Red, White, and Blue Strawberries

Check out these super cute strawberries
from Rachel Ray.
Dip strawberries into melted white
chocolate and roll in blue-colored sugar.

Smores on a stick

I got this cute idea from Whimsical Creations

My boys had a blast making these.

Ingredients:
large marshmallows
melting chocolate
graham crackers
sprinkles
lollipop sticks

Crush graham crackers and add sprinkles.
Put a lollipop stick in each marshmallow.
Melt chocolate and dip marshmallow in
the chocolate and roll in graham crackers.
Place on a cookie sheet and put in the fridge
for the chocolate to set up.

Pretzel Sparklers

Make this cute treat for the 4th of July

Idea and picture from Martha Stewart

Zesty Penne

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked,
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 each green and red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile,
cook sausage in a large skillet on medium heat for
about 8 min. or until done. Add bell
peppers; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Stir in
spaghetti sauce. Cook until heated through. Add
cream cheese and cook until melted, stirring frequently.
Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture. Mix together
and top with Parmesan cheese.

(Printable Recipe)

Lemonade

Better Homes and Garden has

some great mix in ideas for lemonade.

I can't wait to try the blackberry lemonade

and the raspberry lemonade.

Check here for more

ideas.

BBQ Potatoes

-4 medium red potatoes, cut
into 3/4-inch cubes
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-2 tablespoons McCormick Grill
Mates Barbecue Seasoning
or 2 tablespoons McCormick
Grill MatesRoasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning
-1 large onion, cut into thin wedges



1. Toss potatoes with oil in large bowl. Add Seasoning;
toss to coat evenly.
2. Place potatoes and onions on large wide sheet of
heavy duty foil. Bring up foil sides; double fold top
and ends to tightly seal packet.
3. Grill over medium-high heat 30 to 35 minutes or
until potatoes are tender, turning packet over halfway
through cook time.

Recipe and picture from McCormick

Father's Day Cakes

Matt from Tiepedia emailed me about some

Father's day cakes he had on his site. Click here

to check out some of the cute cakes you could make

for your dad.

Very easy thumbprint cookies

1 (17 1/2 ounce) package Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
3 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup raspberry jam (or any flavor you prefer)

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix,
butter, egg and flour until soft dough forms.
Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls; place 2-inches
apart on a greased cookie sheet. Using thumb
make indentation in center of each cookie.
Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon jam into each indentation.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden
brown.

Broccoli Orange Stir-Fry

Recipe and picture from Uncle Ben's

Check out their site for more yummy and

healthy recipes.

Ingredients
1 package UNCLE BEN’S Whole Grain White Long Grain
1/2 lb. chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
2 heads broccoli florets cut
1 can mandarin oranges (6.1 oz.), reserve half the syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oil

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. Add oil to large saute pan and heat over medium high heat.
3. Add chicken, broccoli and soy sauce to pan and stir-fry until chicken is cooked.
4. Add mandarin oranges with half the syrup. Cook another 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.
5. Serve stir-fry mixture over rice

Guilt free Pita pizzas

Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes

1 pkg. flatbread pitas (the flatbread without the "pocket")
pizza sauce
turkey pepperoni
zucchini, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
mozzarella cheese, shredded
tomatoes, sliced
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

On the flatbread, layer the pizza sauce, pepperoni, zucchini,

mushrooms and cheese. Place sliced tomatoes over the top.

Sprinkle on Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese then

bake at 375-degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

Brazilian Lemonade

4 limes, washed
6 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
14 ice cubes, plus more for serving

Divide all ingredients half. Cut off ends of
each lime and cut each into 8 wedges.
Place one half of the ingredients in a
blender & blend for 20 seconds. Strain, to
remove peel then pour onto a pitcher.
Blend & strain the remaining half of the
ingredients & add pitcher. Mix well & serve
immediately over ice.

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

This is such a yummy pasta dish. My family

loves it. Thanks Wendy for the recipe!

1 box of jumbo shells cooked until slightly al dente
(you still want it to be firm so you can stuff them
they will cook in the oven)
12-16 oz. of Italian sausage cooked and drained
15 oz. of ricotta cheese
12-16 oz. of frozen spinach
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tsp. of oregano
2 eggs -beaten
salt and pepper to taste
spaghetti sauce

Cook Italian sausage. Once cooked you can put in a food
processor and grind up so it is fine and not so chunky.
Add the rest of ingredients except spaghetti sauce.
Heat over over medium heat until everything is mixed together.
Then stuff the shells. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a
thin layer of spaghetti sauce and place the stuffed shells in the pan.
Once you have filled all of the shells cover them with spaghetti sauce.
Cover with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for
20 minutes. Remove foil and cover with 1 cup of mozzarella
cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tomato Bruschetta

French bread cut 1/2 inch thick
2 tomatoes, cut in small cubes
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Slice bread and brush oil on one side. Broil briefly until it
starts to brown. Watch it carefully because it browns quickly.
In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, olive oil,
and little garlic salt and pepper to taste.
Spread a spoonful on toasted rounds and serve.

One Pan Cheesy Tortellini

1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 pound ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 cup sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated or fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large deep skillet. Drain. Add the marinara sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes . Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tortellini, cover and simmer another 7-8 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove lid, sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Let cool for 5 minutes. Cheese will be melted on top. Serve and enjoy!

Teriyaki Pita Pockets

4 boneless chicken breasts
Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large can pineapple slices, drained

1 pkg. pita pockets

Lettuce leaves

Marinate chicken in 2/3 cup marinade in a large plastic

bag for 20 minutes, turning bag over once. Stir together

mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon marinade; set aside.
Grill chicken. Add pineapple slices to grill; brush pineapple

and chicken with 1-1/2 tablespoons marinade. Cook

4-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the

center and pineapple is golden brown, turning pineapple

over once and brushing with 1/2 tablespoon marinade.

Cut each pineapple slice and chicken into bite size pieces.

Spread inside of each pita half with mayonnaise mixture.

Arrange lettuce, chicken and pineapple in each pita half.