I ♥ Summer Time Fruit.

This dip is hands down my most favorite item to put along side a big platter of fresh summer fruit.  My very favorite friend from high school made this dip for me years ago and recently I made a couple of changes to it by adding a little diced pineapple and pineapple juice. I just love the little extra something the pineapple gives to the dip and hope you will like it to.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 tub of thawed Cool Whip.
• 1 package of instant pistachio jello.
• ¼ cup of diced pineapple.
• ¼ cup of pineapple juice.
• Fruit of your choosing for the platter.

Here is what you need to do:

Put all the ingredients into a bowl…

And give it all a good mix

Serve it up with your favorite fruit and…

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill ♥

Holy Hotness…

The last thing I want to do when it is really hot outside is turn on my oven or stand by a barbecue.  My slow cooker is probably most used during these hot summer months and these pulled pork sandwiches are so easy to throw together in the early afternoon and will turn out perfect by dinner time.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 good size shallots.
• Boneless Pork Loin Roast (Size depends on how many people you are feeding. I usually look for an 8 lb roast, but have used 2 small roast if I can’t find a larger one.
• bottle of barbecue sauce.
• ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth.
• ¼ cup of Dijon mustard.
• ¼ cup ketchup.
• teaspoon of garlic powder.
• big pinch of salt and pepper.

Here is what you need to do:

Slice up the 2 shallots and place in bottom of slow cooker.

Place pork loin on top of shallots.

In a medium bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, chicken broth, mustard, ketchup, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Pour mixture over the top of the roast, cover and set slow cooker on high for 4 hours or medium for 6 hours. When time is up, use to forks to pull the meat apart and give it all a good mix into the hot tangy sauce. I like to serve the meat on a seeded crunchy roll with a big dollop of cole slaw to top it off.

Yummy

Hope your having a great summer…

xoxo

Jill ♥

I’m Back

Moving is tough and not having a functional kitchen is just the worst. Words can never express how happy I am to have this move behind us and a fully stocked kitchen to put to good use.

So in honor of my new home and the 4th of July, I bring to you a sweet, easy to make dessert, that is sure to please.

Here is what you will need:

• 4 extra-large egg whites.
• pinch of kosher salt.
• ¾ cup of sugar.
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch.
• 1 cup of heavy cream.
• ½ pint of sliced strawberries.
• ½ pint of blueberries.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Trace a dinner plate onto a piece of parchment and then flip over paper and place on cookie sheet. Set aside.

Whip up egg whites for 1 minute.

Slowly add in ¾ cup of sugar and whip the egg whites until firm and shiny.

Fold in the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla.

Place mixture on parchment lined cookie sheet and spread batter to fit in pre-drawn circle.  Bake for 1½ hours and then turn off oven and let the meringue completely cool in a closed-door oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, slice up your strawberries and add them to a bowl. Add blueberries and the 2 tablespoons of sugar and give a good toss. Place in refrigerator.

When the meringue is ready, carefully transfer it to a cake plate. Whip up your 1 cup of heavy cream and cover up the top of the meringue.  Add the berry mixture, making sure to include all juices that have accumulated and…….

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill ♥

Bacon always makes it better….

I love an easy to put together, healthy lunch that satisfies my hunger and packs up nicely for those crazy busy days.  These wraps are exactly that and the little bit of added bacon gives it a boost of salty yumminess without ruining your diet for the day.

Here is what you will need:

• low-fat garden veggie wraps.
• spinach leaves.
• cooked sliced chicken breast.
• avocado.
• bacon.
• fat-free ranch dressing.
• black pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Fry up your bacon, slice up your chicken and avocado and get the veggie wraps, spinach leaves and ranch dressing ready for assembling.

Put down a layer of the spinach leaves, a few slices of chicken, avocado and one slice of broken up bacon. Top off with a little fat-free ranch dressing and a good sprinkling of pepper.

Wrap it up like you would a burrito and…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜

Muffin Style…..

Growing up Strawberry Shortcakes consisted of some little store-bought pound cake disk, strawberries and whip cream from a tub.

I wasn’t a fan.  

Then as an adult I learned about another type of Strawberry Shortcake that was made up of a yummy, crumbly biscuit top and bottom, strawberries that are coated in sugar and freshly whipped cream.

Hello Yumminess…

I make my biscuits in a muffin pan, so they have a nice shape and are easier to plate up for a fun breakfast or summer time dessert.

Here is what you will need:

Strawberries

• 4 cups of sliced strawberries.
• ½ cup of sugar.

Biscuits

• 2-1/3 cup of biscuit mix.
• ½ cup milk.
• 3 Tablespoons sugar.
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter.

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1 Tablespoon sugar.

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice up your strawberries, add the sugar, give a good toss and set it aside.

In a large bowl mix together the biscuit mix, milk, sugar and melted butter.

Place a spoonful of the batter into each cup of a lined muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle each top with a little bit of sugar.

Whip up your heavy cream with vanilla and sugar.

And its time to assemble.

Slice open your biscuit muffin, plate the bottom of the muffin, add cream, strawberries with a spoonful of juice, more cream and…

Cap it off with the top of your biscuit muffin.

Enjoy  

xoxo

Jill 💜

I 💜 Breakfast…

Eggs Benedict is my all-time favorite breakfast meal and whenever I see it on the menu, it is almost a guarantee that I will be ordering it. With that said I love ordering it and definitely not making it. Spinning eggs in water is not my thing and actually seeing all the butter that goes into a hollandaise sauce is just too much for me to take. I like to once in a while pretend that sauce is good for me. 😉  So, when I am home and have a craving for a nice big hardy breakfast this is how I do it.

Here is what you will need :

• eggs.
• Canadian bacon.
• asparagus.
• roll of your choosing. ( I like onion rolls)
• olive oil.
• butter.
• salt & pepper.

Here is what you need to do :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.

Get your griddle hot and melt a little butter on it. Time to warm up the Canadian bacon and fry up you eggs.

Make sure to sprinkle the top of your eggs with a little salt and pepper and use the griddle to warm up your asparagus if need be.

Toast your roll under the broiler and then its time to assemble.

Place the roll, bacon, asparagus and then top it off with your fried egg.

Break the yolks to use as the sauce and….

Enjoy !!!

xoxo

Jill 💜

Where have all the Cinnamon Scones gone???

My daughter and I just love us a cinnamon scone!! The only problem with this is that they are impossible to find at stores. We did have a good run for a while with Starbucks and Au Bon Pain, but that luck ran out and I was forced to come up with a recipe that would fill our cinnamon scone needs.

And I finally think I did it.

Here is what you will need:

Scones

• 2 cups of flour.
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar.
• 2 teaspoons of  baking powder.
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
• ¾ cup of cinnamon chips.
• 1 stick of cold cubed butter.
• ¾ cup of whole milk.
• 1 egg.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Glaze

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk

Here is what you will need to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cinnamon chips.

Next, cut in your stick of cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and give it all a good mix.

Empty the mixture onto your counter and form into a round disk. Try to be gentle and not work the dough too much. You don’t want your warm hands to melt the butter pieces that you will see throughout the dough.

Cut into 8 triangles and place pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Time to mix your powered sugar with the tiny bit of milk and get your sugar glaze ready.

Let them cool for just a minute and then spoon over the glaze.

We like our cinnamon scones warm with extra glaze for dipping. If you plan to store them, let them cool completely and then place them in an airtight container.

Hope you like them…

xoxo

Jill 💜

Seanie’s Home…

I just love bite sized food and turning any of my families favorites into them. My big guy is home from college and in need of some home cooked meals, so I thought I would have some fun and take one of his favs and turn them into a yummy side dish for him to enjoy.

Here is what you will need:

• 12 small red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter – melted
• 6 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 slices of thick bacon – cooked and crumbled
• 2 green onions – sliced
• sour cream
• salt & pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Clean your small red potatoes and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, fry up your bacon, shred the cheese and slice the green onion.

When the potatoes are ready, slice them in half and brush them with the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Top each potato half with cheese and place under a broiler until cheese is melted. Make sure to keep an eye on them, they are small and can burn quickly.

When the cheese is melted, top with crumbled bacon and slices of green onion.

I love to add a tiny dollop of sour cream to each and serve them up next to a nice, juicy piece of grilled skirt steak.

Yum 😋

Hope you like them….

xoxo

Jill 💜

A Love Affair with Mussels….

My love affair with mussels started exactly when my love affair started with my husband. 😉 He took me to a restaurant in the city named Spain and they brought a plate of mussels to the table that were covered with a tomato/onion vinegar mix that was so yummy and had me hooked from the moment I took my first bite. So, when I came across a recipe from my favorite 💜 The Barefoot Contessa 💜  from her cookbook ” How Easy Is That ” I just had to try it out and it has quickly become one of our new favorite ways to eat mussels. I did have to switch it up a bit to suit the fact that my husband and I are the only mussel lovers in the house, but if you want to make it for a crowd definitely go check out her recipe on foodnetwork.com.

Here is what you will need:

Breadcrumb Mix

• 3 slices of day old bread – cut into cubes. I like to use leftover semolina or ciabatta bread.
• ¼ cup of olive oil.
• 2 garlic cloves – chopped.
• 1 tablespoon basil.
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• ¼ cup of pine nuts.
• Juice of 1 lemon.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon pepper.

Mussels

• 1 bag of mussels.
• 1 cup white wine.
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Here is what you need to do:

Cut bread into cubes and toast in oven at 250 degrees until dried out and toasty.

Clean your mussels, making sure to discard any that are cracked or open and won’t close up when you touch them.

When your bread cubes are ready, add them to a food processor with the olive oil, garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon, salt and pepper.

Just wanted to share two of my favorite things to keep in the house, that not only work great in this dish, but a whole bunch of others.

Grind all the ingredients together and then set aside.

Next, bring the wine and olive oil to a boil and throw in your cleaned mussels. Give a good mix, cover and simmer until mussels are cooked and open. If there are any mussels that don’t open, pick them out and throw them away.

Toss in your breadcrumb mixture and give it all a good toss.

Serve it up in a big bowl with crunchy bread and a whole lot of napkins.

&…

Enjoy!!

xoxo

Jill 💜

My Favorite Muffin !!

Hand down 🙌  Morning Glory Muffins are my favorite. They are packed with a bunch of yummy ingredients that I just love and can’t get enough of. Making them mini size is so simple and a great way to keep your calorie count down and still feel satisfied.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour.
• 1 cup brown sugar.
• 2 teaspoons baking soda.
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground ginger.
• ½ cup of sweetened coconut.
• ½ cup of raisins.
• ½ cup of walnuts.
• 1 cup of crushed pineapple.
• 1 tart apple peeled and grated.
• 2 cups of grated carrot.
• 3 eggs.
• ¾ cup of vegetable oil.
• 1½ teaspoons of vanilla

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Next, prepare the ginger, coconut, raisins, walnuts, pineapple, apple and carrot.

Add them to the flour mixture and give it all a good mixing.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.

Mix everything together, making sure that all the ingredients are nicely distributed throughout the batter.

Spoon batter into your well buttered/floured mini muffin mold fully. I just love when they come out with the little muffin tops.  Just make sure to butter/flour the top of the pan as well, so there is no stickage. Bake 15 – 20 minutes.

If you would like to make regular size muffins, just use liners and fill them ¾ of the way up and bake 25-30 minutes. You should get about 12 muffins from this mix.

 Pack them in an air tight container, so they are ready for you to…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜