Author Topic: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?  (Read 3489 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« on: August 29, 2022, 07:55:14 pm »
Hello friends! A big 3-day weekend is coming up for us state-siders and the whole northern hemisphere is entering those golden end-of-summer days. I get cravings for tropical ingredients and dishes...what are your favorites? Here on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains we grow Rocky Ford cantaloupes and on the other side, the Western Slope, we grow Palisades Peaches. Down in the southern parts, we grow hot peppers. So I try to find recipes for all those things.

Attached is a photo of a simple lunch I prepared with lightly pickled cucumbers, Rocky Ford cantaloupe, and minced red onion from my garden, along with half an avocado filled with a ranch dressing made with Penzey's Ranch herbal mix. There's also the book I'm reading, 1491, about the thriving civilizations that existed in the Americas before the Europeans arrived.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2022, 02:30:00 pm »
Yum!

My end-of-summer favorites are generally anything involving either homegrown tomatoes or fresh corn. So I usally eat a Caprese salad or sandwich or BLT every day. And make some batches of corn chowder, corn salad, etc. I think I just posted on Chuck's blog about the casserole I made with garden poblanos, garden tomatoes, fresh corn and onions and shredded pork, topped with melted cheese and sprinkled with pepitas.

I'd post a photo but I've eaten most of it and unlike your beautiful shot mine would not look like it involveda professional food stylist!  :laugh:


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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2022, 03:03:17 pm »
... I usually eat a Caprese salad or sandwich
So, is that made with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil? I should try that!

... your beautiful shot mine would not look like it involved a professional food stylist!  :laugh:
[/quote]
THank you! I just noticed it is kind of blurry.
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Offline Sason

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2022, 05:15:51 pm »
It's not blurry and it looks yummy!

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2022, 07:14:16 pm »
My neighborhood is having a block party on Sunday and I've decided to bring succotash. However, I'm not happy with the recipes I've found online. What are your favorite ways to prepare it?
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2022, 08:36:19 pm »
So, is that made with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil? I should try that!

Not sure it's actually made from the milk of an Italian Mediterranean buffalo, but it's soft fresh mozzarella. I get decent bread, toast it and spread it with mayo, though I suppose those who don't like mayo could use some kind of oil and vinegar solution. I like it about as well as a BLT, though I have as many as possible of both this time of year.

Which brings up a question. A friend said he ate a sandwich that was pork belly, lettuce and tomato. I love pork belly in restaurant concoctions, buffet tables, etc. But is it something you can actually buy in a grocery store? I've never seen it. Is it called something else?





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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2022, 10:36:11 am »
Here is a good explanation of it:

https://agrillforallseasons.com/smoked-pork-belly/

They call it the "king of bacon." It's thick and very fatty. It's cured with salt and sweetener.

Now, back to the succotash. I would think that the way you all rave about Southern food and lima beans, that you could have a good recipe at hand. The best looking one that I could find is here: https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/salads-sides/classic-succotash

But I was thinking it would have more of a vinegrette dressing. But no, it's cooked in butter.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2022, 01:41:11 pm »
Here is a good explanation of it:

https://agrillforallseasons.com/smoked-pork-belly/

They call it the "king of bacon." It's thick and very fatty. It's cured with salt and sweetener.

Oh, I know what it is and usually order it when I see it on menus. It's delicious! But I've never seen it in a store, including the slightly upscale stores I tend to shop at (they're closest). According to this article, I should check Costco or a butcher shop, I guess.

Quote
Now, back to the succotash. I would think that the way you all rave about Southern food and lima beans, that you could have a good recipe at hand. The best looking one that I could find is here: https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/salads-sides/classic-succotash

But I was thinking it would have more of a vinegrette dressing. But no, it's cooked in butter.

I made succotash years ago at the specific request of the person hosting a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. This was when I lived in the South. But I'll have to say, I didn't like it that much. Kind of blah. However, if you do make it, I would suggest using non-frozen products. So you could make the lima beans by cooking dried lima beans, and cut corn off the cob if you can get good corn there. Maybe use a spicy pepper of some kind in addition to the red bell.

I have a package of Trader Joe's "soycotash" in my freezer in case I need a quick vegetable sometime to accompany protein. It subs edamame for the limas.

It's corn season here, and because fresh sweetcorn is delicious in Minnesota I try to use it at every opportunity. (Same with tomatoes) In addition to throwing a lot of corn into my poblano casserole, I made a corn salad last week for a Labor Day pot-luck picnic. I would have loved to put bacon in it, but one of my friends is pescatarian, so when that group gathers I try to bring something either vegetarian or with fish or shellfish. I made my corn salad with bacon once for a neighborhood potluck and saw a nice man who I gathered was Jewish say "Oh this looks good!" and dig right in. Hopefully all went well. I know not all Jewish people avoid pork but I like to be careful. A Jewish friend hosts a brunch every year and one year she served a delicious grilled pork roast. "This is the best roast beef I've ever tasted!" a guest exclaimed. "Oh, it's pork," my friend said. Oops! The guest had never had pork in her mouth before.

Anyway, I've got another 5-6 ears and I'm going to make a corn chowder and definitely will use bacon.



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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2022, 03:01:22 pm »
Okay, based on your comments, I think I'll switch to a "Cowboy Salsa" recipe with black beans instead of limas. I'll make the succotash another day.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: What are your favorite end of summer recipes?
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2022, 05:00:17 pm »
Okay, based on your comments, I think I'll switch to a "Cowboy Salsa" recipe with black beans instead of limas. I'll make the succotash another day.

That's always good! A friend who brought it to our Labor Day picnic called it cowboy caviar.