Recipe of the Day: Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 cups cold 2% milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups whipped topping, divided
1 loaf (10-3/4 ounces) frozen pound cake, thawed

Directions
In a small bowl, combine strawberries and sugar; let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping; set aside.

Cut cake into 14 slices. Layer seven cake slices with 2 tablespoons strawberries, 1/3 cup pudding mixture and another cake slice. Top with remaining strawberries and whipped topping. Yield: 7 servings.

Recipe found here: Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

Recipe of the Day: Potato Salad

Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes (you can leave the peel on if you want), cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of mustard (your favorite, yellow, Dijon, stone ground)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 dill pickles, chopped into 1/4 in cubes (about 3/4 cup)
6 slices of bacon, cooked* and finely chopped
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
*To cook the bacon, heat a frying pan on medium low. Lay out the strips of bacon in a single layer. Gently cook, turning over occasionally with tongs, until lightly browned, and much of the fat rendered out. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess fat. Do not pour any fat from the pan down the drain, it will clog it. Instead, pour it into a jar, or sop up with paper towels and discard.

Directions
1 In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. (If you want, add some pickle juice to the drained, still slightly warm potatoes. The potatoes will absorb some of the juices, making them even tastier!)

2 In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and use a rubber spatula to gently combine. Add the rest of the ingredients, again gently combining. (Include a couple tablespoons of the pickle juice for good measure.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Recipe found here: Potato Salad

Recipe of the Day: Cheesy Beef Taco Salad

Cheesy Beef Taco Salad

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 cups crushed corn chips
Shredded lettuce
Chopped green onions
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

Directions
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, celery, green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the cheese, tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in corn chips.
Line six salad plates with lettuce; sprinkle with green onions. Top each with 1 cup beef mixture. Garnish with tomato wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

Recipe found here: Cheesy Beef Taco Salad

Recipe of the Day: Vanilla Pudding Dessert *National Vanilla Pudding Day*

Vanilla Pudding Dessert

Ingredients
2-3/4 cups cold milk
1 package (5.1 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 120 wafers)
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes; fold in condensed milk. Set aside 1 tablespoon whipped topping and 2 tablespoons wafer crumbs. Fold remaining whipped topping into pudding.

In a 3-qt. serving bowl, layer a third of the strawberries, wafer crumbs and pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with reserved wafer crumbs; top with reserved whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Recipe found here: Vanilla Pudding Dessert

Recipe of the Day: Starbucks Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino *National Strawberries and Cream Day*

Starbucks Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Syrup
16 oz Strawberries, hulled
Sugar to taste

For the Frappucino
1 cup Whole Milk
3/4 cups softened Vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup Strawberry Syrup (either make your own or use store bought!)
5-6 Whole Strawberries, chopped finely
2-3 ice cubes
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions

Make the Strawberry Syrup:
Note: You may also use store-bought syrup!

Chop the stem (hull) off the strawberries. You can then do a coarse chop or quarter the berries.

Place them in a colander and rinse them gently under cold water. You can wash them first and then chop if you like.

Drain the water well and place the berries in a saucepan. Cook them in medium heat. Give it a stir now and then. (After around 5 minutes you will find the berries releasing their juices.)

After around 15 minutes of cooking, add some sugar to taste.

Let cook for another 5 minutes and then wait until sauce has cooled.

Strain the sauce into another bowl pressing the fruit well to give more syrup.PS: Store remainder of strawberry syrup in an airtight container. You can use the fruit pulp in another recipe (pancakes, waffles, cakes, muffins etc)

Make the Frappuccino:
Add rest of the ingredients along with your strawberry syrup (other than the whipped cream and chopped strawberries) in a blender. Give it a whirl until blended.

Drop some of the chopped strawberries in a serving glass and pour the blended mixture into it.

Add some whipped cream on top if desired and serve chilled.

Recipe of the Day: BLT Macaroni Salad

BLT Macaroni Salad

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
3 cups shredded lettuce
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Add the macaroni, tomatoes and onions; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, add lettuce and bacon; toss to coat. Yield: 6 servings.

Recipe found here: BLT Macaroni Salad

Recipe of the Day: Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting *National Devil’s Food Cake Day*

Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with water and sour cream. Transfer to two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture until frosting is light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.

Recipe found here: Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting