Here is another quick and simple recipe from my no-bake cookbook:

1 1/4 cups maple syrup
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats

In a large saucepan, combine maple syrup with corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Stir in pecans, vanilla, and oats. Press mixture into a greased 9×9 inch pan. Let stand until firm (couple hours).

This recipe was originally suppose to be drop cookies, but the cookies would not hold together so I pressed them into the baking pan (how’s that for salvaging?). One of the tricky things in baking is that recipes are very exact, so you must measure carefully and following the recipe step-by-step, but no-bake recipes typically have a little wiggle room. Next time, I would add a bit more butter to make the “batter” easier to work with, and also a pinch of salt to balance the sticky sweetness. But in whatever form, these still taste great!

One of my favorite snacks is pretzels dipped in mustard, so I created this Smokey Mustard Dip. It’s not spicy, but you could easily make it hotter by using spicy mustard. You could also make it sweeter with honey mustard.  

1 cup chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 small (8 oz) bottle of prepared mustard

Combine onions, garlic, smoked paprika, and cumin in a frying pan coated in cooking spray. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Place onion mixture in a food processor or chopper with pepper and mayonnaise. Puree until mixture is smooth. Add mustard and mix thoroughly.

Serve warm immediately or refrigerate and serve later cold. Goes well with pretzels, crackers, or raw veggies.

This weekend, I stocked up on paprika. There were several varieties, so here is what I’m working with:

Hot Hungarian Paprika
Mild Paprika
Smoked Paprika
Sweet Paprika

The generic version in the supermarket is probably mild paprika, which will work for most recipes, but I will specify which type I am using in each dish.

All of these were on sale at the World Market (www.worldmarket.com), but you can easily pick up a generic version for under $3.  

I have several paprika recipes in the works that will be posted shortly, so please come back soon!

This fresh and tasty summer treat is from Self magazine. It’s a great way to cool off on a hot day.

4 cups cubed watermelon
juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup)
2 tbsp sugar
mint sprigs, for garnish, or be bold and use basil!

Combine watermelon, lemon, and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour over ice and add mint sprig. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Each serving is only 73 calories. This recipe works well because watermelon is mostly, well, water. When you puree it smooth, it becomes liquid.

Here is a fresh summer recipe from Real Simple magazine that takes advantage of the seasonal summer tastes of watermelon and fresh basil. I prefer to use Assam black tea, which has a very strong flavor, but use the kind of tea you like best.

8 cups boiling water
8 tea bags
1/8 to 1/4 watermelon, cut into wedges (depends on the size of the melon)
1 small bunch fresh basil sprigs
sugar, to taste

Pour boiling water into a heat resistant pitcher over tea bags. Seep tea for 10 minutes and remove tea bags. Allow tea to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Chill 2-3 hours.

Place 3-4 watermelon wedges in each glass with ice and a sprig of basil. Pour tea and add sugar as desired. This recipe makes 8 servings.

I’m not sure why the tea is cooled to room temperature before putting into the refrigerator, but I will admit that I am guilty of skipping that step and my iced tea turns out fine. Check out the comments for instructions on cutting melons.