Pineapple Orange Smoothie

Cool down this summer with this delicious fruit smoothie!

1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup diced pineapple
2 clementines, peeled and separated
1 container vanilla Greek yogurt (5 oz)

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Enjoy!

Tuna Artichoke Casserole

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 can tuna, drained 
1 can artichoke hearts, diced
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
2 1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells
salt & pepper, to taste

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. In medium saucepan, saute onions until tender. Add in mushrooms and saute until almost tender. In small bowl, combine chicken broth and flour. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken broth mixture to onions. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low.

4.. Add in tuna, artichoke hearts and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Transfer into baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Beer-Battered Haddock

Living on the East Coast now, I’ve made it my goal to become an expert at preparing seafood. What better way to start than classic, New England fish and chips?

4 cups vegetable oil 

1-1   ½ lbs boneless haddock fillets, cut into large chunks

2  cups flour

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 (12-oz) bottle of beer

Preheat oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer or large pot.  

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and beer. Pat fish dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper; coat with beer batter. Dredge the fish pieces in the remaining ½ cup of flour and then place gently into the hot oil. (Tip: Check to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small spoonful of batter into the pot. If it begins to fry quickly, your oil is ready.) Fry fish, turning frequently, until the batter is deep golden and the fish is cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel. Serve with French fries.

*Adapted from Paula Dean

Blueberry Crisp

This mouthwatering dessert was one of my favorites as a child and remains so as an adult. Nothing says summer like fresh blueberries and this dish is the perfect end to a summer evening. Top off the perfect crust-to-blueberry ratio with some chilly vanilla ice cream.

4 cups fresh blueberries 

1 T lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick (8 T) room-temperature butter, cut into small pieces

1 ½ cups oatmeal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread blueberries evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar.

In a large bowl, use a fork (or your hands) to mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter, and oatmeal until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over the blueberries.

Bake about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the blueberries are bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Red Quinoa Salad

 This recipe by far is one of my favorite quinoa recipes. I could literally eat this dish everyday; it is just that good! Perfect for a hot summers day.

2 and 1/2 cups red quinoa, cooked and chilled
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 avocado, sliced and diced
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 small onions, thinly diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 cup homemade lemon vinaigrette

For Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leave

Recipe from Tastefully Julie 

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

Last week, I whipped up these Shirley Temple Cupcakes for a Baby Shower! They are super simple, light and fluffy with a cherry flavored icing topped with a maraschino cherry! Simply delicious! 

For the cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix 

1 cup lemon-lime pop (I used Faygo)

3 eggs 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcakes liners. Combine cake mix, pop, eggs, oil and cherry juice into mixing bowl. Mix on medium until well combined. Fill cupcake liners between 1/2 and 2/3 full. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the frosting: 

2 sticks butter, softened 

5 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 

2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice 

Buttercream frosting recipe from A Bitchin' Kitchen

1. Cream butter 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, extracts, lemon juice, and cherry juice. Mix on low until combined. Pipe onto cupcakes. 

 

Lobster Bisque

I have recently become a New Englander. Since I was raised in the Southern Belle mindset, I must admit that I feel like a bit of a foreigner. Fortunately, I’ve brought with me a healthy love for seafood, which seems to fit in just fine. This week, I conquered a rich and creamy New England favorite: lobster bisque.

2 T olive oil 

2 T shallots, minced

2 T green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

¼ cup white wine

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup seafood stock

4 oz tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 cups heavy cream

4 T butter

½ lb lobster meat, cut into chunks

In a large pot, sauté shallots, garlic, and onions in oil over medium-high heat for approximately 1 minute. Stir in thyme, paprika, and salt, then deglaze with the white wine. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and vanilla, stirring well with each addition. Add seafood stock, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in cream and butter and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add lobster meat and simmer for 5 additional minutes. Serve with bread for dipping.

*Adapted from food.com

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

In honor of a week filled with all things red, white, and blue, try this Patriotic Trifle that is sure to be the hit of any potluck!

1 small package strawberry Jell-O 

1 small package berry blue Jell-O

2 cups boiling water, divided

1 cup cold water, divided

2 small packages vanilla instant pudding

2 cups cold milk

1 small carton Cool Whip

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced

1 prepared angel food cake or pound cake, cut into 1”-cubes

In two small bowls, prepare each Jell-O flavor with 1 cup of boiling water; stir in ½ cup of cold water. Pour each flavor into a square pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until set.

In a large bowl, mix pudding mixes with milk for 2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes, until soft-set. Fold in 2 cups of Cool Whip.

Set aside ¼ cup blueberries and strawberries for garnish. Cut each Jell-O pan into 1”-cubes. In a large trifle bowl or other serving dish, layer as follows: strawberry Jell-O cubes, half of the cake cubes, blueberries, half of the pudding mixture, blue Jell-O, remaining cake cubes, strawberries, remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with remaining Cool Whip, strawberries, and blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Recipe from Taste of Home