Another summer day, another awesome grilling recipe!  Once again it’s way too hot here to cook inside so I took to the grill for these yummy potatoes.  The honey adds a nice sweetness to these potato slices while the spices add some heat in the background.  I’ll be making these potatoes again, they were the perfect side dish to our grilled chicken and fresh corn on the cob.  Yum!

Honey Chipotle Grilled Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 – 4 medium sized Idaho potatoes -  cut into 1/4″ slices, skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all of the spices along with the oil, water and honey.

2.  Wash potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch slices, leaving the skins on.  Toss into the bowl with the spice mixture.  Toss to coat all of the potatoes.

3.  Cook coated potato slices on grill set on medium, turning once.  When you place the potatoes on the grill, there will be some of the spice mixture left over.  While the potatoes are cooking, baste with leftover spice mixture.  Cook for a total of 20 – 25 minutes.

These simple cupcakes start with a yellow cake mix as the base and definitely will satisfy anyone’s chocolate cravings.  I recently bought “The Cake Mix Doctor Returns” cookbook and this was one of the cakes in it.  I thought they’d make great cupcakes.  With the basis of this recipe being a boxed cake mix, you can bake these in no time.  They turned out super moist and are loaded with chocolate!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix, with pudding in the mix
1 cup milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
12 oz bag of mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  In your electric mixer bowl, beat together the cake mix, milk, oil, vanilla and eggs.  Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

2.  Place cupcake liners into your cupcake pans and fill each one 3/4 full.  You should get 24 cupcakes in total.  Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

3.  Cool cupcakes completely then frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting, recipe below.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
4 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter, cream cheese and shortening until well blended.

2. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until well combined.

3. Gradually pour in the chocolate until thoroughly combined.

4. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until completely incorporated.

My inspiration for this particular ice cream came from one I’ve had at Bruster’s a few times.  They make a creamy vanilla ice cream that has whole maraschino cherries in it.  However there’s not that many cherries in it, at least for my liking, and I thought it could use a little something extra.  That’s where the almond comes into play.

In my ice cream recipe, I added lots of extra cherries and a little almond extract.  Let me tell you, it’s to die for!

Cherry Almond Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

1 cup maraschino cherries (stems removed, rinsed and cut in half)
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Whisk eggs until creamy. Slowly add the sugar, blending well.

2. Add the milk, heavy cream and almond extract whisking well in between each addition.

3. Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and begin freezing process. When ice cream thickens to your liking (about 25 minutes for me), stop machine and hand blend in your maraschino cherries.

4. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze for later.

Sometimes I just get so tired of the same old side dishes like rice or potatoes.  So, I was looking for something different when I came across this cold salad recipe at Kalyn’s Kitchen.  It had everything that I like in it but I had to do a bit of convincing on my husband’s end.  But he finally agreed to give it a try.

I did a bit of adjusting from the original recipe to suit more of what I had on hand and it turned out really good.  It does have a bit of a kick to it so if you don’t like spicy, you may want to adjust the spice amounts a bit.

I served this bean salad with ground turkey tacos and I was surprised to see my hubby putting it right inside of his.  Surprisingly he liked this quite a bit so it was another successful venture in getting him to eat new things.  I will make this one again, it seams to go well with a lot of different things.  Maybe next time I’ll make it when we’re grilling.

Spicy Southwestern Bean Salad

adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can black eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 medium sized red pepper
1 medium sized green pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 whole lime
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  In a large colander, empty the black beans and black eyed peas.  Rinse with cold water and let drain.  Empty the corn on top and continue to drain.

2.  While everything is draining, dice up both peppers and set aside.

3.  In a small bowl combine the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, chili powder and cumin.  Whisk together.

4.  Dump the beans and corn in a large bowl.  Add the diced peppers and top with oil and spice mixture.  Toss well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill in refrigerator if you’re not eating immediately.

Summer is a great time for fresh fruit.  So much so that it’s hard to resist buying it all because it looks so pretty.  That happened to me last week with fresh red raspberries.  They looked so plump and juicy that I had to have them even though I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with them.

So they sat in my fridge for a couple days until I decided to make these delicious raspberry streusel muffins.  These yummy little gems turned out nice and moist with surprise little bits of sweet red raspberries tucked inside.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

from Edible Antics

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 stick of butter, melted
4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 cups fresh red raspberries

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425°.  Beat the eggs with the buttermilk, add the melted butter, blending well.

2.  Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and allspice together. Add half of the dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture. Stir to blend, add the remaining dry ingredients, again stirring just to blend.

3.  Gently fold in the raspberries. Spoon into the muffin cups and top with streusel topping (recipe below).

4.  Bake 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned.

Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup uncooked oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbles form.

A while ago I came across some packaged York peppermint patty baking bits which I’ve been squirreling away.  I used about half the bag in some brownies and stored them away so good that I forgot about them.  Until today, that is!  I decided that they’d make a great add in to some creamy vanilla homemade ice cream.

Peppermint pattys always seem to taste better cold so they were perfect in this ice cream.  I haven’t seen these York mini peppermint pattys in the stores since I bought them, but I’ll just have to cut up the regular ones next time.

Oh and an added bonus I forgot to mention…you don’t need to cook this ice cream base!  It’s easy peasy!

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract ( I used vanilla bean paste)

1 cup York peppermint patties, frozen

Directions:

1.  Whisk eggs until creamy.  Slowly add the sugar, blending well.

2.  Add the milk, heavy cream and vanilla whisking well in between each addition.

3.  Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and begin freezing process.  When ice cream thickens to your liking (about 25 minutes for me), stop machine and hand blend in your candy pieces.

4.  Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze for later.

Nothing says summer more to me than moist vanilla pound cake covered with fresh berries and whipped cream.  So to satisfy my latest sweets craving, that’s just exactly what I made.  But for that added twist of flavor, I made homemade lemon whipped cream instead of the standard vanilla.

The cake is so moist and decadent while the whipped cream adds a subtle lemon touch.  I’m trying not to devour all of this at once but it’s getting quite difficult when it stares at me from the kitchen saying “eat me”!

Pound Cake

from My Spiced Life

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoon milk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 sticks (12 Tablespoon) butter, softened

Directions:

1.  Grease loaf pan and preheat oven to 325°.

2.  In a large mixing bowl; combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda and mix with the whisk attachment for 30 seconds to blend.

3.  With a fork, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla.

4.  Add the softened butter and half of the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just incorporated, then increase speed to med-high and mix for one minute. Scrape down the sides.

5.  Add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, mixing for 20 seconds and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

6.  Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted to the middle of the cake, about 45- 50 minutes.

Lemon Whipped Cream

from Food.com

Ingredients:

1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fine grated fresh lemon zest

Directions:

1.  Beat cream on high speed until it begins to thicken.  Gradually add sugar, continue beating.

2.  Add lemon juice and beat until soft peaks form.  Fold lemon zest in by hand.

3.  Refrigerate.

I’ve always been a fan of those inexpensive boxed cheesy potatoes.  Even though they are quick and easy, it’s a little more appealing to use fresh potatoes and shredded cheese.  This recipe puts the boxed versions to shame!  It’s creamy, delicious and extra cheesy.

Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
10 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 lbs Idaho potatoes, skin-on, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large sauté pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook (stirring constantly) 3 minutes, or until flour is lightly browned.

2.  Whisk milk into sauté pan and bring to a boil (continue to watch closely and stir). Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.

3.  Stir in shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts.

4.  Grease 13 x 9 baking dish. Spread ¼ cup of the cheese mixture evenly in dish. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish and top with about half of the remaining sauce. Place another layer of potatoes and spread the rest of the sauce on top.

3. Bake at 325°, covered for 2 hours.  Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the delivery of my new ice cream machine since last week.  So when it came yesterday, I didn’t waste any time!  I’m putting this bad boy to work, especially since it’s gonna be 90° here again tomorrow.  The first recipe I tried today is this thick and rich chocolate peanut butter.

Wowzers, it is delicious!  It has a strong peanut butter taste so a little bit goes a very long way.  I made some homemade whipped cream to go on top too.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:

2 cups half & half
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions:

1.  In a large pan, whisk to combine the half and half, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil and begins to foam up.

2.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter, whisking to blend thoroughly.

3.  Refrigerate the mixture to chill thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

4.  Eat it or freeze it for later!

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  With your mixer, beat cream on high until it starts to thicken.

2.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.

3.  Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form.  Refrigerate.

Oh, my!  This was a very tasty treat!  If you’re looking for a quick and easy dessert solution that looks really pretty to boot, then this cake recipe is for you.  With only a handful of basic ingredients, you can whip this beauty up in less than an hour.

As my first upside down cake attempt, I was extremely nervous but was surprised at how well it turned out.  My husband dislikes fruit, so I took half of the cake to my parents who thought it was super yummy.  I happened to agree with them!!

Fruit Cocktail Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

4 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 can fruit cocktail (drained)
1 jar maraschino cherries (drained, without stems)
1 box yellow cake mix

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 9 inch round cake pan.  Meanwhile in a small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar on medium heat until bubbly.  Pour evenly into the bottom of cake pan.

2.  Mix fruit cocktail with the cherries and pour on top of the butter mixture already in the cake pan.

3.  Prepare the yellow cake mix according to the boxed cake mix directions.  Pour batter into pan evenly over fruit mixture, filling pan only about 3/4 full.

4.  Bake cake for 35 – 40 minutes until cake top is lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

5.  Let cake cool for about 5 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges if the cake seems to be sticking.  Place cake plate on top of cake pan and turn over carefully.  The cake should easily come out of the pan.