White Chocolate Blueberry Fudge

On the Menu Today~
White Chocolate Blueberry Fudge topped with
Blueberry Icelandic Sea Salt.

White Chocolate Blueberry Fudge is easy, peasy.
This particular recipe is one of those no-fail recipes.
I have made this recipe over and over again.
Each and every time I have made this recipe, it has turned out.
By simply changing the nuts, extracts, and dried fruit combinations,
you can make this fudge in many different ways or flavors.

 When I first decided to make this fudge,
I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.
After all, this fudge is made with mini marshmallows,
white chocolate chips, ground almonds, dried blueberries and
a wonderful Blueberry Icelandic Sea Salt by Nordur Salt.
Not your usual fudge ingredients....at first I was a little bit apprehensive.
Not really sure what to expect.

Well, let me reassure you,
White Chocolate Blueberry Fudge is fantastic!
The flavor combination works great together and
believe it not, this fudge isn't overly sweet.
The dried blueberries add just the right amount of blueberry flavor and
the white chocolate flavor is always delicious.

If you don't have almond extract,
you can substitute vanilla extract for the almond.
I only had whole almonds,
which I ground in my mini chopper but
you can easily substitute sliced, slivered or
chopped almonds if you prefer.
A light sprinkling of Blueberry Icelandic Sea Salt,
on each piece of fudge adds that extra 'oh yeah'
to every delicious bite.

Get the recipe here!

Smashed Cauliflower

On the Menu Today~

Smashed Cauliflower

Smashed Cauliflower is simply delicious!
Now that fresh cauliflower is in season here in WI,
I couldn't wait to give this recipe a try.
Fresh is so much better than store-bought but
in a pinch, store bought will do just fine.

We used a super large head of cauliflower and
we wanted a creamy yet slightly chunky,
texture to our smashed cauliflower.
That is why we only used 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk.
Parmesan cheese or shredded cheese of your choice can also be added.

In this recipe the cauliflower is steamed along with the garlic.
All the ingredients are then blended together.
Using an immersion blender works perfect for this recipe.
My hand-held mixer has an immersion attachment feature,
which I absolutely love.
You can purchase a hand-held immersion blender,
(a boat-motor, as Emeril call them)
anywhere and they are fairly inexpensive.
In fact, I picked one up at a thrift store for $2.00.
If you like to go thrfting, keep your eyes peeled.

Smashed Cauliflower
is a great substitute for mashed potatoes,
perfect if your on a low-carb diet or
a wonderful way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.

Click here to visit Ink and Elm Backdrops

Get the recipe here!

Smoky Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

On the Menu Today~
Smoky Sun-Dried Tomato Scones are
made with Smoked Icelandic Sea Salt,
Smoked Gouda Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and
Fresh Snipped Chives~

Get the recipe here!

How to Make Vanilla Sugar

On the Menu Today~
How to Make Vanilla Sugar

Many European recipes I want to try call for Vanilla Sugar.
You can even purchase vanilla sugar on Amazon.
When I saw the price, I though, you have got to be kidding me....
For the price of one 2.5 oz bag of vanilla sugar plus the cost of shipping,
I can buy a bottle of Watkins Madagascar Vanilla Beans (under $10.00) which contain 2 beans,
5 lb. bag of sugar (under $2.00) and make my own vanilla sugar.....and then some!

My hubby loves to drink Bird Dog Whiskey, which is great for me. Why?
Because Bird Dog whiskey comes in decorative bottles with a cork stopper....
perfect for storing my vanilla sugar.

Vanilla sugar is wonderfully fragrant and flavorful sugar made by burying vanilla beans in granulated sugar or powdered sugar. The beans can also be scraped from the bean pod and the seeds are added to granulated sugar. The result is a delicious and perfumy sugar that can be used as an ingredient for baked goods, fruit and other desserts.

Vanilla sugar in a decorative bottle,
makes a great teacher gift, birthday gift or
even hostess gifts during the holidays.

Get the recipe here!

German Style Coleslaw

On the Menu Today~
German Style Coleslaw

Here in Wisconsin we love a good Friday Night Fish Fry and
what goes with battered fried fish?
Coleslaw, of course.....that and
tarter sauce and buttered rye bread.

German-Style Coleslaw is made with a fantastic homemade vinegar/oil dressing.
We used a German Seasoned Vinegar by Hengstenberg.
You can also use distilled white vinegar.

We normally prefer a creamy style coleslaw but
after trying this recipe we might have changed our minds.
This recipe makes a tangy, slightly sweet dressing,
that goes perfect with the crisp cabbage and carrots.
The dressing consists of vinegar, dry mustard, celery seeds,
salt, sugar and vegetable oil. Even my 4 year old grand-daughter
loved this coleslaw, she ate two bowls!

Get the recipe here!

German Potato Salad

On the Menu Today~

German Potato Salad

For this recipe we used Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes by: Melissa's.

Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes have a rich, buttery flavor. 

Perfect grilled, roasted or in salads.
Not only were these little gems tasty,
they made making German Potato Salad a breeze to make.
Boiled whole for 20 to 25 minutes, cut in half, and
tossed with bacon, green onions and
a tasty vinegary dressing,
this recipe for German Potato Salad,
was ready to eat in less than 45 minutes.
No peeling, chopping, dicing involved.

This was the first time we have ever made German Potato Salad.
I'm really not sure why either....
maybe it was the vinegar....but
it probably comes down to the fact,
that most potato salads are creamy.
We have always made a mayonnaise based potato salad and
I think most people think of potato salad as a creamy-style potato salad.
Most if not all of the parties, family get togethers, and
summer grill parties, always serve a creamy version of potato salad.

Well that is about to change....
We really, really, loved this recipe.
The bacon, sliced green onion and
the potatoes were delicious. But the
star of the salad was the easy vinegar dressing.
We used a German Seasoned Vinegar by: Hengstenberg

If you can't find German Seasoned Vinegar,

a good quality apple cider vinegar can be substituted,

with the same great results.

Click here to visit Ink and Elm Backdrops

Get the recipe here!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

On the Menu Today~
Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Noodle Casserole
has been served in school cafeteria's for eons and
when I was growing up,
Tuna Noodle Casserole was a stable in our house,
eaten every Friday for dinner during Lent.
Often to the moans and groans of myself and
my brother and sisters.

Saturday's lunch would be left-over tuna noodle casserole,
spread on thick slices of French bread,
then put under the broiler until the slice of American cheese had melted.
Saturday's version of Tuna Noodle Casserole was by far my favorite.

Chopped onions and celery are optional in this recipe.
I don't think my mom added either to her Tuna Casserole.
Aggie wasn't exactly what you would call a 'chef'.
It would be fair to say, that she was more in the category of 'terrible' cook...
Aggie would have considered adding onion, celery and
dried dill weed, would certainly qualify the recipe as 'gourmet'
(I very much doubt she even had dried dill weed)
Considering I had never eaten a taco until I was in the third grade....or
a lettuce salad, until I was 19 years old, should shed some light on the subject.
I definitely led a very 'Sheltered Food' life.

Now on to this {Gourmet} Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe~

Get the recipe here!

Padre Island Shells

On the Menu Today~
Padre Island Shells
Recipe from:
Dona Grover, Rockwell, Texas
via Taste of Home, Pasta Cookbook

I have wanted to make this recipe,
ever since I saw it in a  Taste of Home Cookbook.
I think that was over 10 years ago,
so I thought it's about time to give it a try.

What is imitation crab meat, seafood sticks, krab sticks or crab sticks anyway?
All of the above are a form of kamaboka,
a processed seafood made of starch and
finely pulverized white fish, surimi, 
then shaped to resemble the leg of a snow crab or
Japanese spider crab.

Sugiyo Co., Ltd. of Japan was the first to produce and
patented imitation crab meat in 1973,
as Kanikama, this was the flake type.
In 1974, Osaki Suisan Co., Ltd. of Japan,
first produced and patented imitation crab sticks.

In 1976,
The Berelson Company, of San Francisco,
working with Sugiyo, introduced them internationally.
Internationally they are marketed under the names;
Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs, and Imitation Crab.
Legal restrictions now prevent them from being marketed as 'crab sticks' in many places,
as they usually don't have crab meat.
North Pacific Alaska Pollock is commonly the main ingredient.

Imitation crab is something that you either like or you don't.
Personally, I like imitation crab, the flaked kind.
I use it in seafood pasta salad and now in this recipe.
My hubby is a huge fan of imitation crab and
usually eats it dipped into jarred shrimp sauce....
a good way to eat imitation crab but
not a very 'fancy' way to eat imitation crab.

So when I saw this recipe using imitation crab,
(you can also make this recipe using 'real' crab)
I thought it would be the perfect recipe to try.

Get the recipe here!

{Deli} Rotisserie Chicken

On the Menu Today~
{Deli} Rotisserie Chicken

{Deli} Rotisserie Chicken is juicy,
delicious and packed full of flavor.
A mixture of eight different spices,
is rubbed over the entire chicken and
then allowed to marinade overnight.
The longer the chicken is allowed to
marinade the better.

If you like grocery-store rotisserie chicken but
don't like to pay grocery-store prices,
then it's time to make your own rotisserie chicken.

One 4 to 6 pound roasting chicken,
a few {on hand} spices, olive oil,
a rotisserie or an oven roasting rack and
Poof, you have a made-at-home,
deli-style rotisserie chicken.
Get the recipe here!

Zucchini Squash Casserole

On the Menu Today~

Zucchini Squash Casserole

It's zucchini time again!
Time for zucchini and
summer squash casseroles.

This casserole is great as a side dish or
as a {meatless} meal option.

Made with both zucchini and summer squash,
it's the perfect dish to make to use fresh, farm market squash.
If your family isn't keen on one (zucchini) or the other (yellow squash),
make this casserole with what works for you.
Another great thing about this casserole, it's versatile.

My hubby doesn't like zucchini at all but
if you were to ask him whether or not he liked zucchini,
he'd say, "I love zucchini!"
"I love zucchini bread and zucchini cake."
Really dear?

As I've mentioned before,
my hubby does not like any vegetable that is green.
I feel sorry for him, he doesn't know what he's missing.

Get the recipe here!

Lemon Pineapple Cheesecake Pie

On the Menu Today~
Lemon Pineapple Cheesecake Pie

When the dog days of summer have arrived,
cool off with a slice of this cool and creamy freezer pie.
Lemon Pineapple Cheesecake Pie has just the right amount of sweetness,
a nice lemony flavor and crushed pineapple adds a 'tropical' flare to this pie.

Your family and friends with never guess that this cool and
creamy pie is made with a few ready-made ingredients.
All that is needed to serve this pie is a sprig of fresh mint.

Get the recipe here!

Dilly Beans {small batch}

On the Menu Today~

Dilly Beans {small batch}

This recipe makes a small batch of dilly beans.
You can make two quart jars like I did or
make four pint size jars.
I know some of your are thinking,
"Why would I want to make only two quart jars or
four pint size jars of dilly beans? Isn't that a waste of time?"

The answers:
I never made dilly beans before,
so if they didn't turn out....so be it.

Today when I stopped at my favorite farm stand,
they were selling 2 1/2 pound bags of green beans for .75 cents.
It was a no brainer....time to give dilly beans a try...
if they didn't turn out....I wouldn't be out much....but if they did turn out....
I'll head back to my favorite farm stand,
get me some more green beans and
can a huge batch of dilly beans!

I went in search for my canning supplies....

Get the recipe here!

Cajun Fettuccine

On the Menu Today~
Cajun Fettuccine
Recipe from:
Jackie Turnage, New Iberia, Louisiana
via Taste of Home, Pasta Cookbook 1991

Oh how I wish I could take credit for this recipe!
I really, really do.
Every now and then,
you come across a recipe that you just fall in love with...
and this is one of those recipes.

I can't tell you how many times I have made Cajun Fettuccine....
Many, many, many, times...and for many, many, years.
Everyone who has tried Cajun Fettuccine,
has loved it too. I have never had one complaint, never ever.
And in my family, that is a miracle in itself.
This being said, I would like to thank Jackie Turnage,
from the bottom of my heart, for this fantastic recipe.
If I ever meet you Jackie, I will give you a great big hug!!
Thank-you for Sharing~

If you are looking for a delicious, filling,
satisfying, casserole-type pasta dish...
give this recipe a try...
you will not be disappointed, I promise.

In Jackie's recipe, it called for using regular Velveeta cheese but
in my house, we like things a bit on the spicy side so we went with the Mexican Velveeta instead.
The recipe also calls for using Cajun or Creole seasoning.
We always have Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning in the house,
so that's what we used. Love this stuff!

Get the recipe here!