Poppy Seed Salad

This is a great salad for these very hot days! It is from page 35 in my cookbook, Recipes for a Full-Filled Life. Oops!--I forgot to sprinkle on the almonds and the dressing!--

Mixed greens or baby spinach
Sliced purple onions, optional
Drained Mandarin oranges, fresh raspberries, strawberries or dried cranberries
Sliced or slivered almonds (see below)

Caramelized almonds:
l c. slivered almonds
3 T. real butter
¼ c. brown sugar
Brown lightly over medium heat in a non-stick fry pan, stirring constantly. Transfer to a cookie sheet. Cool slightly. Break apart.

Combine desired amount of salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing just before serving. Toss to combine. OR make individual salads and layer all the ingredients, and drizzle with dressing.

Dressing:
¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1 c. olive oil
1 T. poppy seeds

Combine sugar, mustard, salt and vinegar. Whisk in oil in a slow stream. Add poppy seeds. Store leftovers in a jar and shake before using.

Optional: Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds, raw or lightly toasted, if desired.
The dressing will keep 2 weeks refrigerated.

Did you know? There are 900,000 seeds in 1 pound of poppy seeds.

Cherry Pie

Montmorency cherries are the most popular sour cherries in America and the classic pie cherry tree. They have been proven over the years to be outstanding for cooking and pie-making!
One of my husband's favorite pies, we were blessed by our son's girlfriend's parents with lots of cherries!

4 c. frozen tart cherries—with no sugar added
2 ½ T. cornstarch
dash salt
2/3 c. sugar
½ tsp. almond extract

Thaw and drain cherries. Combine the 1 c. drained juice with cornstarch, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in almond extract. Fold in cherries. Pour into unbaked 9” pie crust. Top with lattice. Cover outside edges of pie with foil to prevent excess browning. Bake 400˚ for 15 minutes, remove foil then bake 350˚ for 25-30 minutes more.
Note: You can use frozen berries that come with sugar—just omit the 2/3 c. sugar.

When a recipe for a pie tells you to “cover the edge with foil to prevent excess browning”, take a sheet of foil, about 12”x15” and fold it in half. Now fold it in half again. On the corner where the folds are, cut out a quarter-circle. Unfold the foil, (there should be a circle in the center of your sheet of foil) and place around you pie pan. The center of your pie will brown nicely, and the edges won’t burn!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

With the hot weather we've been having, I don't always want to use my oven! Nor do I always want to eat a lot of meat! These quesadillas are light, yet simple and satisfying lunch or dinner.

2 tsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ c. frozen corn
1/3 c. salsa
pinch red pepper flakes
8 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
8 oz. shredded cojack or medium cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until softened. Stir in beans, corn, salsa and pepper flakes. Mix well. Cook until heated through.

Place one tortilla in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese; then one-fourth of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.

Blueberries!

July is National Blueberry Month. This recipe is from page 60 in my cookbook.
Blueberry Muffins
l egg
½ c. milk
¼ c. oil
l c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1½ c. flour
½ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Streusel topping (optional):
3 T. flour
3 T. sugar
2 T. real butter

In a small bowl, mix wet ingredients. Carefully stir in blueberries. In a larger bowl, mix dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry. Mix ONLY until flour is moistened. Do not over mix.

Place batter in paper muffin cups or greased muffin tin. Top with optional streusel topping.
For topping, combine flour and sugar. Cut-in butter.

Bake 400˚ 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Makes 12

Did you know?
*Researchers at Tuft’s University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals.
*A single blueberry bush can produce up to 6,000 berries a year.
*Native American Indians used the fruit, leaves and roots of the plant to treat coughs, flavor soups, and dye cloth.
*More than 500 metric tons of blueberries are shipped to Japan from the US each year.

Butter Vs. Margarine

Photo taken at Wisconsin's Iola Old Car Show last weekend.

A quick search for this subject will give over 100,000 articles! But, in simplest terms--butter is better...by far! Margarine had a good advertising campaign!--and many believed that margarine was superior. Taste alone is enough to tell you that butter is better. I like to tell people if a product, like margarine, has a lot of ingredients that you can't pronounce, don't eat it!

I'd rather trust a cow than a chemist!

Happy 4th of July!

Even though the first Independence Day was more than 2,000 years ago, take time to thank the Lord for our precious land of America. Thank Him, too, for those who served and pray for those who now serve in our military.