 - 2 Tbs of blackberry juice in each of 4 glasses.

Pour frozen lemonade into glasses, dividing evenly. Garnish with mint sprig and blackberries (optional). Serves 4.

*simple syrup is one cup water to one cup sugar--heated on stove top until sugar is dissolved.

Creamy Pesto Dressing

In an effort to get good use out of my garden, I have been coming up with new ways to use what I have growing out there. Early in the summer I was awash in the most tender buttery Buttercrunch lettuce. It was almost good enough to eat alone. But I also had, and still have, loads of basil. So I decided to put the two together and made a Basil Pesto Salad Dressing.

It's simple, its yummy, and you really don't need much else for your salad. . .except maybe some tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of basil leaves

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 cup mayo

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup of pine nuts

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 pepper

Process in blender of food processor until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crab Cakes and Red Pepper Sauce

Something about summer makes seafood seem mandatory. I am sure it helps that I live in the Pacific Northwest where seafood is quick and easy to get fresh. I often buy crab cakes at a little seafood market near my house, but over the fourth of July I decided to make crab cakes from scratch.

For the Crab Cakes:

2 Tbs chopped parsley

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 large eggs--beaten

2 Tbs Mayo

1 tsp lemon juice

1 pound crab meat, flaked

1/2 cup bread crumbs (plus more for coating)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Butter or oil for frying

Combine ingredients gently so as not to break up the crab meat too much. Divide into 6-8 thick patties. coat each patty with bread crumbs. Heat a couple tablespoons of butter and a little olive oil--enough to generously cover the bottom of a large fry pan--over medium heat. Fry patties until golden brown on both sides--about four minutes per side. Remove from pan and serve immediately with Red Pepper Sauce.

Red Pepper Sauce:

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup mayo

1 Tbs minced shallots

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Combine in blender or food processor until finely chopped. Serve immediately with crab cakes, or refrigerate covered until serving.

Tomato Basil Panini

This year I planted six basil plants and four tomato plants that are all thriving. So I am putting them to good use. My favorite lunch these days is a tomato basil panini. It is simple yet divine!

I made them for my 4th of July barbecue as little appetizers. They are cute this way as well as super yummy. I just cut the bread with a round cookie cutter and bought the round mozz.

Here is what you need:

Tomatoes - sliced

Fresh Basil - whole or shredded

Soft Mozzarella - sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Garlic salt (optional, but I love to sprinkle on just a dash)

Bread

Mayo

Assemble and grill in the panini press until cheese is slightly melted and grill marks are on the bread.

Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Tart

I've had a hankering for lemony goodness this week.  It all started when I went out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes with my family and their were featuring lemon everything for the month.  I had some yummy lemony pasta and a salad with some sort of lemony dressing and finished it off with lemon cobbler topped with a dollop of lemon whipped cream. It. was. divine.  yum.  

So I rushed to the store and bought a bag full of lemons.

My first lemon recipe was a creamy lemon tart.  

There are few desserts as light and refreshing as those with lemon in them.  This is one of my favorite.

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter -- cold, cut into squares

Filling:

5 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about two large lemons)

2 eggs

1 tbs grated lemon zest

Topping:

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tbs confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

For the crust: Combine in a food processor--flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until pastry starts to form clumps.  

Press dough into tart pan.  Pierce bottom with fork to help prevent bubbles while baking.  Freeze for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F while waiting for dough to chill.

Bake 13 - 15 minutes, until crust is golden.  

For the Filling: In mixer, process cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar, mix.  Add one egg at a time until combined.  Add remaining ingredients, mix until smooth.  

Pour into tart shell.  Bake 25 - 30 minutes, until filling is set.  Cool on rack, then refrigerate until chilled.

Topping: In mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Either pipe over top of tart, or add a dollop to each individual piece as served.  

I added a little lemon zest to the top for fun. . . while it was still a little warm.   This tart didn't last 24 hours.  Yum.

Blackened Salmon

The approach of summer always brings out a need to eat more fish and fresh produce.  I am sure the salmon is good all winter, but I almost never go to the sea food market during the winter.  I pulled out my favorite blackened salmon recipe today and heated the grill, despite the dreary clouds.  I figured we would invite summer by grilling salmon and making a spring dessert. . .something lemony.  Having eaten blackened salmon a couple times at restaurants, I was determined to find a good recipe for making it at home.  I found one I liked. . .then I tweaked it of course.

For the Spice:

2 tsp paprika

4 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbs sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix all the seasons together and store what you don't use in an airtight container.

Traditionally, blackened Salmon is fried in melted butter.  But I decided to grill it today.  To fry it you simply melt a  couple tablespoons of butter  in a pan, coat your fish with it before seasoning and fry it on each side until blackened and cooked through (2-5 minutes on each side).  

To grill it, I didn't even coat with butter first, though you certainly could.  I simply piled on the spices nice and thick and then grilled it on grilling pan set on the barbecue grill for about seven minutes, or until cooked through.  

It is a spicy dish, they way I like it! And easy, which is always a good thing. Enjoy.

**In case you were wondering where I have been for nearly two months--a large part of that time my kitchen was torn out and under construction.  But now I am back baking and cooking in my nearly complete, beautiful kitchen.  To see some of the process I have been going through, feel free to visit my home and garden blog.**