Savvy Entertaining

These are easy to make, quick to bake and just as yummy as traditional pumpkin pie. Especially piled high with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

Crust:

1./2 cup butter

3-4 ounce of cream cheese (3 oz. if you have a small pack or cut a large pack in half)

1 cup flour

Soften butter and cream cheese, blend together with flour until a soft dough forms. It will be sticky. Cover and chill for one hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a greased mini-muffin tin, roll dough into walnut-sized balls and drop one in the tin. Use a tart tamper (or the back of spoon – or a shot glass if you have one) to smoosh the dough into the bottum and up the sides of the muffin cup.

Fill with pumpkin filling and bake for about 15-20 minutes until pumpkin is set and dough is starting to brown. Remove from oven, let cool, devour.

Pumpkin Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

3/4 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

Beat egg, blend in pumpkin and milk then stir in dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into crust-lined muffin cups and bake.

Garnish with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

I must issue a warning that today’s salad might not be the most healthy you could choose -but the tastiness more than makes up for it!

Sticking with the Patriotic Theme, this salad is a fun pop of color for your 4th of July table and it comes together quickly!

Place cheese on salad and enjoy if you haven’t devoured the cheese before it makes it to the salad. Even Captain Cavedweller, who does not like cheese, ate more than his share (including some of mine).

Fried Mozzarella Salad

Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

Flour

Egg (beaten)

Panko Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Salt

Spinach

Raspberries

Blueberries

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Prepare spinach and berries and set aside.

Put flour in one bowl, beaten egg in a second and the panko crumbs mixed with the Parmesan cheese and salt in a third. Make sure the bowls are wide enough your cheese slices will sit flat inside.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or cast iron skillet. You want it to be good and hot.

Drench cheese slices through flour, egg and panko mix. When they are all finished, start frying. It will take just a few seconds to brown each side. The smell will begin to weaken your knees. Should you give in to temptation and take a bite, you may never get the cheese onto the salad.

Drizzle dressing over spinach and berries then top with a slice or two of the cheese.

Enjoy!