Summer Recipes

During the summer, I usually get really excited about trying new recipes.  I suppose it's because I am off during the summer, and there is more freedom and relaxation. Anyhoo...my summer starts in about 2 weeks! EXCITING!! I have been perusing Pinterest to collect my MUST TRY recipes for the next month.  Thought I would share these yummy prospects with you all! :)

Summer Vegetable Crepes

Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

Avocado Pasta (I kind of have a thing for avocado)

Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Feta Salad

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Feta

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

Hope these inspire you, like they have me! Happy cooking.

Tracy

Homemade "Cafe Du Monde" inspired Beignets

YUM.

Ohhh my, these are tasty.  Of course, it is fried bread with powdered sugar....how could we go wrong? :)

hee hee. Definitely not super healthy, but hey- sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and enjoy life (or bite the beignet).

My husband is from Louisiana, and so is my grandfather's family. When we visit New Orleans, stopping by Cafe Du Monde for beignets is a MUST. We don't get to visit as often as we would like, so making these at home is the next best thing. :)

What you need:

*crescent rolls

* fry daddy or skillet

*oil

*powdered sugar

And here's what you do...

Unroll a tube of crescent rolls. Any brand will do.  Keep in precut triangles for larger selections or divide in half with pizza cutter for smaller triangles. Drop into hot oil warmed to 375°. Monitor closely. When underside is golden brown turn and cook the other side. Remove from heat quickly. Let stand on several layers of paper towels to absorbe excess oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar evenly using sifter or shaker. Serve warm. Pare with cup of Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory or Community Coffee and Chicory. 
 Bon appétit.

Mini Cheesecake Easter Baskets

I actually made these on Palm Sunday. We had dinner at church, and I always like to bring fun desserts.

These mini cheesecakes are yummy, and are WAY easy to make!

What you need:

2

pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2

cup sugar

1/2

tsp. vanilla

2

 eggs

12

 NILLA Wafers

1-1/2

cups Coconut, tinted green

36

small jelly beans

What you do:

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs;beat just until blended.

Place wafer on bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over wafers.

Bake 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top evenly with coconut and jelly beans just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Citrus Cream Cupcakes

OHHHHHH man. I haven't made these in a while, and they were looooooooonnnnnnnnggg over due! These little yum yums are delightful!

A touch of citrus...

+

A touch of cream....

=

mouthful of GOODNESS

What you need:

1 pkg.  yellow cake mix

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

1-1/3 cups  Sour Cream, divided

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. orange zest

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tub   COOL WHIP, thawed

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

What you do:

-HEAT oven to 350°F.

-BEAT cake mix, dry pudding mix, 1 cup sour cream, water, oil, eggs and orange zest in large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 min.; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Pour into lined cupcake pan

-BAKE as directed on box for cupcakes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans 10 min.  Gently remove pans. Cool cupcakes completely.

-BEAT remaining sour cream and powdered sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP.

-Ice cupcakes and garnish with mandarin oranges. (I put my topping in a ziploc, snip off the tip, and squeeze out my icing onto  the cupcakes. Makes it a quick process!) Keep refrigerated.

-makes 24 cupcakes

These are great for spring and summer!

Enjoy-

Tracy



Crock Pot Tex Mex Chicken

Ok. So....I love this recipe. Saying that it is "simple" is an understatement. It's ULTRA SIMPLE. To top it off, it's reaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy yummy.

What you need:

crock pot

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 jar of salsa

3 frozen chicken breasts

1 block of cream cheese

What you do:

-Throw everything in the crockpot

except cream cheese.(yes, frozen chicken breasts go in the crock pot.)

-cook on high for 4 hours

-throw in the block of cream cheese for the last 15 minutes.

-when 4 hours are up, you can shred chicken easily with fork, and mix it all up.

-EAT!!

We ate ours on on tortillas, but would be good over rice or tortilla chips or on tacos!

Enjoy!

Linking to:

Homemade Samoas

Everyone loves a good girl scout cookie, am I right? Whatever your favorite flavor may be...those genius girl scouts have something to offer you. Simoas are my personal fav's, so I am super psyched to bring it to Paper Wings. :)

I have been seeing different pics on Pinterest showing these yuuuuuuuuuuuuummmy bars, and I was feeling like throwing around some flour. I used the recipe from BakingBites.com, and together (me and the recipe) made magic. Pure. Magic.

What you need/
cookie:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

What you do/cookie:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- lightly grease 9x13 baking pan
-Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy.
-Slowly add in salt and flour
(dough can be crumbly)
- Transfer dough to baking pan, and press into even layer
-bake for 20-25 minutes (until edges are lightly browned)
-set aside to cool completely

What you need/topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 oz chewy caramels
1/4 salt
3 tbsp milk
10 0z dark chocolate

What you do/topping:
-preheat oven to 300 degrees
-spread coconut evenly on lightly greased or parchment covered pan
-toast for 20 min., stirring every 5 minutes, until golden
-cool on baking sheet, stir occasionally
-unwrap caramels and place in bowl
-add milk and salt, then microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times during
-When caramel is melted, fold in coconut
- place heaping spoonfuls all over cookie base, then spread topping into an even layer
-let caramel mixture cool completely
-once cooled, cut into bars with a large knife or pizza cutter.(I used a large knife, and cleaned it after each row. This seemed to help keep a cleaner line)
- Melt chocolate in the microwave and be sure to stir every 30 seconds to keep it from burning
-Dip base of cookie bar into chocoalte and place on wax paper to cool
-place remaining chocolate in zip lock, snip the tip, and drizzle on top of bars
-cool completely and store in airtight container


These divine treats make me very happy. I personally like to put them in the fridge, and eat them cold with a glass of milk. :)



Hope you are enjoying the weekend-



Tracy

Easy Peasy Blueberry Cobbler!!

Deeeeeeeeeeeelicious Blueberry Cobler.
OH! and Easy. ohhh so easy.

This is a seriously summer dessert, and have had a hankering to make a cobbler for weeks. This is as easy as it gets, folks. (As all good summer things should be...)

Here's what you need:
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup self-rising flour
1 stick of butter
1 qt. fruit... I went with blueberries...

Here's what you do:
* Heat oven to 350 degrees
*Melt butter in baking dish.
*Mix milk, flour, and sugar thoroughly. Pour into baking dish evenly over melted butter.
* Pour blueberries over batter.
*Bake for 1 hour.
* Serve with yuuuuuummmmmmy Vanilla ice cream.

Did I mention easy?

Yields 6-8 servings....try not to eat ALL of them. It will be a difficult task.

Fried Green Tomatoes-Guest Post

Ya'll have quite the treat today! I attend a book club once a month with 6 other fabulous...FABULOUS...ladies. We have been meeting for SIX years now! Anyhoo, I love these ladies so much that I wanted to introduce them all to you all.

(Me and Julie a couple of weeks ago.)
I am proud to call Julie my dear friend, and I know you all will love her recipe. I look up to Julie as a teacher and a mom. She is a beautiful woman of God, and I totally appreciate her love. Meet Julie and enjoy her southern hospitality!!

Hi everyone!! I am Julie, and I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with you. What says the south better than fried green tomatoes? Don’t be put off the word fried. It is a nutritional requirement to have something fried every once in a while.

What you need:

4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart vegetable oil or bacon grease

What to do:

1. Slice tomatoes ¼ to ½ inch thick.

2. Whisk eggs and milk together.

3. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate.

4. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat.

5.Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture.

6.Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

In cast iron skillet , pour vegetable oil (or bacon grease, if you have some) so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan, and heat to a medium heat.

7. Place tomatoes in skillet. The tomatoes should not touch. *If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any skillet will do.

8.When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Serve with some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and iced tea and watch the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.

Thanks Tracy, for letting me share today! It's been fun!!