In my kitchen - with summer recipes

 Summer, summer, summer! The thought of cooking dinner seems such a burden, of turning on the stove, of heating up the house. And yet, why does sitting in the blazing sun over open flame seem a better idea? I will never know the answer.

The fourth of July is my favorite holiday - odd for a Christian to say, I think - it lacks pretense, hoop-la, just a celebration of life without risk of disappointment. The past few days have been spent in preparation for a trip home for the holiday weekend.

cherry bounce (recipe below) :: hot chicken salad (recipe below) :: homemade iced coffee (recipe) :: summer breakfast :: rub no. 9 :: smoking pork on the porch :: family recipe scrapbook

Cherry Bounce
from River Cottage Handbook #12

300g fresh cherries, rinsed clean and dried
120g granulated sugar
600mL brandy

Put de-stemmed, unpitted cherries in large mason jar, pour sugar in over them, and brandy over that. Close tightly, shake and store in a dark place. Shake once a day until the sugar is all dissolved. After two months, pour brandy off cherries and bottle in very clean bottles. Cap and store for at least six months to mellow. Enjoy cherries in fruit cake or on ice cream.

Hot Chicken Salad

4 c. cooked, shredded chicken

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

3/4 c. mayonnaise

2/3 c. sliced, toasted almonds

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. chopped celery

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

3/4 c. cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. minced onion

1 large jar pimentos

1 1/2 c. potato chips, crushed

Combine all ingredients except cheese, potato chips and almonds. Mix well and spread in bottom of 9x13 pan, cover, let stand in refrigerator overnight. Top with remaining three ingredients, cover with foil, and bake in 400F oven. Remove foil and bake another five minutes. Serve with dinner rolls, toast, or on its own. 

What's cooking in your kitchen? 

Joining Heather @ Beauty That Moves

{Recipe} Cherry Clafoutis

This is a French dessert but by all American standards, it should be used as breakfast or brunch because its a bit egg-y. It is equally delicious with raspberries or rhubarb, but the cherry is the traditional fruit for it. I had just about a pound of cherries languishing in the fridge after we'd eaten our fill of them fresh over the past several weeks. Today was the day to make something magical happen for them. It's a fairly standard recipe, but I took my inspiration from Mimi and my direction from Hugh.

Can you tell we're sitting around in the dark eating sweets and enjoying the cool breeze through the window? Well, we are.

Cherry Clafoutis
credit: River Cottage Everyday

1 lb sweet cherries (purists don't pit them, but I do - who wants rocks in their pudding?)
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c all purpose flour
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 c whole milk
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10" cake pan and dump cherries in. Combine sugar, salt and flour in a bowl. Make a well, crack in eggs, stir with a whisk to make a smooth but thick batter. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking all the while, to make a sort of custard. Pour gently over cherries. Bake 35-40 minutes of until puffed up and brown around the outside. It will fall as soon as it is taken out of the oven, do not panic. (Hugh recommends serving warm with cream, Mimi recommends cool. We both prefer it chilled w/ whipped cream.)
 

Throw some powdered sugar on top and its good as gold.