One of my favorite things about summer is the chance to indulge in cool & refreshing frozen treats like fruity sherberts and sorbets, which are often forgotten when the temperatures cool down. But recipes like the yummy, bright orange Mandarin Sorbet pictured above just “look” like summer, don’t they? …perfect for enjoying with friends in the warm weather!

Mandarin Sorbet
Source: Into the Vietnamese Kitchen

Ingredients:
cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups fresh tangerine, Clementine, or Satsuma juice (from 12 to 14 fruits)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or as needed.

Directions:
To make sugar syrup, whisk together the sugar and water in a small saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Remove from the heat an let cool completely before using. (This syrup may be made days. Or even weeks, in advance and stored in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator.)

In a bowl, stir together the sugar syrup, tangerine juice, and 6 tablespoons lime juice. Taste and add more lime juice if needed to create a strong sweet-tart balance. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve positioned over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to chill well and develop the flavor.

Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufactures directions.
***

If mandarin isn’t your kind of flavor, here are a couple other fun options to try:

Kiwi Sorbet (The freckles in kiwi fruit make this dessert all the more unique and an out-of-the-ordinary treat for guests!)

Dark Chocolate Sorbet (An adult treat that features a hint of your spirit of choice: amaretto, cognac, Grand Marnier, or dark rum)

If you try at any of these recipes, please let us know how it goes! It’s true that the easiest route is the store-bought way, but sometimes it’s fun to try something out of the ordinary, and this could be an especially fun project for a summer afternoon with your kids (sans the spirits in the dark chocolate sorbet, of course)!

Jenn Sbranti
www.hostesswiththemostess.com

I’ve been trying to incorporate more whole grain products into my diet to comply with the government’s dietary guidelines recommendation of 3 - 5 servings a day. The whole grain pasta I’ve had up to now has a nutty flavor and more rustic, less refined texture. It works well with nutty or chunky sauces but not as well with lighter, elegant or creamy style sauces.

Barilla pasta has recently introduced a whole grain pasta that is made from whole durum wheat flour, semolina, durum wheat flour and oat fiber. Barilla Whole Grain offers 28g of whole grains and 6g of fiber per serving, which is three times the fiber of traditional pasta which is more than half the daily requirement. Look for the Whole Grain stamp on the side on the package. Amazingly enough, it tastes just like regular pasta.

Because Barilla Whole Grain pasta is so similar to regular pasta in taste, you can substitute it in any recipe you like. Here’s a recipe courtesy of Barilla from Chef Lorenzo Boni. It’s filled with healthy fresh vegetables and just a hint of basil.

Spaghetti with Fresh Vegetables
1 box whole grain spaghetti
2 Tablespoon. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 (1cup) yellow bell pepper, julienne
2 cups zucchini, diced
2 cups yellow squash, diced
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 Fresh basil leaves, torn

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Using the side of a knife, gently press and peel the garlic and saut in skillet for 1 minute, or until slightly brown. Add onion and saut for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus and saut until heated but not completely cooked. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and saut for 2 additional minutes.

Drain pasta, add to skillet and toss with basil before serving.

——Amy Sherman

Technorati Tags: whole grain, pasta, healthy, easy, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian

1. Order a salad as your main dish. Steak houses are famous for their salads, and some like this gorgeous one from EPIC Roast House in San Francisco even comes with steak on it so you can get a taste of steak without gorging.

2. We know they taste delicious, but avoid heavy sauces, such as creamed spinach or the butter based sauces served with filet mignon. Those sauces are high in fat and calories.

3. Order up sides of vegetables, like green beans, asparagus, mushrooms. You can even order two sides, cut your steak in half and ask the waiter to put it in a doggie bag. Better to fill up on vegetables than on steak! That steak will taste extra delicious in a salad or sandwich the next day.

4. Look for dishes that are grilled or fire roasted not sauteed. To cut even more calories choose chicken, seafood or pork tenderloin.

5. Steer clear of the bread basket. With lots of delicious things to eat, you don’t really want to fill up on bread, do you? Ask the waiter to take the bread away if you can. Reward yourself with fresh fruit, sorbet or sherbet for dessert. You earned it!

——–Amy Sherman

Technorati Tags: dieting, healthy, steak, vegetables, tips

With food prices soaring and worries about inflation and recession, Recipe of the Week: Burgers: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Cooking is a perfect book for getting creative with that old standby, the hamburger. While you may not actually end up cooking a burger a week, there are lots of great ideas for quick and tasty meals. You may never eat a plain old burger again.

This burger is described as being topped with a Greek salad. Fresh juicy tomatoes, crumbly feta and avocado take a basic burger and make it into something special. Serving it on a bun is optional.
Don’t let money worries stop you from cooking and enjoying great meals. Rise to the challenge and create some great budget friendly meals!

Beef Burgers with Feta, Cucumber, Avocado and Tomatoes
makes 4 burgers

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 perfectly ripe avocado, diced
1 beefsteak tomato, cored and diced
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds ground chuck
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 - 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Place the feta, cucumber, avocado, tomato, oregano, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

Place the beef on a work surface and divide into 4 balls of equal size. Form each into a patty about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, tossing it back and forth between your hands. To ensure more even cooking, make a 1/2 inch indentation with your thumb in the center of the burger. Handle the patties as little as possible, do not work more than necessary.

Prepare the grill to medium-high. Sprinkle both sides of the burgers with salt and pepper. Place the burgers on the grate and grill until well seared on both sides, about 5 minutes for medium rare or 6 minutes for medium. Transfer to a buns or a serving platter and serve immediately topped with equal amounts of the feta mixture.

Alternatively, place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and white it is hot but not smoking add the burgers to the dry pan. Cook until well seared on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare or 10- 12 minutes for medium.

——–Amy Sherman

Technorati Tags: ground beef, budget, recipe, burger, salad, greek, cookbook

Congratulations to Grace, Liz and Michelle, each won a fabulous prize packages provided by Reddi-wip:

- 1 signed copy of Gale Gand’s Short & Sweet:Quick Desserts with Eight Ingredients or Less
- 12 Reddi-Wip free coupons
- 2 Reddi-wip branded bowls
- 1 Red silicone muffin pan

Here’s just a sample of what you said you like doing with whipped cream:

Waffles and hot chocolate are both deserving of whipped cream!

My idea of heaven: strawberries & whipped cream over angel food cake. YUM!

Whipped cream made with brown sugar is the best on just about everything, especially whole wheat waffles and fresh strawberries.

The kid in me says getting up in the middle of the night intending on getting a warm glass of milk to go back to bed. Only to open the fridge, spot the can, pop the lid and squirt it in my mouth.

Around the holidays, I just love to top my coffee with a dollop of whipped cream. Its festive, and it tastes divine!

My hubby makes pumpkin pie (and roasted pumpkin seeds) from scratch every Thanksgiving, and he would kill us if we even mention the words Cool Whip. Nothing but pure 100% straight from the can whipped cream is allowed to grace the top of his pie!!! or else!

Although its totally unoriginal, Ill take my whipped cream on some strawberry shortcake. an acceptable alternative (or partner, depending on my level of fat depletion) would be on top of a white chocolate mocha.

Whipped cream with local, in-season raspberriesthats the best!

Theres nothing better than whipped cream on fresh blueberry pie!

For a childrens birthday party treat, top unfrosted individual cupcakes with Reddi-wip. Then allow each little guest to decorate his or her own cake with a variety of sprinkles, jimmies, raisins, berries, colored sugars, granola, flaked coconut, and a cherry to top it all off. Have your camera ready!!

Theres something about red Jello with whipped cream that takes me right back to my childhood :-).

Prepare any chocolate cake recipe for one layer (use the rest for something else).
Cut into cubes, top with any chocolate pudding (chilled), chocolate chips, coconut, chopped walnuts, anything else that you like & a layer of Reddi-wip chocolate whipped cream, layer twice in trifle bowl. refrigerate & serve

I love whipped cream mixed with frozen green grapes. Sweet, creamy and chilly!

I love to use it on one of my favorite dessertsfresh mango and fried plantains with a drop of honey, spreckels of sesame seeds topped off with the extra creamy ReddiWhip and a sprinkle of shaved coconut.
HMMMM, good!