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Simply Great Punch
This was served at the Holiday Ideas 2011 party at the County Extension Office last week here in Harlan County. Yum!
Simple Great Punch
2 (46 oz.) cans fruit punch
1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime soda
1/2 gallon French vanilla ice cream
Pour chilled punch and soda into punch bowl. Scoop out entire half gallon of ice cream, and carefully slide into punch bowl. Makes 80 servings
Pineapple Salsa
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup chopped red and/or green bell pepper
1/2 cup sweet onion slivers
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or more to taste)
Blend pineapple, bell pepper, onion, lemon juice, cilantro and jalapeno pepper in medium bowl. Refrigerate, covered for 4 to 24 hours, if desired, stirring occasionally. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Cheesy Bean Dip for the Crockpot
This is a super easy, super yummy recipe!
Cheesy Bean Dip for the Crockpot
2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
1 (16 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (4 ounce) can sliced green chilies, drained
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese in a crock pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheddar cheese and heat just until melted. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
My Favorite Guacamole
I have always thought that God made avocados just for me. I mean, they are literally my favorite thing to eat! I can’t wait to get to heaven. I plan to have more than one avocado trees!
My Favorite Guacamole
- 2 avocados
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- The juice from 1/2 a lime or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mash the avocados with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and serve immediately!
Hot Cheesy Spread
Cheese Spread
2 cups yellow cashew cheese or vegan cheddar of your choice
1/3 c. vegan mayo (veganaise is my favorite)
2 green onions cut into small rings
1/2 c. green olives sliced into rings
2 TBSP diced red pepper (I like to use the kind in the jar, however if you want some crunch, go with fresh)
1 loaf of french bread
Mix all ingredients together and spread generously onto french bread. I like to slice it down the middle longways like a giant sub sandwich. Lay on a baking pan and bake at 400 for 15-20 min, or until it starts to bubble and brown. Serve immediately.
This goes great with a soup!
Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
These little bites are soooo yummy! This recipe is super easy enough to prepare for everyday and decadent enough for special occasions! I like to grate some fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese over the top before baking.
Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
12 large whole fresh mushrooms (or 24 smaller mushrooms)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.
Garlic Cheese Biscuits
These simple drop biscuits are delicious with any supper! I have successfully substituted Spelt flour for the wheat flour for my daughter who cannot tolerate wheat. Tasty!
Garlic Cheese Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup milk
Garlic Butter
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, garlic powder, and salt. Cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese and milk. Stir just until combined. If you over stir, you will end up with tough, heavy biscuits!
Drop dough onto greased baking sheet by rounded tablespoons and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until til golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and parsley. Brush biscuits with garlic butter after you pull them from the oven. Makes about 12 biscuits.
Note: You could use buttermilk instead. Just add 1/4 tsp. baking soda to dry ingredients. If the mixture seems a little dry add a bit more buttermilk.
Petite Pecan Pies
This recipe is found in The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola.
These make a fabulous appetizer or snack! My children love these, too!
Petite Pecan Pies
8 Medjool dates
8 pecan halves
Remove pits from dates. Stuff one pecan half into each date.
Middle Eastern Hummus
This is one of my favorite dips for pitas or chips. It is buttery and melts in your mouth. I’ve discovered that you can play with the ingredients to get a taste that you like, but the most important thing is to blend it until its creamy. This is a healthy snack that is an easy way to sneak beans into your child’s diet. 
Hummus
1 can garbonzo beans (chick peas) (or 1 cup dried, pre-soak overnight and then cook until tender)
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic peeled (or you can roast it until tender to make more neutral flavor)
1/4 t. salt (add more to taste if using dried beans)
1/4 +/- water
10 kalamata olives pitted (or your favorite Mediterranean olive)
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Blend all ingredients (but olive oil) in a blender for at least 2 minuets. Add more water if needed. Mixture should look like the texture and consistency of a thick milkshake (Wendy’s Frosty). Keep adding small amounts of water until the mixture is creamy. Serve drizzled with olive oil.
(Optional ingredients. Roasted Red Peppers and nutritional yeast flakes, or fresh basil, or cumin, chili powder and paprika. )
Frozen Blueberry Lemonade
Perfect for a summer afternoon! – Melissa
Frozen Blueberry Lemonade
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup lemonade
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus more for serving
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1. In a blender, puree the blueberries, lemonade, mint, confectioners’ sugar, and 3 cups ice until smooth.
2. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serves 4.
