Fruit Dip

I got this recipe from my friend Summer years ago, when we lived in Provo, and have loved it ever since. It is amazing with all sorts of fruit but my husband's favorite is watermelon. It is the perfect accompaniment to any BBQ or for that fresh summer dessert.

Fruit Dip

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup marshmallow cream
1 cup cool whip

Mix cream cheese and marshmallow cream together. Then stir in cool whip and serve with your favorite fruit.

Banana Muffins (or Mini Loaves)

This is by far me favorite banana bread/muffin recipe ever! It comes from my sister in law Adena. I first had it at a family reunion when I was pregnant with my first son and I have not used another recipe since. I would say that it can be considered cake, it is so sweet and moist. They are heaven plain, with butter, or iced. You just may never go back to your other recipe!

Banana Muffins

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups butter, softened
2 1/4 cups banana, mashed (around 3 large)
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup nuts, optional

Cream together butter and sugars. Add bananas, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in greased muffin tin at 350 for 16-18 minutes. Mini loaves will take longer, about 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. This will make 24 muffins or 8 mini loaves.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

I got this recipe from the Sister's Cafe. !!Warning!! These are addicting! I went on a cooking spree with these last summer and made them like once a week. I know, ok, I have cut back, don't judge! I haven't made them in a few months and I had forgotten how good they really are. I add a mix of white, dark, and milk chocolate instead of just white and it is heaven! I also enjoy walnuts in these. Oh, and my favorite thing to do with cookie dough, besides eat it (yes, I am one of "those" people and yes I know there are raw eggs in it and no I haven't contracted any disease or died yet, and I am going to keep on eating, so there!) is to freeze it. I just make all the dough into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet and once they are hard I put them in a freezer bag. This way I don't eat ALL the cookies and I can cook only a few at a time when I NEED them. Besides we all know cookies are best hot out of the oven. Just make sure to let them thaw before you cook them otherwise the bottoms burn and the rest is still dough. Ok, Ok, enough already! Here is the recipe.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

1 c butter, softened
1 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/4 c dutch cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
2 c white chocolate chips (or a mix of whatever kind you like)

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and salt. Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda then mix into the creamed ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary

My friend Abby Showed me this little jewel of a recipe. Not a recipe really, more just a technique. But whatever you want to call it, it is yummy.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary

Cut as many red potatoes as you want into quarters, smaller if they are big. They should be about bite size. Toss them with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with dried rosemary, salt and pepper. Put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in your oven on broil. Stir them every couple of minutes so they don't stick and they turn brown on every side. They usually take about 15-20 minutes in my oven. About half way through, I add sliced onion. These cook much faster than the potatoes. These are great as a side to anything BBQ.

Peanut Butter Balls

This one is for the kidos! My son LOVES these and loves to help make them. They are so easy and I love having a bag of them in my freezer for a healthy, protein packed, treat. Another great recipe that I grew up on, oh the memories...

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup peanut butter
honey to taste and consistency

Mix everything together, add enough honey until they are as sweet as you want, and the dough holds together. Roll them into balls and freeze.

Bezerka Bars

Great Harvest Bread does a version of these called Mazurka Bars. But of course they don't give out their recipe so the search was on. I tried a few recipes before essentially making up my own. We love this recipe! Mazurka actually means "Polish wedding cake" or something like that but my BFF Abby called these Bezerka Bars because that is what she thought they were called, and it really does fit, they are so good they will drive you bezerk. So love you Abby! This one is for you!


Bezerka Bars

2 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans are the best
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted
1 t vanilla
fresh fruit*

*My favorite is fresh peaches and raspberries but just about anything works, be creative!

Mix all the ingredients, except fruit, together and press into a greased 9x13 pan. Put fresh fruit on top and press lightly into crumb mixture. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes, until they look dry on top and lightly brown on the edges. These are good warm, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but tend to fall apart easy. To set, let them cool completely. We love these as breakfast bars too.

Baked Potato Soup

This has been a favorite of mine for years now. It tastes just like a big baked potato with all the fixins'. Talk about comfort food! It is so quick to throw together, the only thing that takes time is baking the potatoes. We like this with crusty french bread, but it is also great in a bread bowl.

Baked Potato Soup

2 large baked potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
1 heaping T chicken bouillon or base
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnishing
3/4 t pepper
3/4 t salt
8 oz sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
crumbled bacon, optional

Bake potatoes at 400 for 1 hour. When cool, cut into small cubes and set aside. In a large pot, melt butter and add flour. Mix well, then add milk and bring to a boil. Stir until it thickens. Add bouillon, salt, and pepper. Then add cheese and potatoes. A few minutes before serving add sour cream. Garnish with more cheese, green onion and bacon.

Orange Creamsicle Jello

I so love this jello! Ok so it is more than jello, it is jello with pudding and cool whip and fruit. It is the perfect summery yumminess to go with just about anything, especially BBQ's. I got the recipe from my mom who got it from a friend of hers, was it Sue, mom? I always like to give credit where credit is due, but I really don't care where this came from, it is just wonderfully Delicious. Try it with raspberry jello and fresh raspberries too, I can never decide which to do!

Orange Creamsicle Jello

1 small box tapioca pudding
1 small box orange jello
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 to 6 oz cool whip
1 large can mandarins, drained

Boil 3 cups of water. Add both jellos and pudding, and stir until mixed well. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Stir in mandarins and cool whip and refrigerate for 2-3 more hours.

Tres Leches

For the love of Cinco De Mayo!
We had a mexican feast with some friends for Cinco De Mayo, it was so fun and the food was oh so good! I just had to share the recipes

Tres Leches cake is one of our all time favorite desserts. I have been searching for a recipe that is at least close to our fav Cafe Rio, and I finally found it! This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe and is to die for. I have to say though that it is slightly modified, I didn't use his frosting. I love this cake with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. And, for the love, please use fresh whipped cream, it is so easy to make, just follow the directions on the back of the whipping cream carton, you will never go back to the canned stuff!

Tres Leches

Cake
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 t vanilla

Cream Topping
1- 14 oz can evaporated milk
1- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

to make the cake: preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
In a bowl, beat egg whites on low until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer still going and stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks on at a time, mixing well after each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add the the egg mixture alternating with the milk. Do this as quickly as possible so the cake doesn't lose the volume. Add the vanilla. Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes, golden brown and set.

To make the cream topping: mix all the milks in a blender on high speed.

While the cake is still warm pour the milks over the top. You don't need to poke holes. It will look like too much but you just have to pour slowly and let the cake absorb the milk, it will all fit in the pan. Let the cake cool to room temp and then refrigerate for at least four hours or over night. Serve with fresh strawberries and FRESH whipped cream.

Sweet Pork and Tomatillo Dressing

While we lived in Utah we became addicted to Cafe Rio's sweet pork salad. Now that we live on the other side of the US recipes like this are priceless! Now, I know that this isn't exactly the same, but all you who live near a Cafe Rio or Costa Vida can just turn your back and go get yourself the real thing. But for those of us less fortunates, here are some great recipes!

Sweet Pork

3 lb pork roast (butt or shoulder) I like tenderloin
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 t dried oregano
1 t powdered ginger
1 t salt
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1 T dried minced onion
2 cans red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

Cook all the ingredients except the enchilada sauce and brown sugar in you crock pot all day. One hour before serving, remove pork and shred, dump out the cooking juices. Put shredded pork back in crock pot and add enchilada sauce and brown sugar, let cook for one hour. This will make a lot of pork. We like to do it Cafe Rio style with a fresh tortilla on the bottom and then piled high with pork, beans, rice, lettuce, pico, guacamole etc. It is also great as a tamale filling or for tacos, ok it is great anyway you eat it! Oh, and don't forget the dressing...

Tomatillo Dressing

Place all the following in a blender, blend until smooth:

3 tomatillos, cut into 1/4's
juice of half a lime
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg dry ranch buttermilk dressing
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 green onions
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 t sugar
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, to taste*

*I usually put in less than half, it gets spicy fast and the longer the dressing sits the more spicy it gets.

Tamale Pie and Amazing Corn Bread

Another great recipe that my mom made growing up. This is so easy to throw together and can be versatile too. The recipe calls for ground beef, I like to use ground turkey, but for all you vegetarians out there, I think this would be great without meat too. You can also use any corn bread you like but I always use my very favorite that my sister in law Adena gave me, you won't want to go back to anything else.

Tamale Pie

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tomato diced, I have also used petite diced canned tomatoes, about half the can
1 cup corn, I used frozen
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 t cumin
2-3 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 of corn bread recipe that follows

Simmer beans, vegetables, and spices for 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and cooked beef. Prepare corn bread. Put bean mixture in greased 9x9 square pan, top with corn bread batter. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or just until corn bread is cooked. Garnish with sour cream if desired.

Corn Bread

1 cup flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 T oil

Mix well. Put batter into a greased 9x9 square pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. If using on Tamale Pie, only use half of this recipe.