Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• The meat from one half a butternut squash, cubed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• one apple, cubed (or one pear, or one cup carrots)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Season squash with garlic salt. Cook the squash in oil in a large pan on the stove 10 minutes. Add pear, apple or carrots, and continue cooking until soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Add onions to the pan, stir and cook a few more minutes until translucent.
3. Add broth and water and simmer.
4. Transfer squash to a blender and puree.
5. Return to pan. Stir in cream, lemon juice and pepper. Cover, and continue to simmer 25 minutes.

Filed under: Category Light Cooking, Recipes, Soup, Vegetarian | Tags: butternut squash soup recipe,squash soup by 1 Comment »

Ingredients

• 8 wood food skewers
• Blueberries (as large and firm as you can find, approximately 40)
• Watermelon (use the firmest part of the watermelon, and cut into 32 one-inch squares)
• Feta cheese (cut into 24 one-inch squares)

Filed under: Category Appetizers, Light Cooking, Recipes, Vegetarian | Tags: appetizers for Memorial Day,Fourth of July Recipes,fruit skewers,holiday recipes,memorial day recipes by 1 Comment »

Ingredients

(makes 4)

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons minced, seeded jalapeno pepper
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion

Combine all ingredients and form into 4 large patties. Grill until cooked to desired doneness. Add cheese during last minute of cooking, if desired. Top with Heinz 57 sauce, Mayonnaise and tomato, lettuce, pickles and onion as desired.

Filed under: Category Beef, Recipes | Tags: burgers with tomato,cookout recipes,salsa burgers,stuffed burgers by No Comments »

Ingredients

(makes 4)

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon Steak Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 6 slices bacon

Cook the bacon until cooked through but not crisp. Let cool. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix the bacon, onions, parsley and cheese. Blend meat with seasoning. Form 8 thin patties out of meat. Place one fourth of cheese/bacon mixture in center of four patties and top with remaining four patties. Crimp sides to make four “stuffed” burgers. Grill until cooked to desired doneness. Top with Heinz 57 sauce, Mayonnaise and tomato, lettuce, pickles and onion as desired.

Filed under: Category Beef, Recipes | Tags: bacon cheddar cheeseburger,burgers recipe,memorial day recipes,stuffed burgers by 1 Comment »

Crepes are a favorite recipe of mine because they can be filled with so many things.. giving you the flexibility to make dinner (or breakfast, or desert!) with what you have on hand at home. Here is an easy recipe for a basic crepe, and many ideas for what to fill them with.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sifted flour

Blend all ingredients. Refrigerate for two hours, and blend again. Spray a round skillet with cooking spray and cook batter in thin layers, turning once.

Filling suggestions:

• a combination of one cup marshmallows, and one half cup chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoon butter
• cherry pie filling
• ham and swiss cheese
• A combination of 1/2 cup condensed cream of chicken soup, 2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons grated onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon each salt and pepper, and 2-1/2 cups, chopped, cooked (or leftover) chicken
• spinach, mushrooms and cheese

Filed under: Category Chicken, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian | Tags: chocolate crepes,creamed chicken crepes,crepes,crepes recipe,desert crepes,spinach crepes by No Comments »

Growing your own herbs this summer? Here is a super easy recipe for delicious homemade gnocchi using fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (you can substitute basil)

Boil potatoes with skins on until completely cooked. Dry and peel off skins (Or slice in half and scoop out potatoes to use skins for an appetizer). Process potatoes through a vegetable mill, or grate on cheese grater. Blend potatoes with flour, salt, nutmeg and egg. Roll out dough into long rolls, and cut into bite sized gnocchi. Poach dough in a pot of boiling water until floating. Remove, and rinse immediately in cold water. Serve with olive oil blended with Italian Seasonings and Parmesan cheese, or traditional red sauce.

Filed under: Category Light Cooking, Pasta, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tags: easy pasta recipe,gnocchi,gnocchi recipe,potato recipes,vegetarian dinner by No Comments »

A great side dish for a fish dinner, homemade hush puppies are also easy, and more importantly fit into my favorite category of recipe — Smart. That means if you have a can of creamed corn on hand, you are likely to have all the other ingredients you need for success.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 package corn muffin mix
• 1 – 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 egg
• 1 can cream-style corn
• oil for frying

Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Separately, combine egg, corn, peppers and onion. Stir into dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil in pan on stove. Cook about 8 minutes each, turning often.

Filed under: Category Recipes, Salads & Sides, Vegetarian | Tags: creamed corn recipes,homemade hush puppies,hush puppies by No Comments »

Ingredients

• 6 Salmon Fillets
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup diced olives (of your choice, or you can use pre-made olive tapenade)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow, greased baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients, except lemon juice. Stuff one large spoonful of stuffing under each fillet, tucking the edges around to form a mound. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Filed under: Category Light Cooking, Recipes, Seafood | Tags: baked salmon recipe,easy baked fish,stuffed salmon recipe by No Comments »

Ingredients

• 2 packages cornbread mix
• ½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• ½ onion, seeded and diced
• One half avocado
• Cilantro (one small bunch)
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2 oz. sour cream
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Prepare double batch of cornbread according to package directions. Bake in 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 sqaure pan. Cool and cut into strips approximately 1 ½ inch wide. Then cut each strip into ½ inch width squares. Combine beans, onions, tomato, vinegar, oil and garlic salt. Combine sour cream and cream cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture onto each cornbread square. Top each with a spoonful of bean/tomato salsa mixture. Garnish each with a small slice of avocado and a small sprig of cilantro.

Filed under: Category Appetizers, Recipes | Tags: appetizers for Memorial Day,cornbread recipe,southwest appetizer recipe,unique appetizer by No Comments »

Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
4 tortillas
24 large shelled and deveined shrimp (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons red onion
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 avocado, sliced
2 Tablespoons diced cilantro leaves

Juice of 1 small lime

1 cup chihuahua or monterey jack cheese

Rinse and dry shrimp, and then toss in 1 tablespoon oil, and the chipotle seasoning and salt. Grill over high heat, turning once. Meanwhile, cook tortillas on each side in a pan on medium-low heat on stove, with a slight drizzling of oil. This will firm up the tortillas. In a medium bowl, toss remaining ingredients and chill. Serve shrimp on tortillas with cheese and cabbage mixture.

Filed under: Category Recipes, Seafood | Tags: by 2 Comments »