Classic Deviled Eggs

A "classic" picnic food has to be deviled eggs.  There are MANY variations, but this recipe is simple and only has three ingredients - mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar. I was curious as to how deviled eggs got their name, so I did a little research.  The word "deviled" according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is to "season highly."  It doesn't necessarily apply only to eggs.  For example, if you seasoned chopped ham, then you would have deviled ham.  I learn something new everyday!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

Boil eight large eggs about 15 minutes.  Let cool completely either in cold water or in fridge.  Remove shells and split eggs in half with sharp knife.  Remove yolks and put into small bowl. Using a fork, break yolks into small pieces until it resembles fine crumbs.  Add mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar.  Stir until smooth and creamy.  Spoon into egg halves.  Arrange on platter.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and put in fridge until ready to eat.

No-Bake Cheesecake

I read in my local paper that this coming Monday, July 30th, is National Cheesecake Day.  I didn't even know there was such a day!!  A homemade cheesecake is time consuming, loaded with calories and expensive to make. This is a recipe that involves no baking, just a minimum three hour chilling time in the fridge.  I used fat-free whipped topping and fat-free cream cheese to try and lighten it up, but feel free to use "full strength" whipped topping and cream cheese :)  I also used a ready to eat graham cracker pie crust instead of making my own.  I bought the "house" brand of whipped topping, cream cheese and graham cracker pie crust, because I personally can't taste the difference.  It's usually less expensive too!!
 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar
8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-ounce tub fat-free whipped topping
6-ounce graham cracker pie crust

In medium bowl, put sugar, cream cheese and vanilla extract.  With large spoon, mix until well combined.  Gently stir in the whipped topping until smooth and creamy.  Pour into graham cracker pie crust and put in fridge for at least three hours or until firm.  Remove from fridge and enjoy.  Serves 8.

Bursting with Berries Blueberry Muffins

This is the time of year when most grocery stores have blueberries on sale.   Blueberries are great on top of your breakfast cereal, but they are awesome made into these muffins.  If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you know by now that I love to bake. Blueberries are packed with vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, the list goes on and on!!  I put an entire pint of blueberries into these muffins, which is about two cups.  Please feel free to put in less :)

Ingredients:

2 cups white flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine (softened)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line twelve muffin tin with paper liners. In large bowl, mix all ingredients (but the blueberries) together in the order shown with large spoon.  In small bowl, rinse and thoroughly pat dry the blueberries, removing any stems.  Gently fold in the blueberries with other ingredients until well mixed. Pour evenly into muffin tins.  Sprinkle the tops of the muffin batter with the one tablespoon of sugar.  Bake about 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Cool on wire rack about 5 minutes.

Watermelon Popsicles

 
It seems like watermelon and summer just kind of go together.  Have you ever wondered what to do with all that watermelon juice that seems to collect in the container with all the cut-up watermelon?? How about recycling it into homemade popsicles!!  I went on the hunt for popsicle molds this past Tuesday and found some fancy ones for $3.99 at a home goods store, then went to Kroger and found the molds on sale for 70 cents!! With the price of some "fancy" popsicles, you can't beat the cost of these! I like to buy seedless watermelon, so you don't have to worry about the seeds.  To make these, just pour the juice into the mold, pop them into the freezer and in about 3 hours, they are ready to eat!!  The best way to get these out of the mold is to put them into a bowl of hot water for about 20-30 seconds.  These popsicles are the perfect way to cool off during these hot summer months!  If you don't have leftover watermelon juice, don't worry, just toss about two cups of chopped watermelon into a blender.  Choose the puree and/or liquify setting to get it the consistency you want and then pour into the popsicle molds.

Gazpacho Soup

When it's over 90 degrees, do you really feel like cooking something in the oven?? This soup you eat cold.  The first time I made this soup, I kept thinking it needed to be hot, because that was the only way I had ever eaten soup! This is basically cold vegetable soup that is chilled in the fridge for at least one hour.

Ingredients:

Two 28-ounce cans stewed and sliced tomatoes, undrained
One cucumber, peeled and chopped (remove seeds)
One medium onion, peeled and chopped
One green, red or yellow bell pepper, chopped (remove seeds and membrane)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil

In large bowl combine all ingredients together until mixed well with large spoon.  Into blender or food processor put three cups of the mixture at a time and grind until desired consistency.  I like a thicker soup, so I did it about 20 seconds on the "grind" setting on our blender.  After mixture is blended pour into large bowl, cover and refrigerate at least one hour.  Serves 4-6.