Watermelon Summer Dessert

Watermelon Summer Dessert
Dorcas Annette Walker

Summer days often bring hot and humid weather. There is nothing like the taste of a cold watermelon on a hot afternoon or evening to quench your thirst. Every summer growing up I looked forward with anticipation to the first taste of watermelon. It wasn’t until I was married and living in the Mountains of Tennessee that I had my first experience of tasting a yellow watermelon grown by a local farmer. Surprisingly enough yellow watermelons taste just as sweet as the red ones. I didn’t believe it until I had tasted one for myself.

I was amazed at all the facts available about watermelons. The first recorded watermelon harvested occurred 5,000 years ago in Egypt. History says that a watermelon was once thrown at the Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate. He used the rind of that watermelon for a helmet as fought Philip of Macedonia. The word watermelon first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615. Early explorers used watermelons as canteens. The first cookbook published in the United States in 1796 contained a recipe for watermelon pickles. Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown in ninety-six countries worldwide. In 1990, Bill Carson, of Arrington, Tennessee grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds. The world record for eating a watermelon is held by Richard LeFever who ate eleven-and-one-half pounds of watermelon in fifteen minutes. Forty-four states grow watermelons; the three top producers are Florida, Texas, and California. By 1999 over four billion pounds of watermelon was produced in the United States. In Southern Russia beer is made from watermelon juice (do me a favor and don’t tell the bootleggers up here on the mountain) and they also boil down the watermelon juice to a heavy syrup like molasses for its sugar. While watermelons are found in various sizes and shapes Japan takes first place for its latest addition of square watermelons. Yep, farmers actually put the watermelons in square tempered glass boxes while the watermelon is still growing on the vine, which allows the full-grown watermelon to fit conveniently and precisely in a refrigerator shelf. I didn’t run down any prices, but it was noted that square watermelons are priced at a very high premium. If that doesn’t boggle your mind read this. Watermelons are African in origin and classified as a vegetable because they are related to cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash! Every part of the watermelon is edible; the seeds can be roasted while the watermelon rind can be used to make preserves, pickles, and relish. Watermelon is considered to be an ideal health food because it doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol, it is an excellent source of A, B6 and C, contains fiber and potassium, and is certified as a heart healthy food by the American Heart Association. Watermelons are made up of 92% water and the National Watermelon Day is August 3rd.

This Watermelon Summer Dessert is a colorful and ideal summer dessert for picnics and family reunions. It takes about thirty minutes to prepare the Watermelon Summer Dessert and this recipe serves around twenty.

Watermelon Summer Dessert

Take one large ripe watermelon and cut lengthways (one-fourth off of the top) with a sharp knife. Scoop out the watermelon with a large spoon and set aside. Decorate the edge of the rind by cutting out inch, up-side-down triangles all around the top giving a zig-zag effect.

In a large bowl mix together:
watermelon cut into chunks
1 cantaloupe (peeled and sliced into chunks)
1 bag of frozen blueberries or 4 c fresh blueberries
Pour the mixed fruit into the watermelon rind until full and heaped up. You can store the remaining fruit in an air-tight container to refill the rind as needed. Chill and serve with a large spoon!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Mile-High Strawberry Pie

Mile-High Strawberry Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

This week I’m sharing a recipe that Granny gave me a several summers ago. Strawberries signal the beginning of summer days here in Tennessee and this is the best strawberry pie I have ever tasted bar none. Granny, Leda Roysden, was born up here in the mountains of Tennessee and is known as a good ole fashion Southern cook. She has always been like a second mother to me and now through my daughter, who married her grandson, she is definitely part of the family. Many a Sunday when our kids were small, Granny would call me up on Saturday and say, “Don’t worry about cooking for Sunday dinner tomorrow. You just plan on coming to my house for dinner.” We always knew we’d leave Granny’s house stuffed full of delicious food. She also enjoyed trying out new recipes and would pass them along to me. So enjoy this fresh strawberry pie from Granny’s kitchen using light corn syrup.

Corn syrup is made using cornstarch composed mainly of glucose. Two enzymatic reactions are used to convert the cornstarch to corn syrup. Corn syrup keeps food moist, helps to maintain freshness, soften texture, add volume, prohibit crystallization, and enhance flavor. High fructose corn syrup is a group of corn syrups in variant where other enzymes processes are used to convert and increase some of the glucose into fructose then mixed with pure corn syrup to reach the final form with the resulting syrup being sweeter. This process was first developed by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957 and refined by Japanese researchers in the 1970’s. It was rapidly introduced in many processed foods and drinks in the US around 1975-1985. High fructose corn syrup’s sweetness is comparable to table sugar thus making it useful to manufactures as possible substitutes for sugar in soft drinks and other processed foods.

My Mile-High Strawberry Pie captures the wholesome fresh taste of summer with each bite and will disappear fast. This recipe makes one Mile-High Strawberry Pie, takes around thirty minutes to prepare, and serves eight.

Mile-High Strawberry Pie

1 baked pie shell

Bring to a boil stirring constantly:
1 c sugar
3 tb cornstarch
3 tb light corn syrup
1 c water
Cook for five minutes until thick and clear.

Add:
1 (3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
Stir until dissolved. Pour over:
1-1/2 quart of fresh strawberries that are hulled
Mix until strawberries are coated, pour into baked pie shell, and let cool. May garnish with cool whip to serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes

Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes
Dorcas Annette Walker

In keeping with the holiday spirit this month my recipes will focus around the colors red, white, and blue. All the recipes that I give are first done in my kitchen to ensure that the end result tastes good. As my father often said, whenever I tried a new recipe in my teenage years, the proof is in the pudding! My father was raised on a farm growing up where simple yet filling food was served. Being Pennsylvania Dutch he lived by the motto, waste not, want not so we ate simply and economically. The few times I ventured to be creative in the kitchen my father would frown and eye the new dish suspiciously. I’d hold my breath as he’d grudgingly take a small portion while mumbling under his breath about such nonsense; watch him hesitantly take a bite as if it were poison, not relaxing until a smile would break out. If my father took seconds it was a triumphant moment. I feel the same sense of achievement from emails that I receive telling me of my recipes listed on my cooking blog that have been tried and have turned out terrific.

Condensed milk was first developed in the United States in 1856 and canned in Liberty, Mississippi as a safer method for milk storage by Gail Borden Jr. Prior to the nineteenth century drinking milk posed a health risk. Even so Borden’s new condensed milk was not well received in those early days as customers were used to watered-down milk with chalk added to make it white and molasses for creaminess. In 1861 the Union Army purchased Borden’s condensed milk for use in field rations. Although Borden received a patent in 1854, his condensed milk was not successful until 1885 when a competitor began marketing condensed milk. Probably of equal importance for the future of milk safety, was Borden’s requirements that farmers wash udders before milking, keep the barns swept clean, and scald and dry their strainers thus gaining a reputation for purity. By the late 1860’s condensed milk was a major product used in recipes for pies, candies, and other desserts. Condensed milk is made with cow’s milk and sugar reduced by evaporation to a thick consistency. One can of condensed milk equals one quart of whole milk and seven ounces of sugar.

I spied the Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcake recipe one day in a magazine (under a different name) using condensed milk and was intrigued as these cupcakes are frozen; a perfect dessert for summer. In anticipation I followed the instructions carefully but was disappointed with the end result. So I began to experiment and switch some of the ingredients until I came up with a nifty dessert. These Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes have a cool fruity, tangy taste, takes around a half an hour to prepare, and makes twenty-four cupcakes.

Blueberry Lemon Crunch Cupcakes

Mix together thoroughly in a large bowl:
24 lemon cream-filled cookies (crushed)
1 (21oz) can blueberry pie filling
1 c reconstituted lemon juice
Divide evenly into 24 cupcake papers lined in muffin pans.

Fold together with a Wisk:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) container cool whip
Spoon on top of cookie mixture and freeze for eight hours or until firm. Garnish with candies or sprinkles!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Fourth-of-July Cake

Fourth-of-July Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

The fourth of July brings lots of excitement. Picnics with family and friends, bands and parades, flags whipping in the breeze all topped off by fireworks. Here in Tennessee tents appear overnight practically at every corner selling fireworks. There is excitement in the air as plans are made and shopping is done in preparation for the yearly Fourth of July weekend. Whether a planned, elaborate celebration or a simple thrown-together, last-minute outing, us Americans pause in our frantic pace of life to remember the birthday of our nation’s freedom. For a short span of time we are united together in a common cause that over-rides party prejudices. So let’s pull out the festive bunting and salute the American flag. Long live the United States of America!

Independence Day is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence declaring independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. In 1777 thirteen guns were fired in Bristol, Rhode Island celebrating the first anniversary of freedom. Rhode Island is noted today for having the oldest and most continuous Fourth of July celebration in the United States. In 1781 Massachusetts was the first state to recognize the Fourth of July. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (two founding fathers of the U.S. and presidents) died on July 4, 1826- the United States 50th anniversary. In 1870 the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a federal holiday. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States was born on July 4, 1872. Similar to other summer events, Fourth of July celebrations take place outdoors. Parades are often held in the morning with baseball games played in the afternoon and firework displays in the evening. Fireworks are often accompanied by orchestras playing traditional patriotic music. Most fireworks in the United States end in an intense finale of fireworks. Outdoor picnics, held in parks or at the beach, while waiting for the fireworks at night generally involve hamburgers and hot dogs. Each year on the capitol lawn in Washington, D.C. a free concert precedes fireworks that attracts over half a million people annually.

Our family usually celebrates the fourth of July with a home cookout up here in the mountains of Tennessee. In the evening we go to the nearby fairgrounds to watch the local fireworks, listening as they echo off the mountain. It is a time of laugher and visiting with neighbors and friends; making memories to cherish. Remembering yesteryears of seeing the excitement on our small children’s faces as they played with sparklers on the front lawn, our teenage daughter standing in the shadow of the night with her boyfriend holding hands, and trying to connect with our teenage son after the demolition derby. The ribbon of memories that tie it all together is the numerous holiday cookouts we shared. Since I drew a line at coloring my deviled eggs red, white, and blue I experimented until I came up with a dessert that was patriotic. My Fourth-of-July Cake is easy to make, delicious with a cool summer taste, and can be made ahead of time. Preparation time is about an hour and my Fourth-of-July Cake serves sixteen.

Fourth-of-July Cake

Take one white cake mix and prepare according to directions. Divide the batter into two greased 9 x 12 baking dishes. Bake ate 350º for 25 minutes. Cover and cool.

For filling mix together:
1 (8 oz) cool whip
1 c blueberries
1 c strawberries (cut into pieces)
Spread on first layer of cake.

Put the second layer of cake on top of fruit filling and frost with another 1 (8 oz ) container of cool whip. To garnish make a square of blueberries in top corner for the stars and slice large strawberries lengthwise, laying in them in rows for the stripes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

The other week we picked our first harvest of rhubarb. So I thought I’d end the month of June with some rhubarb recipes. You either hate or love rhubarb. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. Sadly today’s modern youngsters are not familiar with rhubarb as you seldom see it served. Rhubarb stalks are quite tart to the taste. I’ve known a few who actually like to eat the raw stalks. Personally I like my rhubarb cooked sweetened, and fruit added for color.

Rhubarb dates back to 2700 BC in China where it was cultivated for medicinal purposes. Its appearance in America was between 1790 and the early 1800’s. Rhubarb is actually a vegetable (a member of the buckwheat family with heart-shaped leaves that are poisonous), but was reclassified as a fruit by the US custom officials according to the way it was eaten. Rhubarb is harvested by pulling the stalks away from the base of the crown and snapped off- avoid cutting the stems with a knife as rot can set in. I was amazed at the diversity of recipes for rhubarb from: breads, cakes, cobblers, cookies, drinks, jellies, muffins, pies, puddings, salads, sauces, soups, to wine. Besides being good to eat, rhubarb has also been used in medicines and folk healing for centuries. Still not convinced that rhubarb is useful? Rhubarb can be used to clean pots and pans (rub an application of rhubarb over burnt area to bring back the shine in no time), as a hair color dye (only for persons with blond or light brown hair), as an insecticide (good for killing cabbage caterpillars, aphids, peach & cherry slugs), and in making paper (the fibers are used in handmade papers). I found one Rhubarb Tart Song and several poems lauding rhubarb. A couple of Yale scientists even discovered that the oxalic acid found in rhubarb can be used to help save the ozone layer. Bring on the rhubarb!

At home we used to make an old-fashion rhubarb pie but cutting up four cups of rhubarb, placing them in an unbaked pie shell, and pouring over a mixture of: one-and-one-half cups of sugar, three tablespoons of flour, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and two eggs all beaten together. Top with stiff egg whites and bake for around thirty-five minutes until the rhubarb is soft. After I got married I discovered another way to make rhubarb pie that was more colorful by first baking a crust. Cook the rhubarb separately in water with a pinch of soda until soft, add a package of strawberry jello (sliced strawberries can also be added) and sugar to sweeten, and then pour the rhubarb mixture into the baked pie crust. Chill until thickened and serve with cool whip. For years I’ve made an easy, delicious, rhubarb jam by cooking up four quarts of sliced rhubarb stalks in six cups of water with a pinch of soda until soft, then adding: two (four oz) cans of crushed pineapple, eight cups of sugar, and two large packages of strawberry jello. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, pour into pint jars, and seal- makes around one dozen pints. Even so rhubarb has a way of multiplying. I was excited to discover a recipe for a Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake that is easy to make and colorful. All total the preparation time for the Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake is one-and-one-half hours (baking time included) and serves around twelve.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Mix together and place in the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish:
6 c rhubarb cut up into 1-inch pieces
1 c sugar
2 (3 oz) boxes of strawberry jello
2 c mini marshmallows

Take a white cake mix, prepare according to the directions, and pour over the rhubarb mixture. Bake at 350º for one hour. Chill cake. Serve by flipping the cake over and garnish with a dollop of cool whip!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Fudgy Graham Pudding

Fudgy Graham Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Most people I am acquainted with have a sweet tooth. No matter what is served during the main course all a person needs to do is bring out a dessert and smiles appear on every face. My Fudgy Graham Pudding, also known as Dirt Pudding, Dirt Cake, Dirt Pie, or Oreo Dessert, always lights up my husband and son’s face whenever I serve it. I’ve served this dessert many times throughout the years as my splattered and faded, hand-written recipe testifies. This dessert is well-known and quite popular. I found close to 850 recipes listed.

In the middle of the 19th century modern industrial advances enabled the refinement of cornstarch extraction. By the turn of the 20th century there were recipes for all kinds of cornstarch puddings. The first packaged pudding mix was introduced to the United States in 1918 and required cooking. Jell-O wasn’t the only brand name. Other popular brands were Knox and Royal, and all three published recipe booklets to promote their products. Jell-O first introduced instant chocolate pudding to the American public in 1936 and was an instant hit. In 1966 the Jell-O “No-Bake” dessert line was launched, and in 1971 pre-packaged prepared puddings called Jell-O Pudding Treats were introduced.

Throughout the years I tweaked my original recipe of Dirt Pudding using Oreo cookies to Fudge Graham cookies as the Oreo cookies with icing in the middle made the dessert seem too sickening sweet to me. I first experimented using Chocolate Fudge cookies with chocolate icing, but soon settled on Fudge Graham cookies. The chocolate-covered graham cookies give the perfect taste to compliment the pudding dessert. Fudgy Graham Pudding is a filling dessert that is quick and easy to make and is perfect for large crowds. My Fudgy Graham Pudding recipe takes fifteen to twenty minutes to prepare and serves around sixteen.

Fudgy Graham Pudding

1 pkg fudge graham cookies
1 (8 0z) cream cheese
1 c sugar
2 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
3½ c cold milk
16 oz cool whip

Crush all but about four cookies in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cream together cream cheese, sugar, and ½ c milk until smooth. Add pudding mixes and the rest of milk slowly, beating until thickened. Fold in cool whip with wire Wisk and pour over crushed cookies. Crush and sprinkle the rest of the fudge graham cookies on top. Chill and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.