D.I.Y. Slushies!

Slushies add up in cost if you go out for them so do them at home instead!

Koolaid Slushies: makes 4

1 cup sugar
1 koolaid packet
26 ice cubes, approx.
water

Add koolaid powder from one packet, and one cup of sugar to a 2 or 4 cup measuring cup. Add water to the mixture until it reaches the 2 cup line (so it won't be 2 cups of water plus the ingredients, it all adds up to 2 cups). Stir well!

Then, pour 1/2 the mixture into your blender (1 cup). And add approximately 13 ice cubes from a regular ice cube tray. Blend, I use pulse mode, and I had to shake the blender a bit at the end. Pour into 2 cups, then repeat the blender process. If your blender is large you may be able to do it all at once.

I plan to try it with lemon juice and koolaid, to make a frozen strawberry lemonade! Haven't yet, so I'll experiment a bit with it. We did black cherry flavor the other day which is so good!

Fruit Smoothie

I made this up last night while trying to figure out a way to use a few of the fruits we had on hand. The kiddos really enjoyed the end result...hopefully you will too!

3 ripe bananas, frozen
1 cup frozen berries
1 can pears
1/2 cup milk

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until mixed well. More milk may be added to obtain desired thickness.

No Berries (sorry), but Cake/Brownies/Sugar Cookies and Delicious!

I've made fun cakes before, but this was the stinkin' funnest thing ever! So I had to pass it on. This is sugar cookie fries, and cupcake/brownie "hamburgers" which are so stinkin' delicious! The idea is on http://www.bakerella.com/ in the cupcake section. She made them for Father's Day, I made them for my husband's birthday, so I chose to make a big one too, it's about the size of a real cheeseburger.

These were easy and fun, and bakerella has a template for a fry holder, and tray, etc. too. I did my own by looking at hers because my printer wouldn't work. Anyway, for the burgers, you make yellow cake cupcakes, and a pan of brownies. The brownies you cut into circles the size of the cupcakes using a biscuit/cookie cutter. Then you slice the cupcake in half, insert the brownie, do red/yellow/green frosting, put the top on, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top! It's easy and doesn't require much patience at all!!

Sugar cookie fries, with frosting dips. The fries are so cool! I recommend cutting them just under an inch wide and cutting them in half after they cook because the cut texture really helps with the fry look! See bakerella for further instructions.

So cool! I think I'll do them for my son's school treats for his birthday if he's allowed to bring some in!

Coconut Berry Pizza

I found a fun recipe for fruit pizza. Check out my blog for the recipe:
Put a Lyd on it...

Linguine with Vegetables

* I'm sure many of you have recipes like this, but this is my favorite way to eat my veggies!

1/2 lb. linguine
2 t. oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. provolone or mozzarella cheese, grated
3 T. parmesan, grated

Cook pasta according to box. Heat oil in large fry pan on medium heat. Add garlic, zucchini, and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until tender crisp. Add vegetables to drained pasta, add cheeses and mix until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Hummus

This is adapted from my mom's recipe. The tahini is a little hard to find; you can find it in health or ethnic food stores. You can still make this without it, or even throw in some sesame seeds in the food processor instead.

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup tahini (sesame butter)
3 T chopped cilantro (a handful of leaves)
2 -- 4 cloves garlic
juice of one large lemon
2 T water
1 T olive oil
a pinch cumin
Process in food processor until fairly smooth.Makes about 3 cups.Serve with warm pita and raw vegetables such as lettuce, chopped cucumber, diced tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, olives, or sprouts. Or use as a dip with chips or crackers.
Or make pinwheel sandwiches by spreading 3/4 - 1 cup hummus on a piece of lavash bread (or torilla), add lettuce (with the crunchy part torn out) or baby spinach and any of the other vegetables mentioned above. Roll it up and slice.

Grape Salad

2 lbs green seedless grapes (I only used red because they didn't have green at Winco)
2 lbs red seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cream (I used plain yogurt because I had it on hand)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed pecans

Wash and stem grapes. Set aside to dry. Beat cream cheese and sugar together, then stir in sour cream and vanilla by hand. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl. I would use a wide, long bowl instead of a tall deep bowl so that there is more surface area for the topping. Combine brown sugar and crushed pecans. Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely. Don't skimp on the topping...it makes this dish! Chill overnight. It gets better with time!

Cabbage Salad

2 cups cooked chichen, cubed

1 lg. cabbage shredded

1-2 pkgs crushed Ramon noodles

4 green onions

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

4 tbsp almond slices

Dressing

3 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup salad oil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Accent

2 tbsp sugar

Mix together and chill. Wait until serving to add Ramon noodles.

Banana Pudding

Okay, so I got this recipe on the back of a Keebler Vanilla Wafer box, but it was a favorite for us this past summer. Yummy, pretty light, and it's easy! I meant to post this all Sept...I'm just a day late. Everyone's desserts look soooo good!

48 Vanilla Wafers , divided
3 cups milk
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
4 medium bananas, sliced, divided
Frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

1. Line bottom and sides of 8 x 8 x 2-inch square or 1 1/2-quart dish with half of wafers.
2. In medium bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 mins, go by directions on box.
3. Top wafers with half of banana slices, then half of pudding. Repeat layers using remaining wafers, banana slices and pudding.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipped topping. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. Servings: 9

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

I made this once and forgot to post it, so I'll play catch-up. It's one of Dave's favorites. (The picture has half onions on one side....if you're wondering=)

5 ½ cups mashed potatoes
(about 4 lbs. uncooked or 8 servings instant)
½ cup milk (if doing instant, omit and go by pkg. directions,

or if you want it a little less thick)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) reg. or low-fat cream cheese
1 cup reg. or low-fat sour cream
1 ½ tsp. garlic salt, or to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more if you want)
½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 8 slices)
2 stalks green onions chopped *if desired*

Place first seven ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat on med-high until potatoes are smooth and creamy. Spoon mixture into a 13-in.x9in.x2in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon. (I have a microwave bacon cooker which drains the fat, or nuke it in the microwave between paper towels on a plate.) Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Then sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

**(To make it easier on myself, I like to use kitchen shears to cut the bacon in tiny pieces and the green onions. I also prefer using instant potatoes, it's easier, and instead of adding the salt to the instant potatoes, I just substitute garlic salt instead. Sometimes when using instant, I stir everything all together in one pan using a heavy duty spatula, or beaters.)

Orange Julius

Many of you probably have this recipe but in case you don't, or you forgot how yummy and refreshing it is, here you go. These are great on a hot day. It is also fun to experiment with different kinds of juice.

6 oz. (1/2 of a can) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. milk
1 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8-10 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients except the ice cubes in the blender. Add the ice cubes on by one and blend until smooth. Serves about 4.

Aussie Burgers

So having served his mission in Australia, Mike likes to make burgers the "Aussie" way. We go all out for these babies at our house. I was skeptical at first, but they are so good! If you're going to BBQ hamburgers, you may as well do it right.


Toppings for a fantastic, EVERYTHING burger:

Ketchup
Mayo
Mustard
Lettuce
Pickle
Onion
Tomato
Pickled canned beets
Bacon
Sliced Pineapple
A fried egg
Cheese
A hamburger patty
A bun toasted with butter (because all my recipes have butter ;)

Enjoy

Fruity Homeade Ice Cream

As a wedding present, my grandpa and grandma gave my parents an ice cream maker. Every Fourth of July my mom made this delicious ice cream for us. The ice cream maker lasted somehow for 32 years!!! This recipe is definitely a family favorite.


**This recipe is for a six quart sized ice cream maker.
If you have a smaller one just half everything.

1 quart whipping cream
4 cups sugar
1 pkg. frozen raspberries (12 oz.)
1 pkg. sliced sweetened frozen
strawberries
1 large can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple
4 bananas chopped
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup lemon juice

Place all ingredients in big bowl and
stir till combined. Dump into ice cream
maker cylinder. Add milk to the fill line, leaving
1 ½ in. from the top. (Make according to your
ice cream maker instructions. If yours uses ice and rock salt,
I usually use either 1 1/2 bags of ice, or get a really big bag.) Enjoy!!!

Vegetarian Linguine

This meal is good for summer veggies. Substitute

any favorites you have. This meal also is very filling!

It makes a lot, so think about halfing it maybe.

6 oz. uncooked linguine

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced OR small
can of sliced mushrooms
2 green onions, chopped (I cut them with

kitchen shears into the pan)
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive OR canola oil
1 large tomato, chopped (or a can of

chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp. dried basil, or 2 tsp. minced fresh basil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4 oz. provolone cheese, shredded
2 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter and oil for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato, basil, salt and pepper; cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain linguine; add to vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses and toss to coat. 6 servings. (I think a little less cheese would be perfect, but Dave loves it.)

Gingham Salad

I'll post a picture later. I forgot to take one when I made this last week. And I probably shouldn't take credit for this recipe because I got it at the same time that Kathy did from Heather's mom who copied it for us out of the Hayden Lake Country Club cook book. And some of you already have it because even though we didn't make it and bring it to the salad recipe night (because it wasn't berry season), Kathy and I did pass out the recipe. I hope no one cares that I'm posting it, because it is definitely worth sharing!

This dressing recipe makes a TON so you might want to half it, or plan on saving some for later.

2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
¼ c. poppy seeds
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
½ small yellow onion, pureed
¾ c. cider vinegar
¼ c. Balsamic vinegar
2 2/3 c. salad oil

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

Toss with:
Mixed salad greens
Sliced strawberries
Bleu cheese crumbles

Top with:
Mandarin oranges
Toasted almond slivers
Fresh seasonal berries (raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries and/or blueberries)

For a Main Dish salad, add grilled chicken strips.

Ham BBQ

Hi everyone! This isn't exactly a summer salad or vegetable dish, but it's a great summer dinner because it's easy, cheap and doesn't require the oven. It has been SO HOT that just the thought of using the oven gives me heat stroke.

My husband's family makes Ham BBQ every time they are together. He grew up in Pennsylvania, and apparently it's a local thing. When I joined the family, I was very scared to try it. I've even been hesitant to post this recipe. It sounds strange but it really is delicious, I promise!

1 pound thin sliced deli ham
2 tablespoons butter
ketchup
sweet relish (dill works too, though)

Chop the ham into small pieces. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add ham and squirt in enough ketchup to coat the meat. Add some relish (I have no idea how much---maybe two spoonfuls??). Cook until the sauce starts to bubble. Serve on hamburger buns.

Tortellini Salad

This is a fun summer dish. I combined a few different recipes to make it. With chicken, it is a meal; without it makes a great side.

1 lb. tortellini, cooked
1 can sliced olives
1 can quartered artichokes
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken in bite-size pieces (optional)
8 oz. Italian dressing (or Caesar)

Combine and chill.