As I’ve said, I’m not a big fan of tuna in any shape or form, so I can’t say that I was looking forward to this recipe for Skinny Tuna Cakes.  In fact, I didn’t even try these.  I did make them for Phillip though since he is a fan of most things fish.  I think he liked them pretty well.  Here’s how they came together:

While Phillip drained the tuna, I mixed together chopped onion, Old Bay seasoning, two egg whites, pepper, and some panko crumbs.

In a separate bowl, I mixed mayonnaise, chili powder, and lime juice to make the tuna cake topping.  Watson was very interested in what we were doing in the kitchen – I think he probably would have enjoyed these tuna cakes!

Phillip made the cakes and I browned them on both sides in a greased skillet over medium heat.

The cakes were served with the mayo topping and we added our favorite broccoli dish as a side.

Like I said, I didn’t eat these, so I can’t speak to how they tasted.  I do know that they could probably have used either the entire egg or some mayonnaise to bind them because they were very delicate and difficult to keep together.  It was definitely an easy and relatively inexpensive recipe though, so if you like tuna, break away from the weekly standards of chicken, pork, and beef and give these a try.  As for me, I’ll just stick to the crab version.

We like blueberries around here – blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry french toast, etc.  Phillip has a favorite blueberry pie that his family has enjoyed for many a year, but we were glad to try this version as well.  Now, don’t be intimidated by the lattice!  It’s actually really easy to do.  Here’s how it came together:

First, I rinsed the blueberries (I used frozen).

I mixed together brown sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, and almond extract in a separate bowl, then tossed in the blueberries to coat.

I used two frozen deep-dish pie shells, but in retrospect, the roll of pie dough you can get in the refrigerated section would probably have been easier to work with for this recipe.  I set one shell aside for the pie and then removed the other from its pan to roll it out for the lattice crust.  I rolled it out in a circle and then cut that into the shape of a square.  Then, I cut the square into ten equal strips.  After that, it was just a matter of weaving the strips on top of the pie.

The finished product:

Pretty!

The recipe suggests that you serve the pie at room temperature.  It was okay that way, but we really felt like there was just something missing when we ate it the first evening.  But, when we heated it up the next day and served it cobbler-style alongside some vanilla frozen yogurt, it was much better!  Also, I would probably reduce the amount of blueberries by a full cup.  The recipe calls for six cups, but I couldn’t fit that many in the pie shell.  Ultimately, this was a pretty easy recipe that looks much more difficult to make than it really is.  We’ll probably stick with the standard family favorite, but it was nice to try something a little different.

Two desserts in August!  In addition to the Easy Blueberry Pie, the August Sweet as Pie menu also offered these Caramel Smores Cups.  What a quick and easy treat!  Here’s how they came together:

First, I mixed the cookie dough according to the package directions.  Make Your Life Easier Tip #1:  Cream your butter before adding in the dry mix.  Trust me.

I used my smallest scoop to portion out the cookie dough into my mini muffin tins – way easier than hand-rolling 36 cookies.  Make Your Life Easier Tip #2:  Have your husband (or kids if you have any) unwrap the 36 Rolos while you do this.

The cookie cups baked for about 8 minutes.  Then, I inverted a Rolo and pressed it into each cookie cup.

I added three mini marshmallows to each cookie top and baked for about 3 more minutes or until the marshmallows puffed and started to brown.

After the cookie cups cooled, it was time for the chocolate drizzle.  Make Your Life Easier Tip #3:  Do not follow the recipe directions and try to melt your chocolate in a Ziploc bag in the microwave and make your own pastry bag by snipping off the corner.  It does not work as well as you think it will.  It starts out okay:

But then:

I would stick with melting the chocolate in a bowl (maybe with a little vegetable oil to make it shiny and smooth) and then drizzling with a spoon or just using ice cream topping or other chocolate syrup instead.  Or, you could probably just top each cookie with a few chocolate chips at the same time you add the marshmallows.

I made these the morning of the cardiology program’s excursion to Morris Island.  I’m happy to say that these were a huge hit!  Word was being passed down the beach and every last one of them was eaten.  That’s one of the best things about cooking – when other people enjoy your creations!  I’ll definitely keep this recipe in mind for future occasions.  Being such a crowd pleaser, how could I not?

I was most looking forward to this final recipe on the July Sweet as Pie list.  It’s a recipe for Buttermilk Pie from one of my favorite Charleston restaurants, Hominy Grill.  I’d had the pie in the restaurant, but wanted to try it out for myself.  Luckily, Hominy Grill publishes a small recipe book with some of its most famous dishes (you can get the recipe from the Sweet as Pie page).  Here’s how this yummy dessert came together:

It all started with butter and sugar. 

Once that was creamed together, I added egg yolks and then flour, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt.

Next, I added the buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, I whipped the egg whites and then folded them in to the buttermilk mixture.  The filling went into a baked pie shell and the pie baked for about 45 minutes until the center was set.

I covered the crust of the baked shell so it wouldn’t over-brown.

This was delicious.  It’s light, fluffy, has a great subtle lemon flavor, and just the right amount of nutmeg.  Phillip had two pieces the first night!  We highly recommend it!

This pick for the July Sweet as Pie menu was made by our gust picker, my friend Sarah.  Phillip was really excited about this one, and although I’m not generally a big fan of tuna, I must say that I was intrigued as well.  Here’s how these Thai-Style Tuna Burgers came together:

First, I combined mayo and ginger (I used the stuff in the tube from the produce section).  A couple of tablespoons of this mixture went into the burger bowl, while the rest was set aside for a condiment. 

Next, I mixed together eggs, panko, green onions, fish sauce (which sounds gross, but actually blends really well with other Asian flavors), and chili sauce before adding in two cans of tuna.  I actually already had all of this on hand, except for the tuna.

I formed the mixture into four patties and placed them on a baking sheet.

After about 10 minutes in the oven, the burgers were ready! 

We put ours on rolls with the reserved ginger mayo and some arugula.

This was a really easy recipe and if there are people in your house that love tuna, it’s worth a try.  I was even able to eat most of mine!  If you’re not a fan of ginger, you may want to go easy on or omit the ginger mayo – it was a bit overpowering (that worked out fine for me, but Phillip was looking for more of a tuna taste).

Next up on the July Sweet as Pie menu was this recipe for Pork Chops with Garlic and Wine from the Pioneer Woman blog.  This was a relatively simple recipe to throw together (other than the millions of garlic cloves).

First, I seasoned some thin-cut pork chops with salt and pepper and browned them in a pan over medium-high heat.

After putting the pork chops aside, I added the 18 garlic cloves to the pan and cooked them for a few minutes.  Next, I poured in some red wine and added a bay leaf.

Good ol’ three-buck Chuck.

Into the pan with the pork chops and some beef broth.  After that simmered for a few minutes, I drizzled in some balsamic vinegar, reduced the sauce, and finished it with a bit of butter. As much as I love garlic and wine, honestly, this one just wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be.  I really liked the flavor of the sauce, but the garlic ended up being kind of bitter and the pork chops were a little dry (that one was probably my fault).  With so many other great options from PW, I probably won’t try this one again, or if I do, I’ll use minced garlic instead of whole and reduce the cook time on the chops.  Oh well!