In The Kitchen

No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

19 oz graham crackers
2 pounds fresh strawberries
3½ cups heavy cream
1 banana, sliced thin
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt

Cream powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt with the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until the cream mixture holds stiff peaks. Spread a thin layer of heavy cream mix in a 9x13 pan just to coat the bottom. Layer 5 graham crackers across the center of the pan, then 2 more,breaking them as needed to fit around the top and bottom edges. Spread a thick layer of heavy cream mix over grahams and top with a hearty layer of sliced strawberries. Place graham crackers on top of strawberries, then heavy cream mix, then layer of thinly sliced bananas. Repeat the graham-strawberries-cream layers 1 more time (3 times total) and you should reach the top of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the graham crackers have softened completely. Top with a few sliced strawberries or whole strawberries if you desired. Serve chilled.

Ultimate No-Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

For the crust:
2 C Oreo Cookie Crumbs
¼ C Unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
1 pk (8oz) Cream cheese
¾ C Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
1 pk (8oz) Cool Whip (thawed)
10 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (chopped)
For the garnish:
6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (chopped)
¼ C Creamy Peanut Butter (optional)
¼ C Hot fudge sauce (optional)

Remove the filling from your Oreos and discard. Use a food processor to crush the Oreos cookies into a fine crumb. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and pour melted butter over Oreo crumbs. Stir to combine until all crumbs are moistened. Press into a 9” spring form pan using a spoon or measuring cup to compress crust. Set aside.
For the filling: Using the paddle attachment of your Kitchen Aid mixer, whip cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy for 2-3 minutes. Add peanut butter spread and continue to beat until well mixed. Add the vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream, increase mixing speed to medium-high and whip for 2-3 minutes to add air into the batter. Once all ingredients are mixed together, add Cool Whip and beat into batter. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula and mix together. Chop Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into small pieces and drop into batter. Stir to combine. Empty filling into prepared pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours (if time allows). Serve chilled.
For the garnish: Chop Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into small pieces and spread over the top of the cheesecake. Melt peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for 45-60 seconds. Stir until smooth. If not completely melted, return to the microwave in 15 second increments until melted. Drizzle over top of cheesecake with a spoon.Heat hot fudge in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Caution, jar will be hot! Stir until smooth and drizzle over cheesecake.

Strawberry Shortcake Bars

1 box vanilla cake mix
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
STRAWBERRY VANILLA CRUMBLE:
1 (3 oz.) package strawberry gelatin mix, dry
1 (3 oz.) package vanilla INSTANT pudding mix, dry
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all purpose flour, divided
COOL WHIP FROSTING:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 9x9 cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, mix together the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil until combined and dough forms. Press dough evenly into prepared pan using a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Let cool completely before frosting.
MAKE CRUMBLE: In a small bowl combine the strawberry gelatin mix, 4 Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup flour. Using a fork to mix ingredients together until crumble forms. In another small bowl, combine the vanilla pudding mix, 4 Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup flour. Using a fork to mix ingredients together until crumble forms.Spread both the strawberry and vanilla crumble on to a lined cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Bake at 350F degrees for 10 minutes. *Check crumble at 5 minutes, stirring so that the crumble doesn’t burn. Place pan in freezer for 10 minutes to cool down the crumble quickly to sprinkle on top of bars.
MAKE FROSTING: In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and Cool Whip blending on high until frosting is light and fluffy. Frost top of cooled bars and sprinkle a generous amount crumble on top. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Sweet Ginger Ribs

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup peach preserves
1/3 cup minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4 pounds pork baby back ribs

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk the first 10 ingredients until blended. In a small container, reserve 1 cup marinade for basting. Divide ribs and the remaining marinade between 2 large resealable plastic bags; seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate ribs and reserved marinade overnight.
Remove ribs, discarding remaining marinade from bags. Grill ribs, covered, over indirect medium heat 1-1/2-2 hours or until tender, basting occasionally with reserved marinade during the last half hour.

BBQ Tenderloin

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp dry mustard
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil

Stir together brown sugar, salt, dry mustard, pepper, oregano and thyme. Set aside.
Remove silver skin from pork. Pat dry, rub with olive oil and coat in spice mixture. Let pork stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Grill pork, 8-10 minutes per side, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. Remove pork from grill and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Notes:
When cooking pork tenderloin, it is important to remove the silver skin on the side of each pork tenderloin. The silver skin is a silvery-white sheen membrane on the pork tenderloins. It is a thick connective tissue and it doesn’t break down when the pork is cooked. I use a knife and carefully cut it off. If you don’t remove the silver skin, you will have a tough uneatable area on each tenderloin.
You can use the BBQ Rub on any cut of pork – pork chops, pork loin, pork shoulder.
Pork needs to have a minimum internal temperature of 145ºF.
To cook the pork inside, pan sear the pork for 2 minutes on all sides. Place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400ºF for 10 to 12 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Pull the pork out of the oven at 145ºF and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Hot Link BBQ Packets for Grilling

2 Packets of Johnsonville® Beef Hot Links
4 Russet Potatoes
4 Carrots
2 Medium-Sized White Onions
Seasoned salt
Aluminum Foil

Chop Johnsonville Beef Hot Links and place in the largest bowl you have.
Chop Russet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, and add to large bowl.
Chop carrots into 1/2 inch pieces, and add to the large bowl.
Large dice onions, and add to the large bowl.
Sprinkle about two teaspoons of seasoned salt on top of the packet mixture.
With your hands (it’s the best way to do this), toss the packet mixture together in the large bowl.
Tear off 3 pieces of aluminum foil, about 14×14 inches each, or larger.
Equally divide the packet mixture between the foil pieces.
Close up the foil packets, and place directly into hot coals.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely cooked through.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Low Country Shrimp Boil

2-1/2 pounds extra large prawns, unpeeled
5 quarts water
1 (12 oz) beer
1 bag Shrimp and Crab Boil (found in the seafood section)
1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
2 T kosher salt
2 lemons, juiced plus rinds
1 large onion, quartered
1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes
4 ears corn, broken into smaller pieces
1 lb kielbasa
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

De-vein shrimp and set aside on ice until ready to use.
In a large stock pot, add water, beer, shrimp and crab boil, Old Bay, salt, lemon juice and rinds from both lemons and onion. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn and kielbasa, cook for 5 minutes more. Add shrimp, cooking for 3 minutes or until pink and opaque.
Drain broth and toss with butter that has been melted with minced garlic.
Serve on a bed of newspapers with lemon wedges and your choice of dipping sauces such as cocktail sauce or a spicy mayo.
*I often double this recipe and cook it in two batches to feed a crowd. However, if you have a large enough pot (usually and outdoor boil pot) you can double it and cook it all at once.

Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 red bell pepper, diced
3-4 green onions, diced (green and white parts)
1 – 13 ounce package, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup bbq sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Cook 1 lb. elbow macaroni according to package directions. When pasta is done cooking and you’ve drained it, run cold water over the pasta until it is completely cooled. Allow macaroni to drain well.
In a large skillet heated to medium high heat, sauté the chopped Kielbasa until it is lightly browned.
In a small bowl combine mayo, bbq sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.
In a large bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta with diced bell pepper, green onions, and browned kielbasa. Stir in the dressing you made in step 3.
Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. If the pasta has been in the fridge for a while, stir in 1-2 two tablespoons of warm water before serving to obtain a creamy consistency again.

Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad

4 cups watermelon, cubed
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 pint cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 pint blackberries
squeeze of fresh lime juice

Cut all of the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl, and gently toss together. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste. Serve chilled.

No Bake Fireworks Oreo Cheesecake Bars

1 package Red Velvet Oreo Cookies, crushed, (About 25 Cookies)
 6 tablespoon butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
4 8 ounce cream cheese blocks, softened
¾ to 1 cup sugar, (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon vanillia
8 ounce cool whip, (I use extra creamy if available)
16 Oreo Cookies, roughly chopped
1 package red or blue pop rocks or a mixture, optional
additional chopped Cookies for topping
Red, White, & Blue Sprinkles or Candies for topping if desired

Crust
Crush 1 Package Red Velvet Oreo Cookies (leave stuffing in to crush) with food processor.
Melt butter in microwave. I use my 1 stick setting and it melts perfectly (about 1 minute)
Combine crushed Red Velvet Oreo crumbs together in a bowl.
In 9 X 13 baking dish, press Red Velvet Oreo mixture into bottom of dish to make a crust.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or 1 hour until well chilled.
Cheesecake Filling
In stand mixer (with beater attachment) or with electric beaters, beat softened cream cheese until smooth (about 4 to 5 minutes). Add in sugar and vanilla and beat until mixed well.
Fold in chopped Fireworks Oreo cookies and whipped cream until combined.
Spoon mixture over chilled crust and spread out evenly.
Chill for 4 hours before serving.
Top with addition coarsely crushed Fireworks Cookies and sprinkles and/or candies if desired.




Beth Bond is a certified chef with a culinary arts degree and a hotel and restaurant management degree from Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky. She also has several years’ experience in the hospitality and food service industries. She is a press association award-winning photographer and has several years’ experience in the newspaper industry. She can be reached by e-mail at bethabond77@gmail.com