Thanks to a quiet evening, I actually had a few moments to jot these down on the laptop. All are very simple and frequent favorites around our house...
Simple Fruit Salad I
2 medium ripe bananas, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, quartered
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
Dressing:
1 container of strawberry yogurt, thinned with about a tablespoon of milk and a tablespoon of honey
Combine the fruit into a medium-sized serving bowl and drizzle with the dressing, or serve on the side.
Simple Fruit Salad II
4 apples, peeled, sliced into wedges, core removed, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
Fresh chunk pineapple, juice reserved
1 pint strawberries, stems removed and halved
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice
Combine the honey with the lemon and pineapple juice and mix well in a large bowl. Add all the prepared fruits and toss to coat well. Serve!
Steamed Salmon Dinner
Salmon steaks, lightly salted and peppered (1 per person)
Zucchini and Yellow Squash, cut into long, thin slices (1 each per person)
Asparagus stems, trimmed
Small Red Potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half
Lemon
¼ cup Butter
First make a Court Bouillion of water and various aromatics, like green onion stems, lemon slices, fresh rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, etc. Add steamer basket, cover and bring to boil.
Steam potato halves first, in a single layer for about 7-8 minutes. Carefully remove and set aside, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
Next place the salmon filets in the basket and surround with the sliced vegetables and asparagus. Steam these together for about 5 minutes until the salmon flakes when done.
Melt the butter and add the juice of half the lemon and blend.
Plate the filets with vegetables and potatoes and drizzle all with lemon butter and serve.
Savory Baked Corn on the Cob
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion bulb, minced
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium ears sweet corn, silk and husks removed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a small bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, green onion, parsley paprika, salt and pepper, and mix together well.
Lay each ear on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (large enough to wrap up the ear), and spread a fourth of this mayo mixture over each. Completely seal the corn in the foil.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree (F) oven for 30-35 minutes, or until tender.
Alternatively, the foil-covered ears may be grilled over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, turning occasionally.
Maple Baked Apples
4 large tart apples
raisins
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
Large pinch ground cloves
Large pinch ground cinnamon
Core apples, remove the seeds and peel away a bit of skin around the top of each apple. Stuff each apple with raisins and place in a baking dish or “apple bakers” (if you have them).
Combine the butter, lemon juice, syrup and spices and pour over the apples. Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree (F) preheated oven for about 45 minutes, basting often. Serve warm. This is especially good served with a glob of vanilla ice cream on the side!
Tofu Dill Dip
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 lb. tofu (soft or silken tofu is best)
1 tsp. dill weed
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Serve with raw vegetables and crackers.
Not Your Usual Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups (15 ounces) applesauce
1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup
2 large ripe bananas, peeled
1-3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
Cream together the margarine, applesauce, molasses or maple syrup, and bananas in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop a rounded tablespoon of batter at a time on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 400-degree (F) oven for about 8 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for about five minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen cookies.
Variation: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or chopped apples to batter. (The apple addition is really good!)
Chocolate Chip Chocolate Meringue Kisses
2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/4 cups superfine sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (F). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a mixer on high until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar a few tablespoons at a time. Continue beating until you no longer feel any sugar when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers. Beat in the cocoa powder until it is completely incorporated. Slowly fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoonsful onto the prepared cookie sheets, and leave a little peak at the top of each one to resemble a chocolate kiss.
Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Then turn off the oven, prop the oven door open slightly (I place a hot pad in the door and close the door on it), and allow the kisses to cool completely in the oven.
Peel the cooled kisses off the parchment paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Now, this last one IS NOT EDIBLE, but a cool recipe that kids enjoy. I do, as a big kid myself, and make tons of baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes for gift baskets at Christmas and Valentines Day, etc.
Salt-Bread Dough for Baskets
4 cups flour
2 cups salt
1-1/2 cups of hot tap water
clear gloss varnish (spray is best)
ovenproof dish, round or oblong, square, whatever
Mix the warm water with the salt in a large bowl. Let it cool down and then slowly add the flour until you have formed a firm dough. Knead the dough until it feels elastic. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before using.
Measure the diameter/dimensions of the ovenproof dish. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness and cut it into strips of about an inch longer than the diameter of the dish. Lay the strips in one direction:
Lay the strips across the dish - from the top of one side, downwards across the base of the dish and then upwards on the other side, to the top of that side. Continue laying the strips, leaving an even gap (of about 1 inch width) between the strips.
Weave the strips in the opposite direction: Lift up every alternate strip that has already been laid and move the one end to the other, so that both ends are next to each other. Place another strip of dough across the dish in the opposite direction. Gently pull back the strips that were previously lifted. Use this method to "weave" the other strips across the dish as well. Trim any uneven edges with a knife.
Make the rim by rolling out thin strips of dough of about 5 inches long. Place the strips of dough around the edge of the dish. Lay the next piece of dough carefully next to the last piece of dough - continue this until the rim is covered. Take a tiny piece of an old, damp and clean pair of pantihose, cover your index finger with it and gently wipe over the edges of the dough covering the rim - this is to ensure a smooth finish to the rim. Take a sharp knife and deftly, make slight incisions into the top part of the rim - to give a ribbed effect.
Bake in at a low heat (about 250 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 1 and a half to 2 hours, or until the dough is a light golden brown in colour. The dough must be hard to the touch. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before removing the basket from the dish.
Paint the basket with clear varnish. Let it dry and then add an additional layer of varnish.