Fresh Summer Salsa

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

6 large cans of diced tomatoes (I've used flavored diced tomatoes before like Italian Diced tomatoes, etc. For a spicier salsa, use Rotel)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups medium Salsa
1/2 cup catsup
1 small can diced green chilies (For more fire used diced jalepenos)

Mix everything in a very large bowl. Chill in the fridge and enjoy with chips, or on any mexican dish. It makes a LOT, but this is a sweeter, chunky salsa, that you eat by the whole chipful. It goes fast.

Corn on the Cob Seasoning

Submitted by the Schlossers

1 bunch finely chopped Italian parsley
1 cup of shredded parmesan
1 Tbsp of garlic salt

They grilled up a bunch of ears and with butter and this seasoning, we were in heaven!

Dill & Cream Bread/Veggie Dip

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

Recipe Pending

Fresh Veggie Pizza

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

Recipe Pending

Asparagus Quiche

Submitted by Abigail Rich
(Note by JoDee: I made this with brocolli and leftover fondue cheese instead of the asparagus and swiss, and it was still fantastic. Great recipe!)

Ingredients
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 10 slices bacon
• 2 (8 inch) unbaked pie shells
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3. Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped asparagus into pie shells.
4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over bacon and asparagus. Pour egg mixture on top of cheese.
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Submitted by Julia Jutras

Recipe Pending...

Kabobs

Submitted by Abigial Rich

Recipe Pending...

'Tis the "C"-son Celery Sticks

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

Celery
Cream cheese
Craisins
Cinnamon

Mix as much cinnamon as you like in your softened cream cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture on celery & cover with craisins. Enjoy this Holiday version of ants on a log!

Squash N' Cheese

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

1-2 zucchini
1-2 summer squash
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper

Shred squashes using a cheese grater into a large skillet. Cover skillet and cook/steam over medium heat until tender. Sprinkle cheese and salt & pepper over top to taste. Serve hot. (This dish recommended even by the most finicky eaters!)

Zucchini Fritters (from Cook's Illustrated)

Submitted by Julia Jutras

Makes 12 fritters, serving 4-6

Ingredients:
1 lbs zucchini (about 2 medium), trimmed
1 tsp table salt
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 2 cups)
2 scallions, minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh dill
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)

Instructions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Following the illustration below, shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let it drain in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl for 10 minutes. Wrap the zucchini in paper towels and squeeze out the excess liquid. (Be sure to squeeze until it is completely dry, or the fritters will fall apart in the skillet. Don't let the squeeze-dried zucchini sit on its own for too long or it will brown.)

2. Combine the dried zucchini, feta, scallions, dill, eggs, garlic, and pepper together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until uniformly incorporated.

3. Heat 3 Tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Drop 2-Tbsp-sized portions of the batter into the pan, then use the back of a spoon to press the batter into 2-inch-wide fritters (you should fit about 6 fritters in the pan at a time.) Fry until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

4. Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 3 Tbsp oil, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temperature with the lemon wedges.

Ratatouille

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

For one recipe:

sliced in rounds-
zuccini
summer squash
roma tomatoes

Arrange overlapping in a small casserole dish. It's customary to create a pattern.

Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover & allow to brown for 5 more minutes.

Fried Rice

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

1-2 green onions, as desired
2 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
4 Tbsp oil
4 cups cold cooked rice
1-2 Tbsp light soy sauce or oyster sauce
Add peas & carrots if desired

Wash & finely chop vegetables. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with salt & pepper.

Add 2 Tbsp oil to frying pan. Let pan & oil get hot then add beaten eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove eggs & clean out the pan.

Add 2 Tbsp oil to hot pan. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Stir in sauce as desired.

Add vegetables to rice & heat through. Add scrambled eggs. Mix thoroughly. Serve hot.

**Note - add green onions right before you serve to keep it crisp.

Grilled French Bread and Veggie Salad

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

1/2 Loaf of French or Italian Bread
1 Yellow squash
1 cucumber
1 bell pepper
1/4 block cheese (favorite - mozzarella balls go really well in this salad)
1 Tomato

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grill cubed bread until toasted and lightly browned. Add veggies and drizzle with dressing.

Neddie’s Stuffed Peppers

Submitted by Marnie Ellis

5-6 medium green peppers
3-4 cup cooked white rice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1-16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds. Boil them for 5 minutes or cook in the microwave to soften them, or else allow more cooking time in the oven. Brown the meat and the onion; cut up the tomatoes and add to the meat. Add the rice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cheese. Stuff the peppers and stand them upright in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes.

Grilled Corn with Herb Butter

Submitted by Julia Jutras

Serves 4 to 8

Herb Butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves , thyme, cilantro, or basil, combined, (and/or any other fresh herbs)

Grilled Corn
8 ears fresh yellow corn
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste; keep butter warm.

2. Remove silk from the fresh ears of corn by pulling husks a little over half way down. Remove silk, rinsing under cool running water to wash away silk sticking to ear. Pull husks back up the ear of corn. Tie with a thin strip of husk or piece of kitchen twine. Soak in cold water to cover for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat grill. When grill is hot, place silked and soaked ears of corn on grill rack. Grill over high heat, turning corn by quarter turns, until husks char, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer corn to platter; carefully remove and discard charred husk and silk. Season corn with salt and pepper to taste and brush with herb butter. Serve immediately.

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar

Submitted by Julia Jutras

Squash smaller than 1 1/2 pounds will likely cook a little faster than the recipe indicates, so begin checking for doneness a few minutes early. Conversely, larger squash will take slightly longer to cook. However, keep in mind that the cooking time is largely dependent on the microwave. If microwaving the squash in Pyrex, the manufacturer recommends adding water to the dish (or bowl) prior to cooking. To avoid a steam burn when uncovering the cooked squash, peel back the plastic wrap very carefully, starting from the side that is farthest away from you.

Serves 4

2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved pole to pole and seeded
table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1. Sprinkle squash halves with salt and place halves cut-sides down in 13- by 9-inch microwave-safe baking dish or arrange halves in large (about 4-quart) microwave-safe bowl so that cut sides face out (see photo). If using Pyrex, add 1/4 cup water to dish or bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, using multiple sheets, if necessary; with paring knife, poke about 4 steam vents in plastic wrap. Microwave on high power until squash is very tender and offers no resistance when pierced with paring knife, 15 to 25 minutes. Using potholders, remove baking dish or bowl from oven and set on clean, dry surface (avoid damp or cold surfaces).

2. While squash is cooking, adjust oven rack to uppermost position (about 6 inches from heating element); heat broiler. Melt butter, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in small saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally, until combined.

3. When squash is cooked, carefully pull back plastic wrap from side farthest from you. Using tongs, transfer cooked squash cut-side up to rimmed baking sheet. Spoon portion of butter/sugar mixture onto each squash half. Broil until brown and caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes, rotating baking sheet as necessary and removing squash halves as they are done. Set squash halves on individual plates and serve immediately.

Fancy Green Beans

Submitted by Molly Wood
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans
2 slices bacon
1/2 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thin onion wedges
1/2 cup whole cashews

In a small bowl stir together teriyaki, honey, and butter.
Fill another bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lemon juice. Drop the beans in and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they are bright green.
Drain beans in a colander and then plunge them into the bowl of ice water. Drain again and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until very crisp, crumble and set aside. Saute the bell pepper and onion in bacon grease for 2 minutes.
Add the beans, cashews, and bacon to the skillet. Add the teriyaki-honey sauce and toss gently.
Serve.