Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Yay Summer Recipes



We have some wonderful new neighbors, so we wanted to have them over for dinner along with another couple who has been in this neighborhood for 40ish years.

If there is anything at all going on around here, its the HEAT!! I really try to cook in ways that will keep our house from being quite so hot (crock pot, grill etc.) When we were planning what to cook, I decided to combine some good old recipes with some fresh new ones to create a very appetizing (and filling) summer meal. Since we were trying new things, we made sure to have a plan B....burgers, buns, and some easy mac for the kiddos! ;-)

Fortunately, we didn't need our plan B. Everything turned out great!

I always have to begin a dinner party with Mollie-Guac. What's that you ask???? Only the best and freshest tasting guacamole dip I've ever had!! Let me put it like this. I didn't even LIKE guac until this recipe. I've heard other say the same. I call it Mollie-Guac because my dear friend, Mollie, introduced me to it and graciously shared her recipe. Here ya go...Take to to your next cookout. It'll be a HIT! (This pic isn't Mollie's, but I just liked the way it looks. Quite frankly, hers never lasts long enough to get a pic!)


MOLLIE'S GUACAMOLE RECIPE

3 avocados, mashed
juice 1 to 2 limes (to taste and depending on lime size)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1 or 2 minced garlic cloves (best via garlic press)
1/2 to 3/4's of an onion, small diced (don't recommend vidalias;
keep adding and tasting until the consistency/amount of onion works for you--you can always add more, but taking it back OUT's not so easy:)
handful of cilantro if you've got it around, but I don't typically buy it special...
a couple squirts of hot sauce
chips of choiceMash your avocados, then add juice of one lime, salts, garlic, hot sauce, cilantro, and 1/2 onion (minced).  Taste as you go to see whether you want more lime juice and/or onion crunch.  Some people also add tomatoes to theirs, but we've just never done it that way...

The inspiration for the rest of menu began here....with the Fire Wire. Have you seen this thing?  You string up your kabobs like so.....

Fire Wire Stainless Steel Flexible Grilling Skewer, Set of 2

Let it marinade...yep, on the wire. Just put the whole thing into the marinade you choose. We used a bunch of Tastefully Simple spices and some Italian dressing.

Fire Wire Stainless Steel Flexible Grilling Skewer, Set of 2


Now, just lay the whole kabob on the grill, and grill it like you normally would! YUM!
Fire Wire Stainless Steel Flexible Grilling Skewer, Set of 2
So that took care of the grilling and some of the veggies. I also wanted to use the crockpot. I needed to make sure I had something kid-friendly, so I found a crock pot homestyle macaroni and cheesrecipe... who knew you could make mac n cheese in the crockpot???? Homestyle no less! It was delicious...Here's the recipe:

8 oz. macaroni noodles
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1.5 c. of milk
2 lg. eggs
1/2 stick of butter
1tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 c. sharp cheddar cheese divided

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water for five minutes. Drain and pour into crock pot. Beat together milk, eggs, butter, salt, and pepper. Add to macaroni along with 2 cups of cheese. Stir will. Top with remaining cheese and cook on high for two hours.

Here's a family favorite that was introduced by my sister-in-law, Natasha...This one is a Paula Deen recipe, but we just call it Tasha's Pineapple Casserole.

Pineapple Casserole

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved
1 cup cracker crumbs (recommended: Ritz)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.


Now if you haven't already, you simply MUST check out Pinterest. I'm fairly new at it, but I'm definitely hooked on it. You can see my pins and boards by clicking the button on the sidebar. In addition to all the crafty and organizing inspiration, I also find a lot of great RECIPES! We made this asparagus recipe that I found on Pinterest, and it was fabulous!


 Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese; bake 350 10-15 minutes. Yep, that's it....

...And now for DESSERT! Our neighbors brought over a Mango/Key Lime pie. I'd never had that combo before, but it was mouthwatering.
Photo

Ingredients

    For the Graham cracker crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

    For the Filling

1/3 cup mangoes, pureed
6 egg yolks
1/2 up key lime juice
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mangoes, diced
3 cups whipped cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree.
Make crust: in large bowl, combine cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and butter; mix well. Press mix into a 10-inch pie pan, sides and bottom. Set aside.
Make filling: in a food processor (or blender) process mango until pureed. Add egg yolks, lime juice and the two cans of milk. Mix, combining well. Fold in the diced mango using a rubber spatula to keep the mango intact.
Pour mixture into crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cool pie completely. Keep refrigerated until shortly before serving. Top with fresh whipped cream.

I sure hope you'll enjoy these recipes if you choose to try any of them. If you have them all together like we did, you'll be certain to have had one very delicious summery meal and a full tummy! Yay!

Upcoming Yay Cooking Topics:


  • Dish Towels
  • Pizza Club
  • Summer Food for the Kiddos
  • Food Tidings
  • Another Yay Giveaway!

Stay tuned!




Somewhat Simple

1 Comments:

At July 14, 2011 at 1:30 AM , Blogger Jill said...

YUM! I love home made guac! So much easier than you think, fresh & delicious!

 

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