BLT Dip

Okay, so, what could be bad if it has bacon in it, right? This dip has only 4 ingredients so it truly could not be any easier. Gotta love that, right?! I served it in a bowl full of chopped iceburg lettuce and served it alongside pita chips. Mmm, mmm!

What You'll Need:
1 cup Mayonaisse

1 cup Sour Cream

1 lb. Bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

2 Medium Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Lettuce for garnish
Pita Chips for dipping

What You'll Do:

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with lettuce and pita chips.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This recipe was given to me by my sister when I was first moving out on my own. I had asked my sisters for the easiest recipes they had and this was one. I've made this chicken more times than I can count since those early days of learning how to cook. The best part is the lemony, peppery butter that is in the foil when you open it. I pour it over rice and it is delicious!

What You'll Need:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
Butter
Lemon Pepper Seasoning

What You'll Do:

Lay out pieces of foil (however many breast halves you have). Place a couple of pats of butter on each piece of foil. Place a piece of chicken on top of the butter. Sprinkle generously with lemn pepper seasoning. Put a couple of more pats of butter on top. Fold foil into a pouch and cinch tightly. You may want to double wrap with foil. Place foil packs into a casserole dish (just in case of leaks) and bake on 350 for about 40 minutes.

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

If you like smoked salmon, you'll love these little sandwiches. The herb butter makes them extra special. This recipe came from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa. She used square pieces of bread and cut them into triangles which is even prettier, but I couldn't find the perfect bread so I just improvised!

What You'll Need:

Herb Butter:

1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced scallions

1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
1 Tbsp. minced fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 Loaf dense 7-grain or health bread, 1/4 inch slices
8 slices smoked salmon

What You'll Do:

Combine all the butter ingredients in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until well blended, but do not whip.

Spread butter on 4 slices of bread, top with a slice of smoked salmon then finish with another piece of bread on top. Refrigerate until butter is very cold and then slice each sandwich in half.

Caprese Skewers

This is a very simple appetizer! Tasty and pretty too! I made these for my best friend's baby shower. They were one of the fastest dishes we prepared that day and, I thought, one of the prettiest!

What You'll Need:
Small fresh mozzerella balls
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

Basil

EVOO

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

What You'll Do:

Marinate the tomatoes, mozzerella and basil in a mmixture of the EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper for a couple of hours. Alternate ingredients onto skewers.

Chocolate Eclair

Make this dessert one time, share it with your friends and be prepared to make it again and again and again! That's how good this dessert is! People will either want you to make it for every get together or will want the recipe from you so they can make it themselves. The great part is...it's really easy to prepare and you already probably have most of the ingredients needed to make it.

What You'll Need:

(Chocolate Sauce)

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

(Pudding Mixture)

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk

8 oz cool whip

Graham Crackers

What You'll Do:

Put all chocolate sauce ingredients into a small, heavy pot on stove. Melt over medium heat, stirring often. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Make sure not to scortch the chocolate. Remove from heat and allow to stand for a few minutes. It will thicken slightly as it cools.

In a very large bowl, mix together the instant pudding and milk with a whisk. Fold in the cool whip with a spatula.

In a 9 x 13 pan, put a layer of graham crackers on bottom. Next, add a layer of pudding mixture. Top pudding with layer of chocolate sauce. Repeat layers so that you end up with 3 layers. You should end up with chocolate on top.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

BBQ Bacon & Cheese Fudburger

Hello yumminess! Is that a word? This recipe comes from an issue of the "Puck Fudder" that I was browsing through at Fudpucker's Restaurant a couple of years ago while at the beach. This burger is so delicious, definitely the best I've ever made at home. The BBQ sauce and bacon add a special touch to the burger, but what really makes it special is the basting sauce. Everyone in my family polished off their burgers in no time...even my almost 2 year old! I halved this recipe and it made 4 burgers. Also, I used regular salt and pepper and our favorite BBQ sauce since I didn't have the Fudpuckers brand. I served these burgers with grilled corn on the cob and guacamole with tortilla chips.

What You'll Need:

(Burger Mix)

2 pounds ground chuck
2 Tbsp. onions, finely diced

1/2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, finely diced
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. fresh ground sea salt

(Basting Sauce)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. granulated garlic

What You'll Do:

Combine burger mix ingredients in bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Combine basting sauce ingredients in bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside.

Pre-heat chargrill on high until very hot as you'll want to sear in the flavors as quickly as possible. Remove the burger mix from refrigerator and form into patties.

Place patties on pre-heated chargrill. (Do not press with spatula as this will dry them out and cause them to stick.)

Cook burgers for approximately 2 1/2 minutes and then brush with basting sauce. Flip burgers over, brush with basting sauce and cook for another 2 1/2 minutes or until done to your satisfaction. Remove from grill and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon, Crazy Mother Pucker's Original Formula BBQ Sauce and other accompaniments of your choice.

Breakfast Casserole

Sorry, no picture yet! I'll post one the next time I make it. This is a really quick and easy breakfast casserole to throw together and I love that you can make it ahead of time and that it freezes well. I served it with fresh fruit and muffins. (One note...I think 45 minutes is a little long for this. Mine was just a tad bit over done. Next time, I will start checking it after 35 minutes.)

What You'll Need:

2 C. Milk
8 Eggs
6 Slices Bread (torn into small pieces)
1 lb. Sausage
1 c. Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to taste

What You'll Do:

Brown sausage and drain well. Lightly beat eggs and add sausage, cheese, bread, milk, salt and pepper. Place in casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (see note above).

If you make this ahead of time, you should freeze it as soon as you make it. Then, the night before you need it, place in refrigerator to thaw. Then, cook as directed.