“Kitchen Krafts,” Friend, July 2006, 23

Kitchen Krafts

Enjoy these summer vegetable recipes. Then cool off with a pudding dessert.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped

1/2 pound (.23 kg) bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup grated cheese

Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a large bowl.
Add the broccoli, bacon, seeds, and cheese. Stir to coat with the mayonnaise mixture. Chill for several hours before serving.

Serves 4–6.

Tomato Pie

4 refrigerated piecrusts (9″/23 cm)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 package (16 ounces/454 g) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed

1 package (15 ounces/425 g) ricotta cheese

1/4 cup black olives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 450°F (232°C). Remove piecrusts from packages and set flat on greased baking sheets.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook until moisture evaporates. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, olives, salt, and pepper. Add cooked spinach mixture.
Cut tomatoes into thin slices and lightly salt.
Spoon the spinach-and-cheese mixture evenly onto the centers of the four piecrusts. Fold piecrust edges up over the filling and pinch into place. Distribute the sliced tomatoes evenly on top of the four pies. Sprinkle each pie with mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes.

Cherry Chocolate Parfaits

2 cups cold milk

1 package (3.9 ounces/111 g) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 can (21 ounces/595 g) cherry pie filling, divided

2 cups whipped topping, divided

4 cherries

4 teaspoons chocolate sprinkles or shavings

In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand until soft-set. Stir in 1 cup pie filling. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.
Spoon half of the pudding mixture into four tall glasses. Top with remaining pie filling, pudding mixture, and whipped topping.
Garnish with cherries and chocolate sprinkles or shavings, if desired.

Illustrated by Amanda Sorensen