Recipes serves 4

1/2 Cup cider vinegar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 teas sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 teas garam masala [coriander, cumin, cardamon and cinnamon]

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 – 4  medium size garden cucumbers

Combined vinegar, spices and sugar

Slowly add olive oil while whisking to make dressing

Slice cucumbers into 1/4inch

Add fresh sprigs of tarragon

Drizzle dressing over cucumbers

Toss gently, refrigerate for 30 minutes

Dressing
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground mustard
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
6 – 8 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Salad
2 Cups of diced chicken
1 Cup of diced strawberries
1/2 Cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 Cup diced celery
1 Cup toasted walnuts halves, chopped once

Mix lemon juice, garlic, mustard sea salt and pepper.
Add olive oil slowly to blend into a dressing.
Toss salad ingredients together
Coat salad with dressing.
Serve on leaf lettuce.

16 oz of Linguine [one box]

12 oz of fresh chopped spinach

1 tea minced garlic

1 medium chopped onion

1/2 Lb Italian Pancetta

1 pint of light cream

1 beaten egg

8 oz chopped feta cheese

nutmeg

Extra Virgin olive oil

Boil 4 quarts of water. Add lingiune and cook per package

Add spinach to the last 3 minutes to the boiling pasta waterDrain pasta and spinach addding a small amount of olive oil to keep the paste from sticking

Heal olive oil  to medium sauce pan and add chopped pancetta  until browned

Add onions and garlic once golden in color. Dont burnt.

Add light cream  and nutmeg to the sauce pan, stirring until almost reaching a boil.

Remove from heat and whisk in egg slowly, this will thicken the mixture.

Add 1/2 feta cheese and mix.

Pour over the noodle mix.

Toss and top with remaining crumbled feta cheese.

2 Lbs of fresh chicken wings
1/2 Cup flour
6oz orange Louisiana Hot or 6oz Mexican Cholula Hot Sauce [please only use one or the other or your tongue will not be happy]
1oz Tabasco sauce
5 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper
1 Tbsp sugar [this will help with tolerating the heat, adjust accordingly]
2 Tbsp ketchup [this will help too cut down on the vinegar in the hot sauce and thicken your sauce]

Wings
Preheat frialator to 375F
Pour flour into a ziplock bag
Add chicken 3-4 at a time to lightly coat wings
When removing wings shake them well to remove excess flour
Once all wings are flour coated deep fry until fully cooked
The number of wings you cook at a time depends on the size of your fryolater
Cook for 15-20 minutes, placing cooked wings on cookie sheet with few paper towels

Hot Sauce
Combine hot sauces, basil, garlic, red pepper over low heat and simmer
Add sugar and ketchup and taste
Here is where you can adjust sugar, ketchup according to the heat you want
I used the Cholula hot sauce [with the wooden top] and following the above recipe found it just the right amount of heat

Dipping sauce
Add 1 packet of ranch dressing to 8oz cream cheese

12 Pitted dates

8 oz Mascarpone cheese

12 large pecan halves

Spiced Sugar [vanilla sugar, cinnamon, cardamon]

Open pitted dates and lay flat on cutting board.

Add small dollop of mascarpone cheese and then top with one pecan half.

Close date sealing cheese add pecan inside date.

Sprinkle with spiced sugar.

Chill for 1 hour and serve.

1 cup walnuts
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp brewed coffee
1/2 tsp cardamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Syrup
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp brewed coffee
1  tsp cinnamon
Mascarpone Cream
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1/2 cup chilled Mascarpone cheese*
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Butter and flour torte pan with removable side.
Toast walnuts about 8 minutes, and cool.
Grind walnuts fine.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt.
Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, then coffee and oil.
Add flour mixture, walnuts until just combined.
Bake in middle of oven about 25 minutes at 350F.
Cool cake on a rack 15 minutes.
Remove side of torte pan.
Brush top with maple syrup mixture.
Prepare mascarpone cream by whipping cream in medium bowl; add mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla until you get stiff peaks.
Top torte with cream and serve.

Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 526kcal; Protein 6g (12%); Total Fat 31g (48%)(Sat. 13g (63%)); Chol. 125mg (42%); Carb. 58g (19%); Fiber 1g (6%); Sugars 43g; Calcium 88mg (9%); Iron 2mg (13%)

1-1/4 Cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp coriander seeds

2 Anise stars

1/4 tsp cardamon

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 Cup softened butter

1 Cup sugar

12oz evaporated milk

1 Large egg and 2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour 7 0r 8 inch cake pan.

Sift and blend flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

Blend all spices together using a coffee grinder, seeds should be a very fine grind, reserve 1 tsp of spice mix for topping.

Add spice blend to flour mix.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla  in large bowl until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.

Increase speed and add eggs and evaporated milk.

Add flour mix blending for a few minutes until batter consistency is smooth.

Pour into pan and bake for approximately 45 – 50 minutes. Check center for doneness.

Remove from oven and let cake sit in pan for 10 minutes. Flip cake twice so that the top of the cake is facing up.

Mix reserve spices with 1 Tbsp sugar and sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Coconut Cake

3 Cups of cake flour

1/2 tsp seasalt

1 Cup unsalted butter [2 sticks], room temperature

2 1/2 Cups sugar

5 Large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 Cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 Cups sweet flaked coconut

Mascarpone Frosting

4 Tbsp soften butter

3/4 Cup mascarpone cheese

1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated

1/4 tsp ground clove

2 2/3 Cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter bundt pan then dust with flour.

Blend cake flour and salt together in medium bowl.

Beat butter adding sugar slowly until well blended.

Add eggs one at a time. Add extracts.

Beat into butter batter flour/salt mixture in two additions alternating with coconut milk.

Fold in coconut flakes and transfer to bundt pan smoothing top.

Bake for 70 minutes checking the center for doneness, cook additonal 5 minutes if needed.

Cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan onto rack.

Cool completely.

Prepare frosting by beating butter and mascarpone cheese. Add lemon zest and ground clove.

Add powdered sugar until smooth.

Frost cake and add 1/2 cup of remaining coconut flakes on frosted cake.

This year we could use more rain!  But our garden is faring well with water from the garden hose. We hope to enjoy the same bountiful yields as years past.

We are seeing signs of lil zucchini and summer squash.  So I can’t wait to make my panko fried squash thins. Wow, just like candy.

Very soon, we hope to add 12 heads of cabbage, many ears of sweet corn, beef steak tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon and much more. Our herb garden is growing steady as well; I have to pinch off flowers almost every other day. I love fresh basil, thyme and the rest added right to… well almost everything!

July 2010

2 Cups red potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes & cooked al dente

3 corn on the cob ears, cooked

1 Medium English cucumber cut to 1/2 inch cubes

1 Pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

8 oz of cooked salmon

2 Tbsp fresh dill

2.5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp maple sugar

7 Tbsp virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper [optional to avoid a kick]

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Start a large pot of water over medium high heat. When the water reaches a boil add the cubed potatoes, cook for about 7 minutes.

Remove potatoes from water keeping water for cooking the corn ears.

Cool down potatoes by running under cold water then add to the serving dish.

In the reserved pot of water add the corn cooking over medium high heat for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat, drain water and add cold water to cool corn.

Cut Cukes, tomatoes and chop fresh dill then add to the serving dish.

Pull corn on the cob ears from the cold water and pat dry.

Here comes the crazy part and a great tip for all the kids wearing braces and can’t eat corn ‘on’ the cob.

Pull out your bundt pan; stick the corn on the cob in the center hole to stabilize the cob ear.

Holding the top of the ear take a sharp knife and run down the side of the cob removing all the corn kernels directly into the bundt pan. Cool, huh!

Add all the corn from the bundt pan to the serving dish.

Pull apart cooked cold salmon into flakes and add to all veggies in the serving dish; toss gently.

In a small bowl blend lemon juice, mustard, sea salt, ground pepper, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

Blending mixture with a whisk while slowly adding olive oil to make an emulsion.

Drizzle liquid over Salmon Summer Salad. Taste for additional seasoning.

Chill in refrigerator for one hour before serving.