WHITE PEACH POUND CAKE

I love summertime....and one of my favorite things about it is the abundance of fresh fruits and produce available at the local farmer's markets. I love to move and groove through the  isles, searching for the ripest melons, the freshest cucumbers, the reddest tomatoes....and my own personal favorite fresh market item....white peaches.

 WHITE PEACHES MAKE ME DROOL! 

I buy them by the basket full and turn out such tasty treats as White Peach Cobblers, Peaches & Cream Pies, Homemade White Peach Ice Cream, White Peach Freezer Jam and Grilled White Peaches that show their stuff on a lovely salad. 

And besides just eating one every morning in my Raisin Bran, my most favorite way to enjoy the voluptuous white peach is in a stately pound cake. All heads begin to swoon and eyes have been known to roll around in heads at the sight and smell of this mouth watering cake. My best advice for you today is to head to your local Farmer's Market and search for the lovely white peaches and try out this wonderful recipe. I promise you from the bottom of my peach pickin' heart that you will be so peachy glad that you did.

And now for the recipe:

2 sticks real butter...no nasty margarine for this cake..trust me
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed white peaches
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, after each addition.
Combine flour, soda, salt. Combine sour cream and peaches. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with peach mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until blended after each addition. Stir in flavorings.
Pour batter into a Crisco greased and flour coated Bundt or tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Yield: 1 big beautiful pound cake...Enjoy!

"I never met a White Peach Pound Cake that I didn't like!"~Adele Forbes

HALIBUT TACOS

A friend recently shared his prime catch of halibut with us and were we ever so glad that he did. 

Halibut is a beautiful white meat fish with a delicious mild flavor. They can weigh as high as 600 pounds and one fillet can be as large as your front door. When purchasing halibut look for smaller cuts of the fish which have the best taste.

To prepare the tacos I fried the fish in a pan of oil after I had coated the fillets in a bowl of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. I then took a fork and flaked the halibut in to bite-sized pieces. Next, I sprayed a baking sheet with cooking spray and then placed 6 small flour tortillas over the pan, slightly overlapping them. Then I took a bottle of 'Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce' and squeezed a fine stream of it over all of the tortillas. The flaked fish got sprinkled over next and then dollops of 'Desert Pepper Trading Company' brand all natural corn, black bean and red pepper salsa (medium strength). My homemade tartar sauce went on next, followed by shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.

I set the oven to broil then slid the sheet of tortillas underneath it and, watching it carefully, I proceeded to let them broil for about 5 minutes until the cheese was melted and the edges of the tortillas had browned. Our friends and neighbors helped us to polish them off in record time. All I really did was open up my refrigerator and just went by my best proverb~USE WHAT YOU GOT! Be sure and try this recipe, my husband told me he thought it was one of the best things that I had ever cooked to eat. Myself and my friends tended to agree with him. 

"I never met a Halibut Taco or any other taco that I did not like!"~Adele Forbes

GOOD TIME GRILLING

GOOD TIME GRILLING
By: Adele Forbes


AGAVE MARGARITAS
GRILLED HALIBUT with LEMON CAPER SAUCE
GRILLED CORN SALAD with LIME-N-HONEY DRESSING
ROCK SALT BAKED POTATOES
SPICY CHEESE LOAF
GUILT-FREE STRAWBERRY PIE


Summertime has come once again to our beautiful North Carolina mountains, and with it comes my favorite form of cooking~outdoor grilling. Carolina blue sky weather, wholesome food, and good friends are all you need to make it a day to remember. As soon as your guests begin to arrive, greet them with a refreshing margarita, upbeat music playing in the background, and the good times will surely roll over the occasion.


AGAVE MARGARITA


1/2 cup white tequila such as Patron or Blanco
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
kosher salt
lime slices


Place tequila, agave syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker over crushed ice and then shake it up baby! Pour into two lime and salt rimmed margarita glasses. Garnish with lime slices to serve.
Serves 2 


GRILLED HALIBUT with LEMON CAPER SAUCE


1 lb. fresh or frozen halibut fillets~1/2-inch thick
fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup melted butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Place halibut fillets over a medium hot grill. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side until done. Heat the lemon juice, capers and butter in a small pan until butter is melted. Season fillets with the salt and pepper, pour the sauce over fillets to serve. 


GRILLED CORN SALAD with LIME-N-HONEY DRESSING


2 ears fresh sweet corn
1 pint grape tomatoes (yellow ones if you can find them)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut in chunks
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro


Remove about three layers of the husks from the corn, leaving a thin layer of husks on the corn. Grill, turning as each side begins to turn brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool for a little while, then remove the husks. When cool, cut the corn off the cob, being sure to scrape the 'milk' from the cob as well. Add the tomatoes, avocado and cilantro, stir the mixture gently so as not to mash the avocado. Add the HONEY LIME DRESSING: 3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, juice of 1 lime, 1 clove minced garlic, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper. Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes to allow flavors to mingle and marry. You'll be glad you did.


ROCK SALT BAKED POTATOES


Brush melted butter (not margarine) all over washed baking potatoes. Place on a baking sheet and dust with ground rock salt with salt facing up. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until nicely done. Serve with your favorite toppings~cheese, sour cream, bacon, green onions, ect.


SPICY CHEESE LOAF


2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup warm (not hot) water
2 teaspoons dry yeast


Place ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturers directions. (I always put my wet ingredients in first and then the flour and the remaining ingredients.) 


GUILT-FREE STRAWBERRY PIE


1 small package sugar-free Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding
2 cups water
1 small package sugar-free Strawberry Jell-O
4 cups sliced strawberries
Fat-Free Cool Whip


In saucepan, stir together pudding mix and water, heat to boil. Remove from heat and immediately add the Jell-O. Stir until dissolved, set pan aside and allow to come to room temperature. Place sliced strawberries in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate. Pour cooled mixture over the strawberries. Refrigerate until well chilled. Top with Fat-Free Cool Whip to serve. Serves 8


"Grilling means good times, good friends, and hopefully, great food."~Bobby Flay

SHE SELLS SEASHELL SALMON SALAD DOWN BY THE SEASHORE

Say "She sells seashell salmon salad down by the seashore" 3 times fast.......

We are blessed to have amazing friends in the beautiful state of Alaska who generously supplied us with some beautiful red, river-washed salmon. There's nothing else like it out there that I have ever seen. Thank you so very much, Eb & Lorie Pope.

So what is a girl to do with all of this salmon??? Salmon salad literally jumped through my mind.

Next, I baked a nice slab of it in the oven, just until done and then proceeded to shred it with a fork.

1 (1 lb.) box small seashell multi-grain pasta

2 cups flaked cooked salmon

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup chopped icicle pickles

1/4 cup chopped bread & butter pickles

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper

a sprinkle of sugar

a couple shakes of hot sauce

Cook pasta just to al dente. Do not over cook! Drain well and place in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients mixing until blended; cover and allow to chill well. Serve on a bed of lettuce or on Club or Ritz crackers.

COOKS NOTE:

You may also cook the large seashell pasta and ladle the salad into the shells and serve on lettuce.

"I never met a salmon pasta salad that I did not like."~Adele Forbes

SALTY DOG FUDGE

The "Random House Dictionary" describes the word 'fudge' as: "a candy made of sugar, butter, milk, chocolate and flavoring".........I beg to differ with them as in my time I have made many different kinds of fudge and they certainly did not all contain chocolate. Not there's anything wrong with chocolate, my goodness, I have been a self-professed chocoholic for most of my life. When it comes to fudge though, I tend to prefer peanut butter without chocolate in it.

So naturally when a friend slid a copy of this recipe across the kitchen counter to me I had to try it. She said, "There's a secret ingredient", in a slow whisper, which turned out to be an entire sleeve of Saltine crackers.

My brain and tongue both immediately went to flapping....salty&sweet....sweet&salty....oooh Yes!

2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 sleeve Saltine crackers, crushed
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring.

When it comes to the actual boil, only let it boil for 1 minute and then remove it from the heat. Add remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended. Pour into a butter greased glass 8X8 baking dish. Refrigerate until well chilled then cut in pieces. 

'I never met a fudge of any description that I did not love!"~Adele Forbes

SOUTHWEST LAYERED CORNBREAD SALAD

In my profession I am always searching for new recipes that 'flip-my-trigger'; here is just such a creation. Lovely layers of my Mama Joe's cornbread stars with more layers of lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, onion and shredded cheddar cheese.

You can make a cake of your favorite cornbread to use in this recipe or here is a link for Mama Joe's Cornbread...http://inmamajoesshadow.blogspot.com/2009/12/mama-joes-cornbread.html.....

1 cake of your favorite cornbread (you won't need all of it)
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup 1000 Island dressing
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Crumble the cornbread, set aside. Mix the mayonnaise through the salt together. 

2 heads chopped Romaine lettuce
1 (14 oz.) can yellow corn, drained
1 (14 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 to 8 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped onion, red or sweet
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a 4-qt. glass dish (a clear glass dish works best here so that you can see the pretty layers), place half of the lettuce, then top with half of the cornbread crumbs. Spread half of the mayonnaise mixture over the cornbread layer. Layer half each of the corn, beans, tomatoes, onions and cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Serves 6 to 8

“Her corn-cake, in all its varieties of hoe-cake, dodgers, muffins and other species too numerous to mention, was a sublime mystery to all less practised compounders.”
Harriet Beecher Stowe, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852)

MISSISSIPPI SIN

Every time I hear the word 'Mississippi', my mind drifts off to the fabulous appetizer that shares the same name, only with the word 'Sin' attached at the end.....oh yes.....that would be 'Mississippi Sin'. 

1 Mississippi~2 Mississippi~3 Mississippi...you'll need a round 1 lb. loaf of that good old sweet Hawaiian bread, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 8 oz. pkg. softened cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham, 1/3 cup chopped green chiles and 1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.

Combine the shredded cheddar, cream cheese, sour cream, cooked ham, green chiles and Worcestershire sauce, stirring well. 

Cut a thin slice from the top of the loaf of bread; set aside. Using a gentle sawing motion, cut vertically to, but not through, bottom of loaf, 1/2-inch from edge. Lift out center of loaf; cut into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

Fill hollowed loaf with dip; cover with reserved top slice of bread loaf. Wrap with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve with reserved cubes of bread, crackers and or chips. Whatever you like. We're not picky around here. If it's in front of us, we'll eat it!


"Women keep a special corner of their hearts for sins they have never committed." ~Cornelia Otis