Company for Breakfast?

The summer months provide the opportunity for family and friends to visit for a couple days. Another of the great benefits of summer--freedom to travel. When I am expecting company, I like to have some things made ahead of time, especially for breakfast. Most nights are late and as the hostess, it's a little easier to be up and ready for breakfast when I have something prepared in advance. I found the recipe for Morning Glory Muffins in the Southern Living Magazine recently and have made them twice now. They are loaded with crushed pineapple, raisins, shredded carrots, raisins and nuts and are very moist. (My husband suggested they would be delicious with a little cream cheese frosting, but since I serve these for breakfast, we skipped the frosting!) With a delicious muffin, scrambled eggs and bacon are always a nice combination. For something a little lighter, especially with all the great fruit this time of year, make a big bowl of fresh fruit--sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries, peaches, kiwi, and whatever other fresh fruit available at the grocery.

I encourage you to do a little advance prep before your guests arrive so you will enjoy your company as much as they enjoy your delicious muffins!

Morning Glory Muffins
Yield: 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 large carrots, finely grated (1 cup)
1 cup golden raisins

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Whisk together sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; fold in crushed pineapple and carrots. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in toasted pecans and raisins. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.

Bake at 350° for 23 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Note: Muffins may be made ahead and frozen in a zip-top plastic freezer bag up to 1 month, if desired. Remove from bag, and let thaw at room temperature.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Summer Treats

During these hot days of summer (applause, whistle, clap!) light and cool dishes and desserts are always more appealing than recipes that require a hot oven and lots of time in the kitchen. I'm always looking for desserts that are simple and refreshing. I discovered the recipe to follow for Jell-O Mousse a couple years ago in the Kraft Food & Family magazine and it brought back memories of Jell-O 1-2-3 from my childhood. You might remember it. As the Jell-O set, it formed three layers and as a child, I remember eating it layer by layer. This recipe creates two layers and it is so easy. With the many flavors of Jell-O, the variations on this are numerous! (By the way, if you haven't checked out the Kraft web site, , I encourage you to do so. They offer coupons for FREE Kraft items such as sandwiches, coffee, pasta, etc. Also, go to Kraft Foods for an array of great recipes. If you click on "Food and Family Archives" you will find the on-line version of the Kraft magazine.)

Another of my favorite recipes for summer are the Cool Whip pies. These are very fast to mix together and just need a little time to chill in the refrigerator.

Hope you are enjoying the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!

Jello-O-Mousse

3 c. boiling water

1 6-oz. package of Strawberry gelatin

1 16-oz. tub Cool Whip

Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in medium bowl, stirring at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add whipped topping to hot gelatin (you can even add frozen Cool Whip). Stir with wire whisk until whipped topping is completely melted and mixture is well blended. (Mixture will be thin.) Pour into 10 glasses or a 6-cup mold or glass bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours. If using a large mold, unmold onto serving plate just before serving.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Easy Lime Pie

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 t. grated lime rind

1/3 c. lime juice

1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip

2-3 drops of green food coloring

1 prepared 8 or 9-inch graham cracker crumb crust

Combine milk, lime rind and juice in large bowl. Fold in whipped topping and food coloring, blending well. Spoon into crust and chill 2-3 hours. Garnish with lime slices if desired.

Easy Lemon Pie: Prepare Easy Lime Pie as directed, substituting 1 t. grated lemon rind and 1/2 c. lemon juice for the lime rind and juice. Omit food coloring.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Individual Lemon Meringue Tea Cakes

With graduation open houses, wedding showers, and other special occasions coming up, I thought this would be a good time to share this recipe. I made these last year for an open house for Kayla, my friend's daughter. They were very good--in fact, good enough that Kayla reminded her mom about them this weekend as they were reminiscing about her graduation last year. They are great for a large crowd because one recipe yields 48 individual cakes. Hope your celebration is memorable--these cakes are sure to help!

Lunch for a Crowd

My dream job has always been to cook/cater meals. I love the whole process from preparing the food to setting the table. Anyone who knows me well will be familiar with my phrase, "It's all about presentation." What looks enticing to the eye will usually also please the palate. So when my office job ended, I was pleased to have the opportunity to cater meals for my husband's office meetings. Catering these meals has been very satisfying for me and only encourages my "dreams!" The recipes that follow were prepared for a recent committee meeting and seemed to be enjoyed by all. In calculating my expenses, I realized that the turkey wraps, though they were delicious, weren't the most economical. I don't skimp on the ingredients so the deli turkey meat and the herb-flavored cheese ($5 for one package!) snuck a little from my profit--but it was worth it as evidenced by the clean plates!

Hope you are living YOUR dream!

Smoked Turkey Wraps

Southern Living

(Makes 8 servings)


2 (6.5-ounce) packages garlic-and-herb-flavored cheese, softened*
8 (10-inch) whole grain pita wraps or flour tortillas
Caramelized Onions
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced smoked turkey
16 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups loosely packed arugula or gourmet mixed baby salad greens

Spread softened cheese evenly over whole grain pita wraps; top cheese evenly with Caramelized Onions and remaining ingredients. Roll up, and wrap in parchment paper; chill. Cut in half to serve.
* For testing purposes only, we used Alouette Garlic et Herbes Gourmet Spreadable Cheese for garlic-herb-flavored cheese.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Ina Garten's Lemon Bars

Ingredients for the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.