Summer recipe roundup

In time for the holiday weekend, here are some of my favorite summer recipes

Red, White & Blueberry Muffins

Sweet Potato Fries

Papa's Garden Salad

Panna Cotta

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Paul Bunyan Burgers

Hot dogs are for ball games. So for our extra-special BBQ, we made Paul Bunyan Burgers, baked potatoes and roasted corn on the cob.

1 1/2 pound ground beef
4 strips bacon
handful of mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
4 slices of your favorite cheese

Mix the ground beef, Worcestershire , salt and pepper together, set aside. Chop the bacon and fry it until crispy, remove from pan. Add mushroom and onion to drippings and fry. Drain grease and add bacon to veggies.

Divide the beef mixture into 8 pieces, form each into a thin patty. On 4 of the patties, put a spoonful of the bacon mixture and a slice of cheese. Top with another patty. Seal edges. Grill to desired doneness.

Summer Lime Pie

As much as I know this will torture Amy, and as much as I want to stuff a piece in an envelope and mail it to her... I'm sorry Amy!!! This was just a pretty, blog-worthy pie.

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 oz. cream cheese, softened **
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
dash salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup lime juice
zest of 1 lime
green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350. Mix crushed pretzels, sugar and butter. (Crush your pretzels fine if you want a graham-cracker like crust or leave bigger chunks if you want - I always leave the pieces a bit bigger). Press into bottom of 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until crust is set. Let cool before filling.

Add cream cheese, condensed milk, eggs, salt, vanilla, zest and lime juice into mixing bowl. Mix until combined, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add green or yellow food coloring if you want the pie to look "limey-er". Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until center of pie is set and doesn't jiggle. Let cool and then chill in refrigerator.

For perfect whipped cream (recipe from Amy Noorda), start beating the whipping cream until it's to the point where you would add the sugar. Stop the mixer. Dissolve half a packet of unflavored gelatin in lukewarm water, stirring to make sure there are no clumps. Start mixer, add gelatin and sugar and beat the rest of the way. Pipe your whipped cream onto the pie, the designs will stay crisp and fresh as the gelatin sets!

Garnish pie with thin slices of lime. Serve cold.

**The cream cheese and vanilla tame the tartness of the lime a bit. If you like your lime pie nice and sour, just eliminate these two ingredients. If you want, add some sour cream instead of the cream cheese. I haven't tried it. It just seems like it would be a good idea.


Brazilian Limeade

2 Limes
1/2 cup water
2-4 tb Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
4 cups ice

Blend whole washed limes & water for a few seconds until limes are chopped up pretty small (don't blend too long or the drink will be too bitter)

Drain in very thin weave strainer, reserving juice and discarding pulp. Rinse blender pitcher.

Blend lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, sugar and ice until it's the right consistency (thick with no chunks) and add more water or sugar to taste.