This week I have a couple recipes for your Fourth of July barbecue or any of your summer gatherings! The first one is this berry/Lime crostini. So easy and easily can make a couple dozen depending on how thick you slice the bread. The bread can be toasted in your oven or lightly grilled. I used a combination of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, but these would be great with strawberries too, or any combination your family likes. These take no time to make and should be served immediately.
INGREDIENTS
1 French baguette, sliced on a diagonal 1/4 – 1/2 inch
Whipped cream cheese, about 1 Tablespoon per bread slice
Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries – or your choice of berries
Honey to drizzle
Zest of 2 limes
DIRECTIONS
Place your bread slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven on broil, keeping the oven cracked open slightly, DO NOT WALK AWAY…these toast up very quickly! Or place the bread slices on your grill and lightly toast one side. Remove from oven or grill. Top each slice with about 1 Tablespoon of the whipped cream cheese covering the bread slice, top with berries, drizzle lightly with honey and zest lime over the top. Do this for each slice and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
We loved these jalapeño bites! Spicy from the jalapeño and the “hot” sausage cooled slightly with the cheese…with a crisp bite from the bacon! I made two versions, one being bacon wrapped with two kinds of cheese and the second version was gluten and dairy free without the bacon. Robby did not want the bacon on them. But for Robby’s version I used a gluten and dairy free cheese. I made 20 bites (10 jalapeños) and let me tell you both plates were empty in record time. We liked them so much I went to the store the next day and bought more jalapeños. The sausage makes a lot so I had plenty of the filling and bacon left. The filling is also great on nachos or even on pizza. This will be on made many times at my house, even when we hit the road camping! The filling can be made ahead and I would crisp and crumble the bacon and just put the crumbles on top for a camping version. All you would need to do is assemble them, place on a baking sheet and grill until they are heated through! Our family likes spicy food so I use the hot sausage, but you can use the regular sausage as well.
NOTE – one jalapeno will give you two stuffed portions. I made them twice buying 20 jalapeños in total. Depending on how many you want you can purchase as many jalapeños as needed using all of the filling or using the filling for other yummy things!
INGREDIENTS
jalapeños
1 package Jimmy Dean HOT sausage
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Bacon- I used a half slice bacon per sliced jalapeños
NOTE – If making them dairy free/gluten free use dairy free, gluten free cheese. I used Daiya brand.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet, set aside. In a large frying pan fry the sausage over medium heat until fully cooked, crumbling the sausage as it cooks through. Drain any fat from the pan and add both cheeses, cook melting the cheese and mixing it into the sausage making cheeses goodness! Remove from heat and set aside.
Slice the jalapeños in half, using a spoon remove the ribs and seeds from the middle of the jalapeño, do this for each one. To fill, simply fill each jalapeño half with a spoonful of the sausage mixture and wrap 1/2 of a bacon slice around the jalapeño. Do this for each one and place on your prepared baking sheet with the baking rack. When all of the jalapeños are filled and wrapped bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and lightly crisped. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
I love one pan dishes, so simple and this is great for a weeknight dinner but fancy enough for company too! I let my market pick the vegetables for me and I highly recommend you do too! All the great vegetables are coming out in our stores and farmer’s markets. The citrus butter on this dish goes a long way, such a great pop of flavor on the salmon and vegetables. I cut my zucchini in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds. Try to cut the veggies all in similar size so they all cook the same.
INGREDIENTS
4 salmon fillets
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into one inch pieces and the ends trimmed off
1 bell pepper, any color, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
Zest of one lime
Salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the melted butter with the grapefruit juice and lime zest. Set aside. Place the salmon and vegetables on the sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle all of the melted butter mixture over salmon and vegetables. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
I came up with this quick and easy dish after Easter as I had so much left over ham and how many ham sandwiches can my family possibly eat. I simply took ingredients I had on hand and put this together. My family loved this after eating so much leftover ham. This disappeared quickly. You can do this just as easy with deli ham slices too!
NOTE- you will have leftover sauce, but this cheesy sauce is delicious on anything !
INGREDIENTS
1 frozen package of 5 cheese garlic bread (I used Pepperidge Farm)
Leftover ham slices, about 1/2 pound
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a sheet pan with tin foil. Place your frozen garlic bread on the baking sheet cheese side up and bake for ten minutes. While the bread is baking make the sauce. In a small saucepan melt the butter, add the flour and whisk for just a couple minutes, add the milk whisking to get out any lumps. Add the cheeses and continue whisking until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to cook until sauce thickens.
After the bread had baked for the first ten minutes, add the sliced ham on to the bread and drizzle with the thickened sauce. Turn the oven to broil, leaving the oven door cracked slightly and broil for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, slice and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Jim was looking for something for lunch one day. I did not have anything planned but as I looked to see what I could throw together I came up with this simple sandwich that you could have for breakfast, lunch or dinner! This is a messy, but hearty sandwich so have your napkins ready. Jim did not only have one sandwich he had two, and it’s easy enough…he could make it for me next time!
INGREDIENTS
Amounts make one sandwich
1 English muffin
4-5 slices of roast beef
1 slice of provolone cheese
1 egg
1 Tablespoon of pre-made hollandaise sauce
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet sprayed with non stick spray. Crack the egg into the pan and fry until the egg white is white but you still want the yolk to be runny when placed on the sandwich. While the egg is frying, add the roast beef to the pan beside the egg and top with the cheese. You want to warm the roast beef and slightly melt the cheese. Toast your muffin and warm the hollandaise sauce. To assemble the sandwich, place the bottom of the muffin on the plate top with the roast beef and cheese, add the egg and finally drizzle with the hollandaise sauce and top with the other half of the English muffin.
Enjoy!
Stay In Touch
Follow me!
