Blueberry Muffins

{all the kids love them...even sam}

Blueberry Muffins

2 eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil or melted margarine
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. milk
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. blueberries

Mix milk, eggs and oil. Mix with other ingredients.
Add blueberries. Bake at 400 for 15 - 25 minutes.

I then juice 1 lemon and add 3Tbs. of sugar and glaze the muffins when they come out. Yum!

{This recipe is from Lorraine Alldredge. Cherry gave it to me about 5 years ago after we went to their cabin with them and had these yummy muffins. I'll post this recipe for her ;0)}

We love them and make them quite often. I buy/pick blueberries out here during the summer when they go on sale or are in season and then freeze them to use for things like this. Costco and Sam's club always have them for super cheap in the summer.

lemon cake

1 box Duncan Hines lemon cake mix
1 pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 c. water
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. key lime juice

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or til cake is done.

Icing:

2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. key lime juice

Mix well and pour over cake.

{This cake is so moist and YUMMY}

pesto pasta salad

PESTO PASTA SALAD

{not my kids fav, but matt and i loved it}

1.5 pound bow tie pasta
1 1/2 cups pesto (jarred or from your own favorite recipe)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cups mayonnaise (I used light mayo with great results)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 can/jar artichoke hearts
1/3 cup pine nuts
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook bow ties in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is cooked to your liking. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature, tossing every once in a while to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other as they cool.

In a food processor or blender, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, cut-up artichoke hearts, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

snickerdoodles

SNICKERDOODLES

{so i have searched high and low for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe. i wanted the crispy outside with a chewy inside. well folks, thanks to my cookie-genius-neighbor, i've found it!}

1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 375. cream butter and sugar. add vanilla and eggs. mix in dry ingredients. bake for 9-12 min.

Enchilada Dip

enchilada dip
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
{I used my canned chicken}
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1-8oz. carton of sour cream

1-8oz. package shredded cheddar cheese
1-4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 jalapeno pepper finely diced (optional)
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper


Cook and shred chicken. Mix soup, sour cream, cheese, chili peppers, jalapeno, onion, salt, and pepper. Add shredded chicken.
Bake uncover in 2-3 quart casserole dish for 30 minutes @ 350 or until edges are golden brown and center is hot. (I always double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan.)
Serve with tortilla chips.

{this is perfect for the summer...sitting outside snacking on some chips and dip. the whole family loves this}

Citrus Water Punch

photo courtesy of my kitchen cafe

Citrus Water Punch

{Corinne...remember we used to have this at your mom's house and I LOVED it!}

2 tablespoons citric acid (you can find this at most pharmacies or natural food stores)
5 quarts water
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
3 sliced lemons
3 sliced limes
Crushed ice

In a large pitcher or punch bowl, stir water, sugar, citric acid, and lemon extract together. Add sliced fruit and ice.

**if you have leftover punch, remove the sliced limes and lemons before refrigerating. The limes and lemons will give the punch an overly sour acidic taste if the punch is stored overnight that way.

{i found this at sisterscafe.blogspot.com}

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

We had yummy Spaghetti Sauce last night for dinner and I wanted to share the easy recipe!

I made up a fresh tomato mozzarella salad to go with our spaghetti and it was so good.

I did a freezer dinner exchange last night so I had to take my recipe x 3.

My kitchen looked a little funny with THREE big crockpots in it!

It was a great deal, I cooked my spaghetti, divided it into gallon sized ziplocs and headed to my meet up with six of my girlfriends to exchange our food.

So for just a little more time/effort than cooking a normal dinner I came home with seven frozen meals for my family, including my own spaghetti sauce!

*Teryaki beef*

*Lemon-Lime Soy Chicken*

*Honey Lime Enchiladas*

*A chicken/sausage tin foil dinner*

*Meatloaf*

*Lasagna*

*Spaghetti Sauce*

It'll be so nice not to have to plan dinner. I just thaw out in the morning and bake/grill and voila . . . a yummy dinner! Here is the recipe for the sauce:

1 lb. ground beef 1 med. Onion -chopped 1 green pepper – chopped 3 cloves garlic – crushed or chopped 2 cans (14-15 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes 3 cans (15 oz.) tomato sauce 1 can (15 oz.) black olives 2 cans (4 oz.) mushrooms – sliced 1 tsp. ground pepper 2 tbls. parsley leaves – dried 1 tbls. sweet basil leaves – dried 1 tbls. oregano leaves – dried Brown ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Drain. In a large pot on medium, put the browned ground beef, onions, green pepper and garlic and add remaining ingredients in order. When you add the parsley, sweet basil, and oregano, crush in palms of hands to release more flavor before adding to sauce. Stir thoroughly and bring to low boil, reduce heat to low simmer. Cook at low simmer for at least and hour, but the longer the better. I usually just cook for 4-5 hours in my crockpot, time permitting. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles. Freezes well and makes easy quick dinner. *recipe courtesy of my Mom's cousin, Peggy!