Raspberry Purée

1 pint raspberries
¼ C lime juice
1/3 C sugar
1-2 tsp corn starch

Purée all ingredients in a blender; if desired, strain out seeds. Heat gently in a saucepan to thicken. Serve (warm or chilled) over fruit, ice cream, cheesecake, angel food cake...

I like lime juice with the raspberries, but lemon works fine too (with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries...) With raspberries, 1/3 C sugar tastes about right to me, but use less sugar with sweeter blueberries or blackberries.

Grilled Peaches (Plums, Nectarines...)

Peaches, nectarines and plums get a deep, carmel-like flavor when cooked on a grill (or under a broiler) that makes them even more delicious! A few tips...

* Just-ripe fruit works best; if it's very soft/over-ripe to begin with, it gets TOO soft when cooked.

* Coat grill with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray ("high heat" varieties for grilling are great, but anything works) OR lightly brush fruit surface with olive oil or melted butter.

* Place fruit on the grill for just a minute or two to sear. Check the underside -- once it's golden with grill marks, turn it over to finish cooking.

* Add flavor by sprinkling fruit with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Or drizzle with a berry purée.

* Fruit skewers are a fun way to serve it too.

Orange & Pale Ale Marinade

Makes enough for about 2 lbs meat.

½ C medium-bodied beer - pale ale
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
½ onion
1 tsp salt

Peel onion and shred on a grater. Whisk together all ingredients. Put meat in a glass baking dish; coat with marinade. Bake...

This was not my favorite marinade. I generally like the zingy sweet of citrus (in case you hadn't noticed in many of the recent marinade recipes). I don't like beer, though I have other recipes/marinades made with beer that I DO like. Mostly this one was just rather bitter. Maybe with a different ale and a sweet onion...

Lemon-Basil Chile Glaze

¾ C (6 oz) thawed frozen lemonade concentrate
¼ C chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tbls olive oil
zest of 4 lemons
¼ C lemon juice
1 tsp red chile flakes

Combine all ingredients. Use glaze to baste meat while grilling.
Makes enough for 4 lbs meat.

Broiled Fruit Desserts

More of a reminder than a recipe. I usually do this with apples or bananas (I almost always have one or the other around), but I have done the same with peaches and plums; other fruits could work too.

Slice the fruit, thinly, and place it in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. I often 'dot' it with butter or sprinkle lightly with lemon juice. If desired, sprinkle with white or brown sugar. Sometimes I use sugar-cinnamon. Put it under the broiler long enough for the fruit to brown and begin to carmelize. If you want, turn the fruit and brown both sides.

The fruit can also be browned in a fry pan (with butter), or toasted on the grill.

Pictured: Apples...like apple pie, without the crust.

Honey-Lime Marinade

Makes enough for about 2 lbs meat.

¼ C olive oil
¼ C lime juice
zest of 2 limes
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne

Whisk all ingredients together. Put meat into a glass baking dish and pour marinade over it, turning to coat. Marinate 1-3 hours. Grill, broil, bake...

For a stickier glaze, mix 2 more Tbls honey with 1 Tbls lime juice and brush onto meat during last 5 minutes of cooking.

Sticky Brown Sugar Glaze

It's June. We're PAST Memorial day. Even if the weather isn't exactly cooperating yet, it's GRILLING TIME. I have a few marinade recipes I'll post over the next few days, weeks...

1½ C brown sugar
3 Tbls cider vinegar
3 Tbls beer or water
½ - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dry mustard

Combine all ingredients. Use this glaze to baste meat while grilling. Makes enough for 4 lbs meat.

Apple-Blackberry Pie

3-4 medium apples
2 C blackberries
1 C sugar*
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 Tbls flour

* I like the tartness of Granny Smith apples, and then I generally use the full cup of sugar. With sweeter apples, you can get by with less; the blackberries are plenty sweet.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Line a 9" pie plate with bottom crust. Peel, core and slice/dice apples. Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Gently mix apples and blackberries with sugar and spice mixture. Pour into pie crust. Top with upper crust, crimping top and bottom crusts to seal edges. Stab crust with a fork or cut small slits with a knife to allow steam to vent. Bake 1¼ hours.

If you want a glazed crust (on this or any pie), whisk an egg yolk with 1-2 Tbls milk and brush over top crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if desired.

Vinegar Pie Crust

My grandma, Nellie May, used to be able to get two complete, 9" pies (tops and bottoms) out of this recipe. Not me! I can get three crusts, and have a bit left over. I usually make one pie with top and bottom crust, and one 'open topped' pie with a crumble-style crust, or a quiche, or one smaller 'pot-pie'...

3 C flour*
1¼ C shortening
1½ tsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbls vinegar
3 Tbls water

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt; then add egg, vinegar and water. Do not overmix. Roll thinly and gently press into pie dish.

* Whole wheat flour works too, though not as complimentary with the tang of vinegar (just use cold water); great for a quiche or with meat & veggie pot-pies.

Variation: Mix 1 C shredded cheddar cheese with the flour and salt. Delicious with apple pie and meat & veggie pot pies.

Ginger-Garlic Shrimp

1 lb shrimp
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls minced garlic
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1+ Tbls butter, olive oil
lemon wedges

In a bowl (big enough to hold 1 lb shrimp) combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Optional: Remove shrimp tails for easier eating...

Heat pan. Add butter and a little olive oil to sauté pan. Add shrimp to hot pan. Sauté until pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Dump hot shrimp into bowl with spiced mix and toss to coat.

Serve over white sticky rice. Squeeze lemon wedges over cooked shrimp and/or serve with lemon wedge garnish.

Taco Salad

I don't have a recipe for taco salad (do you need one?!). Besides, I usually just use the envelopes of taco seasoning on the meat. (I know, I'm such a gourmet!) Honestly, I'm not really a huge Mexican food fan - and seriously, taco salad? Isn't it a pretty Americanized version (perversion?!) of any real Mexican dish?!

Anyway, I thought I'd post a picture so that when I log on just to search for 'inspiration' and dinner ideas I'm reminded of taco salad once in a while!

ground beef/turkey
(or shredded chicken)
lettuce
tomatoes
onions
peppers (green/red/yellow)
cheddar (and/or other) cheese
tortilla chips
chopped olives
sour cream
etc.

Brown the meat, slice and dice the veggies, shred the cheese...and enjoy!

Three-Onion Quiche

I used a sweet vidalia onion instead of half the leeks. Really, any combination of onions, leeks, shallots and/or scallions would work fine. Variety is nice, and the red and green onions add visual appeal. Other cheeses would work too, of course...

9" pie crust
1 Tbls butter
3 medium leeks
2 bunches green onions
½ red onion
1 Tbls flour
1 C half-and-half
3 eggs
½ tsp salt
2 C shredded white cheddar

Preheat oven to 425°

Bake pie crust 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile...thinly slice leeks (white and light green parts), thickly slice green onions including half the green stalks, slice the red onion - cut into thin half moon slices. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat; sauté 20 minutes or until very tender.

Whisk together flour, eggs, half-and-half, and salt. Add the cheese. Stir in ¾ of the onion mixture, and pour it all into the pie crust. Top with the rest of the sautéed onions. Bake 20 to 30 minutes (until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (If the edges start to get too dark, cover them with foil.)

Let sit 10 minutes before serving.