Sunday, June 15, 2014

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad

Simple and good. The perfect combination of sweet and tart.
If you're looking for a recipe to help you cool off, you've found it.

The watermelon and lemon juice combined with the cucumber and mint make a perfect flavor. 

 
"West Coast Friendship" Owl City

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
2 cups of watermelon, cubed
2 tbsp. lemon juice
fresh mint leaves 

Directions: 

Combine ingredients.

Watermelon Rind Crisp Sweet Pickles

I have a small confession:
I'd never actually canned anything before, but this recipe looked perfect for our surplus of watermelon. I had to give it a try!

The process was much easier than I expected. 
(Except for scraping the lids out of the boiling water. Cohesive properties were not on my side)
All the spices smelled so good!
I'm trying  to hold off eating them until at least September, but its a struggle.

   "Fever" The Black Keys

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh

Ingredients:

6 cups cold water
1/3 cup pickling salt
6 cups peeled watermelon rind (white and light pink part only), cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 cups ice cubes
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
4 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves 

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the cold water and pickling salt. Place the watermelon rind in another large nonreactive bowl, and pour the salt-water mixture over it. Add the ice cubes, transfer to the refrigerator, and let sit for at least 6 hours or over-night.

Drain the watermelon rind and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Transfer it to a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the drained watermelon rind and cook for about 1 hour, or until the rind is almost completely translucent.

Divide the watermelon rind between two sterilized pint canning jars, and add enough pickling liquid to cover the rind by at least 1/4 inch. Add a cinnamon stick to each jar. There should be at least 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp paper towel and attach the lids and rings. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove the jars from the hot water bath and let them cool. The jars should seal as they cool. Any jar that does not seal properly should be refrigerated and the pickles consumed within two weeks.

The pickles will keep, stored in a cool dark place, for up to 1 year.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons and Chocolate Dipped Apricots


I joined the Leftover's Club last month, and shipped my fist box of leftovers last week. 
I had some trouble settling on what to ship. What wouldn't break up into crumbs if it was shaken too much in the mail? What wouldn't go bad or melt in the oppressive heat? After scouring pages of recipe books and the far reaches of the internet, I finally found these chocolate-coconut macaroons.
They are so easy and so crunchy and chocolatey!

I ate a few too many! (They are really good!) So I supplemented them with chocolate-dipped apricots.
You just dip dried apricots in melted chocolate and sprinkle on the chopped almonds.
These are the delicious jam-filled white chocolate cookies I received from Shashi at Runnin' Srilankan

"Space Cowboy" Steve Miller

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute. Stir and then heat for another minute until completely melted. 

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the egg whites and vanilla with a fork. Stir the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Add the melted chocolate chips to the batter, andm ix with a rubber spatula to combine.

Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out small rounds of dough - about 1 1/2 tbsp each- onto parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Using your fingertips, shape each cookie into a neat little dome. If the batter is too sticky, wash your hands thoroughly and leave them a bit wet.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until they are slightly crisp on the outside but still soft inside. Do not over-bake. Transfer the macaroons to a wire rack and let them cool completely.