BASIL PESTO RECIPE

When the rainy, cold weather hit last week, I panicked and picked all of the basil growing in my flower bed.  I didn't want it to freeze and turn black and gross before I had a chance to turn it into pesto.
Luckily I had some nuts in a cupboard, and parmesan in the fridge, and it took me about 15 minutes to throw it all in a food processor.

There are lists of things you can do with pesto, such as stirring it into soups or pasta, or spreading it on bruschetta. I also tend to get in the fridge and sneak a spoonful of it several times a day. What a guilty pleasure. I always tell myself I'll freeze part of my batch for later use, but it never lasts that long.

When I first started making pesto. I used the "Silver Palate Cookbook" recipe, which calls for walnuts. But I like to use about two or three times as much basil and less cheese; that's my way of "cutting down the calories." It ends up being pretty thick and not as oily. You can always thin it with a little water or olive oil.

I've made pesto with walnuts, pine nuts, almonds  — even macadamia nuts when I came home from a trip to Hawaii. It's all good as far as I'm concerned.

Now the sun was shining today, and I'm hoping to get another batch of pesto before winter really hits.

BASIL PESTO 6-8 cups packed fresh basil leaves (you don't really need to measure exactly; just lots!)
4 medium cloves garlic (or 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder) 1 cup almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, or macadamia  nuts 
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Process basil, garlic, nuts, olive oil and cheese in a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Divide into small, plastic containers and freeze.

HOW TO SAVE A NOT-SO-GREAT WATERMELON

Photo courtesy of Watermelon Promotion Board

I have a cure for the bad-watermelon blues! A watermelon spritzer, or watermelon lemonade. 

It's so disappointing when you have your taste buds all set up for a juicy melon, but cut into something that's either overripe and mushy, or underripe and pithy, or just lacking in sweet, summery flavor.

Some people seem to know how to pick a great watermelon, but my luck is hit-or-miss. Over the years I've heard many tips, and I've tried them with varying degrees of success.

In Utah, one caveat that does ring true is that your chances of getting a good melon are actually better in late August and September, when Green River melons go on the market. Green River is the Utah's prime melon-growing spot, where the hot days and cool nights make a sweeter melon. You can find the identifying "Green River" signs and stickers in grocery stores and farmers markets.

And yet, many people lose interest in melons after the July holidays and the Labor Day picnics are over. They don't realize the best is yet to come.

A few years ago I visited Green River and asked melon growers how to pick a good melon.

Nancy Dunham told me a ripe watermelon, when tapped, is supposed to have the same pitch as a B-flat. But what if you can't tell a B-flat from a C-sharp?

"It's supposed to sound crisp and hollow, with just a little wiggle in the middle," she added. "If it makes a dead thump, it's overripe."

A tip from Chris Dunham: "Pat your stomach and listen carefully to that sound. Then pat the melon and see if the sound of the melon matches the sound of your stomach."

Also, the underside (where the melon sat on the ground) should be creamy yellow rather than pale green or white, a sign of ripeness. The Watermelon Promotion Board says to look for a firm, symmetrical melon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents. Lift it; it should be heavy for its size, since it's 92 percent water.

Even with all the stomach-patting, thumping, smelling and lifting and inspecting, that perfect watermelon can still be elusive. You taste that first slice, and the fruity sweetness is lacking. So, the rest of the melon sits in the fridge. Nobody will eat it because they know it won't get any better. 

I have a better idea: Use that not-so-great fruit as a watermelon spritzer. A spin in the blender solves the over or underripe texture problem. You still get the flavor and nutrients of the watermelon — the antioxidant lycopene, vitamins C and A and potassium. If you use a diet soda or plain club soda to supply the fizz, it's fairly low in calories, too. It makes a refreshing drink for after school, or after work.

Years ago when my son played high school football, he and one or two friends would eat a whole watermelon nearly every night after practice. Wish I would have thought of this spritzer sooner; they might have enjoyed it as well.


The Watermelon Promotion Board developed a recipe for Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade, as another beverage idea.

WATERMELON SPRITZER

5-6 cups diced watermelon, seeds removed

12-ounce can of diet lemon-lime soda, chilled (or 12 ounces club soda or seltzer water)

Puree the melon in the blender until completely smooth. Place a few ice cubes or crushed ice in two tall glasses. Pour half of the watermelon juice into each glass, and top it off with some of the soda. Garnish with a lime or lemon wedge, or a sprig of mint, if desired. Serves 2.
— Valerie Phillips

WATERMELON RASPBERRY LEMONADE

6 cups watermelon cubes (seeds removed)

1/4 cup raspberries

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

Place watermelon, raspberries and water in container of electric blender, cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Serves 4.
— Watermelon Promotion Board

EVEN EASIER ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

 I recently posted about Easy Zucchini Scalloped Potatoes as a way to use up a bumper crop of zucchini. For last Sunday dinner, I experimented and came up with an  Even Easier Zucchini Scalloped Potatoes recipe, which uses a box of au gratin potato mix. 

You don't have to bother peeling or slicing potatoes, the folks at Betty Crocker already did. 

Microwave the dried potatoes for 4-5 minutes in boiling water to re-hydrate them. Then stir in the zucchini, milk, and seasoning packet and finish cooking. I sprinkled on some shredded cheese and sat the  some dish under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese was bubbly and browned. Pretty simple!

EVEN EASIER ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

1 box scalloped or au gratin potato mix

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups water

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)

2/3 cup milk

Place the dried potatoes in a large round casserole dish.  Add the butter and water, cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. 

Stir in the zucchini, seasoning packet and milk, and microwave on medium for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Check to make sure potatoes are tender.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup grated cheese over the top of the potato-zucchini mixture. 

Place on the top oven rack and broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and a little browned.  Makes about 4 servings.

FRUITY ICE POPS A COOL BACK-TO-SCHOOL TREAT

It's TOO HOT for kids to be in school! What were school officials thinking when they decided to start the year a full two weeks before Labor Day???

Maybe if they had to sit in a hot classroom instead of an air-conditioned office, they might have a clue.  Also, cutting the summer wreaks havoc on businesses such as Lagoon and Cherry Hill who rely on high school kids for their workforce, and on grade school kids as customers. There went two weeks of revenue in a season already shortened by rain during most of June.

But, apparently nobody cares what I think. 

So, when the kids get home from school, let them enjoy these ice pops made with lots of good-for-your fruit.  These are so easy that kids can make them on their own, too.  My granddaughter Jayden enjoyed one of them while hanging out at her Grandma Angie's swimming pool -- but she couldn't lick quite as fast the fruit-sicle melted.

FRUITY ICE POPS

16-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup strawberry jam

Mix together in a blender until smooth. 

Pour into plastic ice-pop molds, or into 5-ounce paper or plastic cups. If using cups, freeze for about 2 hours,  then place a plastic spoon in the middle of the cup so that it stands upright. Continue freezing until pops are completely firm. 

To serve, dip the outside of the container in hot water, or allow to sit on the counter for  5-10 minutes. Carefully squeeze at the bottom of the cup and pull slightly with the spoon until the ice pop comes out.  

Makes about 6 pops, depending on how full the they are poured.

FOR PINEAPPLE-PEACH POPS: Use 1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in pineapple juice and 1/2 cup peach jam.

FOR BLUEBERRY-GRAPE POPS: Use 1 16-ounce package frozen blueberries and 1/2 cup grape jelly (if you use a full cup, the pops will be very sweet). 

FOR MULTI-POPS, pour  2 to 3 tablespoons of one fruit flavor into the cup. Freeze 1 hour, and stick the plastic spoon into the cup, then add 2-3 tablespoons of another flavor. Freeze one more hour and add 2-3 tablespoons of final flavor. Freeze until solid. 

EASY ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

As I mentioned before, I've been getting a steady supply of zucchini from a community garden that I'm participating in, as well as my one prolific plant growing in my flower bed. But not everyone in the family is as excited about sauteed zucchini as I am.  So I'm finding some more creative ways to work them into some of our better-liked dishes, such as my Easy Low-Fat Scalloped Potatoes.  


What makes these  easy is that I use a hand-held mandolin that cuts both the potatoes and zucchini into super-thin slices in a few minutes. My son Lonn has become pretty good at this. 


What makes them low-fat is that instead of butter and cream, I use reduced-fat margarine (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is my favorite), and either 2% milk or fat-free half-and-half. 

Once you've got the zucchini and potatoes in those nice thin slices, pile them in layers, sprinkling them with salt, pepper, dried onion flakes and a few dots of butter before adding another layer. It's probably best to end up with the potatoes at the top, if you don;t want to broadcast their presence.  Then  pour 2 cups of milk, or fat-free half-and-half over it all. Don't be dismayed if it seems like there's a huge pile of potatoes and zucchini; they do "cook down," and the zucchini will shed a lot of moisture. Don't leave out the onions; they add a lot of flavor.  If you have fresh onions, use them instead of the dried flakes.  

Most scalloped potato recipes call for an hour of baking, but I'm usually short on time. So I pop the dish in the microwave for 10-12 minutes to get things started. Then I stir them around to make sure all the slices get evenly covered with the milk; sprinkle on grated cheddar cheese and bread crumbs, and place it in the oven at 350 degrees. The thinly sliced vegetables are fork-tender in about 20 minutes.  If you turn the heat up higher, they may get done faster, but the sauce is also likely to boil over and leave a mess in the oven.

I mentioned something about the zucchini to my husband, Kim, as we were eating this dish last week.  "There's really zucchini in this?" he asked.  Mission accomplished.

EASY ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

3 medium potatoes

2 medium or small zucchini

1/4 to 1/3 cup reduced-fat margarine

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 pint fat-free half-and-half

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced-fat if desired)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Peel and slice potatoes into thin slices. Layer about 1/3 of them in an 8-inch square, or 2-quart round casserole dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper and 1/3 of the onion flakes. Dot with a third of the margarine. Repeat layers. Pour the half-and-half over the potatoes. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, stopping to stir potatoes once or twice to make sure they are immersed. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and topping is crunchy.