MMMmm Monday and Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

It is Fall, and all around you will find PUMPKINS!! They are everywhere, so why not put one on your table for dessert? This Libby’s recipe is by far the easiest and tastiest one I have used. Just follow the directions and it is sure to be a hit! The great thing about this recipe is it’s wonderful to rollover into the Winter Holidays.
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
This recipe and more can be found at: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/libbys-pumpkin-roll-with-cream-cheese-filling/detail.aspx .

Mmmm Monday and Tomatoes and Feta Salad!

I don’t know about you, but when it is this hot, I am not in the mood for heavy food. I am all about salads and appetizers. The heat just zaps my energy, so here is a recipe that embraces all of those tomatoes that are now falling off the vines, and is super light and easy!

• Ingredients:
• 4 pints grape tomatoes, or any homegrown tomatoes
• 2 red onions, diced
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 pounds feta cheese

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Toss. Crumble the feta and blend into the salad. I served at room temperature, but it also tastes great chilled!
I got this recipe from the food network, but I altered it a little to fit my own taste! You can always add your favorite vinaigrette dressing in leui of the vinegar and olive oil. I encourage you to do the same!

Mmmm Mondays and a Sweet Smoothie!

With the days still in the red, it is always a good time to come up with a COOL recipe to take off some of the heat! An ice cold smoothie is a great way to quench your thirst. Although some smoothies can come with extra calories, this smoothie, despite is name is actually low in calories! Make it even more scrumptious!
Strawberry Smoothie
Makes 1 smoothie:
In a blender combine 4oz bottled water, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 cup of fat-free yogurt, 2 tbsp. of honey, 1 graham cracker, a sprinkle of cinnamon and 1 cup of ice. Blend until smooth, and ENJOY!!
For an added bonus, you can add your favorite clear liquor for a Girl’s Night Out treat!

Mmm Mondays and the Start of Summer!

And so begins the start of summer and the long lazy days of heat and sun!! Start your endless days off right with this healthy but yummy pizza right off the grill! Who says you can’t grill a pizza?  The crust is a little crisper and everything tastes better on the grill, right?

Ingredients:

•1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
•1 cup zucchini, sliced
•1 red or yellow bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and sliced
•½ cup freshly sliced mushrooms
•½ cup KC Masterpiece® Garlic & Herb Marinade
•1 container (11 ounces) pizza dough
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•½ cup Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing
•4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
•¼ cup KC Masterpiece® Original Barbecue Sauce
•2½ tablespoons freshly chopped oregano
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, toss the onion, zucchini, peppers and mushrooms together with the KC Masterpiece® Garlic & Herb Marinade. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and edges are browned. This can be done a day in advance.

Preheat the grill.

On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out dough into a 15-inch circle. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lay dough onto grill, oil side down. Cover and grill over medium coals, about 3 minutes or until dough is puffed and underside is browned. Using tongs, turn pizza over and quickly spread the top with the dressing. Sprinkle the cheese, vegetables and chicken over the dressing and cover.

Grill another 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and underside of pizza is browned. Use tongs to slide onto cutting board.

And of course, enjoy!!

For more information on this recipe and others, check out the website at

http://www.grilling.com/food/recipe/

Mmmm Mondays and Strawberries!

With May comes one of my favorite rituals! Picking strawberries! I have fond memories of my daughter eating more than she picked and walking around with a strawberry in each hand. So for todays, Mmmm Monday, I am choosing an easy, but super sweet strawberry recipe! Enjoy!!

Strawberry Shortcake Sliders
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
6 cups stemmed fresh local strawberries, divided
1 cup simple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar

Directions
Sift flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. With a fork or pastry cutter, cut in butter to fine particles. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups cream (enough so that dough holds together and is soft but not sticky). On a floured surface, knead dough lightly a few times to form a ball. Pat into a 1/2-inch-thick circle. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 15 minutes. Heat oven to 400°F. With a 2-inch round cutter, cut dough into 12 circles. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake 15-20 minutes or until golden.
In a saucepan, simmer 4 cups strawberries with simple syrup until jam-like consistency; cool. Slice remaining strawberries. Whip 3/4 cup cream with vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form.
To serve, cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Place 3 shortcake bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top with cooked strawberries, whipped cream and sliced strawberries, dividing ingredients evenly. Place tops on shortcakes; dust with confectioner’s sugar! A perfect sweet treat for those ohh so lovely hand-picked strawberries!

photo from Simply Recipes

Mmm Mondays and Fish Tacos!

Cinco De Mayo is just a few days away and what better ay to celebrate than with a traditional Mexican Meal? Why not try these Fish Tacos?
Fish Tacos
Ingredients
• 1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups panko crumbs
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 2 cups 3 color coleslaw blend
• 1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 (7 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
Directions
Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed. To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.
To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.
Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing. Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.  Enjoy!!

Mmm Mondays and Corn Salsa

Spring has sprung and fresh vegetables are on their way! There is nothing like a great salsa and chips! Serve this up and enjoy a sunny afternoon listening to the birds and kids play!

Tomato and Corn Salsa
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1 1/4 cup diced peeled jicama
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 large red bell pepper –diced
1 jalape?o (seeded if desired) –minced
1 firm ripe avocado –diced
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon of sugar

PREPARATION:
I usually cut the ingredients the same size as the corn kernels for the best presentation. This can be served right away or refrigerated overnight for the flavors to develop.

Place the corn, jicama, onions, bell pepper, jalapeño, avocado, oil, lime juice, cilantro, vinegar, salt, cumin and sugar in a bowl. Toss them well to mix. Taste; adjust the lime juice and seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well before serving.

Enjoy!!