Category: Recipes

Ingredients

1/3 c. red onion, chopped

4 tbsp. lime juice

1 small jalapeno pepper (2 if you like it hot)

4 avocados, peeled and pitted

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 large mango – peeled, seeded, and chopped

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions

This is one of the easiest things to make because you simply toss everything into a bowl and using a potato masher, mash it to the desired consistency that you like.

If you like really smooth guacamole, you can use a food processor to combine everything.

Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 egg whites

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut

Parchment paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips, stirring occasionally. Optionally, melt over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.

In a separate medium size bowl, beat egg whites to a soft peak. Add vanilla and slowly add the sugar. Continue to beat until thick.

Fold in coconut & melted chocolate.

Using a teaspoon for small macaroons or tablespoon for large macaroons, drop one spoon full of batter onto baking sheet for each cookie.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Scallops and Mushrooms
6 Servings

This simple skillet dish is colorful and reminiscent of the sea shore.

Ingredients:
¼ cup of butter
½ pound of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves of minced garlic (about 1 and ½ teaspoons)
1 – 10.5 ounce can of chicken broth
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
½ of a red bell pepper, diced
1 and ½ pounds of bay scallops
3 Tablespoons of cornstarch
2 teaspoons of soy sauce

Directions:
Reserve ¼ cup of the chicken broth. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium/high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, bell pepper and remaining broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes. Add the scallops and cook 1 or 2 minutes more.
In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch, soy sauce and reserved broth until smooth. Stir it into the skillet and cook to thicken (about 1 minute). Serve while hot.

Surprise Turkey Burgers

These are great served as burgers on a bun or over noodles with brown gravy. Add a side dish and in less than an hour, you can have dinner on the table!

Ingredients:
12 ounces of ground turkey
1 small box of frozen spinach
½ cup of diced onion, optional
½ cup of diced celery
½ teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
¼ cup of sunflower seeds
Breadcrumbs

Directions:
Thaw and drain the spinach squeezing out the excess moisture. Mix the turkey and spinach together and add seasonings. Blend. Add enough breadcrumbs to make the mixture hold together. Divide in large patties if you’re making burgers to go on a bun, or smaller ones if you’re planning to serve in gravy. Fry in a medium hot skillet.

To make a quick brown gravy, add a small can of drained mushrooms and some chopped onions to the skillet where you fried the burgers and sauté. Season with some salt, pepper and a bit of garlic and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Mix 2 Tablespoons of corn starch with ¼ cup of water until smooth. Add to the skillet and stir until the gravy thickens. Reduce heat and add burgers. Let simmer while you make the noodles. (You might prefer rice or mashed potatoes instead of noodles.)

Vegetable Bars

Do you have problems getting your children to eat their vegetables? If you do, you may want to try these Vegetable Bars. They taste so good your children may not complain the next time you ask them to eat their veggies.

The eight ingredients for these Vegetable Bars are commonly found in today’s kitchen. You will need the following:

2 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls
1 – 8 ounce container of cream cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch original salad dressing mix
1 cup of fresh cauliflower flowerets, diced
3/4 cup of fresh broccoli flowerets, diced
3/4 cup of freshly grated carrots
1 small bottle of bacon bits

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Open the crescent roll package and carefully unroll them. Press the crescent rolls into the bottom of an 11 x 15 x 1 inch baking pan being sure that the seams are closed. Bake the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

While the crescent roll crust is cooling, you can add the sour cream, mayonnaise and salad dressing mix to a small bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine the ingredients until they are smooth. If the crust is cool, spread the mixture over the crust and set it aside.

Chop the vegetables into very small pieces and sprinkle them over the cheese mixture. Press them slightly into the cheese and then sprinkle the bacon bits over the top. Place the entire crust in the refrigerator, covered lightly with plastic wrap.

When it is time to serve the Vegetable Bars, you will want to remove them from the refrigerator and cut them into small bars. Then arrange the bars on a serving platter.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with this recipe. You could add chopped green onions, diced water chestnuts or diced red bell pepper. Let your imagination go and come up with some ideas of your own.

If you know your child likes a particular vegetable, try to incorporate that into the Vegetable Bar, as well. Once your child has tried these appetizers, you may not have to fight with them to eat their vegetables again.

Caesar Salad
Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce
2 cups croutons, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions

Clean lettuce thoroughly. Tear lettuce with hands (lettuce should never be cut) and set aside.

Crush 7 of the croutons in a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, mustard, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Blend in a mixer, add olive oil until creamy.

Pour dressing over the lettuce. Add parmesan, remaining croutons, toss and enjoy.

California Grilled Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 cup sliced red bell peppers
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
2 (4-x6-inch) focaccia bread pieces, split horizontally
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions

Using a wisk and large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice. Put in the refrigerator.

Preheat the grill for medium high heat.

Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil on both sides.

Place peppers and zucchini on the middle of the grill, with onion and squash pieces around the outside.

Grill about 3 minutes, turn over and grill other side 3 minutes. Remove from grill, cover and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium to avoid burning the bread.

Spread a little mayonnaise mixture over the cut sides of the bread, and add some feta cheese to each side.

Place on the grill cheese side up. Close lid on grill, or cover with foil. This will warm the bread, and melt the cheese.

Watch so the bottoms don’t burn. Remove from grill, and layer with the vegetables.

Serve opened faced.

Carrot Patch Cookies

Ingredients

Orange Mike and Ike candies
Green gummy candy
Sugar wafer cookies
Chocolate frosting
Chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
Directions

Cut a slit in one end of a Mike and Ike candy. Cut a small triangle from the green gummy candy. Then fringe the base to form leaves. Put the triangle into the slit of the Mike and Ike and pinch it closed.

For the planters, put a sugar wafer cookie on a flat surface. Form the longer walls from two whole sugar wafer cookies and cut a third one to fit the shorter ends. Attach the pieces with frosting.

To fill the planters, combine chocolate cookie crumbs & frosting. Fill each box with this mixture, then press three candy carrots inside.

Classic Green Bean Casserole

1 can green beans
1/2 can (or 5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup French fried onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, mix all ingredients. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

If you’d like, you can top with more french fried onions and bake for another 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Delicious Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sugar
2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice (or beef broth)
2 (28 ounce) cans diced or stewed tomatoes with juice
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, brown the beef; drain.

Add the bell pepper and onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Simmer 1 hour.

Easy Apple Butter

Ingredients:
8 cups of applesauce
4 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of ground allspice
2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons of ground cloves

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together well in a large bowl. Transfer to a crockpot and cook, UNCOVERED, on high for 6 to 7 hours. It isn’t necessary to stir it. Cool and place into containers. Keep refrigerated or may be frozen

Easy Squash Casserole
This is a great way to use some of that squash from your garden. Make ahead and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake!
Ingredients:
6 cups of squash, yellow or zucchini, chopped

1 cup of chopped, sweet Vidalia onion

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of shredded carrots

½ cup of unsalted butter, softened

4 cups of dry stuffing mix

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil. Add squash and onions and boil for about 5 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the soup and the sour cream, mixing well. Stir in the carrots. Gently fold in the squash and onions.

In another bowl, mix the butter with the stuffing mix until crumbly. Spread half of the stuffing in a 12x7x2 inch baking dish. On top of this, spread the squash mixture from edge to edge and cover with the remaining stuffing.

Bake for 25 minutes.

English Peas with Mushrooms
Ingredients:
10 ounce package of frozen green peas
4 ounces of mushroom stems & pieces
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
2 ounces of pimentos, drained & chopped
4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
½ teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

Preparation:

Empty the frozen peas into a sauce pan. Use the liquid from the mushrooms to replace the required water. Otherwise, prepare as directed on the package. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet, add the onions and celery and sauté these until soft. Add the mushrooms, pimento, salt and pepper and stir to blend. Add peas and heat thoroughly. Serve warm.

Fresh Ginger Peas

Add the flavor of fresh grated ginger to plain peas and make them special! These are especially good if you use fresh peas rather than canned.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh peas

2 Tablespoons of chicken stock

1 clove of minced garlic

½ cup of freshly grated ginger

¼ cup of water

4 small carrots, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:

If you choose to add the carrots, you will need to simmer them in the stock for 5 minutes to soften. Use a medium sized saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Yield: 4 servings

Goat Cheese Filled Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients

1/4 pound goat cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 cherry tomatoes
Directions

In a bowl, the cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until well blended.

Slice the top off each cherry tomato. Use a small spoon and scoop out the pulp to make a hollow shell. Rinse the tomato shells in cool water.

Use a small spoon, scoop 1 teaspoon of the mixture and stuff into a tomato shell. Arrange tomatoes on a platter to serve.