Seven Sweet and Spectacular Strawberry Recipes

28 Jun

This reblog comes as strawberry season is in full swing and includes a way to save strawberries on the edge…See also my latest blog post on Edible Long Island…

Natalia at A New World of Writing's avatarHot, Cheap & Easy

As strawberry season is in full swing, I’ve collected for you some spectacularly simple recipes that take advantage of the season (and help salvage berries that have passed their prime!). This has been updated from six to seven!

We like mini-muffins because you get so many you can share them around! Strawberry-Blueberry Mini-Muffins (click on image for recipe)

Summer fruit! Berry Crisp – sweet and crunchy! (click image for recipe)

We're jammin'. we're jammin', hope you like jammin' too Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with no pectin and no preserving. A Hot, Cheap & Easy Top Five (click on image for recipe)

Strawberry Shortcake...a crowd pleaser! Strawberry Shortcake…a crowd pleaser! (click on image for recipe)

A Red White and Blue Berry Shortcake (with real whipped cream and simple white cake recipes)A Red White and Blue Berry Shortcake (with real whipped cream and simple white cake recipes)

Saving Sad Strawberries - by Roasting! Delicious jammy results Saving Sad Strawberries – by Roasting! Delicious jammy results (click on image for recipe)

And of course, the most refreshing sangrías include sliced strawberries!

Two of the three sangría recipes include strawberries! Two of the three sangría recipes include strawberries! (click on image for recipes)

View original post

Spicy Peach and Nectarine Salsa (for grilled chicken, fish or shrimp)

23 Jun

Between the World Cup, my son’s birthday, and all the crazy- end-of-school-year STUFF, I have not been blogging with my usual attention. And I have missed you! But in the last few days of entertaining and spectating, this peach and nectarine salsa (done quickly at half-time)  has been sparking up the fantastic grilled chicken my dad has been charring to perfection.

A combination of over-ripe and not-quite ripe peaches and nectarines make for a terrific salsa

A combination of over-ripe and not-quite ripe peaches and nectarines make for a terrific salsa

It is the result of buying a manager’s special of rejected peaches and nectarines on the cheap….You can substitute mango..in fact my mom thought it was mango! The important thing is the balance and excitement of sweet, citric, spicy and salty all at one go.  Nancy, this one is for you…

This is done in five minutes!

This is done in five minutes!

Peach/Nectarine Spicy Salsa (for grilled chicken or shrimp)

1 Cup peeled and chopped peaches and nectarines

1 tsp red onion, chopped fine

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp balsamic vinegar

1 pinch hot red pepper flakes

1 pinch salt

Mix together in a bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Serve with grilled chicken, shrimp or sturdy white fish.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Red, White and Blue Shortcake in a (World) Cup

16 Jun

My son’s birthday this year happens to fall on the day of the U.S. National Soccer Team’s opening World Cup match against Ghana. So — being a soccer/fútbol mad family, this is like thematic heaven for us!

USA shortcakeBetween last night and this morning, I banged together class treats that were all red, white and blue, homemade and — while they include cake and whipped cream — also include generous portions of summer fruit.

Very tender and moist cake....

Very tender and moist cake….

I like to think it strikes the right balance between healthy and sweet and it certainly reflects what is important to the little man today.

Pretty decent crumb!

Pretty decent crumb!

And the fact that I put this much time and thought into it reflects 1) my semester finished and I have some extra time on my hands 2) I am indeed the food DIY maniac everyone thinks I am 3) I love this little man so much I want him to be proud of the treats he brought in!

Piled it up nice (and casually no...LOW FUSS!)

Piled it up nice (and casually no…LOW FUSS!)

He went to school in his U.S. kit (with the non-playing Landon Donovan jersey, but never mind…I have to assume Klinsmann knows what he is doing) and seemed very pleased with the whole thing. He was down with a virus last week that has left him with painful bumps in his mouth….so I don’t know whether he’ll actually eat one, but he somehow managed to lick the whipping cream bowl clean all right this morning.

All tarted up for the big game

All tarted up for the big game

I include a link for the recipe for homemade whipped cream. I URGE you to try it…so much more fun and much more velvety and subtle…the kids around here love making it with the hand beater and eating it up! You can also make your own white cake (recipe for a very fluffy and tender one below) or substitute storebought poundcake. If you are going to make your own cake, I suggest you have a look at Paula Deen’s excellent Creaming 101 tutorial. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Kids in the Kitchen: Cub Scouts Make Pizza!

13 Jun

We love our Cub Scout pack (Theodore Roosevelt  Council Pack 776) and our den (10!). We have done so many fun and enriching activities both indoors and out in this first year! Part of the reason I am sharing this event with you is in case you need ideas for a kids activity…just ask your local pizzeria.

Stretching the dough and spreading the sauce

Stretching the dough and spreading the sauce

One of the nearest and dearest Scouting excursions to my heart happened this past week as Scout mom, Melissa,  organized a visit to a local pizza parlor and the boys made their own pizza!

Going for it!

Going for it!

No, they didn’t make the dough, and no it wasn’t whole wheat, multi-grain crust, or organic cheese and sauce, or free-range pork sausage…give me a break…

All hands on deck!

All hands on deck!

It was simply a local place that makes really nice pies giving the boys a chance to punch out a little pie into an oil-greased tin foil pie pan, slap on sauce and choose some toppings. The nice folks at Leonardo’s popped them in the brick oven, then: the boys ate their creations!

Serious business!

Serious business!

The joys and special satisfactions of DIY

The joys and special satisfactions of DIY

They had such a ball, it inspired me (who you would think makes homemade pizza with my kid all the time but never has!) to give it a try some time soon. Maybe it will inspire those of you who have to come up with a fun indoor activity at a reasonable price (lunch included!).

Mangia, mangia! The proud pizza maker of the one pizza I really wanted to steal!!

Mangia, mangia! The proud pizza maker of the one pizza I really wanted to steal!!

Our hosts

Our hosts

So thanks to Leonardo’s Pizza & Restaurant for showing the boys how to put a pizza together (and charging just $6 each for a drink, a garlic knot, and the individual pizza with cheese and choice of sausage or pepperoni, or both).  Thanks to Melissa for organizing and Meg and Moira for being such dedicated den leaders! It has been a really terrific year…

The professional pizza...with GARLIC KNOT CRUST...holy yumfest, Batman!

The professional pizza…with GARLIC KNOT CRUST…holy yumfest, Batman!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Arroz con Habichuelas Rosadas (Puerto Rican Rice and Beans – authentic/how to fake them)

11 Jun

This has been trending lately….authentic rice and beans and how to fake them when you don’t have the right ingredients!

Natalia at A New World of Writing's avatarHot, Cheap & Easy

Oh the sweet taste of victory!

My victory? My victory garden!

My little baby peppers

I managed to coax a couple of ajies (Capsicum chinense or sweet cooking peppers) from seeds that I saved from a pepper from my mom’s cousin’s kitchen garden in Mayaguez, to go with the recao (Eryngium foetidum or sawtooth coriander) that I grew from a seed packet from Puerto Rico. Next year I will be much more aggressive about how early I plant all my peppers, but for this year, the teeny-tiny-ness of my harvest does not diminish the absolute joy of it.

View original post 746 more words

Juicy Lamb and Beef Burgers

10 Jun

We love lamb in this house, from grandparents to grandkid. But admittedly, the more gamey flavor of lamb is not for everyone.

Dad, working with his very nice camera) photo by Pedro de Cuba

Dad, working with his very nice camera) photo by Pedro de Cuba

This recipe, put together by my dad, Pedro, master of burgers, mixes lamb and beef, so the flavor is more subtle.

Sub in green onion if you like!

Sub in green onion if you like! Photo by Pedro de Cuba

The curry and cumin provide a sweet headiness as does the garlic. Remember to turn just once on the grill and not to press down on them; you don’t want to squeeze out the juiciness!

Grill as you would a regular beef hamburger (don't squeeze out the juices!)

Grill as you would a regular beef hamburger (don’t squeeze out the juices!) Photo by Pedro de Cuba

My son ate them on a bun with ketchup, while the rest of us had them as salad toppers with garbanzos. Give them a try! Awesome riff on a BBQ favorite.

Make em any shape you want!

Make em any shape you want! Photo by Pedro de Cuba

Lamb Burgers (makes 8 generous burgers)

1 lb ground lamb

1.5 lbs. ground beef

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 Cup plain breadcrumbs

1 Tbs curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp red pepper flakes (dried)

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly, but trying not to overwork the meat.

Divide into desired size of burger. Grill 4- 5 minutes on each side (don’t press down as you don’t want to lose the fat!) to desired doneness. Serve as you would regular hamburgers or serve as patties with couscous, veggies, yogurt sauce, in the Mediterranean style.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Mango Chimichurri Salsa (for grilled meats and seafood)

7 Jun

When it comes to camping food, go bold or go home is my motto. This is no time for subtlety.

Our delicious dinner

Our delicious dinner

So, when Pedro (my dad) showed up at the campsite with some steaks last week. I was all in. He simply sprinkled salt and pepper on the steaks and got to grilling. His hint for you today is that starting with defrosted steaks still a bit cold in the center helps to keep the rare in medium rare when things start moving quickly on the charcoal grill. A fair bit of marbling on a steak is desirable, because you want that fat to melt and season the steak as opposed to drying out a leaner cut.

I decide to surprise everyone with a different sort of dressing for the steak: a mango chimichurri salsa, a riff on the parsley-based Argentinean salsa for steeak. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Finally! Long Island Wine in a Box

6 Jun

Alleluyah! A local solution to those summer activities where you can’t have glass bottles or glassware of any kind (think the pool, the hot tub, the camp site or the boat)!

The tasting room in East Hampton (see me in the window?)

The tasting room in East Hampton (see me in the window?)

I try to keep my food and beverages as local as I can (as local as my own backyard garden when possible), so it’s been a small frustration that on Long Island camping trips I have had to resort to boxed plonk from far-flung regions instead of drinking the local stuff. Ask and ye shall receive; I was very happy to learn that Lieb Cellars here on Long Island is now boxing their Bridge Lane blends.

I stopped by the East Hampton tasting room on my way to beach camping in Montauk last week, and was very pleased to walk out with a box of very tasty red and some bonus stemless govino shatterproof reusable glasses. Read about how it went with the Bridge Lane Red Blend here, in my latest blog post for Edible Long Island!

Thanks to Laura and Ron at the tasting room for helping me set up this shot!

Thanks to Laura and Ron at the tasting room for helping me set up this shot!

P.S. This is not a paid endorsement nor did I receive any free stuff. It’s a true delight piece!

A Camping Week Come-a-Cropper…And What We Cooked

29 May

On the eve of another risky Spring camping trip by the beach, I am digging out winning camp recipes (and tempering my enthusiasm by remembering the cold, wet, rainy, WINDY time we had last year. Don’t ask me why I love camping, but I do, I do, I DO!!!!

Natalia at A New World of Writing's avatarHot, Cheap & Easy

Some camping trips are divine: perfect weather, happy children, equipment fully-functional, bugs bugging someone else, and The Great Outdoors is, well, great.

The Montauk Lighthouse.

Then there are the camping trips that are more, shall we say, character-building.

A tick-free hiker is a happy hiker!

We’ve just come back from a trip that was a bit of a mixed bag. We were on the beach at the East End of Long Island in Spring, which can be a hit-or-miss deal. You might have sun and breeze. Or you might have 30 mph winds, cold temperatures, and chilling rain. We mostly had the latter, but in the end, managed to pull out one spectacular beach day, the requisite s’mores, several yummy, grilled meals, and a couple of tick-free hikes. And anyone who has ever camped by a body of water will understand the sheer joy of spending a week living outdoors…

View original post 564 more words

Top Reasons to Go to a Local Wine Dinner

27 May

Edible Long Island magazine just featured this post on their blog. It’s about a wonderful wine dinner I recently attended, but really it’s about why a splurge on a local wine dinner is really worthwhile!
Top Reasons to Go to a Local Wine Dinner.

 

Ursula Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →