Taste of Franklin

Level up your SUMMER COOKOUT

Recipes and photos by AMY MCCOLLUM

Summertime puts most folks in the mood for a backyard cookout. Whether you’re firing up the grill or taking a dish to share at a friend’s event, one or more of these recipes is sure to hit the spot.

HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY COBBLER

This is a family recipe from my Grandma Peggy Wells. As a young girl I remember going to pick blackberries with her, and she would make a delicious cobbler. This recipe was my Grandpa Billy’s favorite.If you are not a blackberry fan, you can try blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches or a combination of several. I chose to use blackberries and raspberries to give a more patriotic look.Note: If using frozen berries, be sure to add them when they’re frozen. If you let them thaw, they’ll be mushy, and the consistency will be off. Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tb. sugar, divided • 1 cup self-rising flour • 1 cup whole milk • 1/2 stick real butter • 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, rinsed and patted dry • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of flour in a large bowl. 3. Stir in the milk, then the melted butter.

Mix until well combined. 4. Pour into a greased 9x9-inch or 6x10-inch baking dish. 5. Distribute the berries throughout the top. They’ll sink in further as they bake.

If desired, you can sprinkle more berries on top once it’s started to bake and set to keep those closer to the top, about 30 minutes in. 6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top, reserving 2 tablespoons for later. 7. Bake for 50 minutes. 8. Remove from the oven and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar on top. 9. Bake for 10 more minutes or until the top is golden brown. 10. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

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SHRIMP PASTA SALAD

I buy frozen, pre-cooked shrimp for quick preparation of this salad. Ingredients:

• 1 lb. small (71-90 count per pound) shrimp – peeled, deveined and cooked • 12 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta • 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped sweet Vidalia onion • 1 green bell pepper, diced • 1 cup mayonnaise • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1/4 tsp. pepper • 1 cup diced celery • 2 hardboiled eggs, diced

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender. Follow package instructions. 2. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside to cool to room temperature. 3. In a large bowl, combine cooked shrimp, pasta, onion, bell pepper, celery and diced eggs. Mix in the mayonnaise. 4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

“RICH” ICE CREAM

What is summer without a delicious, homemade vanilla ice cream recipe? This one was shared with me by the late Mrs. Norvil Lindley. Mrs. Lindley lived in the Burnout community, close to Red Bay. Ingredients:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk • 2 cups sugar • 3-4 Tb. vanilla flavoring • 2 pts. whipping cream • Enough whole milk to fill the remainder of the ice cream freezer.

HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Here is another vanilla ice cream that is sure to please. This one was shared with me by the late Mae Thorne. Mrs. I love this recipe, and Mrs. Lindley’s, because they are easy and do not include raw eggs. Both Mrs. Lindley and Mrs. Thorne were wonderful Christian ladies who definitely fit the description of wonderful Southern cooks. They were both very influential in my life. Ingredients:

• 3 qts. half and half • 4 cups sugar • 2 Tb. vanilla

Instructions:

Follow ice cream freezer instructions.

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

Ingredients:

• 3 Tb. brown sugar • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce • 2 Tb. Worcestershire sauce • 1 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper • 1 Tb. minced garlic • 1/2 medium lemon, juiced – 2 Tb. • 4 bone-in pork chops Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients except the pork chops. 2. Add pork chops to a resealable bag or large bowl and pour the marinade over the pork chops. Squeeze as much air out of bag as possible and seal. 3. Marinate for at least two hours or overnight. 4. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat. 5. Place pork chops on grill or in pan. Discard remaining marinade. 6. Grill over medium heat for four to five minutes on each side or until a thermometer inserted in the middle of the meat reaches 145 degrees. 7. Remove from grill.

GRILLED SQUASH

Ingredients:

• 4 medium yellow squash • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill for medium heat. 2. Cut the squash horizontally into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick slices, so that you have nice long strips that won’t fall through the grill. 3. Heat olive oil in a small pan and add garlic cloves. 4. Cook garlic over medium heat until it starts to sizzle and become fragrant. 5. Brush the slices of squash with the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. 6. Grill squash slices for five to 10 minutes per side, until they reach the desired tenderness. 7. Brush with additional garlic oil and turn occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

TUNA SALAD

Ingredients:

• 2 cans tuna (10-12 oz. total), drained and flaked • 2 large hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped • 1/4 cup mayonnaise • 2 Tb. dill relish • 1/4 tsp. dried dill weed • Salt, to taste • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the tuna, chopped eggs, mayonnaise, dill relish and dill weed. 2. Add more mayonnaise, if desired. 3. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 4. Serve on a bed of lettuce or on fresh, toasted bread.