Monday, July 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Summertime Strawberry Soup - Sassy or Sweet

Earlier this summer, our church had a huge garage sale (at our house) to raise money in order to send kids to camp. For a week, my world was turned upside down as people dropped off donations at all hours of the day and others appeared to "preview" the goods. It was actually like a seven day party; the workers moved heavy furniture around, unpacked boxes, and laid sundry items out on tables as well as sharing lots of meals and laughter with each other. It was all worth it though - we raised over $2000 that benefitted seven children and their families. A week after the garage sale, one lady of our church family had the core group of workers over for a lunch at her beautiful home. Shari is known to be a gracious hostess and her elegant luncheons are famous for her special chicken salad. She served the first course, strawberry soup, on her sun porch. When I was handed my delicate little tea cup full, I took my first sip. What a surprise! I was expecting something sweet and what I tasted was quite sassy! It was a strawberry soup that even a man would like - fresh, bright, and pleasantly tart. Sherry was kind enough to send me the recipe, but admitted that she had changed it up a lot to achieve the soup we sampled. I played around with the recipe as well and came up with the version that is posted here. To be fair and equal to the old style ladies' luncheon strawberry soup, I have also included a sweeter version in this post. This one is from Assistance in the Kitchen, a fundraiser cookbook available from Assistance League of Indianapolis here: http://www.alindy.org/cookbook.html Jenn prefers the sweeter version and has asked me to whip it up so she can drink it as a smoothie. Both soups are incredibly easy - isn't it nice to have a choice?

Sweet Strawberry Soup
Ingredients:
2 pounds (8 cups) fresh strawberries
2 cups vanilla yogurt
½ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
Directions:
In a blender, combine the yogurt, orange juice, strawberries and sugar in batches. Cover and process until blended. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with additional strawberries, yogurt, or fresh mint leaves.
Sassy Strawberry Soup
Ingredients:
2 pounds (8 cups) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon really great balsamic vinegar
1tablespoon chopped mint leaves
Directions:
In a blender, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, vinegar, and mint leaves in batches. Cover and process until blended. I think it tastes great right away, but refrigerating for a while probably lets the flavors meld. Garnish with addition strawberries, mint leaves, or a drizzle of some really good balsamic vinegar. A fruit infused balsamic such as raspberry or strawberry, is very nice to use.
What a choice...
Sassy...Or Sweet?
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Grilled Flank Steak with Ginger Lime Coleslaw
Our little lake cabin has been in our family for over 50 years. Now my sister, brother, and I share, maintain, and try to visit it as much as we can. It's on a breathtakingly beautiful lake in upper Michigan and there is truly nothing better than being "at the lake". Over the years we have seen the nearby cottages change hands a few times, but for the most part we have had the same neighbors for quite a while. The "Dad" of us all is Terry who organizes at least one gathering each year where everyone pitches in and brings something yummy to share. Tables are set up right next to the lake, and it's a great opportunity for everyone to catch up.
Caroline, enjoying a game of Ladders at the lake gathering |
I always love hearing what Terri's and Melanie's kids are doing since they are about the same age as my girls. This year we were lucky enough to be there when everyone got together. Ann, Terry's wife, grilled chicken and made great baked calico beans. Julie and Lyle supplied brats and other delicious sides. Everyone brought terrific dishes but the hit of the night was Sue's Chipotle Cilantro Slaw from Southern Living Magazine. It was the inspiration for the Ginger Lime Coleslaw in this post. The spicy heat in the coleslaw goes really well with the flank steak that has been marinated in a healthy mixture (no oil) of pineapple juice, soy sauce, and spices. Enjoy!
For the Flank Steak
Ingredients for the Flank Steak Marinade
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Directions:
Combine the ingredients and marinate the flank steak for 10 minutes room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes per side according to desired doneness.
For Coleslaw:
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup matchstick or shredded carrot
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine the cabbages, carrots, onions, cilantro, and ginger in a bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, ginger, hot sauce, and salt. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss to coat.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Grilled Peach Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese
This past Fourth of July, Roy and I were lucky enough to be able to spend it at the lake. We were happy that Caroline and her boyfriend Adam were there with us and glad that Jennifer had worked out a way to join us. However, it started out to be an unusual type of day. When we woke up, the sky was overcast and gray with the threat of rain. Adding to that minor disappointment (the lake is still beautiful, whatever the weather is), was a phone call from Jenn saying she had gotten a flat tire on her way up to join us. The morning was spent watching the sky and talking with Jenn about the how her rental car didn't have a spare and the steps she and her travel companion were going to take to get back on the road. Thankfully, the sun came out about noon, but Jenn didn't resume her trip until three o'clock. Our point of rendezvous was Traverse City and Jenn's ETA was about 7 p.m. We were planning to see the fireworks there that night, so we packed some sandwiches and hopped in the car. We also wanted to see the parade that started at 6:30. And - the National Cherry Festival was also going on. When we drove into town, there were people everywhere! We found a space to park and made our way through the crowd to a spot to watch the parade. It happened to be right by one of those olive oil/flavored vinegar places that tourist towns seem to have. Of course I went crazy and bought lots of wonderful stuff such as peach balsamic vinegar and basil olive oil. Just as I was checking out, Jenn texted me that she was trying to locate us, and I went to find her with all my purchases in my arms. The grilled peach salad in this post is a result of playing around with my impulse buys, but any vinegar or olive oil could be substituted.
Grilled Peach Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
4 ripe peaches
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used basil infused)
1 large package of salad greens
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
4 ounces goat cheese
1 teaspoon finely chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1 fresh baguette, sliced and toasted
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup any white vinegar (I used peach infused white balsamic vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional: 3 to 4 chicken breasts grilled and sliced
Directions:
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Brush each side with the one tablespoon of the olive oil and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes per side to achieve nice grill marks.
While the peaches are grilling, combine the lettuce, 1/4 cup basil, and green onions. Place the greens mixture on a serving platter or on individual plates. When the peaches are done, cool slightly, slice and add to greens. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them on top. If using, add the grilled and sliced chicken.
Combine the goat cheese with the 1 teaspoon basil and 1/2 teaspoon thyme.
The herbed goat cheese is great served to the side with the toasted baguette slices or even sprinkled on top of the salad. It is especially yummy spread on a toasted baguette slice and topped with a grilled peach slice. Drizzle a little balsamic over that, and it's heaven!
For the dressing combine the 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Luscious Lemonades with Flavor Infused Syrup
Last March when Jenn and I traveled to Argentina to visit Allison, we took an overnight flight. In the morning, just before we landed, they served us medialunas (croissants) and café con leche. The typical Argentine breakfast didn’t fill me up for long, and by the time we arrived at Allison’s apartment I was ready for lunch. She took us to a fun, trendy Buenos Aires’s neighborhood called “Palermo Hollywood”. It was a warm day and by the time we were seated at the restaurant, we felt wilted and jet lagged. The waiter gave us a printed copy of the menu and we checked off our choices with a pencil. One option under the beverage section was lemongrass infused ginger lemonade. Refreshingly tangy but sweet, it was just the thing to give me a jolt of energy. Later in the week, after Caroline joined us, we found ourselves in another cute Palermo café. There I had some delicious mint infused lemonade. In the months since I’ve gotten back home, I have tried to duplicate these flavor infused lemonades. It has taken a while – either they have tasted too weak or were teeth achingly sweet. I fell back on the southern way of making lemonade; I made simple syrup but infused it with a flavor. I think this version below tastes pretty yummy, and the level of sweetness can be altered by adding or deleting the amount of sugar. Likewise, the flavor intensity of the ginger and herbs can be increased or diminished by playing around with the amounts put into the simple syrup. I came up with some interesting combinations such as:
Lemon and Lavender
Ginger and Mint (peel the ginger before slicing when making simple syrup)
Basil and Lemon
For a Batch of Flavor Infused Simple Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
A flavor ingredient such as: ¼ teaspoon dried culinary lavender, thumbsized piece of ginger – sliced, or ¼ cup of herb leaves such as mint or basil
Place ingredients in a pan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow to reach a boil and then let the mixture simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the syrup into a container
For the Infused Lemonade:
Simple syrup from above
8 to 10 lemons, squeezed to make 2 cups juice
1 gallon of water
Additional lemon slices and herb sprigs for garnishing
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher along with ice. Use the lemon slices and herb sprigs to garnish each individual glassful.
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