By now, I’m sure you have fired up the grills and feasted on wonderful garden produce. In this issue, I am including some recipes that make great dishes for outdoor dining. Last month I visited family in Norfolk, Virginia and came away with some of these fabulous recipes.
Frozen Cranberry Margaritos
Serves 8
This is a wonderful cross between a margarita and a mojito. I promise you that this will become your favorite new drink for the summer.
1 10-ounce frozen mojito mix
¾ cup tequila
¼ cup whole berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (like Triple Sec)
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
Ice
Combine first five ingredients in a blender. Fill blender with ice to a 5-cup level and process until smooth. To serve: dip rim of glasses in lime juice and a mixture of kosher salt and sugar for a twist on the usual salt-rimmed glasses.
Bacon Mandarin Salad
Serves 6-8
This is a wonderfully refreshing salad. My sister, Irene, served this with grilled salmon and roasted asparagus. The mandarin oranges just make this salad for me. I think you will like it, too.
Dressing:
Whisk together the following five ingredients in a large salad bowl.
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
Then add the following ingredients to the salad bowl and toss right before serving:
1 bunch red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 4-ounce package sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
2 15-ounce cans mandarin oranges, drained and chilled
Garden Quiche with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula
Serves 6
Roasted tomatoes give any dish a great flavor. A quiche can handle just about any vegetable…it is fun to experiment with different flavors and textures. This combination of tomatoes and arugula works very well together.
For the crust:
(Can also use a store-bought crust)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted, very cold butter, cut into small pieces
5-6 tablespoons ice water
In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Add butter and smash into flour until mixture resembles peas. Mix with hands to combine and form dough. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until tomatoes and jalapeño are roasted.
For quiche filling:
2-3 Roma tomatoes
½ jalapeño, seeded and deveined
4 eggs
1 cup half and half
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 cup arugula, coarsely chopped
While crust is resting in the refrigerator, quarter and seed tomatoes. Place on baking sheet along with jalapeño. Bake in 275 degree oven for 45 minutes. Once tomatoes and jalapeño have roasted, remove from oven and allow to cool. Dice tomatoes and jalapeño. Set aside. Raise oven temp to 450 degrees.
Transfer dough to floured surface and roll out till dough is ¼ inch thick. Transfer to pie pan and trim edges. Bake for 8 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Layer in pie pan—cheese, diced jalapeño, diced tomatoes, and arugula. Slowly pour egg mixture into the pan. Fill to ¼ inch from top. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes before placing in oven. Place in 325 oven for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice and serve. This would be great to serve with the Bacon Mandarin Salad.
Spaghetti Salad
Serves 8-10
This salad is a nice change from the mayonnaise-based salads and is especially good for outdoor dining. Use your favorite vegetables in this salad.
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 3-4 inch pieces
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, diced
1 cucumber, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
Optional—8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut in small cubes
Dressing:
1 16-ounce bottle Italian Dressing
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Cook spaghetti according to package directions, rinse in cold water, drain, and let cool. Place in very large bowl.
Chop all vegetables and add to large bowl. Toss spaghetti and vegetables together. In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour on top of spaghetti and mix well. Let sit in refrigerator for at least two hours. M! June/July 2015
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