Greek Panzanella

Good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.
Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

via: Ina Garten (Food Network)

Fresh Herb Penne With Chicken & Tomatoes

16 oz penne noodles
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 can (16.5oz) diced tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or cut into thin strips
cooked chicken breast strips
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Cook & drain pasta according to package directions.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic & cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes & basil; cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken; simmer for 5 minutes. Toss with penne & mozzarella cheese. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve immediately.

Scotcheroos

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer to use semi-sweet)
1 cup butterscotch chips

In a 3 qt. saucepan, cook the corn syrup and sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves & mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add Rice Krispies cereal and stir until well coated. Press mixture into a 13x9x2" pan coated with cooking spray.
In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together, stirring every 30 seconds. (Or melt in a saucepan on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly).
Spread melted chocolate/butterscotch chips mixtures over the cereal mixture. Let stand until firm (or speed it along by putting in fridge for 30 minutes). Cut into squares.
**************
This recipe is easily halved to make in an 8x8 pan. That's what I did this time, but I made the full topping amount and enjoyed it that way. So if you'd like the butterscotch/chocolate layer to be thicker, just double it!

I prefer to chill these in the fridge for a half hour or so to help them set up a bit before cutting. I also prefer to keep these chilled, then pull them out about 10 minutes before eating, but you can also just keep them at room temp.
via: Michelle Palin

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

1 package of powdered ranch dressing mix
1 15 oz can black beans, undrained
1 15 oz can pinto beans, undrained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of corn, undrained
1 4 oz chopped green chili’s
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1b ground beef, browned
1/2 onion, diced, cooked/softened with beef
1 package of dry taco seasoning mix
Brown ground beef and diced onions in a large skillet.
Throw skillet contents, and remaining ingredients into a crock pot/slow-cooker and cook for at least 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Recipe via: Cafe Zupas
Serve with corn chips, sour cream, and grated cheese.

Serves 6-8

Sweet Pork Salad With Lime CIlantro Dressing

2-4 lb pork roast
1 ½ Cups Coca Cola
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Seasoning Salt

Sauce:
1 Cup Coca Cola
1 Cup ketchup

Dressing:
1 jar Herdez Salsa Verde (mild tomatillo salsa, I get it at Walmart, any size)
Equal amount of prepared ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)
1 Bunch Cilantro

10 inch wheat or flour tortillas
Shredded green leaf lettuce
Black beans, I just used canned
Cilantro lime rice (steamed rice with chopped cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice, as much as desired)
Diced tomatoes, cheese, guacamole….etc
Crispy Tortilla Strips (flour tortillas cut into thin strips and fried in vegetable oil until browned)

1.Place roast in crockpot with Coke; season with salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Cook on low overnight, until tender. Remove roast from crockpot, discard juices. Shred pork into bite size pieces and place back into pot on low.
2.Place Cola and ketchup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Heat to a low boil. Pour over shredded roast. Cook on low until ready to serve.
3.For dressing, place equal parts salsa verde and ranch dressing into food processor or blender. Add Cilantro leaves and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4.To serve: Place tortilla onto a large bowl or plate. Layer with lettuce, beans, rice, pork, dressing and tomatoes, cheese and guacamole. Cheese, guacamole and crispy tortilla strips not pictured, but really good in it!
via: Picky Palate

Kristen's modifications:
I cooked the pork on high for 7 hours. I added all the ingredients, then drained all the coke after cooking. Then I added 1 small can of red enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit and give it a bit of enchilada taste. I followed all ingredients for the dressing, but I put it all into the blender to make it creamy and chop up the cilantro into smaller pieces.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

1¼ cups vegetable oil


For the topping:

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp. flour

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces


Directions:

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.


To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)
via: annies-eats.com

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

• FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
o 3 cups confectioners' sugar
o 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
o 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
o 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
o 3 cups all-purpose flour
o 1 teaspoon salt
o 1 teaspoon baking powder
o 1 teaspoon baking soda
o 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
o 1 tablespoon ground ginger
o 1 tablespoon ground cloves
o 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
o 1 cup vegetable oil
o 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
o 2 large eggs
o 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.
via: Martha Stewart.com
whoopie pie tags: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/881485/freewhoopiepietags.pdf

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

1 cup milk
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
4 chicken breasts cut into halves (8 pieces)
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Optional: I like to pound and flatten the chicken out a little so it cooks evenly throughout.
Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. In a skillet over medium heat cook chicken in butter until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and keep in a 9x13 pan in the oven on warm.
Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to loosen up browned bits from pan. Stir in cream, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and whisk in Parmesan cheese. Pour sauce over the chicken and serve.
via: Favorite Family Recipes

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large saucepan (much bigger than you think- it bubbles up a lot), combine sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, baking soda; boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Artichoke Dip

1 can (or jar) unmarinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup mayo
1 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, pressed
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp dillweed

Mix together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes...

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp
{or any old crisp you feel like making}

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup quick oats

Fill 9x13 pan with sliced fruit. Mix together all dry ingredients, and cut in butter. Mix with a fork or a pastry blender until butter resembles pea sized chunks. Spread over fruit and bake @ 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
via:bakeitandloveit.blogspot.com 9/9/10

Classic Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1tsp.vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

via: Our Best Bites

How To Cook Quinoa

Yields: about 2 C cooked quinoa

2/3 C dry quinoa
1 1/3 cups water or broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
1 pinch salt

Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with 1 inch of water. Gently stir and carefully pour out excess water. Add water again until it covers quinoa by 1 inch. Let sit for 5 minutes.

While quinoa is soaking, bring 1 1/3 C water or broth, and pinch of salt, to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce heat to simmer. Drain quinoa from soaking water using a fine mesh sieve. Add grains to simmering water on stove top. Place tight-fitting lid on pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the water is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
via: Our Best Bites

Mango Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth. I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

via: Our Best Bites

Basic Cooked Quinoa
by Our Best Bites

Yields: about 2 C cooked quinoa

2/3 C dry quinoa
1 1/3 cups water or broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
1 pinch salt

Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with 1 inch of water. Gently stir and carefully pour out excess water. Add water again until it covers quinoa by 1 inch. Let sit for 5 minutes.

While quinoa is soaking, bring 1 1/3 C water or broth, and pinch of salt, to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce heat to simmer. Drain quinoa from soaking water using a fine mesh sieve. Add grains to simmering water on stove top. Place tight-fitting lid on pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the water is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Chicken Lime Tacos

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4-5 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste)
Flour tortillas

Optional toppings:
Pico de gallo
cheese
onions
tomatoes
jalapeno
guacamole
cilantro
sour cream

Sauté chicken in a medium skillet in a little oil for a few minutes until chicken becomes white all around. Combine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and cilantro and add to chicken. Simmer for an extra 10-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken to tortillas and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, or any other taco topping you like!

via: Favorite Family Recipes

Orzo Salad With Corn & Tomatoes

1 lb. green beans, trimmed

1 & 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta (8oz)

3 ears fresh white sweet corn

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup shallots, minced

2 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. minced fresh tarragon (2 tsp. dried)

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cut green beans into 2" lengths. Add to boiling water; cook 3-5 minutes. Drain, place in ice water until cold; drain. Fill pot with water again & bring to a boil. Add orzo; cook 8-11 minutes. Drain & rinse. Husk corn, rinse & cut off kernels in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, shallots, mustard, tarragon, salt & pepper. In a large bowl, mix orzo with 1/2 cup dressing, salt & pepper. Spread out orzo. Layer corn, green beans & tomatoes over pasta. Pour remaining dressing over salad & mix.

Marinated Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup light olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 T. coarse grain prepared mustard

1 T. lime juice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Place chicken breasts in a large shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients; stir well & pour over chicken. Cover & refrigerate, for no longer than 2 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade. Grill for about 8 minutes on each side.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Spicy Honey Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs
2 t vegetable oil

Rub:
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

Drizzle the extra couple tablespoons of glaze on now.

via: Our Best Bites

Mandarin Pasta Salad

Dressing:

- 1 tsp. finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger root

- 1 garlic clove, pressed

- 1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

- ¼ cup orange juice

- ¼ cup vegetable oil

- 1 tsp. sesame oil

- 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

- 2 teaspoons sugar

Salad:

- 8 oz. bow tie pasta

- ½ cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced

- ½ cup diced red bell pepper

- ½ cup coarsely chopped red onion

- 1 package (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves

- 1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

- 2 cups diced, cooked chicken

- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. For fresh dressing, finely chop ginger root. In small bowl, whisk ginger root, garlic, vinegar, OJ, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, and sugar. Cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For Salad, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold, running water. Place pasta in large bowl.

3. Meanwhile, score cucumber, remove seeds and cut slices in half. Dice bell pepper, coarsely chop onion. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Carnitas

Ingredients:

- Pork loin roast

- 1 can chicken broth

- 1 can pepsi/coke

- 1 can chopped green chilis

- 1 med. onion-quartered

- 4-5 cloves of garlic

- 1 med. Jalapeno-deseeded and chopped

- 1 bunch of cilantro-chopped

- 1 tablespoon of cumin

- salt/pepper

　 Directions: 1. Cut roast into 2 inch pieces

2. Add to pot on stove

3. Add all ingredients

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours

5. Remove meat with slotted spoon into a roasting pan

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

7. Save broth

8. Shred meat somewhat with a fork

9. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes

10. Remove from oven and spoon some of the broth over meat

11. Serve with tortillas, salsa, guacamole, etc.

Walking Fondue

1 loaf round bread 8 oz. sliced Swiss cheese 1 c. butter 1 T. lemon juice 1 T. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. Beaumond seasoning (optional) Score round loaf of bread in criss-cross cuts, making sure you do not cut all the way to the bottom of the loaf. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil, making sure to reinforce the edges of the loaf. Stuff scores with slices of Swiss cheese and pour butter mixture into all cracks. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. *I found a website that has the BeauMonde Seasoning ingredients. I have not measured everything out, but I just put a dash here and a dash there and it still tastes SO good. BeauMonde Seasoning Mixture Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. ground cloves 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 Tbsp. salt 1 Tbsp. ground bay leaf 1 Tbsp. ground allspice 2 Tbsp. ground pepper 1 Tbsp. ground white pepper 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. ground mace 1 tsp. celery seed

Nantucket Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 1 and 1/2 cups flour 1 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir in salt and soda. Add flour and then oats. Mix in white chocolate, cranberries, and pistachios. Roll into generous 1 inch balls and bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 26 cookies.

***Make a double batch...they are so good!!

Brownie Popsicles

•brownies •chocolate melts •popsicle sticks •sprinkles directions: •make brownies & cut into rectangles & place on wax paper to cool. •melt colored chocolate chips (follow melting instructions on the bag for best results) •stick the popsicle sticks into the brownies •pour melted chocolate onto brownie

•sprinkle almost immediately, before chocolate hardens •let shell harden and enjoy!

via: Love and twenty toes.blogspot.com

Tropical Avo Salsa

2 cups finely diced tropical fruit (suggestions: kiwi, pineapple, mango, and papaya)

2 avocados, pitted, peeled & cut into 1/4" dice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 fresh Serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded & finely chopped

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 fresh, diced tomato

Gently toss together all ingredients with salt & pepper to taste.

Roasted Vegetables with Feta Cheese

1/2 red onion, quartered
10-15 small fingerling potatoes
4 red or yellow baby bell peppers, sliced
3 carrots, halved and cut into large pieces
8 cloves of garlic, leave the skins on for roasting
1 green zucchini, sliced
4-5 asparagus spears, ends removed and cut into thirds
1 handful of grape tomatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked lemon pepper, to taste
Dried thyme
Dried oregano
Garlic powder
Feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (for quick and easy clean up) then coat the tin foil lined baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Clean and slice the veggies and layer all but the tomatoes, zucchini and asparagus on the sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, season with sea salt, cracked lemon pepper, garlic powder, thyme and oregano to taste. Toss to coat and place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the tomatoes, zucchini and asparagus to the roasted veggies, toss and return to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside. Once the garlic cloves cool down, carefully peel the skin off. Add garlic cloves back in with the rest of the veggies then sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy.

Recipe by: For the Love of Cooking.net

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. grated orange or lemon peel
1 large egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. canola oil
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
Streusel Topping
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level it with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, and citrus peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe via: Our Best Bites

Glass Block Jello

4 3-oz. packages assorted Jello (in coordinating colors)
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Spray 4 small food storage containers (like Tupperware/Gladware/Rubbermaid) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Bring 5+ cups of water to a boil. Combine 1 c. boiling water with 1 package of Jello, stirring until dissolved. Place the dissolved Jello in one of the prepared containers. Repeat with the remaining packages of Jello. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.

When the Jello has set, bring another 1 1/2 c. of water to a boil. While the water is heating, sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 c. of cold water. Allow to stand for about 4 minutes. When the water is boiling, pour 1 1/2 c. boiling water over the dissolved gelatin and stir to combine. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Allow to come to room temperature.

Lightly spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully cut the colored Jello into cubes and gently toss to combine in the 9x13" pan. Pour the cooled milk mixture over the colored Jello and, if necessary, rearrange some of the colored Jello to make sure it is evenly distributed and not sticking out of the white mixture too far.

Place the 9x13" pan in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Cut into squares, rectangles, or various shapes with cookie cutters and serve.

via: Our Best Bites