A Quick Summer Dessert with Fresh Strawberries

It’s strawberry season here and the last ones that I bought are possibly the best I have ever had in my entire life! Let me show you the quick dessert that I whipped up with strawberries.

I started with a small pound cake that I purchased at the store.

I sliced the cake into 1/2” slices.

Next I used the dessert dishes like a cookie cutter to cut each slice.

I put a layer or slice of cake in each dessert dish.

Next I sliced fresh strawberries and placed them around the outside edge of each dish.

I added a layer of instant vanilla pudding that I had just mixed up.

I added a dollup of whipped topping.

Of course I added a fresh strawberry on top.

I made these ahead of time and let them sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. The juice from the berries had moistened the pound cake and it was delicious! This is a great way to support your local strawberry farmer!!!

Happy summer!

Top 10 Ways to Eat Fresh Tomatoes

Summer is upon us and my family is enjoying the bounty of fresh tomatoes.  We don’t have a garden but we are blessed to have friends and co-workers who share with us.

Actually, I don’t eat tomatoes unless they are fresh.  Grocery store tomatoes have no appeal to me.

Have you seen Jane and Leo’s garden at Cottage at the Crossroads? You really need to see it.  It is absolutely beautiful and just look at all of those tomatoes! They have enough tomatoes to supply their whole community!

Our #1 favorite way to eat fresh tomatoes is to slice them. We love a supper of fresh garden vegetables but regardless of what we are eating for supper, you will almost always find a slice of tomato on our plates.

Our second favorite way to eat tomatoes is on a tomato sandwich. Nothing says summer like a tomato sandwich!

Our third favorite way would be on a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. How could anything not be good with bacon on it?

Fourth on the list is spaghetti sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

Our fifth favorite tomato dish is tomato pie. Tomatoes, cheese, bacon, and onions are a no fail. Click here to see the recipe that I use.

Another favorite tomato dish that we love is Cornbread Salad. It has a layer of cornbread, pinto beans, and fresh tomatoes topped with cheese and bacon. Need I say more?

We also love fresh salsa. Rhoda at Southern Hospitality just shared her recipe and it looks delicious.

Although we don’t eat it as much in summer as we do in winter, we love vegetable soup made with a tomato base. I usually start with fresh tomatoes then throw in all of the leftover vegetables from the refrigerator! It always turns out delicious.

If you are entertaining, you need to try Yvonne’s Caprese Towers. Click the link for her recipe.

They look so elegant and delicious!

We also love fried green tomatoes but our friends usually give us ripe red tomatoes. When we do get green tomatoes, I slice them, give them a light coating of cornmeal and fry them in a little vegetable oil. Yum yum!

Finally, when we have so many tomatoes that we can’t eat all of them, I freeze them to use later in sauces and soups. I know it sounds crazy, but even frozen tomatoes taste better when they come from my freezer rather than the grocery store!

I hope that you are enjoying your summer as much as I am!

I’ll be linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch.

Tomato Pie

If you read my last post then you know that I am attempting to be very ambitious this week and post 3 recipes for enjoying summer’s bounty! I have to hurry before summer is gone. Hopefully you will still have time to try these out. If you missed the recipe for Blueberry Crumble you can read that post here or you can go directly to the printable recipe here. Today I am sharing the recipe that I use for Tomato Pie. Several years ago my mom made Tomato Pies and I never even tried one but lately I have thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. Actually some friends took us to a great restaurant, West Cobb Diner in Marietta, Ga, and my friend had Tomato Pie as a vegetable. Of course I tasted it and it was delicious so I had to look for a recipe to try. The rest is history.

The photo above was taken as soon as it came out of the oven so it’s still a little runny, but delicious all the same.  We have had friends to share their fresh tomatoes with us this summer and this was a great way to enjoy them.

I start by filling a ready to bake pie shell with sliced fresh tomatoes. The recipe calls for 4 but I just  fill the shell without counting.

Next, I sprinkle on salt, pepper, seasoned salt, basil, oregano, and use my McCormack Italian Herb grinder. Again, I did not measure.

Next I added  a layer of green onions and followed that with a layer of cooked bacon.

The final layer is 1/4 cup of mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s with olive oil) mixed with 2 cups of cheese ( I used Borden’s 4 cheese mixture of Mexican cheddar, Jack, Asadero, and Queso Blanco).

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for 30 more minutes. This pie reminds me of deep dish pizza.

I know this sounds like Hoggy Mae, but I get hungry just looking at this picture! I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it as much as I have!

Click here for the printable recipe.

Check back for my last recipe for enjoying summer’s bounty.

I’ll be linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style and to Homeworks at Worthing Court.

Blueberry Crumble

I have thoroughly enjoyed eating fresh blueberries this summer! I have made this blueberry crumble recipe for dessert several times. It is delicious, especially when served warm from the oven and topped with ice cream!  Several times I served it in Irish coffee mugs.

I also purchased some extra blueberries while they were “buy one get one free” and put them away to use later. They are very easy to freeze. Simply rinse them and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet before sticking them in the freezer. After they have frozen, transfer the berries to a freezer bag.

I reduced the sugar from the original recipe that I found online and it was plenty sweet enough!

Blueberry Crumble

6 cups (3 pints) blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick butter at room temperature, cubed

Toss blueberries and cornstarch. Put blueberry mixture in an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Layer the crumble mixture over the berries.

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream on top!

You can click here for a printable recipe!!!

I hope that you are enjoying the last few days of summer! I know this sounds VERY AMBITIOUS but I have planned 3 posts this week with recipes for enjoying summer’s bounty. I know, I should have posted a month ago but I have a busy life! Please check back for the other recipes.

I’ll be linking to Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life and to Grace at Home at Imparting Grace. Click the link for lots of inspiration!

Click here to see my Tomato Pie recipe and here to see how I cooked corn on the cob!

 

Fresh Apple Black Walnut Cake

It’s that time of year again. Fall is in the air and it is apple season. I had a call from my daughter who was coming home this weekend requesting an apple cake, if I had time to bake it. Of course, I obliged. Fresh apple with black walnut pound cake is a family favorite. We even eat it for breakfast! This is a heavy batter and you will need a heavy duty mixer. (My personal preference is my Kitchen Aid. I consider it a must-have for anyone who bakes.)

The recipe is :

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups oil

3 eggs

Beat the first 3 ingredients well, then add:

3 cups sifted flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Next stir in

3 cups diced apples

1 cup black walnuts

1 cup coconut

2 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into a greased tube or bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I hope that you try this recipe and love it as much as my family does.

I’ll be linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and to On the Menu Monday at StoneGable.

Refrigerator Pickles

One of our favorite summertime treats is refrigerator pickles. We do not have a vegetable garden, just a few tomato plants in pots. While driving down the road recently, I saw a young boy selling tomatoes and cucumbers from his mother’s garden. I decided to stop and make a purchase. I bought a few tomatoes and cucumbers and took them home. Just as I got inside the house, it occurred to me that I should have bought more. I hopped back in the car and drove back to where he was. He was beaming to see me return. I told him that I wanted more cucumbers. He called out to his mother in another language and she replied. He told me that his mom was going to get more. He told me that his mom is Russian. She brought more cucumbers and I asked him to thank her for me. He was so excited that I bought all that he had. My family was excited that I was making the pickles. Every one was blessed! The refrigerator pickle recipe is very simple.

I purchase the small pickling cucumbers and wash them off before slicing them.  I put them in a jar with a snap seal lid.

I use the microwave to make the syrup.

I put 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon of salt, and 1 cup of sugar in a microwaveable bowl. I heat the vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Then I allow this mixture to cool slightly before pouring in into the jar over the sliced cucumbers.

Close the lid and store them in the refrigerator. Very simple and very delicious! Other variations of the recipe include onion slices, bell pepper slices, celery seed, etc.
I hope your family loves them as much as mine does!

I’ll be sharing at Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits at Stone Gable and to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Peach Cobbler- My Go To Dessert for Summer

Any time I have to whip up a dessert in a hurry, I go to easy peach cobbler. Or, in the fall, I use apples instead of peaches. It is always a hit with my family and our guests. Best of all, it is quick and easy. At our house we refer to this as the “A cup, a cup, a cup cobbler.”

   
     Start by melting 1 stick of butter (or margarine) in a 8 x 8 baking dish.

 
  Add 3 to 4 cups of fresh sliced fruit. You can use canned peaches but you will need to drain them before adding them to the butter. I don’t measure the fruit but just eyeball it.
 In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of self rising flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk.
 Pour the flour, sugar, milk mixture over the peaches. Bake at 350 until golden brown, usually 30 to 40 minutes.
You can pop this in the oven to bake while you are eating your meal then you can serve it piping hot.

 
Of course, no cobbler is complete without ice cream! It makes my mouth water just looking at it.


                                                    

How To Make Sweet Tea in 5 Minutes

Surprisingly enough, my most requested recipe is for Iced Tea!! That could be because we always have tea when we have company, regardless of the menu. I don't know how many times I've heard "Oh, that tea is so good. Tell me how to make it." So, here goes. Keep in mind, this is not rocket science. It can be adjusted according to your personal taste.

Start by getting a 2 quart microwave safe measuring cup.

Add 6 tea bags. If you use family size tea bags, use 3.  Add 2 quarts of water and microwave on high for 5 minutes. 

After the 5 minutes, remove the tea bags from the microwave safe pitcher.  Next, add 1 cup of sugar, or less if you prefer. Stir in the sugar to dissolve it in the tea.
 

Let the tea cool for just a few minutes before transferring to a half gallon pitcher. Add water to fill the pitcher.

Serve over ice and enjoy!