Savory Summer Salmon & Salad

Ahhh… summer.  The dictionary defines summer as: The warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February.  Today, the last day of June and summer is clearly defined in the extremely hot days we are facing.

Around The Orange Bee we (adoring hubby and I) like to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine or beer on our back porch with a view of the countryside in the late afternoon or early evening.  Even on the hottest days we enjoy this tradition by running the ceiling fans and moving our rockers under their breeze. “Cocktail Hour” is when we sit, rock, and share our thoughts, ideas, dreams and the events of our days.  Once in a while we just sit quietly and enjoy each others company along with the beautiful view.  Last night we were a little rowdy during cocktail hour, sharing laughter and beverages with an old friend.  Isn’t that what summers are about?  I was pleased to have planned an easy, summery meal to complete our evening.

At the request of Miss T I picked up two beautiful pieces of salmon to throw on the grill. I made a simple marinade of lemon and herbs which was refreshing and delicious for summer salmon.  I also whipped up a salad of cannellini beans in an oil and lime dressing. The citrus flavors gave a cool, refreshing taste to both the fish and the salad.   A side of steamed rice completed the meal.  We sat until almost dark and then devoured our dinner before I could shoot a photo of the finished plates.  If you are a fish lover be sure and try this marinade before summer slips away.

I did inspect my hives yesterday – early in the day, to see if indeed honey was ready for harvesting.  My girls have done a marvelous job of making some beautiful frames full of honey, including two that will be cut-comb honey.  Within the week I will bottle my first honey.  I am truly amazed by the bees and what they do, and I am truly excited to sample my very first batch of local, pure, homegrown honey!  Stay tuned… Remember, if you have a favorite recipe that uses honey and you would like to share it – NOW is the time!

Enjoy!

Salmon in Lemon-Herb Marinade

Lemon-Herb Marinade

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 lemons, ,juiced
1/4 cup fresh rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced

In a small bowl combine all ingredients.  Add marinade to fish and refrigerate about one hour before grilling.

Grilled to perfection

 Cannellini Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tomato chopped
1/2 can black olives, sliced, drained and rinsed
1 green onion, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
Juice of one lime
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together in medium bowl.  Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper.  Toss to mix well, spoon over leaf lettuce and serve at room temperature.

Cannellini Bean Salad

 

Peachy Keen Cobbler

I am a tad baffled – last year I harvested over 150# of peaches from my two peach trees – this year maybe 15-20#.  I’m dismayed by the lack of fruit coming from my trees this summer, but I’ve managed to put what did come off to good use.  Peachy Keen Cobbler is the latest creation.  It is simply unbeatable!  Hot out of the oven, room temp, chilled in the frig, served unaccompanied or alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is a winner all around.

I baked this cobbler, as it is a southern “thing” and I wanted our Rhode Island friends to have a taste of southern food as well as hospitality.  It makes a large pan so be prepared to eat cobbler for a few days unless you have a big crowd.

I have a few interesting things to share with you later in the week.  I want to tell you about a great B & B I stayed in down in the hill country of Texas, as well as my visits to a Texas vineyard and an olive orchard.  Also I’m excited as tomorrow I could be harvesting my first batch of pure honey.  Do check back soon for more Orange Bee adventures!

Enjoy!

Peachy Keen Cobbler

Ingredients:
12-15 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 16 cups)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 packages refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 450*.  Stir together peaches, flour, nutmeg, and 3 cups sugar in a Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Spoon half of the peach mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Unroll 2 piecrusts and sprinkle 2 tbsp. of sugar over one crust.  Top with remaining crust and roll into a rectangle to fit pan.  Place pastry over peach mixture in dish.  Bake at 450* for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Unroll remaining 2 pie crusts, sprinkle one with 2 tbsp. sugar and top with other.  Roll into 12″ circle.  Cut into 1″ strips using a knife or fluted pastry wheel.  Spoon remaining peach mixture over baked pastry.  Arrange pastry strips over peach mixture; sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until pastry has browned.  Serve warm or cold.

Road Food

New “Road Food” photo up under Austin.  You might notice that Mexican food is a favorite around here.

Please enjoy the Road Food photos for a few days while I take off on a “girls only” weekend down to the beautiful hill country.  I’ll be back in a couple of days refreshed and recharged.

Stay tuned….

Dippity Do

 

Remember that stuff?  Dippity Do  If you do not remember it you are no doubt under 40 years old and a young ‘un.  I remember using Dippity Do on my hair back in the day, although I’m not sure why, as it left your hair plastered to your head and stiff as a board.  Perhaps I used it to get a sleek and sophisticated ponytail!  Well, you’ll be happy to know Dippity Do has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe.  It is a dip recipe and that is the only connection, the word “dip”.

If you read my last post you might remember I’ve been entertaining a new friend from Rhode Island.  Odd as it may seem we met over the internet – weird – I know, I know.  She is a fellow blogger who made a very nice and engaging comment on one of my early blog posts, which resulted in me checking out her blog, more comments, then emails, then a phone call and that pretty much sealed the deal.  We developed a friendship that way and agreed we needed to seal it face to face.  Did you ever meet someone and instantly feel a bond, a similarity, a connection?  It is never too late in life to make a new friend.  “Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them.” Francesco Guicciardini, Italian Historian.

She is Lin Ann from the blog –  http://vittlesandcommittals.blogspot.com/.  Her blog is committed to providing healthy, nutritious and delicious meals for her beautiful family. Take a look at her blog.  She is an interesting woman with a mission based on FSGS a rare kidney disease, with which her daughter was diagnosed.  The good news is her daughter is now in remission and I feel quite sure it is partly attributable to Lin Ann’s dedication to researching and seeking out healthy ways to feed her family and nurse her daughter back to health.  She has multiple distinctions which you will enjoy reading about, not to mention you’ll want to try some of her delicious recipes.

Our friendship is new, yes, but we felt as if we’d known each other forever.  We had quite the time trekking around, allowing her to discover what Texas is all about.  She took a zillion photos of Longhorns, the rodeo, wildflowers, bees, horses, rolls of baled hay, and countless other things us Texan’s tend to take for granted.  She sampled chicken fried steak, peach cobbler, fresh off the vine blackberries, green tomatoes, Texas caviar and had the distinct pleasure of experiencing hotter than average temps.

On her last evening here we grilled Elk Burgers.  Our appetizer that warm, breezy night was this incredible Basil Parmesan Dip.  It is one of my favorites!  The peppery bite of the fresh basil, the creaminess of sour cream and the strong flavor of fresh grated parmesan are hard to beat.  We enjoyed it with glasses of wine and a view of rolling hills, tall trees and a clear sky.  I promised her I would post the recipe on the blog so she’ll be able to share this yummy dip with her friends and family.  I always toast pita bread for dipping as it seems to enhance the flavor and makes a good scoop.  So, Lin Ann, my friend here it is.

Enjoy!

Basil Parmesan Dip

Ingredients:
!/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.  Serve with fresh toasted pita bread chips.

Girly Gazpacho

The temps in Texas are ridiculously HOT!  Soaring upwards of 100* Fahrenheit.  Heat above 100 degrees in Texas is oppressive.  The wind is blowing, again….but it is not helpful as it too, is HOT.  The only thing to be thankful for is that the humidity is not also sky-high.

Over the last few days I enjoyed hosting some friends from Rhode Island.  A fellow food blogger and lover of life, along with her teenage daughter.  I’m not sure how they withstood our outrageous heat wave but they were real troopers.  To try to help beat the heat I made a batch of Watermelon Gazpacho.  It is the perfect summer appetizer, light lunch or first course.  It’s full of juicy fruits like watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers.  With all those juicy fruits it provides nourishment along with much-needed liquid in the heat of summer.  We found it to be most revitalizing as we sipped it from juice glasses, under the welcome breeze of ceiling fans on my back porch.

When talk of what ingredients were in the gazpacho came up,  the classification of cucumbers came up for discussion, fruit or vegetable.  I said that I think of them as a fruit, as they are full of seeds, but the point was made that squash also have seeds and we qualify them as vegetables.  So, which is it?  We decided to end the conversation undecided in which was correct and just sip another glass full.

I checked Wikipedia and here is what it says: Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, botanically speaking, cucumbers are classified as fruits. However, much like tomatoes and squash they are often perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables. Another way to look at it is, that vegetables are savory and fruits are sweet.  Either way cucumbers are a refreshing addition to salads, veggie platters and of course are made into the ever popular pickle.

The first time I sipped a Watermelon Gazpacho, I was on the 29th floor of a Dallas high-rise with a view of downtown Dallas and a blazing sunset.  I instantly asked the hostess for the recipe.  I prepared a batch for an all girl pool party last summer and it was a big hit. Adoring hubby declined his portion, as men often do when gazpacho is served. He was outnumbered by girls all raving about the delicious gazpacho.  The vote was unanimous that it should be renamed Girly Gazpacho.  Girls, let me tell you, a cup has only 55 calories.  Now, guys, you should at least taste this yummy concoction, as the refreshing flavor and chunky texture truly are a perfect summer treat, and at 55 calories you’ll still have room for a cold one!

Before I go I’ll tell you a little about the bees.  They are busy but I can see the heat makes it hard on them.  In the early evenings I’ve noticed them sitting on the porches of their hives trying to stay cool.  Their wings are fanning furiously, pushing the heat out of the hive.  I am expecting to find honey ready for harvest in the very near future.  Have a favorite recipe that includes honey?  I would like to try different recipes using honey and blog about the variety of dishes where honey is used, so send them to me if you will.  I’ll give credit where it is due.

Enjoy!

Girly Gazpacho

Ingredients:
8 lbs. seedless watermelon
3 Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, unpeeled, cut into chunks
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 green onion, chopped
Salt to taste

Cut watermelon, remove rind and cut into 1″ chunks.  You should have about 8 cups melon.  In a food processor, purée 6 cups of melon in batches and pour into a large bowl.

In the same processor, purée two-thirds of the cucumber with the tomatoes, onion, basil, lime juice and salt.  Stir into watermelon purée in bowl.

Coarsely chop the remaining cucumber and watermelon; add to purée in the bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.  This recipe makes about 12 cups.
Watermelon Gazpacho

Peaches, Peaches and More Peaches

I have a basket full of peaches!  There are so many recipes I could use for the abundance of peaches sitting on my table.  Today I chose to make “Peach-Mango Salsa” to accompany the roasted chicken I was preparing for dinner. It is one of those days where I dream up a recipe to facilitate the use of some ingredient on hand – in this case, PEACHES!

This recipe could easily be adapted to your specific taste.  Just use your imagination!  I like Mangos so I decided to add one to the salsa.  Fresh basil, growing on the patio and some fresh ginger add a wonderful flavor and fragrance to this salsa.  The heady, peppery fragrance of fresh basil turns me on and is a perfect companion to the fresh peaches and mangos.  Serve this salsa with chicken, seafood or munch on it with fresh-baked pita chips.  It is a refreshing, summery salsa, sure to bring a smack to your lips and a smile to your face.

Enjoy!

Peach-Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium peaches, pitted, peeled and chopped
1 mango, pitted, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
generous pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp honey

Mix all ingredients together and toss gently.

Late Lunch

Today was busy, busy.  My adoring husband and I were both doing chores at home that consumed the majority of our morning and trailed into the afternoon.  When we finally stopped and decided we needed food we settled on BBQ.  We decided to go to Sonny Bryan’s original BBQ joint, a long time establishment in Dallas.  The original site on Inwood Road is the one to visit.

There was a line, not surprising.  This place is tight, but worth the short wait to order.  A dude in a baseball cap and yellow shirt was taking orders down the line and handing them over to the kitchen.  After every order taken today he shouted, “Go Mavs!”.  We Dallas Maverick fans are pretty pumped about our team playing for the NBA championship and tomorrow night you will find me in front of the television cheering madly from the same seat where I’ve watched games 1-5, wearing the same #2 Mavs shirt I’ve worn for games 1-5, and looking for a game 6 win.

Back to BBQ – we ordered and found seats.  Seats at this joint are old-time, wooden school desk tops installed along long benches, in a narrow room with windows.  There is no air conditioner moving the air but plenty of rustic charm.  If it’s too tight inside you can find a seat at one of the picnic tables outdoors next to the parking lot.  We chose one indoors today for the ambience that only a vintage BBQ joint can offer.  The smokey fire pits, neon signs, fried pies piled on a counter next to sweet tea, fresh-cut onions, briny pickles, bottles of tangy bbq sauce, and the customers.

The clientele today was varied.  Unique, average, young, and old, as always at Sonny Bryan’s.  The 30 something group downing cold beer with their chopped beef sandwiches, the business man in his dress slacks, button up chambray and striped tie, chowing down on his sandwich standing at the counter, ladies in sundresses with painted toes and flip-flops, men in baseball caps and khaki’s, a city bus driver, Hawaiian shirts and Keens, and us, sporting jeans and t-shirts today.  There was one thing we all had in common – smiles and bbq sauce on our chins.

I ordered a pulled pork sandwich plate with sides of beans and potato salad.  Hubby ordered a brisket and sausage sandwich, bag of chips and tea.  His tea plain, mine half and half, half plain-half sweet.  We piled pickles, jalapenos and onions on a sheet of foil, grabbed tons of napkins,  a bottle of warm sauce and dug in.  My sandwich bun filled with tender, tasty pork, was moist and delicious. The brisket and sausage sandwich, smokey sausage and sliced beef, tender and flavorful. It was a great way to spend a few minutes together on a hot, summer afternoon in Texas.  Good food and good company left us feeling satiated and primed for the rest of our day.

If you ever find yourself down Dallas way be sure and stop in at Sonny Bryan’s – I recommend the original for the best food and experience.  Stay tuned for “Road Food” photos of Sonny Bryan’s coming soon.

Enjoy!

Fruits Of Summer

Fruit: the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food.  ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French, from Latin fructus‘enjoyment of produce, harvest,’ from frui ‘enjoy.

The last two days have yielded the first peaches from my two peach trees.  It is always a thrill to pick the first ripe peach of the season and bite into its juicy flesh.  It also always means the beginning of a few weeks of spending much time each day picking, pitting, cutting and putting up peaches.   Last year my bounty exceeded 150#, a record for my two trees.  I don’t expect as many this year as the rains were less and the weather colder than last.  I eat them, freeze them, grill them and make jam with them.  Of course there are cobblers, pies and homemade ice cream too.  It’s a sure sign that summer has arrived.

Last week I bought my first local cantaloupe at the produce stand and for the first of the season it was juicy and sweet.  In fact it was very sweet and pleasing to the palate.  I’m looking forward to a summer full of sweet melons grown in Texas soil.

Over Memorial Day weekend we attended a pool party where the hostess had prepared a delightful and beautiful mixed fruit salad topped with fresh mint, grown in her back yard. It was the perfect accompaniment to the burgers, baked beans and potato salad.  The glass bowl  revealed a mixture of kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and watermelon.  It reeked of summer!

I truly relish the fruits of summer.  How about you?  Which is your favorite?  What is your favorite way to enjoy seasonal summer fruits.  Drop me a note and share your thoughts.

Enjoy!

Road Food

New Road Food that will make your mouth water! Check it out under Road Food – Florida.

Strawberry Ugly Cake

First of all, let me say I am so happy sitting at my desk writing a blog post!  Do you ever have those weeks where life just takes over and you have no choice but to put aside the things you love for the things you must?  Last week turned into that kind of week for me.  I’d mentioned with the holiday that I would be quiet for a few days but I didn’t intend for it to turn into a full week.  The best part of the musts that took over my life was a trip down to see LuLu in Austin.  Our state capital city is a beautiful and very hip area of Texas.  The time is always pleasurable when we visit, especially with LuLu, my oldest daughter having taken up residence there.

She did a wonderful job of feeding us and I will be blogging about her chocolate cake one day soon.  We marveled at how the tables turn in our lives as she whipped up the delicious chocolate cake and homemade frosting, while I perched at the counter with a glass of wine and watched.  When she is at “home”, home meaning the place where she grew up, the tables turn and I make the cakes and frosting while she sits!  This of course being the original way the table was turned.  Interesting how that works as children grown up and start making their own “home”.  I’m getting a kick out of it!

So, back to that holiday weekend, Memorial Day.  Seems like it was forever ago.  I was asked to make dessert for a pool party we were attending.  I wanted to try something from Ryan at Ryan Bakes.  She is a beautiful lady turning out some fabulous looking stuff on her blog, http://www.ryanbakes.com. I decided on her Strawberry Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze.  Her photo was picture perfect and it sounded ideal, as the hosts both love strawberries.

She agreed to my use of her recipe.  I had most of the ingredients at hand but purchased the fresh strawberries.  I needed to bake this cake and glaze it the day before the party.  I got to work early on Saturday baking, being sure to allow plenty of cooling time so I could glaze and photograph it while the light was good.  Well, Ryan, your cake looked perfect, as I stated above, mine not so!  I decided to slice and add strawberries around the rim of the cake to aid in presentation.  Where my cake failed in presentation it made up for in flavor, texture and deliciousness!  It delivered the most moist, soft crumb, especially as pound cakes go.  The thick glaze begs for a finger to swipe a taste.  The red strawberries peeking out from the cake are a nice contrast to the thick, white glaze.

My Strawberry Ugly Cake was a hit at the party and the few pieces we carried home lasted only a short time.  A big “thank you” to Ryan for allowing me to try her recipe.  It may not have been the prettiest cake I’ve ever laid eyes on but I declare it a winner, nonetheless.

It’s time for an update on my bees too.  Flowers are blooming like mad in my back pasture and my bees are making the best of it.  Today it was necessary for me to add supers to three hives, to give the bees plenty of honey making space.  Some of my hives are starting to resemble high rises and this makes me smile.  I also caught a glimpse of Queen Anne today.  She is the city queen whom adoring hubby and I removed and brought to the country.  Her hive is small but growing and flourishing.  The time for honey harvesting is growing close and I am spending any reading time trying to educate myself before the process begins.  Sounds like a sticky situation, but I am up for it 100%.

It’s good to be back and thanks for stopping by.  Don’t hesitate to drop me a “howdy” before you go.

Enjoy!

Ryan’s Strawberry Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
aka
Strawberry Ugly Cake 

Ingredients:
2 Sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups diced strawberries tossed with 1-2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325* F.  Grease and flour 12 cup bundt pan or spray with Baker’s Joy.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, two at a time, beating after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add this mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream.  Add vanilla and beat for 2 minutes or until ingredients are mixed well.  Fold in diced strawberries.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  Bake until cake leaves sides of the pan, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  allow cake to cool in pan before removing.  Invert onto a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 4oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Mixture will be thick.  Heat the icing in a microwave for 10-15 seconds to reach drizzling consistency.  Stir icing and drizzle over cake.  The icing will harden slightly after frosting and form a shiny, thick glaze.