Goop Burgers
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 strips chopped bacon
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
mayonnaise – enough to hold these ingredients together
Add this mixture on top of burgers on the grill right before they’re done (about 3 minutes) – the cheese will melt.
BBQ Green Beans
4 slices bacon, fried and chopped (save drippings)
1 sm. onion, chopped
½ c. ketchup
¼ c. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 qt. green beans, drained
Fry bacon with onion. Add ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; stir together. Put 1 qt. of drained green beans in casserole dish and cover with sauce. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.
Marinated Tomatoes
2/3 c. vinegar (I used white)
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. sugar (I used less)
1 TBSP seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley (I used more)
1 tsp. dried basil (more!)
1 tsp. dried oregano (more!)
Mix in a jar; shake well and pour over sliced onions and tomatoes. Chill.
6 lg. tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 lg. onion, sliced (I used less)
ICYMI Fourth of July Dessert (Berry Delight) – called this 4th of July because the result is red, white, and blue! In case you missed it – admittedly, I shared this another year, but I love it and think it’s worth repeating!
2 c. graham cracker crumbs (approx. one pack plus 2 crackers)
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 T. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla
1 env. Dream Whip*
½ c. milk*
½ c. sugar
3 TBSP Clearjel or Thermflo (can be found at bulk food stores, including Sharp Shopper)
1 c. water
3 TBSP raspberry gelatin
1 ½ c. blueberries
1 ½ c. wineberries** or red raspberries
Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press in bottom of 8×12 baking dish. Cream together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Whip Dream Whip and milk until stiff. (*Sometimes I use fresh whipped cream instead of these two ingredients. Also, don’t try to use raw milk with Dream Whip – somehow it tastes awful, like soap!) Blend together with cheese mixture. Spread over crumbs. Chill until set. Combine sugar, Clearjel and water in saucepan. Cook until thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add gelatin, stirring until dissolved. Cool until just before it begins to congeal. Fold in berries; spread mixture on chilled cream layer. (Can chill berries before thickening and/or chill thickened berries before spreading on dish.) Spread fresh fruit filling over top of dessert.
** Picking wineberries is one of my very favorite summer activities; it often happens that the season starts by the fourth of July. They were introduced in the US as natives of eastern Asia. I noticed they seem to be most prevalent on roadsides where the back drop is woods and they are faced with sun. After picking, do not wash! They will fall apart. Spread on wax paper on cookie sheet and freeze, then transfer to a freezer container or bag. Can quickly rinse upon removing from freezer. Another tip that I am having success with is straining the unheated berries for juice to make jelly and spreading the seeds in a conducive environment for more plants. Because wineberries must have a higher water content than raspberries, when making jelly, I have found that 3 ½ c. juice is much better than the 4 c. SureJell recipe. However, be careful with tweaking amounts for other jellies; jelly is a pretty exact science.
