Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

This coming weekend is one of the biggest holiday weekends of the summer.  We celebrate America's independence with BBQ's, picnics, camping, etc.  Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad is a wonderful, light, refreshing fruit salad.  If you are watching your calories, it can be made sugar-free and low fat if you want.  It is great either way!!

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad
The red layer -
1 small pkg. strawberry Jell-o
1 qt. fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, chopped and sweetened with sugar
      (Let stand so it will make juice, then drain well, saving the juice)
1 c. strawberry juice (add water to juice if needed to make 1 cup)
Bring juice to a boil, add Jell-o and dissolve.  Cool until slightly thickened.  Add the strawberries.  Put into a 9x9" pan.  Chill until set.
The white layer -
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1-8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
Beat the softened cream cheese with a electric mixer until smooth.  Add the thawed Cool Whip and blend well.  Gently spread on top of the red layer.
The blue layer -
1 pt. fresh blueberries, washed
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
In a small heavy saucepan, combine ingredients and cook over low heat until thickened.  Cool.  Gently spoon over white layer.  Chill.
Note:  Frozen whole strawberries and blueberries may be used.  Also, frozen, sugared strawberries can be used in a pinch.  Blueberry pie filling can also be used in a pinch.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Today is a very special day for me.  Our son, Sam is a big 14!!!  Happy Birthday Sam.  Love you very much and can't imagine my life without you.  For his birthday he always wants Chocolate Fudge Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.  In an earlier post I have the Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe.  The frosting is just like a buttercream frosting and reminds me of peanut butter fudge.

Peanut Butter Frosting1 cup peanut butter
8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup cold coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or other flavoring
Cream peanut butter and add 4 cups sugar, cold coffee and vanilla. Beat with paddle attachment until smooth gradually add the rest of sugar to reach frosting consistency.
 

BBQ Rub

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!  Hope you are having a great day.  I had a wonderful dad who has been gone for almost 10 years now and I still miss him.  There are times that I wish I could talk with him and hear what he thinks about all that is going on in the world today. Love you Dad and will see you some day!!!

Since it is grilling season I am going to give you my recipe for BBQ Rub.  I use this rub for several recipes that I will be giving to you.  It is great on beef, pork or chicken.  I sprinkle it on French Fries and use it to fry potatoes.  This makes quite a bit but when you use it like I do, it doesn't last long!

BBQ Rub

¼ c. salt

¼ c. celery salt

1/8 c. garlic salt

1/8 c. onion salt

1 c. sugar

1 c. paprika

3 T. black pepper

2 T. chili powder

1 t. cumin

2 t. cayenne pepper

1 T dill weed

To mix, just put into a container that has a lid and shake. 

Makes 3½ cups

Stuffed French Toast with Berries

Here is another delicious and different way to use your panini grill.  You can use frozen french toast or you can make your own.  To make your own french toast you need to go to your local bakery again and get some white bread that is unsliced.  Day old bread is great and even a couple of days old is even better.  Cut the bread into about 1" slices.  The following step can be done a day or two before you are going to stuff the french toast.  Make a batter using a ratio of 1 egg, ½ c. ½+½ , and 1 tsp. vanilla per 2 slices of bread.  Dip the bread into the batter and let the bread soak up the batter.  Cook the french toast on a buttered griddle until golden brown.  Cool.
To make the fruit sauce, I always use a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, fresh or frozen.  You can also add peaches and nectarines. If using fresh, wash, stem and chop your fruits and add sugar. 
Now to stuff your french toast.  For 2 slices of french toast you will need about 2 oz. cream cheese, softened.  Spread the softened cream cheese on one piece of french toast and top with the other, making a sandwich.  Place onto the panini grill and grill until cheese is melted.  If you are using frozen french toast, you need to make your sandwich then warm it up in the microwave before grilling. 
To serve, top the french toast with the prepared fruit and sweetened whipped cream.  Enjoy!!   
   

Rhubarb Cake

One more rhubarb recipe!!  It is so good that I had to share it.  I made this for a potluck that we had at church on Sunday.  It is very easy to make and very moist and delicious. 

Rhubarb Cake
5 c. rhubarb, washed and cut-up into small pieces
1 can strawberry or cherry pie filling (I used cherry)
1 small box any red Jell-o
3 c. miniature marshmallows
1 yellow cake mix
     Mix together the first 4 ingredients and put into a 9" x 13" greased pan.  Mix the cake mix according to the package.  Pour over the fruit and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 1 hour until done.  Cool.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream. 

Rhubarb Custard Pie and Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

It is rhubarb time, and rhubarb has been growing here in MN for a while.  Two of my customers favorite pies are made with rhubarb - Rhubarb Custard and Strawberry-Rhubarb.  With strawberries in season, both pies are a good choice.  For each pie you will need a double recipe for pie crust.   

Rhubarb Custard Pie

3 eggs, beaten

3 T. ½+½

2 c. sugar

¼ c. flour

¾ t. cinnamon

5 c. rhubarb, washed, cut up into ½ inch pieces

2 T. butter

Mix together the first 6 ingredients.  Roll out ½ of
the pie dough and line a 9" pie plate. Fill pastry crust with mixture.  Dot with butter.  Top with the 2nd crust, seal and flute.  Cut slits in the crust.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 50-60 minutes until golden brown and the filling is done.  Cool.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

3 c. rhubarb, washed, cut up into ½ inch pieces

2 c. strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half

1¼ c. sugar

¼ c. flour

3 eggs

3 T. ½+½

2 T. butter                                  

Follow the instructions for rhubarb custard pie.

Here is a little trivia about rhubarb.  Rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable; however in the US, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the US as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purpose of regulations and duties.  A side effect was the reduction of taxes paid.  Rhubarb first came to the US in 1820's and is commonly called "pie plant" since it is used for making pies.