The Hearty Kitchen

Best-ever Cucumber Dill Salad

Ingredients:
- ½ cucumber, very thinly sliced
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup sour cream, or to taste
- ¼ cup vinegar, or more to taste
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon dill
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ stalk celery, thinly sliced

Preparation:
1. Place cucumber slices in a colander. Generously sprinkle salt over cucumber; let sit until water starts to bead on the slices, about 10 minutes. Drain water from cucumber slices.
2. Whisk sour cream, vinegar, yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar, and dill together in a large bowl until dressing is smooth. Mix cucumber, onion, and celery into dressing until evenly coated; season with salt and pepper.

Honey-poppy Seed Cornish Hens

Ingredients:
- 2 Rock Cornish hens
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1½ teaspoons mustard powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175 degrees C). Spray rack of shallow roasting pan with non-stick spray.
2. Cut each hen in half; place skin side down in roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk together the honey, poppy seeds, mustard and ginger. Brush over both sides of the hens.
4. Roast uncovered for 1 hour turning once.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large apples, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation:
1. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs in large bowl.
2. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in separate bowl.
3. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture.
4. Add vanilla, apples, and nuts.
5. Bake in 9 x 12" greased and floured pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Ginger Peach Crumble

Ingredients:
- 1 lb frozen unsweetened sliced peaches or 3 cups peeled fresh peach slices
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup crumbled gingersnaps (about 8 gingersnaps)
- frozen yogurt (optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Evenly distribute the peach slices in the bottom of an unoiled nonreactive 9-inch pie pan or 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the peaches with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
4. Top with the crumbled gingersnaps.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with frozen yogurt.
7. Enjoy!

Ham Bone And Bean Soup

Ingredients:
- 1 (16 ounce) package 15-bean soup mix
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 ham bone with some meat
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- ½ stalk celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
- 1½ tablespoons ground mustard powder
- 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place bean mix into a large bowl and cover with several inches of water; soak for at least 24 hours. Drain completely.
2. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a pot large enough to hold the beans and, eventually, the ham bone. Add the soaked beans; reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
3. Bring stock and beans back to a boil. Add ham bone, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 1 hour. Add chopped ham, liquid smoke, and mustard powder. Stir and let simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes more.
4. Remove ham bone from the soup. Season with salt and pepper.