With the warmer weather, I automatically think about eating lighter. Not only because I want to squeeze myself into a swimsuit but because we just eat lighter fare in the warmer months. So, we will look at some warm weather recipes this week.

The first recipe was in one of my articles several years ago but I had a request to put it in again. My “other mother”, Nellie Stroud, and her friend Weeda love this one. I’ve promised to make it for them as soon as we have real tomatoes available. This is an easy recipe and will become a favorite for anyone who enjoys tomatoes. Sometimes I add dices onions and sometimes I don’t. It’s a matter of preference. This will become a family favorite.

The second recipe is a light salad. It has a tropical twist. I added other tropical fruits depending on what I have on hand. It’s easy, pretty and tasty. What more could you ask for. Serve it in a tostado shell and it’s even more beautiful.

The third recipe is a Hawaiian Chicken Salad. You will love this one. Make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge for a while. Put the umbrella up on the patio and pretend you on the Big Island!

The fourth recipe is a strawberry salad. With the strawberry fields in full swing, it’s great time to use fresh strawberries! The recipe calls for freezing but you can also let it chill for an hour or so in the fridge and eat it without freezing. That’s the way I like it.



Tomato Pie

1 9-Inch Pie Shell, unbaked

1-1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

5 Tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic (may use 1 Tsp Garlic Powder instead)

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/8 Tsp Ground White Pepper

Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped fine



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick the piecrust with tines of a fork.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with 1/2-cup mozzarella cheese. Cool on a wire rack.

Arrange diced tomatoes on top of the melted cheese.

In a bowl combine basil and garlic. Sprinkle over tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and pepper; mix until well blended. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading to evenly cover the top. May also sprinkle extra cheese on top of mixture.

Place a foil collar around edges of piecrust to prevent edges from burning during cooking.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with soup or salad for a great meal.



Tropical Chicken Spinach Salad

2 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves

2 Cups Torn Romaine Lettuce

1/2 Cup Canned Mandarin Orange Segments, drained

1 Large Red Pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 Cup Good Seasons Red Raspberry Vinaigrette with Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, grilled, sliced

2 Tbsp. Planters Cashews

2 Tbsp. Baker's Angel Flake Coconut, toasted



Toss spinach and romaine with oranges and peppers in large bowl. Add dressing; mix lightly. Spoon onto serving platter or 2 salad plates. Top with the chicken; sprinkle with the cashews and coconut.

This is beautiful in a tostado shell.



Hawaiian Chicken Salad



4 Cups Cubed, cooked Chicken Breast

2 Cups Diced Celery

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1 Cup sliced Almonds

2 11-oz Cans Mandarin Oranges, drained

1 20-oz Can Pineapple tidbits, drained

1 Lb Seedless Green Grapes, cut in half



In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, mayonnaise, and almonds, and mix well. Gently fold in the oranges, pineapple tidbits and grapes.

Serve on a bed of lettuce, in a croissant or miniature phyllo shells.



Strawberry Salad

2 Packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese

2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 Package Strawberries, cut up and sweetened

2 Cups Mini Marshmallows

1 Can (12 Ounces) Crushed Pineapple, Drained

8 Ounces Whipped Topping (About 3 1/2 Cups)

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts



Combine all ingredients; pour into a mold or freezer-safe dish and put in freezer. Freeze thoroughly. Take salad out 15-20 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Serve on lettuce leaves.



Did you know?



Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with three bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.Peppers with four bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat pizza: Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

Easy deviled eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done for an easy clean up.

Expanding frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken glass: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No more mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing static cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing pantyhose.

Place pin in seam of slacks and ... tada! Static is gone.

Measuring cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs.. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye fruit flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 inch with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get rid of ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed.



Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/