Tag Archive for: southern food

Lemonade Stands and Lemon Trifle

Walker and his two friends have spent a lot of time this past spring working on a pushable lemonade cart so they can better sell lemonade to the masses in Charleston.  Since they have all been gone all summer, yesterday was the first day they were able to try it out.  They went down to White Point Gardens with their stand and a cooler of lemonade and several hours and a Brazilian couple who had never seen a lemonade stand before, they concluded it was a success.  In honor of their lemonade success, I made a lemon trifle for dessert last night.  I love this recipe because it is simple, sweet and delicious.


Lemon Trifle

Ingredients:
1 package angel food cake mix – prepared according to instructions on package
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup lemon juice – with zest
12 ounces whipped topping

Directions:

Prepare the angel food cake mix as instructed on the package. Allow it to cool completely.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt in a saucepan and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Cook these ingredients over medium heat until the mixture is clear and has thickened. Cook it until it just comes to a boil.
Remove from the heat and add the butter; stir until melted.
Pour in the lemon juice and stir until completely mixed.
Allow it to cool and then refrigerate the mixture so that it thickens a little more. It should be about the consistency of pudding.
Remove the lemon mixture from the refrigerator and begin to layer all the ingredients. Begin by putting a layer of torn pieces of cake on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Use a little less than half the cake.
Spread half the lemon mixture over the cake and then sprinkle this with coconut.
Add half of the whipped topping and spread out evenly.
Repeat the layers of cake and lemon mixture. You will probably end up with a little of the cake leftover.
Next add the rest of the whipped topping and spread out so that it covers the entire top except for about an inch around the outer edge.
Sprinkle coconut over the entire top of the trifle.
Serve the trifle immediately or it can be refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

This past weekend we spent Friday night out at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island- a “staycation” if you will.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I felt like I had been on vacation for a week and we weren’t even there 24 hours.  We arrived on Friday afternoon.  It had been raining the whole day in Charleston, but just 45 minutes away, it had not rained at all.  We sat by the pool for a cocktail and then met some friends on the beach.  After that, we had drinks in the lobby bar with some other friends we ran into who were doing the same thing.  We then walked up  to The Ocean Room, sat at the bar and had a fabulous dinner.  Corby got the steak and I had the pesto gnocchi- delicious!  We were then “talked” into getting dessert.  It was going to be a very tough decision but fortunately they had a dessert trio which included the two things I wanted to try- the carrot cake doughnuts and the chocolate and malt. I can’t remember what the third was but I am sure I enjoyed it.  However, I do remember the carrot cake doughnuts very well.  Amazing.  They were served with cream cheese ice cream and a caramel sauce.  And of course since it was a carrot cake doughnut, that means it was healthy because of the carrot- right?  Either way, they were really special.  The next morning we went for a long walk on the beach and then sat at the pool for many hours until it was time to go home and pick up the dog.  It really was a phenomenal night/day/vacation.  Now, Walker is finally home after two and a half months of being away and school starts tomorrow- how has the summer gone by so quickly?  I dug around this morning to find a recipe for the carrot cake doughnuts that might make the first morning of school a little more bearable.

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained, reserve 4 tablespoons juice for the frosting
2/3 cup finely shredded carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease the doughnut pan; set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl sift together the flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and salt. Add egg, vanilla, and yogurt; beat until smooth. Add flour mixutre. Stir in pineapple and carrots.
Spoon the mixture into a ziploc bag and pipe batter into prepared pan, filling only 1/2 way up the doughnut cavities.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Cool doughnuts in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack.

Refreshing Watermelon

We had a great weekend celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday, for which I made the cake (of course, in the shape of a 40- it was pretty awesome), and we had a super fun Sunday beach day yesterday.  However, despite all of the fun in the sun, it is really hot.  I know it is summer, but I mean it is really hot.  We have or now had tickets to see one of my favorite bands, The Killers, tomorrow night at the Family Circle Tennis Center, which most of the time is a fantastic place to see a concert, but I actually sold our tickets yesterday on Craigslist because at 8:30 am yesterday, it felt like 95 degrees outside.  That does not bode well for an early evening outdoor concert.  So, what to eat in the heat?  Watermelon, obviously, and what better than a watermelon salad!  Here is a great recipe with Feta Cheese.

Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped watermelon (3/4-inch chunks)
1 cup chopped cucumbers (1/4-inch chunks)
½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and enjoy!

Double Coffee Tiramisu

We are finally home in Charleston, and while we had a great time, it is so good to be back.  The last week we spent up in Linville, NC, getting ready for the Fancy Dress Ball.  This year, instead of family with us, we had some of our closest friends up to participate in the fun.  We all had a great time, and Walker was quite the motivator as Saturday wore on, and we had no plan for what to do.  We ended up coming up with a very funny and very short skit that my brother, who was up with us, MC’d wonderfully.  While we didn’t take home first prize, we did take home 4th, which for the amount of effort we put in (minimal), we were all incredibly happy.  Saturday evening turned into very early Sunday morning quickly, and by the time we all went to bed, we knew the rest of Sunday was going to be a bit rough.  I don’t drink coffee, which is a problem on these mornings, and I was trying to find something that would help me on our long drive home.  I did not find this recipe until today, but I think if I had had the forethought to make this on Saturday in anticipation of Sunday, this would have been a nice little breakfast treat!

Double Coffee Tiramisu

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
2 (3-oz.) packages ladyfingers
1/2 cup grated semisweet or dark chocolate

Directions:

Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Beat whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.
Stir together 1/2 cup hot water and coffee granules until dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup liqueur.
Arrange ladyfingers evenly around sides of 8 (6-oz.) coffee cups or ramekins. Drizzle ladyfingers with coffee mixture. Spoon or pipe cream cheese mixture into center of ramekins. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Note: To serve the tiramisù in a single dish, prepare recipe as directed through Step 3. Arrange half of ladyfingers in bottom and up sides of a 2-qt. serving bowl. Drizzle evenly with half of coffee mixture. Top with half of cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers once. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Back in the South

We sadly left Twilight this past Sunday, but we drove to Linville and are thrilled to be here.  This view is worth any amount of driving!  As I have said before, Linville in the summer always makes me think of blueberries because we used to have blueberry bushes on the hill behind the house.  There are so many amazing things you can do with blueberries- full scale berry wars with your cousins and friends being at the top of the list, but there are also so many delicious recipes as well.  Here is another favorite of mine for Blueberry Cream Muffins.  Perfect on a crisp mountain morning.


Blueberry Cream Muffins

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sour cream

2 cups blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

The Best Ginger Snaps

The temperature has dropped to a very lovely 68 degrees, and I went for a great ten-mile hike this morning.  Well, it was only supposed to be about 6 miles, but I got lost, and I saw a bear, so it ended up being about 10 miles.  The bear didn’t have anything to do with getting lost; it was just kind of exciting. When I finally got to where I wanted to go in the first place, the view was so magnificent that the extra 4 miles were worth it.  Here is the view. Also, in the last couple of weeks, we have gone to breakfast at a wonderful spot down in Phoenicia called Sweet Sue’s.  I am having a hard time thinking of a breakfast that I have enjoyed more.  But, by far and away, the ginger snap cookie we had as an appetizer (yes, we had a cookie as an appetizer before breakfast) was ridiculous.  I could eat a lot of those cookies. A whole lot of them.  While I can’t quite recreate it, here is the recipe that comes closest.

Ginger Snap Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

 

What to do in a heat wave?

The entire East Coast seems to be in a massive heat wave, and Twilight is no exception.  Clearly, it is not as bad up here as it is in New York City, where the temperature is currently 99 degrees with a “real feel” of 107.  That is not a lot of fun.  So, we have been spending a lot of time at the pool keeping cool, and I took Walker and his friend Jake to Zoom Flume yesterday.  It is a water park in East Durham, NY.  It is a pretty drive to get there and funny too, because you are driving along through very rural residential neighborhoods, and all of a sudden, there is a big water park.  The boys found a nice lounge chair and then ran off to the new wave pool.  We all had a blast- I finished my book in the shade, and they rode all the water rides and had funnel cakes.  Zoom Flume is a great way to beat the heat, but since we can’t do that every day, we rely on the pool and ice cream sandwiches of course.  Here is a great recipe for Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwiches.  They are even better if someone else makes them and you can just enjoy!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 to 5 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

For the mint chocolate chip ice cream:

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and 1 to 2 cups of water. Place a medium bowl fitted with a fine strainer inside the ice bath.
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and begins to steam, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Carefully whisk half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, one ladleful at a time, until the egg mixture is warmed. Whisk the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers around 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture.
Immediately strain the mixture through the fine strainer into the prepared ice bath. Stir in the extracts and food coloring, if using. Cool the custard in the ice bath until it reaches room temperature, stirring often. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or up to 1 day.
Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, press plastic wrap against the ice cream surface, and freeze until the ice cream is firm and the flavor is ripened, at least 2 hours.
For the chocolate sugar cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets and flatten with the bottom of a measuring cup to a 2-inch diameter.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Freeze the cookies until firm, at least 1 hour. The cookies can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 1 month.
For assembly:
Top one cookie with a scoop of ice cream. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press down to form a sandwich. Immediately place the sandwich in the freezer. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sweet Corn

Does anything say summer more than sweet corn? And a fresh corn salad is about the best thing in the world.  It is a touch warm up in Twilight this week, but that means it has gotten above 80, so really it is not warm at all, it is perfect.  We have done some amazing hikes and are currently anxiously awaiting the arrival of great friends from Charleston who are coming up for a week.  I am dying for them to get here!  Our plan tonight is to porch sit- big surprise, and the picture is of our wonderful porch.  But I have a very delicious corn salad that will go perfectly with grilled burgers.  Yum!


Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients:
5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

More Porch Life

We have been up in Twilight for just over a week now, and I could not be more relaxed.  It is heaven up here except I don’t think my waistline would be expanding this much in heaven, but other than that, it is pretty perfect.  We have had a great time hiking and swimming, and we celebrated the 125th anniversary of Twilight Park this past weekend with a wonderful parade and a great picnic.  The whole park got so involved dressing up in period costumes, and everyone had a ball.  We have also had some great porch nights with friends, and on one particular evening last week, our friends Rob and Lauren and Rob’s sister Megan and her husband Jay were telling us about their family version of Top Chef.  Megan and Lauren cooked dinner one night and Rob and Jay the next, and Rob and Megan’s parents were supposed to declare a winner.  However being the wonderful parents that they are, they of course could not decide between their two children and called it a tie.  The dinners sounded fabulous, but one dish that Rob and Jay made sounded so unique.  It was an appetizer called and Eggvocado.  Basically, you cut an avocado in half, remove the pit, and put in an egg and cook it.  They all said it was fantastic, and I have yet to try it, but I can’t wait to.  Just another great tidbit picked up sitting on a porch.

Baked Eggvocado

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
2 eggs
Salt & pepper, to taste
Other seasonings, as desired

Directions:

Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and scoop out a little bit of the avocado flesh to make a hollow big enough to hold an egg. Place avocado halves in a small foil-lined baking dish. Crack an egg into each avocado half (don’t worry if a little bit of the egg white spills over). Sprinkle each egg with salt, pepper, and/or other seasonings, to taste.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until eggs reach desired doneness. Serve warm.

Sierra’s Favorite Cucumber Soup

We spent the most wonderful weekend up on Lake Summit with a bunch of great friends before we picked Walker up from camp.  I can’t believe three weeks’ sleep-away camp has already come and gone.  Lake Summit was like a camp for adults, which is my favorite kind of place.  We sat on the boathouse deck for pretty much the whole day- occasionally swimming, napping, reading, fishing, and lots of eating and drinking.  Two of our group were in charge of lunch, which were fabulous BLTs and really delicious cucumber soup.  It was a perfect meal for a hot summer day.  I had put my soup down while eating my sandwich, only to look up and see Sierra, a very sweet dog with maybe not the best manners, nose deep in my soup.  It was so funny I couldn’t even be upset that she had eaten the rest of my soup.  Here is Sierra’s favorite cucumber soup recipe- hope you enjoy it as much as she did!

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fat free plain yogurt

1 green onion coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill

Additional chopped green onions and  snipped fresh dill

Directions:

In a colander set over a bowl, toss cucumbers with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze and pat dry.

Place the cucumbers, yogurt, onion and garlic in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. Stir in dill. Serve immediately in chilled bowls. Garnish with additional onion and dill