By Sherrie Norris
I’ve received ample confirmation that our readers enjoy the “hodgepodge” of recipes I’ve been including recently, featuring all things “gardeney,” rather than spotlighting one veggie or fruit at a time. I appreciate the positive feedback. We can become overwhelmed with all the produce that begins to appear at the same time, and I’ve been guilty of missing out on a few of the seasonal treats by doing the one-at-a-time feature.
So, for the remainder of the season, you may see cucumber recipes thrown in with the tomatoes, berries with the squash, etc. It makes sense and I’m not sure why I’ve not thought about that before this year. I mean, a perfect summer plate will include sliced cukes, squash casserole, freshly cooked, seasoned green beans, tomato pie and a chunk of hot cornbread. So, here we go again. Hope you enjoy every morsel!
Fried Summer Squash
2 or 3 small summer squash, sliced about ¼-inch thick
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
½ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
Oil for frying
Combine eggs, milk, flour and salt in a small bowl, beating well. Dip each slice of squash in batter and fry in frying pan until lightly brown on both sides. Serve hot.
Blackberry Dumplings
1 quart blackberries, cleaned and rinsed
½ cup water
1 cup sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbs. sugar
Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream
Cook berries in water in large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until berries are tender and water colors. Add sugar; stirring in well, then cook for 5 minutes. Lower heat until berries are just simmering. Meanwhile, combine Bisquick, milk and the remaining Tbsp. of sugar; mix well. Drop dumplings by Tbsp. onto simmering berries. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Serve dumplings with berries spooned over top, add Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream for special treat.
Note: For thicker base, add a dab of cornstarch mixed with water to berry mixture.
Easy Dill Pickles
1 cup sugar
1 cup canning salt
2 qt. water
1 qt. vinegar
Cucumbers
Dill weed
Garlic
Sliced onion
Bring first four ingredients to a boil; remove from heat. Pack clean whole 2-4-inch cucumbers into quart jars with 1 garlic bud, 1 slice of onion and lots of homegrown dill (2-3 heads). Pour liquid mixture over vegetables. Place lids on jars and place in hot water bath for about 20 minutes. Make about five quarts.
Layered Blueberries And Cream
Angel food cake mix
1 container Cool Whip
1 can or 2 cups home-made blueberry pie filling
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
Prepare angel food cake as directed (or purchase one from bakery). Slice into three layers. Beat cream cheese and sugar together, fold in Cool Whip, adding 3 or 4 spoons of pie filling, and cover each layer. Frost top of cake with cream cheese mixture, and spoon remaining blueberry filling over cake, allowing it to dribble over the sides.
Low Carb Zucchini chips
¼ cup ground almonds
¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. seasoned salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
2½ cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk; dredge in dry mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Serve immediately.
Cheese Stuffed Summer Squash
6 summer squash
Boiling salted water
1 small onion, minced
2 Tbsp. bacon drippings, or butter
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
½ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 slices thin bacon, partially cooked
Cut off stem ends of the squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, or patty pan) and cook in about 1 inch of boiling, salted water until barely tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and for the patty pans cut a circle in the top or cut the other squash in halves lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving shells about ¼-inch thick. Cook onion in fat until softened, but not browned. Add squash pulp, salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Mix well and spoon into squash shells. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and top with the shredded cheese. Cut bacon strips in half and lay a piece on top of each squash. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned. Makes 6 servings.
Easy Zucchini Bread
3 cups plain flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups shredded zucchini
In large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Beat eggs and oil together and then mix well into dry ingredients. Place in two greased/floured loaf pans, bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until lightly browned and set in the middle.
Stuffed Peppers
6 bell peppers, any color
1 lb. lean ground beef
½ cup onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup cooked white rice
1 tsp. salt
14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce, divided
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds and membranes from inside. Dip peppers into the boiling water for about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, brown ground beef and onion in a skillet; drain off any fat. Add garlic and stir. Next, toss in the cooked rice, half the tomato sauce (save the other half for later), diced tomatoes, shredded zucchini, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir to combine and cook until heated through.
Spoon ground beef mixture into each of the prepared peppers; place in a baking dish. Top each pepper with about a Tbsp. of the tomato sauce and cover dish with foil.
Bake for 10 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake about 3 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.