Orange Cranberry Sugar Cookies

    Goodbye 2016! I had to get one last post in before this year was over! I made these cookies with all of my Christmas cookies this year. I was really happy with how they came out. They're chewy and packed with fresh orange zest. They just scream Florida Christmas! I chopped up my dried cranberries because I bought mine at Trader Joe's and they were really big and fresh.

Orange Cranberry Sugar Cookies 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup butter, room temp

- 1 cup packed light brown sugar

- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- the zest and juice from 1 ripe orange (about 1/4 cup of juice)

- 2 and 1/2 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 

- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of dried cranberries 

    Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set that aside. Whip the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the sugars and continue to whip. Once fluffy and completely combined, add in the egg, vanilla, orange zest, and juice. Once completely combined, add the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix well and then fold in cranberries. Scoop tablespoon cookies on to a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring from the baking sheet. 

Easy Oatmeal Dog Cookies

    My new sister-in-law and my brother got me a super cute set of doggy cookie cutters for Christmas. So, of course I had to test them out! These are literally the easiest and simplest dog treats that you can make. With only 3 ingredients and a great consistency for rolling, you'll be surprised how easy it is to whip up a batch of these. Oh, and my dogs LOVE them!

Easy Oatmeal Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 and 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

- 1/2 cup of peanut butter

- 1 banana, mashed

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the oats into your food processor and pulse until powdered. In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter and banana, add all but 1 tablespoon of the oats. Knead the dough until it all comes together. Roll the dough out, using the reserved tablespoon of oats to dust the surface with. Place cutout cookies on a greased cookies sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown. Cool and enjoy!

Coconut Clouds

    If you are looking for the perfect gluten free Christmas cookie, look no further! These are great! They are light, chewy, and full of coconut! Imagine that a coconut macaroon had a baby with a meringue, that's what I think these cookies resemble. Be careful whipping the sugar into the egg whites, take it slowly. Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday!

Coconut Clouds

Ingredients:

- 1 (14 ounce) package of sweetened coconut

- 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 4 cold, fresh egg whites

- 2/3 cup of sugar

- 1 cup of chocolate chips for drizzle

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Set that mixture aside. Next, whisk the sugar slowly into the egg whites. It's easiest to use an electric mixer. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Once just combined, scoop into tablespoon mounds on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Once baked and cooled, microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second increments until melted and smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate on top and enjoy!  

Beet Salad Bites

    So, this last week has been a super busy one! Between work and prepping for our little class of 2006 reunion party, I am completely worn out! I wish more of my classmates had made it this weekend but we did have a nice time visiting with the friends that were able to attend! If you know me, you know that I am a goat cheese fanatic! I got a little excited when I found this recipe! Be generous with the honey and make sure your beets are roasted until tender!

Beet Salad Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of fresh raw beets

- fresh baby spinach

- 7 ounce package of plain goat cheese

- 1 cup of roasted walnut pieces

- honey to garnish

- plastic skewers or toothpicks

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by peeling and chopping the beets into bite-sized pieces. Toss the cut beets in a little olive oil and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Top them with salt and pepper and bake until tender. If you can't find dry roasted walnut pieces, you can roast them yourself in the oven with some salt. Once the beets have cooled, you can assemble them. Take about a teaspoon of goat cheese and roll it in the nuts, skewer on a toothpick with the beets and spinach. Drizzle with honey and enjoy!

Class of '06!!

Key Lime Snowball Cookies

    I have been slacking in the blogging department! November was a very stressful month. It was mostly busy! Catering for the holidays in Dr. Phillips has been INSANE! (Insanely awesome!) Anyhow, I am back just in time for National Cookie Day! Over Thanksgiving, my family took a visit to The Showcase of Citrus in Clermont where we picked oranges, lemons, and key limes! I decided to turn some of the key limes that I brought home into some cooler cookies that will make an excellent addition to your holiday baking!

Key Lime Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of softened butter

- 2 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, divided

- 1/4 cup of key lime juice

- 2 teaspoons of key lime zest

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 egg yolk

- 3 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whip together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Next, mix in the lime juice, zest, vanilla, and egg yolk until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 3 increments. The dough will be on the dry side, press together to form a large ball. Pack cookie dough into a small cookie scoop and scoop cookies out onto a greased cookie sheet. If you don't have a scoop, you can form the dough into 1 inch balls. Bake for 15 minutes. Once the bottoms of the cookies have begun to turn golden, remove them from the oven and immediately toss in the remaining powdered sugar. Let cool (or not) and enjoy! 

Citrus picking with my family!!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

    I must be the definition of basic because I am obsessed with all things pumpkin spice! I've decided to dedicate the month of November to all things pumpkin! My first glorious recipe in my pumpkin-a-thon is a brownie recipe with luxurious swirls of pumpkin cheesecake. I loved them! They were very rich and moist. Oh, and they are super easy to make!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1 family sized brownie mix (and ingredients to make)

                    or your favorite 9x13 brownie recipe

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 cup of pumpkin puree

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare the brownie mix according to directions and pour the batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Pour the pumpkin mix on top of the brownie batter already in the baking dish and swirl the batters together. Bake for about 40- 45 minutes or until no longer jiggly and the top is starting to brown.

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

    I am completely obsessed with this recipe! Acorn squash has to be my favorite of all squashes! I had an old friend from high school over for dinner last night and decided to try something new! The original recipe called for mushrooms, but Frankie is not a fan. I decided to use eggplant in my recipe instead! Ok, so I started drinking wine before I finished cooking and I forgot to add an egg to the stuffing but I loved it the way it was without it so I left it without the egg in the recipe hahahaha. You are going to absolutely love this recipe!

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

- 2 large acorn squash

- 2 tablespoons of melted butter

- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage, divided

- 3 large Italian sausage links, cases removed

- 1/2 of a large onion, chopped

- 1 cup of cubed eggplant

- 1/2 cup of celery, chopped

- 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

- 1 cup of panko bread crumbs

- 1/ 2 cup of fresh grated parmesan

- salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the very ends off of the squash, careful not to hit the seeds. Then, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds inside. Place them in a casserole dish or on a cookie sheet with the middle side up.  Mix together the melted butter, minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground sage. Season the squash with salt and pepper. Then brush on the butter mixture evenly. Roast the squash in the oven for about an hour, or until it is fork tender. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet, once cooked, remove the meat but keep the rendered fat. Add the eggplant to the pan with a pinch of salt. Let cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and then add the onion, celery, and the rest of the ground sage. Cook until the onions start to soften and then add the garlic, apple, and some salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes until the apples start to soften. Add the panko bread crumbs and the parmesan. Stuff each baked squash half with the stuffing and top with a little bit more parmesan. Bake for another 20 minutes and then enjoy!

Coconut Cookie Bars

    I found this recipe months ago after my visit to Massachusetts. My plan was to make it for my family while they were visiting for the wedding be cause my Uncle Phil loves coconut! Well, to my disappointment, he was unable to make the trip. That's ok, it didn't stop me from making it for him anyways! With a shortbread cookie bottom and a chewy coconut top, it's everything a coconut lover is searching for in a dessert! I bet it would be great with some melted chocolate drizzled on top!

 Coconut Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

  For the shortbread layer:

- 1 cup of butter, room temperature

- 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar

- 2 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

  For the coconut layer:

- 2 cups of shredded coconut

- 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

- 1 large egg

- 1 teaspoon of coconut extract

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, flour, and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press this mixture into the bottom of prepared baking dish and make in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. While it is baking, mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, egg, and extract. Once the bottom layer comes out of the oven, pour the coconut mixture over the top and gently spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice and enjoy!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

    Talk about a crazy weekend! My little brother was supposed to get married on Friday but Hurricane Matthew had other plans. Stephen was called away to serve in the National Guard. We were very fortunate that the storm stayed off of the coast Thursday night and we remained out of harms way. There are still thousands without power that need your prayers. On the slightly brighter side, we had a lot of family time while bunkered down for the storm. My dad smoked a couple of pork butts and a huge brisket in the smoker over night. Saturday we had a cookout and the weather was perfect. I made my famous corn casserole and it was a hit. I tried this new cucumber salad recipe too! It is the perfect side dish for a bbq on a hot day!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

- 3 large cucumbers, cored and sliced

- 1 medium white onion, sliced

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 1/4 cup of mayo

- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar

- 2 large tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

- 1 teaspoon of sugar

- salt and pepper to taste

    In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, and pepper. Once combined, toss the cucumbers and onions in the mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

Family Time!!!!!

Bridget's Corn Chowder

    Nothing says end of summer like a good corn chowda! It's definitely one of my top ten favorite foods! I like to add ham to my recipe, it gives it a little something extra. This has been a great meal while camping! It makes a lot too. It could easily be frozen and defrosted later. You're going to love this decadent soup!

Bridget's Corn Chowder

 Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 3 tablespoons of flour

- 4 cups of chicken broth

- 1 cup water

- 2 bay leaves

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

- 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic

- 2 large potatoes, cut into cubes

- 2 (15 ounce) cans of whole kernel corn, drained

- 1 and 1/2 cup of diced fully cooked ham

- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream

    In a large heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Remove the onions from the pot and add the butter.  Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to create a roux. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes, letting it cook. Once it starts to smell nutty, slowly pour in the chicken broth and water while whisking. Next, add the cooked onions, bay leaves, salt, pepper, white pepper, garlic, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and let the potatoes cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the ham, corn, and whipping cream. Bring back to a simmer while stirring. Let cool for a few minutes, top with extra black pepper and serve.

I added oyster crackers!!

Honey Ginger Shrimp

    We totally loved these shrimp! It's late summer in Florida and fall is right around the corner! (I can't wait!!) It was just nice enough last week that we actually sat outside Tuesday evening and enjoyed dinner and the sunset. I've been on a ginger kick. I've been enjoying ginger chews by The Ginger People everyday, they are amazing. I steeped some fresh ginger with some lemon and fresh basil and I made homemade ginger tea! It's good for your digestion! The grated ginger in this shrimp recipe adds to the spicy sweet taste that I was going for, it was so yummy! I paired it with some easy coconut rice and sautéed Brussel sprouts!

Honey Ginger Shrimp

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of large raw deveined shrimp

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/3 cup of honey

- 1/4 cup of reduced sodium soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon of garlic

- 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger

- salt and pepper to taste

    Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Marinate the raw shrimp in the honey mixture for 30 minutes (or up to 5 hours). In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, place the shrimp into the skillet, salt and pepper them, and spoon a couple tablespoons of the marinade on top of them. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Flip the shrimp and cook on the other side until golden. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Figs

    These chicken thighs were fabulous! Figs are so delicious and so good for you. They're a good source of potassium and dietary fiber! This was the perfect recipe for me to try out my beautiful cast iron frying pan! I absolutely loved how crispy the skin was! You have to take a bite of the chicken with a bite of roasted fig, they are so sweet and perfectly compliment the dish.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Figs

Ingredients:

- 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 cup of chopped onion

- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic

- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano

- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch

- 1/4 cup of honey

- 8 large fresh figs, cut in half

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large oven safe frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper and then place the chicken thighs skin side down in the frying pan. Cook until skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip the thighs and cook for another few minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, honey, and cornstarch. Once it is mostly cooked, remove chicken from the pan, set aside, and drain all but 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pan. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the honey mixture to the pan and whisk in oregano. Cook for another minute or two and add some salt and pepper. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the figs and toss to coat. Place the chicken thighs skin side up back into the sauce. Place the whole pan into the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once chicken is cooked through, serve with figs and sauce!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

    Still on my quest to make and eat healthy food, I whipped up some healthy shrimp for dinner last week with baked tostones and green beans! The secret to the sauce is plain Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt has a creaminess that I love when making sauce. You could pretty much substitute it in any recipe that calls for sour cream or mayo! I used Trader Joe's brand of chili sauce and sriracha, it was fabulous!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 pound of deveined shrimp

- 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt

- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce

- 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce

- salt and pepper to taste

    In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and salt/ pepper.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and add shrimp. Cook for a few minutes until shrimp are cooked. Add the yogurt sauce to the shrimp and heat for another minute. Once hot, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

    I've been doing pretty good on my mission to eat healthier! I've taken little steps by eating at home instead of at work. Also, I've switched to using coconut sugar in place of regular sugar in my coffee, it's so good! I loved this chicken piccata recipe! Frankie and I had it for dinner this week with some fresh steamed corn on the cob and I whipped up some fresh coleslaw with greek yogurt and a little siracha. One thing I will say, you're going to want to use a non-stick or cast iron pan, I made the mistake of attempting it in a metal pan first and it didn't go so well, the parmesan stuck to the pan instead of the chicken. Round two in a non-stick pan went great. You're going to love this light lemony sauced chicken!

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

- 2 large chicken breasts, pounded flat

- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1/2 cup of onion or shallot, diced

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

- 1 cup of chicken broth

- 2 tablespoons of capers

- juice of 1 lemon

- salt and pepper to taste

    Take two large chicken breasts and pound them flat with a meat pounder (I carefully used a full bottle of wine). Lightly salt and pepper each breast and then toss them in the grated parmesan cheese. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and cook the chicken until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for a few minutes, until the liquid has reduced to half. Toss in the capers, lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the pan heat for a minute, top with a little more parmesan, and enjoy.

Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs

    It's been a rough couple weeks. I've been battling back problems and it looks like I'm going to have to clean up my diet a bit and loose some weight. So, here it goes! Who would have thought how good healthy meatballs could taste! You are going to want to cook and mash your sweet potato ahead of time. These would be great as an appetizer or served over pasta! You could even make a meatball sub with them! I made a batch and put half of them in the freezer for later.

Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of mashed sweet potato
- 1 pound of ground turkey
- 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste 
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients. Form into 2 inch meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake meatballs for about 35- 40 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

    I am so so so in love with this banana bread recipe! My secret to this moist bread lies in the prepping of my bananas. I freeze them first! Pop your ripe bananas into the freezer and let them get brown for a day or two before you plan on making your bread! When the time comes to bake your bread, take your bananas out of the freezer and let them sit out to defrost for about an hour. I like to add chocolate chips and walnuts to mine, but this recipe is still wonderful without them!

Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients:

- 3 ripe bananas (frozen, thawed, and mashed)

- 3/4 cup of sugar

- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 and 1/2 cup of flour

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips (additional for topping)

- 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts (additional for topping)

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside. With a wooden spoon, stir together the banana, sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with extra chocolate chips and walnuts if desired. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and run a butter knife around the edges of loaf before extracting from the pan. Serve warm with butter!

Breakfast Biscuit Casserole

    Every summer St. John's sends a group of kids to camp for a week! Some of my greatest memories of summer and finding faith in God were cultivated there! I had the pleasure of making brunch for this year's group of camp-bound kiddos! This breakfast casserole is so unbelievably easy to make and so delish!

Breakfast Biscuit Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1 large tube of refrigerated biscuit dough
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup of milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of cooked sausage crumbles
- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut each biscuit into small pieces and spread evenly into prepared baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over biscuits, then layer the sausage and cheese on top. Bake casserole for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Ready for summer camp!!!!!

Fluffy Sour Cream Pancakes

    I adore sitting around the house on Saturday mornings making pancakes and watching TV. I got a good deal on blueberries this week, so I've been using them in everything! These fluffy pancakes are fantastic! You'd never guess that they were made with sour cream.

Fluffy Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cup of flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1 and 1/4 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- blueberries, chocolate chips, or desired toppings
    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, milk, sour cream, egg, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated griddle, top with blueberries and cook until golden brown. Repeat with all of the batter. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Buffalo Chicken Sausage Sandwiches

    I've finally moved to Orlando! I started at my new Carrabba's last week and so far, so good! I'm enjoying making money and not over exhausting myself working two jobs. The best part of being here though is seeing Frankie everyday! I still can't believe we are finally doing this together, I don't know if I've ever felt quite so blessed. This sandwich recipe is wonderful and we enjoyed them for dinner this week with some veggies and baked sweet potatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Sausage Sandwiches

Ingredients:
- 4 chicken sausages
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 3 tablespoons of hot sauce
- 1 celery stalk, sliced into pieces
- blue cheese dressing, find my recipe here
- hamburger rolls
    Cook chicken sausage according to directions, slice, and set aside. To make the buffalo sauce, whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce. Layer the celery, blue cheese dressing, chicken, sausage, and buffalo sauce on the hamburger rolls. Serve and enjoy immediately!

Blue Cheese Dressing

    In the last few years, I've developed a taste for blue cheese! Who knew that mold could taste so delicious?! You could quickly whip up a batch to top your favorite salad or for dipping buffalo wings! It can be made ahead, and it's probably a good idea! If you refrigerate it overnight, it will give the flavors time to meld. You will definitely love this recipe!

Blue Cheese Dressing

 Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of milk (or more)
- 5 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
    Whisk all ingredients together and chill for a few hours before serving.

Cannoli Dip

    I am sad to say that a couple of weeks ago the world lost a beautiful person. I remember Ms. Andrea growing up and her children are good friends of mine. She was always such an encouraging woman with a passion for her children and an adventurous spirit. I think the thing that I will remember the most about her was her positive outlook on things. We will all be missing her smile, hugs, and kind words.  I was glad to help get together some refreshments with her family and friends last week. We had a lovely visit where we all remembered her. This Cannoli Dip recipe was everything I'd hope it would be. A rich and decadent dessert, perfect for a crowd and perfect for summertime!

Cannoli Dip

Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) package of ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
- 1 and 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of mini chocolate chips, divided
- waffle cones to serve
    With an electric mixer, cream together the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Once completely combined, fold in 3/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Sprinkle the remaining chips on top and serve with waffle cone pieces or cookies.