Summer Food - Peaches!

Days 'till Memorial Day: 10

Days 'till A Little Light Magic: 11

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 37

Ooh! Got my author's copies of A Little Light Magic in the mail yesterday. No matter how many novels I write, it's still the ultimate thrill to see the printed book in my hands!

But let's not digress from the topic at hand - summer food!

Peaches are another summer fruit I can't get enough of. They've just started coming into the stores around here, and they've been good, but nothing beats locally grown peaches. For me, the local peach picking season starts in July and runs into August.

You don't really need anything to improve a juicy ripe peach, but there are endless other ways to enjoy them. A nice drink is peach sangria - just slice the peaches into a pitcher of white or red wine and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

I also love peach shortbread. The following recipe is from the Joy of Cooking, which some humorous soul gave to my husband and me for a wedding present. (Another humorous soul gave us another famous "Joy of..." book, the full title of which will go unnamed...).

Peach Shortbread

Shortbread:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
4 -6 tablespoons chilled butter or shortening
3/4 cup milk

Fruit:
about 4 cups sliced ripe peaches
(also good with strawberries or blueberries, or a combination)

Topping:
whipped cream, cool whip, sour cream, or vanilla yogurt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease and flour a 8-9 inch square, or 9-10 inch round, glass or ceramic baking pan. Slice fruit and put aside so it can get juicy while you make the shortbread.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. With two knives or a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until its well-mixed. Make a well in the middle and add milk all at once. Knead quickly and gently, about 8-10 folds. Press dough into pan. Brush top with milk. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes, then invert shortbread onto dish. Slice into two layers.

Spoon sliced fruit between the layers, and also on top of the shortbread. Top with whipped cream or other topping of your choice. Serve warm. Serves 8.

Don't forget this week's prizes...FIVE great summer reads courtesy of the nice folks at Dorchester Publishing. Comment on any post from Monday May 11 through Saturday May 16 to enter the contest. Five winners chosen at random and posted on Sunday May 17.

• A TASTE OF MAGIC by Tracy Madison
  
• GOTCHA! by Christie Craig
  
• SIREN'S SECRET by Trish Albright
  
• THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE by Jennifer Ashley
  
• DEEP MAGIC by Joy Nash

See ya tomorrow!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Coming May 26!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Summer Food - Sweet Corn

Days 'till Memorial Day: 12

Days 'till A Little Light Magic: 13

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 39


My summer food hall of fame continues with sweet corn. Mmmmmm.....

As a kid, my sister and I spent a lot of time before each family party shucking corn. The husk was relatively easy to get off, but the silk? Forget it. The stuff clung to the ears of corn, to our hands, to our clothes, to everything. And cooking the corn on the cob could only happen after boiling a big pot of water, which took forever. Especially if you watched the pot, lol.

I don't have that sticky problem now. I learned a nifty trick for easy steamed corn. Just strip off one layer of outer husk, and snip off the silk end with a scissors. Then just pop it in the microwave for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes per ear, depending on your microwave and how fresh the corn is (fresh corn needs a little more time).

This makes the corn steam inside the husk perfectly. Careful peeling the hot husk off - the steam can burn you! But once it's off - enjoy! Preferably with butter and salt, but plain is delicious, too, if the corn is really sweet and fresh.

You can do up to half a dozen or so ears at a time this way - but you have to increase the time for each ear. So 6 ears would be 18 - 21 minutes. If you're having a huge crowd over, you might need to resort to the old boiling or steamer pot method. But for just a few ears, microwave rules!

Here's another treat you can make with your sweet corn:


Sweet Corn Fritters

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
2-1/2 cup steamed sweet corn, cut off the cob
oil for frying.

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and melted butter. Stir wet mixture into flour mixture. Add corn and mix with just a few strokes.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan until sizzling. Drop batter by a tablespoon at a time into hot oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Serve hot!


Don't forget:
This week's prizes...FIVE great summer reads courtesy of the nice folks at Dorchester Publishing. Comment on any post from Monday May 11 through Saturday May 16 to enter the contest. Five winners chosen at random and posted on Sunday May 17.

• A TASTE OF MAGIC by Tracy Madison
  
• GOTCHA! by Christie Craig
  
• SIREN'S SECRET by Trish Albright
  
• THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE by Jennifer Ashley
  
• DEEP MAGIC by Joy Nash

See ya tomorrow!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Coming May 26!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Blueberries! - and "Boys of Summer" #2

Days 'till Memorial Day: 13

Days 'till A Little Light Magic: 14

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 40

"Boys of Summer" #2 - at the end of this post!

Summer blueberries are little bursts of sunshine!

I'm fortunate enough to live near a blueberry-growing area. Mid-to-late July, I'll be stopping at a farm market to buy a flat of blueberry pints. If the weather's been kind, they are plump and juicy and as addictive as candy!

When my oldest son was a toddler, he loved blueberries, or "blub-blubs." He's still a big fan of blueberry pie, so I'll be sure to make a couple of those for him. Blueberry pancakes are also a favorite!

I found this unusual and interesting blueberry recipe in my local newspaper a few years ago. The cornmeal flavor combines well with the blueberry sweetness. It's very easy to make and great with vanilla ice cream!

Blueberry Polenta Cake

1 cup cake flour (or 1 cup minus two tablespoons all purpose flour)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup plain lowfat yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom of 9-inch cake pan, or line with parchment and spray with cooking oil.

In small bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, egg, yogurt, lemon juice and rind. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Transfer to cake pan. Bake until cake springs back when gently pressed in the center, about 35 minutes.

Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife before inverting and (gently!) removing from pan. Cool to room temperature before serving. Serves 8.


And now something else yummy...another hot summer man!

This hammering hunk is brought to you courtesy of Emily Bryan. Somehow, she found a photo of Nick, my contractor hero from A Little Light Magic :-)

Thanks, Emily! (And I hope you're having a fantastic time on your cruise with your own man...)



Don't forget:
This week's prizes...FIVE great summer reads courtesy of the nice folks at Dorchester Publishing. Comment on any post from Monday May 11 through Saturday May 16 to enter the contest. Five winners chosen at random and posted on Sunday May 17.

• A TASTE OF MAGIC by Tracy Madison
  
• GOTCHA! by Christie Craig
  
• SIREN'S SECRET by Trish Albright
  
• THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE by Jennifer Ashley
  
• DEEP MAGIC by Joy Nash

See ya!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Coming May 26!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Summer Food - Tomatoes!

Days 'till Memorial Day: 14

Days 'till A Little Light Magic: 15

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 41


Yes, it's summer FOOD week on my Countdown to Summer! Get your recipes ready...

Tomatoes are one of my top summer foods. I think I inherited my love for this luscious treat. I'm the granddaughter of Italian tomato farmers who immigrated from Calabria to South Jersey, and summer just doesn't seem right without tomato plants growing in my garden.

When I first started growing tomatoes (the year my husband and I bought our first house), I planted store-bought seedlings. Then I caught onto the heirloom tomato craze and learned how to start my own plants indoor from seeds. There's really no comparison between a store-bought winter tomato and an heirloom tomato picked out of the garden (or the farm stand) in mid-August.

I love tomatoes sliced with olive oil, salt, fresh mozzarella, and fresh Italian basil (also from my garden). Homemade salsa and pico de gallo is also fantastic. Here's an unusual--and easy!--pico de gallo with avocados recipe that my daughter found on the Internet somewhere and made for her Spanish class fiesta. Throw in some tortilla chips and this is a whole meal!

Pico de Gallo with Avocados

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup chopped white onion
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro - chopped
1 lime - squeezed
2 fresh jalapenos - chopped (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large avocado - chopped

Chop up all ingredients and toss in a big bowl. Serve immediately (or within a few hours) with the tortilla chips of your choice. Serves 6.

Anyone else have a fresh tomato recipe to share?

This week's prizes...FIVE great summer reads courtesy of the nice folks at Dorchester Publishing. Comment on any post from today (May 11) through Saturday (May 16) to enter the contest. Five winners chosen at random and posted on Sunday May 17.

• A TASTE OF MAGIC by Tracy Madison
  
• GOTCHA! by Christie Craig
  
• SIREN'S SECRET by Trish Albright
  
• THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE by Jennifer Ashley
  
• DEEP MAGIC by Joy Nash

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Coming May 26!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!