SUMMER OF SECRETS Recipes

A little whole grain makes these healthier and very satisfying! Makes about 15, depending on the size of your cutter.

2 C. white flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
4 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 T. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. cream of tartar
¾ C. butter/margarine
1 egg
1 C. milk

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in the butter/margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk , stirring quickly to blend, then knead dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 1” thickness and cut with a 1-2” biscuit cutter (or use a drinking glass dipped in flour). Place on a parchment-papered cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Kitchen Hint: You can do all the mixing in a food processor! Faster and easier! You can freeze them, too.

A meal in a pan! Add other fresh veggies like zucchini, broccoli, or chopped carrots for variety.

1 pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed, OR Simply Potatoes
Dill weed, garlic powder, salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced
1 red or green bell pepper (or combo of both), in bite-sized chunks
4-5 large fresh mushrooms (or 1 can of mushrooms)
2 C. diced ham OR 1 lb. bulk sausage, cooked and drained
1 small jar Cheez Whiz

Preheat the oven to 350º. Brown the potatoes in about 1 T. oil in a nonstick skillet, seasoning to taste.Spread in a sprayed 9×13” pan and set aside. Simmer the veggies in ¼ C. water until nearly cooked, season to taste, and stir in the meat. Spoon this mixture over the potatoes and then spoon the cheese over all, spreading it as it melts. Cover and bake about 20 minutes or until heated through. Serves 3-5.

Make this in your prettiest glass bowl!

1 can cherry pie filling
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple
2 3-oz. boxes cherry gelatin
1 C. boiling water
1 6-oz container cherry vanilla yogurt
1 C. whipped topping

Pour pie filling and undrained pineapple into serving bowl and stir. Mix the gelatin into the water until dissolved, then stir into the fruit. Chill until firm. Mix the yogurt and whipped topping and spread on the salad. Cover and chill.

Kitchen Hint: Yep, light pie filling and sugar-free gelatin are just as good in this recipe, too. Substitute other flavors of pie filling, gelatin, and yogurt, too.

Acini de Pepe pasta gives this sweet, creamy salad its unusual “frog eye” texture. It’s so yummy you can serve it as a salad, or spoon it into dessert cups! Serves 15-20.

1 ¼ C. Acini de pepe pasta
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits
1 T. flour
2 beaten eggs
1 C. sugar
1 large or 2 small cans Mandarin oranges
1 large jar marachino cherries
2 C. whipped topping

Boil the acini de pepe in water; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: drain the pineapple tidbits and squeeze the juice from the crushed pineapple; put fruit aside. Pour 1 ¾ C. of the pineapple juice into a medium pan, whisk in the flour, eggs and sugar and then simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Set this aside to cool.

Drain the oranges and cherries; halve the cherries. Put these with the pineapple and chill. Mix the sauce into the pasta in a large bowl and chill several hours/overnight. A few hours before serving, stir the fruit into the pasta mixture and fold in the whipped topping.
(Try not to eat half of it before you share it with anyone else!)

Tangy-sweet, crunchy-fresh—and it keeps for several days in the fridge!

2-3 firm cucumbers, peeled
1 or 2 medium onions, peeled
1C. white vinegar
½ C. vegetable or canola oil
½ C. water
½ C. sugar*
1 tsp each: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, dill

Slice the cukes and onions into a large bowl, alternating layers (a half-gallon plastic ice cream container works well, too). In a large jar with a lid, pour the vinegar, oil, water, sugar and the seasonings and shake vigorously. Pour over the veggies, stir a bit to distribute the liquid, and cover. Chill thoroughly.

*Kitchen Hint: You can use Splenda or ¼ C. Splenda Baking Mix instead of sugar.

You can also use this dressing (even what’s left over from the cukes/onions) to make Marinated Veggie Salad: slice carrots, celery, radishes, onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower—whatever you love!—into a bowl, pour in the liquid, and chill for several hours. Looks pretty layered in a glass bowl.

Feeds a hungry bunch and looks especially festive in red pepper shells—or alternate red and green peppers in the pan!

6-8 large bell peppers
2 lbs. lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
1 small onion, diced
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 pouch precooked, seasoned rice OR 2 C. cooked rice
1 can or jar spaghetti sauce, any variety
About 4 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise; seed and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the beef and onions, seasoned to taste, and drain. Return this to the skillet and add the tomatoes; simmer 5 minutes. Mix in the rice. Stir in about half the spaghetti sauce.

Preheat oven to 350º. Fill the pepper halves with meat mixture, spoon some spaghetti sauce over each, and bake in a foil-covered pan about 45 minutes. Remove the foil, top each portion with cheese, and return to oven until cheese is melted.

Kitchen Hint: 6 peppers/12 halves fit nicely into a 9×13” pan but I usually have meat mixture left, so I fill another pepper or two and bake these separately to freeze for later. You can fill the peppers a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, too.