Summer Salad - with creamy raspberry dressing

Words elude me in describing this salad. It is simply... summer. The combination of the unusual creamy raspberry dressing, the colorful fruit, crunchy toasted almonds, and the tender crunchy hearts of romaine will make you want to savor this salad all by itself. Who needs a main dish anyway?

A good friend (a fantastic cook!) brought this to a lunch recently, and we had a hard time concentrating on the other things that were served that day. It was THAT good. I was lucky enough to get the recipe first - I’m selfish that way, and it doesn’t even make me embarrassed anymore... (THAT’S embarrassing!)

It’s important to use the real stuff here (mayo, half-and-half, jam - scrimping for low-fat and low-calorie is just so defeating) Besides, if you are like me, you won’t even want to bother with a main dish in addition to this terrific salad.

For the recipe and photos, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake - for summer's last berries...

Looking for a summery picnic cake? One that it isn’t imperative that you add frosting? One that uses the last of the fresh raspberries of the season? This meets all those qualifications (and more). You’ll love the rich vanilla flavor, the dense (yet somehow light) texture, and the occasional surprise when you happen upon a fresh raspberry hiding in the middle. Wonderful with a light vanilla glaze, or whipped cream.

This recipe makes one 9” cake - and I decided to triple it and make three. Two to give away, and one to enjoy here. It is a fairly small cake, so with a little help from company - it disappears really fast (which is important when you live alone...) It also keeps very well and retains it’s moist texture for a long time, so you can snack on it for days.

Waiting for the last raspberries of the season is like watching the last snowfall (only warmer...) You know you’ll miss it, but you are feeling guilty for wishing it would come to an end. I must admit, I’m looking forward to fresh peaches, pears, and apples soon... This recipe was a pleasure to make because I actually had all the ingredients right here at home.

For this recipe and it's source, along with photos and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

"Last of the Month" Tuna Scallop - everyday, not gourmet...

Sometimes I just get tired of gourmet... That’s when I pull this out of the archives and use it for a walk down memory lane.

I have to keep this “real” around here and share some normal comfort food once in a while. I guess you could say this is Recession Era food, but we loved it even before things got tight. My own kids, and now even my grandkids, love this dish. I made it for old-time’s sake when the grandkids came to stay last week. My oldest sons now call this “rest home food” - as they now enjoy things I used to have to bribe them to eat. Classy it’s not - but hearty it is...

When I was a young stay-at-home mother with six mouths to feed (plus OURS) the grocery money was often gone a week (or more) before the paycheck was in the bank. That’s when I relied on this recipe so much that now my oldest kids might still be having nightmares about it!? But there are days now, waxing nostalgic, when it just “sounds good”...

Leftovers are great - that’s the way my grandkids like it - a day later. Warmed briefly in the microwave, it has almost as much appeal as mac ‘n cheese - which is saying a lot!

For recipe, photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Summer's Harvest Pizza - great way to use your garden's bounty

What an unusual way to use all those veggies that are begging to be included in your menu... Before you turn up your nose as you read the ingredients list - give this a fighting chance for dinner tonight. This is a fun alternative to the meat & fat-laden traditional pizza. The flavors blend so well, and this is one more recipe to help you use the plethora of zucchini that keeps showing up abandoned on your porch.

I found this unusual pizza variation on thisweeksmenu.blogspot.com (called “Corn & Zucchini Pizza w/Lime & Cilantro”) - and it intrigued me. It looked delicious, but called for a few ingredients that I don’t normally have on hand. So I eliminated the feta cheese and red pepper flakes, as well as squeezing fresh lime juice over the top before serving. Everything else I had on hand without a trip to the store. It was nice to be able to use an extra ear of cooked corn that was left from our festivities last weekend.

I had never considered using my plain-jane, non-exotic garden produce on pizza before (except for the usual tomatoes and green peppers - zzzzz....) As long as you slice the zucchini very THIN, you will hardly know it’s there, and the corn was a fun addition also.

This was an easy slice of pizza to hold in your hand, as it wasn’t dripping with a sauce or fat. This crust was chewy, but not overly soft - with just enough crunch to make it a nice blend of thin/crispy and chewy style pizza dough. I resized the recipe to make just one pizza - two is just too much...

For the recipe with detailed photos and instructions, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Archibald's Lemon Garlic Chicken - you'll make this again and again...

About a month ago I put out a plea for a lemon chicken recipe similar to the one served at Archibald’s restaurant in Gardner Village. A fellow blogger put the wheels in motion and (thanks to her) before long I had it in my hands. I gave it a try tonight and all I could do was try to make it last as long as possible. Delicious! Here it is adapted for two servings... Thanks to a “secret” ingredient - it’s just as good as I remember.

I’ve been on a non-stop quest to find a delicious chicken to serve at my son’s wedding coming up in September. I get close, but haven’t been totally satisfied with the results. I posted my wish about three weeks ago, and Barbara (of BarbaraBakes) sent the request to Kathy Stephenson - Salt Lake Tribune food writer. She had the right clout and was gracious enough to get the recipe to share in the Trib on July 21, 2009 - thank you Kathy! I've included their links for a little more info on my recipe website below.

If you’ve never eaten at Archibald’s - give it a try. This chicken is to die for... I’ve been trying to duplicate it for years, and haven’t done so until now.

What I was missing was the right bread crumbs. “Panko” crumbs are made from bread without crusts - in other words, from the soft center of the loaf that we all like best. Panko crumbs add a special crunch - nothing heavy, but airy. After quick pan-frying in a small amount of butter and fresh garlic, the chicken is topped with a lemon butter sauce. Since you pound the chicken thin before coating it, the cooking time is reduced and the chicken is so tender you barely need to chew. Since I can’t normally consume 8 large chicken breasts, I've included the adapted recipe for two servings.

For this recipe, related links, and detailed photos and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Home Churned Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - best RIGHT from the ice cream maker...

In Utah, we enjoy a unique summer holiday called “Pioneer Day” on the 24th of July. Those who visit Utah that day wonder what they have stumbled upon - but it’s a great tradition we look forward to. It is the official “swan song” of summer around here, and we celebrate with lots of good food on what is usually the hottest day of the summer.

My children and grandchildren were here on the 24th, so we pulled out the ice cream freezer and made a batch outside - complete with an “ice war” (putting crushed ice down the back of everyone’s shirts as we sweltered in the hot sun) I like to position my ice cream freezer on the landscape bark by my air conditioner. The salt can’t hurt anything, since it's mostly weeds - and it’s shaded in the late afternoon. I bring out a couple of newspaper sections to place the dasher and utinsels onto after finishing the batch. I wrap them up in the newspaper to take inside to wash - then I use the hose to spray off everything outside (including the kids!)

When it’s over 100 degrees outside, nothing sounds better than old-fashioned homemade ice cream. This is our spoons-down favorite version - the ultimate way to cool off in style. The hint of cream cheese, chunks of strawberries, and rich vanilla flavor can’t be improved upon. Best right from the ice cream maker as it finishes churning.

We discovered this recipe the summer of 2005 at our fledgling (immediate) family reunion - where we have just my own kids and their spouses and families. There are only seventeen of us at present, but we can sure go through a lot of good food.

I’ve tried lots of homemade ice cream recipes, and this one is near and dear to us. It takes a little forethought with the advance preparation and chilling - but that is an excuse to get organized the night before so you can enjoy the day.

For detailed photos, instructions, and recipe - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Star Studded Cobbler - a beautiful, SUMMERY dessert...

My friend Mary and I planned the food for a summer barbecue two weeks ago. With several people helping to bring food, we assigned different types of cobblers - the perfect summer dessert. We had four kinds to choose from - peach, strawberry/rhubarb, cherry, and this one. Mary’s cobbler was called simply “Mixed Berry Cobbler” - which just didn’t do it justice. It is covered in tender pastry stars... so I call it “Star Studded Cobbler”. I’m glad she was willing to share the recipe, which I’ve adapted...

Mary said she clipped this from a William’s Sonoma leaflet she has had for several years - so we have no way of documenting the source. The thing I like about this recipe is the tender pastry. I’ve never had anything like it before. It is similar to a standard pie pastry except for two differences. One is the addition of baking powder - which gives it a “puffy” texture. The other is using whipping cream as the liquid - which definitely adds tenderness and flavor. The deep red fruit bubbles through the layers, peeking out as it bakes.

This light fruit dessert has just enough pastry to call it a cobbler, without being overly heavy or bread-y. The dusting of raw sugar gives it a fun sparkle and a sweet finishing touch. I doubled these ingredients to fill a deep 9” x 13” pan.

For the recipe, photos, and detailed instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Biggest Urban-Legend Cookie Recipe Ever... and wonderful too!

I love to hear the origins of recipes... almost like finding long-lost relatives! Despite it’s origin - this is a terrific chewy cookie - thanks to whoever the real person was that morphed it into what it is today. It is full of oat fiber, which might make you feel better about all the chocolate laced throughout the cookie. These are best with ice-cold milk...

I love a good chewy cookie - especially with chocolate chips and nuts. The ground oats in this recipe give them a hearty flavor and a wonderful aroma as they bake. And (as always) - this is a cookie with a PAST.

You may have heard the urban legend of the “Neiman-Marcus $250 Cookie” recipe. I won’t go into it here, but here are two websites that explore that legend more thoroughly than I will. I have heard of this cookie for years, but it was BarbaraBakes that coerced me into actually trying it... For a little “history” you can learn more at the Whatcha-Eatin’ website as well... Thanks ladies!

For the recipe, related links, and detailed photos & instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Fresh Raspberries - ALL year...

We have winter for a reason... so we can look back at these late July days and savor the memory of fresh fruit. Don’t you wish you could somehow preserve those summer berries just the way you picked them? Here’s a way to have the next best thing...

My mother has the most amazing raspberry patch... it is legendary in her neighborhood (and beyond!) They grow extra large and sweet because of her tender loving care and fussing over them during every spring & fall. We can usually count on at least one “good picking” every summer. This year, before my teenage son could inhale them - I took the opportunity to hoard them away for this winter.

Mom taught me how to do this. We both have FoodSavers, and they come in handy for things like this. The nice thing about a FoodSaver is that when using it with frozen fruit, it won’t crush the fruit as it is being compressed. You can easily do it yourself, even if you don’t own a FoodSaver.

You may noticed the words “Individually Quick Frozen” - or - “IQF” used on frozen foods. In the food industry, fresh fruits and berries are flash frozen in single layers, then packaged. Fruit frozen this way is so convenient to use for adding a little at a time to anything from cobblers to muffins to salads.

I’m planning to do this with fresh peaches, blueberries, and strawberries this year. I’ve done it before, but made the mistake of placing too many in the bags. This time I won’t put more than 1-2 cups in each one so it’s easier to use in a standard recipe.

For step-by-step instructions, with photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Single-Serving SEVEN-UP Salads - preportioned for convenience...

(Try saying that name ten times really fast...) A friend I work with gave me a recipe similar to this one, and I decided to give it a try using apricot jello & different fruits. Sometimes adding a topping to a jello salad adds a special touch.

Although very simple, jello prepared in clear plastic cups look very elegant in just about any meal. Then you don’t have the problem of leftover jello that has been “tampered with” - that nobody really wants to finish up. Good idea to use when taking a meal to another family - then they have few (if any) leftovers to deal with.

This jello has a little extra flavor and “zing” from the soda added to the jello before setting. The creamy fruit-juice pudding mixed with non-dairy topping - piled on top of the marshmallow layer - could almost be classified as a dessert. We decided to hold off on the nuts - after all, there are children present!

For the recipe, photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Caramel Frosted Zuchinni Cupcakes -

Are YOUR zucchini plants beginning to overpopulate like mine are? All I have is one, and every time I walk out the back door, I walk IN with one or two of the little devils. Put them to good use in this caramel frosted cupcake. The longer they stand, the more moist they become. One taste, and you won’t care if it has that overzealous vegetable through and through... These freeze well for those of us who can't finish an entire batch single handed.

Summer brings all things squash it seems... This recipe can use any variety of tender-skinned squash. Just remember to “de-seed” whatever type you are trying to utilize. Squash has a tendency to make any baked goods more moist and tender - see they aren’t all that bad! Just try to think back to January, when you were gazing at it longingly in the produce department at $1.19 per pound.

For this summer-wise recipe & photos, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

All Purpose Beef (or Chicken ) & Black Bean Filling - works in just about ANYTHING...

This recipe is one of those rare finds that allow you to make several meals out of one convenient preparation. It doesn’t look like much, but you will love the flavor. The source I found this on mentioned that they are “definitely hooked on this stuff!” I can see why, and you will too...

I would not have tried this if the author of Stolen Moments Cooking had not written such a stellar description. And that would have been a shame! This really IS a versatile filling for just about anything. It has a warm, wonderful flavor that is mild, but with a little pizzaz also.

It also freezes (and refrigerates) conveniently, allowing you to put away single-serving sizes - or enough for the entire family. If you do freeze it, try squeezing out the extra air and freezing it FLAT to allow for quicker thawing when you need it. I wish I had thought about this when I was preparing for vacations with my (much younger) family. Placing frozen bags of food like this in a cooler serves two purposes - keeping things cold, and also allowing it to thaw slowly while keeping everything else the right temperature.

We made nachos with it tonight, but I’m planning to use it as a topping for mexican rice soon. You'll love all you can do with this filling...

For this recipe, photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

"As Much As You Want" Vegetable Soup - a guiltless indulgence...

I thought of this soup today when I brought in an armload of zucchini and beans from my garden. I used to watch my mother make this soup often when she belonged to Weight Watchers. One day, the aroma really appealed to me and I decided to try it. I really do like it, and it meets all the qualifications for a dieter (no fat, lots of fiber, etc...) Hot soup on a hot summer’s day? Why not...

This is one version of the 0 point weight watchers soup you can eat as much of as you like. It is addicting, filling, and really helps you shed some of those extra pounds from all the good summertime eating we’ve all been doing. I find when I have this for lunch, I’m not craving all those extra munchies that are so tempting.

But I do find that if I have this every single day - I can only enjoy it for about two weeks. The amounts given in this recipe seem to be hardly worth the effort. I doubled it, and have a nice container I can enjoy for a few weeks. Since there is no meat or dairy, it keeps much longer than a standard soup. I’m also going to try using my garden tomatoes in place of the tomato paste next time I make this. I should have a bunch of tomatoes by then...

For the recipe & step-by-step photos, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Fresh Blueberry Sweet Rolls - mmm...

I don’t know why I’ve never thought of combining blueberries and cinnamon... what a novel idea! The flavors compliment each other so well. These rolls are soft and pillowy, and finding the cache of cinnamon-blueberry fruitiness is such a nice surprise in each bite. I honestly can’t even imagine a normal cinnamon roll again.

This is a "night before" recipe, and it was so convenient popping them into the oven for hot rolls for breakfast, without having to shape them first. I wonder if these would be as wonderful with frozen blueberries, and I’ve decided I won’t try that until winter - when we all dream of fresh fruit. As long as you press them into the dough while still frozen, I can’t imagine it not working. It may produce a little more juice this way though - which can’t be a bad thing!?

These are best served a few hours after baking - which allows the berries to get juicy and release that beautiful blue/red juice into the rolls. When the cinnamon/blueberry juice combines with the icing, they are irresistible!

For the recipe, detailed photo instructions, and links - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house")

Best Baked Brown Rice - have a little fun with a side dish...

It used to be that brown rice was a trendy side dish, but lately it has almost dropped off the fashionable cooking planet. Quinoa and other exotic grains have taken it’s place it seems. If you haven’t been motivated to use it because of it’s lengthy cooking time and “temperamental” characteristics - give this recipe a try. It takes care of itself while you prepare the rest of your meal, and makes an excellent side to compliment almost any main dish. It’s nutty texture will keep you coming back for more.

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and adapted it. I had tried cooking brown rice before and I wasn’t impressed. It took (literally) forever to cook, and by the time it was finally finished, nobody was interested anymore.

I loved this side dish because it was so easy to throw in the oven and forget until the rest of the meal was done. Even my fussy teenager enjoyed it (he looks at everything with suspicion when it appears to have “stuff” in it...)

The chicken bouillon and onion add to the uniquely different taste of the brown rice - and the celery gives it an interesting texture.

For the recipe, photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

DOUBLE Chocolate Muffins - why not have dessert for breakfast!?

Somehow muffins are often disguised as breakfast food, when - in reality - they are unashamedly dessert! So when you get a hankering for dessert for breakfast - this is a good place to start... Chocolate is a good way to start my day occasionally, as long as I don’t make a habit of it... That’s why I freeze all but two of these, and bring them out one at a time when I feel like I deserve it. Moist, and just rich enough - with an occasional burst of real chocolate... You’ll love these.

I usually save my chocolate-for-breakfast indulgence for when I give in and buy the big, fat, Costco chocolate muffins. But buying an entire dozen at a time seems like overkill - while getting a combo pack gives you just three or four (not nearly enough!) This may be the solution to the problem. They can be baked as standard-size (which is the safe way to do it) or as jumbo muffins (a much more dangerous option). They freeze well, which helps me resist the urge to finish the entire batch. I've included the source in the link below for the recipe I adapted...

For this recipe, step-by-step photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)