The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
8-6-2020 Column
Sometimes I just need to change things up a bit with my summer meals.
Generally our meals center around what is available from the garden or on sale at the grocery store.
Lately we have been enjoying fresh sweet corn, green beans and beets from the garden to go along with a simple hamburger.
It is a quick easy meal, but sometimes you just need to change things up a bit.
These are some recipes I have used and discovered over the years.
With all of the fresh berries (raspberries and blueberries) I have been craving custard. I found this first recipe online. It is one way to use up the extra milk in my refrigerator. It is very similar to the Baked Custard recipe from Betty Crocker that my mom modified. She adds leftover rice and raisins to make a rice pudding type dessert. This is one of Mark’s favorites.
Sometimes you need to eat more than just beef. I found this salmon recipe at the grocery store and loved it! Whenever salmon is on sale or I just want to splurge a little bit, I’ll pick up some salmon fillets and make this for dinner. It is almost as simple as frying up hamburgers at the end of a long day and just as quick.
Of course we can’t forget the dessert. The Blueberry Coffee Cake is a modified recipe from Taste of Home. If you don’t have room for it after supper, it is great to grab on your way out the door for a morning snack before chores.
2 ½ c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
6 egg yolks
¼ c. sugar
Whole raspberrie
s
3-4 TBSP sugar
Hot water
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat cream in saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edges of pan. Add vanilla. Whisk yolks and sugar together until light colored. Slowly whisk in warm milk and vanilla. Put a few raspberries in bottom of custard bowls or ramekin bowls. Pour milk/egg mixture over berries until 2/3 full. Place bowls in 9 x 13 pan. Pour hot water into pan till half way up the sides of the bowls. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until the middle is still a bit jiggley. Cool slightly. Can enjoy warm or let set in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle 3 – 4 TBSP sugar over bowls and put under broiler to melt sugar and give it a glazed look. Keep a close on eye on it. Only takes a few seconds.
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 c. sugar
Dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ c. milk, scalded
Ground nutmeg
Hot water
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in scalded milk slowly. Pour into six 6-oz custard cups; sprinkle with nutmeg. Place cups in oblong ban on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan to within ½ inch of tops of cups.
Bake until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove cups from water. Serve warm or chilled.
**I use this recipe but use a 2 quart glass casserole dish to bake the custard in. I also add leftover cooked rice and raisins to the custard mix before I pour into the bowl. Kind of a Rice Custard Pudding. Good warm; great cold!
4 x 6 oz salmon fillets, skin on
¾ c panko or fresh breadcrumbs
¼ c dried cranberries, chopped
¼ c chopped green onion
3 TBSP butter, melted and divided
2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
2tsp grated lemon peel
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down on baking sheet. Combine breadcrumbs, cranberries, onion, 2 TBSP butter, thyme and lemon peel in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Press mixture on salmon and drizzle with 1 TBSP melted butter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until topping is golden and salmon is just opaque in the center.
4 medium baking potatoes or sweet potatoes
2 TBSP oil
½ tsp salt
Scrub and dry potatoes (peeling is optional) Cut into thin sticks or wedges and place in large container with a tight lid. Pour oil on potatoes, cover and shake to thoroughly coat fries with oil. Sprinkle salt on fries along with any seasoning options (garlic powder, oregano, Lawry’s Salt, paprika, Parmesan cheese)
Spread fries in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 -45 minutes, stirring and flipping fries every 5 – 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
2 TBSP butter, softened
¾ c sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
¼ c unsweetened applesauce
2 TBSP canola oil (sunflower oil is great too!)
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 ¼ c flour, divided
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 c butter milk
2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 8oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese, diced
¼ c flour
¼ c sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 TBSP cold butter
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and crumbly. Beat in egg, egg whites, applesauce, oil and lemon peel. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to sugar mixture alternating with buttermilk. In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with remaining flour; fold into batter along with diced creamed cheese. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
For topping, combine flour, sugar and lemon peel in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
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As their 4 children pursue dairy careers off the farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their Minnesota farm. (Natalie grew up in Stronghurst, the daughter of Becky and the late Larry Dowell.)
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