One of my favorite things to eat in the summer is a nice Jello salad of some kind. I find it very refreshing when the weather turns hot. I will usually make one to serve as a side dish. When my husband came to me a couple of days and saying that he needed to bring a side dish to a work potluck, I knew that I wanted to make this. I have a few Jello salad recipes but this one by far is my favorite. I think it is because I love the whole orange n' cream combination. This is so light and delicious and simple to make. If you aren't a huge fan of the orange you could substitute your favorite flavor. Sometimes I leave the coconut out because I don't always have that on hand. This is one of those versatile recipes. I hope you enjoy and have a great WEEKEND! I know I will. My husband and I have a rare date night planned and are off to the movies. I am still trying to decide what we should see.

Orange Ambrosia Mold
recipe source Kraft Recipes

Who knew that cauliflower could taste to good. I'm not joking, I'm totally serious. I've never roasted it before, I'm used to serving it steamed. I had thoughts in my head about making it this way for a while and I finally got around to trying it. I'm so glad I did. This will be my new way of making cauliflower from now on. I happened to notice that asparagus was on sale at the store so I threw some of that in for color and interest. My kids ate this up so I'm calling it kid friendly as well. Go ahead and give this a try, I have a feeling you will like it too.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus

1 head of cauliflower
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over top. Put into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until almost tender.


While the cauliflower is baking, put the asparagus in a medium sized bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil; sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. After the cauliflower has baked for 20-25 minutes add the asparagus to the pan and toss to mix everything together. Return to the oven for about 12-15 more minutes until both vegetables are tender.
Remove from oven and serve warm.

This is the stuff that summer time meals are made of. Now I'm not looking forward to the summer here in AZ as the temperatures can reach well into the 100's but I am enjoying this beautiful spring, high 70's weather we have been basking in this week. This is the kind of weather I dream of for the perfect summer. Grilling is such a fun way to cook. I like the fact that my stove top stays nice a clean and we can enjoy that delicious taste that only a grill can impart. If I am going to grill hamburgers I just have to make baked beans to go along. It wouldn't be the same without them. These beans are so good. In fact I am begging you to go make them and see the reaction of those that you serve them to. They are like a meal in themselves meaning that you could make these with maybe a side of cornbread and dinner would be ready. Oh, did I forget to mention that they are made in the crockpot? This makes for simple prep and an easy dinner to have waiting when you get home at the end of the day. I healthified this recipe a bit from the original. I used ground turkey and turkey bacon and think that it turned out just a good, dare I say better.


Old Settlers Beans

1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
1/2 lb bacon (I used turkey)
1 onion chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 15 oz can kidney beans (drained)
1 29 oz can pork & beans (do not drain)
1 15 oz can butter beans (do not drain)

Brown and saute the ground meat, bacon, and onion. Transfer to the crockpot. In a bowl mix the sugars, ketchup, BBQ sauce, dry mustard, chili powder, and pepper. Add to the crockpot with the meat mixture and stir to combine. Add all the beans and mix to combine. Cook on high for 4 hours. You could also cook on low all day if you prefer.

Linked to Mom's Crazy Cooking

Let me start by saying that my favorite vegetable in the whole world is the sweet potato. I could eat them everyday and in every way. This is one of my preferred way to eat them. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. She makes this quite often and I get so excited when we come over for dinner and I see this on the menu. This is one of those recipes where you can change it up with whatever veggies you might want but I would suggest including sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. Now I love brussel sprouts, especially roasted. I didn't include them when I made this because they were too $$$. I know, I was thinking long and hard about spending the money but in the end decided against it. Zucchini would be a great vegetable to roast as would cauliflower.

Herb Roasted Vegetables

2 large sweet potatoes
2-3 potatoes (russet, red, fingerling, your choice)
container of fresh brussel sprouts
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
salt

Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch slices and spread out onto large rimmed baking sheet.


Cut potatoes (unpeeled) into large uniform sized chunks and add to baking sheet. Slice brussel sprouts in half and add to baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and toss to evenly coat.

In a small bowl, combine the spices. Sprinkle over the vegetables and toss again. Spread out onto baking sheet in an even layer.

They look lonely without the brussel sprouts!

Bake for 40 minutes or until very tender. Remove from oven and give them a light sprinkle with salt if desired.

Can you tell where I snagged a few after they came out?

One potato, two potato! These are awesome. I love baked potatoes, it's one of those carb things again. Twice baked potatoes are twice as nice. I kept seeing this container of Greek yogurt on the shelf in my fridge and was trying to think of something to do with it. I will confess right now, I do not like to eat Greek yogurt right out of the container. I could eat regular yogurt all day long and sometimes do but I don't like the texture of the Greek stuff, no matter how healthy it is. I do however, like to use it in the place of sour cream in recipes. I think it gives a great flavor and creaminess to dishes. So is the case with these potatoes. I had some lovely potatoes and thought the geek yogurt would be a fun thing to combine with the filling. Hope you enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes

2 large potatoes
5-6 oz container of Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
4 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and scrub potatoes. Bake in the oven right on the rack for about 60-70 minutes. I like to bake them without foil because it gives the skin a nice crunch. Leave the oven on.
After they are baked, cut each potato in half and scoop out the filling leaving  the shells intact. Mash the filling with the yogurt and milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Taste the filling to make sure it is seasoned the way you want it.
Scoop back into the shells and line them up on a baking sheet. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the filling starts to get brown bits on the tops.