So, you want to know what is cooking in Cindy's Kitchen? LOL. Nothing. It is too hot! To be honest, right now at this very moment, we have finally made it to the beach. Yes, I look a little unusual with my laptop at the beach. But I call it my office away from home. I am surrounded by green grass, sand, trees, and miles of blue water. It is absolutely gorgeous. The bucket of popcorn and the jug of lemonade are hitting the spot as well!
A Tip From Cindy's Porch
 Take advantage of all the fresh fruits from the garden and the farmer's market. Buy a flat of strawberries, raspberries, and blue berries and freeze them for the winter! I freeze all my fruit in small Ziplock freezer bags. Don't overfill the bags and store them flat. This way, you can break a chuck of fruit off it you don't need too much. Some people add sugar to their fruit prior to freezing. I don't. We like the tart taste.
Strawberries: wash, cut off the stem, and slice. Freeze in zippered freezer bags.
Raspberries: wash. Freeze flat in zippered freezer bags.
Blueberries: wash and pick out the bits of leaf, icky berries, etc. Layer the blueberries in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Freeze. When the berries are frozen, use an egg flipper to loosen the berries. Quickly transfer them to a zippered freezer bag (you can use a large bag). Don't let the berries thaw. Now you can use frozen blueberries whenever you need a handful for muffins, pancakes, or porridge. Remember not to leave the berries on the cookie sheet in the freezer for too long (overnight is too long). They will dry out and get freezer burn. Don't ask me how I know this - big sigh!
Cherries: Wash and follow the same cookie sheet procedure as for the blue berries. We don't bother pitting the cherries because they are usually used for porridge in the winter. If you want to bake with them, you will have to pit them first (too much work for me LOL).
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Back to what's cooking. As little as possible. We are making as many salads as we can. And marinating chicken, beef, or pork so it is ready to barbeque as soon as my guy gets home. Two salads that are a summer staple in our home are Potato, Apple, Pickle Salad and Gail's Broccoli Salad. I make them in the morning, serve them for supper, and eat the leftovers for lunch (or breakfast) the next day. Both these salads have been finding their way into the picnic cooler as well. Yum!
Potato, Apple, Pickle Salad
Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. I have even added fresh mushrooms to our salad!
- 3 or 4 boiled potatoes, cooled and chopped (we like using red potatoes - add an extra potato if you want leftovers)
- 1 apple - chopped
- 1 dill pickle (or 3 sweet pickles, or 3 gherkin pickles - I just use what I have in the fridge)
- 1 carrot - grated
- 2 sticks celery - chopped
- 3 radishes - chopped fine
- 1 green onion - chopped (I sometimes substitute fresh chives from the garden)
- 1 tomato - a roma tomato works best
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese chopped - optional
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (you might need a little more depending on how big the potatoes were)
- 1 tablespoon mustard (I use prepared yellow mustard, but a flavored mustard also works great)
- paprika
While the potatoes are cooling, mix together all the remaining ingredients, except paprika, in a bowl. Then gently mix in the cooled potatoes. The reason for adding the potatoes last is so that you can really mix the vegetables with the mayonnaise without smashing up all the potatoes.
Sprinkle a light coating of paprika across the top of the salad. Cover and refrigerate a few hours until serving.
Gail's Broccoli Salad
I think this classic has been showing up at summer buffets for years. But the first time I ever tasted it was when my sister-in-law Gail brought it to a family function. We all had to have the recipe. It too has become a favorite of my family! Try adding a little chopped fresh cauliflower for extra flavor!
- 3 heads broccoli chopped
- 1 red onion chopped (in a pinch, use a regular onion)
- 1 cup raisons
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 6 strips bacon, cooked and cooled, and cubed (crumbled)
Mix together the broccoli, onion, raisons, vinegar, mayonnaise, and sugar. Cover and refrigerator several hours.
Just prior to serving, add the sunflower seeds and chopped bacon. Mix and serve.
Fresh Veggies and Dip
The last thing my family wants at the end of a hot day is a ton of hot food. Corn on the cob is OK, but a heavy dish of cooked vegetables with cheese sauce is not what we are looking for. The solution - fresh vegetables. Use what you have in the fridge or the garden. I lay out the vegetables on a "fancy" glass serving plate and let the family help themselves. The entire plate gets picked clean!
PS. This also makes a great lunch meal!
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- mushrooms
- Carrots
- celery
- red, yellow, orange, and / or green peppers
- cucumbers
- radishes
- tomatoes - cherry or grape tomatoes work great!
- apples
Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and dill. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or so. This will let the flavors blend. If you don't have a couple hours, don't worry about it, just mix and serve (no one will notice the difference - especially the kids!).
Wash and cut up all the vegetables. Lay them out on a dish. Serve with vegetables.
OK, that's it for now, the battery on the laptop is almost done, the popcorn is done, and the underwire from my bikini top is poking me in places where I don't like to be poked. I have a pork roast marinating in the fridge, and my toes are feeling a little crispy from the sun (I missed a spot with the suntan lotion). Take it easy this summer - Cheers! From the beach - Cindy
