Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

***I was ambitious and made this with fresh artichokes. While it was delicious, it was also a crazy amount of work for little amounts of artichoke. Next time I'll just use frozen or canned.***

Ingredients:

2 cups artichoke hearts

3 cups fresh spinach

2 TBSP olive oil

1tsp lemon juice

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 cup asiago cheese, shredded

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup mayo

2 TBSP milk

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium high heat, place half the olive oil in to heat. Roughly chop the fresh spinach and sauté until wilted. Pour in remaining olive oil and stir in artichoke hearts for 1-2 minutes. Add cream cheese in dollops, to melt in. Stir in yogurt, mayo, and lemon juice. Once mixture is smooth and combined, stir in cheeses, once melted add in seasonings.

Transfer to a shallow oven safe pan and top with additional shredded asiago cheese. Place until the broiler until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Coconut Fruit Dip

***You can find cream of coconut at the grocery store in the aisle with drink mixes -like margarita mix***

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of Coconut

1 pkg cream cheese

1 small tub of Cool whip

Instructions:

Using a mixer, blend the cream of coconut and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the cool whip. Chill for best flavor. Serve with cut up fruit. My favorite is fresh pineapple.

Apple and Brie Crescent Rolls

Ingredients:

1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls (8 count)

8 slices of Brie cheese

8 slices of green apple

Pecans

Honey

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place crescent dough triangles on parchment paper lined sheet. Place a slice of Brie and apple on each triangle. Top with 1-2 pecans and drizzle each triangle with honey. Tuck the skinny end of the triangle underneath or you could also make a bundle to prevent the Brie from oozing out.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Summer Corn Cakes with Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients for the cakes:

3 ears of corn, shucked, and kernels cut off the cob

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

2 TBSP buttermilk

2 TBSP melted butter

Instructions:

Place the corn, flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, powder, soda salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs slightly, mix with butter and buttermilk. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet, stirring only to combine, do not over stir.

In a large skillet, put enough canola oil in, just to cover the bottom. When it is hot, start to use your batter just like pancakes,  it the batter is thick, so you'll need to spread it out with the back of your spoon. Cook each side until golden brown.

Serve hot with the salsa on top. Recipe follows.

Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa:

Ingredients:

1 large tomato, cord and chopped

1 green onion, sliced 

1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBSP chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado, sliced into chunks

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients, except avocado and chill for at least an hour. Before serving, carefully stir in avocado.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

---After trying this, Dee and I decided that next time we'll toast our sandwich buns with a little garlic butter---

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of your favorite Caesar salad dressing

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Romaine lettuce

Sandwich rolls or hamburger buns

Instructions:

Place chicken in slow cooker (crock pot) with 1-2 cups of water (or for added flavor chicken broth) and let cook for 4- hours on low heat.

Remove cooked chicken from pot and shred. (We found it super fast to add to the kitchen aid and let the beater do the hard work. Drain liquid from pot and add chicken back in. Mix in dressing, cheese, parsley, and pepper. Let cook on high for 30 minutes to become hot. (We did add a bit more dressing to help it be moist). Serve on buns with lettuce and additional cheese.

Raspberry Cream Pie

--- This recipe originally called for a regular pastry pie crust. However, it's such a hot summer that I didn't want to turn on the oven, so I substituted a graham crackled crust. I think it would be tasty whichever pie shell you use!

Ingredients:

One 9 inch pie crust

Filling:

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups Cool Whip

Topping:

1 TBSP cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1 heaping cup fresh raspberries

1 1/2 tsp water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TBSP butter

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

Instructions:

Bake your pie crust according to directions or use pre-made graham crust.

In a medium saucepan, add berries, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil for a few minutes to let the berries break down and become the consistency of thin pudding. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and salt. Transfer to another bowl to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth. Then add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix to combine. Finally, add cool whip and sour cream and beat until well combined, about two minutes.

Pour in cam mixture to pie shell and smooth out. Top with berry sauce and let refrigerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

This is my favorite summertime muffin recipe

2 c. Flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 eggs

2/3 c. Brown sugar

1 c. Milk

6 T. Butter or margarine, melted

Zest of 1 lemon

1 c. Raspberries

Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin. Whisk eggs, brown sugar, milk, butter, and zest. Add dry ingredients. Gently fold in raspberries. Fill muffin pan. Bake 15-18 minutes. 

Note: if I didn't get much zest from my lemon, I'll squeeze a tiny bit of lemon juice in the batter and add a little extra flour to compensate.