Roasted Red Potatoes

I am always looking for good side and new ways of cooking the same old vegetables. I roast a lot of different ones, but never usually potatoes. We just do not eat a lot of potatoes. But my neighbor Heather brought these over for a BBQ and man they were good. So I recreated them and our kids loved them. You could even use this recipe for breakfast....These potatoes are finger licking good.....Thanks Miss Heather! You could add rosemary & dried thyme for more herb flavor, but I am not a huge rosemary person.....Again like all my recipes this one is super felxible but gives you the basics.....

Serves 4-6

1 1/2-2lbs Red Potatoes, diced

2-3 T Olive Oil (or flavored olive oil), just need enough to coat the potatoes

1-2 T Dried Parsley, to your liking

Garlic Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag. Toss around to coat potatoes. Pour out onto a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 30-40 min, until potatoes are tender (or crisper, depends on your tastes!).....Enjoy!

Oreo Cheesecake Squares

We love Oreo Cookies in our house. Oreo cheesecake is one of my favorites at the Cheesecake Factory. Here is a quick and easy way to make some Oreo treats that everyone will enjoy!.....These do not last long at our house, I mean who doesn't LOVE Oreo Cookies! The Recipe is divided into the amount of cookies, but all you need is 1 package of Oreo Cookies.....

Makes: 13x9 pan

30 Oreo Cookies

1/4 Butter, melted

4 8oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened to room temp

1 C Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

4 Eggs

20 Oreo Cookies, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the 30 Oreos into a food processor and process for 30-45 seconds, until finely ground. Add in melted butter and mix well. Press cookie mixture into a 13x9 in baking pan, set aside. In a bowl mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla w/hand mixer (or you could use your kitchen aid) until well blended. Add in eggs and mix until incorporated & blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 C of the chopped Oreos (leaving a small pile left for the top). Pour into crust. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped cookies. Bake for 35-40min or until the center is almost set. Cool to room temp and then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Super Simple Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We love to try new recipes and as with most of the recipes I make I always make changes to improve on what is there.....This was the first time I have made lettuce wraps and I know it will not be the last....This recipe is a great base recipe that I know I will be evolving on as I continue to experiment, I am thinking some rice wine vinegar would be a good addition and maybe some sesame oil or chili oil and possibly some garlic.....But we liked this as it too.....So wrap it up and enjoy!

Serves: 4-5

1/2 C Hoisin sauce

1/4 C Crunchy or Creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 C Miracle Whip or Mayo

1-2 Squirts Sriracha Sauce

¼ t Red Pepper Flakes

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1T Vegetable oil

Salt & Pepper

1 bunch Green Onions, finely chopped

1 head Boston Bibb lettuce, washed, dried & separated

Carrot sticks, very thinly sliced

Celery sticks, very thinly sliced

Cucumber, seeded & very thinly sliced

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. Set aside. Heat oil over medium high heat and add in turkey. Season with salt & pepper and brown until cook through, stir in onions and saute for 1 min. Reduce to medium and stir in sauce continue cooking for 5 minutes, stir frequently. Fill lettuce with meat and veggies. Enjoy!

Springtime Pesto, Pasta, Pea Salad............

This is one of our favorite Spring and Summer salads. I am betting it is because it's green, cool and sooo good. It is also one of my go to salads for potlucks and parties. When we make it at home we usually serve it with Marinated Grilled Chicken and call it a meal. My girls love this one but they usually pick around the peas....I know totally silly kiddos....The pesto recipe can be used in anything calling for pesto.....

Serves: 10-12

1 1/2 lbs of Bow Tie Pasta (or something similar)
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 1/2-2 C Pesto (recipe below)
1 10oz Package of Frozen Chopped Spinach (Defrosted & Squeezed Dry)
3 T Fresh Lemon Juice (I sometimes use more)
1 1/4 C Mayo
1/2 C Grated Parmesan Cheese, or more
1 1/2 C Frozen Petite Peas (Defrosted)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Cook Pasta in salted water until al dente (follow directions on box). Drain and toss with the Olive Oil. Cool to room temp. Make Pesto (recipe below) Then, in a food processor puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add mayo and continue to puree. Add pesto mixture to the cooled pasta, and then add parm cheese, peas, salt, pepper and mix well.

Pesto (makes 2 cups)
1/8 C Walnuts
1/8 C Pignolis (Pine Nuts)
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
2 1/2 Cups of Fresh Basil Leaves
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
3/4 C Olive oil
1/2 C Grated Parmesan cheese

Place walnuts, pignolis and garlic in a food processor. Process for 30 sec. Add basil, salt, pepper. With the processor going slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube, process until pureed. Add grated Parmesan cheese and process for 1 more min. Use in any recipe.

Dirt Cake....

So this one is suppose to be placed in a plastic flower pot and served with gummy worms on top and a fake plant, hence the title dirt cake....but I prefer to serve it in a trifle like dish.....my pic isn't the greatest maybe I will make it again and do a better job of evening out the layers.....the kids love this one as do I since it reminds me of my childhood....I mean you can not go wrong with Oreos and Vanilla pudding....definitely a recipe that will cause you to hit the gym after.....Not so waistline friendly!

Makes: A dish full

1 18oz package of Oreos, crushed in food processor

1/2 C Butter, softened to room temperature

1 80z package Cream Cheese, room temperature

3/4 C Powdered Sugar

3 C Cold Milk

2 Small Boxes of Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 12oz Cool Whip

In a large bowl cream together butter, cream cheese and powered sugar until smooth, set aside. In a separate bowl mix together milk and vanilla pudding, then fold in the cool whip. Add pudding mixture to the butter cream cheese mixture and combine well. Layer in a dish starting with the cookie crumbs then a layer of pudding/cream cheese mixture and then cookie crumbs again. Finishing with cookie crumbs on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve in bowls and enjoy!

Sausage & Spinach Strata

The first time I had this recipe was at my friend Erin's Wedding Shower....I pregnant with the Twins and I could not eat enough of this. It is soooo good. We eat this regularly for breakfast on the weekend with a fruit plate.....I have adapted Mrs. Larsen's recipe to our family's tastes by adding in spinach....I try to sneak veggies in when I can with the girls.....This recipe is always a big hit at brunches....You have to plan for this one since it needs to rest in the fridge overnight before being slow baked in the AM....

Makes: 13x9 pan

8-10 slices of White bread, cubed
2 C Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 1/2-2 lbs of Sausage Links (Could use Ground Sausage)
1 10oz box frz Spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (or fresh spinach leaves if you have them)
4 Eggs
2 1/2 C Milk

Topping: (do the morning of baking)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 C Milk
3/4 T Dry Onion Soup Mix

Spray a 13x9 inch pan with non stick spray. Brown Sausage links in a skillet until cooked through. Slice into bite sized pieces. Place cubed bread in the bottom of the baking dish and top with the grated cheese, spinach, and sausage pieces. Beat the eggs with the 2 1/2 C of milk and pour over bread, cheese, spinach, sausage mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning preheat the over to 300 degrees. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the top of the bread mixture. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!

MMmmm Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin.....pumpkin scones, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bars....I have never met a pumpkin recipe I didn't like.....When I was little I remember my aunt use to make so many pumpkin pies for our family gatherings that each family was able to take home a leftover pie...(my mom had 9 brothers and sisters to give you an idea on how many pies she use to make).....man they were so good.....this not her recipe but one that to me tastes similar to the pies I remember from childhood.....

Makes: 2 9 inch pies

1 1/2 pints (3 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened
3 eggs
1 3/4 C pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie shells (I use my homemade recipe for pie dough that I have up on the blog with my quiche recipe, but you can use store bought to save time)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place ice cream near the warm oven to soften. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Stir in the pumpkin puree, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix in soft ice cream until smooth. Pour filling into two 9 inch pie shells. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until filling is set. Serve with homemade vanilla whipped cream on top....Enjoy!

Simple Shrimp & Corn Chowder

Shawn LOVES shrimp as do our girls so we eat it a bunch in our house. This recipe Shawn and I have been eating for years and has become a household favorite. It is super simple but yet so tasty and takes no time at all to prepare and cook.....I am sure there a plenty things to add to jazz it up but we like it just the way it is....if you can find fresh sweet corn in season, cut it away from the cob and use that, it makes it that much better....I like to serve most of my soups with crusty or toasted bread......I am so not a cracker in my soup girl.....I like dip yummy bread!

Serves 4-5

3-4 Green Onions, thinly sliced
2 C Frz Sweet Corn (White or Yellow)

1 lb Shrimp, peeled & de veined

3 T Butter

4 C Chicken Stock (1 32oz carton)

1/2 C Heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add in green onions and cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Pour in the chicken stock and then add the corn. Stir and season with salt & pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10-12 min. Pour in the cream, stir well and then add the shrimp. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, very gently until the shrimp turn pink and begin to curl, which is usually about 5 min depending on the size of shrimp. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot!