Easy Pesto Appetizer

This is a borrowed recipe from a culinary professor (acquaintance/friend) who did an Uppercase Living Party for me last week. I had my own open house tonight and since it was so easy and delicious at her party I figured a repeat for mine would be good! I seriously had a very hard time walking away from the dish during the evening~

3 ingredients:

1 1/2 bars cream cheese ( I used 1/3 fat)
1 jar pesto
1 1/2 cans petite chopped tomatoes (or you could use fresh in season!)

Spread cream cheese in bottom of 9x13 glass pan or corning ware dish
Spread pesto to cover (you don't have to use the whole jar)
Spread chopped tomatoes over top to cover (I did not go to the edges)

Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly

Serve with any cracker variety you like. I used the Pretzel Thin Crisps from Costco. YUM!

*You could certainly adjust/downsize this recipe to fit a smaller pan if needed.

Cheesy Cornbread Casserole (sidedish)

Just made this last night for a pool party potluck and I think if the pan could have been licked clean it would have.
There are many variations on this recipe but this is the one I used and it is just so good! Super easy and always a big hit.

Enjoy!

1 15 oz can whole corn, drained (or use fresh corn in season~ approx 2 cups)
1 15 oz can creamed corn
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted (again, I prefer the real deal, not margarine)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (or so) shredded cheddar

Melt butter & mix with Jiffy mix. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with more cheddar if desired (and really, can you ever have enough cheese?!)
Bake at 350 degrees for approx 20-30 minutes or until it looks "done".

Serve warm and watch it disappear in a matter of minutes...

Late Summer Goodness Pasta Salad

I originally found this recipe via the Internet. I have no idea which website it was and I don't even know what made me click on it to check it out since the name of it was simply Pasta Salad Recipe (boring!!). But once I checked out the ingredients and gave it a try it is one of my new faves. It is tasty and colorful and I've made it 2x already this summer~
I renamed it b/c I wanted a funner title (yes I just said funner) and b/c the fresh ingredients it calls for are pure late summer to me. If you have an herb & veggie garden this is a great one as it will save you buying at least 4 ingredients from the road-side stand or market!

Enjoy~

Ingredients: Salad
1 lb farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
Fresh ground pepper
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans)
1 yellow summer squash- sliced in half long-ways and then into 1/4 inch 1/2 moons
1 green zucchini squash- cut the same
1 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (If you use jarred, be sure to drain completely)
1 cup packed FRESH basil leaves
1/2 cup packed FRESH parsley leaves

Dressing:
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves chopped (Hint: I buy chopped garlic in a jar... SO much easier!)
1 tsp stone ground mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup EVOO

~Boil pasta in salted water until al dente then rinse in cold water while draining. Toss w/ ground pepper and EVOO. Add rest of salad ingredients and set aside

~For dressing I found that using a food processor works best but a blender is fine too. Mix all ingredients except EVOO and blend slightly. Then drizzle oil in slowly until all is thoroughly blended and has a dressing consistency. Pour over salad to coat and toss well.
Refrigerate and serve!

Whopper Pie

There are two of these pies chillin' in my freezer as we speak for a family gathering tonight.
Recipe is c/o my Sister-In-Law but can also be found on the large carton of Whoppers from the grocery store, AND now on my blog! =)
It took everything in me not to go sit in a dark corner with the bowl and spoon the contents all into my mouth before it made it to the crusts...seriously.
Okay here goes:

1 pint ice cream (recipe calls for vanilla, I used chocolate. OF COURSE!!)
1 8 oz tub whipped topping
1 carton Whoppers
2 ready-made pie crusts (I used chocolate. OF COURSE!)

Soften ice cream and topping and mix together. Crush 1 1/2 cups Whoppers and mix in.
Spoon into both pies.
Lick spoon and scrape 'remains' into mouth.
Crush 1/2 cup Whoppers and sprinkle over top.
Place a few whole Whoppers over top (I mean can you really have too many Whoppers?)

Cover with plastic pie covers (that come with the crusts) and freeze for several hours.

Serve with more whipped topping (and Whoppers!) if desired.

** You can make this into just one heaping pie if you wish but it nicely makes two level pies that you can then heap with whipped cream. =)

Best Cookie Bars EVER

Starting out simple with a good old tried and true, never fails, add what you want but the original is best, cookie bar recipe.
I can't even remember where I got it from but I love that now my friends refer to it as "My" (meaning me) Cookie Bar Recipe.
Here's the original and I'll add to the bottom things I've added or deleted to vary it a bit.

2 sticks butter (real and unsalted is best)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
--cream above--
ADD:
2 eggs
1 TBS vanilla (I love vanilla!)
ADD:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
--blend--
ADD:
1 bag chocolate chips

Spread in a 9x13 and Bake at 350-375 (depending on your oven) for 20-25 min
I prefer to under cook these a bit as I love the gooeyness.

Variations include:

• Using a 1/2 bag of butterscotch or peanut butter chips and 1/2 of chocolate

• Adding 1/2 cup to 1 cup pecans, depending on how much you like nuts.

You can also cut down on the sugar by 1/2 cup (1/4 cup for both) but really, why would you do that? =)


*Cut/spoon chunks out as soon as it comes out of the oven and eat them immediately! (Okay not really if you're serving guests but this is what I do when they are just for me~ Hot and gooey right out of the oven is the BOMB!)
Seriously you will find yourself stopping by the pan every time you're in the kitchen just to "check" if there is a crooked line that you cut and eat so it will be straight.



YUM!

Getting Started

I've procrastinated on this blog now for over a year. I dreamt about it, thought about it, made the initial template and then here it has sat for far too long.
Now I've decided to just DO it. No fanfare, no flash, I'm just getting it going so that it's started~ and we'll see where it takes me! My posts may be sporadic but I'll try to keep it up to date and interesting.
Enjoy the recipes and please comment often!