Coconut Lime Ice Cream

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This recipe is from the great Carrie Wong, owner of Extreme Chocolates in Salem, OR. She has many other great recipes on her site! It’s good with or without lime…try adding shredded coconut at the end or topping off with toasted coconut when serving.

Coconut Lime Ice Cream

1-1/2 c. milk (2% or whole)

21 oz. cream of coconut (the sweetened Coco Loco type found in the drink mixers section at grocery store)

2-1/4 c. heavy cream

2 T. lime juice + 1 t. lime zest

Mix all ingredients and chill for several hours or overnight. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Zucchini Cakes (Mock Crab Cakes)

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Zucchini is one of those fabulous foods that can take on pretty much any other flavor when cooked the right way. So when life (or neighbors) hand you zucchini, go ahead, make cakes! This is a poor man’s version of crab cakes – I found the recipe many years ago and have, of course, changed it to my liking. It’s still one of my favorites I make often because it’s a great appetizer that can be made ahead of time then cooked right before serving.

Zucchini Cakes

4 c. shredded zucchini (approx. 1 med. size zuke)

4 eggs, beaten

2 c. Italian bread crumbs + extra for rolling*

2 T. melted butter

2 T. Old Bay seafood seasoning (or to taste)

2 T. chopped fresh or 1 T. dried parsley

1 small chopped onion

Vegetable or olive oil for frying

Fresh lemon or tartar sauce

Squeeze excess liquid out of shredded zucchini using your hands, pressing against strainer, or squeezing into paper or tea towel. Combine all ingredients (except oil, lemon, tartar) and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight until ready to serve. Form into cakes using 2-3 T. or an ice cream scoop of mixture. Roll cakes in additional breadcrumbs. Fry the chilled cakes in lightly oiled pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Serve with lemon wedges & tartar sauce.

Note: can also be made on indoor grills, just put lid down with light pressure.

*If using homemade toasted breadcrumbs, may want to add salt & pepper and/or other seasonings to taste. You can also use a mix of regular and panko, and you may need to add more in case you didn’t get enough moisture out and the zucchini is extra soggy.

zucchini cakes web

Summer Chipotle Lime Broccoli Slaw

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I found this recipe in the Weber’s “Way to Grill” cookbook and modified it a bit. It’s amazing on fish tacos or just by itself in the summer. You can use coleslaw, but I found the broccoli slaw doesn’t get as soggy and holds up better.

Summer Chipotle Lime Broccoli Slaw

8 c.  or (2) 12-oz. bags of broccoli slaw

1/3 c. dry or 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 c. mayo

4 T. lime juice (about 2 medium limes)

1 T. sugar

1 t. canned chipotle in adobo sauce, minced*

1 t. kosher salt

Place all ingredients except slaw in a large bowl and blend well. Add in slaw and toss until coated. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

*These come in small can…I blend it all up then freeze in teaspoon size lumps until needed. Can also use chipotle cubes (looks like bouillon cubes). 1 cube = approx. 1 chipotle, but it’s best to add a little then more to taste. Can also add more lime juice or mayo the next day if slaw dried out and needs moisture.

Buttermilk Bars

Buttermilk Bars

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Been to Starbucks and tried their special coffee cake? Well, these Buttermilk Bars are pretty darn close to that. Plus, they are easy to make, taste better, and cost less!

Buttermilk Bars

2 c. flour

¾ c. brown sugar

½ c. chopped walnuts

1-1/4 c. white sugar (or less)

½ c. shortening (I prefer butter flavor Crisco)

Mix together like a pie crust, until crumbly. Take out 2 cups of the mixture – use 1-1/2 cups of this and press into a 9”x13” cake pan. Save the other ½ cup for topping.

To the rest of the mixture, add:

1 egg

½ t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. soda

1 c. buttermilk

Blend well and pour this mixture over the crust mix. Spread out evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining ½ c. of crumbs on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Fruit Kuchen

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Growing up on a farm in the Columbia Basin of Washington, we had an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables available nearly year-round. This old German recipe is an easy way to use up fresh, ripe fruit. My favorites were always raspberry and apricot. Consider making two pans of it, there’s hardly any more effort and it will disappear quickly!

Fruit Kuchen

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1-1/2 c. flour

2-1/2 t. baking powder

Fruit of choice (see below)

Sugar & cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs one at a time, until well blended. Then add vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder. Blend into creamed mixture slowly. Pat this dough into an ungreased 10”x15” cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (pan should have edges on it, not the edgeless sheet type). Overlap fruit pieces onto dough, or put spoonfuls of puree on top of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350° for 40-55 minutes. Let cool in pan and cut into squares for serving. Kuchen also freezes well.

Fruit that works well:

2 quarts canned apricots, drained (or fresh apricots, quartered)

About 3 c. fresh rasperries, blackberries, marionberries or blueberries

3 c. thinly sliced apples (sprinkle with more sugar if of the tart variety)

Cheesy French Bread

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Cheesy French Bread

1/2 lb. margarine, softened

¼ lb. or 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

½ c. grated parmesan or romano cheese

½ t. Worcestershire sauce (we call this “Rooster Sauce”)

¼ t. garlic powder

¼ t. paprika

Blend all ingredients together and spread over loaf of French bread that has been split in half. Put on cookie sheet or pan and broil until cheese starts to bubble. Slice and serve!

*Note: For a zippy version, add 4 oz. crumbled blue cheese to the mixture.

Fancy Rice

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Fancy Rice

2 cans French onion soup

2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 small cans of mushroom pieces, drained

3 cans or 3 c. instant rice

Combine all ingredients and pour into greased casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Makes 4-6 small servings. Double recipe for family size meal and leftovers!

Options:

  • Top with French fried onions or Parmesan cheese 5 minutes before pulling out of oven.
  • Mix in 1-2 tsp. of fresh chopped herbs such as sage, rosemary or thyme.
  • Toss in ½ – 1 c. shredded cheddar or smoked gouda cheese before baking.
  • Sprinkle top of dish with smoked paprika before baking.
  • Precook chicken breasts and chop into small cubes or shred. Mix in with rice before baking for a one-dish meal.
  • Use cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom.

 

Spaghetti Sauce

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Another childhood favorite, who doesn’t love “pasghetti?!

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. lean ground beef (can also use half ground turkey, half ground beef)

1 small onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

4-6 (8 oz.) cans of tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

2 T. garlic, chopped (or ½ – 1 bulb)

2 T. Italian seasoning (more if you like)

1 oz. cube dark, unsweetened chocolate (no wonder I love this recipe!)

½ c. red wine

2 (8 oz.) cans mushroom pieces, drained

Brown ground beef in large skillet until nearly cooked through. Add onion & green pepper and cook until they are tender. Add rest of ingredients and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or transfer to slow cooker/crockpot and cook on low 3-4 hours. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti noodles. This also goes great with Cheesy French bread (recipe below).

Beef Stroganoff

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I asked my mom to give me three recipes she’s best known for. This one is my favorite!

Beef Stroganoff
1 lb. boneless beef round steak

2 T. margarine

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1/2 t. paprika

1/2 c. sour cream

hot cooked egg noodles

Slice beef across the grain into thin strips and cook in skillet with the margarine. Stir in soup and paprika. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat & stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles and garnish w/more paprika or parsley. Feel free to double…you’ll want leftovers!