the first of two tasty spring salads...

i first had this salad at a family dinner when my sister-in-law brought it. it didn't have the topping then, but i have made it with & without & prefer it with! i love the difference in textures & flavors. it is perfect for any of your spring & summer eats!

{Markae’s Fresh Grape Salad}

2 lbs. green grapes

2 lbs. red grapes

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Wash & pat dry grapes. Arrange in a bowl & stir until evenly mixed in colors. In an other bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar & vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour over grapes, stir together. Refrigerate overnight.

In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar & pecans. Transfer grapes mix to a serving dish & sprinkle with sugar & nut mix. Return to fridge until ready to serve. Serve chilled.

little lemon mousse cups...

i love these little individual desserts! they are so simple, light & delicious! if you have any spring luncheons coming up or even looking ahead to mother's day-- these would be the perfect ending to any meal. let me know what you think.

{jeanette's little lemon mousse cups}

24 jumbo cupcake liners

24 pecan shortbread cookies (pecan sandies)

1-3 oz. package lemon jello

1 cup boiling water

3 TBSP lemon juice

1-8 oz. package cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-12 oz. can evaporated milk, well chilled

Place metal bowl, beaters & the can of evaporated milk in the freezer for 1 hour.

Place cupcake liners into cupcake pan. Press a cookie into the bottom of each liner. Set aside.

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add lemon juice. Cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, until syrupy, then beat until light.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar & vanilla. Add to jello mixture. Mix until all blended.

Whip chilled evaporated milk, on low speed, until full volume or beaters leave a soft peak. Blend & fold with jello mixture. Spoon into cookie lined cupcake liners. Refridgerate overnight. Top with fresh raspberries & raspberry sauce.

{Fresh Raspberry Sauce}

1 half-pint package fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

In a small sauce pan cook together raspberries, sugar & water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat & simmer for 4 minutes. Pour into a food processor. Add raspberry jam. Beat until smooth. Cool completely.

mykelle's coconut Easter cupcakes...

mykelle brought these to yummy little delights to recipe club this month. i had toasted coconut & cadbury eggs, so i just used those instead. but i thought they still turned out cute. make these for your little chicks this weekend:)

{mykelle's little nest cakes}

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 boxed white cake mix

1 tsp vanilla

1 can cream of coconut

prepared whipped cream

2 cups toasted coconut

1 bag candy eggs

in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese, oil & eggs until smooth. beat in water, cake mix & vanilla. spoon into lined cupcake pans, filling about 2/3 full.

bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

pour cream of coconut into a small bowl. stir until all combined.

while cupcakes are still hot, poke a few holes into the top of the cupcake with the back of a wooden spoon. spoon cream of coconut over each cupcake one tablespoon at a time, you might have to use your spoon to guide into the hole.

let cool completely before decorating. when cooled, spread whipped cream onto the cupcake. sprinkle with toasted coconut & top with candy eggs.

oh what an Easter appetizer!...

i found this recipe online & i am making it for tomorrow. it would only be fair for me to share it with you guys! i love, love, love the flavor of pesto & you could either make your own, or just use a good quality pre-made pesto out of you grocers deli. if you ever do a cheese ball for your Easter dinner, try this instead!

{savory pesto cheesecake}

picture & recipe courtesy of confessions of a bake-a-holic

1 cup crushed sesame crackers (I like Keebler Toasteds)
6 T melted butter
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz crumbled feta cheese (look for a sun-dried tomato or Mediterranean herb flavor)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9 1/2 inch spring-form pan. Combine all cheeses and beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in pesto and sour cream. Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top starts to brown and the center is almost set. Let cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Loosen sides of pan with a knife and cool completely (about one hour). Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least four hours to set. Get out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature with crackers.

brit's creamy cranberry dressing, with a couple of salad options:)...

i was called to be on a committee for a commemorative dinner last month & i was honored! i am not going to lie though, i am glad that the dinner is over & was a success! we started the night with this salad dressing that i made. even though everyone thought it was a raspberry dressing, it was actually cranberry. i have made it a few time since & tried it with a couple of different salad ingredients. give it a try & get creative with the greens & things:) Enjoy!

{brit's creamy cranberry dressing}

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup vinegar

2 heaping TBSP mayo

2/3 cup Craisins

1 1/2 - 2 cups vegetable oil

measure all ingredients, except oil, in the blender or food processor. blend until combined. with the blender or processor on medium, pour in the oil in a slow & steady stream until the dressing emulsifies.** store in an air tight container, i prefer a canning jar, in the fridge

like I said, for the salad I have done a few different types. I will list them seperately below. They common thread is the craisins:)

salad #1-

fresh baby spinach
sliced fresh mushrooms
roasted & salted shelled sunflower seeds
grated mozzerella cheese
sweetened dried cranberries

salad #2-

spring mix lettuce
red grapes, halved
crumbled gorgonzolla cheese
roasted shelled pistachios
sweetened dried cranberries

either would be a great option for your Easter dinner!

karen's no smoker-smoked bbq brisket...

this is such a great, easy recipe! the great part is you can change the flavor depending on the bbq sauce you choose. i prefer homemade, but you can cut down on the time by doing bottled. it's the perfect recipe for those busy days on the run!

{karen's no smoker-smoked bbq brisket}

1 beef brisket, about 3-5 lbs.

1-2 TBSP liquid smoke

1 recipe bbq sauce, below

take brisket & pour liquid smoke all over the meat. place in crock pot & cover with half of the bbq sauce. reserve the other half of the sauce to serve with the meat after. cook on high for 5-6 hours , or on high all day- 8-10 hours.

{my favorite bbq sauce}

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1- 15 oz. can apricots, blended in food processor

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. ginger powder

1 cup catsup

1 TBSP salt

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 cup molasses

1 TBSP worcestershire sauce

in a large sauce pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until tender & translucent. add remaining ingredients. continue to stir until simmering. simmer for 15-20 minutes on low. let cool. store in the fridge. great on ribs, chicken, pork chops & best of all brisket:)

**if you're running short on time or just not feeling like making your own sauce, you can always grab your favorite bottled. i'll only judge you a little:) you know i'm kidding! i prefer sweet baby rays or famous dave's if i'm doing bottled... which i do-- every so often;)

stacia's creamy bacon swiss dip...

stacia brought this to recipe club a little while ago & she emailed me the recipe but i totally forgot she had sent it to me until somebody asked me if i had it:) oooopppppsss! this really is the perfect combination of flavors! thanks to stac for sharing this little gem with us!

{stacia's creamy bacon swiss dip}

2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese - softened

1 c. mayo

2 c. grated swiss cheese

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

(for some reason it isn't strong in this dip... don't even notice it is there)

beat together until combined. spread into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish.

Then top cheese mix with:

1 c. crushed Ritz crackers

16 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot & bubbly! yummy!

serve with chips, crackers, bread, veggies or anything else your little heart desires:)

just enjoy!!!