Blueberry Shortcake Sundaes

The "signature" photo of this blog has always been Blueberry Shortcake Sundaes, and yet, I never posted the recipe!

This sauce is super easy and would be delicious without the ice cream on plain poundcake, or as a sauce for pancakes.  The secret ingredient is the cinnamon! 

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries.  It tastes just as good.  During blueberry season when they are on sale, stock up and freeze them for later!

It comes from the May 2010 issue Taste of Home Simple & Delicious.

Blueberry Shortcake Sundaes

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp water
1 pint blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
4 slices poundcake
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
whipped cream (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon.  Stir in water and blueberries until blended.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2-4 minutes or until thickened.

Place cake slices on four dessert plates.  Top each with ice cream and blueberry sauce.  (We like to top it with whipped cream too!)

Creamy Garlic Pasta

I saw this on Pinterest (original link is here) and thought it looked like a good dish to try.  Quick and easy to put together, it's a recipe I'd make again.

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. 

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

Cucumber and Blueberry Salad with Feta

I saw this last year on the Wegmans website and have been meaning to make it since last summer.  I finally got around to picking up all the ingredients tonight and put it together.  I enjoyed it although it's not a salad I would eat every day; it's more of a special occasion kind of dish.



3 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thinly (half moon shape) (about 4 cups)
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries, rinsed and picked over
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Wegmans White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Produce Dept)
3 Tbsp thinly sliced Food You Feel Good About Fresh Mint Leaves
1 cup (about 1/4 lb) Wegmans Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese (Cheese Shop)

Directions:
    Combine cucumbers and blueberries in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Add white balsamic vinaigrette, mint, and feta. Toss gently to combine.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I've had a recipe for strawberry spinach salad kicking around for ages from a friend of the family.  When I brought home yet another quart of strawberries, it seemed like it was time to dig it out.  Unfortunately when I looked at it, I realized the friend had typed it up much too quickly and it called for nearly 2 tablespoons of paprika, so I turned to allrecipes.  It turned out excellent!  Forgive the picture though, I took it after we'd eaten and that was the leftovers.  Still tastes good, just doesn't look as pretty after the dressing's sat on the spinach for awhile.  And I used a 1/2 cup of almonds, since I didn't want a half package of them leftover and we both love nuts.

Ingredients

    2 tablespoons sesame seeds
    1 tablespoon poppy seeds
    1/2 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
    1/4 teaspoon paprika
    1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    1 tablespoon minced onion
    10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
    1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
    1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
    In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Fiesta Corn Chip Salad

OK, this sounded a little odd, but I took a chance on it.  And oh. my. GOD.  It is GOOD!  It makes a lot, so cut it down a little if you're not having a cookout!  We ate it for three days.  (And yet, I never got a picture of it!)

To keep the chips from getting soggy, I kept them separate and just added them to the amount we were planning to eat right away, rather than add them all at once since I knew we wouldn't eat it all in one sitting.

This recipe comes from Taste of Home Simple & Delicious, June/July 2012.

Fiesta Corn Chip Salad

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained (15.25 oz each)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (8 oz)
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp salt (I skipped it, didn't miss it)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 9.25 oz chili cheese flavored corn chips, crushed but still in big pieces

Mix all ingredients except corn chips in a large bowl.  Chill.  Stir in chips just before serving.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

This is a Kim Kenney original recipe! :-)

The secret is to add garlic and chili powder to the peppers and onions as you saute them.  I eat mine with salsa, but Chris likes his with sour cream.  I usually make four at a time -- two for dinner and two for lunch the next day.  Let the quesadillas for leftovers cool for about 20 minutes.  Wrap themin foil and reheat, wrapped, in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

4 flour tortillas, burrito size
1 lb of chicken breast
Italian dressing for marinating
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
about 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp minced garlic
extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I grate a little more than half a brick)
salsa and/or sour cream for garnish

1.  Marinate chicken in Italian dressing for at least a few hours. (I ususally start mine in the morning for dinner that night.)  Grill until done. Cut into thin slices.  Set aside.

2.  Heat vegetable oil in frying pan on medium heat.  Saute peppers, onions, garlic and chili powder until crisp-tender.

3.  Assemble quesadillas.  Place chicken strips on one half of the tortilla.  Top with peppers, onions and cheese.  Fold in half.

4.  Place quesadilla on panini press.  Press down for 10 seconds.  Grill for one minute.

Barbie's Tuna Salad

Another recipe that the boyfriend found on allrecipes (and made this first time; I've made it a couple of times since).  I never overly cared for tuna salad before, but it turns out that I'm much more a fan of relish in my tuna salad rather than chopped celery.  Don't be scared by the curry powder in the recipe, you won't taste it!  Also, we double the recipe as the current can size for tuna is 5 ounces (I have never even seen a 7 ounce can, which makes me wonder how old this recipe is).  And again I neglected to take a picture, although it looks like, you guessed it, tuna salad! (o.p. 6-15-12, edit 5-12-14 to add picture)

Ingredients

    1 (7 ounce) can white tuna, drained and flaked
    6 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
    1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
    3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
    1/8 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes
    1/4 teaspoon curry powder
    1 tablespoon dried parsley
    1 teaspoon dried dill weed
    1 pinch garlic powder

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the tuna, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and onion flakes. Season with curry powder, parsley, dill and garlic powder. Mix well and serve with crackers or on a sandwich.

Strawberries and Cream Biscuits

The boyfriend found this recipe on the smitten kitchen blog (if you haven't checked it out, you should!) and since I had a co-worker give me a couple of quarts of strawberries shortly after, it seemed destiny.  I baked them and we ate the first couple plain, and although they were tasty, the boyfriend thought they weren't as sweet as he expected a scone to be and therefore would work great as a strawberry shortcake base.  So, of course, as I still had berries left, I sliced up some (use an egg slicer if you have one lying around - works great!!), added some sugar, whipped up some whipping cream and presto, strawberry shortcakes with strawberry and cream biscuits.  Very tasty!  I neglected to get a picture, but, well, we all know what strawberry shortcake looks like.  And the pictures on the smitten kitchen blog are amazing.

2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold, unsalted butter
1 cup (about 130 grams) chopped very ripe strawberries (I quarter small or medium ones and further chop larger ones)
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Add butter, either by cutting it in with two knives or a pastry blender (alternatively, you can freeze the butter and grate it in on the large holes of a box grater; a tip I learned from you guys) cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, breaking it up until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with tiny pea-sized bits of butter about. Gently stir in the strawberries, so that they are coated in dry ingredient, then stir in heavy cream. (I like to use a rubber spatula to gently lift and turn the ingredients over each other.) When you’ve mixed it in as best as you can with the spatula, go ahead and knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. Do not worry about getting the dough evenly mixed. It’s far more important that the dough is not overworked.

Generously flour your counter. With as few movements as possible, transfer your dough to the counter, generously flour the top of it and with your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles with a floured biscuit cutter or top edge of a drinking glass, pressing straight down and not twisting (this makes for nice layered edges) as you cut. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.
You can re-roll the scraps of dough, but don’t freak out over how wet the dough becomes as the strawberries have had more time to release their juice. They’ll still bake up wonderfully.
Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and the strawberry juices are trickling out of the biscuits in places. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Do ahead: Biscuits are generally best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.