If you have any suggestions for berry recipes, send ‘em in.  In the meantime go out and enjoy the sunshine.  Hope to see you this weekend.  Cheer for the home team at the Kettle Berry Challenge!!

The first is the winner of the Kitchen Kettle May recipe contest and comes from Debbie in North Carolina. Try this at your next cook-out!

Hickory Bacon Shrimp

1-½ cups Kitchen Kettle Village Hickory Smoke Grilling Sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pound peeled shrimp
½ pound bacon

Cut slices of bacon in half. Cook bacon until about half done (should not be crisp). Combine KKV Hickory Smoke Grilling Sauce, lemon juice and garlic powder (pour half of mixture into separate bowl for use later). Dip shrimp into half of sauce to thoroughly coat. Wrap each piece of shrimp with ½ piece of bacon. Place on skewer (Soak skewers in water for 15 to 20 minutes beforehand; leave small space between pieces when placing on skewer). Brush grill with vegetable oil, place skewers on hot grill and baste with remaining sauce mixture. Grill for approximately 4 to 6 minutes.

The next recipe celebrates berries and comes from our Culinary Ambassador, Neal Mease, from The Kling House Restaurant. And did I mention that our Berry Jam Festival is next weekend on June 19th & 20th?

Creamy Chilled Strawberry Soup

Ingredients:
4 lb. strawberries
1 pt. jar Kitchen Kettle Strawberry Preserves
1/2 gallon water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cloves, ground
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cups lemon juice

1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup water

2 quarts sour cream
1 quart milk

Directions:
1. Drain fruit.  Reserve the liquid.
2. Combine sugar, 1/2 gallon water, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and thicken liquid.
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Cool to room temperature.  *should let the liquid sit in the refrigerator over night.
6. Blend liquid with sour cream, fruit, preserves and milk.

Holding procedure:  place into serving vessel and cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator till needed.

Serving procedure:  serve chilled with a fruit garnish and ½ tsp sour cream.

Yield:  1.5 gallons

Let me know how you make out with these recipes. And if you have a great recipe that you would like to share (that uses a Kitchen Kettle product) I would love to hear from you. For your efforts you could win a $25.00 Jam & Relish Kitchen gift card. So get cooking and enjoy summer!

Here is a great grilling recipe from Brad Foley, who won the Kitchen Kettle April Recipe Contest. For his efforts Brad received a $25 Kitchen Kettle Jam & Relish Kitchen gift card and will have his recipe shared on the blog, in the Jam & Relish Kitchen and on our website. Way to go Brad!

Hickory Orange Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup Kitchen Kettle  Hickory Smoke Grilling Sauce

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/4 cup Kitchen Kettle Orange Marmalade (or Kitchen Kettle Cranberry Orange Marmalade)

1 green pepper, cut into small chunks

1 red pepper, cut into small chunks

1 cup pineapple chunks

Skewers (soak skewers in water before using)

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch squares. Alternate chicken, green & red pepper chunks & pineapple chunks on the skewers. Combine Hickory Smoke Grilling Sauce & Orange Marmalade. Brush mixture over the kabobs. Grill over medium heat for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked, turning & brushing with additional grilling sauce.

If you have a great recipe to share, simply post a comment to this post. Your recipe will then be entered into the contest for the month of June. So what are you waiting for…start grilling!

1. Grand Champion & 1st Place Pie Division Winner

Rhubarb Pear Pie
Belinda Myers, Dallastown, PA

Recipe for Pie Crust (2 crust pie crust):
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon Salt
¾ cup butter flavored Crisco
7 to 8 tablespoons of ice water

In a large bowl mix flour, salt and shortening until coarse crumbs form on a well floured surface. Roll out ½ amount to fit a 9 inch pie plate.  Use remaining for lattice strips.

Filling:
4-1/2 cups diced fresh rhubarb
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 fresh pears, cored, peeled and diced.

Mix filling ingredients together in a large bowl.  Place into prepared shell. Lay lattice strips on top of pie. Seal and crimp edge.  Place on cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

2. 1st Place Rhubarb Dessert Division Winner

Rhubarb Bars
Linda Glick, Lancaster, PA

3 cups rhubarb
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water
vanilla

Cook together rhubarb, sugar, water, and cornstarch until thick. Cool, add vanilla.

CRUST AND TOPPING
1-1/2    cups flour
1-1/2   cups oatmeal
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 3oz. Strawberry Jello

Mix crust & topping ingredients (except Jello) Place about half of mixture in pan, press down. Spread with filling. Sprinkle with Jello. Put rest of crust/topping mixture on top and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

3. 1st Place Rhubarb Cake Division

Rhubarb Cheesecake
Carolyn Fisher, Kinzer, PA

CRUST:
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter

Mix all together and put in a 10 ½ inch cheesecake pan or a 9 x 13 glass cake pan.

LAYER 2:
5 cups rhubarb
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Toss together and put on top of crust.  Bake at 350 for 15 min.

LAYER 3:
18 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix eggs and sugar.  Add softened cream cheese.  Mix together.  Do not over mix.  Pour over hot rhubarb. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

LAYER 4:
8 oz. sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together. Spread over cream cheese mixture while mixture is still hot. Bake 5 minutes. Chill and serve.

Do you have a favorite rhubarb recipe? If so, please comment back with the recipe. We love to swap recipes at Kitchen Kettle.

Grilled Salmon with Pepper Jam Marinade

1 1/2 lbs. Salmon Fillets, skin on

For the marinade:
¼ cup KKV Pepper Jam
¼ cup soy sauce
2 T. KKV Horseradish Mustard
¼  teaspoon black pepper
In a small saucepan, whisk together the Pepper Jam, soy sauce, Horseradish Mustard, and black pepper. Heat to soften jam.
Place salmon fillets on a platter and drizzles half of the marinade over them.  Allow to sit for 10-30 minutes.

Grill salmon, skin side down on a hot grill.  Discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets.
Place cooked salmon on a clean platter; pour the remaining marinade over the fish and serve.
Serves 6.

-Kristine Grego
Kitchen Kettle Food Specialist

First, there are our “fair weather friends” Banjo Jimmy and those who join him in gospel music and otherwise with voice and instruments to fill their day with melodies of joy.  He has set the tone at the Village for over 25 years and the visitors listen to recordings of his harmonies on their travels homeward.

Our Food Guy Tom describes the basic components of jellymaking as the harmony of fruits and sugar.  His wide experience in restaurant management, gourmet demonstrations on stage, catering presentations for Village celebrations and off-premise commitments have given us a worthy reputation.

The harmony of products available here brings up discussions about seasons of the year, ages and well being of our guests ,and varied tastes of our merchandise buyers in the many shops.  We find it important to “know the music” and anticipate the reaction.  We have learned to sometimes say “We’ll see.”

Someone pointed out that the ever-increasing forms of technology in business today require us to adapt and “harmonize” with the possibilities that they offer.  What better exercise can we substitute for mental frustration with technology?  Our many teams of organization at Kitchen Kettle have learned to “harmonnize” and their coaches orchestrate more often than they administrate.

For our many festivals Lisa, our Director of Fun, calls on the talents of a wide variety of outstanding musicians and performers who are carefully chosen.  Barbershop quartets are the obvious example of close harmony but Jerry Reeser, the emcee of many of our celebrations, reminds us that in all of our activities it is not important to sing the same meloday but just to be in tune with each other.  How true!!

Shown below is the recipe that comes to us compliments of Frances O. Blank from New Holland, Pennsylvania. For Frances’s efforts, she receives a $25.00 Jam & Relish Kitchen gift card and will have her recipe featured on a recipe card in the Jam & Relish Kitchen and posted on our website and blog.

Sweet Potato Pickle
1 - quart jar of Kitchen Kettle Chow Chow
1 - quart jar of Kitchen Kettle Corn Relish
1-1lb. 13 oz. can of yams in syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

In a large kettle bring the chow chow & corn relish to a boil. Cut yams into smaller pieces and add to boiling mixture. Add half of the yam syrup and brown sugar. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Place mixture into hot pint jars with boiling hot seals & lids. Makes 5 pint jars.

I have not yet received any recipes for April. The contest happens monthly and we are always looking for great ways to incorporate Kitchen Kettle products into all sorts of dishes. Just post your recipe as a comment to this post or mail to: Kitchen Kettle Village, Attn: Recipe Contest, P.0. Box 380, Intercourse, PA 17534.

My challenge to you… get creative and submit a recipe to our new monthly recipe contest. Your odds of winning the April contest are pretty good!

2008-09 was a banner year for me as far as fun stuff at Kitchen Kettle. I got to have my picture taken with Yummie at the Berry Jam Festival. I met Pat Burnley and Bill on the wonderful Kettle Walking Tour. I got to meet Joanne and the “Fun” Lisa’s through the Kettle Talk Blog and then met Joanne and Lisa Horn while staying in the Village. I met Kristine and several nice Amish ladies who work in the Kitchen on the “Cannin’ and Jammin’  Tour” and made some awesome jelly. I got to spend a lot of time in the Village over Christmas. I stayed in the Village for the first time at the Inn at Kitchen Kettle. It was the best hotel stay of my life and I highly recommend staying over. I had some great meals at the Kling House and enjoyed talking with Lauren, Charity, and Barb. Mrs. Burnley gave us an awesome lemon whoopie pie (definitely a winner). My wife and I even had the honor of being the first customers at the new Roasted Rooster Coffee Company.
 
So, visiting Kitchen Kettle has been quite rewarding for me over the years. I’ve gotten to know some great people, eaten some great food, and made a lot of memories and look forward to making more! I hope you will all have the same great memories and experiences from your visits!

Adrian (a loyal Kitchen Kettle guest)