Morning Glory Muffins

These muffins are fantastic! My family loves them. I make the giant size muffins for my husband and I and the mini muffins for the kids. This recipe came from my fabulous friend Celia, who also gave me the dynamite cornbread recipe.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 apple, peeled and grated

2 cups grated carrots (optional)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - You can add your favorite type of nut!)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until smooth. Add oil and vanilla and mix. In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until moist. Then add the coconut, apples, carrots, and nuts and stir. Bake in greased muffin cups at 350. For making large muffins, bake for 25 minutes. Regular muffins - 20 minutes. Mini muffins - 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Barbecued Meatballs

This is a family favorite appetizer! It is great for a crowd! This recipe comes from my momma.

Meatballs:

3 lbs. ground beef

1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions:

To make meatballs, combine all ingredients and shape into walnut-sized balls. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking pan or on a cookie sheet. To make sauce, combine all the ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce evenly over the meatballs. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Makes approximately 80 meatballs. You can also freeze the meatballs before you cook them. If you freeze them, bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

My niece gave me this recipe. Let me tell you about her. The girl is 10 and is already cooking up a storm. My sister will come home from work and see her daughter finishing up pan pizza for dinner or some other delicious meal. At 5 years old, my niece would make me eggs for breakfast! 5!!! She is an excellent cook. She passed this recipe on to me. I really like this meal because you can put it in the crockpot and it is so yummy. I am not a huge fan of crockpot meals. Don't get me wrong, I love to use the crockpot. I just don't find tons of recipes for the crockpot that I am in love with. This one is definitely a keeper though! Thanks to my fabulous niece for sharing her recipes with me.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenders

2 8 oz. packages mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup (2 sticks butter), cut into chunks

1 package (1 pound) uncooked fettucine

Chopped fresh parsley (if desired)

Slow Cooker Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange chicken in single layer in bottom of slow cooker. Top with mushrooms; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

2. Combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until smooth and heated through. Pour over mushrooms, pushing down any that float to surface. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

3. Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain.

4. Serve pasta with the sauce, chicken, and mushrooms from the crockpot. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Greek Salad

I am a huge fan of the greens. A delicious green salad is a great pairing for almost any main dish for me. This salad was very good!

Greek Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (2 tsp. dried dill)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dressing Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Whisk together until well combined. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and shake well before using again.

Salad Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Sliced red onions

Sliced black olives (I left these out because the hubs greatly dislikes them.)

Grape tomatoes, halved

Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese

Salad Directions:

Add romaine lettuce to a salad bowl. Add toppings. Put dressing on side or on top as desired.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

Coconut Pancakes

I love coconut so it should come as no surprise that I love coconut pancakes as well. Mmmmm!!!! Delicious!

Coconut Pancakes

1 egg - separate whites and yolk

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1/8 cup oil

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix egg yolks, coconut milk, and oil. Mix together flour, sugar, coconut, soda, and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into other ingredients. Pour batter onto hot griddle and cook yourself up some pancakes! These go so, so well with this delicious coconut syrup.

Fresh Peach Pie

This is a great peach pie recipe! This recipe is from my momma-in-law.

1 baked and cooled pie crust

Filling:

1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese

1/2 pint whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Use a small amount of whipping cream to blend with the cream cheese. Blend with beater. In another bowl, whip the remaining whipping cream and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Then add it to the cream cheese mixture. Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Topping:

1 1/2 cups finely mashed fresh peaches (about 3 medium-large peaches)

3 tsp. cornstarch

2 Tbls. sugar

Extra sliced peaches for the top

Blend together mashed peaches, cornstarch, and sugar and cook over medium heat until thick. Cool. Spoon peaches over cream cheese mixture in pie crust. Top with the peach slices. You can top with additional whipped cream if desired.

Shrimp Tacos

This recipe is really yummy! I rarely cook seafood in my house because I don't like fish. I do love shrimp but have very little recipes I cook with that use shrimp. This, however, is quite delightful and easy. We will definitely be eating this again.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. shrimp (any size, I used 71-90)

1 medium red bell pepper cut into thick slices

1 red onion cut in thick slices for grilling

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

bamboo skewers (for grilling shrimp on grill)

Flour tortillas or crisp taco shells (whichever you prefer)

Taco garnishes:

lettuce

avocado

salsa

cheese

sour cream

cilantro sprigs

Directions:

1. Marinate shrimp, peppers, and onion with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour. (I marinated mine overnight.)

2. Spray grill with non stick spray or olive oil. Prep at high temperature. Arrange shrimp on bamboo skewers. Grill for 2 1/2 -3 minutes on each side. Grill the peppers and onion. You can just set them on the grill or use skewers. Peppers and onions should be grilled until nicely caramelized and tender. (So, we have to buy a new part for our grill so I used our George Foreman. It worked out great!)

3. Fill each tortilla or taco shell with some shrimp, peppers, and onions. Add a little lettuce, salsa, avocado, sour cream, cheese and cilantro. (Add or leave out any of the garnishes.) With these tacos, less is definitely more because you want the delicious flavor of the shrimp, peppers, and onions to come out.

Servings: 2-4

Adapted from: Simple, Seafood Summers Recipe Booklet