Marshmallow Fruit Dip

"I love this dip that my Mom makes!  It's yummy served with any fruit, but especially with strawberries and apples!"

 

1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1-(13 ounce) or 2-(7 ounce) Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.  Serve with your favorite cut-up fruit.



Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Potato Salad

"My Mom makes this creamy potato salad for many of our family dinners.  It's so good and I love the crispy bacon and cool buttermilk ranch dressing!"

8-9 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks (My Mom peels the potatoes, but I like to leave the peels on.)

1 medium onion, diced

4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Hidden Valley Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, to taste (I used about 3/4 cup)

1-(2.4 ounce) container Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon pieces 

salt and pepper, to taste

Boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  In a large bowl, combine drained potatoes, diced onions and chopped hard-boiled eggs.  Add desired amount of buttermilk dressing, bacon pieces and salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!

 

Mixed Berry Sangria

"We grow our own raspberries and they are a delicious addition to this refreshing drink.  Mix some up and enjoy it at your next barbecue!" 

 

1.5 quart bottle Arbor Mist White Zinfandel Exotic Fruits, or your favorite white wine

11.5 ounce can Welch's Berry Sunsplash frozen concentrate, or any berry juice concentrate

mixture of cut up fruits (for example; nectarines, apples, oranges, grapes, raspberries, etc.)

1 liter bottle 7-up or Sprite

In a large pitcher, mix together white wine, juice concentrate and cut up fruits.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend together.  Just before serving, stir in 7-up or Sprite.  ENJOY!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my cousins' kiddos' birthdays this Summer. They turned out so Yummy and cute! Hopefully you will try them and bring a little bit of sunshine into your kitchen!

Lemon Cupcakes:
1 white cake mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White cake mix.)
water, oil and eggs called for on the box (I also added flour for High Altitude directions.)
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to temperature called for on package.  Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tins.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Add lemon extract.  Divide batter evenly, filling each cupcake liner 2/3 full.  Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with Pink Lemonade Butter-Cream Icing (recipe follows).

Pink Lemonade Butter-Cream Icing:

2 sticks or 1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of shortening

2 pound bag of powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red food coloring

jellied fruit slices (I used yellow and red colored jellied candies.)

colored sugar sprinkles (I used yellow and pink colored sugars.)

Cream together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add lemon and vanilla extracts and enough red food coloring to dye icing a light pink color.  Frost cupcakes using decorating bag with #20 star tip.  Begin icing from the outside edge and work your way into the center by swirling icing around the cupcake.  Sprinkle frosting with colored sugar and place a jellied fruit slice on top.  Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.



"PINK LEMONADE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD!"

To see more yummy cupcake recipes, please visit my Kandy's Kupcakes page:

http://kandyskitchenkreations.blogspot.com/p/kandys-kupcakes.html

Roast Pork Au Jus Sandwiches

"I made these sandwiches with leftover pork pot roast that I had made the night before.  They turned out even better than I had imagined!  The dijon-mayo is a perfect condiment for this sandwich and it goes so well with the pork and au jus that you serve on the side to dip your sandwiches into.  YUM!"  

"OMG is all I can say"

Leftover Pork Pot Roast, sliced (From Perfect Pork Pot Roast Recipe*)

Hoagie rolls

olive oil

Shredded Mozzarella cheese or Mozzarella slices, desired amount

mayonnaise, desired amount

Dijon mustard, desired amount

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place open-faced hoagie rolls on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Brush rolls with olive oil.  (This will help the bread to toast to a golden brown.)  On one side of the rolls, place Mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasted and golden brown and cheese is melted.  While bread is toasting, mix together desired amounts of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard to make Dijon-mayo sauce.  Remove rolls from the oven and spread Dijon-mayo on side of bread without cheese.  Layer slices of pork roast onto bread.  Serve sandwich with Au Jus (Recipe follows.)

Au Jus 

Leftover Gravy (From Perfect Pork Pot Roast Recipe*)

Beef Broth, desired amount to thin gravy into an Au Jus for dipping

In a saucepan, heat leftover gravy with desired amount of beef broth.  Serve as dip for sandwiches.

To view recipe for Perfect Pork Pot Roast:
http://kandyskitchenkreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/perfect-pork-pot-roast.html

Perfect Pork Pot Roast

"I came up with this recipe because I had a pork roast in the freezer and wanted to make a nice dinner for my husband. This pot roast turns out so tender and delicious and it even makes it's own gravy!"

1 (3 to 3-1/2 pound) boneless pork loin roast

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1-1/2 cups low sodium beef broth

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water

1 ( .6 ounce) packet of Knorr Au Jus Gravy Mix*

1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon Weber Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

1 bay leaf

5-6 Yukon gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, diced into large chunks

3 carrots, unpeeled and sliced

In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot, pour in oil.  Heat to High.  Place roast into pan and brown or sear roast on all sides. While roast is browning, mix together beef broth, cream of chicken soup, water, Au Jus packet, chicken bouillon, basil and Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning in a bowl and set aside. Add onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf to pot with roast. Pour beef broth mixture over roast and vegetables. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer on medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Add potatoes and carrots to pot and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium heat for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf. Slice roast and serve with vegetables and gravy.

*If you can't find Knorr Au Jus Gravy Mix ( .6 ounce packet), you can substitute the equivalent amount of another brand.  For example, if you use McCormick Au Jus Gravy Mix (1 ounce packet), then only use about 2/3 of the packet so the gravy doesn't become too salty.

Macaroni with Cracker Crumbs

"Everyone in my Family loves this recipe.  Every time I eat it I'm reminded of being a little girl when my grandma and mom would make it for me and my sister.  It's definitely

COMFORT FOOD!" 

1/2 pound or 1/2 of a 1 pound box of pasta (I used Rotini, but you can use any shape of noodle that you prefer.)
1 sleeve saltine crackers or 1/4 of a 1 pound package, crushed*
1 stick or 1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare pasta, following package directions.  Cook until tender, about 10-11 minutes.  Drain.  Melt butter in a saute pan.  Add drained pasta and stir.  Add crushed crackers and mix together until all pasta is covered with cracker crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Makes 4 servings.

*TIP:  You can use a food processor to make the cracker crumbs or you can place the crackers in a resealable bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.

YUM!