July, 2015 | Not Just Sunday Dinner

Meringue Cake with Fresh Fruit

This meringue cake with fresh fruit is such a treat that you may catch yourself making it all of the time! You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time, and you can bake it ahead of time. It’s so easy that I almost feel guilty sharing it. After all, you start with a cake mix.

This cake is simply a white cake mix, topped with meringue and nuts and served with fresh fruit. I like peaches or strawberries, and I don’t even use additional sugar on the fruit. The dessert is simple enough to serve on a weeknight, but it’s delicious enough to serve to guest.

Meringue Cake with Fresh Fruit

Author:

Amye Melton

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix
4 egg whites
1¼ c. granulated sugar
¾ c. chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
Chopped fresh fruit

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Spread into prepared pans and set aside.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar, beating thoroughly. Spread meringue over cake batter. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes or until center tests done. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut into wedges and serve with fresh fruit.

Asparagus Roll Ups

asparagus-roll-ups

It’s July, and my mind has been on Christmas. So much so, that I started my Christmas shopping list last week. In recent years, it has become very short which makes it even more important that the gifts I buy are perfect. Because it’s “Christmas in July” at my house, I am sharing an excellent recipe that I tried for the first time at my families First Annual Bolton Ladies Ugly Christmas Sweater party back in December. My cousin, Nancy, brought these fabulous asparagus roll-ups to our afternoon tea menu and they were the hit of the party.

Nancy’s recipe was like so many that has been handed down through the years, no measurements. This recipe has the measurements that I used but feel free to adjust, as you like. I prefer using freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Also, roasting the asparagus was not part of the original recipe so you would be okay skipping this step if you like. I ran out of wheat bread and used a few pieces of white bread pieces, which also tasted good.

Asparagus Roll Ups

Author:

Amye Melton

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh small asparagus spears
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
4-oz. crumbled blue cheese
2 - 3 tbsp. Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon (original)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
16 slices whole wheat bread or honey wheat bread
¼ c. unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F. Trim tough ends of asparagus and discard. Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with a small olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in oven and roast until bring green and crisp-tender. (about 7 minutes) Remove from oven and cool completely. When cool, blot with a paper towel to remove most of olive oil. Lower oven temperature to 400°F.
With an electric mixer blend cream cheese and blue cheese together. Stir in dill and bacon, set aside.
Stack about 4 pieces of bread and remove crust with a serrated knife. Repeat with remaining slices of bread. With a rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread.
Spread bread with a small amount of the cream cheese mixture, to cover one side. Place 3 to 4 asparagus spears, tips pointed out on the same end, on the cream cheese mixture, close to one edge. Roll up, starting with the asparagus side of the bread. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Notes

Freeze unbaked roll-ups in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator, and bake as directed.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

I was recently reminded that I had never shared my mother’s sugar cookie recipe on NJSD. I received pictures of these two cuties making mama’s cookies, and I knew I needed to share this recipe with you!

My mother is and will always be the most wonderful cook I know. She passed on the love of creating something delicious in the kitchen for family and friends to me. Mama is an amazing lady with many wonderful qualities. Anyone that knows her knows that she has a heart of gold. She is kind to everyone and never meets a stranger. When I was growing up, she made all of my friends feel at home when they were at our house. I think my friends enjoyed spending time at our house to see my mama rather than me. She is in every sense of the words an “elegant southern lady”. She lost my daddy over 12 years ago, and if there were ever two “soulmates” in this world, they were. Since losing my dad, she has been thrown a few curve balls but has shown incredible strength. She is my hero, and I am so thankful that God chose to give me such an amazing role model. I love you, mama!!

Mama made these cookies many times when I was growing up. My cousin said that she made them often when her daughter was small, so I’m guesstimating that this recipe must be 40+ years old. This recipe makes about two dozen cookies that are not overly sweet. Mama always pressed the cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Author:

Amye Melton

Ingredients

½ c. butter, softened
½ c. vegetable shortening
½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. powdered sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together flour, salt, soda, and cream of tartar, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and shortening. Add sugars and mix well. Mix in the egg and vanilla until combined. Slowly add flour mixture and mix just until combined.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on if you like them light golden brown or a little darker.

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw and Sweet Chili Lime Sauce

Here is a perfect summertime meal, shrimp tacos. They are light and flavorful, and one of my family’s favorite meals. The mango slaw is a great addition to these or any fish tacos. The seasoning blend adds the perfect spice to the shrimp, and the sweet chili lime sauce is delicious with the blackened shrimp. Every bite is a flavor explosion in your mouth!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw and Sweet Chili Lime Sauce

Author:

Amye Melton

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 tsp. smoked paprika
1½ tsp. onion powder
1½ tsp. garlic powder
1½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground red pepper
2 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
canola oil, divided
Mango-Lime Slaw
1 (16-oz.) pkg. coleslaw mix
2 mangoes peeled and chopped
4 tbsp. fresh lime juice
6 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
pinch sugar
Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. mayonnaise
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
4 tbsp. sweet chili sauce (Asian aisle of supermarket)
Lime wedges
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

To make slaw, in a large bowl combine the coleslaw mix, chopped mangoes, lime juice, cilantro, salt and sugar. Toss to combine.
To make sweet chili lime sauce, in a medium bowl combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, lime zest and lime juice, and sweet chili sauce. Whisk to combine.
Combine brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and red pepper in a medium bowl. Sprinkle over shrimp and toss.
Cook shrimp in batches by heating 2 tbsp. of canola oil at at time in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes, or until shrimp are done. Remove from skillet. Add more oil between batches.
If you are using flour tortilla, warm before serving. If using corn tortilla; heat a small amount of canola oil in a skillet. Place corn tortilla in hot oil and fry for a few seconds on each side. Drain well.
To assemble, top tortillas with shrimp, slaw, and sweet chili lime sauce. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeño slices.

Summer Garden Pasta

Do you ever have those weekends that are jam-packed? You have that list that you’ve been making for months, and you decide that you are finally going to check things off that list. You work all day, and you accomplish more than you thought you would. Now the day is over, and you are hot, sweaty, and hungry. The thought of cooking is exhausting, but the thought of going out to dinner is even more exhausting.

With a little bit of planning, you will have this delicious summer pasta on the table in no time. This recipe is an Ina Garten recipe that is super simple. The tomatoes and a few of the other ingredients need to be mixed and left to stand at room temperature for 4 hours. With a mid-day break, this is easy to do. Other than the wait time, this dish can be ready in 15 minutes or less. It is a light and fresh meatless meal and a great end to a productive day of work!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Summer Garden Pasta

Author:

Amye Melton

Serves: 6

Ingredients

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
Good olive oil
2 tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried angel hair pasta
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions

Combine the cherry tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful - it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.