Luscious Lemon Bars

Where do you begin when you haven't been in the blogging world for years?  That is the question.  I took this picture 8 months ago in hopes of posting it on the blog due to two dear friends.  They told me they wished that I would start to post again on my blog.  Honestly, I wished I would too.  I love having my recipes online.  It makes them so easy to access and share with others.  So here it goes people...

Honestly, this recipe is one of the best for Lemon Bars.  It was a little like heaven in a pan.  The secret ingredient....coconut.  Those who abhor coconut will think I am crazy, but oh, you friends out there that love, like, or even tolerate coconut...watch out!  You may just eat the whole pan.  They are so delectable! 

Luscious Lemon Bars

1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter, pour it over the flour and sugar and mix ingredients together.  Pat into 9x9 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

2 eggs
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
a little grated lemon rind
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coconut

Beat eggs and lemon juice and rind.  Add rest of ingredients and mix well.  Pour on top of baked crust.  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  When done sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut when cool.  Devour!!!

Recipe Source:  My Momma

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip

This is a super quick and easy fruit dip.  I made this for a family get together, and it got demolished!  It only requires 3 ingredients.  This would be a great last minute appetizer for any party or barbecue!

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
8 oz. softened cream cheese
16 oz. marshmallow cream or fluff (or whatever you call the marshmallow in a jar stuff)
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: 
Mix together until the dip is smooth and creamy.  Serve with you favorite fruits!

Recipe Source:  Kimmy's Creation

Lemon Pick-Me-Up

I have been on a major smoothie kick lately.  It's my favorite thing for breakfast this week.  This smoothie was just delightful.  It's very refreshing and invigorating.  Plus, it's low in calories and fat while still having a good flavor.  (I don't know about you, but I'll take a little more fat and cal-babies to have a better flavor.  Why waste the calories, if it doesn't at least taste good?)  This is a perfect light snack, mini-meal or great for after a workout. 

Lemon Pick-Me-Up

Ingredients:
3 milk ice-cubes (Fill an ice-cube tray with milk. Freeze 3 hours or until solid.)
1 container (6-ounce) plain fat free yogurt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Additional lemon zest for garnish

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in electric blender.  (If your blender is not powerful enough to blend in the milk ice cubes, crack the cubes before hand by placing the ice cubes in a sealed ziploc bag and smashing with a mallet or rolling pin.)  Whirl until smooth.  Spoon into serving glass and garnish with lemon zest. 

Makes: 1 serving; Calories: 210, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 0 g, Fiber: 0 g

Recipe Source:  Naturally Delicious by the Washington State Dairy Council

Sparkling Mango Lemonade

We've finally been getting some sun rays here in the Pacific Northwest!  Hallelujah!  I've been seeing all these lemonade recipes popping up all over blogs and decided it was time to partake of this delicious summertime beverage.  I decided to pair the lemonade with one of my favorite fruits of summer.  The Mango!  Oh how I love them and could eat them everyday of my life.  This lemonade was perfect.  Not too sweet.  Not too tart.  The mango flavor is very subtle.  Even if you don't care for mango, I'd bet you'd like this because the mango adds just enough to be there, but it doesn't overwhelm.  We loved this!   

Sparkling Mango Lemonade

Ingredients:
For the mango syrup:
1 heaping cup sliced mango
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. cold water
Pinch of salt

For the lemonade:
1 cup very hot water
2/3 cup sugar
1¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
4½ cups cold sparkling water or seltzer

Directions:
To make the mango syrup, combine the mango, sugar, lemon juice, water and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
To make the lemonade, combine the hot water and sugar in a pitcher or glass bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the lemon juice and water. Stir in the mango puree.

To serve, rub a wedge of lemon or one of the spent lemon halves around the rim of a glass and then dip in sugar. Fill with ice if desired and then lemonade. Garnish with sliced lemon or mango. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6-7 cups

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Annie's Eats

Linked to:  Blue Cricket Design, This Chick Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday

Raspberry Cream Pie

Seriously, I have NO will power to resist this pie.  Nope, none!  I will eat a piece of this pie everyday until it's done. (Maybe even more.) It is just absolutely delectable!  I usually only make it when we have people to share it with because if not, we end up eating it all ourselves.  And that's bad, because do you know where it truly ends up?  My back END!  The fresh raspberries with the filling just screams summer to me.  Okay, let's face it, this dessert is always screaming to me since it is probably my favorite pie ever!  The cream layer is really a vanilla custard type pudding mixed with whipping cream.  Making it a layer of heaven topped with a fresh raspberry glaze.  Divine!

Raspberry Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 baked single pie crust
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1 cups sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups fresh raspberries
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Prepare and bake a single pie crust shell. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt; stir to mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons milk to sugar/flour and stir to create a smooth paste; add remaining milk and stir to blend. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook pudding mixture until it begins to bubble; continue to cook 1 minute (mixture will be thick). Stirring egg yolks constantly, spoon a small amount pudding into beaten egg yolks. Pour egg yolks back into saucepan and stir well to mix. Return pan to heat and continue to cook until mixture thickens (very thick) do not allow to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool pudding.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Stir approximately 1/4 whip cream into cool pudding mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream; spoon pudding mixture into baked pie shell, cover and chill pie for at least 1/2 to 1 hour to partially set.

In a medium saucepan, crush berries with a potato masher; add 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and water, mix well. Over medium heat, stirring, bring berries to a boil (berry glaze will be clear and thickened). Remove from heat and cool. Spoon berry glaze over pudding in pie shell. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight to completely set. Garnish with an additional dollop of whipped cream, additional fresh berries and a mint leaf as desired. Makes 1 pie.

Recipe Source:  adapted from Summer's Recipes

Linked to:  Sweets for a Saturday

Raspberry Cream Pie

Okay, so it has been a long time since my mouth has watered over something, and I have craved something. But this pie did it. It was so delectable. I had just gone raspberry picking and had tons of fresh raspberries to use. Seriously, I didn't have any will power to resist this pie. I have eaten a piece everyday. (Maybe even more.) We were going to invite people to share it with, but guess what, we ended up eating it all ourselves. It was that good! Loved it!

I got this pie recipe from my friend Summer's blog. She got it from here.

Raspberry Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 baked single pie crust
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1 cups sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups fresh raspberries

1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Method:
Prepare and bake a single pie crust shell. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt; stir to mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons milk to sugar/flour and stir to create a smooth paste; add remaining milk and stir to blend. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook pudding mixture until it begins to bubble; continue to cook 1 minute (mixture will be thick). Stirring egg yolks constantly, spoon a small amount pudding into beaten egg yolks. Pour egg yolks back into saucepan and stir well to mix. Return pan to heat and continue to cook until mixture thickens (very thick) do not allow to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool pudding.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Stir approximately 1/4 whip cream into cool pudding mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream; spoon pudding mixture into baked pie shell, cover and chill pie for at least 1/2 to 1 hour to partially set.

In a medium saucepan, crush berries with a potato masher; add 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and water, mix well. Over medium heat, stirring, bring berries to a boil (berry glaze will be clear and thickened). Remove from heat and cool. Spoon berry glaze over pudding in pie shell. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight to completely set. Garnish with an additional dollop of whipped cream, additional fresh berries and a mint leaf as desired. Makes 1 pie.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

This salad was seriously so fabulous! I love salad and homemade dressings. This will definitely not disappoint. The dressing is divine. I just made it last week, and I'm ready to make it again. The recipe comes from here.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves
Romaine leaves
Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)
Red onion, sliced thinly
Crispy bacon, crumbled
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

The Dressing: (This makes a lot of dressing.)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped (I just used some red onion from the salad. It worked great!)
2 cups canola oil
3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount

Fruit Pizza

(The fruit pizza in this picture is half of this recipe. I made two smaller fruit pizzas out of the recipe.)

FRUIT OF THE SEASON SUCH AS:
Strawberries
Kiwi
Grapes
Fresh Pineapple
Bananas
Blueberries
Peaches
Etc.

1 Pint Whipping Cream, Whipped with a little powdered sugar added after cream is whipped almost stiff. (Do not, I repeat, do not use Redi-Whip or any other aerosol whipping cream.)

CRUST:
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

Cream together:
½ cup margarine
¾ cup sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Mix

Then add:
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Mix

Spread dough for crust evenly on pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool. Then spread sweetened whipped cream over crust. Decorate entire surface with fresh fruits.

Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

I absolutely love this salad. Especially when the nectarines are at the perfect ripeness. The dressing for this is super delicious! Enjoy!

NECTARINE & RED PEPPER SALAD

1 large bag of spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 nectarines, sliced thin (optional)
3-4 ounces feta cheese
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
Salt and pepper

Dressing for Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 cup oil
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, dry mustard, and onion in blender.
2. Add in oil, blend.
3. Add kiwifruit and mix until dressing has thickened. Fold in poppy seeds.