Fresh and Fruity Giveaway & Recipes
Published August 25, 2011I adore late summer when fruits and vegetables abound. I often find myself headed to a farmer’s market or Michigan roadside fruit stand to pick up something bright and juicy.
It feels like squeezing the last bit out of summer.
Last Saturday, our 13 year-old and I hit our local outdoor market. there were fuzzy peaches, crisp apples, buttery sweet corn, smooth tomatoes, sparkling jams, hearty breads and gorgeous flowers.
It was like a picnic for the eye.
Here are some pics I snapped on my cell phone along with a favorite fresh salsa recipe. Yummy and healthy. And, for a treat, a peach crisp recipe that is sure to be a hit.
Oh, and a fun, fruity giveaway for one of you who leaves a comment so be sure to read to the end. Winner announced Monday.
Happy weekend!
Sliced peaches, ready for a crumb topping & some tomatoes for salsa.
And the finished crisp, hot out of the oven.
Sunflowers, only 50 cents a piece! The apples aren't from the market. They are fake. So very real looking though, with fake water droplets on them. In fact, one still has teeth marks in it from my son when he was four!
Spencer’s Salsa
Each year our youngest plants a “salsa garden” in large terra cotta pots on our deck. It includes Roma tomatoes, jalapenos and cilantro. Here is his famous salsa recipe.
4 cups finely chopped Roma tomatoes (Use this kind because they are meaty and not too juicy. Otherwise the salsa is runny)
1 cup finely chopped purple onion
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely minced (do not touch your eyes while working with this!)
1 garlic clove, minced ( or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic from a jar. Don’t use powdered or dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple cider)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh, snipped cilantro
Toss and serve! We like it best with hearty, multi-grain chips.
Peach Crisp
Made this the other day. It was gone in a heartbeat. I had to force myself just to have some fresh sliced peaches and Greek yogurt instead. But no worries, the boys and their friends polished this off!
Topping:
Mix the following with a pastry blender until crumbly. Do not over-mix.
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 sticks cold, salted butter, cut into small pieces (14 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon salt
In a 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray place:
Enough peeled, sliced peaches to fill the pan 3/4 way to the top (How many will depend on size. Be sure they are just ripe. Not over-ripe or hard. They should have a slight give when pushed in with your thumb)
Then, sprinkle with a mixture of:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Then, lightly sprinkle on topping mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or just until bubbly and topping is golden.
Now for the giveaway! It includes:
~ Some Summer Vanilla Berry lotion from Bath & Body Works
~ A box of STASH herb teas including fruity flavors like wild raspberry, mango passionfruit, blueberry & cinnamon apple chamomile
~ A bag of Ghiradelli Dark chocolate & raspberry squares
To be entered, leave us a comment with your favorite summer fruit or veggie and how you like to eat it. Fresh? In a crisp? A cake or muffin? Scooped in a favorite dip?
If you have time and want to leave a recipe too, that would be fabulous. In fact, I’ll do a second giveaway. One gal who also leaves a recipe will be chosen to receive a signed copy of my book A Life That Says Welcome. It is full of company’s comin’ simple recipes along with cleaning short-cuts, decorating on a shoestring tricks and plenty of ideas for having others over, even with kids in the mix.
95 Responses to Fresh and Fruity Giveaway & Recipes
Leave a Reply
Subscribe
My Family
All these yummy pictures/recipes are making a pregnant girl’s mouth very watery!
My favorite Summer fruit is mango. Mangoes are one of the main fruits grown in Pakistan and I have never had a mango anywhere else in the world quite like the ones in Pakistan.
I can eat mangoes pretty much any way; on their own, in a milkshake, homemade mango ice cream, mango custard, mango salsa, mango marinade for chicken etc. You name it and I’ll have it mango-style!
I have a recipe for a mango dessert but I’ll have to double check with my Mom about a couple of the ingredients. I’m terrible with writing recipes too lol but I’ll come back and post sometime today.
Love ya!
I love all those fruits and vegetables in those pictures. I have so many favorites in fruits like watermelon and Michigan peaches and Michigan cherries and blueberries but the one thing i really look forward to are the MacIntosh apples. Oh i could eat one right after the other. When i used to go home (to Michigan) my mom would always have a bushel of macintosh apples out in the back room for me. Oh how i miss going huckleberry picking. How we used to get the leaves out of the huckleberries by putting a pan on the ground and hold the other pan sideways to let the berries fall into the other pan and let the leaves fly away in the wind. It makes me so hungry for all those wonderful things. It really brings back a nice warm fuzzy feeling.
I have a recipe for peach muffins that were a hit at the place where i bake. I absolutely love the Michigan fruit. Nothing compares. Enjoy the peach muffins. It is something a little different than the normal muffin. (I usually don’t give this out to too many people, so guess you are lucky.)
Peach Praline Muffins
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches, thawed and drained
½ cup chopped pecans
Topping:
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp cold butter or margarine
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in peaches and pecans. Fill greased or paper –lined muffin cups two –thirds full.
Combine topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.
Ha so funny seeing those chocolates I remember last night in my sleep ( of course last night was not a restful night) I remember saying in a whisper. (chocolate) Forgot to ask my husband if he heard that at all. lol
I may try these for a new neighbor.
I like to cut up walla walla sweet onions, fresh zucchini, and fresh tomatoes, saute in butter and then add fresh parmesan cheese! Yummy! I also love zucchini bread, which I convert to wheat free and tastes the same as regular!
Salsa would have to be one of my favorites. My older 2 kids and I made and canned 8 quarts of salsa just last night. This is a family favorite, so this is the third time I have made and canned it this season. We are blessed to have such a wonderful garden this year.
My favorite summer fruit is blueberries! My fav. way to eat this frozen.
Here’s a light recipe I love to have with just about anything, even a side dish for burgers on the grill.
Sweet Cucumber Salad (from June/July 2010 taste of home simple & delicious)
3 cups thinly sliced quartered cucumber
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBS water
2 TBS white wine vinegar (I used red – that’s all I had!)
2 TBS lime juice
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
In a salad bowl, combine cucumber and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over sald and toss to eat. Serve with a slotted spoon. 3/4 cup equals 64 calroies, trace fat, 1 g fiber and 1 g protein
Sounds refreshing!
I am going simple. My favorite summer fruit is cantelope or musk melon as my Dad called it. Sliced up and served with a dash of salt. Yum.
My favorite fruit would have to be raspberries. Love to put them in everything and even freeze some to use as ice in a cold coca cola.
Oooooo that looks simply divine! Thanks for sharing your recipe! By the way, your home looks so warm and inviting too!
I love almost any fresh fruit but guess my favorite is strawberries.
Love corn on the cob in the summer.
I love corn on the cob! Found this recipe sevearl years ago in an Emeril Lagasse cookbook and adapted it to my family’s liking.
Tinfoil Corn Rules!
4 ears corn
2 T. cold unsalted butter
*Emeril recommends 1/2 t. of Baby Bam to be sprinkled on prior to baking, but we think it’s too spicy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 4 (12 x 18-inch) pieces of aluminum foil. Remove the husks and silk from each ear of corn. Rinse corn and pat dry. Cut the butter into 4 equal pieces and place one a third of the way up from the bottom on each piece of foil. Set one ear of corn on top of each butter pat. Roll up the foil over the corn, starting at the bottom. Keep rolling until only 4 inches of foil are left at the top, then fold the left and right sides in toward the center. Finish rolling the foil over the corn. Place corn on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before taking the corn out of the hot foil.
Love this idea!
I love fresh fruit and vegtables. I am always excited when corn becomes available, along with tomatoes. I cook my corn in its husk in the oven on 350 for 30 minutes, it is so much easier to husk then. My mother told me about doing it that way and so far it has been a success!! I love fried green tomatoes and tomato sandwiches. Those are my 2 favorite summer vegtables. For fruits, I would have to say peaches. I just finished eating a peach that I bought down in the Amish (Walnut Creek, OH to be exact). They are so juicy and a lot of flavor!!! I enjoy eating them like that but your recipe for the crisp looks wonderful, along with your pictures!
My favorite are all the berries and making jam out of them to enjoy the rest of the year, plus you can make it with less/no sugar so it’s a lot healthier
My favorite recipe right now is zucchini bread, this one always comes out moist!
3 C sifted flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp gr cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp gr cloves
3 eggs
1 C veg oil (I use applesauce instead)
2 C grated zucchini
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)
3 tsp vanilla extract
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves together in a large mixing bowl, stir until mixed. Add eggs, oil (applesauce), zucchini, vanilla and nuts if desired. Stir until fully mixed. Pour into 2 well greased (coconut oil works great!) 9x5x3″ loaf pans. Place a pan of hot water on the rack below the loaves. Bake at 350° for one hour. Remove from oven and place loaves in pans on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves onto rack and finish cooling. Enjoy!
Wow, you are making a case for everyone visiting Michigan for all of our great fruits and vegetables. I grew up on a farm in smalltown Michigan. On a hot summer day we would run to the garden pick a tomatoe or cucumber, hose it off and take a bite. The flavor and goodness stays in my mind everytime summer rolls around and I see all of the vegetables.
Thank you for the great recipes.
I love fresh strawberries on anything!
I love strawberries that are soaked in a little sugar water.
My favorite is also peaches! I ususally make a peach cobbler…so easy with self rising flour, sugar, almond extact milk and butter! YUM!
Yum! Can’t wait to try your salsa recipe! I love yellow squash & zucchini w/ salt, pepper & chopped onions heated in a skillet or grilled. Blessings to you today.
Cindy
My favorite summer fruit is blueberries……eat them so many ways, after they are washed, I package them and freeze the ones we won’t use within a couple days. We put them on cereal, mix in pancakes, muffins and serve over ice cream.
My favorite vegetable is corn on the cob. I prepare them in the microwave, which keeps the kitchen cooler, I also wrap each ear with some ice and butter in foil for my husband to put on the grill.
Thank you for your post and the contest. It would be a sweet surprise to win.
My favorite summer fruits…ANYTHING! I’m on a smoothie kick so have been freezing extras to use in the winter when good fresh fruit is hard to find in the midwest.
My favorite summer vegetable (technically a fruit) is tomatoes. Here are two of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
Caprese Tomatoes
Cut up tomato or mix of heirloom (or regular) vareties (bite size pieces)
Sprinkle of salt
Torn basil leaves
Small pieces of fresh mozzerella cheese
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
The proportion of all ingredients depends on your taste. I usually cut up at least 2 medium-size tomotoes and use about half as much cheese as tomatoes. I love basil so use 8-10 leaves. Be sure not to skimp on the salt as it adds a lot to the dish. Use 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and just a small drip of balsamic vinegar. I mix up the salad an hour or so before I want to eat it, and leave it at room temp so all the flavors develop.
————
Tomatoes and Onions
Cut several tomatoes into bite size pieces, and drain the extra juice and seeds. Place in a bowl and combine with red onion (or white or yellow, but red is best!) that’s cut into about 1/4″ size dice. Cover with italian salad dressing (any variety, including light). Cover and refrigerate for several hours so flavors can develop. Yummy with any meal, especially hamburgers.
ENJOY!
I love strawberries and other summer berries. I eat strawberries on cereal, in shortcakes and muffins, over ice cream or just by themselves. Yum.
My favorite summer fruit is cherries. I love to eat them just freshly picked from the tree…or in a homemade pie. My favorite summer vegetable is tomatoes. Again, freshly picked…yum!
I love all fruits so my fav. Way to eat Them is just slice all the ones I have mix them in a bowl and eat. I love fresh fruit.
I Love Corn and could eat it morning, noon or night. Here is my favorite recipe and my kids love it too!
Creamed Corn
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 small or 1 large shallot, chopped
1 lb bag frozen corn, thawed (I like to use the white and yellow mix) or use 3 cups fresh corn if in season
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne
1/3 cup water
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
Crisp the bacon in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Remove to paper towel lined plate and set aside.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon grease from the skillet. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently for one minute or until shallot just begins to brown. Reduce heat and add corn, pepper, cayenne and water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for four minutes (if using thawed corn) or 6-8 minutes (if using fresh corn) or until corn is heated through and tender.
Add the cream cheese in small pieces and stir to melt.
To serve, transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with crispy bacon pieces and chives.
YUMMY!!!!
Oh my word! My boys LOVE corn & bacon together in my corn chowder. Gonna try this someday.
I love summer fruits and I like to cut them up and freeze them for yummy winter time treats that make it feel like summertime! Jonathan apples are great sliced and frozen when you pull them out in January and make a quick apple pie!
A quick recipe for summer pears is wonderful too and so easy I want to share it with you:
slice pears to fill a microwave dish (I use my tupperware stack cooker) and pour over them fresh cranberry cocktail juice, sprinkle with cinnamon and cook on high in the microwave for about 8-9 minutes uncovered. They come out sizzling and taste like baked apples, in a fraction of the time! Ahh a wonderful treat and a side benefit: they make the house smell great too!
I love cucumbers, sliced with salt!
I just ate my lunch and had my favorite fruit; peaches. I added my sliced peaches to no fat plain yogurt and sliced almonds along with a handful of granola. It was delicious. I enjoy peaches in many ways; fresh and whole, sliced with yogurt or cottage cheese, added to low fat frozen yogurt, as a pie or a crisp…can I go on? My favorite pie is peach pie. I do try to keep the calories down now that I am getting older. Those calories don’t burn off like they used to. :0)
Fresh nectarines are my favorite seasonal fruit. Kohlrabi is my favorite summer vegetable right out of the garden. A dash of salt and yummy!
What is Kohlrabi? I’m in California, do they grow that out here?
Kohlrabi can be purple or whitish green vegetable. I’ve been told that it tastes a bit like a turnip. ? The part eaten is above the ground – leaves have long stems coming off of the vegetable (similar to the way radish ). We plant it early spring. I live in Kansas. When we eat it, we peel and slice -enjoy (it will be really crisp if ice cubes are put in container also). It can be cooked though I’ve never tried that. I have never seen it in a store. Maybe a farmer’s market might.
we have it here at the Kroger store
Wow! Yummy! I would have to say strawberries and tomatoes fresh from the garden are my absolute favorites! So juicy and tasty
Here are a couple recipes that I love…
Strawberry Pretzel Squares
Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 4 hr 55 min
Makes: 20 servings, 1 square each
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
12 oz. (1-1/2 [ 8-oz.] pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1-1/2 cups cold water
1 qt. (4 cups) strawberries, sliced
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix pretzels, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter.
Press firmly onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.
BEAT cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and milk until well blended.
Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.
MEANWHILE, stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl at least 2 min.
until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Stir in strawberries. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Cut into 20 squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.
Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa
Ingredients
• 1 mango – peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
My favorite summer fruit is strawberries. I just like eating them plain. Yummm. Thank you for the giveaway.
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
One of my many favorites in the summer is Cucumber.
Here’s a quick little recipe everyone will love.
Cut up one large cucumber or as many small as you like.
Poor a bottle of Ranch dressing over them.
Then fill the Ranch bottle with milk…shake good, pour over cucumbers…
Refrig. let chill or serve just as they are…yummie…fast and easy.
oooopppsss forgot to put stir well….
My favorite part of summer is being able to tend to my own garden. I have always enjoyed yard work and gardening. This is the first summer to have a garden of my very own at my very own house. I thank God every day I get to go out and water. I would appreciate some rain though.
I prefer vegetables to fruits but I very rarely turn away from either.
Thanks
Tomatoes! I just like the slice with salt, or in a sandwhich with nothing else but the bread (toasted) and a little Miracle Whip:)
I can make this recipe and eat all week long or invite friends over and eat for one evening. I use the zucchini and yellow squash from my garden. You can use eggplant or add any other veggie you prefer.
Ratatouille Pasta
Ingredients
4 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup sliced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Dash pepper
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the zucchini and onion in oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, garlic powder, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Drain pasta; place on an ovenproof platter. Top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat until cheese is melted.
My favorite during the summer are raspberries. I like to put them on ricotta cheese. Then, I sprinkle them with cocoa and drizzle them lightly with honey. Voila! Bon Appetit!
This sounds very yummy! Thank you for sharing.
Like most, it’s really hard to pick just one favorite. sigh. I’ll have to go w/ … blueberries and I prefer them best, eaten by the handful, fresh picked off of one of our many bushes! Blueberry pie, or crisp comes in a close 2nd and none of that lasts long at my house either! Thanks for sharing.
Peaches and tomatoes – fresh!!! YUM!
i love summer fruit…strawberries/peaches/watermelon/honeydew/grapes
Watermelon!! Get a sweet seedless watermelon, but up some peices in a bowl and add about a 1/4 cup of feta cheese! (Ewwww, I know, but…) It is such a nice mixture of sweet and salty! I also love plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, topped with honey!
Peaches on Vanilla Blue Bell Icecream
Peach Slab Pie
INGREDIENTS:
1box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
3/4cup packed brown sugar
1/4cup cornstarch
2tablespoons lemon juice
1/4teaspoon salt
9cups sliced fresh or frozen (thawed, drained) peaches
1roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookiesShow Directions
Hide Directions
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches. Unroll and stack crusts one on top of the other on lightly floured surface. Roll to 17×12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold extra pastry under, even with edges of pan. Crimp edges.
Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt. Stir in peaches to coat. Spoon peach mixture into crust-lined pan.
Break cookie dough into coarse crumbs; spoon crumbs evenly over filling.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool on rack 45 minutes.
Love your recipes!
My favorite Summer produce is the first cucumber, I love it sliced with sour cream, vinegar, salt and dill as a salad with fresh cooked potatoes and cream gravy.
Of course corn on the cob – grilled : )
I love peaches- peaches in a cobbler, pie, or just right in my mouth- dripping with sweetness!
VIA EMAIL: My favorite veggie that I grow in my garden is lettuce. I know that sounds kind of boring, but for me it’s exciting, because lettuce is the basic building block of salad, and so when it is readily available I will be much more likely to make a salad!! I also love the tomatoes, radishes, green onions, carrots, and all the other veggies I put in the salad!
Oh, and I just printed out the recipe for salsa ~ my husband has been wanting some, so I’m going to make him some using that recipe!
Thanks for all your encouraging words!
Becky Foutz
VIA EMAIL:
I love Michigan dark sweet cherries. I just can’t stop eating them. There is no recipe because I love
them fresh. The grands and I sometimes have a pit spitting contest. This sounds gross but it is
so much fun. During this time of year, I eat them daily.
F Johnson
Look forward to trying the peach crisp.
Homegrown tomatoes — my favorite
I usually make salsa enough to share with our children.
Like to have some of that nearly fresh tomato later?
Wash, trim, slice thinly. Put on a cookie sheet to freeze. When frozen, remove and put in a ziplock bag. When making pizza, casserole, etc. pull out and lay on top just before putting in the oven.
This also works with bell peppers. when sliced thinly they work great on top of pizza etc.
Look forward to trying the peach crisp.
Homegrown tomatoes — my favorite
I usually make salsa enough to share with others.
Like to have some of that nearly fresh tomato later?
Wash, trim, slice thinly. Put on a cookie sheet to freeze. When frozen, remove and put in a ziplock bag. When making pizza, casserole, etc. pull out and lay on top just before putting in the oven.
This also works with bell peppers. when sliced thinly they work great on top of pizza etc.
I’m having a fresh cucumber & tomato salad for lunch right now. It’s one of my favorites this time of year. It varies and sometimes includes peppers and different dressings, but today it has some crumbled leftover bacon and a little Ranch. Simple & yummy.
One of my families favorite summer fruits are blueberries. Every year we head to a local picking patch and pick pounds of blueberries to freeze for winter. A recipe we like to use is Blueberry Cream Cheese Dessert. Here is the recipe:
Crust: 1C chopped pecans, 1/2C butter-melted, 1C flour.
Filling: 8oz. cream cheese-softened, 1C powdered sugar, 8oz. cool whip
Topping: 4C blueberries-fresh or frozen, 1C sugar-divided, 3Tbsp. cornstarch, 1/4C water
Combine crust ingredients, spread in 9×13 and cook 15 min. @ 350. Cool.
Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.
Combine 1/2C sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add water and 2C blueberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and translucent. Crush some blueberries as they cook. Remove from heat, add remaining blueberries and sugar. Cool. Spread over Cream cheese filling and chill.
Delicious!
Enjoy, Stephanie
This looks fabulous!!!!
It’s very hard for me to pick a favorite summer fruit. If I had to pick one, I’m thinking it might be blueberries because I love eating them fresh and using them in muffins, crisps, smoothies, ice-cream, etc.
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangos & watermelon!! Fresh, frozen, pureed, with sugar, without sugar it just doesn’t matter! These fruits are FANTANSTIC! (and ones my kids will eat!)
Corn on the cob, eggplant – grilled, fried, baked, tomatoes – sliced, diced, or cubed! squash, black-eyed peas (with cornbread of course)…We love most all veggies!
And we love the peach crisp recipe!
I love fresh peaches from my local orchard, Callaham’s, topped with real whipped cream. Nothing better!
I love fresh sliced watermelon! Nothing more says summer to me!
My fave summer veggie is Zucchini! I make muffins, breads, casseroles, and shred and freeze it to make yummy goodies all year long!
I don’t have just one favorite summer fruit and vegetable…I love them all. My favorite thing to do is take a salt shaker to the garden and eat the tomatoes right off the vine and munch the green beans while picking them. We usually have a garden night for dinner when most vegetables are ready…..corn on the cob, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, beans. Love those summer garden night dinners!
We are currently picking blackberries so I will share with you a blackberry cobbler recipe:
1/2 C. Butter
4 C. Fresh Blackberries
1/3 C. Sugar
1/2 t. Cinnamon
2 C. Self Rising Flour
2 C. Sugar
2 C. Milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once temperature is reached melt the butter in a 9 x 13 pan.
2. In a medium bowl mix the berries, sugar, and cinnamon. Let set while preparing batter.
3. In another medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, and milk together.
4. Stir berries and pour over butter in baking pan.
5. Pour batter over berries. (I don’t use all the batter with 4C. of berries. I think it is too much batter and not enough berries)
6. Bake for one hour or until golden.
ENJOY!
Like the other ladies it’s hard to pick, blueberries, watermelon, fresh corn. But I would have to say my favorite it tomatoes. We grow some every year even when we can’t have a full garden. So many different ways to eat them and I always make Salsa. We grow enough peppers and tomatoes, so all I have to get from Farmer’s Market is onions and cilantro. I try different recipes every summer and always say “oh this one is best”. Can’t wait to try your son’s recipe.
C. Anderson
I love zucchini. My favorite is zucchini pie, but its also good with hummus and all sorts of breads, muffins and deserts!
My family LOVES fresh corn cut off the cobb. We call it “fried corn”. This time of year the corn from up north(I’m from HOT Texas) is so sweet. I just cut it off the cob add some butter. (If you’re from the south, alot of butter),add some milk, salt, pepper. Cook in a large skillet about 30 or 40 minutes on med to med low until done. YUM!YUM!
We do love all the fresh fruit and vegetables this time of year, the fresh black eyed peas, tomatos, watermelon. Always glad when the heat of summer is over but miss all the fresh stuff rest of the year.
Thank you for always giving me an insite into you, and for your strong faith you share with all of us.
Lauren Harris
I’d have to say that my fave summer fruit is strawberries. Using frozen ones in yogurt all winter, the real thing is sooo welcome. We even had strawberries growing at our old house. I love them right from the container, but I really love them with natural peanut butter drizzled on them. It’s a carb-free way to get the best parts of a PB&J sandwich!
I love eating fresh watermelon.
I love to take fresh squash and zucchini, along with some sweet vidalia onions, slice them about 1/4″ thick, layer on a sprayed cookie sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, add a little sea salt and fresh ground garlic pepper….roast in the oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees.
New potatoes work well fixed the same way, though you may have to roast a bit longer
Just visited a local farm for the first time last Saturday. We bought a half peck of peaches and a quart of blueberries. We ate blueberry pancakes for dinner the first night. Then I made a blueberry cobbler. After we finished that…peach cobbler! I have a post about the farm ready to go on Friday and hope you’ll stop by. (And I never eat cobbler without vanilla ice cream on top!)
My favorite summer fruit is blueberries! I like them fresh, in muffins, in cobbler, with yogurt, pretty much any way.
My favorite is a garden fresh tomato. Wash it off, a little salt and it doesn’t get any better than that. But, I bought some fresh peaches that never seemed to ripen and I didn’t want them to go to waste even tho they weren’t very good for just eating, so I took a vanilla cake mix and made it as the box stated. Before I put it in the cake pan, I chopped all the peaches and put them in the bottom of the pan. I sprinkled about 3/4 cup brown sugar, dotted 1/2 stick butter and some pecans.
Poured the cake mix over it and baked. It did take a little longer to cook so I just watched it carefully. When it was cooled, topped it with cool whip. My hubby ate 2 pieces that evening. It was gone in two days. I guess he liked it.
Fresh salsa is my summer favorite. I make a fruity version by starting with a chopped salad my grocery store serves in the deli. It features black beans, chopped tomatoes, green pepper, corn red onion, cilantro and an Italian dressing. I add chopped peaches, strawberries, and blue berries for a sweet/sour salsa that is wonderful with flour tortilla chips. Nothing like summer fresh produce! I agree farmers markets are a feast for the eye. God made a beautiful creation!
We grew brussels sprouts this year for the first time. We (even the four year-old) love them with brown butter.
I love the fresh fruit and veggies this time of year! I like picking them and freezing some and making jellies with others to enjoy throughtout the year. One of my favorite dips is Cucumber Dip and it’s perfect for summer..
1 medium cucumber, peeled and grated, excess moisture squeezed out
1-8oz cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, grated – to taste
green food coloring, just a few drops to make light green
dash hot sauce – to taste
I use a hand mixer to mix all ingredients together until blended. Chill for about an hour and serve with Frito’s scoops. If you like cucumbers, betcha can’t just take a taste!
VIA EMAIL: Gaspacho
Equal portions of cut up fresh tomatoes and fresh cucumbers ( seeds removed )
1/2 to 3/4 of a medium, sweet onion finely chopped ( Vadalia onion, if you can get one), depending on how many tomatoes and cucumbers you use.
1 medium green or yellow pepper finely chopped
2 large cans of tomato juice
about 10 shakes of Worchestershire sauce
a couple Tlbs of oilve oil
the juice of a lemon:)
Chill for several hours or overnight
I serve it with a couple croutons on top
and S&P/extra lemon juice/ oilve oil and/ or Worchestrshire sauce to taste
It just tastes so fresh: like a summer garden in a bowl.
Marcie Miller
Choices…so hard to decide on one favorite….My family loves all the fresh fruits and veggies this time of year. Being from Georgia, peaches are a favorite for sure. So we make fresh peach ice cream, peach muffins and peach pancakes. Blueberries are a close second. I make this Blueberry Crumb CAkeand it is gone in a matter of 2 days tops. Here is the recipe for that yummy treat! Hope you have a blessed day…I know I do whenever I read something you have posted.
Blueberry Crumb Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Topping: 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
Coat a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in shortening. Combine milk and eggs; beat until mixed. Add to dry ingredients. Mix lightly. Fold in blueberries. Spread in pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. NEXT DAY, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. To prepare topping, combine the sugar, flour and butter in a small bowl. Mix until crumbly. Spread over batter. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean and topping is lightly browned.
Blessings for your family to enjoy!
My favorite fruit is watermelon, and i like to slice it and eat it to the rime. Usually, we eat watermelon outside. My favorite freshly pink veggie is cumubers and tomatoes. My family begs me to make a quick cucumber sald.
Cucumber Salad
5 cucumbers peeled and sliced thin
1 whole tomatoe, peeled and diced
1 small onion (vidalla) diced
1/2 cup of creamy itialian dressing
1 1/2 cups of white vingear (or red)
salt and pepper to taste
Put all the ingredeiates in a bowl and cover let sit for at least an hour before you serve. Best if chilled over night
My fave for summer is tomatoes, but I’m giving you a recipe for Pumpkin Dip ’cause I’m ready for Fall.
4 oz soft cream cheese
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Mix the first 5 ingredients. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Keeps in fridge covered tightly for a week. Great with gingersnaps or
Cinnamon Chips
cut flour tortillas in pieces and spread out on a rimmed cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Spray the tops lightly and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Watch closely so they don’t burn. Enjoy!
Peaches, peaches, peaches….I miss our peach tree, it is so hard to get a good peach in the store. I just had a catered party for my 50th and the caterer grilled peaches and put a balsamic reduction on it and gorgonzola cheese…absolutely delish. I have been craving that for weeks. I also love grilled veggies. I marinate portebella mushroom, zuchini, red pepper, sweet onions, yellow squash in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic. Grill and eat plain or put on ciabatta with some aioli ( lemon, mayo and garlic) Absolutely delish!!!! Oh dear, now I am hungry, better go eat a healthy breakfast.
Oh my goodness, I love the season of fresh veggies & fruit! And I will eat them just about any way possible. Last night we had cucumber salad and fresh green beans with new potatoes. I hope to enjoy a watermelon this weekend and Ayla above has me hankering for some mangos. Yum, yum, yum! Below is my version of fresh salsa or pico de gallo:
Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Onion, chopped, whatever kind I have
Green or red pepper, chopped
Jalapeno or black hungarian pepper, finely chopped
Cilantro, lemon or lime juice if I have it, black pepper and maybe a little garlic powder
The portions are flexible. I chop the tomatoes first and add whatever looks like the right amount of other veggies. I do not add salt, because we get enough salt in the chips we use.
Would love to read your book. I always hope when we have people over that our home says welcome and they can feel God’s presence (more important than no cobwebs). Have a great weekend!
I am now officially very hungry. Sweet corn from stalk to boiling water to plate. That’s my favorite summer veggie. The time it’s on goes by so quickly, I never can get enough. And I love to take a road trip to SE Michigan for fresh peaches this time of year. mmmmm.
We planted grape tomatoes this year and oh. my. goodness! What joy! They are like popping little jewels of sweetness in my mouth. Definitely a new garden favorite.
Wow there are some great sounding recipes on here!
My favorite garden-fresh veggies are tomatoes and cucumbers. Here is a salad that uses both!
Tomato Cucumber Salad
1 large cucumber, cubed
1-2 medium tomatoes, cubed
purple onion, chopped(I always just add to desired taste)
fresh basil, chopped(again, add to desired taste)
garlic salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and shake. Refrigerate for an hour so the flavors can mix.
I love a fresh home grown tomato, thickly sliced on wheat bread spread with some mayo! simple but delightful : )
I love just about anything grilled. We made up this recipe this spring to make use of all the peppers that were ready at the time. We call it ‘Shish-ke-sketti.’
1 each red pepper, green pepper, onion
3 cups broccoli spears
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken
1 box whole wheat spaghetti
Italian salad dressing
olive oil (a few splashes)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
First, chop the peppers and onions into 1″ sized pieces. Put into a one-gallon Ziploc bag. Cut up chicken into small bite-sized pieces and throw it into the bag, too.
** Some people say that you shouldn’t marinate veggies and meat together. You SHOULD be very careful that all components get cooked through if you choose to do this. The large veggies and small meat pieces will cook through at the same time. If you don’t want to worry about cross-contamination or the size of your chopped goods, just marinate separately!
Add the salad dressing and squish the bag to coat the entire contents. Refrigerate for at least three hours, flipping over halfway through.
When you’re ready to prep your meal, preheat the grill and prep your grill pan. (I give mine an oily massage so nothing sticks.) Dump your meat and veggies onto the hot pan and close the lid. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, boil the water and prepare the spaghetti as directed. Five minutes from being finished, add the washed broccoli to the pot. Then drain completely and return to pot. Add just a bit of olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
When meat and veggies are finished on the grill, serve them over the spaghetti and steamed broccoli. Yum!
I really like most fruits as well but probably my favorite is cherries. We just eat them off the stem and since everyone in my family oves them there are never enough!
I am learning to like tomotoes and have planted some in my garden. My favorite way to eat them is grilled or sauted. My daughter and I made egg wraps for supper the other night and some sauted mushrooms and tomotoes were a super addition!
Rebecca Ann
Love Farmer’s Makers – especially those you just pull off the side of the road. Thank you for sharing your pics, those peaches look wonderful & living in the peach for several years & now just sacross the state line has given me steal appreciation for a ripe juicy peach. Thank you for sharing your struggle win weight. This is the 1st time I have visited your site and will definitely be back!! I will definitely try the peaches with greek yogurt & may try the cobbler for folks at work. Just to read that you couldn’t just way a spoonful, but found a healthier option is more inspiring & than anything else right now. I am slowly coming to the realization that weight will & food will always be my neimisis and I have to find healthy alternatives. Looking forward to pursuing your site & reading more!! Thank you!!!
Cucumbers straight out of the garden. Peeled and eaten whole while still warm from the sun. Mmmmm!
It’s so hard to pick a favorite fruit for me because I love them all. If I had to say just one then it would have to be peaches. I love peach cobbler but my favorite thing to make with them is a peach milkshake. Yummy!!! I also love, love, love, homemade peach ice cream. My dad makes it and it is divine.
Being a Jersey Girl, I have to say my favorite summer veg is tomotoes! Of course my favorite way to eat them is probably the most unhealthy. A good ole, tomato sandwhich. Toasted bread, mayo and sliced tomatoes with salt n pepper. Yum! A nice runner up is the tomato mozzerella salad. (also a healthier option)
Your pictures scream “EAT ME” which is exactly what I want to do. My favorite summer veggie/fruit is FRESH TOMATOES! Quick receipe:
Wash one red, ripe tomato, set aside to dry. Spread mayo on two slices of wheatberry bread.Thinly slice tomato on one slice of bread, salt and pepper to taste, place other slice of bread, mayo side down on top of the slice with tomato and enjoy as the juice runs down your arm and off your elbow. May add bacon and lettuce if desired.
Love~Love~Love~Fresh blueberries baked in pancakes on a Saturday morning for my kids! It is so simple to throw them in the batter and the kids think it’s so amazing!
The best summer fruits are peaches, but not just any peaches, Palisade Colorado peaches! My husband and I just spent two weeks traveling out west (he works for the National Park Service and did 10 days of training at the Grand Canyon). We chose to drive so we could spend more time with “just eachother”. While he was training during the day, God and I spent alot of time together as well. I’m currently working on starting a ministry for young-single mothers as I was once one myself. The Lord has been working on me for a long time concerning this matter, but I too am addicted to “busyness” which has gotten in the way of me giving His desires for me my full attention. So please pray for me and more importantly the Lord’s Will for me, and if you are ever in Palisade… get some peaches and make a Fresh Peach Pie!!!
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups water
• 1 (3 ounce) package peach flavored gelatin mix
• 4 cups fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced
• 2 (9 inch) pie shells, baked
Directions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the peach gelatin mix. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches with the gelatin mixture. Gently stir until peach slices are coated with gelatin. Pour into baked pie shells. Refrigerate until set.