My cousin invited us and a couple of our other cousins over to their house for dinner last Sunday.  She was making the artichoke chicken recipe that I gave her (I made it once when we had them over for dinner and she fell in love with it and makes it all the time now too!).  Everyone was bringing something for the meal, and she asked me to bring rice to spoon the sauce over.  But where’s the fun in that? So, I decided to also bring a yummy drink for us all to have with dinner.

As most of you know, my husband and I don’t drink alcohol.  But why should that stop us from being able to have a “special” drink every once in a while?  It shouldn’t!  I wanted to bring strawberry daiquiris, but I didn’t have a recipe for that, so I found this one on recipezaar.  We were so surprised at how great these were with such simple ingredients! They have a really good mix of sweet and tart, which I love.  The kids were fighting over the last few sips of these!

These will be a great go-to for summer bbq’s.  Everyone brings different salads and sides, but who thinks to bring a yummy frozen drink?  Well, now you do!!  And now you’re the most popular person there. 

Strawberry Daiquiris (Virgin)

• 4 c. frozen strawberries
• 6 oz. pink lemonade concentrate
• ice
• water**
• whipped cream**

1. Combine in blender, process until smooth.
2. Gradually add ice until desired consistency.
3. Pour into glasses.
4. If desired, top with whipped cream.

Recommendations:

• Water:  You might have to add a little water to these to get them to work with the blender.  Add a little bit if you need to loosen them up a bit, they’ll still taste absolutely great.
• Whipped Cream:  The recipe didn’t call for whipped cream, and I didn’t add it when I made them, but I just went back to the original recipe on recipezaar, and one of the pictures of it had whipped cream on top.  I think these would taste even better with the whipped cream…I wish I would have thought to add whipped cream to them the first time I made them…next time I make them I’m DEFINITELY going to add the whipped cream!
• Rum:  If you prefer the non-virgin variety, the original recipe called for 3/4 c. light rum…so go ahead and knock yourself out!

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For our recent Appetizer Fest, one of my cousins was having a hard time deciding what to make.  She wanted to make a bean dip but my other cousin’s wife was bringing that.  She wanted to make pumpernickel dip but her sister was making that.  So, I told her about this Pumpkin Pie Dip that I saw on Recipezaar a little while ago that had really high ratings and that looked really good.  I also thought it would be a good idea for her to make that because I knew that most of us were bringing savory things so I thought it would be nice to also have something sweet.

She made it and we all loved it!  It was very different, but great!  Reminds you of pumpkin pie, but definitely a completely different dish.  This would be a great thing to bring for an appetizer or dessert the next time you’re invited to someone’s house for dinner. The adults and the kids were all dipping in together, each of us enjoying it equally which is sometimes hard to find!

Pumpkin Pie Dip (#25730 on Recipezaar.com)

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This is another one of my go-to recipes.  It’s perfect for those times that you’re invited to someone’s house for dinner and don’t know when to bring, when you have unexpected visitors stop by, when you want to bake something easy for a little thank you gift for your friend, or when you’re just in the mood for something chocolate but you don’t have anything in your house because you told yourself you’re going to eat healthier (I know you know what I’m talking about!).

I’ve always gotten a lot of compliments on these.  If you’ve never made homemade brownies, you HAVE to make these, you won’t believe the huge difference between these and boxed brownies.  They’re just as easy as boxed brownies and you’ll probably already have all the ingredients on hand (you might have to buy cocoa powder if you don’t already have that but it’s not very expensive and definitely worth it!).

Brownies

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. margarine or butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. cocoa
• 1/2 c. coconut, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips (optional but recommended!)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix together sugar & margarine.  Add eggs & vanilla; mix well.
3. Add all other ingredients (except coconut, nuts, or choco chips).
4. Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle coconut, nuts, or choco chips on top (my favorite is coconut!).
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
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All I can really say about this dessert is that it is SUPER easy, OH SO GOOD, and different (which is always nice). I really don’t know what else I can say about this recipe except that you REALLY need to try it!

I was watching 30 minute meals the other day, and she made this dessert, and it was really intriguing to me, because first off like I said it’s super easy and I’m always down with that…I’m not a huge dessert fan, so I think it’s kind of pointless to take hours to create some crazy dessert that I really don’t get why it’s all that special in the first place. So an easy dessert I think always deserves a try. Also, it has Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) in it, which even though it’s chocolate I LOVE it…and that helps, because it seemed to me like one of the few desserts that would actually satisfy both me and those crazy chocolate lovers!

And once I tried it I was sold. It was as easy as it looked (always a plus), and it tasted SO great! And again, it’s a little bit different which I really liked. So please try it!

Heavenly Hazelnut Pound Cake

• 1/2 c. sliced almonds
• 1 store-bought pound cake*
• 1 cup Nutella*
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped*
• 2 tsp almond extract*
• 1 lemon, zested
• Blackberries & raspberries, for garnish*

1. Lightly toast the almonds in a small skillet.* Set aside to cool.
2. Cut the pound cake in half, horizontally. Spread the Nutella on the cut side of both cake pieces. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Then place the top half of the cake back onto the bottom half.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the whipped cream, almond extract & the zest.
4. Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices & serve with the whipped cream & berries.

Recommendations:

• Pound Cake: You can find these in the freezer section, by the frozen premade pies and stuff. You always see these in Sarah Lee brand. It’s so good and buttery! Just make sure you defrost it before using it!
• Nutella: This is a chocolate hazelnut spread that you can find in any grocery store by the peanut butter. If you’re not yet hooked on nutella, go buy some and you will be!
• Cream: I whipped some powdered sugar in with the cream to give it some sweetness.
• Almond Extract: The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp orange liqueur, but I don’t drink alcohol, so I used almond extract instead because I thought that flavor would go really well with this (but I didn’t use a full tablespoon because almond extract is pretty strong). And it tasted great with it! If you don’t drink alcohol I’d definitely recommend using the almond extract! But if you do drink alcohol, then definitely try the orange liqueur because that’s what Rachael Ray put in the original recipe and I’m sure she kind of knows what she’s talking about by now.
• Berries: I just used raspberries and it tasted great with just them. But I’m sure it would be even better with both berries!
• Toast Almonds: Just make sure you watch the almonds closely, cause they burn easily!

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Yes, this is a post for a recipe.  And yes, despite what you may think, “dumps” are edible.  And they’re actually quite delicious.  You might know these super easy and delicious cookies as “No Bake Cookies.”  But where’s the fun in that??  My family has always called these cookies “Dumps,” and if you’re having a hard time figuring out why just take a look at them the next time you make them!  :)  Okay, so maybe I do have a potty mouth, but it’s not my fault…it’s how I was raised.  I totally shouldn’t be held accountable for my actions.  Even if it means I grossed you out for a minute.

Anyway, do NOT let the name deter you from making these cookies!  As I said, they are SUPER easy and SO, SO good…I literally have never met a person that didn’t love these cookies! Even myself, the chocolate hater that I am, I even love these cookies!  I made these a few weeks ago and brought them over to a friend of mine who had just had a baby, only to find out that they’re her husband’s favorite cookies…I don’t think she even got one before he sat on the couch and devoured the whole plate right in front of us.

And really, they’re gonna be the easiest cookies you’ll ever make.  Really, you don’t have to bake them.  They’re perfect for those “baking impaired” people like me…my roommates in college even made fun of me because they said I was the only home ec major in history that ever burnt store bought cookies!
Dumps (a.k.a. “No Bake Cookies”)

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups oatmeal (or more if needed)
• 1/2 c. peanut butter*

1. Boil butter, milk, sugar & cocoa 2-3 minutes.*
2. Add other ingredients.
3. Drop by spoonful onto wax paper & let cool.*
4. Really, that’s it…you’re done!

Recommendations:

• PB:  I always use creamy in this, but I hear that chunky is good too…really, I doubt it matters, just whatever you have on hand for your PB&J’s.
• Boiling:  Anytime you boil milk, make sure you watch it VERY closely…it’ll boil over VERY quickly!
• Cool:  These taste best if you give them a little while to cool.  They’re not like choco chip cookies that taste good right out of the oven.

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So most fruit salads that I’ve tasted are way to sweet for me. Or they have weird stuff in them, like nuts, or canned fruit (I like my fruit salads to be really fresh!). My friend brought this to a party a little while back and I begged for the recipe and YET AGAIN, it’s one of those that are so easy I didn’t believe her at first! Since then I have made it at a few family functions and each time I’ve had a requests for the recipe. I went to a graduation party for my brother the other day and I made this and all of my cousins were asking for it, so I promised them I’d post it. It was one of the first things to finished, I had to run and grab some for myself and my husband while he was barbecuing our steaks because it was almost all gone before our food was even done! I even had to fight one of my cousins for the last serving (so I’m a bit greedy with things I like, big deal??)!

One of the reasons why I LOVE, LOVE! this recipe (other than the previously stated facts that it’s SO easy and SO delicious) is that it’s different. It’s one of those recipes where people say, “hmm…what’s in that?” and I love that! I love things that are simple but that are still different enough to grab people’s attention. So, here’s the recipe for you, I BEG that you make this for your next BBQ or dinner party, because I PROMISE that everyone will want to know what exactly you put in it to make it so DELICIOUS and different and they’ll want the recipe!

Fruit Salad

• 2 c. buttermilk (see recommendations)
• 1 large package instant vanilla pudding
• 1 (9 oz.) whipped topping (cool whip)
• 2 c. fruit, chopped/sliced (two different kinds)
• 1/2 package Lorna Doone cookies

1. Mix together buttermilk and vanilla pudding mix.
2. Fold in cool whip.
3. Add fruit and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, break up cookies and add to salad.

Recommendations:

• Buttermilk: Yes, this might sound weird to put in a fruit salad, but please BELIEVE me, it adds SUCH a great flavor to this…just give me one try on this salad…you’ll be a believer once you try it!
• Fruit: I usually use kiwi and strawberry in this salad, the tart and the sweet go really good in this salad. But, I think that any berry would be great in this (blueberry, raspberry, etc), and I think peaches would also be great! (let me know if you try one of those in it & how they tasted!)
• Cookies: In case you’re not familiar with Lorna Doone cookies, they’re a type of shortbread cookie, and you should absolutely be able to find them in any grocery store. Don’t leave these out (even if you maybe have to substitute another type of shortbread cookie if you can’t fine the Lorna Doones)! They are one of the things that make this dessert so deliciously different!

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Well, now that I’m thinking about it, that title might not be completely correct. I think the EASIEST way to “make” pie is to go to the grocery store, pick up a pre-made one off the shelf, put it in your cart, and buy it. So, maybe this is how to make the SECOND easiest pie in the world. This recipe is the epitome of why I started this blog. It’s one of those recipes that are so good, everyone loves it, I get a ton of compliments every time I make it (kids especially love it!)…but it is so easy to make that it’s almost embarrassing. But those are the type of recipes that I think busy people like you and me need!

As you all know, I’m not a big chocolate fan. I’m also not really a big sweets fan in general (I’m sure many of you are sad for me right now). Usually, I’d rather just take a few more bites of my steak than save room for dessert! But there are a few desserts, that I promise I’ll post, that I’ll actually put my steak knife down for…this pie is one of them. My sister-in-law makes a couple of these pies every Thanksgiving, and instead of helping myself to an extra dollop of mashed potatoes (mmm) like I would do every year before she joined our family, I actually started saving room for a piece or two of her pie! This recipe is like so many of my other favorite recipes where I argued with her for a while when she gave me the recipe, insisting that she was leaving something out, because it’s just too easy! So, here is how to make the easiest pie in the world:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 container* plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 package jello (any flavor*), & 1 container cool whip.
2. Pour into a store-bought graham cracker crust.

Yes, that’s it. You’re done. Go watch TV. Or spend the time that you would have spent baking and go do something productive, like take a nap. I know this might sound a bit TOO EASY, but that’s the point, that’s why it’s the easiest pie in the world! But I promise, it is SO good, and really different, and you’re gonna love it!

Oh, and if you want to be REALLY crazy, sometimes I take a fruit of the flavor the jello is (a strawberry for strawberry jello, a lime for lime jello) and slice it and put it in the middle (people always say that we eat with our eyes first, so it’s good to let them know what to expect)…but that’s just if you want to be really crazy.

Recommendations:

• Yogurt: Size: Just the personal size container (one serving) I can’t remember how many ounces the container is.
• Jello: My 2 favorite flavors for this pie are lime and strawberry…so good!

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So I just got done telling the story of how, whenever I would go with my friend Lynzi to her family’s house her mom would make us our two favorite things: chicken tacos and frog-eye salad. We insisted that she make us those two things every single time we went out there. Whenever Lynzi would go to visit them alone, we would all make her bring home a big batch of her mom’s frog-eye salad home to us!

Now, her mom’s frog-eye salad is famous in my family too! I bring it to almost every family function and my family just can’t get enough…and the kids love it because they can talk their parents into considering something sweet a salad instead of a dessert (not to mention the name…they love the thought of eating “frog’s eyes”)! My sister-in-law and one of my cousins give me a huge hug every time I make this, and you should see their plates…tiny piece of chicken, a couple chips, and a HUGE serving of frog-eye! It makes me laugh every time. Also, I keep trying to make larger and larger batches of this, hoping that I can actually bring some home to eat the next day…hasn’t worked yet. I’m not gonna lie, it takes just a little while to make (and some planning, because you want to let it sit overnight), but it is SOOOOOOO worth it! (and you all know that I’m not a huge fan of anything that takes a long time to make, so if I say it’s worth it, I promise it’s worth it!).

Barcy’s Frog-Eye Salad

• 3 qts water
• 1 pkg (16 oz.) adini de pepe
• 1 c sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 c pineapple juice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cans (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained well
• 2 cans (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained well
• 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (9 oz) whipped topping (cool whip)
• 1 c. mini marshmallows

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add acini de pepe. Cook at rolling boil for 11 minutes. Drain & rinse with cold water. Drain again; cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, combine sugar, flour, & salt. Gradually stir in pineapple juice & eggs. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened (let it reach a boil). Add lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature.
4. Pour mixture over acini de pepe; mix lightly but thoroughly.
5. Refrigerate overnight (at least 3 hours) in air tight container.
6. Add remaining ingredients & mix. Refrigerate until serving.

Notes:

• Acini de pepe:  In case you don’t know what acini de pepe is, it’s the tiny ball shaped pasta.  Even though they’re pasta, they taste GREAT in this sweet salad!  Here is a picture of acini de pepe in case you haven’t seen it before:

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Okay so I’m just gonna start by being completely honest. I have not yet made this recipe, and I do understand that might be a bit annoying that I’m still posting it! I really do hate it when people post recipes to the recipe sites when they haven’t even tried to make it themselves yet, so I promise I won’t do this again. But, it has 318 reviews and an average of 5 our of 5 stars on recipezaar, so I figured it’s gotta be pretty good, right? I’m just so intrigued by the idea of this recipe! I just can’t believe that a cookie recipe that is so quick to make and with so few ingredients could really be all that good! But I’m sure that 318 people couldn’t ALL be delusional, so I say we try it! So, I decided I just had to post it, because if there really is a cookie recipe out there that is this simple and actually TASTES good, I think the world needs to know about it!

Also, I’m not a huge sweets person, so I don’t really love baking and all that stuff (especially because it usually takes SO long!!), but my husband is a sugar fiend, so a cookie this easy could make us both very happy people! I will definitely let you know when I do make these cookies and how I feel about them (I’ll make sure I do it soon), but for now here you go and let me know what you think if you get to them before I do!…and if you want to see the original recipe, here you go.

Fudge Crinkles

• 1 (18 oz) box devil’s food cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist suggested)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Stir (by hand) dry cake mix, oil & eggs in large bowl until dough forms.
3. Dust hands w/confectioner’s sugar & shape dough into 1″ balls.
4. Let “dry out” for a few minutes (see recommendations).
5. Roll balls in confectioner’s sugar & place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is JUST SET.
7. Remove from pans after a minute or so & cool on wire racks.

Recommendations

• Cake mix: A few of the reviewers reviewers recommended using strawberry or french vanilla cake mix for this recipe. They both sound really good to me, just an idea!
• Oven temp: She said that if you have problems with these cookies “spreading” maybe try your oven temp at 375 instead?
• Size: She also said that 1.5 inch balls (instead of 1″ like requested in the recipe) ends up coming out “prettier” (thick & crinkled).
• “Dry out” step: She said that her confectioner’s sugar was always being absorbed by the dough, but she tried to wait a few minutes after rolling them into balls before rolling them in the sugar and they “came out with a nice coating of sugar that didn’t disappear.”

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