Grape Stuff

If fruit is the main ingredient, then it’s good for you, right?

I received this recipe from my college roommate, Meredith, years ago. The only copy of the recipe I have is a scrap of paper she found in her kitchen that she scribbled on. It’s faded and rumpled and stained and I keep meaning to rewrite it and throw out the original, but somehow, seeing her handwriting reminds me of her and of us and of the good old days. It’s bittersweet, now, since we haven’t spoken in over a year, and have only exchanged letters, Christmas cards and emails in the past several months, time slowly undoing the bond that we held so tight and for so long. So I keep it and every time I am asked to make it, I search high and low, certain that this is the time that I will regret not rewriting it or, at the very least, making a copy of it.

Last weekend, I felt that familiar anxiety that I had finally lost that scrap of paper, but I found it in the corner of an old dusty recipe box. I pulled up two chairs for the girls and invited them to help me. When J discovered what I was making, he reminded me to make extra and set it aside for him. Grape Stuff is quite delicious - I challenge anyone to tell me they don’t like it. I didn’t get a photo of the finished product (again) but suffice it to say, if you have two almost four year-olds helping on this one, expect a mess and a lot of fingers in the bowl.

GRAPE STUFF

Ingredients:

6 lbs. seedless grapes (black, purple or green)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. whipped topping, thawed
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Line three cookie trays with paper towels and begin washing picked grapes and placing on trays to dry. Dry the grapes well and let sit.

2. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and powdered sugar until well blended. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Carefully mix dry grapes into mixture and blend until grapes are covered. Chill in refrigerator for two hours.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Daddy Bean’s family always asks me to make dessert for events and holidays, so it’s become sort of a challenge to me to make something new every time. For Father’s Day though, my mother-in-law asked me to make a dessert that I had made before, which she loved. I was in the throes of the flu, turned upper respitory infection and pink eye (and later - now - strep throat) so I ended up making a different recipe than the original. I’ve listed both here because both of them are delicious, it’s just a matter of preference (and what’s in your pantry).

I’m going to try to remember to start taking pictures of the dishes I’ve posted here, to give you an idea of what my finished product is.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Version #1

1 Angle Food Cake
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)
2 large container of fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1. Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries and reserve three or four for garnish. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the rest of the strawberries and refrigerate.
2. Cut Angel Food cake into 1-inch squares. Set aside.
3. Blend together cream, cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sour cream until smooth.
4. Fold in Whipped topping.
5. In a trifle bowl layer ingredients, starting with half the cake cubes, then half of the sugared sliced berries, and then half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers and garnish with remaining strawberries.
6. Cover and chill for 4 hours in refrigerator.

Version #2

2 large containers of fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding, plus milk as directed
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. 1/2 inch square shortcake or pound cake cut in cubes
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)

1. Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries and reserve three or four for garnish. Add sugar over the rest of the strawberries, mix and refrigerate.
2. Mix pudding as directed.
3. Add cream cheese to pudding mixture and blend with mixer.
4. Place half of cake squares in bottom of large glass bowl. Pour half of strawberries over cake. Cover with pudding mixture. Repeat layers.
5. Top with frozen whipped topping and garnish with remaining strawberries.
5. Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Audrey loved it, but she’s got a mean sweet tooth as it is. Maggie is not a fan of pudding, and prefers salty to sweet, so she could take it or leave it. Daddy Bean…well it’s not chocolate and anything not chocolate is sub-par in his book. He actually ate the store bought chocolate cream pie instead. Traitor!

I loved it! If you’re looking for something refreshing and summery and quite pretty, definitely think about making this easy dessert.

Beer Chicken and Potato Slabs

courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine

INGREDIENTS:
One 12-ounce can or bottle beer, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
6 chicken drumsticks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 baking potatoes
Olive oil, for drizzling Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the beer, butter, garlic, chili powder, brown sugar and salt. Add the drumsticks, seal the bag and let marinate while you proceed.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Microwave the potatoes on high until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick. Drizzle both sides generously with olive oil.

Transfer the chicken and potatoes to the grill. Grill the drumsticks, brushing with the beer marinade and turning occasionally, until the skin is golden and crisp and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes Meanwhile, grill the potatoes until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve the chicken and potatoes with the lime wedges.

Daddy Bean: *** (He doesn’t like boned chicken.)
Audrey: **** (She enjoyed eating like Fred Flintstone.)
Maggie: ***** (She kept asking for more and told me that this dish has replaced my spaghetti and meat sauce as her favorite meal.)