Welcome to My Kitchen

Avocado Ice Cream? My first thought was “that is a horrible thing to do to an avocado”, but apparently this is all the rage in several east coast areas. One restaurant serves avocado ice cream on toast, and according to the news article, it sells out fast so people line up early to get this treat.

Have any of you readers tried this interesting concoction? A search on Pinterest turned up several recipes with quite varied ingredients, and judging from these recipes, it appears it could be quite tasty. The avocados are ripening, so we shall see.

Spring must be in the air because I am thinking of fruits and vegetables. Fresh orange slices go well with avocados in a salad, but freshly squeezed orange juice make a delicious Fresh Orange Oatmeal Cake. Citrus with a hint of spice and finished with coconut and orange topping, it serves nicely as a dessert for potluck meals or coffee hour treats. I received this recipe from the late Clara Totesek around 1986.

Fresh Orange

Oatmeal Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice.

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup sifted flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Orange Delight Topping:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

1 Tbsp orange juice

1 cut flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Generously grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring orange juice to a boil. Pour over oatmeal in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth.

In a small bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add flour mixture along with oatmeal mixture to creamed mixture, mixing until well combined. Stir in orange peel and nuts.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and spread immediately with the Orange Delight Topping that you prepared while cake was baking.

Prepare topping by mixing sugar, butter, orange peel and orange juice in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stirring in remaining ingredients.

This cake is also good frosted with an orange flavored cream cheese frosting when completely cool.

Asparagus has yet to think about poking up spears in Washington, but southern California crops are beginning to show up in area markets. Steaming or roasting are easy preparations, but asparagus also goes well in casseroles and pairs nicely with salmon. Salmon Asparagus Casserole is easy to prepare from ingredients most likely on hand when you come home with a bundle of fresh asparagus.

This recipe is my adaptation of a recipe in “Treasured Recipes” put out by the Cle Elum Community Church, and given to me by Dave and Darlene Edens.

Salmon

Asparagus Casserole

1 tall can (16 ounces) salmon

1 can (14 3/4 ounces) cream style corn

1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh asparagus, washed, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 cup fine bread or cracker crumbs

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

Ground paprika

Bring two inches of water to a boil in a saucepan with steamer basket. When water boils add prepared asparagus to basket and steam 3 minutes. Remove from steamer and cool in cold water. Drain well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease a two quart baking dish.

Remove bones from salmon and flake. Place half the salmon in casserole.

Stir salt and pepper into creamed corn and add half the corn mixture to the casserole. Top with half the drained asparagus. Repeat layers.

Melt butter and combine with crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole and add a dash or two of paprika. Bake 40 minutes, covered loosely the first 10 minutes. Yield; 4 servings.

Succotash, a southern cooks method of combining two leftovers to make a new dish with a enough to go around. Based on corn and lima beans, there are as many versions as there are cooks. My go to book for leftover ideas, “500 Delicious Dishes From Leftovers”, gives the basic recipe and several variations.

Succotash

2 cups cooked kernel corn

2 cups cooked lima beans, fresh or dried

1/2 tsp salt

Dash ground black pepper

2 Tbsp butter or bacon drippings

1/2 cup whole milk

Combine all in gradients in a saucepan and heat slowly until milk incorporates. Yield 6 servings.

Variations: omit milk and increase butter to 4 Tbsp.

Add 2 Tbsp minced green pepper.

Add 4 Tbsp chopped pimento.

Add 2 sliced crisp bacon crumbed before serving.

Add 4 Tbsp sautéed chopped onion.

Share your favorite spring vegetable and fruit recipes with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159 or email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. A little early for dandelions for Dandelion Wine, but has anyone seen a buttercup yet?