Malted Milk Ball Ice-Cream Dessert

You know what Forrest Gump's momma always said. With you dessert you get the best malted milk balls you have never tasted. Joan originally made this in July of 2008. Recently she made it for a friend who requested a copy. So have updated the web page.

Preparation Time : 8 minutes Chill: 3 hours

3 1/3 cups malted milk balls (10 1/2 ounces)
1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
12 frozen rectangular ice-cream sandwiches
1 cup hot fudge sauce, warmed, if desired

Place malted milk balls in resealable plastic food-storage bag. Tap with rolling pin or meat mallet until coarsely crushed. Reserve 1/3 cup.

Mix remaining crushed malted milk balls and the whipped topping.

Arrange ice-cream sandwiches in bottom of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, cutting sandwiches if necessary to cover bottom of pan. Spread whipped topping mixture over ice-cream sandwiches. Sprinkle with reserved crushed malted milk balls. Cover and freeze 2 to 3 hours or until firm.

For servings, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows. Top with fudge sauce. 12 servings.

Success Hint: Frozen malted balls crush more easily than crushed when at room temperature.

Special Touch: Substitute Neapolitan or chocolate ice-cream sandwiches for regular vanilla ice-cream sandwiches.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Raided the refrigerator to make a cold plate for dinner. Then Joan wanting to add an extra touch to the meal prepared this hearty soup. She discovered the recipe in the Lowville paper.

One 15.5-ounce can cannellini drained and rinsed
1 TB. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about one cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound), diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
1 Tb. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
2 tsps. chopped fresh sage of 1/2 tsp. dry
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
One 14.5-ounce canno-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (2 cups lightly packed), chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In  a small bowl, mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon; set aside.

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes and brng to a boil.

Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves; cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve with the Parmesan, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Triple-Berry Cobbler

Fresh berries especially those from Wegmans have been excellent this summer. Joan found this recipe in the Kraft Foods Food & Family Summer 2012 magazine. Joan thought this would be a cool dessert for this summer's heatwave.

What You Need:
4 cups assorted fresh berries (Joan used blueberries, raspberries & sliced strawberries)
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1/2 water, divided
1 cup baking mix
1/4 cup of sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Heat oven to 350˚ F.
Combine berries in 2-qt. round microwaveable casserole. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. Reserve 1 tsp. sugar. Stir remaining sugar, dry pudding mix and 1/4 cup water into berry micture.
Mix baking mix, sour cream, and remaining water. Drop in 6 mounds (mounds should not touch) over fruit mixture. Mix reserved sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough.
Bake 35 min. or until fruit mixture is hot and bubbly and biscuits are lightly browned. Serve warm topped with Cool Whip.

Best eaten on front porch when there is a breeze.

If you have leftovers, store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, microwave each serving on HIGH 20 sec. or just until warmed.

Chicken & Rice Salad

Since the thermometer cannot seem to get below 90˚ Joan decided to serve this refreshing salad. With a Wegmans' ear of corn as a side the salad did its job well.

3 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c. long-grain rice, cooked
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/2 c. Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 c. fresh chives, chopped
1/4 c. freah basil, chopped
1/4 c. freash oregano, chopped
14-oz. can artichokes, drained and diced
4-oz. pkg. crumbled feta cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, pepper and garlic. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine rice and remaining ingredients except cheese. At serving time, drizzle vinegar mixture over salad; sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Blueberry-Chicken Salad

After making North Georgia Caviar for Michael and Ryan to take to Luke's bachelor party, Joan combined fresh Blueberries from Wegmans with Chobani Greek Yogurt to add a new spin to chicken salad for lunch.

2 c. chicken breast, cooked and cubed
3/4 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. red pepper, diced
1/2 c. green onions, thinly sliced
2 c. blueberries, divided
6-oz. container lemon yogurt
3 T. mayonnaise
1/2 t. salt
Garnish: Bibb lettuce

Combine chicken and vegetables in a large bowl. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups of blueberries; reserve remaining berries. In a separate bowl, blend remaining ingredients except lettuce. Drizzle over chicken mixture and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Spoon salad onto lettuce-lined plates. Top with reserved blueberries.

Makes 4 servings.

Roasted Veggie Tortellini Salad

This sensational salad is a must for any summer gathering.

20-oz. pkg. refrigerated 6-cheese tortellini pasta
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 zucchini, diced
7-oz. container basil pesto

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. In a bowl, combine re pepper, onion and asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and toss with one tablespoon olive oil. Arrange red pepper mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and set aside. Season zucchini with salt and pepper; toss with remaining olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender but not brown. Combine roasted vegetables, cooked tortellini and pesto in a large bowl. Chill for one hour; serve chilled.

Makes 8 servings.

Zucchini Bread

You will love this simple recipe. 

It is easy by nature - uses a cake mix.

Prep: 25 min. Bake: 47 min. Cool: 25 min.

1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 (18.25-oz.) package spice cake mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 canola oil
3 large eggs
2 cups shredded zucchini (1 medium zucchini)

1. Place 2/3 cups pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan.
2. Bake at 350˚ for 6 to 7 minutes or until pecans are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally.
3. Beat cake mix and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat 1 minute stopping to scrape bottom and down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in zucchini and 2/3 cup toasted pecans. Pour batter evenly into 2 (9- x 5- inch) lightly greased loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup pecans evenly over batter.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 35 to 40 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes  out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves.

Joan’s Suggestions:
For best results, shred zucchini using the large holes of a box grater.
Using small individual bread pans produced 6 loaves (nice for sharing).

Recipe from Southern Living October 2007 p. 14