Chilled Shrimp and Cucumber Soup

Summer officially arrived last weekend.  Today’s hot and muggy weather bears testament to why a chilled soup that requires almost no cooking is a perfect summer meal.  Little additional heat is generated to produce this light and filling soup.  Prepared in minutes, other fresh herbs such as parsley or mint can be substituted for the fresh dill.
Toss 2 large [...]

Smokey Corn Chowder

Love this super fast chowder because it works on the day there isn’t a drop of chicken broth in the house.  Chop 1/2 cup onion and saute in 4 tablespoons butter until tender.  Blend in 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.  Add 4 cups milk.  Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened.  Stir in [...]

Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers

Once or twice a year, the carnivore in me needs a hamburger fix.  A really good hamburger.  After experimenting with different recipes, I think I have hit on the winner.  My best recollection is that it came from one of the cooking shows on the Food Network.  We served these burgers on Father’s Day.  Try it at your next picnic:
Use a fork (not [...]

Spicy Crab Soup

Coat a Dutch oven with vegetable cooking spray.  Heat over mecium-high heat.  Add 1 cup chopped onion and 3/4 cup chopped celery.  Saute until tender.  Stir in 2 cups no-salt-added vegetable juice cocktail, 1 1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoess, 1 tablespoon Old-Bay seasoning, 29 ounces no-salt added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped and 10 1/2-ounce [...]

Lentil Soup with Mint Pesto

The first cooler day that comes along, pick some of that ever bountiful mint to add a tasty surprise to this hearty Lentil soup.  Lentils are great moderators for your blood sugar, helping to suppress rapid spikes in levels.
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Saute 1 large chopped yellow onion, 1 [...]

Quick Zucchini with Mint

The combination sounds unusual, the results are delicious.  Keep this in mind later in the season, when zucchini and mint over run your ideas of how to reap the benefits of their bountiful growth.  Bare bone directions can be adjusted to the volume you want to cook. 
Saute garlic in olive oil.  Add sliced, raw unpeeled zucchini, turning [...]

White Bean and Escarole Soup

In a large pot, soak 1 pound of dried navy beans overnight.  Drain the beans, (discard the soaking liquid/water on the compost pile), and return the beans to the pot.  Add 3 quarts homemade or canned beef stock, 1 large minced onion, 3 cloves minced garlic and 2 bay leaves; simmer until the beans are tender, [...]

Barley Mushroom Soup

In a large, heavy soup pot, combine 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained, 1/2 cup diced carrots and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the barley is just tender but not mushy, about 30 [...]

Tortellinni Pasta Salad

Shopping list in hand, pick up the ingredients for this delicious pasta salad for your picnic this holiday weekend.
Boil 1-lb tortellinni pasta until al a dente.  Drain and place in a very large bowl.  Pour 1/4 cup olive oil over drained pasta.  Combine.  Add 1 sliced red pepper, 3 large matchstick sliced carrots, 1/2-lb sliced smoked turkey, 1/2-lb cubed [...]

Work Party Rules

Read about this recently and it sounds really cool.  In the middle of endless yardwork, this sounds like a dream come true.  Here’s the gist of what this group of friends do to help each other and themselves. 
A core group of 10 people from 6 households meet one Saturday a month from September to June, holding [...]