recipe – Page 6 of 7

The Best Homemade Tuna Casserole

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

April 18, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

I’ve eaten my fair share of tuna casseroles in my time – some good, some bad, and some ugly.

Most casserole recipes have canned soup in them for the sauce and other ingredients that I would rather not eat. We prefer all natural, real food ingredients.

I think I have perfected the tuna casserole recipe to eliminate all the yuck factors.

This is a great frugal lunch for our homeschool family.

For my two who don’t care for fish? They still love this! It doesn’t taste fishy at all. You can always substitute chicken or turkey or salmon! And I love all the “hidden” vegetables.

I rarely make this for dinner since my husband doesn’t care for it.at.all. But if he’s out of town or busy of a night, it’s a pinch to throw together.

Procedure:

I have friends who keep the cream soup base in a jar or can in their pantry. I haven’t been that proactive. It’s really just not that hard to make it fresh each time and I have little storage space.

I make a béchamel sauce and boil pretty noodles. (White Sauce – Approx: Melt a stick of butter, add 1/3 c flour, whisk, add 1 pint cream, whisk.)

Boil noodles to al dente. They’re gonna bake in that casserole and you don’t want mush.

Tuna (water and all from the can or pouch – or leftover grilled, roasted, baked tuna steak is very yum!)

Chopped veggies in a big bowl. I love, love, love roasted peppers. We canned our own last fall and wow! does that add a lovely flavor.

Lots of shredded cheese. Usually whatever I have on hand – Parmesan is a must though. A Mexican cheese blend melts just beautifully.

Here’s the casserole beauty, ready for the oven:

The Best Homemade Tuna Casserole

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

2-4 T butter
1/4-1/3 c AP flour
1-1.5 c milk or cream or half and half
1 small onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
1/4 c roasted red peppers (pimientos) chopped
1/4 c bell pepper (any color but green is pretty) chopped
1 large can tuna or a cooked tuna steak, chopped
12 oz noodles prepared al dente
1.5 c shredded cheese I like a Mexican blend + Parmesan
1 pinch salt to taste
1 pinch black pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic powder to taste

Instructions

Boil noodles according to directions.
Chop onions, carrots, and peppers.
Saute vegetables in butter with a drizzle of olive oil.
Sprinkle 1/4 c AP flour over vegetables, then immediately whisk in cream until smooth and thick.
Combine Bechamel sauce in a bowl with tuna and noodles and cheese.
Spread in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 350* for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the top.

Linking up: The Sassy Slow Cooker, Home to 4 Kiddos, Crystal and Co., Kids Activity Blog, The Recipe Critic, Our Table for Seven

Pin38

38 Shares

You might also like:

Cream of Vegetable Soup

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

April 14, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

My girls love cream of veggie soup and regularly request it.

It’s a great healthy lunch that takes only 30 minutes or so to prepare. Or you could make it in a slow cooker.

I just prefer to use a big stock pot.

Cream of vegetable soup is a simple, frugal, and quick lunch.

Broccoli Soup - Broccoli soup is a simple, frugal, and quick lunch.

First, I chop up a whole head of broccoli and several celery stalks.

Alex peels carrots.

Alex chops carrots. I snag a few for the soup before he eats them all.

I chop potatoes and onion.

Alex informs me that he doesn’t like onions.

We keep homemade chicken and beef stock on hand in quart zippy bags in the freezer. This recipe uses two bags.

I throw all the veggies in the pot with the frozen broth and it steams as it melts, then simmers a bit and softens the veggies. I also dash in a 1/2 cup of white wine.

After the broth melts, I add salt and pepper and garlic powder and stir.

I scoop out some of the larger chunks of broccoli stalk and throw them out since they clog the blender.

This Cuisinart Smart Stick is a handy dandy tool and is my kitchen friend.

You could also pour hot soup in a big blender.

Of course, Tori wants to get in on some of that action.

Alex is a bit nervous to push the button.

You can leave it a little chunky or blend it ultra-smooth. I also add a drizzle of cream to make it creamy.

And of course, shred some lovely cheese.

We like it with chopped ham and lots of cheese and fresh rolls or wheat bread.

Except Alex makes himself a ham and cheese sandwich instead.

This soup is really versatile. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. It’s a great way to use up leftovers or that head of cauliflower you find in the back of the bottom shelf of the fridge. The soup melds together beautifully, so even if you don’t like broccoli or spinach or onions, you won’t really know they’re in there.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 head broccoli roughly chopped, including stems
2-3 stalks celery roughly chopped
2-4 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup spinach, kale, assorted greens
1 T minced garlic
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup sherry or white wine
pinch salt, pepper
a drizzle of cream optional
chopped ham or bacon optional
shredded cheese optional

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a stock pot. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until carrots are softened. Blend to desired consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve whenever. Freezes beautifully.

Pin9

9 Shares

You might also like:

Berry Energy Smoothies

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

March 31, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

Lately, stress and the wonky weather have us feeling a little off.

These berry smoothies are a great way to start the day!

I combine in a blender:

Strawberries
Blueberries (raspberries and blackberries are great too – or any kind of fruit you love!)
half a Banana
Greek yogurt
Fruit Juice
Flaxseed

I don’t really measure. A handle of this berry and another handful of that berry. A few scoops (not quite a whole cup, I don’t think) of the Greek yogurt. Another spoonful of flaxseed.

Isn’t that pretty? (You don’t even have to chop the greens off the strawberries, but my daughter insisted.)

Blend to desired consistency. Add a little water if it’s too thick. It won’t affect the taste at all.

Add essential oils for an extra oomph. I like cinnamon or citrus.

Serve in a glass with a stainless straw. Enjoy!

She was feeling great all day after her smoothie!

Berry Smoothie

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup spinach
1 cup frozen cherry berry blend
1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt plain or vanilla or honey
2 oz Goji berry juice
1 T chia
1 T flaxseed
1 cup coconut water

Instructions

Blend items together until smooth. Enjoy!

Another favorite smoothie recipe:

Pina Colada Smoothie

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk
1 cup frozen or fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup frozen or fresh mango OR strawberries optional

Instructions

Blend all together until smooth and enjoy!

Pin14

14 Shares

You might also like:

Frugal Birthday Celebration

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

March 13, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

I’m decorationally challenged.

I loathe kids’ birthday parties. I am always stressed.

Some of the stress is from growing up, surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins and having rather large gatherings for my birthdays, along with kids from my class at school.

We just don’t have any of that.

I tried. I wasted time and money on Liz’s birthdays for years. Some were rather successful and others flopped miserable, with no one even RSVPing or showing.

My husband didn’t grow up with big birthdays so he didn’t understand any of this.

So we discussed downsizing our idea of birthday expectations.

We’ve been having simple family dinners at home for a few years now.

No pressure. Teaching our kids that they’re special to us and we don’t have to blow a lot of money or impress people to show that.

So I’ve had to dig deep to find ways to make birthdays specials, frugally and without stressing out about it.

Because it’s not about things. I want my kids to learn that and honestly, they’re teaching me that too. They’re better at contentment than I am. And I love this post by my friend, Amber: When You Can’t Give Your Kids Disneyland.

Here is what I did for Tori’s 8th birthday.

I scored this rustic burlap pennant banner at Hobby Lobby.

I printed the letters on teal paper. I found the printable banner letters. I’m not really a fan, but Google to the rescue!

I used the same letters on skewers to decorate the cake with some long skinny blue candles and a cocktail umbrella Kate found in our cupcake drawer.

Tori wanted a white cake with chocolate frosting. This is my grandma’s recipe and it turned out amazing. Is it me, or is there just never enough frosting? I have bald spots on my cake!

What do you think?

I’ve also used this recipe to make 24 cupcakes and I’ve also thrown a half cup of cocoa powder into the cake batter to make a chocolate cake.

It’s almost time to blow the candles out! Dad picked up a lovely bouquet of flowers from the store on his way home from work.

Tori’s favorite meal is Korean BBQ. Now, she’s never actually actually been to a Korean restaurant. She loves the Korean BBQ sauce flavor.

Which is basically a type of teriyaki sauce.

So we buy some nice strip steaks (no bony, fatty kalbi short ribs for her!). The kids don’t like to work for their food.

I plated it rather pretty on our Celebrate plate:

Here’s our happy birthday girl. Eight years old!

I scored a Marie-Grace American Girl doll back in November for $40 on sale on their website and kept it hidden in my closet until now. It’s not the one she was wishing for (Caroline looks more like her and is into fishing!), but it is her first American Girl doll and she’s happy.

Whew!

One birthday down, two more to go this spring. Then Liz’s in the fall.

A great steak marinade:

Korean BBQ Sauce

Cuisine Asian

Servings 1 cups

Ingredients

4 T ground sesame seeds We use a coffee grinder
8 cloves garlic pressed
1.5 c soy sauce We like gluten-free Tamari
4 T sherry
6 T honey
4 T sesame oil
4 T water
4 t fresh ginger grated
4 t red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl and store in a plastic squeeze bottle in the fridge for when needed. I like to garnish meat with more sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Our favorite cake:

Easy White Cake

Cuisine cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 2 layers

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs room temperature
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 c cake flour
1 c milk room temperature

Instructions

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs and vanilla and almond extract.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in another bowl.
Alternate milk and flour into butter mixture until just mixed.
Pour evenly into cake pans.
Bake for about 25 minutes at 350*

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Cuisine cake

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

1.5 c butter (3 sticks), softened or 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening
1 c cocoa powder
5 c powdered sugar
1/2 c milk
1-2 t vanilla
1/4 t espresso powder optional

Instructions

Whisk cocoa to remove lumps.
Cream butter.
Add vanilla and espresso (optional).
Gradually add sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping bowl often.
Add milk until desired consistency.

Linking up: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, 3 Boys and a Dog, Our 4 Kiddos, Kiddie Foodies, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Boys, The Jenny Evolution, Crafty Moms Share,

Pin2

2 Shares

You might also like:

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

March 5, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 24 Comments

Alex just knows when I’m heading to the kitchen to make something.

He’s my little helper.

We made the best chocolate chip cookies ever on this rainy Friday.

He was so proud to hold the mixer by himself!

He likes to crack the eggs too. Seriously, I just stood back, directed, and got pictures.

Yes, that’s my thumb or finger. I scrambled so fast to grab this cute shot of his concentration with that scoop that I didn’t make sure I was outta the way. And no matter how I edited or cropped it, it looked weird, so there it is.

And kitties make everything better, no? Rubeus loves being in the midst of all our goings-on.

Alex wanted to put the pans in the oven all by himself. He managed super well and I was impressed!

We baked them on two racks for 4 minutes, then switched them for another 5 minutes. Perfect!

We didn’t wait for them to cool long!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup olive oil or any neutral oil
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
12 oz chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Cream together sugars, oil, and butter.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients. You can whisk all that in a separate bowl first, but I just pour it right in.
Use a little scoop or spoons to place balls of dough on cookie sheets. Sometimes, it seems crumbly depending on the weather! I often just form balls with my hands. I also like parchment paper or silicone mats to keep cookies from sticking.
Bake about 8-12 minutes. I like them prettier and crunchier.

Pin27

27 Shares

You might also like:

Mardi Gras Pancakes

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

March 3, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

Are you having Mardi Gras pancakes? Many churches do a big dinner or fundraiser. Some restaurants offer them for free!

Who doesn’t love pancakes? Add fun and you have really amazing pancakes. Then let the kids make them! Here are some delectable and fun Mardi Gras pancakes that will impress family and guests!

Of course, you need sprinkles: yellow, green, and purple!

And real whipped cream is a must! I added come real vanilla, but for adults, it would be yummy to add a tablespoon of bourbon or brandy.

Tori and Alex love to help in the kitchen. Tori mixed the pancake batter.

Tori and Alex both took turns at the griddle.

They’re not the prettiest, but it’s fun for the kids!

Serve with crispy bacon and sausage!

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Best Pancakes

Course Breakfast

Ingredients

2 large eggs room temperature
1-1 1/4 c milk depends on humidity
3 T oil or melted butter
1 1/2 c AP flour
3/4 t kosher or sea salt
2 t baking powder
1/4 c malted milk powder

Instructions

Beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed.
Stir in the melted butter or oil.
Whisk dry ingredient together in a separate bowl.
Gently but quickly fold the dry ingredients into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes to thicken.
Heat a pan or griddle to 375* Use the water drop test to make sure it’s ready.
Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn over only once. Serve immediately.

Linking up: Living Montessori Now, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Your Homebased Mom, Home to 4 Kiddos, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Table for Seven, The Recipe Critic, Kids Activities Blog, Super Mommy Club

Pin2

2 Shares

You might also like:

Mardi Gras King Cake

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

March 2, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I thought it’d be fun to make King Cake for me the kids.

In the bread machine because that’s easier.

Wet ingredients, then dry, then turn on dough cycle:

A couple hours later, beautiful soft dough!

I cut the dough in half.

1st ball. Flatten dough. Cut into wedges.

Then sprinkle that with cinnamon and sugar

Roll into pretty crescent shapes. Place seam down on the baking pan or they’ll pop open during baking.

2nd ball. Flatten dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar

Choose a baby to fit into the cake. We found these at Hobby Lobby in the baby shower décor section.

Roll dough into a snake, with cinnamon and sugar on the inside, and form into a wreath. Let rise and bake!

Then it comes out looking like this:

Yeah, I know what it looks like. Too much yeast, ya think?

Receive compliments from daughters that it still looks and smells delicious!

Accept compliments with grace.

Decorate with cream cheese icing and sprinkles!

And of course, the kids come out of the woodwork to lick the bowl and beaters.

These were a big hit!

Of course, Alex wouldn’t really touch it with the cream cheese frosting. But the girls loved it!

Options: This dough is very versatile.

The crescents are yummy plain or with ham and cheese or chocolate chunks inside. The crescents freeze beautifully too! To bake, set frozen rolls out on baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and let thaw and rise until size doubles.

Add pecans with the brown sugar and cinnamon, roll into a snake, and slice into chunks to make them great cinnamon rolls! Place them in a high-sided baking pan to contain the goodness of the cinnamon rolls.

You can cool on wire racks so the bottoms don’t get soggy. But we seldom wait that long! (You should let them cool a bit if you frost them or the frosting melts!)

Do you like King Cake? Do you have a favorite recipe?

Easy Bread

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups AP flour
1 t salt
1 T yeast

Instructions

Place the ingredients in order into the bread machine.
Set on dough cycle. Go read a book!
You can also do this manually in a mixer and the kneading and the letting it rise.
375° for 12-15 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 t vanilla

Instructions

Mix together until smooth and creamy

Linking up: Your Homebased Mom, Home to 4 Kiddos, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Table for Seven, The Recipe Critic, Super Mommy Club

Pin2

2 Shares

You might also like:

Easy Quesadillas for Lunch

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

February 20, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

Make Easy Quesadillas for a Quick Lunch!

We made an awesome fun and frugal homeschool lunch the other day.

We had leftover roasted chicken and I shredded and chopped that up:

My favorite quesadillas have mushrooms and spinach with chicken:

Some other yummy mixin’s are fruit. Cheese, fruit, and chicken! oh yeah

We buy blocks of cheese when they’re on sale and shred as we need. Colby Jack is perfect for quesadillas! Cholula is our favorite hot sauce.

I lay a tortilla in the warm pan and sprinkle shredded cheese and chicken and then cover it with another tortilla. I have just plain cheap ole flour tortillas here, but you can substitute that for your own homemade ones, GF, or whatever you like.

After a few minutes, flip with a large spatula to desired doneness and make sure the cheese is melty goodness.

Serve with sour cream and homemade canned grilled salsa!

I like my quesadillas on the crispy side:

Look at all that melty yumminess inside:

And then, of course, the boy has to peel and chop up a carrot.

The whole meal is quick and simple. The kids can do it all on their own.

What are your favorite frugal, fun, and quick lunches?

Easy Quesadillas

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 c chopped chicken
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c sliced veggies or greens

Instructions

Place 1 tortilla on dry warm nonstick pan.
Add 1/4 c chicken and a handful of cheese and other fillings
Top with another tortilla.
Let warm in pan for a few minutes. Gently flip quesadilla over without spilling contents.
Slide onto a plate and cut in quarters. Sour cream, salsa, and guacamole are great for dipping.

Linking up: Crystal and Co., Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, Tots and Me, Home to 4 Kiddos, Kids Activities Blog

0 Shares

You might also like:

Pumpkin Scones

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

October 25, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I’ve been trying to do better about preparing breakfasts we all like. So when I saw a pumpkin scone recipe online, I thought yeah, I can make that.

It’s super easy and I had all the ingredients already.

My son is my helper. He loves to be in the kitchen!

I kneaded it and sliced the dough into triangles and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Getting the wedges onto the baking sheet was a little tricky.

The cinnamon sugar drizzle was delectable.

The kids loved these! Middle sister was in heaven. She loves pumpkin anything.

He wasn’t sure at first, but he liked it after he tried it!

She loved it!

Even my eldest enjoyed a scone when she returned from her piano lesson.

Definitely a favorite that’s going in our baking repertoire. And I think the kids can make them on their own next time!

And I got to spend some one on one time with my son. He loved it. And I realize that we need to do that more. I need to bake more and introduce new flavors and foods. It’s easy for me to just let the kids get cereal in the mornings, but they do so much better with a warm breakfast – even something simple like oatmeal, grits, or bread.

Pumpkin Scones

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon or pumpkin spice
1/2 t nutmeg omit if using pumpkin spice
1/2 c butter cold
1 can pumpkin puree
1 large egg

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cut in butter.
Stir in pumpkin and egg.
Turn out onto floured counter and cut into triangles (or any shape you like!)
Place on a baking sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350* or until browned.
Optional Glaze! Blend 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 3 T milk or cream. Add 1/2 t cinnamon. Drizzle over warm scones. We also love them with honey butter!

Linking up: Sunny Day Family, Eats Amazing, Grammy’s Grid, Wife Mommy Me

Pin1

1 Shares

You might also like:

Cool Summer Foods

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

August 20, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

When it’s hot, I don’t know about you, but I don’t even really feel like eating, much less cooking or even meal planning.

I try not to use the oven in summer to further heat up our poorly insulated house. Our kitchen and adjacent dining-living room are like greenhouses, and in the warmer months, I have to shut all the blinds and curtains to maintain a semblance of coolness.

Once our garden kicks off, we eat from that often. Tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, lettuces. We eat steamed or sautéed or grilled – or just raw.

Some of my favorite summer recipes:

Grilled Romaine Lettuce. Who’d ’a thunk it?

Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise. Spritz with EVOO. Lightly grill the lettuce for just a little char. Plate it up warm with some crumbled cheese (blue is good!), balsamic or flavored vinegar, bacon bits, candied nuts, dried fruit bits. Ah-may-zing!

Caprese salad.

So simple and pow! flavor. Tomatoes. Fresh mozzarella. Basil. EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper. Slice it up. Cube it. Make it pretty. Mix it up. Try different colored tomatoes and flavored oils and vinegars for something special.

Ratatouille medley.

Slice or cube veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers of any color, sweet onions, eggplant. Grill or sauté with EVOO or coconut oil to desired doneness. Serve up with a spritz of lemon, and a pinch of “house” seasoning – salt, pepper, garlic powder.

Grilled pizza.

1. Any veggies of choice. I love the Ratatouille ones above on pizza! Grill veggies and then top a par-cooked pizza crust. Add goat cheese and/or sauce. Grill with indirect heat until cheese melts a bit. Voilà!

2. My kids love grilled pizza too. They don’t care for many veggies on their pizza, but prefer meat. So, just sauté up some sausage or slice up some pepperoni. Top with bacon bits or ham. Sauce and cheese. Grill with indirect heat until cheese melts. Happy kids!

3. Fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese pizza. Insanity. Seriously. Use blackberry jam for “sauce.” I also love the figs scored, stuffed with herb goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, grilled just a bit, then drizzled with honey and almonds. Yum!

Jalapeno Poppers.

I suggest wearing gloves or being very, very careful. Cut the stems off and halve jalapenos. Scrape out seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon). Add a little scoop of a cream cheese. Slap a lil smoky on there. Wrap it in bacon. Put ‘em in a smoker for a couple hours or grill over indirect heat. Make lots of new friends. These are insanely good and not that spicy.

Veggie Boats.

For kid snacks or to impress a dinner party! Hollow out cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, you name it…mix a cream cheese with fresh dill and top with bacon bits. You’re welcome. It’s amazing. Set out pita or tortilla chips and cut up fresh veggies for dipping.

You can also make a healthy homemade ranch dressing: plain Greek yogurt (or a mix of buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon, EVOO), dill, parsley, chives, minced fresh garlic, minced shallot or sweet onion, salt and pepper.

Ices, Smoothies, Milkshakes.

On a super hot day, we love making our own slushy drinks. So much healthier than that colorful chemical snow cone hut on the corner in town!

Add 1 cup ice to blender. sweetener of choice (we just like a simple syrup or honey). choice of fruit: watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, any citrus juices. Try mixing new and fun flavors!

You could add kefir or yogurt for a different texture and flavor.

We love making milkshakes too! My personal favorite is leftover coffee, homemade ice cream, a few ice cubes, homemade chocolate syrup, cinnamon. Frothy and delicious. Kate likes plain vanilla, so I just leave out the coffee and chocolate syrup. Add some milk or cream to make it go farther.

You can also freeze the mix in some fun silicone push ups for homemade popsicles!

What are some of your favorite summer recipes?

Check out some more!

0 Shares

You might also like: