Fruity and Tangy Meatballs

Adding a few interesting ingredients can change a simple meatball recipe to make it spectacular.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs on page 165 of Tastes & Treasures is also a crowd pleaser. Available at www.HistoricalLeague.org/shop.aspx

Ingredients Meatballs:
1 lb. raw extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced mango
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. salt

Ingredients Sauce:
One 15-oz. can peach slices in juice
1/2 cup sugar-free or low-sugar apricot preserves
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix thoroughly with your hands. (Don't be squeamish -- it's the easiest way!) Form 24 evenly sized meatballs from the mixture and place them evenly on the baking sheet. An easy option is to buy frozen meatballs.

Bake in the oven until meatballs are just cooked, 8 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drain peaches and transfer to a blender or food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add all remaining sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and mix well.

Carefully transfer meatballs to the slow cooker. Stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours.

Stir well and serve up meatballs with toothpicks and the extra sauce from the slow cooker!

Makes 8 servings

Peaches Peaches Peaches

When the peach tree is loaded with fruit, it's time to find recipes with peaches. Kay Holcombe tried out her ice cream machine with great success! Nothing better than home-made peach ice cream with peach sauce over the top.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk (whole or low-fat)
1 cup heavy cream
 2 teaspoons vanilla

Before you begin, make sure that your freezer bowl is completely frozen—it's a good idea to put it in the freezer a full 24 hours before you plan to make the ice cream. Also, allow enough time for the custard to chill before you plan to make the ice cream, which could take several hours. Kay followed the directions on her Cuisinart ICE-20.

Watermelon Pizza

Talk about refreshing. Imagine this at your 4th of July event!

Want a pretty party presentation or a special treat for the family? Try this delicious dish of fruit. The children will love to help with this one. Also try Yogurt Parfait, page 52, Tastes & Treasures cookbook.


Watermelon Pizza

Ingredients:
Watermelon
Blueberries
Kiwi
Peaches
Grapes
Strawberries
Strawberry jam
Feta Cheese
Coconut
Bananas
Any fresh fruit in season

Directions:
Slice watermelon in 1” thick size. Drain to remove excess moisture.
Add a layer of strawberry jam
Cut into 8 sections.
Arrange fresh fruit on the top
Sprinkle with Feta Cheese, coconut, use your imagination

Breakfast or Dessert? French Toast Casserole

This reminds me of the Sticky Buns recipe on page 78 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The recipe was given to the Historical League by historic El Chorro Lodge.

It is also one of those great recipes you can make ahead for company.

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
2 cup corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, sliced
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
Garnish: powdered sugar, maple syrup

Directions:
Melt together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat; pour into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan. Arrange bread slices over mixture and set aside. Whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla; pour over bread, coating all slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Sprinkle with powered sugar; serve with warm syrup. Makes 6-8 servings

Options: To make Peachy French Toast - Omit the corn syrup. Put a layer of peaches down on the brown sugar mixture. Then add the bread.
Options: Add 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grilled Pork Loin with Fresh Peaches

The peaches are ripe for picking and abundant in Arizona. Searching for recipes using peaches, I found this one from Williams-Sonoma.

Also tried the Roast Pork Tenderloin on page 44 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook. I substituted peaches for the pears in the chutney from Garlands Oak Creek Lodge in Sedona. Hope they don't mind!

Pork and fruit is a classic combination. This recipe takes that pairing to a delicious new level by grill-roasting a pork loin roast with fresh summer peaches. If you can’t find small peaches, use larger ones and cut each into 6 to 8 wedges.


Ingredients:1 boneless pork loin roast, about 3 1/2 lb.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 1/2 lb. small peaches, pitted and halved
3 or 4 fresh oregano sprigs
Directions:
Using kitchen twine, tie the pork roast at 2-inch intervals and place in a large sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and the 1/4 cup olive oil. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning the bag over once or twice.

 Remove the pork from the marinade and place on a rack-lined baking sheet. Generously season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper.

 Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.



Prepare a grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Set aside. Place the pork, fat side up, in the center of a steel grill roaster.

 Place the roaster in the center of the grill over indirect heat, cover the grill and cook for 30 minutes. Arrange the peaches along the sides of the roaster, top with the oregano sprigs and cover the grill. Cook until the pork is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 145°F, 20 to 30 minutes more; adjust the burners as needed to maintain the internal grill temperature at 375° to 400°F. 



Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Cut the pork into slices and serve immediately with the peaches.

Serves 6 to 8.

Healthy Fruited Popsicles

Summer is coming and nothing beats the heat like frozen popsicles. The kids will love this treat and can help make the icy delights.

Another yummy fruit dish is Yogurt Parfait from The Hassayampa Inn. Recipe on page 52 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Healthy Fruited Popsicles

Ingredients:
3 cups watermelon puree (seedless if possible)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 peach or nectarine, diced small
handful fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

Directions:
Cut the watermelon into chunks and then puree it in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Set out about 1 dozen popsicle molds (amount needed will vary depending on size of molds). Fill each one with the chopped fresh fruit. Then pour in the watermelon puree until each mold is full to the top. Place a popsicle stick into each one. Place into your freezer and freeze for about 6 to 8 hours.

When ready to serve, run the popsicle molds under warm water for a few seconds and then pull each one out.

from Heather Thomas on FB

Need Fresh Fruit for My Oatmeal

Fresh peaches, blueberries and bananas in Steel Cut Oatmeal. Adding yogurt is also delicious. What a great way to start the day.

It's like Yogurt Parfait, page 52 in Tastes & Treasures, recipe from Hassayampa Inn but with cooked oatmeal instead of granola.

Yogurt Parfaits
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups granola
Strawberry yogurt
Mix the blueberries and raspberries in a bowl. Alternate layers of the berries and granola in parfait glasses or wine glasses and top with the yogurt.
Note: You can use homemade or commercial granola and low-fat yogurt in this recipe.
Serves 6

Wow Salad Presentation

While visiting Costa Rica and dining with friends at their home, Debbie Walker Bauer sent this salad photo. Now This is a Presentation! Love the use of flowers in the food.

Accompanied by the fabulous views, what a dinner party this makes.

"The salad is an arrangement of tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, olives, fresh peaches, red onion. It was delicious. They own a restaurant here in CR. He served stuffed pork with an amazing stuffing! mmmmm good!"

Fresh Peaches and Blueberries Inspire Me

With a peach tree growing in my daughter's backyard, we feel the need to create a peach dish. This is a good one from www.hungrygirl.com. Of course, fresh fruit in the summer is always inspirational. Try the delicious Apple Streusel Pie from Tastes & Treasures, page 163.

Blueberry Peach Custard Pie

1 cup sugar
¾ cup skim milk
¾ cup (6 oz) non-fat plain Greek style yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 store-bought, refrigerated pie crust
1 cup blueberries
1 cup peeled, sliced peaches

Position a rack in lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, flour, cornstarch, almond extract and salt. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll a sheet of piecrust into a 12-inch circle. Place the crust in the pie pan and trim so it overhangs evenly by about 1 inch. Fold the edges under he crimp or flute the edge with your fingers or a fork. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.

Arrange peaches in the bottom of the crust and top with the blueberries in an even layer. Pour the filling on top (the fruit will float but this won’t affect the final results). Bake for 25 minutes.

After the pie has baked for 25 minutes and the filling is beginning to set, remove from oven and cover the edges of the crust with foil to help prevent over browning. Reduce heat to 350 and return the pie to the oven.

Bake until a knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out clean, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (The pie may puff up quite a bit but will settle during cooling.) Let cool for 1 ½ hours. Serve warm or refrigerate.

Serves 10.

Nutritional facts per serving: 200 calories, 6 g fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein 1 g fiber, 163 mg sodium