{Super Simple Summer Salad}
1 gala apple
20 or so strawberries
3 bananas
handful of grapes
1 container (6 to 8 oz) of strawberry-banana yogurt
Just cut up the fruit and mix in yogurt. Instant delish!! You can use so many different combinations of fruit. Only make enough salad for your needs as left overs just aren’t the same!
{Banana Nut Pancakes}
These look soooo good and something the kiddos would enjoy making. You make the batter right in a gallon size Ziploc baggie. I’m going to give them a try! I’ll let you know how it goes.
1 large ripe banana
2 cups whole grain pancake mix
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup California raisins
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Maple Raisin Topping
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup California raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Place banana in large resealable plastic bag and squeeze to mash. Add remaining pancake ingredients; seal and knead to mix well. Snip corner off bag and squeeze batter onto a large hot griddle coated with nonstick cooking spray to make circles or squiggles or happy faces, as desired. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. For topping, combine ingredients in small bowl and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds till warm.
{Pretzel Jello Salad}
Crust:
1-1/2 c. crushed pretzels (crush until pretzels are small…not pretzel dust!) 🙂
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
Mix pretzels, sugar and butter and press into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Start making the filling.
Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
12 oz. Cool Whip
Mix sugar, Cool Whip and cream cheese together and spread on cooled crust.
Topping:
2 C. boiling water
6 oz. pkg. strawberry or raspberry Jell-O
1 C. frozen strawberries or raspberries (I prefer raspberries)
Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add frozen fruit. Let cool. Pour over top of filling and refrigerate until set. If desired, you can top with additional whipped topping.
ADDITIONAL NOTE – You can make the jello flavor match with the fruit (i.e. – strawberry jello with strawberries or orange jello with mandrain oranges) or you can mix it up (i.e. – peach jello with raspberries, lime jello with pineapple tidbits). Just make sure if you use a canned fruit that you drain the juice first.
{Caramel Topping}
This is soooooo good!!! Beware…it’s probably a zillion calories! We had this sauce over homemade vanilla ice cream. You’ve GOT to try it for yourself. It would also be great on bundt cake, gingerbread, bread pudding or cobbler.
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
pinch salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add sugar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add salt and cream; bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes; drizzle over a cake or use as a sauce for gingerbread or bread pudding. (Makes about a cup)
{Chocolate Mint Cookies}
1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
One Andes Mint per cookie
Mix first three ingredients together and drop in spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly pat each cookie with the back of a spatula to flatten cookies. Immediately after removing from oven, place an Andes Mint on the top of each cookie. After it starts to melt, take a spoon and gently move the Andes Mint around on each cookie until it is completely smeared over the top of the cookie. Allow to cool completely before serving or eat immediately for a deliciously rich warm cookie.
{Sweet and Sour Meatballs}
Beware….this is seriously delish!! It is my sister-in-law, Kristin’s recipe. This recipe makes about 17-18 meatballs. I love this recipe because most of the ingredients are ones you’d have on hand anyway.
MEATBALLS:
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. chopped onion (I prefer red onion but it doesn’t really matter)
dash of pepper
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hand. It will be somewhat sticky. Form into balls and brown in a small amount of oil.
Drain all but 1 TBSP oil. Pour the meatballs and 1 TBSP oil in a dish and set aside.
SAUCE:
1 can pineapple tidbits (tidbits AND juice)
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP vinegar
6 TBSP water
1/2 cup sugar
In your frying pan, mix the above ingredients until it thickens. I usually mix the water and cornstarch seperately and then put it in the frying pan so it doesn’t make dumplings! Put meatballs back in sauce and heat through. Serve over rice and thoroughly enjoy!
{TGI Friday’s Broccoli Cheese Soup}
SOUP:
4 c. chicken broth (which is two cans of chicken broth)
1 c. water
1 c. half and half
4 or 5 slices Kraft Cheddar Singles
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 c. broccoli florets (bite-size)
GARNISH:
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
Combine chicken broth, water, half and half, cheese, flour, onion and pepper in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine and to break up any lumps of flour. Set heat on medium. Stir constantly. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add broccoli to soup and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender, but not soft. For each serving spoon soup into a bowl and garnish with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and a pinch of parsley. Mmmmm. It is soooo good.
{Broccoli Bacon Salad}
SALAD:
1-1/2 lbs. broccoli (cut into bite size pieces)
1 c. raisins and/or craisins
1 c. red onion
1 c. sunflower seeds
7 strips of bacon, cut up into pieces
DRESSING:
1 c. mayo
2 TBSP cider vinegar
½ c. sugar
Mix the salad with your dressing and serve. Don’t make more salad then you’ll eat as it doesn’t keep (in my opinion).
{Cranberry Spinach Salad}
To make this salad, use desired amount of Spinach Salad and add dried cranberries, cubed swiss cheese, diced green onion, walnuts, and a Granny Smith apple cut up in small pieces. Serve with Honey-Mustard dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette. It is soooo good!
Mel's Recipe Blog 