Best Fruit Salad Ever!!

My friend, Cathy, brought this wonderful fruit salad to a church gathering and everyone was commenting on how good it was.  I was impressed that the sliced bananas in her salad didn't turn brown!  She was very nice to share the recipe.  This one is a great cold summer dessert. I like a little Cool Whip on top to make it extra pretty!

  When I fixed this recently, I was out of bananas and so I substituted fresh blueberries.  I really like it both ways.

Fruit Salad

1 container frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, semi-thawed

1 can peach pie filling

Halved red and green seedless grapes

Sliced bananas

Fresh blueberries (optional)

Cool Whip for topping

Stir together.  Serve chilled.  Top with Cool Whip.

Baked Potatoes in Your Crock Pot!

If you like baked potatoes in the summer (or anytime!) here's a great way to make them.

1.  Scrub and thoroughly wash your baking potatoes-any kind, I usually fix half regular baking potatoes and half sweet potatoes.

2. Rub the skins with oil and a little kosher salt (optional).  Wrap each potato individually in foil.

3.  Layer in your Crock  Pot and put on High setting for several hours until tender.

They turn out perfectly...and no hot kitchen!

Get Rid of Those "Skeeters"!

I posted this last summer, but have had several requests for me to share it, again!

Well, summer is here and so are the bugs!  As I sat on the back porch last night to listen to the rain, I invited hubby out, too.  We loved the comfortable seats and the pitter-patter sound that  the rain made as it hit the metal gutters.    

As the evening went along, even though our back porch was a relaxing place to sit, we were forced to come inside because of the mosquitoes and other bugs that gather at dusk! 

 Then, today, as I looked on social media, a friend had posted this mixture of simple ingredients that are supposed to keep the mosquitoes away.  I'm in!  I'd say that this is worth a try!  We don't usually buy beer, but we're going to get a couple of cans and let it go flat just to make this stuff!

P. S.  We have made this and sprayed it on our back yard with good results!

Summertime Cornbread Salad

Summertime is here and I have a great salad recipe for you!  This one is very filling;  you can use it as a light meal on a busy night.  This is another recipe that I use when I'm cleaning out the crisper drawer in the fridge.   I decided to make it today because I had some leftover cornbread.  I've known friends who like this salad so much that they bake a fresh pan of cornbread just to make it.  I feel like cornbread that's slightly stale works better, actually!

Since I was using what I had and only had half the cornbread, I just halved the recipe.  You can switch the vegetables in this around a little, too.  I added summer cucumber because I like it.  I'd say the crucial taste elements are tomato, corn, onions, boiled eggs and cornbread.  I'd say green bell pepper is optional;  some folks just don't like it!  OK, get your chopping board out.  This recipe is so easy and so delicious.  (It's best if it chills for several hours).

Cornbread Salad

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix-prepared according to directions on the box

1 can niblet corn, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

4 boiled eggs, chopped

(I like 1/2 a cucumber, chopped fine)

2 C Miracle Whip Salad Dressing

10 oz. grated cheese (I like cheddar)

Crumble your cooled cornbread in a large bowl.  Mix corn with the Miracle Whip;  add to cornbread crumbs.  Fold in chopped vegetables, boiled eggs and cheese.  Chill for several hours.  Serve on a lettuce leaf.

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Happy summer!  Need an idea for a patriotic-looking cake that's fast?  (This is not a recipe.  It's a quick solution!)

  Go buy a Red Velvet cake mix and a can of cream  cheese frosting.  Follow the directions on the box and bake the cake in a Bundt pan.  Invert baked cake and cool completely!

Mix up your favorite cream cheese frosting, or pop open a can of ready made.  (No judgement here!). Separate the frosting;  leave half of the frosting white for the filling and put a few drops of blue food coloring in the other half.  Mix well.

Split cake in half with a large bread knife. Spread bottom half of the cake with white frosting.  Replace the top.  Spoon blue frosting over the top and sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles.  There!  You now have a great-looking dessert for after the fireworks!  Enjoy!