Chilled Cucumber Soup

That is a big zucchini fritter

We got a ton of cucumbers from the garden.

What to do, what to do.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

• 2 1/2 lbs cucumbers seeded and chopped roughly
• 1 1/2 cups non fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/3-1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• small bunch fresh dill
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 salted anchovies rinsed and separated into fillets
• 1 cup red onion roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• Salt/pepper

Place cucumber, jalapeno, garlic, onion, anchovy, fresh spices and oil in a blender and combine until smooth. Add yogurt, and 1/3 cup buttermilk and blend again until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and let stand in refrigerator for at least 6 hours but up to 24. Re-blend and add more buttermilk to reach desired consistency. Serve cold garnished with zucchini fritters, chopped tomatoes or what ever else may come to mind.

Fresh Blueberry Cheesecake

The sauce also helps hide any cracks that may occur if you can’t help opening the oven to gaze at it while setting up

The blueberry bushes are really at peak production and there are too many berries to eat slowly.

This is my type of problem.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp melted butter

Filling

• 28 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Make sauce first. Mix berries, sugar and lemon juice together in a sauce pan and let stand 15 minutes. Bring to boil and then simmer on medium until berries begin to break. Mix cornstarch and water together and add to berries. Mix and continue to simmer and crush berries until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and stir every so often to keep from forming a skin on surface. Meanwhile mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into the bottom of a greased spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Meanwhile beat cheese and sugar until smooth in a mixer. Add flour, yogurt and vanilla and beat until smooth again. Add one egg at a time and beat in completely over medium low speed. Pour cheese mixture into spring form pan. Spoon 2 tbsp blueberry sauce on top of cheese and swirl in with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees until set and risen, about 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake inside for another hour without opening the door. Remove from oven and let stand for 1 hour more until cooled completely. Spread remaining sauce over top evenly and place in refrigerator overnight before serving. Can be stored frozen for a month.

Blueberry Rolls

So warm and sticky

These are a great way to use some fresh blueberries.

Blueberry Rolls

Filling

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Dough

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 egg

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 tbsp milk

Mix brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries and let macerate for 30 minutes. Mash berries and add cornstarch and mix well. In a large bowl mix flour sugar and yeast. Add salt and mix again. Heat milk, butter and water until butter melts, add to flour and mix into a rough dough. Add egg and mix well, then add enough flour to form a smooth dough while kneading for 8 minutes. Let rest 20 minutes then roll out into a rectangle about 12″x16″. Spread crushed berry mix over dough leaving 1″ of dough at long edge clean. Spread remaining fresh berries over filling and roll into a tight log. Cut into 10-12 equal sized wheels and place on a greased baking tray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Bake in an oven at 375 degrees until browned and done, about 25 minutes. Mix glaze ingredients together and drizzle over hot buns. Serve.

Grilled Artichokes

eat more vegetables

So this guy named Arty walks up to the Whole Foods checkout line and before anyone can stop him chokes 3 people so he can pick up a dropped $5 bill. The next day the local paper’s headline was Arty Chokes 3 for Five Dollars at Whole Foods.

This is my second favorite way to serve artichokes. In the summer sometimes you don’t want to turn on the oven.

Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Mint Oil

• 2-4 artichokes, stems cut to 1″, shaved, topped and leaf tips snipped
• 1-2 lemons
• 4-5 tbsp mint leaves chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt/pepper

Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl with spices and add enough oil to make a thin sauce. Slice artichokes in half along stem and use a fork to remove chioke and pointy interior reddish leaves. Place in a pot of salted water with lemon peels and bring to a boil. Cook until just tender, about 15 minutes and pour into ice water. Shake dry and dredge in marinade. Prepare grill, shake marinade from artichokes and grill until done. At the last flip turn them heart up and equally distribute marinade into each open artichoke bowl. Be careful not to spill. Serve hot.

Whole Cherry Pie

don’t hold the pie responsible for an idiotic hair metal song

This is a perfect pie to use up a load of fresh cherries that may be a hair under ripe.

Whole Cherry Pie

• 1 double pie crust
• 5 cups whole pitted cherries
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Add cherries, lemon juice, mint and vanilla, stir well and let stand 30 minutes. Make pie dough. Grease a pie dish, place bottom sheet of pastry in, then cherries, then top sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes then turn heat down to 375 and bake until done, about another hour. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Asian Slaw

it knows kung fu

This is a good coleslaw for fish or any grilling with a tropical/Asian twist.

Asian Slaw

• 1 bok choy sliced into thin ribbons
• 1/2 head red kale sliced into thin ribbons
• 1 lrg green onion halved and sliced thin
• 1/2 bunch cilantro diced fine
• 3 garlic scapes diced fine
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 tangerine juiced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2-4 tbsp sunflower seeds

Toss bok choy, kale, onion, sunflower seeds and half the cilantro in a large bowl and set aside. Combine everything else and whip until smooth adding more rice vinegar by taste. Pour dressing over greens and mix well. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.

Pasta Salad with Kale and Red Beans

It’s a party when you wear a bow tie

When we lived in the South, every potluck had about four plates of deviled eggs and at least two banana puddings. Here in the Northwest, whenever we go to a barbecue where people bring sides there are about 15 kale salads. We’re not complaining. Kale is  a super food, right? (Although, we miss all those deviled eggs.)

We plan to bring this to a future potluck to keep up with the Joneses.

Pasta Salad with Kale and Red Beans

• 1 lb cooked farfelle
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice from one lemon
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup green onion, diced
• 1 can kidney or red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup kale, chopped fine
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta
• 2 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil or dried

Cook pasta al dente, drain and cool. Mix oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. If tomatoes are dried, let steep in boiling water for about 10 minutes, drain, rinse and dice. Mix pasta, oil and lemon juice mixture and remaining ingredients in large bowl. refrigerate until ready to serve.