When the mercury rises, hot food is probably the last thing you crave. Beat the heat with these cool dishes, both sweet and savory. PearFreezer Pops Yields 4 freezer pops. Ingredients: 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 ripe pears, peeled and ...
What better side dish for a summer cookout than a tangy, zesty pasta salad? Here are a few options to spice up your next barbecue — from Greek flavors to a Southwestern-style crowd pleaser. Zesty Shrimp Pasta Salad Ingredients: 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and drained 1 1⁄2 cups ...
A handful of nuts, raw or roasted with a touch of salt, are delicious all on their own. They’re easy to take on the go, and they serve as a nutritional powerhouse with a wealth of nutrients, making them a great choice for snacking any time of the day. Here are a couple of ways to work more of ...
Until the 1890s, gelatin — a substance made from the collagen in animal skin and bones — was odorless, colorless and tasteless. But when Jell-O was invented in 1897, the flavored product found its way into all kinds of dessert recipes. Here’s a good way to use flavored gelatin for summer: ...
Despite its nagging demands for water and protection from pests, your backyard garden is your biggest resource all summer long. From salads and salsas, to main dishes and dessert, relish your backyard abundance. Avocado Corn Salad The flavors of Mexico combine to make this salad ...
Reports on food safety can be alarming, and many people have started their own gardens to counteract such concerns, in addition to yearning for more flavorful produce. Folks also are learning that great taste doesn’t need to end when the harvest is finished. As the season continues, the ...
You don’t have to grow elderberries to have access to elderflowers. In the spring, take a drive in the countryside and be on the lookout for the big, lacy white blooms along the road. If fresh flower season has passed, don’t despair — dried elderflowers work, too! Elderflower ...
With a little advanced planning, healthy morning meals can easily become part of your weekly routine. Too much planning can be prohibitive, however. Choose two or three recipes to tackle on any given week and then stock up on breakfast basics — plain yogurt, eggs, good bread for toast, and ...
Any day you can replace starchy pasta with a vegetable is a good food day in my book. So the classic spaghetti and meatballs gets a modern makeover here. This dish really satisfies without leaving you feeling stuffed and bloated. Make extra meatballs (double the recipe) and freeze them for ...
If John Montagu had a nickel for every sandwich consumed since his title became the eponym for the delectable and ingenious food invention, well, he probably would have spent them all at the card table. The fourth Earl of Sandwich, who was fond of gambling, received the name and fame for the ...
The first hamburger as we know it (grilled ground-beef patty on a bun) allegedly was made by Oscar Weber Bilby on July 4, 1891, in Oklahoma Territory. Oscar’s burgers were such a hit that he served them every Fourth of July after that, sometimes to as many as 125 friends and neighbors. ...
Flower jelly is easy to make, and makes a flavorful addition to the pantry. Almost any edible flower can be made into jelly. Because flowers taste differently, a combination of flowers can be used to produce unique flavors to add to a variety of culinary creations. When choosing flowers to ...
When we think of one-bowl suppers or meals, it’s usually a starch like pasta, rice or mashed potatoes as the base, topped with a mix of meat and vegetables. But these days, lots of folks are looking to replace those carbs with lighter fare. Spaghetti Squash Boats You can substitute ...
Don’t throw away the rinds of your summer watermelons — they’re actually edible. Pickling is one way to use every part of your melon. Adding a small bottle of maraschino cherries gives the pickles a pretty rosy color. Watermelon Rind Pickles Yields 5 pints. Ingredients: 4 to 5 ...
As delicious as fresh fruit is all on its own, it’s also great to incorporate into your cook-ing and baking. Here are a few fruity recipes to welcome warmer days. Strawberry Spinach Salad Yields 6 servings. Ingredients: Vinaigrette: 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 cup red wine ...
Homemade pizza is not only delicious, but it can be an adventure. Deciding on the crust, toppings and sauce makes pizza night an event rather than just another meal. Get cooking the best from-scratch pizza right at home — no tip necessary. As the vehicle for transporting pizza toppings, ...
Creating a sourdough starter from scratch is simple and ultimately marks the beginning of an ongoing relationship. It’s also the most intimidating part of the sourdough-baking process, because it’s often misunderstood. Here are step-by-step instructions for making a starter, as well as a ...
As the days go by, I am being forced to become more creative with my cooking. I’ve always been a fan of stews and hearty soups, and I make them all year round to stock my freezer. That stash has started to run low lately. So it was time to see what I could make out of the slim pickings I had ...
Hot dogs are the first food most of us grilled, and you don’t need a cookbook to show you how. So what special technique could you possibly bring to a food that’s essentially ready to eat when it comes out of the package? Scoring, that’s what. Cutting a crisscross pattern in the hot ...
When you need a cake without much fuss, try these recipes. They don’t use any fancy or uncommon ingredients, and they can be baked quickly in a simple square or rectangular pan. Mahogany Cake This chocolate cake is so rich and moist that it doesn’t really need frosting. The secret ...