Summer Couscous Salad

This summery meal won't heat up your kitchen. Refreshing mint, garlic, raisins, orange juice and couscous give this salad a hint of the Middle East. Couscous is made by moistening hard durum wheat and rolling it in flour to form tiny pellets. An authentic Moroccan couscous takes about an hour to make. Precooked couscous, the kind found in most supermarkets, takes only 5 minutes.

Cooking the onions until their natural juices caramelize, a process that takes about 10 minutes, gives the salad a natural sweet flavor. Let the onions cook while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

The pita bread can be served warm or at room temperature. Warm the pita in a microwave or toaster oven to save heating up a large oven in hot weather.

Cooking tip: To keep couscous fluffy, toss with a fork rather than a spoon.

Timing tips: Start onions first, then measure remaining ingredients. Boil water for couscous. Complete recipe.

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1/2 medium onion, sliced (1 cup)

1/2 cup couscous

2 sliced carrots (1 cup)

1/4 pound zucchini cut into 1-inch dice (1 cup)

2 medium cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup raisins

1 can (15.5-ounce) chickpeas, rinsed (1 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 small tomatoes cut into 2-inch cubes (2 cups)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

1/2 small head Romaine lettuce, washed and drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium pita breads

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Pour 1/2 cup water into a medium-size nonstick skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat 10 minutes. Add more water if onions become too dry.

In a saucepan with tight-fitting lid, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; remove from heat and add couscous. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Add carrots to onions and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic and cook 5 more minutes.

Place couscous in a bowl and fluff with a fork. Add onion mixture, raisins and chickpeas and toss well. Mix orange juice, olive oil, cayenne and cinnamon together, then add to couscous and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss tomatoes and mint together. Line a serving platter or 2 individual plates with lettuce leaves and spoon on salad on top. Sprinkle tomatoes and mint over couscous salad. Place pita in toaster oven for 2 minutes to warm through, or warm in oven a few minutes. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 798 calories, 27 g protein, 151 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat; 28.2 g fiber, no cholesterol, 635 mg sodium (sodium will decrease if chickpeas are rinsed). Calories from fat: 14 percent.

Blueberry & Tortellini Fruit Salad

Having picked up fresh blueberries at Wegmans, decided to make this salad as a side to go with the Wegmans roasted chicken (a lemon pepper & a barbecued) that we also purchased.

Sue Mackay of Grindstone Farm submitted this recipe to the Post-Standard.


1/2 cup low-fat poppy seed dressing
1 9-ounce package three-cheese tortellini
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 11-ounce can Mandarin orange segments, drained
3/4 cup green grapes
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Cook pasta according to directions, drain.

In large bowl add pasta and salad ingredients, pour dressing over it all and toss lightly.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Summer Squash Frittata

Since the temperature took an unseasonably downward spiral, Joan prepared this recipe from the July 2007 issue of Southern Living. While this frittata may be served cold with tomato sauce, Joan served it warm with salsa.

Preparation takes approximately 20 minutes, cooking approximately 15 minutes, and baking approximately 35 minutes.

3 Tbsp. butter
2 small zucchini, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
2 small summer squash, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add chopped zucchini, squash, and onion, and sauté 12 to 14 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove skillet from heat.

2. Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients until well blended. Pour over vegetable mixture in skillet.

3. Bake at 350° for 33 to 35 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and center is set. Sprinkle evenly with chopped fresh basil.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

In The Summertime

In the summer time when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the sky,
When the weather's fine
You got women, you got women on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find.

If her Daddy's rich, take her out for a meal,
If her Daddy's poor, just do what you feel.
Scoot along the lake, do a town an' then return her twenty five.
When the sun goes down
You can make it, make it good and really fine.

With a fat beat, when her Daddy with a me,
We'll have everybody, but we do as we please.
When the weather's fine, we go fishing or go swimming in the sea,
We're always happy,
Long's we're living in this sound philosophy.

Sing along with us, dee dee dee dee dee
Da da da da da, yeah we're hap-pap-py.
Da da da dee da doo dee da dee da dee da da,
Da da da da da, dee da da dee da da.

When the wind is here, yeah it's party time,
Bring your bottle waggin' back, 'cuz it will soon be summer time.
And we'll signal a cab, we'll go driving or maybe we'll settle down,
If she's rich, if she's nice, bring your friends and we'll all go into town.
In the summer time when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the sky,
When the weather's fine
You got women, you got women on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find.

If her Daddy's rich, take her out for a meal,
If her Daddy's poor, just do what you feel.
Scoot along the lake, do a town an' then return her twenty five.
When the sun goes down
You can make it, make it good and really fine.

With a fat beat, when her Daddy with a me,
We'll have everybody, but we do as we please.
When the weather's fine, we go fishing or go swimming in the sea,
We're always happy,
Long's we're living in this sound philosophy.

Sing along with us, dee dee dee dee dee
Da da da da da, yeah we're hap-pap-py.
Da da da dee da doo dee da dee da dee da da,
Da da da da da, dee da da dee da da.

Proud Mary

Proud Mary

Left a good job in the city,
Work in' for The Man ev'ry night and day,
And I never lost one minute of sleepin',
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been.

CHORUS:
Big wheel keep on turnin',
Proud Mary keep on bumin',
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river.

Cleaned a lot ofpiates in Memphis,
Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans,
But I never saw the good side of the city,
Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen.

CHORUS:
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river.

If you come down to the river,
Bet you gonna find some people who live.
You don't have to worry 'cause you have no money,
People on the river are happy to give.

CHORUS:
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river.
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river.
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river.

The House Of The Rising Sun

Eric Burdon & the Animals


There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor
Sewed my new blue jeans
My father was gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time he'll be satisfied
Is when he's all a-drunk

Oh mother, tell your children

Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the house of the Rising Sun

Well I've got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Well there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

Buster Bars

Dustin came to town from Las Vegas to attend a wedding. Michael put together a quick party so Dustin could visit with friends. Joan made this new dessert. It was a big hit with all.

BARS:

1 package Oreo cookies
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
2 cups peanuts

Crush Oreos. Mix with butter. Put in 9xl3-inch pan. Spread ice cream over crust. Put peanuts over ice cream, then the Fudge Sauce. Freeze until firm.

FUDGE SAUCE:

1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
2 cups chocolate chips

Microwave until melted. Cool slightly and put on Buster Bars.