Cucumbers in Sour Cream

I used a special potato peeler to peel the cucumbers.  This peeler leaves little rideges that you can see here.

Then I just dumped the rest of the ingredients in and let it all meld together! 

This photo is topped with pepper.

Then I topped it with the dill weed.  This is a nice refreshing summer salad.  I make something similar to this and I will try to remember to include it when I put this recipe in the book.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is going to be a family favorite in my house.  I love that it uses fresh strawberries and it is quick and easy to prepare.  The real test was of couse.......HOW DOES IT TASTE????

Well, all I can say is I ate it for breakfast this morning!  OH COME ON..............it has FRESH STRAWBERRIES IN IT!!!  LOL

Minestroni Soup

This soup is chock full of yummy stuff.....all you have to do is look at it to figure that out!  You can't see it very well in this picture, but.......

I poured it over these fun little noodles.  You get to pick the noodles you want to eat!!  I didn't stick with the traditional Minestroni noodle......I went out on a limb!  LOL  You could also serve this over rice.

This recipe came from Deb Peterson, Trevor's friend Phil's mom.  She doesn't even know I am putting it in the cookbook.  Trevor loved this soup when she made it at her house, so she gave me the recipe.  All I know is most of the people in my house had seconds....except for Trevor, he ate his homemade scrambled eggs and cream cheese for dinner!  LOL

Brownie Cheesecake

This Brownie Cheesecake may not look like much right now, but continue on to the next picture and see what it looks like when you cut a slice out!

Rich, creamy cheesecake with a bottom layer of brownie..........Do I have your interest now? 

Looking a little yummier?????

How about now?.........ready for a bite?

Chicken Mushroom Pasta

This recipe starts off by making a FANTASTIC sauce....simple, easy and oh so tasty!

Place the chicken in the pan leaving room for the sauce to be poured all over those lovely little chicken breasts!

Bake it in the oven until it is golden brown.

Put a piece of the chicken on some egg noodles.  We like the wide noodles the best, but any egg noodle will do.  Then pour sauce ALL OVER IT!  This sauce would taste great as a gravy on pototoes!!

A Lighter Pasta Primavera

My sister-in-law Denise sent this one to me.  There is no meat in it and I wasn't sure my family would go for it, but they did.  TJ had thirds and Tom had seconds.  It was a HUGE hit and used lots of fresh veggies......something I REALLY like!  Top it off with some Parmesan cheese.....DELICIOUS!  TJ even took it for lunch the next day.

Creamy Peanut Butter Balls

This is sooooooo easy to write about! (Not to mention easy to eat!).......

COVERED in CHOCOLATE....

CREAMY INSIDE.....

PRETTY PRESENTATION on a platter......

Oh yes, they melt in your mouth and you can't eat just one!

Zesty Popcorn

This recipe is one of mine, meaning I found it somewhere, copied it down and fell in love with it!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE popcorn.  Of course it tastes awesome with butter, but have you ever tried adding a little cayenne pepper, curry powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to your butter?  All I am going to say is that the bowl is always empty!  You mix all of those in with the melted butter and pour it over the popcorn.  I have the perfect combination and when this book comes out.......you will too!

Caramel Puff Corn with Nuts

I know I made a Caramel Puff Corn already. This one is a little different ......same ingredients but with different measurements.  It also added nuts.  I used cashews, but any kind of nut will do.  Just add your favorite!!  The caramel didn't cover as completely as the recipe my sister gave me, but the flavor was definitely there and it was a double batch!  It is up to you to decide which one you like best!

Veggie Casserole

Kim took a whole bunch of veggies in her house and came up with this recipe!

It cooks in the oven and near the end you place provolone cheese slices on top.  This is definitely a healthy dish!!  I actually liked the juice it made.

I think I may have left it in the oven too long, the cheese is a little too brown.  I would do that differently next time!

Shrimp Bisque from Nancy Grinwald Sellman

This Shrimp Bisque was very different from yesterdays.  It too was delicious!!  It had a totally different consistency and flavor.  They were both REALLY good and you will just have to decide for yourself which one YOU like best!!  I did like the added touch of the parmesan cheese on the top of this one!!

Shrimp Bisque from Scott and Joy Reeves

This was delicious!  You can really play with the shrimp (add more if you like) and it won't hurt the recipe!  Easy and delicious!  All I can say is "Run, Forest, Run!  Get more shrimp!"  I am going to have to make this again!

Blueberry Buckle

This was made with frozen blueberries and was SOOO easy!  That must be why my friend Bonnie makes it!  It is her signature dish!  Whenever we have a get together at Bonnie's house, she is sure to serve this wonderful dessert.  I made it for breakfast one day.  Tom thought he hated blueberries, but he really liked this dish.  Way to go Bonnie!

Banana Split Torte

This makes a 9 x 13 pan!  It is not low in calories, so make sure you invite the whole gang over to share! 

It is very rich.......VERY RICH!  My husband and I loved it.  It is a very heavy dessert, so a little goes a long way.

It has a graham cracker crust bottom, a creamy layer, bananas, pineapple and then cool whip topped with cherries, nuts and chocolate!  I had a hard time cutting it to get it out of the pan, but I think that is because you have to refrigerate it for 8 hours before you eat it.  It may have needed to sit out for a little while to make it easier to cut!

Artichoke Dip

I am sure we have all made this before, but just so the recipe doesn't get lost in the time continum, Candy has submitted it for the book.  I made this as an appetizer for dinner the other day.  My family couldn't believe I made them an appetizer.  Why is it we don't do that every once in a while.  Tell your family that being with them is just like having a party everyday and make them an appetizer!!

Savory Potatoes

Ah, yes, that is parmesan cheese peaking out from under these sliced Idaho bakers!  The recipe said to put them on a buttered or olive oiled cookie sheet, but I opted for the non stick foil and the olive oil spray.  The rest of the recipe is quite simple using just some butter, parmesan cheese, and paprika.  They bake in the oven at 400 degrees, so this recipe went well with the beef tenderloin I posted earlier.  They both cook at the same temperature.

These may be browner than they should be.  I did learn that I used WAY too much parmesan cheese.  It ozzed out the sides!  LOL, that's okay, we ate it anyway!  My family really liked this one, in fact, Tom just finished the leftover potatoes for lunch today.

Beef Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin.....at a cost of $53.00.....there is a reason I don't buy it very often.  Since I had to make this recipe, off to the store I went in search of a very nice tenderloin.  I got mine at BJ's.  I cut it in half to meet the requirements of Candy's recipe.  When you consider that you are cutting this GIANT tenderloin in half, the cost comes down to around $25.00.....still an expensive piece of meat!  This had better be good!  My husband is a little partial to his mom's recipe which is also OUTSTANDING, but a little more time consuming to do.

However, the simplicity and time frame that this beef was done in made it high on the list of ...."Hmmmm, what shall I make quickly for dinner tonight?"  The only thing that was left for judgement was the flavor!  Since everyone in the family came back for seconds, you can assume the flavor was there.  I took the other half of the tenderloin and cooked it the same way!  Your family will love this for a special occasion!  There is a very nice sauce that is poured over the whole thing about 20 minutes into the cooking process.  This couldn't be easier to make!  It even turned out pink in the center just like Candy's recipe said!!!

Beef Empanadas

This beef mixture is REALLY GOOD.  This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but it is really easy to prepare.  Another bonus is that you can mix this up and keep it in the refrigerator for two days.

The dough is made from Grands bisquits.  They each get rolled out and you brush the edge of the bisquit with egg yolk.

Seal the edge with a fork and put them in the oven to bake.

Here is what Scott's looked like.............

.......and here are what mine looked like.  After talking with Scott I discovered that he does not brush the outside with egg yolk, just the inner edge to seal it.  I really liked the way Scott's turned out.  Next time, I am not going to use egg yolk on the outside.  Regardless of how they look, they tasted delicious.  TJ even took some to work with him and heated them in the microwave.  Good Cinco De Mayo recipe!

Not Your Ordinary Grilled Cheese

YUMMY!  YUMMY! YUMMY!

This is made with a cheese called Taleggio and is topped with an onion mixture........the onion mixture is TO DIE FOR!  The bread is a crusty french bread.  I used Marco Polo bread from Wegmans, but any crusty french bread will do! 

Curried Tomato Soup with Ginger and Black Rice

This recipe was really different.  I have never made anything like it. Definitely low calorie!  I wasn't sure if I could find the black rice, but after a little searching, I found them in the organic section of our local grocery store.  The balck rice is really delicious!  This soup is topped with a plain yogurt and cilantro mixture.  I am not usually a fan of plan yogurt, but mixed in with everything else..........it is just the right compliment to all the other flavors!  You are going to really like this one. 

Black Bean Salsa

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Denise Rickard.  It was very easey to make and similar to something that I already make.  It is great as a salsa and also makes a nice side salad.  This recipe has so many black beans, it is FULL of fiber!!  I just love black beans!

It looks pretty too!!

Come on.....dip a chip in and have a bite!

Super Sunday Taco Dip

I had to wait to make this until I had somewhere to take it!! We played cards on Saturday night and this is what I brought. It is was very good. This particular dip calls for lettuce on top..........with lots of other things! 

It does make a lot.  I chose to put it on a pretty dish as opposed to a pan.  It is a very sturdy dip and really didn't move until you put a chip in it!  Thanks Denise Rickard!!!

Chili Garlic Roasted Broccoli

This looks yummy even before it cooks and I only wish you could smell it cooking!  I just love the smell of roasted garlic.....and it is especially good when it is mixed in with broccoli.

It kind of cooks down a little and is very easy to arrange nicely on a plate for serving.  This is a favorite of Joy and Scott Reeves.  It is a Rachel Ray recipe.  The only thing I would change is either use more broccoli or less olive oil.  It was still very good!