Fresh Spinach & Basil Spread

Surprisingly rich, this versatile dip/spread might fool you into thinking it has full-fat cream cheese and sour cream.  Only 46 calories per 2 Tbs - with 2.3 grams of protein.  

If you don't prefer the intense green color - reduce (or eliminate) the spinach.  The original recipe suggests using a food processor, but my Blendtec handled it just fine.  Adjust blending time for smooth or chunky texture.

Source:  slimsanity.com

Slice of Watermelon Sherbet Cake

Today is a first for me. The first time I've posted on this blog. This blog has been a great resource for me as I have spent the last 13 years learning how to make food for my growing family. Just to introduce myself, I'm Aryn, Anne's oldest daughter! I grew up in the suburbs of Salt Lake City but turned into a country girl when I moved to Idaho with my husband 12 years ago. We live in a small agricultural town and I love it! My table is always full. Full of hungry kids, endless projects, intense meal time conversations, filling meals and some dinner flops, homework, sports equipment and my ultimate goal on one of those good nights, lots of love! 

My Mom is the first one I think to call when I have any questions, especially if those questions pertain to the kitchen. When I can't talk to her, this blog is sometime the next best place for advice. I'm excited to share a few things I've figured out and that my family enjoys! 

Hot Dogs In the Crockpot (?)

Remember the hot dogs you could buy at 7-11 or other convenience stores?  The ones that slowly simmered on the heat rollers in the glass window of a hot box?  These are every bit as good (or better) and are so convenient for a crowd.  They are gently browned on the outside, tender & juicy inside.

Easy as that.  Place hot dogs in crockpot.  Cover.  Cook.

I’m sure there are some of you out there thinking this is not a classy recipe.  It isn’t.  But it’s a great one when you have a bunch of people needing a hot meal - summer or winter.  

I was in charge of my mother’s family reunion a few weeks ago - and I was supposed to come up with something warm for a main dish.  It had been raining, and nobody wanted to barbecue.  Most of us had had pulled pork WAAAAYYYY too many times this summer.  Pulled pork has been the standby picnic food for so long I can’t remember what it replaced as a trend.  

After about an hour... they're starting to plump up.
Notice there is no liquid in the crockpot?

I had seen this idea several times on Pinterest, but I was skeptical.  I didn’t want these to resemble the “boiled in water” hot dogs from my childhood.  (The ones that split wide open when they’ve simmered too long on the stove in a pot of water).  

You'll notice there are "premium" all-beef hot dogs mixed in with the el-cheap-o chicken & pork variety.
They all turned out fabulous.  The longer you cook them, the more "BBQ-ed" they look & taste.

The verdict - a BIG success!  They were not quite like those on a grill - but not bad at all.  In fact - if you overcook them, they burn on the outside just enough to convince kids that they came from the grill.  

It’s so nice to keep them warm as well.  This method (or “recipe”) is one I will use again.  Oh... and this would be fabulous for tailgating!

For the method, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Summer Sheet Cake

So... I’m sure you are curious about the word “summer” in a cake recipe.  Technically, you could make this any time of year.  But summer is when you don’t have to pay a lot for zucchini.  This ingredient bumps the classic “Texas Sheet Cake” up a few notches.  You will love it.

If you aren’t using your zucchini for savory dishes - you are most likely making them into zucchini bread.  I prefer cake to zucchini bread.  I have several recipes for chocolate zucchini cake - all slightly different.  

The reason I think this is my new favorite is because of how much easier it is to mix.  The cocoa is added almost dead last - just before folding in the zucchini.  You also mix your leavenings (baking powder, baking soda) into the liquid ingredients, instead of sifting them with the dry ingredients.  I really like those changes.

You can make this into a large 9” x 13” cake if you wish, but it would make a great thin Texas Sheetcake (style) cake baked in an 18” x 13” pan.  The only thing you would need to do - and this is just my preference - is to double the frosting ingredients.    

Most Texas Sheetcakes are fairly dry cakes - very few of them contain eggs, and the frosting is too thin (in my opinion).  This recipe has several things going for it.  Eggs, vegetable oil PLUS butter, chocolate chips, zucchini, and your choice of buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt.  I used yogurt - it was terrific.  

The frosting (which I googled and found that way) has a few flaws the original way I made it.  Boiling together the butter, cocoa, and milk is asking for lumps.  Make sure you melt the butter, add the cocoa, and THEN add the milk before bringing it to a boil.  Disperse the cocoa first into the butter - and you’re good.

This type of frosting has to be spread on while the cake is hot.  It sets up to resemble really soft fudge if you let it cool before spreading.  Which would be disastrous to your fantastic cake.  Your cake does not have to be hot, just the frosting. 

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Raspberry Vanilla Salad

This is another one of those “salad/desserts” that attracts everyone at a summer buffet - kind of like bees to honey.  Very simple to put together at the last minute - and it looks beautiful in a glass bowl.  The raspberries give it a pop of color - but you could substitute other kinds of fruit as well...

This summer has been one of those memorable ones - mostly because of record breaking heat.  But summer holidays go on in spite of it.  I needed to come up with a great salad in very little time on the 4th of July.  I found this recipe online - and because of a time crunch, I didn’t have time to test it first.  

It was completely gone after the barbecue - so I took that to be a good sign.  I learned a few things from making it this first time that might benefit you.  

First - don’t worry about the small lumps of instant pudding that are still there after you mix this together.  That is something you can’t avoid - but they will disappear after the salad stands (refrigerated, or in an ice-filled bowl) for a short time.

Next - use IQF raspberries (not the frozen-in-a-cardboard-box type)  Individually quick frozen berries distribute evenly throughout the salad during the last stir.  If you use the sugar-added raspberries, you would have to thaw them completely and the sugary juice would make the salad look entirely different (although, I’m sure it would taste just fine)

This might not technically meet “salad” standards - as in being entirely healthy - but we enjoyed it as much as any salad we’ve had recently.  The fact that it takes four ingredients (costing less than $8) made it a success for the event we were taking it to.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Marshmallow Fluff Fruit Dip

Marshmallow Creme is the “magic” ingredient in this dip that will reel you in before you know what’s happening.  Set a bowl of this pastel pink dip in the center of a platter of fruit and let the magic begin.  Substitute the raspberry syrup with orange juice, vanilla, frozen jam, or even cherry juice.

Fresh fruit is so plentiful during summer that I start to take it for granted even before July.  It never hurts to set out a little temptation to go along with it.  

There can’t be an easier recipe than this one.  The hardest thing about it is remembering to set out the cream cheese to soften beforehand.  

It makes a grundle if you make the full recipe.  It’s easy enough to split in half - just use one package of cream cheese and a SMALL jar of marshmallow creme. 

What is marshmallow creme you ask?  It’s packaged in jars as a semi-liquid marshmallow mixture.  It’s both creamy and sticky at the same time.    It was invented in the early 20th century - after (what we know as) “regular” marshmallows were already in production.  It has most of the same ingredients as marshmallows (sugar, corn syrup, vanilla) - but it might also contain egg whites (in powdered form - no problem with salmonella).  The egg whites tend to stabilize the mixture, while gelatin is the stabilizer in marshmallows.  It doesn’t firm up - so it can set out for a while.

I changed my friend Jennie’s recipe somewhat.  She uses maraschino cherry juice for flavor/color - and I switched it to use raspberry flavoring syrup.

For the recipe - go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Shelli Bates' Way Good Chicken

Arizona (and other states that are hot in the summer) find ways to serve a great meal without heating up the kitchen.  Recipes like this one keep the house from overheating when the weather is exceptionally warm.  It’s a fix-and-forget meal you can come home at the end of one of those blistering hot summer days to enjoy..

My second son returned from his LDS mission over 10 years ago now.  Not long after he came home, he and I visited the Arizona Tempe Mission so he could show me around and have me meet the wonderful people he rubbed shoulders with.  One of those people was Shelli Bates.  She often fed the missionaries in her home.  When we visited her, she served this meal.  I’ve never forgotten it, and she was gracious enough to share the recipe with me.

I’ve made it for my family ever since.  The thing I love about it is how tender the chicken is and how the flavor is just right.  Crockpot meals sometimes cook for so long that the flavors evaporate out after a few hours.  The seasoning used here is strong enough that that doesn’t happen.

It can’t hurt that it’s super simple as well.  You can leave the chicken breasts whole, but I cut them into large cubes so they cook more evenly.  When the breast is whole, it’s simple to shred before stirring.  We like it in chunks - which doesn’t soak up all that delicious gravy.  Your choice.

Serve with just about anything as a side dish - rice, potatoes, veggies from your summer garden, even over toast or biscuits.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

  

No Bake Raspberry Lemon Cheesecakes In a Cup

If the fact that this is a “no-bake” dessert isn't enough to motivate you to make this - just imagine two divine flavors (raspberry & lemon) intermingled in a creamy cheesecake base.  Dotted with fresh raspberries, and layered with graham cracker cookie crumbs - it’s a great idea for Mother’s Day.

I’ve really gotten into single serving size desserts lately.  Probably because I feel like I’m loading freight when I try to squeeze one more thing in my refrigerator after company comes.  

I usually use a small glass trifle dish or ramekins - but these clear plastic cups give you an unrestricted view of the delicious contents.  And then... you can throw them away.  No dishes to wash.  Kudos to Mom on her big day (or get over to that sink and show her you love her!)

This is reminiscent of the decades-old no-bake cheesecake from my childhood.  But it’s stepped up quite a bit with the addition of fresh lemon juice and zest.  Not to mention fresh raspberries.  I wouldn’t chance it with frozen - too much juice there.

To make these look like you worked really hard - pipe the filling into the cups with a swirl motion.  The little chunks of raspberries peek out when you do that.  Piping is really not that difficult.  (Notice how I didn’t even use a coupler on my pastry bag?  Just poke your decorating tip into the bottom - making sure the hole is just large enough for the pattern to show)

You can use Cool Whip in place of the whipping cream - but that changes the texture quite a bit.  Yes - it’s creamy, but it adds a hint of chemical flavor in my opinion.  If you’re in a hurry - or don’t have fresh cream - go for it.

Half the recipe if you only want to serve 6-8.  These proportions made 18 portions that fit well into a 9-oz container.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

No-Cook Summer Porridge

I’m not sure why summer seems to make me less likely to make a sensible breakfast.  A little forethought the night before, and this delicious and filling, quick-to-eat breakfast will be waiting for you as you open the refrigerator door in the morning.  Chia seed gives this an extra boost of nutrition.

I’ve seen so many morning oatmeal recipes - and they all look amazing.  The only problem is - since they are usually cooked - I can’t take them on the run as I head out the door.  I’m sure as you look at these photos, you might be turning up your nose at those little grey dots.  Don’t think about it - you won’t taste them, and they are nutritional powerhouses in miniature.

I’ve been adding chia seed to my smoothie each day - and besides it’s amazing nutritional benefits - I love how it stays with me much longer.  The chia seed, once hydrated - becomes slippery and holds moisture (remember “Chia Pets”?)  It’s loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids (much more than flax seed).  Chia seeds absorb up to 10 times their weight in water - so they are great for maintaining hydration.  This makes you feel fuller longer - which is a help in weight loss.  Since they are take on the flavors in a recipe - they don’t interfere with being able to taste the other ingredients.

There are many varieties of “porridge” - but this one is my favorite.  See the recipe source for more ideas.  Some of them may appeal to you more than this one.

So MANY ways to vary the recipe...
go to theyummylife.com for variations.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

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Rosy Pink Grapefruit Slush

A perfect cool drink to end a warm day, or a pretty addition to a shower menu - this slush recipe is one of my favorites.  Just a few easy steps to get it ready for the freezer, and then it’s there anytime you need it.  All you do to serve it is use an ice cream scoop to portion it into a cup, then top with Sprite.

I first tried a similar slush at a buffet years ago, but then I couldn't ever locate the person who made it.  I was thinking of it when we planned my daughter’s baby shower last February.  I googled the ingredients and found it (at least I think this is the one... sure tastes like it)

This is perfect when you want a little something sweet after dinner (but not quite dessert).  It keeps a long time in the freezer in a standard ice cream bucket.

You can use canned or fresh grapefruit, but I prefer fresh.  It’s easy to find in the grocery or warehouse store (such as Costco or Sam’s Club)  I also located PRE-chopped maraschino cherries (at Orson Gygi’s in SLC)  That saves a lot of chopping time (and red fingers & cutting board)

My daughter-in-law Rachel made this for the brunch at Whitney’s baby shower and it went so well with the other items there.  Such a beautiful rosy color.

I plan to keep this in the freezer all through the coming summer.  This time I halved the recipe, and it made half of a gallon-size ice cream bucket.

You'll find the recipe at:
www.changeabletable.com