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Archive for the ‘Fast Recipes’ Category

Picnic-worthy Potato Salad

Posted in Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, tagged , on July 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I can’t think of a summer picnic or celebration while I was growing up that didn’t include a big bowl of potato salad – especially the 4th of July.
Here is a simple and different variation of our traditional family recipe.

Ranch Potato Salad

3 pounds baby red potatoes
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 cup dill pickles, chopped
1 tsp. onion flakes
1 tbsp. juice from pickle jar
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
dash of paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes and boil with skins on until fork tender. Cool, then cut into small chunks. (If I’m really in a hurry I cut the potatoes before I cook them.) Separate the hard-boiled yolks from the whites. Chop the whites and add to cooked potatoes along with pickles and onion flakes. Mash the yolks in a separate bowl and mix with the mayo and ranch dressing. Pour dressing over potatoes and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley then top with a sprinkle of paprika. Enjoy!

If you have a favorite version of potato salad, please feel free to share it here!

Wishing you all a safe and very Happy 4th of July!

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Simple Coconut Dessert

Posted in Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, tagged , , on June 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

One of my favorite desserts in the summer is so simple and oh, so good.
The best thing about the dessert, beyond the cool creamy flavor, is that you can make it the day before you need it and it tastes even better!
This recipe was one I pulled from my Mom’s collection years ago. It has had several names from Ice Box Dessert to “that coconut thing you make” but the easiest to remember is Simple Coconut Dessert.

Simple Coconut Dessert
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large package instant coconut pudding mix
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup coconut, shredded and sweetened
Graham Crackers

Line the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan with Graham Crackers and set aside. Whip cream, add a dash of confectioner’s sugar to lightly sweeten.
In another bowl, mix cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add pudding mix and beat one minute. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Pour over Graham Crackers and chill for one hour.
Once chilled, spread rest of whipped cream on top and sprinkle with coconut.

So yummy and easy for summer entertaining. For more easy summer recipes, send me a message with your request or sign up for my newsletter. If you have a great summer recipe to share, please feel free to post it here!

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Dessert is No Trifling Matter

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Fast Recipes, tagged , , , on June 9, 2009| 3 Comments »

berry-trifleOne of my favorite desserts to make is a trifle. It is fast, easy and for whatever reason, guests always assume you’ve gone to a lot of effort to prepare it.

It has an elegant presentation and the best thing about it is you can change it up to whatever flavors you are craving or fruits that are in season.

You can make a one large dessert in a trifle or pedestal bowl or you can make individual desserts that are quite eye-catching and appealing.

The basic ingredients for a trifle include:

Cake, cut into bite-sized cubes

Pudding

Whipping Cream, whipped and lightly sweetened (add a dash of Confectioner’s Sugar)

Fruit

The wonderful thing about trifles is that you can use any combination and come up with something so tasty. You start with the cake cubes, then layer pudding, fruit and whipping cream and continue layering until your bowl or container is full.  If you are in a really big hurry or have company drop by unexpectedly, you can use a pre-made cake, instant pudding, a can of pie filling and frozen dairy topping and have a show-stopping dessert ready in mere minutes.

My favorite combination is pound cake*, chocolate and vanilla pudding, strawberries and raspberries and real whipping cream. On the layers, I alternate the chocolate pudding with the raspberries and the vanilla pudding with the strawberries. Top with a layer of the whipping cream and then shave chocolate curls across the top and finish with one glorious berry.

You can use any type of cake but pound cakes, angel food cakes and sponge cakes work well. You can also use any type of fruit. In the summer, fresh peaches, nectarines and berries are so good. In the winter,  I like to use tropical fruits like pineapple and mandarin orange sections. You can use kiwi and bananas or any type of pie filling. Use any flavor of pudding. Spring is a great time to try lemon with sponge cake and berries. Autumn is a perfect time to blend gingerbread with pumpkin pudding and candied nuts or cinnamon cake with apples and caramel sauce.

The combinations you can create are only limited by your imagination. Have fun with this and I guarantee your guests will not only be impressed, but delighted with the delicious blend of flavors.

What is your favorite combination? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment!

*For information about the pound cake I use or the serving pieces in the photo, please subscribe to my newsletter.

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Crowd Pleasing BLT Dip

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining at Home, Fast Recipes, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , on May 11, 2009| 3 Comments »

Here is a quick and easy dip recipe that has generated a following in our group of friends. Whenever we all get together, someone has to bring this dip. It is so yummy and fast to make.

BLT DIP

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Mayo

1 cup Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese

1 cup Chopped Tomatoes

1/2 cup Crumbled  Cooked Bacon (I use the pre-packaged real bacon crumbles to save time)

2 heaping teaspoons Parmesan Peppercorn Herb dip mix*

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve with warmed crostini or baguette bread or crackers of your choice. Mix this up the night before your party to give the flavors time to blend. Don’t be surprised if the bowl is scraped clean!

*For details on where to find Parmesan Peppercorn Herb Dip Mix, post a comment or subscribe to my newsletter. Ranch Dip Mix may also be substituted.

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