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So what is a stone fruit? Apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums are five of the most common stone fruits. These tasty fruits get their names from the stone or pit that rests in their centers. Stone fruits are bountiful during the summer months, but can be purchased any time of year if your local market wants to pay and charge you the higher price to import them. Either way, when buying these types of fruit, look for ones that are ripe. A stone fruit is ripe when the flesh is tender to the touch and the smell makes your mouth water! If you don’t want to eat them right away, buying them hard and letting them ripen at room temperature might be a better option.

Here is some helpful information on the five most common stone fruits:

Apricots

The best apricots are plump and golden-orange in color, with flesh that yields slightly when touched with your finger. You can peel apricots by putting them in boiling water for 30 seconds and peeling them with a sharp knife under cold running water. Eat this fruit fresh or in desserts. Apricots have 52 calories per 3 medium fruits, 11.8 grams of carbohydrates and 2.6 grams of fiber.

Cherries

Cherries are one of Mother Nature’s most yummy fruits. Unfortunately, the cherry season only runs for three months during the summer—June through August, so you should enjoy them while you can. When purchasing cherries the colors should be bright red, yellow with a hint of red, reddish-brown or black, depending on the type you are buying. Cherries go bad quickly so plan on buying only what you can eat in two or three day’s time. One cup of cherries has 90 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber.

Nectarines

Nectarines are often mistaken for peaches because of the cross pollination that has gone on over the years, but the nectarine is a unique fruit in its own right. Because of cross pollination, nectarines are no longer white or pale yellow, but golden-red in color. The flesh of a nectarine is not as firm or as juicy as a peach. You can buy nectarines at their peak from late spring to early fall. One medium nectarine has 67 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates and 1.8 grams of fiber.

Peaches

The majority of peaches sold fresh in super markets are the freestone One reason they are so popular is because they are easier to eat due to the fact that the flesh separates itself from the stone effortlessly. Another reason they are so popular is because they are sweet and juicy. Peaches can be purchased from mid-spring to mid-fall. Look for peaches that have a distinct crease with no green tint in the coloring. You know a peach is ripe by the smell. Never buy a peach that is rock hard because it will probably never ripen to the point that it can be eaten. One small peach has 37 calories, 9.7 grams of carbohydrates and 1.8 grams of fiber.

Plums

Did you know that there are over 200 varieties of plums? The skin tones range from purple, black, red, blue, yellow and green. The flesh of a plum can be orange, red, green or yellow. When you chose a plum make sure the coloring is deep and bright. A ripe plum will be tender to the touch and slightly soft. Plums come with a protective covering so be sure to wash them before eating. Two medium plums contain 72 calories, 17.2 grams of carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fiber.

Now that you know a little more about stone fruits, why don’t you try them out in a recipe or two? Here is a wonderful cake recipe that uses fresh ripe peaches. Enjoy!

Peach Cake

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of margarine (softened)
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of soymilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
5 large peaches (peeled and neatly sliced)
2 tablespoons of margarine (melted)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a jelly roll pan measuring 15″ x 10″ with cooking spray. If you prefer a thicker cake, you can use a 13 x 9 pan.

3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add the softened margarine, cup of sugar, soymilk, and vanilla.

5. Use an electric mixer at low speed to mix.

6. Spread the mixture into the jelly roll pan.

7. Mix together the 3/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon.

8. Sprinkle 1/2 of this mixture over the cake batter in pan.

9. On top of this, layer the peach slices in even rows – lengthwise.

10. Next, sprinkle with remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture.

11. Drizzle the two tablespoons of melted margarine over this.

12. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the cake rising through the peaches and has turned golden brown.

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Zucchini, Zucchini…I think I planted too much of it…again!  Last year we ate Zucchini bread until we were sick of it, but I still planted more.

So this year in addition to the “normal” recipes of frying, grilling, baking (especially good if you use it like you would Eggplant Parmesan, but that is another recipe),  or just slicing and putting it into a salad, I decided I would try something new.  Since my love of food includes all things chocolate I decided to try this recipe.  I have only one thing to say..it is a hit!

Cooking.com

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One of the hardest food items for me to plan are what to have as appetizers. There are so many to choose from that I get overwhelmed and end up serving to many. For that reason this year I am going to try and serve only two to three appetizers.

Feta cheese is my favorite cheese. I love its flavor. This particular recipe was given to me many years ago by a friend, I lost the original recipe and went looking on the Internet for a replacement. I found it at Eating Well Magazine, where I find a lot of my recipes.

Serve with assorted vegetables, such as baby carrots, bell pepper strips, radishes, snow peas, broccoli and caulifower florets.

EatingWell

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS
Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

Have a safe and happy summer season.

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For those of who are regular readers, you must have realized by now that I have a love affair with sweets and most if not all of Paula Deens recipes. Well, she has done it again with this cupcake recipe for the Fourth of July picnics…Enjoy!

I will tell you though I cheated a little by adding more cocoa powder…1 teaspoon just didn’t seem enough!

Ingredients:

2   large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cook’s Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Servings: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

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