April Fools Berry Soda

Picture and recipe from Taste of home

Don't forget tomorrow is April fools! This drink would be

perfect for April fools. Another idea is to mix up your meals

like serving dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.

Happy pranking!

2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry gelatin
3/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions
Prepare gelatin according to package directions. Refrigerate until partially set, about 2 hours. Stir in berries. Pour into six tall drink or soda glasses. Insert a straw into each glass. Refrigerate until set. Yield: 6 servings.

Pumpkin Snack Muffins

1 1/2 cups oats (ground in a food processor for 2-3 minutes)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup honey

1 cup canned pumpkin
2 T. chopped almonds or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet

ingredients. Mix together. Add nuts. Stir well. Scoop into muffin tins.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

We have a winner!

The spring surprise winner is Audrie!! Congrats!

Please e-mail me your mailing info. to:
brysonmelissa@hotmail.com

Thanks everyone for playing. Look for more giveaways
coming soon!

Healthy Veggie Tostadas

Corn tortillas
Refried Beans

Toppings:

Cheese, shredded
Lettuce, shredded
Pico de gallo
Salsa
Avocado, chopped
Fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 450. Spray both sides of the corn
tortillas with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a
baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese on top of tortillas
and bake for 5 to 8 minutes until cheese is melted.
Prepare your toppings. Heat up the refried beans
in a microwave safe bowl. Stir. Take a corn tortilla
and spread refried beans over the top and add whatever
toppings you like.

Bunny's Favorite Pizza

Recipe and picture from Very Best Baking

1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Bar Dough
18 NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGERS or CRUNCH Nest Eggs, unwrapped

and cut in half
NESTLÉ NESQUIK Chocolate Flavor Syrup
Colored candy sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease a 9-inch-round baking pan.
Press 20 squares of dough onto bottom of prepared pan.
Arrange Nestlé Nest Eggs evenly over dough. Crumble remaining
dough over Nestlé Nest Eggs; lightly press down on dough.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden and wooden
pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into wedges
when completely cooled. Drizzle with Nesquik and sprinkle
with candy sprinkles before serving.

Blueberry & Banana Salad

2 cups sliced bananas
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
½ cup miniature marshmallows
1 Tbsp flaked coconut
½ cup sour cream

In a bowl, combine the bananas, blueberries oranges,
marshmallows and coconut. Gently fold in the sour cream.
Refrigerate.

It's that time again......

It's time for a spring surprise

giveaway from This Mama Loves

to Cook. Just leave a comment

by March 31st to enter the giveaway.

I'm not telling or showing what I'm

giving away but it will be something

fun for you to use in the kitchen. :)

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
4 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup cold whole milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brush on top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine Bisquick and cold butter.

Don't combine too thoroughly. There should be small chunks

of butter about the size of peas. Add cheddar, milk

and 1/4 tsp garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but

don't over mix. Drop 9 equal portions onto greased

cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are light brown.
Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp garlic powder

and parsley flakes. Use a pastry brush to spread garlic butter

over tops of biscuits.

Recipe and picture from RecipeZaar

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups of hot long grain rice
2 small limes (or 1 large lime)
1 teaspoon lime zest, minced
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

Once your rice is cooked fluff with fork. Add lime
juice, zest, cilantro and salt. Stir well. Serve warm.

Rainbow Fruit

Here's a really healthy snack for St. Patricks Day (or any day). A

Rainbow fruit platter! I've seen this on other blogs and thought

it was such a cute idea. My boys loved it! It's super simple to do.

You just take different colored fruits of your choice and make a

rainbow. You can also put some gold coins at the end of your rainbow.

Marinated pork tenderloin

This is a delicious recipe I tried out from allrecipes.com last week. The whole family LOVED it! Sweet, tender, and tasty.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry(I omitted this)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins


Place soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, dried onion, cinnamon, olive oil, and a touch of garlic powder in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal, and shake to mix. Place pork in bag with marinade, seal, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.

Preheat grill for high heat.

Lightly oil grate. Place tenderloins on grill, and discard marinade. Cook 20 minutes, or to desired doneness. Slice into medallions, and serve.

Taste a Rainbow Cupcake

Here is a cute St. Patrick's Day Treat from Family Fun

Ingredients:
White cake mix
Food coloring (red, blue, green, and yellow)
Baking cups
Whipped cream

Instructions:
Prepare your favorite white cake mix, then divide the

batter evenly among six small bowls. Following the color

chart below, dye each bowl of batter a rainbow color.

RAINBOW Colors:
DROPS OF FOOD COLORING
Purple - 9 red and 6 blue drops
Blue-12 drops
Green-12 drops
Yellow-12 drops
Orange-12 yellow and 4 red drops
Red-18 drops

Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute

the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so

on, following the order shown. As you go, gently spread

each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the

color underneath. Bake the cupcakes according to your

recipe directions. Before serving, remove the paper

wrapping, and if you like, top each cupcake with a

whipped-cream cloud.

Chicken Santa Fe

One 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
One small bag frozen sweet corn
1 cup bottled chunky salsa
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, cut into chunks
1 cup shredded cheddar

In a crock pot mix beans, corn and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken
and pour remaining salsa over the chicken. Cover and cook on
HIGH for 3 hours, or until chicken is cooked throughout.
Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Return chicken to crock pot along with cream cheese. Stir and let
cream cheese melt into the mixture to create a creamy sauce.

When ready to serve top with cheese. You can serve the

chicken & sauce over rice or make tacos with it.

Berry Blue Cheese Spread

½ c. dried blueberries
1 c. boiling water
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. blue cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. coarsely chopped pecans
Assorted whole grain crackers

Place dried berries in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over
berries. Let stand 1 minute. Drain; set aside.In a large mixing
bowl beat cream cheese and blue cheese with an electric mixer
on medium speed until nearly smooth. Stir in drained berries,
green onions, and garlic just until combined. Transfer spread
to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.
To serve, sprinkle with pecans and serve with crackers.

Had this yummy dip at a Relief Society meeting last week.
Thanks Mary Lavook for the recipe!

Beef Stroganoff

3/4 lb ground round (I just used ground beef)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
16 oz bow tie pasta, cooked al dente

Saute ground round, onion, and garlic.  Add mushrooms; cook 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in salt, pepper, and rosemary; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.  Add soup and heat.  Stir in sour cream; heat, but do not boil.  Arrange pasta around edges of a large platter; spoon stroganoff into center.

Clam and Potato Chowder

1/2 pint shucked clams (8 oz) or 6 1/2 oz can minced clams
Water if needed
1 medium potato, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped shallots or onion (about 4 medium shallots or 1 medium onion)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/8 tsp pepper
2 12-oz cans evaporated milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram
1 teaspoon thyme

Chop shucked clams, reserving juice.  Set clams aside.  Strain clam juice to remove bits of shell.  (Or drain canned clams, reserving juice.)  If necessary, add water to clam juice to equal 1 cup.

In a medium saucepan, combine clam juice, potato, turnip, shallots, bouillon cube, and pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in 2 1/2 cups of mild.  Increase heat to medium.  Combine remaining milk and flour.  Whisk until smooth.  Add to potato mixture in saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Stir in clams.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Stir in herbs just before serving.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I tried this out the other night.  It was an easy, delicious side dish.

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Girl Scout cookie recipes

Check out the Girl Scout website for recipes that use
yummy Girl Scout cookies.

I can't wait to try these Samoa Kiss Brownies:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
¾ cup melted butter
Mini Chocolate Kisses
¾ cup caramels, melted
½ package Samoas
Coconut



Mix cake mix, evaporated milk and butter. Pour half of mixture
into a 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350° for six minutes. Sprinkle one
cup Kisses on top. Spread melted caramel over Kisses. Add
½ box crushed Samoas and one tablespoon toasted coconut.
Pour remaining cake batter on top and bake 10 minutes.
Drizzle with melted Kisses and sprinkle with coconut.