The Last Rose of Summer

I have been in a stupor since Sunday. After the guests left Sunday night about 9:00, some of us watched the Food Truck Race on TV and then that was it for me. I haven't been out of my pajamas since and this is Tuesday and I am still going from bed to bed. I think I have started hibernating early even before the last rose of summer blooms. The dogs are totally confused and worried since I have become such a slacker.

We had a lovely crowd on Sunday and even though it misted every once in awhile it was still pool time and Sunday porch time. We had a glorious amount of food, as usual and everyone was in great form. Sorry to say, however, Glenda missed the event and maybe I got what she had after the party. I think we will both make it.

I know I am done cooking for a bit. I can't even look at the stove. When I get my legs back, it is getting the house back in order and preparing for the season ahead. Our family plans were firmed up for Thanksgiving and at last count we have 26 sleeping at the beach house and condo, but many more coming for the Thanksgiving feast.

Jimmy Lechler's pictures are great, as usual, but once again I am having trouble transferring them to this site. I'll do my best, but right now, it's back to bed.

Sunday Before Labor Day ( the 4th)

I've started cooking for the big crowd coming in on Sunday. These are hearty eaters and since Labor Day is an introduction to winter fare, the dishes are all less than delicate. There will be two meals, one around 1:30 and then one around 7:00 which will be mostly grilled food and salads. I am a crowd cook--hate to make tiny little dishes for two, and thankfully I don't have to. One of the dishes I am serving is a new recipe called pepperoni pizza casserole. I hope it is good because I made three big dishes of it...one for tonight and two for the party. (Kitchen tested and it is good.)

Andy grows good things in the garden, but this watermelon leaves a lot to be desired--cute, but tiny, and useless except for a picture.

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

1 sm. can of mushrooms (I used fresh)

2 lbs. hamburger ( I used 1 lb. of ground chuck , 1 lb. of Bob Evans zesty sausage)

1 sm. onion

1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cans or jars of pizza sauce (I use Carfagna's sauce.)

1 box of macaroni twists, spiral pasta (I use cavatappi)

Package pepperoni slices

1 pkg. of mozzarella cheese (Shredded)

Brown meat with onion, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add mushrooms and pizza sauce. Cook macaroni. (Do not over cook) Add to hamburger mixture.Pour one half in a buttered crockpot. Top with layer of pepperoni, layer of cheese, and another layer of pepperoni. Top with rest of meat mixture, and another layer of pepperoni and Cheese. I put my crockpot on low for a few hours, until cheese melts. You can also use a casserole dish and bake in oven at 325 for 45 minutes to an hour. I used the oven.

Sunday's All Out Peach Feast

We have to grab and capture peaches during the last gasp of summer. Andy stands in line each Saturday at the Clintonville outdoor market to purchase a peck of peaches. The line is a thrilling length, at least for the seller, who told a disappointed Andy that he did not bring any white-fleshed peaches because they made customers mad. Can you imagine biting into the white flesh of a ruby peach and being disappointed? So Andy settled for these luscious succulent first stringers. Right away I sliced up a bowl to enhance the fruit with a sweet Bisquick topping. That, and just as they are, would be our favorite way to eat sliced peaches. Oh, I forgot, sliced peaches with vanilla ice cream--not bad either. So after I get this on the site I am going to go through my wealth of material and find all of the recipes that make peaches special--besides eating them right off the tree in a juicy spree. The end of summer is not so bad if you have peaches!

Also, everything is prettier with a nice peach glaze on the upside down peach cake. One picture shows it without and the prettiest shows it with... I should have put glaze on the clafouti too, but forgot.

This delicious baked peach and berry custard is inspired by the French dessert clafouti. The peach and berries are baked in a creamy, egg batter producing a comforting dessert everyone will enjoy. Serve this baked peach and berry custard as is or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. (I made this in an oven proof skillet.)

Makes 8 Portions of Peach and blueberry Clafouti (sounds like claf-o-tee) Look at the first picture at the top of my blog for a picture of a cherry clafouti.


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tsp butter
1 cup blackberries or blueberries rinsed
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Preparation:
Pour the peach and blueberries/ blackberries into a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl to form a light, thin batter. Pour over the peaches and berries and place in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 45 minutes, or until browned and puffed around the edges, and the center is set. Allow to cool to warm or room temperature before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Okay, made the above and it is delicious, but, I am easily distracted today and noted the tomatoes, squash and last of the garden goodies outside my kitchen window. So I made last of the summer 'something'. I used the left over Sunday roast with mushrooms and added everything good including a boat load of herbs. It is scrumptious--no recipe, sorry, it's just a whim.

Labor Day and Birthdays

Sunday afternoon guests will be treated to these mere trifles which can be made a day ahead. The pound cake is sprinkled with Poire Williams, a lovely pear liquor.

Peach and berry clafouti in a skillet is a simple, French comfort food.

Well, we've seen the last of Andy's famous tomatoes. It's that time of year when gardens are neglected and the wild morning glories find their way around each plant strangling it to death--it happens before you know it. One minute we have a great lot of tomatoes and just when we need them for a party, they have died. The whole garden takes on a grouchy look because winter is afoot.

We are having a big party September 4th to celebrate Labor Day (on the 5th) and at least five birthdays happening in September. Andy, Matt, Nate, Tom and Andrew all have birthdays in September. We need a really big cake! People arrive around 1:00 and the eating and games begin with dinner from the grill around 7:00. We will be planning Thanksgiving at the beach house that sleeps 22, but is still not roomy enough, so we have to rent a condo for over flow. The Lechler women from Cincinnati are in charge of arrangements and they are VERY organized.

Matt is finished with his total immersion Japanese class which has lasted all summer, from 8:30 to 3:30 every day. (Only 8 students in the class.) He has one more year at Ohio State in Japanese and Asian Studies after having graduated from Columbus State. So he will feel like celebrating before his studies start once again. He will have time to help get ready for the Labor Day party too. Alyssa is returning to Tulane around the 21st and will miss the party and Brooks is working on application to West Point after this, his senior year. Nate and Adam are working full time and will start classes at Columbus State after first or second quarter. Oh, and JD starts 8th grade on Monday. He's a straight A student.

I just finished the book I Don't Know How She Does It. It was written by Allison Pearson. It was a frantic read because I lived the story and relived it while reading her rendition which has become a movie out Sept. 16th. I was exhausted by the time I finished due to the dredging up of the self inflicted guilt-torture that working mothers go through no matter their field of endeavor. I am sooooooooooooo glad it is over. I didn't even have to do it, but I was a driven workaholic person who loved teaching and couldn't seem to give it up. I need a calmer book to get over the stress of having read Pearson's well written book staged in England...but the movie, with Sarah Jessica Parker, looks to be in America.

Lemon Drop Cake

I might have just found a cake to rival the Hawaiian cake. I made this for Sunday with the Lechlers and it was almost gone in an evening. We ate late because we were all gathering to watch the new season of Food Truck Road Race on the food channel. (The time has been changed, by the way, to 9:00 for next Sunday.) The cake and the show did not disappoint. One note about the cake, if you have any left, it is actually tastier, if that is possible, the next day--especially with morning coffee. The cake is very moist and lemon zest added to the icing that is dribbled on top of the cake gives it an extra zip. The good thing about this cake is if you really love lemon you can go all the way, but if you want just a nip, then adjust the lemon dosage. I used real lemons, rather than the bottled kind that was written into the recipe. This recipe is from justapinch.com and you might keep an eye on that site because it has real home-tested delicious recipes for every occasion and every day at home.

Ingredients For Lemon Drop Cake:
from justapinch.com

1 box Duncan Hines moist deluxe lemon cake mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 3oz. lemon instant pudding mix (dry)

icing:
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup bottled lemon juice (I used real lemons)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used real butter)
3 Tbsp water

Directions

In large bowl, stir together dry cake mix and pudding mix. In another bowl, combine all wet ingredients and eggs that the cake mix calls for plus the buttermilk.(where your box reads the amount of water (1 1/3 cup usually), put in 1 cup water and 1/3 cup lemon juice to make the cake even more lemon tasting, if you like) Beat with mixer until blended. Add to dry mixture and beat until combined.
Bake in a greased 9x13 baking pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for the time the cake mix box calls for...depending on your oven. It will require a couple minutes longer baking time than cake mix box calls for because of the extra moisture produced by the milk.(This is so true, so Stick a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.)

ICING: Combine water, oil, powdered sugar and lemon juice with a mixer until smooth. Add one more tablespoon of water if consistancy isn't saucy. "Glaze" the cake when just a little cooled. Do not over glaze it because the icing is sweet. Just a THIN layer is required. There will be icing left over for a couple more cakes. Store in fridge and just stir it real good to use again.

Store cake in fridge and serve cold or room temp.(The cake is even better the next day.)

If you follow Betty Rosbottom(the first blog site to the left of my issue) you will note her excitement about the arrival of her new book Sunday Roasts. I can't wait to get a copy of that book.

Sunday Roasts has arrived!
"I can't believe I'm holding two advance copies of Sunday Roasts in my hands. It's my 10th book, my 5th with the wonderful people at Chronicle, and I love the way it turned out." Betty Rosbottom

I am making this idea from smittenkitchen.com this Sunday when guests join the family for Sunday with the Lechlers.

Tomato Salad with Crushed Croutons

"The recipe below is fairly basic, but in the realm of tomatoes and bread, there are innumerable ways to tweak it. For example, I’m having a love affair with crumbly salty cheeses this summer in the feta family; tossing the tomatoes with some fine feta rubble before dressing and crouton-ing them would be amazing. Mint might be a fun change from basil, and if you’re into neither, try flat-leaf parsley for a fresh but mild flavor. I am nearly constitutionally incapable of making a dish that involves tomatoes and not adding small white beans. I resisted today, but would not next time here. Minced olives would be at home sprinkled over the tomatoes, too. And if you’re not so into red wine vinegar, an aged sweet balsamic dotted over the tomatoes would be… I bet I don’t even need to tell you how awesome. Would love to hear how you tweak this, so let me know in the comments.

Crushed croutons
4 slices hearty white bread
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Tomato salad
1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, mixed colors if you can find them
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mellow red wine vinegar (yours isn’t mellow? use less)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Pinch of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

Handful basil leaves, slivered.

Prepare the crushed croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into chunks and pule them in a food processor until coarsely ground (largest chunks can be lima bean sized). No food processor? Keep tearing the bread up until it is in ragged, mixed sized crumbs. Spread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and parmesan until croutons are evenly coated with oil. Bake until golden brown and dry, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly. (Warm is fine, hot might wilt your tomatoes, boo.)

Assemble salad: Halve each tomato lengthwise and arrange cut side up on a platter. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar and a few grinds of pepper in a small dish. Drizzle over tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with crushed croutons. Garnish with slivers of basil."

The Help

I have just been to see one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is The Help. The book, her first, was wonderful and the movie is equally so. I have never been to a movie where at the end the patrons stood and clapped, yet it happened today. It was thrilling. I hope the movie, the actors, and the writers receive awards for their work. The author, Katherine Stockett, is now writing her second book and I can only hope it equals The Help.

From the Provence Post:

Paris gets its first 24-hour baguette dispenser – feel le pain
One entrepreneurial baker has come up with an idea that sounds as sacrilegious as putting Dom Pérignon in wine boxes: selling baguettes in a vending machine.
Jean-Louis Hecht has taken advantage of the August holiday period, when many of France's 33,000 boulangers shut up shop, to install Paris's first 24-hour automated baguette dispenser.

"This is the bakery of tomorrow," Hecht told the Associated Press. "It is answering a real need. People who work at night or early in the morning can get their fresh bread. To me it's a public utility."

So far Hecht has only installed two machines, one next to his baker's shop in Paris's 19th arrondissement and a second in the north-eastern town of Hombourg-Haut, close to the German border, where he also has a shop.

The baguettes are partially cooked before they are put in the machine, then finished off when ordered and delivered crisp and steaming for €1 each.

Hecht first came up with his idea two years ago. Like many bakers he was living over his boulanger, in Hombourg-Haut and was often disturbed by customers knocking on the door for bread after he had closed.

"My wife said: 'We'll never get any peace", so I said, 'We'll put out a bread distributor and we'll be left alone," Hecht added.

Marc Nexhip of the Paris bakers' union admitted he had not yet tasted one of the vending machine baguettes, but told AP: "I'm not convinced that good taste can be maintained over time. Maybe for 15 minutes, but not for several hours."

Hecht is not discouraged. "It's like with banks: before, everyone went to a teller; now, everyone uses cash dispensers. It will be the same with bread: today, everyone goes to the bakery; tomorrow, they'll go to the baguette dispenser," he said.

Signs of Summer

We have been waiting all summer for the peaches from the outdoor market at Clintonville. (Funny how I once anticipated diamonds and now it's peaches, tomatoes, and corn on the cob.) Go figure. A long line greets the peach lovers and many times waiting in line is futile because the peaches run out before the line ends. But this year! Glorious fuzzy peaches that are mouth watering accompanied Andy home. So I am happy in my kitchen this morning as I brew up a pot of Andy's tomatoes with basil and other lovely herbs (and squash) for a base for many different dishes to greet the Sunday diners. We have tomatoes to share with our good neighbors and with our family as Andy plants way more than we can use.

I'll be back. I just had to get these pictures on for drooling purposes. LOL

Sundays Beet Salad and Sticky Cake

I am planning next Sunday's meal and it is only Monday, August 1st. We now have many unexpected but much liked guests appearing for the Sunday meal and swim. Those who dislike the heat eat inside where it is cool. Some eat out by the pool and others under the awning. At times we are lucky enough to be gathered all together but since I like everyone to do as they please on Sunday, it is up to each person to find a spot in which they are happy.

The poor little beet is not welcomed by Andy, the grower of fine vegetables. But once when I was at an auction in California my friend, Celina, and I dined in the hotels restaurant, Pinot Provence, where the auction was held and where we stayed and ate this $9.00 starter salad every night. Finally we got up nerve to ask for the recipe. The waitress said she would get it for us and send it. I gave her $20 as a tip and figured I'd never see the recipe, but in three weeks it arrived. Delicious as ever and rife with pretty delectable beets. I long for Paris where you can buy the beets roasted and skinned at the outdoor markets and all you do is put them on a plate, dress them as you wish, and eat them--no mess, no red hands. We haven't caught on to that service in America, leave it to the French. I wash mine, wrap them (each) in a piece of foil and roast them in the oven. As each one comes out I take paper towels and pull off the skins. The skins slip off easily that way.(The beet salad shown is missing a few of the ingredients which you can see in the recipe--it just looked so pretty this way, I had to picture it, but follow the recipe and you will enjoy (if you love beets.)

The sticky pudding cake is too luscious for words, but I will give them to you any way in the form of the recipe.

These savoury little pies are quick to make and delicious to eat and dishes such as this are familiar to those who know England. These are made with the ever quick frozen puff pastry which is always in my freezer and adorned with any filling you like. Left over chicken, beef, pork --any stray pea, corn off the cob in a substantial sauce and wrapped in the cold puff pastry and oven baked. Yum in any weather.

Thanks Alyssa McDiarmid, Assistant General Manager, at Pinot Provence.

Roast baby beets with skins in oven at 400 degrees with salt, a little honey and water, until tender. Peel right away after cooking.

Salad:
Diced beets
Diced Feta cheese
Sliced hearts of palm--use fresh if you can, but out of a jar is okay too the chef said--Trader Joe's is best
Micro greens--any of those lovely packaged greens
Toasted salted, peanuts
A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dressing:
1 tablespoon of good French Dijon mustard--not Grey Poupon
1/2 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 red onion chopped

In blender combine all dressing ingredients until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. Play with the flavor, some like it really tangy and if so, add more vinegar. To tame it down add more olive oil.

Okay, we are eating this on Sunday with the Lechlers!

What is the world coming to? Even though the French do not like to own up to it, they are the number two consumers of McDonald's in the world. Now they are going to start serving just-baked baguettes in their 130 McCafe's with baguette sandwiches to follow next year. The French have a favorite baguette sandwich which is a buttered (on boths sides) baguette with thin slivers of their wonderful pink ham. (Their hams are the best I've ever had.)

Anderson's Stocks Bird's (Custard)

The first time I tried English trifle was 1979 when a friend and I took our mothers to London for a summer college course. We stayed at a university and made tours and trips throughout England. Our meals were usually at a school ( family style ) and one night we were treated to trifle. I thought I had gone to culinary heaven, not realizing at that time that it is one of the easiest dessert recipes in the world and it can use up left over cakes, cookies, custards, puddings, liquor, fruit...the make- do list is endless. Frankly, this along with roasted potatoes was about the extent of the schools' culinary greatness, although we ate each offering with gusto because it was an arduous several weeks of travel, classes and activities. This trip was the beginning of my thirty three years of trips to London and Paris. I have made over one hundred trips to England and France and I brought back food ideas, antiques, special things for the home and many experiences that will stay in my memory bank, hopefully, forever.

One of the products I learned about, and was reminded of, at Anderson's market yesterday, is Birds custard. Birds is the original custard brand, established in 1837 and loved by generations of Brits since then. It comes in a can or now in single packages and it is what is put in their trifles in between layers of goodness. It is tasty and easy so that one can slap together a proper dessert in no time--or a day or so ahead of company. This brand can be made with whole cream, skimmed milk, half and half--it is forgiving and obliging and I like it.

Week Day Favorites

Today is cooler than it has been in the last couple of weeks. The doors and windows are open and it is not too hot to putter around in the kitchen. Andy's garden has started producing tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and, the beans are climbing higher than usual due to the rain. What I miss most about this year is good corn on the cob. Where is it? And, if you find it, what is wrong with it? A meal of sliced tomatoes with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper with corn on the cob has been a favorite since I was a child. But, today, the Cook's Corner arrived and while I did not fancy any of today's recipes I went on line and read some the older issues and found a couple of things to my taste to go along with the lentil salad that I just made up according to what I had in the pantry. Looks like salads are on the menu for today and tuna from a can (in olive oil) is back. While tuna packed in water has no taste at all, tuna in olive oil and especially imported canned tuna has tons of flavor for pasta salads and salade nicoise, a favorite of mine when I visited France on bi- monthly trips. And, doesn't banana cream pie sound good? Here are a couple of recipes to try from Cook's Corner. I am making them today...right after the dogs and I chase the wild geese out of the pool--are they migrating already?

TUNA-MACARONI SALAD
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
For Opal Robertson, Columbus
Makes 4 servings

Everyone always asks for this recipe. I frequently double it.
1 cup macaroni noodles
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
1 can (6 ounces) tuna, drained
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellman’s)

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain. Run under cold water. Drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.BANANAS CREAM PIE
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
For S.T., Columbus
Makes 6 servings

I got this recipe years ago from a friend’s cookbook. Sometimes I use more bananas and make extra filling.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
3 boxes (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3 medium bananas, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Topping:
1 can aerosol whipped cream
2 ounces chocolate syrup
6 banana slices

To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cookie crumbs in a mixing bowl. Add sugar and butter and mix until the crumbs hold together slightly.

Press crumb mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp. Cool crust completely.

To make filling: Combine half-and-half and cream in mixing bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with whip attachment on electric mixer for 1 minute, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Whip on medium speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to high and beat 2 minutes longer.

Spread a thin layer of pudding mixture in bottom of crust. Top with a third of banana slices. Spread a thin layer of pudding over the bananas. Top with half of remaining bananas then another thin layer of pudding. Top with remaining bananas then remaining pudding mixture, mounding the pudding on top.

Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Cut pie into slices. Top each slice with whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate syrup and garnish with a banana slice.

http://www.dispatchkitchen.com/live/content/features/about.html

Food Truck Race Series is Baaaacccck!

I'm delighted to write that the Food Truck series is back. This series gives a whole new meaning to food on wheels. I think it would be a fun way to start a new business with doable speciality items in a pretty atmosphere. Another good thing... if you don't like the customers you could just drive away. LOL. Tough to do in a restaurant setting with a lot of over head. (Just a thought, Lechler men.)

Blurb about the show:
EIGHT TOP-NOTCH FOOD TRUCKS HIT THE ROAD FOR HIGH-STAKES TRIP OF A LIFETIME IN SEASON TWO OF THE GREAT FOOD TRUCK RACE
Hit Food Network Competition Series Hosted by Tyler Florence Returns Sunday, August 14th at 10pm ET/PT with More Teams, Bigger Grand Prize and Extreme Drama
NEW YORK, - July 11, 2011 – Food Network competition series The Great Food Truck Race returns for a second season this summer with more – more teams, more cities, more grueling challenges and more prize money. Hosted by Tyler Florence, the series features eight of the top food trucks in the country battling for a life-changing $100,000 grand prize, double the cash prize awarded in season one. From delicious Cuban sandwiches to tasty vegan dishes and gourmet grilled cheese, the eight competing teams represent the best in food truck cuisine.

Flowers and Recipes

The flowers are outstanding this year due to the rainy May and April. The mop heads are just now going droopy but the Casablanca lilies are at their best, and, they last so long as cut flowers. The knock out roses are blooming themselves silly for the second crop of the season. It's been a good growing season here, but I understand this is not the case for the farmers. Sweet corn seems to be among the missing at this time of the year when it is usually shipped in from out of state until ours gets going. Andy went to the outdoor markets yesterday and there was very little to see and he bought nothing. Sunday with the Lechlers (today) was a fish experience and I tried to replicate Buca's prosciutto chopped salad. (They use head lettuce and romaine and chop it finely and deep fry prosciutto and crumble it in the salad.) It is delicious that way, however, I have not found the key to their dressing. Nonetheless, not a leaf was left and there were only five of us here today. Matt and Jake worked all day trimming around the tennis court and the west fence.

The next door neighbors had a wedding and a reception in their yard yesterday and what a beautiful day they had. I'm just saying--when events happen on Cooke the weather cooperates. I took a big frittata over to them early yesterday morning for their over night guests' breakfast. I didn't get a picture of it, but the bride took a picture to add to her wedding album.

Note:
The wire basket from Japan is a great tool for reheating pasta before applying the sauce, for a quick blanch of peas etc. Just hook it over the rim of a tall pot of boiling water and it will serve many purposes.

I have been reading different recipes for something called chili cornbread salad and thought I might try it for Sunday dinner. A recipe for it was in the Wednesday Cook's Corner and the recipes there are usually pretty good though they do not test them.

CHILI CORN BREAD SALAD
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Makes 12 servings
1 package (8 1/2 ounces) corn bread mix
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 cup mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)
8 ounces sour cream
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed, drained
2 cans (15 1/3 ounces each) whole kernel corn, drained
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
10 bacon strips, cooked until crisp, crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions. Stir in chilies, cumin, oregano and sage. Spread in 8-inch square pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix.

Crumble half of cornbread into a 13-by-9-inch dish. Layer with half of beans, mayonnaise mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions bacon and cheese. Repeat layers (dish will be very full).

Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Also, from the same source, and I don't know how I missed this, orange creme cake, which must be like Glenda's Hawaiian wedding cake that I rave about so often. Any way, another thing to try for Sunday to cool us off in this extreme heat.


ORANGE CRÈME CAKE
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Each week we feature an oldie-but-goody recipe from this week 10 years ago.

Makes 24 servings

This recipe is from Quick Cooking magazine. I have made it twice, and it received rave reviews. It tastes like a Creamsicle. (This from the person who sent in the recipe. I haven't tried it yet.)

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) lemon cake mix
1 envelope unsweetened orange soft-drink mix (such as Kool-Aid)
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 packages (3 ounces each) orange gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake and drink mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into 13-by-9-inch pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Using a fork, poke holes in the cake. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, dissolve 1 package gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water. Pour over cake. Cover and refrigerate 2hours.

In a mixing bowl, combine milk, vanilla, pudding mix and remaining gelatin. Beat on low 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.

Frost cake. Refrigerate leftovers.