Get the latest recipes from Shine http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/shine After a fabulous dinner this past weekend, the dishes were done and kitchen clean, guests had gone home, save Mary, who helps me immensely with some of the preparation of dishes for my blog. As well as the guests being gone, so was the wine, and we were still talking. Something had to be done! I had some Limoncello left from the tiramisu, and some lovely dark rum that a dear friend had sent. After looking up drink recipes for dark rum, and not being particularly moved by any of them, the creative nature in me reared its head and came up with this drink. It has a light flavor that would be great on a hot summer's day -- thus the summertime part of the name. Contrary to what you may be thinking -- although later we found out it's quite apropos -- Sledgehammer came because Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer was playing while we were thinking of a name for this new concoction. The name stuck. Don't be afraid to add more water, but you certainly won't want to use less! Enjoy! -- Ray http://www.grouprecipes.com/93901/summertime-sledgehammer.html I submit this recipe in the form that it was given to me by some friends. I was introduced to this pie at Thanksgiving several years ago, and is a favorite to pull out and blow peoples minds with! I have a new version using essential oils posted on my fledgling website/blog that incorporates some changes that makes it even more outrageous-- imagine this with a rum-cinnamon crust and cream cheese in the filling... whoa! Enjoy this! http://www.grouprecipes.com/92095/old-original-bookbinders-apple-pie.html Such a simple, healthy and pretty quick dish! Add fresh bacon crumbles with the egg mixture for another dimension... the possibilities are endless! Leftovers are delicious too! For a change, serve with a mild mango salsa. http://www.grouprecipes.com/85251/spinach-feta-fritatta.html This recipe comes from Mom, who got it from one of the Splendid Table Cookbooks. The fresh rosemary is a must! The soup suffers without it. Buttermilk gives the soup a delicious tang. Farmers use it instead of, part of, or all of the water in the soup, since buttermilk is plentiful in Trentino's dairy country. Everyone churns their own butter, and the buttermilk left after churning is cooked into bread, sweets and soups like this one.. It curdles slightly in the soup but tastes fine. The soup tastes even better the second day. The recipe calls for a thin soup, but I like it slightly thicker, and thus I substitute a couple of regular baking potatoes for a couple of the red-skinned potatoes. This soup also freezes particularly well. Enjoy! http://www.grouprecipes.com/71385/barley-mountain-soup-zuppa-dorzo-con-salsiccia.html If you don't want to make this paste, it's available in most Asian markets, and some better stocked grocery stores. This is an incredibly flavorful Thai staple -- I prefer to make my own, as it is much better than what is in the store, and I can adjust the flavors to my liking. But the leftover stocks of lemongrass in the freezer for storing until you're ready to use them. Same with any extra galangal that you may have. This recipe comes courtesy of about.com. I went through several recipes for Green curry paste, and this is the best I I found, and subsequently adapted it as my own with a few tweaks ;-) http://www.grouprecipes.com/65936/green-curry-paste.html A friend here was asking about tiny little eggplants that she had scored at her local farmers market. So, it is with great envy that I post this recipe ;-) This is one of my favorite Thai dishes. There is a lot of room for tweaking here -- in the end, all that matters is your own personal taste... so go for it! The spiciness is adjusted with the green curry paste. You may also use Thai chiles to ramp up the heat if needed. http://www.grouprecipes.com/65933/thai-green-curry-with-chicken-and-eggplant-quotgaeng-khiao-wan-gaiquot.html It's that time of year! Zucchini aplenty.I have been using the majority of this recipe for going on 12 years now. This time however, I decided to see what my friends in the test kitchen at Cook's Country considered to be good zucchini bread. We don't agree on all aspects, but I admire some of their use of the yogurt as opposed to sour cream, like I was using. These are very quick, easy, and absolutely fabulous! I am looking at a filling for these muffins, but I think I'm going to withhold that information for now ;-) try these first -- then we'll talk about the cream cheese filling that I'm putting in lol. As usual for me, I'm using giant muffin pans, but I have adjusted the Times so that they should reflect using standard pans. If you're using giant muffin pans, I found that 23-25 minutes is perfect. http://www.grouprecipes.com/65304/over-the-top-zucchini-bread-muffins.html Try this... just do it ;-)... the combination of flavors are remarkable. The lemon juice knocks out the onion, and the mint just seems to smooth everything over -- fabulous! I'm certain that there is a proper name for the salad, I just don't know it! I was playing around with Greek salad in my mind, and I came up with this. Instead of using the red wine vinegar, I used fresh lemon juice; and instead of using oregano, I used fresh mint. The result was a pleasant tasting, very pretty, refreshing salad. Some friends had the opportunity to try this, and now has been requested to be served at two different functions, as well as whenever they visit LOL. Wonderful for summertime, I hope you enjoy this! http://www.grouprecipes.com/64104/mediterranean-salad.html This red pepper and walnut dip is one of the outstanding dips of the eastern Mediterranean, as delicious and striking as the far more famous hummus and baba ghanoush. It is easy to make, and will add an exotic flair to any table. Make this three to four days ahead of time, so as to let it sit and develop its flavors more completely. If you can't wait that long, I completely understand (I often make a double batch so I have enough for the intended meal) a couple of very important keys here -- firstly: toast the walnuts and the cumin seed, and secondly: let this dip return to room temperature before serving. I like to dip pita chips or warmed lavash in this. I have included a method for making pomegranate molasses if you can't find any. Enjoy this! http://www.grouprecipes.com/62483/muhammara.html Whether it's brand new, or just as fresh 65 years later, a relationship with that One Love of Your Life is truly a gift to be coveted by all. Just as food nourishes the body, true love nourishes one's soul. Just as nice as pulling out that dog-eared recipe card for the favorite casserole, taking a look once in awhile at the things that make being with the one you love so magical can be refreshing and reinvigorating. So, why not a recipe for a love letter... http://www.grouprecipes.com/62201/sweet-love-letter.html