Mindy - Appetizer
Fruit Dip
1 can of cream of coconut (you can find it in the specialty drink aisle)
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
1 16 oz. cool whip
Mix the dry pudding in the cream of coconut then fold in the cool whip. (I used fat free pudding and lite coolwhip so it was a little bit runnier than the fat-full stuff).
Kendra - Side Dish
Broiled Broccoli
Desired amount of broccoli florettes
Drizzle of Olive Oil
2Tbs. - ish of Kosher salt
Put washed broccoli in gallon ziplock. Drizzle in some olive oil (a little goes a long way). Sprinkle in salt. Seal and shake. Spread out evenly on cookie sheet. Broil on high 3-5 minutes or to desired crispiness. Serve warm.
Bridgette - Side Dish
FROZEN WATERMELON POPS
1 Watermelon
Plain Craft Sticks (or popcicle sticks that aren't colored)
Foil
Cookie Sheet
Cut watermelon in half. Reserve one side for the "pop holder".
With the other half of the watermelon, cut thick ring slices (about 1/2 inch thick).
Use a cookie cutter (stars and hearts are cute) and cut out the desired shape.
Insert the craft stick into the watermelon shape, taking care not to poke it through the sides.
Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and freeze uncovered for a few hours.
Note: Great idea for summer and 4th of July parties. The craft sticks can be found at Roberts Crafts.
The watermelon shapes can not be re-frozen after thawed
Jodi - Main Dish
Baked Lemon Pasta
1 pound Thin Spaghetti
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don?t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
Shana - Main Dish
Chinese Noodle Chicken Salad
1 c. diced celery
1 c. sliced black olives
4 chopped green onions
1 c. diced cooked chicken
1 c. chinese noodles
1/2 c. cashews (optional)
Dressing:
1 c. mayo
4 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 c. canned milk
Mix dressing and add to meat, celery, olives, and green onions. Let stand 4 hours, overnight even better. Add noodles and cashews right before serving. Yummy on croissants.
Marcie - Main Dish
Chicken Salad
2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup grapes
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup walnut pieces
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 tsp (+/-) curry powder
1 tsp white pepper
Combine and enjoy.
Ann - Dessert
Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ½ cups flour
Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add egg, almond extract andvanilla, blend until smooth. Mix in all of the dry ingredients. Do notover mix. Grease a jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Spread the doughinto the pan with a long knife. I usually sprinkle some flour on thedough, so it is easier to spread. You can also use a mini rolling pin(floured) to spread the dough. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cook just until golden brown. Let cool completely.
Frosting:
½ cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
dash of salt
milk or half and half
food coloring, if desired
Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Addthe vanilla and salt. Add milk a little at a time, until the frostingis spreading consistency. I add food coloring for Christmas,Valentines Day, etc. In the Spring, I sometimes add a little lemonflavoring and color the frosting yellow.
