This is a recipe I have used many times and love it! We have so many cucumbers in our garden and this is a great way to use them. Maureen

Ingredients:

• 3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• dash ground cayenne pepper
• dash dried parsley flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• dash dried leaf basil

Preparation:

Seafood Dipping Sauce from the kitchen of Yolanda Roberson

OMG....for all the seafood lovers especially crabs - a new dipping sauce recipe. It is so simple and and delicious.

Butter, garlic and vinegar. Dont let the vinegar fool you. It is DELICIOUS.

Peach/Mango Salsa from the kitchen of Melinda Woodard

Ingredients:

• 2 medium peaches diced
• 1 medium mango diced
• 1 small can pineapple chunks, drained (optional)
• 1 small roma tomato diced
• about 1/4 small sweet onion, minced VERY fine
• hot sauce (to taste, optional)
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1tsp worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in bowl and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.

I serve it with grilled fish, but it is also great with tacos, fajitas and lots of other foods.

Tomato Pie from the kitchen of Tensil Clayton

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced-I drain them in a colander for 15 min., sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
• A few fresh basil leaves
• chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 1 (9-inch) deep dish pie shell 
• ¼ cup mayonnaise mixed with 1/2cup grated mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated cheddar (or just cheddar cheese) 
• Salt and pepper 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes before making pie. 
3. Put onions as first layer, then tomato slices, salt and pepper and a few basil leaves. 
4. Add second layer of tomatoes. 
5. Spread cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. 

I love this tomato pie and serve it at lunch or dinner in the summer. It is also good cold the next day.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes from the kitchen of Elizabeth Brunetti (adapted from Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used Softasilk) 
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3 eggs beaten 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 8 oz. fat-free sour cream 
• 1 cup orange juice 
• 1 Tbsp fresh orange zest 
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature 
• 8 oz. Neufchatel (1/3 the fat of cream cheese), room temperature 
• 3 cups confectioner\'s sugar (add more for a thicker frosting) 
• 4 Tbsp orange juice Zest of 1/2 an orange 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line two (12-count) muffin tins with liners. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry cupcake ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Using a hand mixer, work in the wet ingredients: eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. 
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins. (I found that about 1/4 cup of batter per liner worked very well.) 
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. 
7. Cool completely before frosting. 

To make the frosting:

1. Combine all of the icing ingredients in a medium bowl and incorporate them using a hand mixer, until smooth. 
2. Taste to ensure you have the right orange-vanilla ratio. 
3. Add more juice or extract as needed. 
4. To fill the cupcakes, cut off the very tip of a bottom corner of a plastic Ziploc storage bag, and insert a small cake decorating tip (or, if you\'re fancy like I hope to be someday, use an actual pastry bag). Push the tip gently into the top of the cupcake (you may have to hold onto the tip to keep it from sliding back into the bag) and squeeze the icing in until the cupcake plumps. 
5. Finish icing the top of the cupcakes as usual. 
6. To serve, garnish with some orange wedges or a little fresh orange zest sprinkled on top of the cupcake. Enjoy! 

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CAKE from the kitchen of Janet Phetteplace

Ingredients:

• Cake 2 pkgs. of jello French vanilla instant pudding (small boxes) 
• 1 box of graham crackers 
• 1 - 12 oz. bowl of Cool Whip 
• 3 cups of milk 

1. Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with a layer of whole graham crackers

2. Make instant pudding with 3 cups of milk.

3. Add cool whip to pudding (whole bowl) mix it with big spoon.

4. Pour half of pudding mixture over the first layer of graham crackers.

5. Lay another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding mixture.

6. Add the remaining mixture on top of that.

7. Add another layer of graham crackers.

8. Pour your icing mixture over the top.

9. Refrigerate overnight or put in fridge while you mix the icing if you don't have the time to leave in overnight before you put the icing on.

NOTE: I do not use the icing recipe below; I just buy the chocolate icing from the grocery store. Icing 3 pkgs. of pre-melted Nestle\'s unsweetened coco bake 4 1/2 Tbls. milk 3 tsp. of Karo syrup-lite 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla 4 1/2 Tbls. butter 2 1/4 cups of confectionery sugar, mix all with a beater. (Make sure butter is soft). Put on top of cake - Refrigerate.

From MaryBeth Powers in Alexandria, here's a tasty non-alcoholic way to cool down over this hot weekend...

Virgin Mojito - Low Cal!

• 1 can Club Soda
• 1 Lime Mint (3 sprigs)
• Mojito Mix (1oz)
• Crushed Ice
• Mull Mint
• Line bottom of glass, add crushed ice.
• Cut lime -- squeeze juice in glass -- add 1 oz Mojito mix and can of club soda.
• Enjoy! For added taste -- use flavored club soda.

Roasted Pecans from the kitchen of Tooran Shadman

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried thyme
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
• 1 pound pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Spray a large heavy roasting pan with cooking spray.

3. Mix black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and dried thyme in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until foamy.

5. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, and liquid smoke flavoring and whisk to mix.

6. Drop in pecans and stir to coat well.

7. Pour coated pecans into a colander to drain off extra egg white mixture; return to bowl and add the pepper mixture. Stir well to coat each pecan with spices.

8. Spread pecans in prepared roasting pan.

9. Roast in preheated oven for 5 minutes and stir pecans; roast an additional 5 minutes and stir again.

10. Turn off heat and roast pecans an additional 5 to 10 minutes until pecans are lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles from the kitchen of Pam and Chris Ion

Ingredients:

• Pickling cucumbers
• sliced 2 C white vinegar 
• ½ C canning salt 
• ½ C sugar 
• 1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish 
• Dill 
• Garlic 
• Onion 

Directions:

1. Put dill, garlic, horseradish and onion in the bottom of a one gallon jar.

2.Fill with sliced pickling cucumbers.

3.Add vinegar, salt, and sugar and fill jar with water, leaving 1 inch headspace.

4. Shake jar to mix the salt and sugar. Refrigerate. Continue to shake the jar well for next 5 days.

Enjoy!