Stuffed Strawberries

"Strawberries stuffed with almond cream cheese buttercream.  Need I say more!!! 

"These strawberries are perfect for showers, parties or barbecues.  They are always a hit!" 

2 pounds of strawberries

Almond cream cheese buttercream (Recipe follows) 

 

Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream:

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup of butter, softened

1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon almond flavoring

2 drops of red food coloring, if desired

 

Cream together cream cheese and butter.  Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined.  Add milk and almond flavoring.  Color with food coloring, if desired.  Place in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and set aside.  (I keep the piping bag of buttercream refrigerated until I'm ready to stuff the strawberries so that it won't get too soft.)

To assemble Stuffed Strawberries:
Wash and hull strawberries.  (I used a melon baller to hull the strawberries.)  Cut a small amount off of the bottom of the strawberries so that they will stand up on the platter.  Pipe desired amount of buttercream into the strawberries.*  Serve immediately.

*TIP:  If you have leftover buttercream, you can freeze it until the next time you want to make Stuffed Strawberries or you can use the leftover to frost a cake or ice cinnamon rolls.

 

'Ready for Stuffing'

Tater Tot Casserole

"My husband loves 'meat and potato' dinners so I asked my Mom to share this recipe with me.  I made it for my hubby and he loved it!  He even said that it reminded him of a dinner that his Mom used to make him when he was a little boy.  He couldn't have given me a better compliment!  I hope that your 'meat and potato' husband loves it too."

"A perfect Meat and Potato Dinner!"

 

2 pounds lean ground beef*

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 small onion, diced

1 (32 ounce) package of frozen tater tots

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of Campbell's condensed Golden Mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Press ground beef into the bottom of a 13x9 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle Worcestershire sauce over ground beef.  Layer on onion.  Top with tater tots.  Spoon soup over tater tots and spread evenly.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and top casserole with cheese.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  ENJOY!

 

*TIP:  Make sure that you use lean ground beef or the casserole will be greasy.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

 

"Don't you just love Italian food!"

1 pound package angel hair pasta or spaghetti noodles

2 jars of pasta sauce, your favorite variety

 

Meatballs

2 pounds hamburger

1/2 cup bread crumbs, Italian style

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes or if desired you may use 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely

 

Mix all meatball ingredients together and form into meatballs that are about 2-inches in diameter.*  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning over 1/2 way through the cooking time.  

 

While meatballs are baking, prepare pasta according to package directions; drain noodles and keep warm until ready to serve.  In a large saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat.  When meatballs are finished cooking, add them to the pasta sauce and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Serve meatballs with sauce over pasta.  Sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.  Serve with garlic bread and a green salad for a delicious Italian meal.

 

*TIP:  To form into evenly sized meatballs, you can use a medium sized ice cream scoop.    

 

Recipe featured on Gooseberry Patch's Blog

"I'm so excited!   Another one of the recipes from my blog was featured on the Gooseberry Patch Blog this week!  The recipe featured was another one of my Mom's yummy desserts.  Her delicious Sour Cream Banana Cake with Caramel Icing was one of the 12 Fresh-Picked Recipes! featured.  Thanks for sharing Mom!"

Sour cream banana cake with caramel icing


 

Visit Gooseberry Patch's Blog to see my recipe and to check out the rest of the featured recipes at

12 Fresh-Picked Recipes

Peanutty Apple Dip

"I love the combination of peanut butter and apples so I came up with this yummy dip that's perfect for snacking."

 

"Peanutty Goodness!"

 

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon apple pie spice*

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

 

With a mixer, cream together cream cheese and peanut butter. Add powdered sugar and apple pie spice.  Mix until completely combined.  NOTE:  The mixture will be very thick, just keep mixing until everything is combined and it will come together completely.  Spoon into serving dish.  Top with chopped peanuts and sprinkle with additional apple pie spice.  Serve with apple slices, graham crackers and even banana slices.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 

*Tip:  If you don't have apple pie spice, you can substitute cinnamon.