It’s Summertime, folks! Regardless if the calendar hasn’t said so officially, it’s Summertime in our corner of the fields. I think June is one of the most beautiful months of the year! Trees are fully leafed and all nature has that lush, green look. Temperatures are moderate without the oppresive heat of late summer. Flower and vegetable rows stand stately- amidst freshly weeded or mulched pathways. Gardeners’ ambitions have not yet waned. All is fresh with new life and courage.
I want to show you a picture of our garden while it looks virtuous, because it will not look like this in August. As of now, I find it pleasant to gaze in it’s direction. The only exception is the unfinished mulching spots. I dislike those uneven surroundings.
You must remember though, it’s the man around here who loves to garden. Which undoubtedly makes me a stale, pallid housewife. Hey, I helped with part of the mulching when I mowed last week, can I get a mite of credit for that?!
Excuse me, I really got off on a bunny trail there. Bunnies like to hop around the garden if they get a chance and I obviously got sucked into their tracks. What I’m really here to talk about is recipes. Here are a few of our favorites for you to try this Summer. ⬇️
1. Chocolate Pecan Ice cream Topping
2 sticks butter, 2 cups chopped pecans, 2 cups chocolate chips.
Melt butter, then stir in pecans. After they’ve browned a bit, remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Stir well until fully melted.
It works well to serve this topping in a small crockpot, because it must be kept warm to serve. It hardens over ice cream in a most delectable manner.
Back when I was a girl, we served this Chocolate Pecan topping at the Old Cookstove restaurant over homemade ice cream. It was and continues to be a favorite there. If you ever happen through northern Alabama on I-65, you really ought to swing into Danville, to try their good old southern, home cookin’! My Ma and Pa started this restaurant. It’s changed hands by now but it’s still the best eatin’ in town!
2. Peanut Butter Ice cream Topping
Melt together 1 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup butter. It’s as simple as that! Serve over a bowl of Schwan’s vanilla ice cream and don’t think about calories!
This too should be kept warm for serving. Or then reheated before serving.
3. Oven Fried Potatoes
6 large potatoes, diced into bite size. Drizzle with 1/2 cup melted butter.
In a small bowl mix together:
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup flour, 1 ¹/² tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Seasoning salt, 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder, 1 tsp. Paprika.
Pour this over the buttered potatoes and stir to coat. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 400* for 30-40 minutes. Stir once during that time to help them crisp evenly.
Typically I use sorghum flour in this recipe to avoid the gluten. I think most GF flours could be used successfully, except I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour.
4. Mandarin Orange Pie
This would be a taste of Summer in one bite- We absolutely love this pie! You can find this luscious recipe in a previous post On Eating Out And Pie
5. Healthy Fruit Popsicles
I cannot approve of my children sucking on those plastic, store bought tubes of popsicles with ingredients that are 100% horrible. I shudder when I think of the consumption of sugar and food coloring!
But I don’t mind my children eating these homemade popsicles frequently. They are free of food coloring and have only natural sugar. (this will vary depending on the yogurt you use. I use an unsweetened, plain yogurt.) These could even be approved for breakfast because they’re really only yogurt and fruit. A popsicle for breakfast? What kind of Mom am I?!
2 to 2 ¹/² cups fruit- fresh or frozen, 3/4 cup yogurt/ liquid, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, stevia or honey/maple syrup to taste
Blend fruit until pureed. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Pour into molds and freeze.
I used pints of my frozen strawberries/ peaches for the fruit and it worked great. I thawed them partially first, so they would blend better.
6. Blueberry Lemonade
Bring to boil 1 cup blueberries and 1 cup of water. Boil for 8–10 minutes. Strain, and add to 1 gallon of your favorite fresh lemonade.
I love the beautiful summery look of this lemonade. It’s extra delicious when I muse on the fact that it’s naturally colored!
7. And here’s my last one- a recipe for happy summer days. Barefoot little boy + puppy + wagon+ sunshine + green grass. 🌳🐶
