Peach Mango Sorbet

It's bowl-licking good! (No kidding, I stood over the kitchen sink with a spatula and scraped that sucker clean)

You will need:

-3 large ripe mangos

-3 large ripe peaches

-3/4 c sugar

-Juice of 2 large lemons

-1/4 c corn syrup

-2 c cold water

-1/4 c peach or mango liqueur (or peach or mango vodka, any flavored alcohol will do)

Peel the fruit and cut into large, managable chunks. Toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and sugar, let it sit for about an hour.

Add the fruit and juices from the bowl to your food processor or blender, pulse on a low speed until mashed. With the power on low, slowly add the corn syrup, cold water and alcohol until completely pureed. Transfer to your ice cream maker, follow the instructions and transfer to containers to freeze for at least an hour.

If you don't want to use any alcohol, you can just take it out and add another quarter cup of corn syrup. This will help keep it a little more gooey and not too hard and icy.

Time for a change?

I've been thinking about this blog, and it might be time for a change. My quest to become a Martha Follower has taken me down a different path, and the blog has become much more collaborative over the past few months.

So, leave a comment with new name ideas, and any other changes you think it could use. I'd like to see it become even more of a shared place for recipes, suggestions, improvements, etc...

Key Lime Pie

I'm not sure why we call this pie Key Lime, because there are none in it, but it's still delicious and the name stuck. It's always a hit and there is never any left. I wish I had a picture to post of it....It's the easiest thing in the world to make!

2 graham cracker pie crusts
1 large coolwhip thawed to room temp
1 small frozen limeade
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
few dashes lemon juice
few drops green food coloring
(lime slices for garnish)

Mix together cool whip, limeade, milk, lemon juice and food coloring until completely smooth, no lumps. Put into pie crusts. Top with lime slices in the middle. Refrigerate for several hours.

Orzo salad with dill vinaigrette

This turned out to be a tasty addition to our little backyard party last night! When I first tasted the orzo/vinegerette combination, I was afraid that it wasn't flavorful enough. However, when tossed with the veggies and cheese, it was fantastic!

(The picture comes from Nicolle, who apparently took this shot of the leftovers we sent her home with last night!)

-3/4 lb orzo, cooked al dente
-1/4 c chopped fresh dill
-1/4 c white wine vinegar
-2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
-3 tbsp Dijon mustard
-1/2 c olive oil
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper
-2 cucumbers, cut into cubes
-1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
-1 pint feta cheese, crumbled

Using a food processor, blender or stick blender, combine the dill, vinegars and mustard together until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil, then salt and pepper, blend again. Toss the dressing with the still-warm orzo, cover and throw into the fridge to chill.

Just before serving, toss the vegetables and feta cheese with the pasta. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh dill, if desired.

(I encourage you to come up with your own variations - for example, goat cheese instead of feta, or adding bell peppers to up the flavor, or maybe adding tarragon to the dressing. There are a ton of options out there!)

Empanadas

This is a little time consuming, but super easy! You will need a rotisserie chicken, a bottle of green taco sauce, shredded cheese, and 4 uncooked pie crusts. Shred the chicken and mix it with the entire bottle of taco sauce. Cut out circles in the pie crusts. Place the chicken mixture and cheese in the middle of each circle. Use your fingertip to wet around the edges, fold and seal, then crimp with a wet fork. Bake at 400 degrees on a greased cookie sheet, for about 25 minutes.

Buttermilk Pie

This is a traditional Southern custard pie, my dad's special birthday request.

-4 eggs
-1 c sugar
-2 tbs all-purpose flour
-1/2 c melted butter
-1 1/2 c buttermilk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp lemon extract
-1/2 tsp salt
-Wondra flour
-Superfine sugar (save your money and just throw regular sugar in the food processor for a minute or two)

In your stand mixer or with a hand beater, whisk the eggs on high for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and flour, and mix for another two minutes. Add the butter, buttermilk, salt and flavor extracts, beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Dust the bottom of an uncooked pie crust with a few teaspoons of the Wondra flour, then pour in the custard. Mix together a few teaspoons of the Wondra flour and superfine sugar, then sprinkle over the top. This helps form that yummy nummy crust on top, which sort of has a creme brulee thing going on.

Baked Stuffed Artichokes

The cellphone photo definitely does not do this dish justice!

-2 artichokes, stems and leaves trimmed

-1 whole lemon, quartered

-2 bay leaves

-1/2 c shredded "Italian blend" cheese (whatever you can find in your local grocery store is fine)

-1 tsp dried basil

-1/2 tsp dried rosemary

-1/2 tsp dried thyme

-1/4 c bread crumbs

-olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add artichokes, lemon quarters and bay leaves. Boil for 25 minutes, drain water. Discard lemon and bay leaves.

Cut off the top third of the artichoke, and use a spoon to create a pit in the center. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, herbs and bread crumbs. Spoon into the center of the artichokes, then drizzle with olive oil.

Arrange them in a baking dish so that they will stay upright, and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.