Spinach Strawberry Salad

Spinach Strawberry Salad

This is such a YUMMY fresh, sweet, GREAT salad. One of my ALL time favorites!


The salad has strawberries, spinach and sugar coated walnuts. No set amount – just how you like it. To make the walnuts melt a cube of margarine (works better than butter because it doesn’t burn as easily) on cookie sheet at 400 degrees. Mix in a cup of sugar (I use ¾ because there is always so much left), stir in nuts and bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly. Let cool-break up.


Spinach Strawberry Salad Dressing
(Or ....just buy the Light House Poppy Seed Dressing and it works jus' dandy!)


1 ½ C sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. dry mustard
2/3 C vinegar
2 T finely chopped onion

Add above ingredients into blender and blend until sugar dissolves. Pour oil in slow, steady stream on medium speed. Add poppyseeds.

2 cups salad oil
5 ½ t. poppy seeds

Egg Salad

This is ode to my friend Tanya..
She tried the Pita Bread and mentioned that she was putting egg salad in them..and all of the sudden...I couldn't get Egg Salad off my mind. I remember in Kindergarten my daycare provider Jennine made me Egg Salad...I called me Bajine...and the name always stuck.

Soo here is how we do it West-side style...I might need to ask my southern friend if hers is much different...


Ingredients

* 12 eggs
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
* 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 6 green onions chopped
* 5 stocks of celery chopped
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika, onion, celery and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon.
3. Serve on bread as a sandwich, in a pita or over crisp lettuce as a salad.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Who doesn't LOVE this combo?

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 cup whole milk, chilled
1/2 cup
1 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Green food coloring optional

Instructions:

Combine heavy cream, whole milk,sugar,mint,food coloring in a medium mixing bowl and combine until well blended. Pour into freezer bowl of a Cuisinart® Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker. Turn the machine ON and let mix until mixture thickens, about 20 - 25 minutes. Add crushed chocolate chips to ice cream during last 5 - 10 minutes of mixing. Turn the machine OFF. Transfer to an air tight container and place in freezer until firm, about 2 hours.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

SO SO SOOO Yummy...
My kids actually preferred this one to the Rocky Road.
This recipe is an original...

Ingredients:
1 small container frozen Strawberries...chopped
2 slices frozen Cheesecake (I bought at Walmart)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2 packages Cheesecake pudding mix

Blend Cheesecake pudding mix with well chilled Whole Milk & Whipping Cream for One minute. Turn on Ice Cream maker and pour in mixture. Let mixture thicken for 205-30 minutes and then add strawberries and Cheesecake bits slowly, let mix for 5 more minutes. Add to a 2 quart glass pan, cover with saran wrap and freeze for at least two hours. This makes a VERY thick Ice Cream!

Homemade Rocky-Road Ice Cream

Yeah...Mama got an early birthday present in the name of an Ice Cream maker...
Sooo pretty much the diet (shea what diet) is toast...
I have the 1 1/2 Quart container...and it is SO EASY to make!!!
I used to use the Official Cuinart recipe for Basic Chocolate Ice Cream ...and then added the extra's:

Ingredients

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 oz or 1 cup your favorite semi-sweet chocolate
1 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions

Place the cocoa and sugars in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Add the whole milk and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. If not freezing immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Turn machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process preferred)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 small bags Pecan Chips or 1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup Marsh-mellow Whip

Instructions:

Place the chocolate and sugars in a blender or food processes until you have crumb like texture. Heat whole milk until it is bubbling around edges (microwave for two minutes or heat in a sauce pan) add to blender with the chocolate sugar mixture and pulse until smooth and combined well. Transfer to a bowel and add to fridge or freezer until well chilled. Add the creme and vanilla and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine. Chill for another 30 minutes.
Turn machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. Five minutes before process is over add two bages of Pecan Chips...or one cup. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture.
In a two quart glass pan , in three layers add the marshmallow Whip and swirl ( this is messy and not pretty).
Cover with Saran wrap and place in freezer.

If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.
The next day is even better!

Lime & Garlic Potato Wedges

So we needed a quick side for our Pineapple Burgers..and well these I just pulled out of nowhere...and they were FAB ...we dipped them in Sweet Baby Rays Raspberry Chipolte BBQ Sauce.

Ingredients:
4 Lime Wedges (one lime)

6 red potatoes washed and chopped with a variegated veggie slicer into wedges

Garlic Salt

Olive Oil

Directions:
Place potato wedges on cookie sheet Drizzle olive oile and stir to make sur ethey are coated well.
Squeeze lime juice over the wedges, sprinkle with Garlic Salt.

Broil wedges in oven on high heat for 15 minutes...or until begin to brown on edges...

Tortellini Cold Salad

This is an easy cold , filling Salad, that works well for a Vegetarian meal, or you can add peperoni slices, my kiddies love Tortellini hot or cold. This is easy to make a head and bring to a picnic, or BBQ. It is better the next day.

Ingredients:
1-2 Packages Tortellini cooked according to package, drained and chilled
Italian, or other balsamic or oil based dressing
grated fresh Parmesan

Optional:
Artichoke Hearts
Chopped Carrots
Chopped Tomato
Chopped Red, Green, Yellow, or Red Pepper
Sliced Red or Green Onion
Pickled Asparagus
Sliced Mushrooms
Sliced Cucumbers
Fresh Chopped Basil

Combine ingredients with Chilled Pasta, toss with Parmesan...
Serve or cover and store in Fridge.

Grilled Pinapple Burgers

So Easy, and Yummy!
My kids polished these off!
Reminds me of a Burger you might order from Red Robin.

Ingredients:

Burgers grilled w/ Worcester Sauce and McCormick Steak Seasoning
Spicy Pepper Jack Cheese Slices
Grilled Fresh cut Pineapple rounds
Fresh Chopped Romaine
Sweet Baby Rays Raspberry Chipolte BBQ Sauce
Lime Cilantro Sour Cream Mayo Dressing:

*Cilantro-Lime Dressing
2/3 cup Mayo
2/3 cup Sour Cream
3-4 Tables spoon Lime Juice
Handful of chopped Cilantro
*whisk together

Directions:
Marinate and Season your Burgers
Grill your pineapple first and set aside
Grill your Hamburgers, top with cheese one minute before taking burgers off grill.

On either side of your buns spread cilantro Mayo dressing, add BBQ sauce to one side.
Layer hamburger and other ingredients...YUM!

Serve with:
Lime Garlic Potato Wedges

Grilled Coconut Chicken

So YUM!
I have tried two Coconut Chicken recipe's, one from the Ourbestbites.com girls, and one from the "It's good for you" Pampered Chef cookbook (Ok so there recipe was for Shrimp..but same concept)
I liked both, but the Our Best Bites had so much seasoning...I missed the Coconut...so here is a compromise of both recipe's that gave me the best of both worlds.

Ingredients:


NOTE:
(borrowed from Our Best bites)
If you're not familiar with Panko, it's a Japanese style bread crumb. I started using it in place of regular bread crumbs a few years ago and I just can't go back now. Panko makes everything SO light and crispy, you'll be amazed. Up until now I've always bought Panko in the Asian section of the grocery store. But I just found out that Progresso now makes Panko! I was so happy to see that because now you can find it next to the Progresso bread crumbs in the pasta isle.


"As many as you need"
Washed and Trimmed Chicken Tenders

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1 C flour
2 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp curry powder


Cover Grill with Tin Foil
preheat Grill to 450 degrees.


Give coconut a rough chop so it's about the same size as the panko pieces


Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.


Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour...


then dip in egg...


And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.


Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined Grill (for easy clean up and keeps coconut from falling through the grill) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 10- 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they're big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

*We ate these with 1/2 Jalapeno Jelly mixed with 1/2 Apricot jelly for dipping sooo YUMMY!

Queso- Cheese Chili Dip like from Chili's ...EASY

So who else orders the Queso from Chile's because, even though the Salsa rocks..the Queso takes your chips to a totally different level!(Corrie your the bomb)
Hope you are sitting down , because the pure ease of this recipe left me feeling a little silly..and giddy.
Drum roll:

Nally's Jalapeno Hot Chili
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese

Directions:
Combine in a microwave safe bowl...heat until both are bubbly, mix well, sprinkle with cheese on top (boy your fancy now) ....and SERVE.
IT REALLY IS THAT EASY....and beyond yummy!

Dip-Dip Night....read on... I Promise

Soo how many times a week does the "Dang it's really five and I have to make dinner again" blues, hit you square in the face.Yeah welcome to my world Grandma,and I have ten people sitting down at my dinner table. UGH.
Well a SURE fire dinner at my house is "Dip-Dip Night", more highly regarded then even "Pizza Night", not kidding!

What ya'll need:
On the way home from work have your Hubie pick up a:

VEGGIE TRAY
2 loaves whole grain Baguette ( toast and slice)
1 bag Tortilla chips...

Now for your dips:
Queso~ Like you get from Chili's (click here for recipe)
Pesto (click here for recipe)
Ranch (from your tray)

See the before and after....yeah ...try it, love it...thank me later.

In-a-Hurry- To- Eat Chicken Noodle Soup

It's Sunday , after church and the short ones are STARVING...there is no bread defrosted to be found...the thought of heating up corn dogs makes you want to GAG...so here we go...

4 cups HOT WATER
5 cubes bullion
2 LARGE (can be frozen) Chicken broth
2- cups frozen mixed veggies
2 Tablespoons Costco Organic salt Free Seasoning
2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
3 Table Spoons Onion Flakes
2 Cups Old fashioned Country Noodles

Directions:
Put HOT water in Pan, turn up to High Heat
and Chicken Bullion smashed between two spoons to water. Toss in Chicken Breasts and Boil until cooked...Fish them out, cut em up.
Thrwo chicken back in the water with veggies, once boiling again add rest of spices and onions,stir well, add noodles and let boil for duration of package directions...
Serve as soon as you can, with Saltines, or whatever you can scavenge up.

Put yourself and angry, full, tired small people down for naps...happy Sunday!

Watermelon, Pinapple , Nana smoothie...

First you take your Water melon and you cut-it, you cut-it...you cut it, cut , it cut it...Then you take your Nana and you peel-it you peel-it , you peel it peel it peel it...Smoothies, your making smoothies...your making smoothie-smoothie smoothies...

Annoying,however the song my kids were singing while we made these for breakfast.
Whats nice is both watermelon and Banana's are easy for kids to cut with butter knifes...so them can help in the kitchen.

Here goes the recipe:

3 cups Pineapple Juice
3 Cups Cut up Watermelon
2 banana's
2 cups ice...

Then you: blend it , you blend it ....you blend it blend it blend it...
Next you : Drink it...you...OK done being obnoxious for the day.

Sweet Green Chili Enchilada's

Super YUMMY AND SUPER EASY! Just use the Bajio Chicken as the filling with a lil' added Monterrey Jack cheese...
So I have always been curious about the Green Store Bought Enchilada Sauce..I am a die hard Rosarita Red Sauce fan...but too cheap to just buy a can and try it out until my friend Corrie brought a can on ova...and let me just say that was a start of a beautiful new recipe..and my kids LOVED em.

You see we use the Bajio Sweet Green Chili Chicken Recipe for Nacho's, Burritos...and well I Generally have a crock-pot going ...or a bag of Sweet Chicken Bliss just waiting in my freezer...

So here ya go...

Use:
Whole Wheat or White Flour Tortilla's
or
Corn Tortilla's ( I think they freeze better)
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Green Encahlada Sauce
a crock pot of Bajio Chicken



fill em' up with the Bajio Chicken
Sprinkle the top with cheese
(Stick a small slice of Cream Cheese (if you have some) on top
rolle em' up
Put them them in a pan with Green Enchilada sauce half an inch poured in bottom.
Fill up the pan with rolled friends until full...cover with the green stuff again.

Sprinkle cheese over the whole sha-bang .
and...Bake at 350 for half an hour...

Old-Fashioned Yeast-Raised Doughnuts

I found these online ...UGH I can't remember the site, maybe they were from Paula. (Paula Dean)
So these are not quite as easy as the cake doughnuts...but if you have a free Saturday or regular day morning give em a try!
They are time consuming...but I will make them again. (Especially if a certain neighbor brings over more Homemade Raspberry Jam for the filling in the middle)
I made a mistake while adding flour and used my half wheat/have white flour mix (I had a long night)...they still were good, but probably not as fluffy as all white doughnuts would have been.


Ingredients : ( I doubled)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup scalded milk ( microwave for like 3 minutes)
• 2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 cups sifted flour (approximately)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• Vegetable shortening or cooking oil, for deep fat frying
•
Directions
Melt butter in milk and cool to lukewarm. Place water in a warm large mixing bowl, sprinkle in yeast, and stir until dissolved; add milk mixture and sugar. By hand, beat 2 1/2 cups flour in until smooth; mix in eggs, salt, and spices. Mix in remaining flour, adding a little extra, if needed, to form a soft but manageable dough. Knead lightly 1 minute on a floured pastry cloth; shape into a ball, place in a greased large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down, roll 1/2-inch thick on pastry cloth, using a floured, rolling pin. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter and place 1 1/2-inches apart on un-greased baking sheets. Reroll and cut scraps. Cover with cloth and let double in bulk.
Meanwhile, begin heating fat in a deep fat fryer. When doughnuts have risen and fat has reached 375 degrees F, ease 4 doughnuts into fat, 1 at a time. Fry about 2 minutes until golden brown all over, using tongs to turn. Drain on paper toweling.
Note: Never fry more than 4 doughnuts at a time and keep fat as near to 375 degrees F as possible; if too hot, doughnuts will brown before they cook inside.
While doughnuts are warm, roll in topping.
Variations:
Jelly Doughnuts: Prepare as directed, but roll dough 1/4-inch thick instead of 1/2-inch. Cut in 2 1/2-inch rounds and put 1 teaspoonful tart jelly in the center of 1/2 the rounds.(I piped in with a frosting bag and tip) Top with remaining rounds, moisten touching edges slightly, and pinch to seal. Let rise, then fry as directed. Roll in confectioners' sugar while still warm.
Crullers: Prepare as directed, but instead of cutting into doughnuts, cut in strips 8-inches long and 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide; let rise, then twist strips several times and pinch ends. Fry at once and roll in topping while still warm.

Homemade Churros

Homemade Churros

So I was reading this really fun book ( The Lost Recipe for Happiness by. Barbra O'Neal) and since it was about a chef, each chapter had a recipe at the beginning....and there was a Churro recipe.I was a little hesitant ...reading the recipe and thinking.."Really can it be THAT easy?" Well Sheesh my kids BEG for Churro's every time we go to the Costco..so I though lets give er' a whirl...and ya know what ...PRETTY-DANG-EASY! The dough reminds me of my mothers Cream Puff Recipe...)and yes I will promise that soon).
The thing that cracks me up in the book is at the bottom of this recipe it says in parenthesis "Makes Men and Boys your slaves for life"...I ran some hot churro's over to my neighbors..and five minutes later ...my male neighbor had sent his little 7 year old darling girl over for the recipe...Funny Stuff.

1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
Lard or Shortening for frying ( I use 2 cubs plain Crisco)

Sugar and Cinnamon for Sprinkling over churros

Directions:
It happens FAST so have your flour measured and eggs slightly beaten.(in separate containers)

In saucepan, heat water , butter and salt to boil then stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mix forms a ball, about a minute, then remove from heat and beat the eggs into the dough until everything is smooth (I used my Boshe for this).
Heat Lard or shortening (about 2 inches) in a heavy frying pan until a bit of dough sizzles.

Spoon dough into a Cake Decorating Bag or Tube with fat star tip…and 5 or 6 would be perfect ( I only had a 4). Squeeze out strips of dough about 4-5 inches long and fry three to four at a time 2 minutes or so on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle generously with Cinnamon and Sugar.

* Awesome with a Mango Smoothie after spicy Mexican Food!

Homemade Pita Bread

I found this recipe on a blog called:www.myrecipereviews.blogspot.com she got the recipe from www.thefreshloaf.com

It was surprisingly easy to make..and REALLY AWESOME! I made soft bread for Chicken Salad pockets...and used this recipe....then I toasted some up pretty crispy, sliced them in triangles (painted them with sea salt water) ...toasted em more..and chowed my pita chips with hummus...YUMMM!~

Pita Bread is supposed to puff up in the oven so that you get a pocket when they are sliced in half. All of mine didn't always puff but that's okay, if that happens I use them as flat bread or I carefully slice them so that they do have a pocket. High heat, a very hot baking surface, and very thinly rolled dough are apparently the keys to getting the pitas to puff. Mine usually bubble a little bit and that is good enough for me.

*The key to getting puffy pita bread is heat. Make sure your oven is preheated. Increase the temperature to 450 degrees (I originally had 400) and if possible, use a stone to bake them. The result will be beautiful, tasty bread with no leftovers!

PITA BREAD

3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 packet (2 t.) yeast
1 1/2 c. water, room temp.
2 T. olive oil
1. Mix the yeast with the flour, salt, and sugar.
2. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 c. water.
3. Stir together with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. It should feel like soft roll dough.
4. Knead for about 10 minutes.
5. Place in a sprayed bowl, cover with plastic wrap ( I spray plastic wrap as well), and let rise for 90 minutes until it is doubled in size.
6. Now it's time to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone place it in the oven now. If not, use a flat cookie sheet or turn a cookie sheet upside down. This will be your baking surface.
7. When the dough has doubled, punch it down and separate into 8-10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This resting period is necessary so that the gluten in the dough relaxes. This enables you to more easily shape the pitas.
8. Lightly flour your work surface and place one dough ball on the flour. Sprinkle the ball with flour and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. It should be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
9. Open the oven and place the flattened dough on the hot baking surface. Let it cook for 3 minutes. I flipped and cooked for 2 extra minutes.If you want the pitas to be crispy and brown leave them in for and additional 3 - 5 minutes.
10. You can store them in a zip-loc bag.

July into August Meals

I don't know if this helps anyone...but when I have a GINORMOUS grocery shop to do ..I like to meal plan at least 25 meals...and make my list from this...
Family Reunions , Holidays and the "relaxation" (booh) of summer has left me in a tail spin, of being gone on the weekends, catching up with laundry, packing and baking for the weekends on the weekdays....and not to forget three nights week taken up by football, and now basketball..
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE SUMMER with all of my heart...I just don't get the "relax" part...cause Summer feels busy, busy , busy!

Here are some Grill easy, Freezer easy, pre-life prep...and well just what we like to eat!


Dinners

1. Taco Salad
2. Homemade Pizza's, Hawaiian and Pepperoni w/ olives ( recipe a-commin')
3. Hamburgers w/ grilled Pineapple (try it, love it)
4.Chicken Cabbage Salad
5. Green Chili Enchilada's (recipe coming)
6. Coconut Chicken ( I know, I know, I have promised this one for a while)
7.Grilled BBQ Chicken & Grilled Corn
8.Big Subway Sandwich
9.Cowboy Quesadillas
10. Grilled Hot Dogs and Watermelon
11.Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad...and Mini Ham & Swiss Sandwiches
12. Grilled Chicken , Caesar Salad, and crusty Bread
13. Cold Tortellini, Italian Veggie Salad ( it's-a-coming soon)
14. Scallop Potatoes and Ham Crock-Pot
15. Grilled Steak and Potatoes
16.Black Bean, Ranch Nachos
17.Greek Wraps (try the Homemade Hummus recipe)
18.Chicken Cheese Soup & Homemade Rolls
19. Haitian Rice & Beans w/ Creole Chicken ( Another I have promised...sorry)
20. Steak Fajita's
21. Homemade Pita Pockets w/ Chicken
Waldorf Salad
22. Grilled Mango Salmon w/ grilled artichokes (coming)
23.Homemade Wingers Chicken Strips w/ blue-cheese dressing & celery strips
24.Pesto & Baguette w/ Veggie Tray
25.Baked Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs

Lunches

1.Peperoni Rolls
2.Hot Pockets
3.Corn Dogs (sorry but it's true)
4.Beef Taquitos
5.Chicken Nuggets (another short people staple I REALLY need to come up with a homemade version)
6.Homemade Frozen Burritos (yup the recipe is a-coming)

Breakfasts
1. Granola
2. Homemade Yogurt in Parfaits
3. Hootenanny's
4. Sour Dough Pancakes
5. Cinnamon Rolls
6. Yeast Risen Doughnuts (coming soon)
7. Breakfast Burritos


Treats & Deserts
1. Dark Chocolate- Lemon Layer Cake (coming soon and I'm not gonna lie..it's fantastic!)
2. Ice Cream Cones(did I mention I REALLY want an Ice Cream maker for my birthday)
3. Homemade Water Melon Strawberry Popcycles..thanks www.ourbestbites.com
4.Carmel Corn

~Alchohol free~ Banana-Pina-Colada

We have this for dinners drinks...or breakfast (like we did this morning)...It's easy and YUMMO!

Ingredients

* 2 cups ice
* 2 cups pineapple juice
* 1 can light coconut milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup fresh (or canned pineapple)
* 2 bananas

P.S. If you are lucky enough to find Coco Lopez (a blue can of Sweet Coconut milk found in the alcohol section)USE THAT!!!!

Directions

1. In an electric blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, milk, cream, and pinapple. Blend until smooth.

Banana-Blueberry Granola Yougurt Parfaits

Uh...YEAh...and they are sooo easy and SINFULLY delish...and my kids LOVE em..and you look like your being fancy when really your just being practical...and this week I SWEAR I am making homemade yogurt...

So what y'all need: (pending on how many peeps you are feeding) I used BIG containers...cause we ate this for one morning while camping...and YES I said CAMPING at bear lake...we made em in plastic red disposable cups...and used my Homemade Granola.

3 different flavors of Yogurt (one kind'll do though)I used Raspberry, Peach and Strawberry
1 box r' gallon size bag of Store Bough or Homemade Granola
1 fresh box of washed blueberries
sliced banana

Layer in glass cups cause it'll look prettier...but heck if your camping ...use my advice and disposable all the way!
I started with 1/4 Granola, 5 blue berries, and 3 slices banana...next yogurt and then repeat as many layers as you need to get to the top of the cup. I found the yogurt layer needs 3 to 4 Table spoons...to with a blueberry and a nana.

Frozen Hot Cocoa~ EASY!

So here's the thing...I am one of those people that HAVE to have something sweet after dinner, it can even be a plate of fruit...or a dish of yogurt, lets be honest if it is Chocolate in one form or another...this girl is soo much happier! I saw a post for this recipe back in Novemberish ...right Kimber?...any-who, made it loved it...stored it away for warmer sunnier days...I am giving you the faster , less fat filled version...and then the slower creamier, more guilt-filled but sooo worth it version....

Here goes...equal parts of Fat Free Milk (or water)& Ice and some Hot Cocoa Mix....and walah....

My blender for optimal servings, and no explosion is (P.S. I do have a quote in my kitchen that says " Having a lot of Children is like owning a Blender with out a lid") ...not kidding.
Have fun ...and the short people can even make this dandie!

3 cups milk
3 cups Ice
1 2/3 cups Cocoa mix...

blend it , drink it , love it.
Later I will add a homemade version of Cocoa mix....

Sooo here at the bottom is the one you make your hubbie....and yourself AFTER the kiddies are in bed...or after dinner with BIG people...(I faintly remember those days)....bottoms up!


3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar (or baking sugar)
1 envelope (2 to 3 tablespoons) Double Chocolate Meltdown, Rich Chocolate or Milk Chocolate Flavor NESTLÉ Hot Cocoa Mix
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup each NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels and NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Milk Chocolate Morsels
1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk, divided
4 cups ice cubes
Whipped cream