Cantaloupe Salsa

A Favorite Fruit

For many years my favorite fruit was cantaloupe. I couldn't get enough of its soft pastel flesh. I loved the texture and the deep sweetness, the way it could be scooped into perfectly rounded orbs with a melon baller, the way it holds up to dressings, the way it smells when perfectly ripe and fragrant.

In Texas it was an extremely practical relationship. Cantaloupe was abundant there, even hard to overcome. It grew in my garden as a volunteer, the seed lingering in the compost heat beyond all reason. In Texas cantaloupe were inexpensive and prolific. My children loved them. Our pet box turtle loved them. They were a staple in our summer diet.

Then we moved. Here it's not that they are hard to get but they are not as ubiquitous as in Texas and are often a different variety than the ones I learned to love there. Here I eat them less frequently and it is harder to find them farm fresh and perfectly ripe. Still, when I can find them perfectly ripe and for a reasonable price I thoroughly enjoy them.

Salsa Variations

Last summer I made a great salsa from the delicious local blueberries that are so fresh and abundant for a time each summer. It was a great discovery, a sort of culinary revelation. While I love tortilla chips and fruit I had never thought much about making fruit salsas before. My mind began to race. What other salsas could I make to take advantage of the fruits that I love. An impromptu trip to a local market gave me a few unplanned purchases to work with. One of them was a beautiful ripe cantaloupe. As I cut the cantaloupe for my family's breakfast I began to think about what a nice salsa it would make. On my next pass by the market I bought a serrano pepper and some jicama. At home I had cilantro and an orange bell pepper so I chopped and mixed and experimented until I came up with this pleasing combination.

Cantaloupe Salsa

2 cups cantaloupe, diced
1 cup jicama, cut in small matchsticks
½ yellow, orange or red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno or Serrano chile, minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ - ½ cup minced shallots or finely sliced green onion

Stir together. Allow flavors to blend for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Getting Started

My daughter has called me several times since she moved away this summer. She often calls around dinner time to tell me about what she is planning to cook for dinner or what she is making to take in her lunch the next day.

It is a thrill to learn that she is using the recipes I have posted here over the past year or so! So far she has made Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Amazing Chicken Salad, Thai Chicken Thighs and Macaroni and Cheese.

Sometimes she has a question about what she is cooking. As she was planning her menus one evening she decided she wanted to try Four-Pepper Pasta. The challenge was that it required a lot of ingredients she hadn’t collected yet, several different herbs as well as picante sauce, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It also calls for a variety of peppers which can be expensive when they are not in season. I suggested she use less expensive green bell peppers in place of the more colorful ones (at least until they are in season), choose just one herb to experiment with for now and substitute another vinegar if she couldn’t find balsamic at a reasonable price.

I was reminded that cooking can be a substantial creative challenge when you are starting out or are on a limited budget for any reason. Most of us were there at one time or another but for some of us it has been a while and it can be a challenge to remember.

Keeping It Simple

Since then I have been more conscious of what goes into the recipes I have been cooking so that I can make recommendations to her when I remember something easy or simple or inexpensive that is also delicious. For the 4th of July I often make Pulled Pork Sandwiches. There are several different ways I do it. Some are more complicated than others but this year, looking over the meat case, I decided to buy a boneless top sirloin pork roast and to cook it in my Crock Pot. When I put it on to cook I decided to keep it simple. I added only salt and pepper and a little water.

The result was simply wonderful! The meat was tender and delicious. There was no fat to be cut off and thrown away, no bones to be removed. When the meat was tender I quickly pulled it apart and it was ready to go on sandwiches with a little barbecue sauce.

So here’s one for my daughter and anyone who enjoys a good meaty Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwich that could scarcely be simpler to prepare.


Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2 – 2.5 pound boneless pork sirloin roast
½ cup water (or cooking liquid of your choice)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Barbecue sauce of your choice
Sandwich buns

Place the pork roast in a slow cooker. Pour the water over the roast and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on a low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or until the pork roast is cooked through and tender enough to be easily pulled apart with a fork.

Remove the pork roast from the slow cooker and place in a serving dish. With two forks, pushed into the meat close together, pull the meat in opposite directions. Repeat and continue until the meat is separated into bite sized pieces.

Pour accumulated pan juices over the meat 1/4 cup at a time, stirring each time until fully absorbed. Repeat several times if desired but do not add so much that the juices gather in the bottom of the dish.

Serve on sandwich buns with barbecue sauce.

Note: This recipe is easily doubled for a crowd. I put two boneless pork sirloin roasts in my ancient Crock Pot last weekend and they were ready to eat in approximately 10 - 12 hours. Cooking time will vary. Just make sure the meat is cooked through and pulls apart easily.

Enjoy!!

Fancy Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Leftovers

It’s a chain reaction. Left over bits and pieces accumulate from the things I buy to help me use up the leftovers I already have. And then what do you do with those leftovers?

Sometimes I think convenience foods or mixes are the perfect thing to balance the playing field.

A few weeks ago I had half a bar of cream cheese sitting in my refrigerator and nothing on the menu that could use just half a bar. Then I remembered that I had one round layer of Italian Wedding Cake in my freezer that I made from half of my Italian Wedding Cupcake batter just before we went on our California Road Trip.

I took the cake out of the freezer and made a batch of cream cheese icing to frost the single cake layer. I just frosted the top and it was nice. Kind of pretty and very tasty, I served it to some friends.

Now the cream cheese was used but half of the Cream Cheese Frosting was leftover because the cake was only one layer. What should I do with that? I didn’t think it would freeze well.

Inspiration

Then I saw Robin Sue's recipe at Big Red Kitchen for Fancy Brownies. They were really pretty! They seemed like they would be fun to try. I almost always have a box of brownie mix in the cupboard, so I could make them quick and wouldn't need to go the store. It seemed like a great way to use the frosting and try something simple and new.

My Fancy Brownies didn't turn out quite as pretty as Robin Sue's but they were a hit! Rich and chocolaty, they made a great casual dessert with very little prep time. I used Cream Cheese Frosting instead of the Buttercream Frosting Robin Sue suggests but I think Mexican Hot Chocolate Frosting or almost any frosting would do the job. I can also imagine stirring a little mint flavoring or a cup of crushed oreos or butterfinger bars into the frosting before spreading it onto the brownies. Use your imagination!

Fancy Brownies

From Big Red Kitchen

1 13x9 inch pan of your favorite brownies
1 to 2 cups of frosting (I used Cream Cheese Frosting, see below)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Bake the brownies as directed. Let cool on a wire rack.

Spread the frosting over the cool brownies.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate chips over low heat stirring constantly until smooth.

Spread the glaze over the iced brownies smoothing to the edges. Allow the chocolate to set before cutting.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Frosting
From "Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-by-Step Cookbook"

1 3-ounce package cream cheese (I used 1/2 of a larger bar of cream cheese, or 4 ounces)
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (I usually don't sift it but that risk lumps)

In a medium sized mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed until smooth and uniform. Add the powdered sugar gradually and mix at high speed until the sugar is incorporated and the icing is smooth and fluffy.

Note: If the frosting seems too soft to spread as you would like, refrigerate it briefly before spreading. Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator.

Macaroni and Cheese

This week my daughter has started a new summer job in a town several hours from home. She has left life in the big city for an internship in a port town on the Olympic Peninsula. She has moved out of the dorms at college and into a house where she is responsible for preparing her own meals. It is a new experience for her and has her thinking.

So last evening she called me, a little put out, and asked where the heck THE Macaroni and Cheese Recipe was on my blog. It is a family favorite, a familiar comfort food, something she always asks for when she comes home. I make it in a big 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and there are seldom enough leftovers for a second meal. Everyone in the family digs in.

While I have been meaning to post the recipe for a long time now I never managed to get any suitable pictures until I made it when my daughter was home last week. The recipe is really nothing complicated or all that special. It is based on the recipe in my basic "Betty Crocker's Cookbook" but has been tweaked a little to adapt the quantities and marginally reduce the fat. I took out the finely chopped onion because my children don’t love onions and chopping them got in the way of throwing the recipe together at times. I use Tillamook’s Extra Sharp Cheddar for our very favorite version but a medium cheddar can be used for the sake of economy, as could any other kind of cheese you might have that melts well. And then I leave it in the oven a little extra long until the top begins to brown and the edges get a little crispy.

I have to say, it warms my heart that my children would care about this simple, modest meal. As their own lives take them on far flung adventures to new places and new experiences I hope this blog will continue to offer them a little taste of home.


Macaroni and Cheese

adapted from "Betty Crocker's Cookbook"

12 - 16 ounces elbow macaroni
¼ cup butter
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
2 ¾ cup milk
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Dash of ground red pepper or Tabasco (optional)
Grated cheese, cheddar or parmesan

Cook pasta, according to package directions, until tender but still firm. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour. Return and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.

Add the milk to the butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.

Stir the cheese into the hot sauce, blending until smooth.

Place cooked macaroni in a large rectangular casserole dish (approximately 9 X 13 inches). Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and gently stir until combined. Sprinkle the top with a little parmesan, cheddar or other cheese if desired.


Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top has begun to brown.

Serve hot and enjoy!