Brown Sugar Lemonade

6 lemons, juiced
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes

In a large pitcher, combine fresh lemon juice and water. Stir in brown sugar until it dissolves. Stir in ice cubes.


The brown sugar adds a great flavor to this lemonade. It's perfect for a summer barbecue! Found this on allrecipes.com

Fresh Peach Dessert

I made this last night. It is a no-bake cheese cake, but the walnut crust is really yummy and it is great with any of the fresh fruits in the summer time. I usually make it with fresh strawberries or peaches.

Crust

2 cups flour

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream sugar and butter. Add the rest. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 325° for 15. Cool. Crumble with fork and leave in pan.

Filling

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 12 oz tub of whipped topping (cool whip)

Cream together the cream cheese and the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and then fold in the cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.

Topping

2 cups water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 small package peach jell-o (or the flavor that matches the fresh fruit)

4 cups diced peaches (or other fresh fruit)

Bring the water, cornstarch and sugar to a boil. Add the jell-o and stir until dissolved. Cool and fold in fresh fruit.

Creole Pork Chops & Corn Salsa

Creole Pork Chops

4 large pork loin chops, trimmed *(7-8 thin pork chops)

4 tsp Emeril’s Creole Seasoning (see recipe below)

1 Tbl olive oil

Serve with Tomato Corn Salsa

Prepare Tomato Corn Salsa first. It can be done the day before. Sprinkle the pork chops with the Creole Seasoning , using ½ tsp per side. With your hands, coat the meat. Heat the oil in large skillet over high beat. Add chops and sauté for 7 minutes on each side, or until done. The pork should be very dark on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside. (serves 4)

*I usually use thin pork chops (found at Wal-Mart), and I grill them for 4 minutes on each side on medium heat.

Tomato Corn Salsa

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen, blanched (I use 1 can)

5 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup minced onion

1 tsp minced jalapeno (I omit)

3 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbl lime juice

1 Tbl lemon juice

1 tsp salt (I only use 1/2 tsp)

fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. This salsa improves in flavor after it sits awhile. Make approx 3 cups. Serve along side Creole Pork Chops.

Emeril’s Creole Seasoning

2 ½ Tbl paprika

2 Tbl salt

2 Tbl garlic powder

1 Tbl black pepper

1 Tbl onion powder

1 Tbl cayenne pepper ( I omit)

1 Tbl dried leaf oregano

1 Tbl dried leaf thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Make approx 2/3 cups.

Italian Pasta Stir-Fry

I've been going through recipes trying to find things to make with all of my zucchini. This one is really easy and tastes good, especially with homegrown zucchini and tomatoes.

8 oz linguine, uncooked
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (or dry if I don't have fresh)
1 TBS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp dried basic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup grated (about 1 oz) fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to package. Drain and keep warm. Chop tomatoes and onions and cut the zucchini. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Press garlic into skillet and stir-fry 15 seconds. Add zucchini and onion. stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, parsley and seasonings. Heat 1-2 minutes, stirring gently until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in linguine and add grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Amy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies came from a family friend, Marty Larkin, who always made yummy chocolate chip cookies for our family. When she moved away, I asked her for the recipe and have used it my whole life. I think the secret to good chocolate chip cookies is taking them out at 12 minutes and letting them cool on the cookie sheet for another few minutes so they are no longer puffy. I then transfer them to a paper towel on the counter. They turn out really soft and yummy and some of the extra grease is absorbed by the towel too.


Blend together until smooth
1 Cup Shortening
3/4 Cup white sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons water

Blend in well 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix in 2 1/4 cups flour until smooth

add 6 ounces chocolate chips

spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. (until just barely golden brown) Let cool on paper towel.

Pioneer Woman's Apricot Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 sticks (regular, salted) butter, cut into pieces
1 10-12 ounce jar Apricot Preserves

Mix all ingredients except Apricot Preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8" square (or small rectangular) pan. Spread with a 10-12 ounce jar of apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares. Eat as many as you want because they don’t have any chocolate in them and therefore, they’re totally healthy and non-caloric.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing from the picky palate

3 Cups thinly sliced Green Leaf Lettuce
¼ Cup corn
¼ Cup black beans
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1 cooked grilled chicken breast
¼ Cup favorite BBQ Sauce
¼ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ Cup prepared ranch dressing
1 heaping Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1. Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

2. Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.
**This recipe is for 1 large serving, double accordingly**
the picky palate.blogspot.com
next time you grill, add some extra chicken and set it aside for this.