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Fast & Easy Dinner: Jamaican Pork With Melon

partysugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:45 -0700

While I've had the classic pairing of pork and apples, and the more unconventional combination of pork and peaches, I've yet to try pork with melons. However, this enticing recipe brings the two ingredients together expertly with Jamaican jerk seasoning and honey.

One can only imagine that the spices provide a nice heat and the honey adds a subtle sweetness. Serving this meal on skewers appeals to children and makes it fun to eat, so get the recipe when you read more.

Jamaican Pork With Melon
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

1-1/2 pound boneless pork tenderloin, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
2 small red onions, quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil or peanut oil
4 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning
1/4 of a small honeydew melon, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 of a small cantaloupe, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Toss pork cubes and onion with oil and jerk seasoning in a medium mixing bowl until evenly coated. Thread eight 12-inch skewers alternately with pork, onion, honeydew, and cantaloupe pieces.
Place pork skewers on the lightly oiled of the grill directly over medium heat.
Grill for 18 to 24 minutes or until pork is cooked through and no pink remains. Remove from grill; brush with honey.

Serves 4.

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Would You Rather Eat Cantaloupe or Honeydew Melon?

YumSugar — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:30:24 -0700

Source: Flicker Users laihiu and Shootingsnow

Icy, Spicy Cantaloupe and Cucumber Paletas

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:15:56 -0700

With the end of Summer fast approaching, I made a Popsicle inspired by Mexican paletas, a mostly pureed frozen fruit dessert that's either ice- or cream-based. After chopping up a cantaloupe last week, I wanted to combine it with a crisp cucumber and spicy jalapeño to create a refreshing yet snappy paleta.Zealous with my jalapeño, I chopped up an entire thing, seeds and all, and threw it in the blender. The result was too spicy for my taste, so I balanced the heat by adding a touch of sugar. Depending on your personal taste, I would recommend removing the seeds and the white flesh, the spiciest part of a jalapeño, before blending. These peppery paletas are perfect for a scorching hot day, so to learn how to make them, read more.

Spicy Cantaloupe and Cucumber Paletas
Original Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 medium cantaloupe, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and cleaned, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 lime sliced (optional)

Directions

Puree cantaloupe, cucumber, and jalapeño in a blender. Add sugar to the liquid if it is too spicy or not sweet enough.
Fill up Popsicle molds. Place in freezer and wait patiently for 6 hours to freeze. Serve with a slice of lime.

Makes 6 Popsicles

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Easy Weeknight Meal: Ham and Cheese Quesadillas

YumSugar — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:00:08 -0700

You'd be hard pressed to find a simpler dinner than these quesadillas served alongside melon. The quesadillas, with their flour tortillas encasing oozy, gooey melted mozzarella, are inspired by Mexican and Italian cuisines. Next time, for even more of an Italian twist, I'll swap the ham for prosciutto to balance out the mozzarella, which is mild and doesn't contain much salt. The cantaloupe proves to be a sweet, aromatic complement to the prosciutto.

Although you can use any type of mozzarella, I recommend the fresh kind over the low-moisture variety because it melts differently. Since I had them on hand, I replaced the mozzarella with bocconcini, or small mozzarella balls. Regardless of what mozzarella you use, I recommend patting it dry with a cloth or paper towel, so your cheese doesn't seep moisture, resulting in a soggy quesadilla. To get the recipe, read more.

Ham and Cheese Quesadilla
From Real Simple

Ingredients

4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 cantaloupe, cut into small wedges

Directions

Heat broiler.
On one half of each tortilla, layer the mozzarella and ham.
Fold the other half of each tortilla over to cover and place on a broilerproof sheet pan.
Broil until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Cut into wedges and serve with the cantaloupe.

Serves 4.

Nutrition per serving
Calories 680 (47% from fat); Fat 35g (sat 19g); Cholesterol 109mg; Carbohydrate 50g; Sodium 1427mg; Protein 35g; Fiber 3g; Sugar 12g

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How to Prepare Cantaloupe

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:30:19 -0700

Cantaloupe is one of those things that I see a lot in salad bars and packaged fruit salads but rarely in bagged lunches or at friends' homes. Perhaps if more people knew the right way to cut this fragrant melon, it would be more of a household staple. View this slideshow to learn how simple cantaloupe is to prepare.

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Recall Warning: FDA Issues a Warning on Cantaloupe

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:01:18 -0700

Watch out, if you've purchased any cantaloupe recently you may want to check the sticker. The FDA issued an alert regarding cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer. Turns out fruit from them may be linked to a salmonella outbreak. At the time of their alert, 59 people had illnesses linked to the cantaloupes. No deaths have occurred, but 14 people were hospitalized.

If your cantaloupe doesn't have a sticker, you should check with your grocery store to see where their stock comes from. If it turns out to be from Agropecuaria Monteliban, you should toss it out. Better to be safe than sorry!

If you're concerned and would like to learn more, be sure to read the full FDA alert.

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Sept. 1-8, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:50 -0700

Even though Memorial Day seemed like yesterday, Labor Day's already crept up on us. If you don't have major travel plans for the long weekend, celebrate Summer's last hurrah with a gaggle of glorious food festivals, big and small.

Enjoy potjie, a three-legged South African cooking pot, in Texas, butterbeans in Alabama, and hamburgers in Pennsylvania.

The two events I'm really dying to attend? The famed Best in the West Rib Cook-Off and upstate New York's yearly Buffalo Wing Festival. Where will you make an appearance this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Cooks! - Sept. 1
New York, NY: Slow U: Ice Cream, From Sugar and Snow - Sept. 1
Millersport, OH: Millersport Sweet Corn Festival - Sept. 2-5
Sparks, NV: Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off - Sept. 2-7
Morgan City, LA: Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival - Sept. 3-7
Village of Pinehurst, NC: Pinehurst Food & Wine Fest - Sept. 3-7
Sonoma, CA: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend - Sept. 4-6
Kerrville, TX: Kerrville Wine & Music Festival - Sept. 4-6
Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Rib America Festival - Sept. 4-7
Rusk, TX: Texas Potjie Festival - Sept. 4-7
Denver, CO: A Taste of Colorado – Sept. 4-7
Cleveland, OH: Taste of Cleveland - Sept. 4-7
Fallon, NV: Fallon Cantaloupe Festival - Sept. 4-7
Hamburg, PA: Taste of Hamburg-er Festival - Sept. 5

To see the rest, read more.

Pinson, AL: Alabama Butterbean Festival - Sept. 5
Irvington, VA: Irvington Stomp - Sept. 5
Hatch, NM: Hatch Valley Chile Festival - Sept. 5-6
Millbrae, CA: Millbrae Art & Wine Festival - Sept. 5-6
Buffalo, NY: National Buffalo Wing Festival - Sept. 5-6
Shawnee, PA: Pocono Garlic Festival - Sept. 5-6
Arthur, IL: Amish Country Cheese Festival - Sept. 5-7
Bernalillo, NM: New Mexico Wine Festival - Sept. 5-7
Martin, TN: Tennessee Soybean Festival - Sept. 5-13
New Orleans, LA: The Big Two Revisted: Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz - Sept. 8

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Noteworthy Nibbles - July 21-28, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:00:15 -0700

Food events this week are all over the map, both literally and figuratively speaking. This weekend, I'm hoping to join some friends in a budget- and eco-friendly Slow Food potluck dinner. If I've got the time, I'd love to make it out to the world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, where garlic lovers come in droves to sample everything from garlic fries to garlic ice cream.

One day, I'd would enjoy making a trip to the Oxnard Salsa Festival and Indiana's Pierogi Fest. What will you be attending this week? Let us know below!

Fremont, MI: National Baby Food Festival - July 22-25
Farmerville, LA: Louisiana Watermelon Festival - July 23-25
Portland, OR: Oregon Brewers Festival - July 23-26
South Boston, VA: Virginia Cantaloupe Festival - July 24
Ypsilanti, MI: Summer Beer Festival - July 24-25
Frankfort, IN: Frankfort Hot Dog Festival - July 24-25
Summit, NJ: Summit Wine & Food Festival - July 24-26
Gilroy, CA: Gilroy Garlic Festival - July 24-26
Whiting, IN: Pierogi Fest - July 24-26

To see the rest, read more.

Chincoteague Island, VA: Chincoteague Blueberry Festival - July 24-26
Fredericksburg, TX: Gourmet Chili Pepper & Salsa Festival - July 24-26
Columbus, OH: Jazz & Rib Fest - July 24-26
Sugar Grove, IL: Sugar Grove Corn Boil - July 24-26
San Francisco, CA: Slow Food Potluck - July 25
Castle Rock, CO: Castle Rock Wine Fest - July 25
Seattle, WA: Ballard SeafoodFest - July 25-26
Oxnard, CA: Oxnard Salsa Festival - July 25-26
Courtland, CA : Pear Fair - July 26
San Mateo, CA: Festa Italiana Street Fair - July 26

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Let's Dish: What Are Your Favorite Frozen Treats?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:27 -0700

Right before the Fourth, I shed some light on the best foods to make when it's hot outside - including Summer-perfect desserts like frosty mojito cakes and spicy cantaloupe paletas. But my favorite frozen confections are the ones that remind me of my childhood - like red grapes straight out of the freezer and those triangle-shaped Minute Maid push pops (which, sadly, I haven't come across in ages). As for icy cocktails, I can never turn down a subzero piña colada. What are your favorite things to enjoy that are frozen?

Noteworthy Nibbles - July 24-30, 2008

YumSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:00:28 -0700

As usual, there are lots of delicious occasions to celebrate this week. For the more adventurous eaters, Rocky Mountain oysters will be on the menu in Wyoming. Not to worry if you aren't: You might enjoy celebrating the venerated garlic or, on the milder side, the sweet cantaloupe. If you live in Baltimore, it's your week to try out top-notch restaurants, where a three-course lunch might cost you just $20.08.

If there's something going on this week that we left out, feel free to add it in the comments below.

South Boston, VA: Virginia Cantaloupe Festival - July 25
Gilroy, CA: Gilroy Garlic Festival - July 25-27
Whiting, IN: PierogiFest - July 25-27
Oxnard, CA: Oxnard Salsa Festival - July 26-27
Annapolis, MD: Great Grapes! Wine, Arts & Food Festival - July 26-27
Ballard, WA Ballard SeafoodFest - July 26-27
Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Summer Restaurant Week - July 26-Aug 3

To see the rest, read more.

Rockland, ME: Maine Lobster Festival - July 28-Aug 3
San Francisco, CA: Wine. Dine. Donate San Francisco* - July 30
Clinton, MT: Testicle Festival - July 30-Aug 3

*For those of you in the Bay Area: I'll be attending the Epicurious Wine. Dine. Donate dinner, hosted by The Next Iron Chef contestant Traci Des Jardins. If you're at the event, stop by and say hello!

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