Cold Raspberry Soup

I love crops that grow without me having to do anything. This year our raspberries have, for the first time, produced more fruit than we can eat while standing there picking. I used a big bowl we picked yesterday to make this Cold Raspberry Soup, like the kind they serve on cruise ships. The recipe comes from my Aunt Cheryl.

Cool Raspberry Soup

1 bag (20 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed (or fresh)

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup cran-raspberry juice (Minute Maid Cran-Apple-Raspberry)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 whole cloves

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 carton (8 oz.) raspberry-flavored yogurt (I used peach)

1/2 c. sour cream (sounds strange but it works, so does plain yogurt)

In a blender, puree raspberries and water. Transfer to a large saucepan; add the cran-raspberry juice, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Bring just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat; strain and allow to cool. Whisk in lemon juice and yogurt. Refrigerate. To serve, pour into small bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Mom's Cheeseball

This is my mom's recipe {um. obviously.} and the holidays just aren't the same without it for me. It's easy, and always a hit at the parties.

Before I had two toddlers, I was able to make it all fun and turn it into a snowman with olive halves and a carrot nose {ha! ha ha. haaaa......}. See?

My oldest daughter helped with that part, so it can be fun for the kids to get them involved and do something creative. {I know it's something you'd never see in Martha Stewart Living, but still. Fun. And one year, I was crazy enough to turn it into a pine cone and I shaped it up all perfect and took like 4 hours to place sliced almonds in that thing. Yeah. Never again.}

At any rate, if you're looking for a new cheeseball recipe, I recommend you give this one a try!


Mom's Cheeseball

2 1/2 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 t. Bon Appetit seasoning
1/2 t. ground mustard
4 green onions, chopped finely
chopped nuts, optional {walnuts, pecans, almonds, whatever you fancy}

Combine everything but the nuts in a bowl - mix and soften 'til smooth. Chill 'til firm. Roll in chopped nuts. {It's good without nuts, but it holds together better with them.} Serve with a variety of crackers or veggies.

Easy Classic Deviled Eggs

Hi, ladies!

I'll start by introducing myself so you don't think I'm a freak. Or at least you'll know for sure that I am one. Or whatever.

Amy and I grew up around the corner from one another, and I knew exactly when to pick up my bare feet to avoid stepping on the rocks when I ran over to her house to play. We go way back, and I adore her.

I read her blog frequently, and once when I clicked to see her complete profile/stalk her, I found this blog and I must say I love it. I love the idea of people sharing recipes they've found to be tried and true {ly delicious}.

Thanks for letting me in on it.

I'll start by submitting this incredibly easy appetizer - the classic deviled egg. As "classic" as this recipe is, it's so yummy and they're definitely far and above the ones I grew up with. I found the recipe when I googled "deviled egg recipe" forever ago and took them to a Christmas party. I really wish I'd tripled the recipe, because they were literally gone in 2 minutes. Everyone raved about how they were the best they'd ever had.

I've not ventured too far into the waters of different flavors/varieties of deviled eggs, but these really are the best I've ever tasted. Easy, cheap {watch for sales on eggs at your local grocers - you can pretty much steal them sometimes}, and you can take them to a party, bbq, picnic, anything really.

Recipe from The Deviled Egg Gourmet {who also provided the picture Ü}

Easy Classic Deviled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
1/4 c. light mayo or salad dressing
1/2 t. dry ground mustard
1/2 t. white vinegar
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
paprika for garnish

Remove egg yolks to small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayo, mustard, vinegar, s & p and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg whites with yolk mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Cover lightly with plastic wrap {or if you're fancy and have one of those egg carrier thingies, put them in there} and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

{They piped theirs into the egg whites to look purty. I don't do that because I'm a lazy-face.}

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Are any of you in need for a new lunch idea for this summer? Did you say yes? Oh good, because I have a fun and creative idea. I found this recipe in kind of a round about way on this website. All of my kids and Drew Sullivan loved these today when I made them for lunch. The mini pepperonis were a huge hit. The kids thought they were great.

Tyler: "Oh man, I love these!"
Drew: "I know, I wish my mom made these!"

Luckily for Drew I know his mom and I will make sure she gets the request.

They all liked them so much they have already requested them for tomorrow's lunch. I think when we make them tomorrow we will try some different variations for the toppings.

At the end of this recipe I have included the recipe I used for the pizza sauce. I have been trying a lot of different pizza sauce recipes lately in hopes of nailing down my absoulute favorite. I found this one on allrecipes.com. I think this may have earned one of the top spots. I will have to try it out on a pizza to be completly sure it is the one. I really liked that it had rosemary and olive oil in it.

3/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 egg
1/2 c. mozzerella cheese
1/2 c. parmesad cheese
1/2 c. mini pepperoni

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, milk, salt, oregano and egg. Stir in cheese and pepperoni. Let stand for 10 min.

Stir the batter. Divide evenly among the mini muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.


Easy pizza sauce

1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1 1/2 c. water (I only used 1 c. because I wanted it a little thicker for dipping)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary


Combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Simmer on med-low until ready to serve.

The directions for making a pizza with this sauce (from allrecipes.com):
Mix together the tomato paste, water and olive oil. Mix well. Add in garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and rosemary. Mix well and let stand for several hours to let the flavors blend. No cooking nessesary, just spread on dough.

Italian Kabobs

Every New Year's Eve I let the kids choose some fun party/appetizer foods for dinner. The kids choose these Italian kabobs every year. The kids love them because all of the ingredients are very kid friendly and they are a lot of fun to put together. The kids love to assemble these while sneaking olives and tortellinis here and there. Sometimes if I have leftover tortellinis from dinner the night before I will make these for the kids to take in their lunch. It makes for a nice change from the regular sandwich. The picture is pretty self explanatory but here are the directions.

1 small pkg. tortellini
1 can black olives
4 pkgs. of string cheese
pepperoni

The only thing there really is to explain is the tortellini can be prepared two different ways.

Option #1- After you boil the pasta you can either add and little butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. My kids preferred way to eat them.

Option #2- Cool the pasta, combine with Italian salad dressing. Let marinate while you get the other ingredients ready. The Italian salad dressing adds a lot of great flavor. This is my preferred way to eat them.

Brie and Cherry Pastry Cups

 

I made these for company on Christmas Eve. They were a hit, but It was just my mom and my sister, so they probably wouldn’t tell me if they tasted awful. My mom did take the recipe and all of my leftover ingredients to make them for her company, so I think she liked them.

I thought they were quite tasty, and took minimal effort – perfect for busy holiday times. This recipe is from my friend Betty at this site.

INGREDIENTS:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from 17.3-ounce package), thawed

1/3 to 1/2 cup red cherry preserves (see substitution note)

4 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 1/2x1/2-inch pieces (36 pieces)

1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (I didn’t add these)

 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375°. Spray 36 miniature muffin cups with cooking spray. Cut pastry into 36 (1 1/2-inch) squares. Slightly press each square into muffin cup; press center with finger.

Bake 10 minutes. They will be all puffed up, so press the center with handle of a wooden spoon (I used the handle of my whisk – it was the perfect shape). Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Immediately press again in center. Fill each with about 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Top with cheese piece, pecans and chives.

Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Substitution

If you like spicy foods, try substituting red or green jalapeño jelly for the cherry preserves. It's a delicious touch of sweet and spice!

(I used green jalapeño jelly – not too spicy, just a little bit of heat like an after burn. We liked these more than the cherry ones.)

Also, since there was extra jalapeño jelly I poured some on top of a brick of cream cheese and we spread this on crackers – good stuff!

Do-Ahead

Go ahead and assemble the cups and bake up to 4 hours in advance, omitting the final bake time for melting the cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Right before serving, heat at 375° just until warm and cheese is melted.

Apple Dip

I got this recipe a few years ago from my sister-in-law, Kelly. It is soooo yummy.

Apple Dip:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 pkg toffee bits

Whip together cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Add vanilla, then toffee chips. If you want crunchy bits, then add just before serving. If you want them more dissolved, then let them sit overnight.

Chocolate chip zuchinni muffins

These muffins are a great change from the usual zucchini bread. They have just enough sweetness to make them kid friendly. Last time I made them I baked up a bunch in my mini muffin tin so they were the perfect size for little hands. Emily even suggested that I could make for her to take in her cold lunch. I found this recipe last year on this blog. Last time I checked she had 19 zucchini recipes so this website might be a good spot to check if you have a crazy amount of zucchini to get rid of.

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder (I upped it to 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional, I didn't do the nuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Spray the paper liners with nonstick spray. (This is key, or the muffin will stick to the liner)In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar to blend them smoothly. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until blended. Use a large spoon to stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the zucchini, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) until evenly distributed. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each paper liner. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 minutes. If the toothpick penetrates a chocolate chip, test another spot.Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using pot holders to protect your hands, invert the muffin pan onto a wire rack and tap the bottom to release the muffins. Turn the muffins right side up to cool for about 15 minutes and serve warm, or let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Blackened Corn Salsa

I got this recipe from Prudence Pennywise. Has anyone tried it yet? If you haven't, you really need to! I made chicken enchilada's last night for dinner. My kids are REALLY picky and like them pretty plain. Rocky and I like actual flavor in our food, so I thought I would give this a try. I put it in our enchilada's and it really added flavor! Rocky ate a little bit with tortilla chips and really liked it. Check out her website for a picture. I didn't get a picture of it, sorry!


Blackened Corn Salsa



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups corn fresh or thawed, if frozen
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro


Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add corn and onion and cook, stirring from time to time, until corn and onion are blackened in places. Combine with other ingredients in a medium bowl and serve.

Applesauce Muffins

My kids love these muffins. I really like them too because they are a little more filling and not to sweet. Overall the muffins are a pretty healthy breakfast option too. I think you could get creative and add craisins, raisins, nuts, etc. to the recipe. To save time in the morning, I will prep the dry ingredients the night before and then finish the rest right before I am ready to bake them.

Combine and mix well:
2 c. flour (I like to use 1 c. wheat and 1 c. white flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Add:
1 stick of melted butter
3/4 c. sugar

Blend well, then add
2 eggs
1 c. applesauce

Blend mixture well. It will be similar to the consistency of oatmeal. Fill baking cups and bake at 350 for 19 minutes.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

I made this for my Mother's Day gift to myself and ate the whole thing and did not share. The next time I made it I did the same thing. It wasn't until the fourth time I made it that Dave got a bite. It is that addictive. Warning: do not make this on the same day you make Jessica's Almond Bars. I know from experience that just because a person has eaten half a sheet cake, doesn't mean she'll lay off the dip.

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 Cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 Cup mayonnaise
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
Pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
About 1 cup (0r half a can) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped (I prefer to not use the marinated ones here)
3/4 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add a handful of spinach, adding more spinach as it wilts and makes more room. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add garlic. Cook, stirring for one more minute. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add spinach mixture and stir until combines. Spread into lightly greased casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla chips or on sourdough bread.

7 Layer Dip

This is by far the best 7 layer dip I have ever tried. It will definitely be a hit whenever you make it. It's like Jessica said about her almond sheet cake, every time I take this to a party or barbecue someone asks for the recipe.

2 cans Frito Lay dip
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
2 avocados
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 can chopped olives
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded (so the dip does not get to wet) and chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 c. shredded cheese

In a small bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning. In another small bowl combine avocados, garlic salt and lemon juice to make guacamole. (Or you can make up the guacamole however you like.) Layer in a 9x13 pan in this order:

Bean dip
Sour cream mixture
Guacamole
green onions
tomatoes
olives
cheese

Pizza Panini

Heather asked for lunch ideas. I really only have one somewhat creative thing, but ALL of my kids really like it, including Hannah. We use the panini maker to make sandwiches with pizza toppings. If you don't have a panini maker, you can just make them like grilled cheese on the stove.

Bread-I like the La Brea breads because they are different from the usual stuff
Pizza Sauce- it can be any tomato sauce you like
Pepperoni or Canadian Bacon-optional
Mozzarella Cheese- grated
Any chopped pizza veggies you like-(olives, green peppers, mushrooms, etc.,.)


Put a small amount of pizza sauce on the bread (you don't want it to get soggy), then some cheese, the toppings, and a little more cheese on top to hold everything together. Cook until the cheese is melted.


The lady at The Cuckoo Cafe gave me the tip of using frozen bread to make panini. The bread holds up better.

With these its easy to make custom sandwiches without going to too much effort. I can even sneak in some veggies for my non-veggie lovers.

Keep the lunch ideas coming! My kids will be grateful and so will I!

Black Bean Salsa

I love the flavors of lime and cilantro in the summer. We've had this four times since Memorial Day.

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
6 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp lime juice

Combine. Let flavors meld in the fridge for an hour (if you have time), and serve.

Variations:
Substitute 1 can white beans for black beans
Add 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles.

How we enjoy it:

• My friend who gave me the recipe serves it as lettuce wraps. It's surprisingly good.
• Most of the time we eat it on tortilla chips.
• As a salad: spoon over fresh greens and crushed tortilla chips, add diced tomato and avocado, serve with ranch or Prudy's Lime Cilantro Dressing

Cheesey Bacon Deviled Eggs

Normally I'm not a big fan of deviled eggs - but these are so not your average deviled eggs. I usually only boil up eggs at Easter time, or for a potato salad. Well, if I am going to go to the work of boiling and peeling eggs, I would rather make and serve these any day over plain old potato salad. Now that reminds me that I will have to post my favorite not so plain potato salad recipe - it has bacon in it too!

I got this recipe from allrecipes, but I have changed it a little to make it even better.

12 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 C finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mustard (I use stone ground)
Paprika if desired

Peel the hard-boiled eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, crumbled bacon and cheese. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

I use a pastry bag type dispenser to give the eggs that swirly look - but you have to make sure the tip is big enough so that it doesn't get clogged with bacon. Otherwise you can just fill the the eggs with spoons. Also, I eyeball most of the ingredients in this recipe - if ya need more mayo or mustard, toss it in - more bacon or cheese would only make these better.

P.S. Some photos on my posts are not photos that I take myself. I find them at google images and on allrecipes.