Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad for #Sunday Supper

This week's host for Sunday Supper is Cindy of Cindy's Recipes and Writings.  Cindy chose Easy to Make Patriotic 4th of July Recipes.  Since tomorrow is Independance Day here in the USA these recipes have to be super easy so that you can share them during your celebration tomorrow.

Well folks, this is about as easy as it gets.  Throw together this gorgeous red, white and blue fruit salad, grab your beach towel and lawn chair and head out to picnic and enjoy the beach, parade, fireworks or whatever it is you do to celebrate our Nation's Birthday.  Most of all stay safe, have fun and eat well.  Happy 4th Everyone!!!

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

1 qt. Strawberries, quartered

1 pt. blueberries, washed and stems removed

1 c. miniature marshmallows

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.  Print Recipe

Happy Independence Day!!

All-American Appetizers

• Honey Berry Blue Cheese Ball by Magnolia Days
• How to make Chicken Yakitori in Skewers for #SundaySupper by Asian In America

America the Beautiful Beverages

• Apple Pie Milkshake by Love and Confections
• Summer Berry Pitcher Mojitos by The Crumby Cupcake

Raise the Flag Breakfasts

• Breakfast Cake Stars with Strawberry Syrup by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Red, White, and Blue Berrylicious Smoothie Bowl by The Hungry Goddess

For the Red, White and Blue Salads and Main Dishes

• Bang Bang Pork Chops by Wholistic Woman
• Blueberry and Watermelon Arugula Salad by A Mind Full Mom
• Blueberry Barbecue Sauce for Red, White and Blue Chicken Skewers by Caroline’s Cooking
• Firecracker Hot Dogs by Sunday Supper Movement
• Founder’s Mac and Cheese by Cooking Chat
• Pumped Up Potato Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Red Hot Chicken and Blue Cheese Bites by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Red White & Blue Caprese Salad by Go Epicurista
• Red White and Blue Fruit Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Red, White, and Blue Salad by Simple and Savory
• Watermelon Salad with Feta & Blueberries by Monica’s Table
• Yankee Doodle Noodle Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Oh Say Can You See Desserts

• All-American Patriotic Dessert Tarts by Family Around The Table
• Berry Cheesecake Flag Dessert by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cherry Vanilla Poke Cake by Cookin’ Mimi
• Easy (No Bake!) Two Bite Berry Pies by Cooking With Carlee
• Firecracker Muddy Buddies by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Flag Fruit Pizza by Dash of Evans
• Homemade Snow Cones by Palatable Pastime
• Patriotic M&M Cookie Bars by Alida’s Kitchen
• Patriotic Smoothie Pops by Crazed Mom
• Red, White, and Blue Berry Pound Cake Bites by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Red, White and Blue Fruit Kabob Flag by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Red, White, and Blue Fruit Tart by Life Tastes Good
• Red, White and Blue Granita by Dessert Geek
• Red, White, and Blue M&M Cookies by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Red White and Blue Parfaits by Desserts Required
• Red, White and Blue Popsicles by Our Good Life
• Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treats by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Red, White and Blue Shooting Stars by The Freshman Cook
• Red White and Blue Strawberries with Chantilly Cream by Pine Needles In My Salad
• Rice Krispies Treat Birthday Cake by Pies and Plots
• Rosemary Cookies with Tomato Jam by The Finer Cookie

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Easy Peasy Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake and the Weekly Menu

This cake is so tender, moist and delicious. Noone will know that it only took minutes to throw it together.  The sweet tart goodness of the topping negates any need for additional garnishes but if you are a whipped cream lover, go ahead and add a dollop.  It certainly won't hurt.

Simply melt some butter and brown sugar in an oven proof skillet. I like to use my cast iron for upside down cakes.  Add the fruit and cook for the short while it takes to make up a boxed mix according to package directions.

Pour the batter over the fruit and put it in a preheated oven at the temperature recommended in the baking instructions for the box mix.  

Add 10 or 15 minutes to the baking time due to the extra liquid in the fruit.  I baked mine for an extra 15 minutes, checking after every 5 so it didn't burn.  I also covered the cake lightly with aluminum foil so the top did not over brown.

Immediately turn onto a heat proof platter but leave the pan over the top for a minute or two allowing the juices to seep back into the cake.

Sit back and glow in the accolades that are going to be coming your way.  This is a great way to use seasonal produce and that abundance of rhubarb coming out of your ears.

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

1/4 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. rhubarb, cut into 1/2" slices

1 qt. strawberries, sliced

1 yellow or white cake mix plus the ingredients called for on the package

Melt the butter and brown sugar in an oven safe skillet.  Add the fruit, stir to coat, turn heat to simmer and let cook while making cake batter following the instructions on the package.  Pour the batter over the fruit and bake in a preheated 350* oven until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake removes cleanly, 35-55 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.  Start checking the cake at 35 minutes and check every 5 minutes afterwards.  Cover the cake lightly with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning during these last minutes of baking.  When the cake is done, run a knife around the edges of the cake and flip over onto a heat proof serving platter.  Let the pan remain over the cake for a minute or two and then lift away and allow the cake to cool completely before serving. Print Recipe

I made this last week when we had a showing on the house.  I wanted the house to smell homey and had some rhubarb and fresh strawberries to use up.  It must have worked because we now have 2 offers on the table and haven't even had our open house yet.

Yesterday, we flew Up North to attend the Cedar Polka Festival with our TC family so the Sesame Crusted Tuna is being moved to this Friday.  Today we flew home in time to attend a Memorial Service for a friend that passed away over the winter and are heading to Frank's brother's house for a bbq this evening.

We are having an open house here tomorrow.   Monday, the kids are coming by for dinner. Wednesday we are invited to dinner at Kurt and Kim's. Early Thursday morning part of my CA family arrives.  My brother arrives on Friday and Chuck arrives on Saturday.  It will be one big party for the rest of the month at our house so I will have lots of great recipes to share. 

This is my tentative menu, just so I have some ideas in the back of my head and am not heading into the week blindly.

Saturday

Dinner at Dan and Rebecca's

Sunday

Summer Vegetable Calzone

Michigan Salad

Monday

Grilled Italian Sausages

Assorted Salads

Tuesday

Hot Dogs

Leftover Salads from Holiday Weekend

Wednesday

Dinner at Kurt and Kim's

Thursday

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Orzo and Feta Stuffed Tomatoes

Fish Friday (moved from last week)

Sesame Crusted Tuna

Asian Noodle Salad

Rose and Ginger Cupcakes for the Final Day of #CookoutWeek

Welcome to the final day of this fun little event called #CookoutWeek.  I want to send a huge thank you to Allison, Jessica and Sharon of  The Pintertest Kitchen for hosting and inviting me to take part. I have had a lot of fun and I hope that you, my readers and friends, have as well.

There is still time for you to enter the huge giveaway from our sponsors.  You can do so by going to my Welcome Post where you will find a complete listing of our sponsors and a description of the prizes that they provided for the raffle.  I cannot speak for all of the sponsors but I was lucky enough to receive products from Swine Dining and True Made Foods.  I received no monetary compensation and was asked for nothing in return except my honest opinion.  You can find that opinion in the posts containing recipes for Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins, Dilled Cole Slaw and True Made Rootbeer Pulled Pork.

I am so happy with the dessert I am sharing with you today.  It is a beautiful and elegant ending to a casual party.  Kind of like wearing pearls with your jeans, which I have been known to do.

The cupcakes are tender and  flavored with a touch of ginger.  The frosting is your basic cream cheese frosting tinted pink and I made the Sugared Rose Petals for an upcoming event, Unearthed, that I will be sharing with you on Tuesday.

I think these cupcakes would be lovely to serve at a wedding or baby shower.  The ginger cupcakes frosted with a hint of rose was absolutely mouth watering.  The flavors played off so well together.  I wasn't surprised because, after all, the inspiration came from this recipe by Martha Stewart.

Please make sure you stop by and take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing on this final day of #CookoutWeek.  I will be here tomorrow with my Weekly Menu.  Look forward to seeing you then.

Rose and Ginger Cupcakes

inspired by Martha Stewart

Cake:

1 1/2 c flour

1 T. ground ginger

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 eggs

3/4 c. milk

Frosting:

1/4 c. butter, room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 t. milk

1/4 t. rose water

pink gel food coloring

Sugared rose petals for garnish

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time until light and fluffy.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and ending with the flour until combined.

Divide between 18 muffin/cupcake tins that have been lined with paper cups, filling each about halfway.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Let cool in tin on wire rack for 15 minutes, remove cupcakes from tin to wire rack and let cool completely.

For frosting:

Cream together the cream cheese and butter in the small bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth and creamy and adding the milk, if needed, for desired consistency.  Whisk in the rose water and food coloring needed for desired hue.  

Frost completely cooled cupcakes and garnish with sugared rose petals.  Keep refrigerated until serving.   Print Recipe

I'm sure everyone finished up with a bang...Let's check em out!

An InLinkz Link-up

Minestrone Salad for #CookoutWeek

It's day 4 people.  This party is nearly over.  Have you entered to win that great prize package yet?

If you haven't then you need to go to my Welcome Post right now and get your name in this fantastic drawing.  Trust me when I say you don't want to miss out on this opportunity.  Speaking of opportunity, I want to thank the wonderful family over at PinterTest Kitchen for setting this whole gig up.  It is a lot of work and I want to let them know how very much I appreciate them.

Today, I am sharing a recipe that was inspired by one in the latest edition of Cuisine at Home.  I knew as soon as I saw the title, Minestrone Salad, that I wanted to make it.  When my version turned out so incredibly good, I knew that I wanted to share it with all of you and this event gave me the perfect opportunity.

This is a great salad to use up all those bits and pieces of veggies in your crisper.

You can add any veggies or type of pasta you want, just like when you make Minestrone soup.

The dressing is a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

You could also use store bought if you want or use your favorite olive oil and vinegar dressing recipe.

This salad is topped with shredded Parmesan just like the soup of the same name.

I can see me adding some chunks of ham and salami and calling it a meal instead of a side.

It goes together in minutes and would be the perfect salad to bring to a potluck or picnic.

Minestrone Salad

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #118

6 oz. small pasta, I used shells

1 c. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

1 c. broccoli florets

1 c. shredded carrots

1 c. summer squash, diced

1 c. zucchini, diced

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 T. garlic paste or 1 lg clove garlic, minced

1 T. Italian Herb paste or 1/2 T. dried Italian Herbs

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese, shredded or shaved

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook per package directions, adding the green beans and broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking.  Drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl with the carrots, squash, zucchini, tomatoes and kidney beans. 

Place the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a small jar with a cap.  Seal and shake until thoroughly combined.  Pour over the vegetables and pasta and toss to coat.  Pour into a serving bowl and top generously with Parmesan Cheese.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.  Print Recipe

Here is what the rest of the crew cooked up for today.

An InLinkz Link-up

True Made Rootbeer Pulled Pork for #CookoutWeek

My regular readers know that I am a big proponant of sneaking veggies into my family's food.  I have shared my grilled vegetable pasta sauce , numerous cakes and muffins containing zucchini, carrots, spinach and I often add greens to my stews and sauces with no one being the wiser.  In fact, the Jamaican Me Happy muffins that I shared with you on the first day of #CookoutWeek contained zucchini and flax seed for some little added nutrition.

Today is day 3 of #CookoutWeek hosted by the gals at PinterTest Kitchen.  If you haven't entered to win the great prize package listed above you need to go do that right this minute.  I will wait for you to come back before I go on with my post.  

Welcome back....now let me tell you about this new brand of foods that was sent to me by one of our sponsors.  True Made Foods has done, commercially, what I have been doing in my kitchen for years. They have developed products that are flavored and sweetened with vegetables instead of sugar.  Not only have they taken out a lot of sugar but they have added in a ton of veggies that will provide you with extra nutrition, vitamins and fiber.  Yes, but how does it taste?  Let me tell  you...I have always made my own bbq sauce because I have never found a store bought sauce that I liked.  That has all changed.  Frank, who is even pickier than I, when it comes to bbq sauce, loved it.  Of course, I did not tell him that it is chock full of veggies.  I did, however, mention that it was made by veterans. As you may know, Frank is a vet as were both of our fathers and two of my brothers.  Frank's brother and our son, Chuck, are still active military so we hold our vets in very high esteem.  That being said, as much as I appreciate their service to our country, I would never recommend a product that I didn't love and, folks.....I LOVE this product.

I was a little concerned because I wanted to cook my pork shoulder in rootbeer and liquid smoke. Then, when I got this gift package from True Foods, I almost changed my mind because who wants to add a lot of processed, high fructose corn syrup, to a dish that would be dressed with this healthier sauce?  I went on a mission and found a rootbeer that was made with cane sugar and contained no high fructose corn syrup.  My plan was back on!!

I was making a 9 lb roast which was too big to fit into my crockpot.  Luckily, I have my handy dandy electric roaster that works very well as a big crockpot.  I put in the roast with 2 bottles of the rootbeer, some onion and 3 tablespoons of the liquid smoke.  I let it cook on low heat (about 275*) for 14 hrs.It cooked overnight while we slept.  The next morning, I removed the roast to a cutting board and shredded the meat, discarding all bones, fat, gristle and the cooking liquid.  I placed the meat into my regular sized crockpot and placed it in the refrigerator until the following day.

The next morning, I added the entire bottle of True Made BBQ sauce, filled the bottle halfway with water, shook it up to get every last bit of goodness off of the sides and poured that into the crockpot as well.  Stirred it together so all the meat was coated and cooked it on low for 3 hrs. 

This was served up with a couple of salads, a muffin and a cupcake for dessert making a complete meal that I am sharing with you, one recipe each day, to celebrate #CookoutWeek.

I want to thank True Made Foods for their generosity in sending me a 3 pack of their products containing ketchup, hot sauce and this lovely bbq sauce I am sharing with you today.  I received no other compensation and, as stated earlier, would not promote any product on my blog unless I was completely happy with said product.  I will be purchasing this bbq sauce in the future and I feel very comfortable sharing this company with my readers.  

This recipe will easily feed a large gathering of 20-25 people.  You can adjust the measurements to suit your needs but keep in mind that it freezes extremely well and is perfect to have on hand in smaller portions for those busy days. Grab a package from the freezer and make pulled pork quesadillas, pulled pork sandwiches or a pulled pork pizza.  That is what I am using our leftovers for this time and I will be sharing the results with you soon.  Pulled pork in this house is like lasagna.  I never make it for one meal without making extras for the freezer.  

True Made Rootbeer Pulled Pork

1 (8-10 lb) Pork Shoulder or Butt Roast

1 onion, quartered

2 bottles root beer

3 T. liquid smoke

1 bottle True Made BBQ Sauce (or your favorite sauce)

Place the roast in a large crockpot or electric roaster along with the onion, rootbeer and liquid smoke. Turn to low heat (275*) and let cook for 12-14 hrs or until roast is fall of the bone tender and easily shredded with a fork.  Remove from roaster to a cutting board and let cool.  Discard cooking liquid.

When roast is cool enough to handle shred the meat discarding any fat, gristle and bones. (You can now store the meat in the refrigerator or continue with the recipe.)  Place shredded pork into a slow cooker.  Add the entire bottle of bbq sauce.  Fill the bottle halfway with water, shake to get all the remaining sauce from the bottom and sides and add to the slowcooker.  Toss with tongs to coat the meat thoroughly and cook on low for 2-3 hrs or until heated through.  Print Recipe

I'm excited to see what the others are sharing today...let's go take a look!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Dilled ColeSlaw for #CookoutWeek

Welcome to Day 2 of #Cookout Week.  Today I am featuring another great product from Swine Dining.  Swine dining is a barbecue restaurant located in Erie, PA and they have recently branched out to offer their spice mixes that are so popular in the restaurant.  You can learn more about them on their facebook page and you can purchase their products in their Etsy Shop.

#CookoutWeek is hosted by The PinterTest Kitchen.  They came up with this great idea, found fellow bloggers to join in the fun, rounded up sponsors to provide the bloggers with great products and our readers with this wonderful prize package and took care of all the administrative duties.  These ladies do all of this out of the goodness of their hearts to spread love to fellow bloggers and our followers. May all their good works come back to them tenfold.

Disclosure: I received free products from sponsors for this event.  I did not receive any monetary compensation. I was not asked or required to use the products for this event.  I chose to use this product for recipe development.  All opinions are 100% truthful and 100% my own. 

Today's recipe is the perfect accompaniment to whatever you have on the grill, from steaks to hotdogs to fish to chicken to portabellas, this slaw will fit right in.  

I made a typical coleslaw dressing from mayo and apple cider vinegar but instead of my normal seasonings I used Swine Dining Dilly Dust.  The dilly dust came in a plain container with no ingredients listed.  The folks at Swine Dining hadn't gotten that far in their production yet but wanted to get the product to us in time for #CookoutWeek. 

 I tasted the dust and found that it was salted so I didn't add any additional salt, just some fresh ground pepper, a little sugar and the dilly dust.  When I tasted it, I couldn't think of anything that could improve the flavor....it was perfect.

I whisked the dressing together and then added the slaw mix.  I bought premade mix in the interest of saving time since my food processor is one of the small appliances already packed away for the move.  I tossed until the vegetables were covered with the dressing and then garnished the slaw with some sliced scallions.  I think that I have found a new coleslaw recipe for this household.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Dilled ColeSlaw

1/2 c mayonnaise

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 t. milk

1 T. sugar

1/2 T. Dilly Dust (you can substitute with dried dill and salt to taste)

fresh ground pepper to taste

6 c. shredded coleslaw mix

2 scallions, sliced, for garnish, if desired.

Whisk together the mayo, vinegar, milk, sugar, dilly dust and pepper in a large bowl.  Add the coleslaw mix and toss to coat.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with scallions if desired. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.  Print Recipe

Make sure you take a look at what the rest of the Cookout Crew is sharing today

An InLinkz Link-up

Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins for #CookoutWeek on #MuffinMonday

Hello and welcome to the first day of #CookoutWeek 2016.  You can learn all about this event and enter to win some great prizes by going to my Welcome Post.  This event is being hosted by the gals over at The PinterTest Kitchen, so you know it is going to be great!!

I love these events because I get to know so many new bloggers and I get a ton of great ideas for recipes and entertaining.  We grill out nearly every day in the summer so I know that I am going to be coming back to these posts time and time again to try the new recipes that are linked at the end of each post.

When you read my Welcome Post and Entered the Giveaway...You already did that, right?  Good. Then you know that Swine Dining is one of our generous sponsors.  They provided me with some Wimpy's BBQ Rub, Dilly Dust and Jamiacan Me Hungry Seasoning.  All of these products are handmade in small batches, packaged up by people not machines and sent along with a handwritten thank you letter.  Guess which one I used in today's recipe?  I'll give you a hint....look at the title of my muffins.

In the welcome letter that came with these spices was a sentence that read "I appreciate your honest opinion".  That was the only request in exchange for these products that they generously supplied to me as part of this event.  This is good because I only write and share what I believe to be true here on my blog.  You can rely on that.

I find, when doing these week long events, that it is much easier and I save a lot of time and energy if I cook an entire meal and share one recipe from that meal each day.  That is what I am doing this time.  My menu for this meal is:

• True Made Rootbeer Pulled Pork 
• Dilled Coleslaw
• Minestrone Salad
• Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins
• Ginger and Rose Cupcakes

This meal was fantabulous!!!  I served it during one of my husband's classes and it was a huge hit.  I am sharing the muffins first because....It is #MuffinMonday folks.

Those of you who are regular readers know that I like to join Stacy of Food Lust People Love on the last Monday of each month to share a muffin recipe.  If you love muffins you need to stop by and see 

all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

These spicy muffins have a delicious nutty flavor from the flax seeds with just a touch of sweetness.

They paired wonderfully with the Pulled Pork.  When I opened the Jamaican Spice jar I smelled so many wonderful flavors, I knew that they were going to be perfect in a muffin and I was soooooo right.

The recipe I am sharing makes 18 muffins.  They are also wonderful as a snack or to grab on your way out the door for breakfast.  They freeze well and keep for several days in a sealed airtight container on the counter.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love these muffins.  With my first bite I thought "uhoh, I'm not sure about the flax seed" but then I got that crunchy nutty goodness and ate not one, but two muffins...just for testing purposes....yeah, that's it...I had to make sure the whole batch was as wonderful as the first muffin.  I didn't feel to guilty though because not only do these muffins have the added health benefits from the flax seed but I also snuck in some zucchini for added nutrition. You're welcome.

Stop by tomorrow when I share my recipe for Dilled Coleslaw and make sure you take a gander at all the other recipes being shared by our #CookoutWeek crew and our #MuffinMonday makers.

Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins

2 c. shredded zucchini

1/3 c. water

1/3 c. canola oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 t. vanilla

2 3/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. flax seeds

1 1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 t. Jamaican Me Hungry spice mix (or a mixture of your favorite spices)

In a small bowl mix together the zucchini, water, oil, egg and vanilla.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, flax seeds, soda, salt and spice mixture.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients stirring just until combined and all dry ingredients are moistened.  

Divide evenly among 18 muffin tins that have been lined with papers or treated with baking spray. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

Here's what's Cooking at #CookoutWeek

An InLinkz Link-up

More Marvelous Muffins

• Banana Bread and Chocolate Muffins from Making Miracles
• Chocolate Chip Blood Orange Muffins from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Grilled Cherry Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Margarita Sour Cream Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pancake Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Sweet Corn Muffins from Food Lust People Love