Cenizo Journal Summer 2017 | Page 21

Big Bend Eats By Carolyn Brown Zniewski. Summer is in full swing and the markets overflow with fresh fruit of all kinds. We all like to gobble it down fresh from the tree, but it can also make a picnic or a dinner a bit of a cel- ebration when fresh fruit is gussied up for dessert. These recipes are perfect for the summer season. Not one of them requires an oven, stove burner or even a microwave. This first one I’ve been eating as both a salad and a dessert since early childhood. Grapes are readily avail- able much of the summer and fall. My grandmother brought the recipe back with her from a train trip on to the West Coast in about 1928. This com- bination may seem a little strange, but believe me it is so delicious and refresh- ing you will serve it again and again. Green Grape Salad 2 cups sour cream 5 cups green seedless grapes 2 teaspoons vanilla ¼ - ½ cup brown sugar Mix well. Chill. Garnish with chopped pecans. This next recipe is vegan, delicioso and high in vitamins and minerals, so even if you aren’t concerned about a vegan diet give it a try. Serve as plain pudding or it makes a great dipping sauce for strawberries, pineapple, pears or banana chunks. Blend well. Chill. Cheesecake is an all time favorite. Over 2,000 years ago it was first prize at the original Olympics. With the development of cream cheese and ice boxes about 100 years ago it became a standard on our table. This is a light Serving F ar W es t T e x as a t 9 3.5 FM Bec ome a member a t www . marf apublicr adio . or g or 1-800-90 3-KR T S Summer Cheesecake Graham cracker crust 2 8oz pkg cream cheese 1 3oz pkg cream cheese 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup sugar 1 pint whipping cream Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature. Beat together cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Whip cream. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spread into crust. Chill 1 hour or more. Just before serv- ing, cover cheesecake with fresh berries. Chocolate Pudding 1 avocado 4 ripe bananas ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa 2-3 Tbls honey Radio f or a Wide Range cheesecake, good after supper or as a late-night snack. Melon with Lime Sauce 2 cantaloupe or honeydew melons 8 oz. cream cheese ½ can sweetened condensed milk ½ cup Greek yogurt ¼ cup lime juice 2 T lime zest Seed, peel and dice melon into 1” pieces. Beat remaining ingredients together. Serve melon using cream cheese mixture as a sauce. Garnish with fresh raspberries. When I was in seventh and eighth grade, oh so many years ago, all girls took Home Economics and all boys took Shop. Home Economics was a half year of cooking and a half-year of sewing. The very first thing we made in cooking class was Glorified Rice. It is still a wonderful summer dessert. Make this when you have leftover rice. Glorified Rice 2 cups, more or less, cooked rice 1 cup drained crushed pineapple 1-2 sliced bananas 1 cup sliced peaches 1 cup pitted cherries 1 -1½ cups yogurt or sour cream Gently mix. Add a little honey if you want it sweeter. You can use any com- bination of fruit you like. Mix drained canned, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) fruit. Sometimes I add coconut or chopped pecans. The orig- inal recipe called for maraschino cher- ries, which do look great but are too artificial for me. You need about twice as much fruit as rice. The rest is up to you. If you make it a day ahead the fla- vors mingle and it tastes even better. Great for pot lucks. Kids love it. T he C enizo J ournal is F or s ale Publisher, Carolyn Brown Zniewski, is retiring after five years. This could be your opportunity to spearhead an established literary journal in the Big Bend. Interested parties should contact: publisher@cenizojournal.com Cenizo Third Quarter 2017 21