Light Refreshments Served

This pumpkin chowder is delicious in its own right, but if you want to really “wow” them, serve it in hollowed out pumpkins. To make these pumpkin bowls, choose small eating or sugar pumpkins, scrape out all the strings with a spoon, but leave them thick enough to stay sturdy with the chowder inside. Yum.

1/2 lb. bacon, diced
2 cups chopped onions, white or yellow
2 tsp. Curry powder
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 lb. eating or sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (save the seeds)
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
Chopped scallion for garnish

1. In a large stew pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over low heat, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the diced onions and cook about 10 minutes, until onions begin turning clear. Add curry powder and flour and stir to coat.

3. Add chicken stock, pumpkin, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. (I like to extend this simmering period by about 10 minutes because I like the veggies mushy.)

4. Add half-and-half and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chowder is heated through, but do not boil. Garnish and serve!

Click here for a PDF version to print.

If you’ve been following the emotional journey that is Bunco Night for Kristy, you will know what I’m talking about when I mention the Fruit Tarts she made. My mouth has been watering since I saw that picture. But be warned. Kristy says: This dessert will help you make friends, so make sure that’s what you want before taking it to your next gathering. I think she’s definitely right. Here’s the recipe. Click here for a PDF, printer-friendly copy.

Crust
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

1) Heat oven to 300.
2) Beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy; blend in flour.
3) Press into 9×13 pan, a round pizza pan, or in this case I cut them out into individual circles with a glass to make more aesthetic individual servings.
4) Bake 20-25 minutes, then cool completely.

Filling
1 2/3 cup (or 10 oz.) Vanilla or White Chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
8 oz. softened cream cheese

1) Microwave chips and whipping cream together on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir until smooth and melted together.  Beat in cream cheese.
2) Spread over cooled crust.

Fruit
Arrange whatever fruit happens to be in season over the filling.

Glaze
(you could probably avoid this step if you want, but it makes the dessert look really pretty)
1/4 cup sugar
1 T corn starch
1/2 cup pineapple juice (I usually pour off the juice from some kind of canned pineapple product)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1) In small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in juices.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened; cool.

2) Pour over fruit which is over the topping which is over the crust which makes everybody happy when all put together.

Zucchini season: an embarrassment of riches. And to celebrate, we have not one but THREE zucchini recipes to share:

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Frites (what are frites?)

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Click through for printable PDF copies.

After getting a couple of massive zucchini from a neighbor, I also tried this recipe on Sunday. It comes out tasting a lot like another Mormon classic– Funeral Potatoes! Especially if you choose to add sour cream. I’ve never tasted zucchini quite like it.

Enjoy!

This dish is in regular rotation at our house. It’s quick and yummy and I think it counts for carbs, dairy, protein (pine nuts) and veggies. I like to serve it with a loaf of french bread.

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted and salted
1 lb. pasta (spinach or plain), penne is great
1 1/2 lbs fresh baby spinach
2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste (coarse, kosher or sea salt is tasty, as is fresh ground pepper, but good old-fashioned s&p are just fine, too)

1. Cook your pasta, adding the fresh spinach directly into your boiling pasta during the last 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and spinach and return to your cooking pot (no need to dirty another dish).

2. Mix pasta together with oil, ricotta, and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Dish immediately into individual serving dishes, top with pine nuts and serve!

Note about the pasta: If you can find spinach pasta (the green kind), it tastes good in this dish. But my kids get nervous about the color and then we have a big, emotional discussion about vegetables. For some reason, my children don’t recognize cooked spinach as a vegetable (small mercies).

Plain pasta works just as well. It tastes a little different, but I actually like it better, and you sneak that spinach in anyway.

Click here for a printer-friendly version.

Summer fruit has hit its peak. Whip up this easy dip and enjoy the last really great fruit of the season.

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened to room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup diced strawberries
Fruit for dipping, as desired (strawberries, firm melons, apples, and pineapple are all great)

1) Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange peel until smooth. Fold in strawberries.

2) Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Serve within the next 3-4 hours.

I’ve also substituted lemon peel for the orange.

Click here for a printer-friendly PDF.

I think everyone’s mouth watered during Lisa’s description of her fabulous July 4th blow-out. At the request of a reader, here’s a recipe from the menu: Lime Pound Cake with Raspberry Sauce. It’s our first two-page recipe, but don’t worry, Lisa talks you through it. Enjoy!

Lime Pound Cake with Raspberry Sauce

From Lisa Clark
This is a rich cake with a subtle but substantial lime taste.  It’s a favorite at my house.  If the pound cake is warm and slightly under-done, it’s okay.  In fact, it’s more than okay.

Cake
3 1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
18 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice  (I usually squeeze and zest two limes)
2 tsp. lime zest

Glaze
1/4 cup fresh lime juice   (I usually use a bottle of key lime juice: have you tried to squeeze 1/4 cup of limes?  It’s hard.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Raspberry Sauce
12 oz. frozen raspberries
2 tsp.  lemon juice
3 Tbsp. sugar

Cake
1. If you remember, put out all the ingredients at room temperature.  Position your oven rack on the lower third of your oven and Preheat to 325.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.

2. Sift (I rarely do, but I’ll leave that choice to you) together flour, soda and salt.  Set aside.

3. In electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy and smooth.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Increase the speed to medium-high and add the eggs, on at a time, beating well after each addition and, again, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  (Don’t give up!)  Beat in the vanilla and lime juice.

4. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the dry ingredients, blending and scraping down that bowl some more. (It doesn’t take as long as these instructions may lead you to believe.)  Using rubber spatula, fold in zest.  (Seriously, don’t forget the zest–it makes a difference.  It will make your kitchen smell good, too!)

5. Spoon batter into pan, making sides about one inch higher than the center.

6. Bake until golden and tester comes out clean–about 1 hour and 15 minutes (my oven always takes longer for everything)  Let cool on wire rack in pan for 10 minutes.

Glaze
Whisk together juice and sugar.  Generously brush surface of warm cake with glaze.  Let cake cool completely before serving.

The glaze is important because it seals in the cake and keeps it moist and creates those yummy, crunchy, lime-infused crusty bits on the edges that are so delicious to eat at midnight, over the sink.  It will be hard to wait for the cake to cool before you eat it, but I never said it would be easy.

Raspberry Sauce
Puree raspberries (I like mine slightly cool or at room temperature) in a blender, or smash them together if you don’t want to dirty the blender.   If you hate seeds, press through a fine sieve.

Finally, drizzle with raspberry sauce.  (Or serve hot, slightly under-cooked, with a spoon: you will think you’ve died and gone to heaven.)

Or, click here for a printable PDF (two pages).

For our international friends (hello!) this is what a bundt cake pan looks like. I think another shape would work out just fine, but I am not a perfectionist in the kitchen.

If you’ve been following closely, you’ll remember that Lisa and her cohorts have mentioned a fabulous creamed corn recipe. This piqued my curiosity, because I can’t remember the last time I have actually enjoyed creamed corn. So, let’s try it together.

Here’s what Josh and Amy Bingham, the original recipe keepers, had to say: This seems like such an old 1950’s kind of recipe. However, it is the most delicious side you will ever eat. Try it at your next family gathering and watch the requests roll in as you watch your family get fatter and fatter.

Creamed Corn

20 oz. corn (we use frozen)
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Accent (in the spices aisle)
Parmesan cheese

1. Simmer the corn in the cream for 5-10 minutes (longer if the corn is frozen.)  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until it is thick and bubbly.

2. Pour into a large casserole dish.  Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese is browned.
Click here for a one page, printable version. And please, let me know how it goes for you!

My niece is expecting and feeling nauseous. So I started wondering what sort of recipes might be good for her situation. I came across an article about ginger and pregnancy nausea (ginger might help), and tried out Ginger Ice Cream. I also tried making my own coconut ginger ice cream, but the results were not great: just buy the Haagen-Dazs and mix in your ginger. You will love it and there is no rock salt involved.

If you are not feeling nauseous, this ice cream is a delightful little surprise. I think it would be wonderful after a spicy curry meal. I can’t wait to hear a report from someone who is pregnant. But you can’t go too far wrong when ice cream is the main ingredient.

Ginger Ice Cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon mashed fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

1. In a bowl, add vanilla, fresh and crystallized ginger. To mash your fresh ginger root, peel the outer layer (a potato peeler is useful) then dice the ginger root. Use a garlic mincer and squeeze the fresh diced ginger directly into the bowl to retain any liquid.

2. Combine thoroughly with ice cream. Spoon into individual serving dishes and return to the freezer for about an hour. Serve with fresh berries (blueberries are wonderful) or chocolate.

Click here for a one page, printable version.

I love soup in every season, but I feel especially justified in posting it today because it hailed this morning! In June. Ugh.  Anyway, Zuppa Toscana is the creamy potato soup served at the Olive Garden. It is great at the restaurant and surprisingly easy to replicate at home. Add extra potatoes, sausage or bacon and it becomes a hearty, chunky meal. Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana Creamy Potato Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (spicy or mild, whatever your preference)
1/2 lb. bacon
1 quart water
2 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, cubed into 1/2″ squares
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper

1. Brown the sausage in a skillet, crumbling into small bite sized pieces. Cook your bacon thoroughly, then cool and chop into small pieces.

2. In a large pot, combine water, chicken broth, potatoes, and onion. On medium heat, simmer until potatoes are soft.

3. Add bacon and sausage. Simmer an additional ten minutes.

4. Turn heat to low. Add kale and cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately.

Click here for a one page, printable version.

The strawberries at the grocery store are looking so great these days. Try them in this recipe: and splurge for the fresh tarragon. It is worth it!

Chicken Strawberry Salad
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
5 Tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 quarts salad mix, rinsed
2 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into bite sized pieces

Dressing
Combine the following to taste:
1/2 cup mayo
3 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Mix 3 Tbsp. tarragon, garlic, and oil. Rub all over chicken to coat.

2. Set pan over medium heat. Add and heat olive oil. When hot, add chicken and cook until meat is white. Use chicken in the salad either warm or cool.

3. Combine salad mix with strawberries and the other 2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon. Place chicken along the side and drizzle with dressing. Alternately, when serving a group or a in a potluck setting, cube or shred the chicken and combine with dressing for easier serving.
Click here for a printer-friendly version.