Recipes by Amy Longcore

Amy's Simple Summer Lunch

"every second counts
when i am with you
doo doo doo doo doo doo
doo doo doo doo doo"

This is a total Saturday afternoon with an old friend lunch, so throw on some sweet New Order LP and relax with them.

Oh, it's hot and you don't feel like cooking! You are trying to watch your waistline, but wanna eat a buncha good stuff that'll fill you up without weighing you down! I've found the ANSWER!

What you'll need:

A tortilla wrap. I've been finding all kinds of wonderful kinds - from plain old flour tortillas to honey wheat ones to pesto and garlic ones, sundried tomato ... options are almost limitless with those lovely little round things

Some onion! Chop up as much as you'd like to have in a sandwich.

Some green pepper! Do the same.

Some chives! Chop up as much as you'd like to taste.

A plethora of cheeses. I know this is the most cryptic recipe description ever, but it's a sandwich when you get right down to it, ya know? You do as you please. I use feta, colby jack, muenster, gouda ... whatever. Or a bit of all.

Maybe some lettuce or spinach or bok choi would be to your liking as well.

Not being a vegetarian, I often also use some coldcuts in these wraps. Usually just some slices of chicken I've seasoned and grilled, or some smoked turkey from the deli. Just use a slice or two; you don't have a whole lotta room, unless you found some 18" tortillas and are having a tortilla orgy.

What to do:

Lay all of your sliced and diced items onto the tortilla, off to one side, so that you can roll it all up. Evenly distribute the items, of course. Once you've got it in its perfect lil' rolled up state, force a toothpick into the middle. This'll help hold its place. You don't have to use one. It just helps usually. Things don't always stay in their place just 'cuz you told them to.

Have your oven pre-heated to 300 Fahrenheit. Throw your wrap in the oven for about 15 minutes, just enough to merge the cheese into everything so it'll adhere a bit. Your tortilla edges should be a bit brown and crisp. It might take 20 minutes or so if you want more crisp.

I swear these are the most perfect sandwich-type foods ever! You'll swear off regular ol' bread!

I've included a picture of this dish, as I'd just made some for a house guest, and knew I'd use this as a Sinister recipe. I threw some carrots on for extra veggie power, and some berries and grapes to round it all out. Some pudding was provided to dip the fruits into, though there are healthier options to that of course. I've used those Yoplait whip yoghurts for fruit dipping. That was perfect.

But yeah, I make the wraps a bit different every time. Experiment with them.

And, yes, that is just a simple glass of ice water there,m along with the meal. But what could be better on a warm summer day? I push water like your dealer does crack.

P. S: made these again yesterday and put a bit of dill dip on the tortilla. Oh, yum!

Amy's Coffee Brownies

"pour a little sugar on me, baby,
ooh you make my life so sweet
hey hey hey"

Oh come on, you love "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies and you know it!

Oh, yum. This recipe is an actual recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp of your favourite coffee or espresso
1/3 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 cup (6oz) chocolate chips
3 large eggs
and, if you are really classy, a few large strawberries.

What to do with all of it:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 13"x9" baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Combine your coffee ingredient and water in a medium saucepan; stir until coffee is dissolved. Add sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat; stir in morsels until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes. Depends on your over and how gooey or hardened you like your brownies. It's almost good to burn the edges with this coffee involved, especially if you're a hardened espresso or dark black coffee lover.

Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars, or any other funny shape you desire.

I'm big on fruit. So, I like to cut up strawberries and lay them on top. Strawberries, chocolate AND coffee. Does life get better than this?

A friend of mine and I also once shook a bit of powdered hazelnut coffee creamer on top of this concoction. Superb!

Amy's Summer Fruit Compote

"when we want to work
we work
when we want to play
we play
in our happy setting
we're getting
some fun out of life
maybe we do the right things
maybe we do the wrong
spending each day
just winding out day along..."

Billie Holiday never fails!

OK, on with the fruit. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

2 cups melon ball (cantaloupe and/or honeydew, watermelon)
2 cups strawberries, halved
2 cups blueberries
3 medium bananas, sliced
2 cups sliced peaches and/or nectarines
1 (25oz) bottle sparkling white grape juice

Combine the melon balls, strawberries and blueberries in a glass bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. To serve, add the sliced bananas and peaches; pour the white grape juice over the top.

Enjoy :)