Pears are coming into season, and it can’t be soon enough for me. I love the taste of fresh ripe pears from local growers.
Did you know that there are over 3,000 varieties of pears? I had no idea.
Of the 3,000 varieties. There are six that reign supreme.
To me, corn fritters bring back fond memories of running through the sprinklers as a child, and taking a little break on the back steps as my mom handed us each a hot corn fritter.
I love when summer sweet corn is at it’s peak! There nothing better than some nice fresh sweet corn! For those of us who have corn out of our ears, check out this corn fritter recipe!
For some reason, when I would hear the words “fruit butter,” I would relate it to actual butter. But, it turns out fruit butter is actually just a really smooth, creamy, silky jam.
Fruit butters are made by slowly cooking fruit pulp and sugar to a thick, but spreadable consistency. Fruit butters do not use pectin as other jams may, so it keeps a nice smooth texture. I think now that I’ve tried the smoothness of the fruit butter, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular jam.
With apricots being in season, I was able to snag a bunch from my parents tree. I decided to try this amazing apricot butter recipe, and it turned out great! I love that it has a little less sugar than most jams, I think any more sugar would have been too sweet.
It is no surprise that I love to cook, and develop my own recipes. But, to my surprise, as I was researching a new recipe idea, I realized, I had no idea what the difference was between baking powder, and baking soda.
I figure whomever decided when to use what just knew what they were talking about. After some research, I found that they are both leavening agents [sodium bicarbonate to be exact], but are to be used for different purposes depending on the recipe and other ingredients you are using.
For instance. Baking Soda acts as a leavening agent, and works best when mixed with a liquid and an acidic such as buttermilk, lemon juice, yogurt, honey and even chocolate. When mixed with an acidic, it is then activated and produces carbon dioxide bubbles that expand as it is being baked so your baked goods will rise.
On the other hand, Baking Powder already has a built in acidic agent, called cream of tartar, and often times a drying agent like starch.
Here are a few other tidbits about baking soda and baking powder you may not know …
If you are like me, these fun summer days bring a lot of activities and pool time, so the last thing on my mind is making lunch.
It would be easy to reach for the box of ready mac and cheese for the kids, but have you read the ingredients lately?
In an effort to avoid processed foods for my children, I have been trying to make their favorite foods from scratch.
This healthier version of mac and cheese is made with whole wheat elbow pasta, and genuine parmigiano reggiano. The great thing about using such great authentic cheese is that a little goes a long way, and I know exactly what is going into the dish.
This is a great substitute for the ready made mac and cheese, and really doesn’t take much longer to prepare than the boxed kind.
It seems like on these hot summer days, all I want to eat for lunch or dinner is something nice and cool. I’ve been consuming a lot of salads to keep my temperature down, and my oven off this summer.
I love salads with fresh berries. I love to have something sweet to go a long with my greens, so any berries I have always get thrown in to the mix.
This salad is a mix of mixed greens, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, feta cheese, and glazed walnuts. The show stopper is my favorite sweet salad dressing, poppy seed dressing. It’s my go to summer salad dressing.
{Recipe Below}
Temperatures are soaring, and it doesn’t look like an end is in sight.
I’ve been trying to find cold healthy treats to help cool me down this summer, and smoothies are at the top of my list.
This smoothie is simple to make, and healthy.
{Strawberry Mango Banana Smoothie}
2 cups vanilla soy milk
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen mangoes
1/2 banana
1/2-1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well. If too think add a little more soy milk.
You could also use fresh berries that are in season, but you may need to add more ice, or less liquid or it may be too runny.
enjoy!
Summer is full of backyard barbecues and last minute potlucks.
This salad would be a perfect addition to your summer menu. You will soon see that It is not your everyday pasta salad, some of the ingredients include kalamata olives, and feta cheese. And, the homemade greek vinaigrette gives it a the perfect touch.
Try it at your next summer gathering, it won’t disappoint.
As we all know, the name s’more comes from a contraction on the words “some more.” But, did you know that it is still undetermined who exactly invented the s’more?
S’mores scream summer, they are truly a summer essential along with popsicles, hamburgers, and hot dogs.
While no one can pinpoint the exact time and place of the invention of s’mores, we do know that the s’more recipe was first published in a 1927 Girl Scouts Manual. Most likely it was passed from one campfire to another around the time of the invention of marshmallows.
Over the years, the s’more has kept it’s basic components- marshmallows, a cookie/cracker such as a graham cracker, and a piece of chocolate.
Here are a few alternatives to your average s’more.
Summer is finally here and berries are plentiful!
I could eat berries by the handful, and do so practically everyday. I love to eat them on top of my morning oatmeal, on angel food cake, or my all time favorite is on crêpes!
Berries, crêpes, maybe a little ice cream or fresh whipped cream and hot fudge on top. Sounds like a perfect way to end a nice summer evening. Or, begin it, right?
Take advantage of the amazing prices of berries at your local farmers market, or grocery store and eat a handful with all your favorites.
Read more for a delicious crêpe recipe!
