FREEPER KITCHEN: Roll On Those Lazy, Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

[HungarianGypsy]

It's been suggested, so let's do it. I am forming a Freeper food list (pictures optional). Since we are in the middle of summer, this week's theme is obviously summer. Have recipes? Have some food memories of summer? Just have fun with this. I will be posting a new theme every Friday or Saturday.
Once these recipes are tested, perhaps a little feedback on what others thought. Freepmail me if you would like to be put on the Freeper Kitchen ping list

[alnick]

Ooh, that sounds really good. Savin' it.

[politicalwit]

Here's one of my favorite "holiday" breakfast recipes. A little time consuming but worth the wait...

Coconut Crusted Jamaican Toast with Rum Praline and Fresh Whipped Cream

Two French baguettes or one Italian loaf
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 cups coconut flakes
Vegetable oil
1/2 pound brown sugar
1 stick salted sweet cream butter
1/2 ounce spiced rum
1/2 ounce creme be banana
1 ounce orange juice
8 ounce heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

Make basic eggwash with the eggs and milk. Season the eggwash with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut 1 inch slices of toast en bias from the French baguette (3 or 4 for each serving). Soak each slice on both sides without becoming heavy and soggy with batter (about 10 seconds each side). Then dip lightly or sprinkle coconut flakes on both sides. Fry in a lightly oiled preheated pan until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan to plate and drizzle with rum praline. Serve with a large dollop of fresh whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Rum Praline Syrup

Melt 1/2 stick butter and add 1/2 pound brown sugar, stirring until incorporated. Add 1 ounce orange juice, 1/2 ounce spiced rum and 1/2 ounce creme de banana. Simmer lightly and take off heat when consistency is a thick syrup.

Fresh Whipped Cream

In a blender, food processor, mixer or by hand, whisk 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream until it has formed nearly stiff peaks. Stir in 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract and 1 cup sugar. Continue whipping until peaks are stiff. Do not over whip.

[Grammy]

Add me to your list!
Here's my contribution.

Crab Louis

Salad greens
radish
tomato
avocado
canned crab, cleaned and scattered on top.
Top with a dressing of mayonnaise mixed with ketchup. I know, it sounds gross, but it really is wonderful. I grew up on this, corn on the cob and sweet tea as our summer best.

[iceskater]

My best summer memory - going to my grandparents house. They had a house by the water in Maryland. We had big 'ol crab feasts! What a treat. Steamed crabs - beer for the adults; soda for the kids. Talking and laughing and picking crabs for what seemed like hours.

I miss those days.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Please put me on your Freeper Kitchen PING list!
Thanks!
Ms.B

[bookworm100]

The essence of summer is corn.
Take one unshucked ear of corn. (If it is not really fresh, soak it in water for 15 minutes or more.) Put the corn in the microwave oven shuck, silk and all (Do not peel back the shucks; do not try to remove the silks.) Microwave for 2 minutes. Let stand for 1 minute. Peel back the shucks and silk (careful, it is hotter than h--- ), butter the corn, salt and pepper it and eat.
You can also put it on the grill (shuck, silks and all) and cook it the same way (only it takes longer).

[hispanarepublicana]

food ping

[Tennessee_Bob]

One quarter to one half package of bacon, depending on how much bacon you want. I use kitchen shears to cut it into pieces about as big as the end of my thumb.

Throw it in a fried chicken pan (deep frying pan with a high domed lid), and start cooking it on medium low, so it starts to go translucent and render down. Cook it with the top on.

While that's cooking down, get four or five or six potatoes, like the bacon, it depends on how many potatoes you want. You can peel them if you want - personally, that's how I like them. Take a mandolin...a slicer, and then (with the lid off) slice the potatoes over the bacon. Put the lid back on, and turn the heat up to almost medium.

Stir occasionally, and keep covered

When the potatoes start to brown up, take one or two sweet white onions, skin them, and again, with the lid off, use the mandolin to slice the onions over the potatoes and bacon. Stir it all together - usually, I'm using a spatula to turn the stuff over. Cover, and let it cook. Stir now and again to get it all browning up.

Once it's all browning up nicely, I like to take the lid off, and make a open space in the middle of the pan, and I'll pour a good splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar into the pan. Let it sizzle up for a few seconds, and then stir the pan so everything gets a little bit of the bite on it. Cover and let it cook a little longer - or if you want it crisped up, leave the top off, and give it a couple minutes to cook down.

I don't have a name for it - a friend of mine, a fellow Southron, says his mama calls it "hard food."

[proudofthesouth]

Here's my recipe:

5 Minute Dessert

On a plate put:

1 or 2 slices of pound cake

spread generously with Nutella (chocoalate hazelnut spread)

top that with a scoup or two vanilla ice cream

top with whipped cream

Yummy !!

[hispanarepublicana]

My summer food memories are: canning everything that would sit still in a hot kitchen; meal after meal of Mexican-style chicken ratatoulle (made with a seemingly endless supply of zucchini or calabasita); cantaloupe for breakfast.

[looney tune]

Add me to the foodie list. My son's a chef and I'll get some good recipes out of him to post.

[EagleMamaMT]

Please add me to your ping list.

Here's what I'm having for supper tonight:

Fried Green Tomatoes

3 or 4 large green tomatoes
3 eggs
Hot sauce (to taste)
Lousiana brand seasoned fish fry coating
Vegetable oil for frying.

Slice up the green tomatoes very thinly (about 1/8 of an inch thick). Beat up the eggs with a little hot sauce (to taste. I use about a tablespoonful.) Dip the green tomato slices (one at a time) into the egg and roll in the seasoned fish fry coating. Fry in oil about 1 inch deep in your frying pan. Fry golden brown and then put out to drain on a baking rack.

These fried green tomatoes with a big ol' glass of sweet iced tea make a delightful Southern supper. These go really well with a thick juicy grilled steak, too! :)

The key to making good fried green tomatoes is draining them on the baking rack. They will stay crispy and yummy.

This Louisiana seasoned fish fry also makes excellent fried oysters or shrimp for a po'boy sandwich. Just dip the oysters or shrimp in the egg mixture above and then roll in the fish fry and fry as above. Makes a really good po'boy sandwich! :)

The baking rack trick also helps to keep your fried chicken crispy, too. Just put the pieces to drain on the cookie rack as you take them out of the frying pan. I stand my baking rack on a cookie sheet to catch any drips.

[Tom D.]

Shrimp Aristotle

Extra virgin olive oil
8-10 Chopped Green Onions
1 cup sliced black olives
1 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1-1/2 lbs. peeled Shrimp
1 lb. Fettuccine
Fata Cheese

Cook the fettuccine.

In large, heavy skillet put in all of the remaining ingredients except for the shrimp, and Feta Cheese. Heat, until hot. Stir while heating. Toss shrimp on top and cook until just pink. Don't over cook the shrimp.

Divide Fettuccine among 3 or 4 plates. Put 1/4 or 1/3 of the hot mixture atop each plate of noodles. Sprinkle Feta Cheese on top and eat.

[Nora]

And on alternate days, roast some big, firm, home grown red bell peppers, peel, chill, sprinkle with capers, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Though you could take some of that good crusty bread and crumble it with cukes, tomatoes, black olives, sweet onion and add a dash of olive oil and of balsamic vinegar.

[gopheraj]

Please add me to your ping list. Thanks

new Spinach Salad
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups torn spinach leaves, washed and dried
3 cups torn red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
2 ripe kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
6 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into six 1/2-inch-thick rounds

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine the spinach and lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the greens and toss gently.

Divide the greens among 6 plates and garnish each with kiwi, oranges, cranberries, red onion, and a round of goat cheese.

[theEnemywithin]

Here is a recipe for cucumber salad that is a hit every time I serve it.

Cucumbers with Sour Cream

4 large cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup wine vinegar
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons salad oil
½ cup sour cream

Peel the cucumbers and slice thin. Sprinkle with the salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and press out the moisture. (I just grab a handful at a time and squeeze the juice out of it.) Add the vinegar and paprika. A few minutes before serving add the salad oil and sour cream.

I like to add half a medium onion (finely chopped) and mix the whole thing up the night before. It gives the flavors a chance to blend and makes the cucumbers a little more crunchy. Makes a great side dish for a BBQ. Enjoy!

[ErnBatavia]

I may just do a quick grill job on something this afternoon; a check of my profile page will show you the current temperature, which means I don't even need to do any pre-heating!