Cheesecake Strawberries

    I can see it now. I see my family and friends splashing in the pool. I see the sun shining and beer flowing. It's the time of year to host barbecues! I am definitely going to be making these little strawberry bites all summer long, they are so good! This recipe makes about a dozen strawberries. You could easily double or triple this recipe for a crowd! Cheers to another Florida summer y'all!

Cheesecake Strawberries

Ingredients:

- 4 ounces (1/2 block) of cream cheese, softened

- 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 12 strawberries

- 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs

    With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into a piping bag. With a paring knife, cut out the tops of the strawberries and the bottoms to make a flat surface so they will stand up. Pipe the cheesecake filling into each strawberry and roll in graham cracker crumbs. Chill until you are ready to serve.

Coconut Milk Chia Popsicles

    These popsicles are so flipping good and they are pretty good for you too! Coconut milk can be great for helping lower cholesterol and controlling blood sugar levels. Everyone knows that chia seeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet. Not only are they are loaded with fiber, protein and antioxidants, but they are high in Omega-3 fatty acids. The full fat coconut milk freezes perfectly for popsicles! They are almost creamy right out of the freezer! I used strawberries and bananas in my pops, but I will definitely be experimenting with different fruits. I'll definitely be making these often!

Coconut Milk Chia Popsicles

Ingredients:

- 1 (15 ounce) can of full fat coconut milk

- 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of chia seeds

- fresh fruit of your choice (bananas are the best!!!)

    Pour the coconut milk into a bowl and add the honey and vanilla. Whisk together until the honey has dissolved. Mix in the chia seeds and let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes to let the seeds soak. Place pieces of fruit into popsicle molds fill halfway with chia mixture. Put a few more pieces of fruit and then fill all the way with chia mixture. Freeze for several hours or overnight. This recipe made 6 popsicles in my mold. When ready to eat, run warm water over the molds and they should come out easily.

Baked Garlic Ricotta

    This is such an easy little appetizer! I whipped this up in minutes last night for my hunnie and I to enjoy with a glass of wine. I love popping out to the garden and snipping a few sprigs of fresh rosemary! It's funny because I never liked ricotta cheese. I've just recently started expanding my cheese horizons, I didn't know what I was missing! Served warm with crackers or toasted ciabatta, this recipe is a winner.

Baked Garlic Ricotta

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of whole milk ricotta cheese

- 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1 teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

- salt and pepper to taste

- ciabatta or crackers for serving

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with non stick cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Once completely combined, pour mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with additional rosemary and olive oil. Serve warm, spread on crackers or toasted ciabatta.

Blueberry Curd

    This was a divine filling for a coconut cake that I made for my friend Lynda's birthday! We also spread it with cream cheese on our bagels and last weekend I used it to top some challah french toast! It's spreadable blueberry!

Blueberry Curd

Ingredients:

- 2 cups frozen blueberries

- 1 tablespoon of water 

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter

- 1 teaspoon of lime zest

- 2 eggs, beaten

    In a saucepan heat the blueberries and water for about 10 minutes. Let it come to a boil and mash them in the pan while they cook. Remove the berry juice from the heat and pour through a mesh strainer. Squish all of the juice out of the berries. You want to end up with 3/4 cup of juice. Now, over a double boiler, whisk together the blueberry juice, eggs, sugar, and zest. Whisk constantly, until mixture is very warm. Melt the butter, one tablespoon at a time into the mixture. Once the butter is completely melted and combined, the mixture should be thickening. Remove from the heat and chill until ready to use. 

No Churn Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

    This is the easiest homemade ice cream! I whipped it up last weekend for our barbecue. You really don't need an ice cream machine to make delicious ice cream at home. What's the ultimate ice cream topping? Oreos, of course!

No Churn Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream

- 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

- 20 (or more) Oreo cookies, crushed

    With an electric mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the sweetened condensed milk and Oreos into the whipped cream, reserving some cookies for the top. Once completely combined, pour into container, top with remaining Oreos, and freeze for several hours. Scoop and enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

    You can definitely feel summer approaching here in Florida! Nothing says summer like sunshine and popsicles! If your childhood was anything like mine, you remember orange creamsicles! They are orange popsicles filled with vanilla ice cream. AKA amazing! I decided to try and recreate the deliciousness in cake form for our little barbecue this weekend. I was not disappointed with this moist, orangey, delicious cake!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 box of white cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake

- 1 cup of orange juice 

- 1 box of orange jello

- water to make jello

- 1 and 1/2 cup of whipping cream

- 1 cup of milk

- 1 package of vanilla pudding mix

- mandarin oranges to garnish

    Bake cake according to package directions, replacing the water with orange juice. (I used butter instead of oil as well) Once cake has baked and cooled, take a large fork and poke holes throughout the cake. Prepare the jello as instructed on package. Pour the jello over the cooled cake and make sure to let the jello soak into the holes in the cake. Pop the jello cake into the refrigerator to let chill for an hour or two. When ready to serve, whip the whipping cream to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, mix together the pudding mix and milk. Fold the pudding mix into the whipped cream. Pipe or spread the mixture on top of cooled cake and serve! 

 

Corn Casserole

    I had the best weekend! Not only did I get to go camping with some of my amazing friends at Ginnie, but (not one, but TWO!) two of my best friends got to visit me this weekend! This corn casserole was so easy to whip up the night before our camping trip! I just baked it and wrapped the pan in heavy duty aluminum foil and put it on the grill to heat up! It was so good that I made it again for our barbecue Saturday!

Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 (15 ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained

- 1 (14 ounce) can of creamed corn

- 1/4 cup of flour

- 1/4 cup of sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter

- 1 cup of milk or half & half

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together until completely combined. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until top is golden and caramelized.

We ate it all!!!!!