1/2 watermelon, diced into bite-sized cubes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped mint
Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt & pepper
1. In a large bowl toss together watermelon, feta and mint. Tip mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper.
Thanks to our friend Emily over at Burlap Kitchen for sharing her Grandmothers famous Orange Chiffon Cake. It’s a classic recipe that dates back to the 1940s and we think is worthy of a comeback!
2 1/4 Cups flour (sifted)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 Teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup oil
7 egg yolks
3 medium oranges (for the zest and juice)
3/4 Cup orange juice or water Juice 3 oranges in a 3/4 measuring cup, then add water till you get 3/4 cups of liquid
2 teaspoons vanilla
7 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter (beat egg whites and cream of tarter together on high speed for 4 minutes)
2 teaspoons orange zest ( fold into egg whites)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Zest and juice oranges and set aside. In a mixing bowl add dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl add wet ingredients: oil, egg yolks, juice and water, vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until it looks like cake batter. In a third bowl add egg whites and cream of tartar, beat on high for 4 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Gently add the egg white mixture to the bowl of batter. Pour batter into a greased angel food cake pan or chiffon pan ( do NOT use a bundt cake pan, trust me!). Take center rack out of oven and position the other oven rack two up from the bottom. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan and carefully turn out onto a tea cloth. Let cake cool completely. Ice cake and enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 orange (zest and juice)
3 cups 10 X Sugar (powdered sugar, icing sugar)
1/2 stick butter (room temp.)
2 tablespoons juice from orange (may be just under 2 tablespoons, if so add milk to make a full 2 Tablespoons
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
In a mixing bowl add 10x sugar, butter, juice from orange, milk, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer and beat until smooth. Fold in orange zest, saving a little to sprinkle on top of the cake.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 25 min.
2 lb new potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
2 green onions, finely sliced
½ cup finely diced red onion
3 celery stalks, finely diced
¼ cup finely chopped dill
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted, cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, until tender, about 10 min. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Cut each potato into quarters. Place in a large bowl.
2. To potatoes add mayonnaise, Dijon, crumbled bacon pieces, green onions, red onion, celery, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 40 min, plus cake cooling time.
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup 35% whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toffee pieces
1 cup desiccated coconut flakes
1. Cook chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan according to package directions. Let cool completely.
2. Whip cream with an electric hand mixer until stiff. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Spread whipped cream over top of cooled chocolate cake. Top with toffee pieces and coconut flakes.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 30 min.
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup ranch dressing
½ cup hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Crackers, to serve
Sliced vegetables, to serve (cucumber, peppers, carrots, broccoli)
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Mix well to combine. Scrape mixture into a 9” glass pie dish or equal sized oven-proof container.
3. Place in oven for 20 mins or until bubbling and golden. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or sliced vegetables.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Total Time: 4 to 5 hours
Bottom Layer:
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
Middle Layer:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1 pkg (8 oz) cool whip
¼ cup sugar
Top Layer:
1 pkg (6 oz) Strawberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 ½ cups cold water
4 cups sliced strawberries
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Mix crushed pretzels with sugar and butter. Press mixture evenly into prepared baking dish. Press with the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. With an electric mixer beat together cream cheese, cool whip and sugar until well combined and smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled pretzel base. Refrigerate while you make the top layer.
4. In a large bowl mix together Jello powder with boiling water. Whisk well to combine and have powder completely dissolve. Whisk in cold water. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until thickened slightly. Stir in sliced strawberries. Pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until completely set, about 3 to 4 hours. Slice into squares to serve.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 2 ½ hours plus cooling time.
Pie Dough:
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3- 4 tbsp ice water
Filling:
5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1. In the bowl of a food processor pulse to combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tbsp ice water at a time, pulsing to combine. Mixture should hold together when pressed together but will still look a bit crumbly. Transfer crumbly dough to countertop. Press into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While dough is chilling make apple pie filling. In a large bowl combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flour.
3. Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out 1 disc of pie dough into an 11-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch pie dish. Top with filling. Dot filling with cubed butter. Roll out remaining disc of dough to a 10-inch circle. Brush rim of pie dough with beaten egg. Top with dough and press edges to seal. Trim edges so there is a 1-inch overhang. Crimp edges of dough. Brush top of pie with egg.
4. Cut four or five slits in top of pie. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake pie in bottom third of oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking until pie is bubbling and golden, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
The best, easiest Guac recipe there is!
4 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pitted and peeled
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 tomato, seeds removed and diced
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Tortilla chips, to serve
1. Mash avocados in a large bowl with a fork. Mix with red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.
Here’s a perfect meal for a summery dinner, festive lunch, and it even works for those New-Years-resolution low-fat, low carb diets! Plus, if your kids are like mine (kinda fussy), they’ll eat it! Mine loved wrapping up their chicken in the crunchy lettuce leaves.
1 lb ground chicken
juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1″ piece of lemon grass, chopped (or if you find it frozen, 2 tsp)
1″ piece of ginger, chopped or grated
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
4-6 mint leaves, chopped
1-2 chopped thai chilis (optional)
For the garnish:
lime wedges
large leaf lettuce, like boston, or leaf lettuce
diced or sliced cucumber (1/2)
diced or sliced red peppers
sliced chili peppers
hoisin sauce
sriracha
mint leaves
coriander leaves
chopped peanuts (optional)
Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok. Don’t let it smoke. Add ginger, garlic and lemon grass, and cook 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t brown. Add chicken and brown (about 7-10 minutes). Add fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and soy sauce. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes to make sure chicken is cooked throughout. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and mint.
To serve, arrange leaves and vegetables on a platter. Use one large leaf, add sauces (hoisin and sriracha), 1 large scoop of chicken, top with cucumber, peppers, herbs and chopped peanuts. Roll as best you can, and enjoy!
Like a lot of people at this time of year, I’m looking for ways to shed a few pounds after a sinfully delicious holiday. My choice this year is to cut down on processed sugar and white starches. I’ve replaced one meal with a smoothie as well- be it lunch or breakfast.
Here’s a delicious, filling, high protein one that makes a good snack or morning meal.
1/2 banana
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3-4 ice cubes
2 dates, pitted
1 tbsp sugar free all natural peanut butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon