{italian cream cheese chicken}

This is an oldie, but a goodie! I re-discovered this recipe a few months ago, and it is one meal that all three of my kids gobble up. Believe me, that is highly unusual. :) It is easy and delicious!

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 packet Italian seasoning
1 can water
8 oz. cream cheese

Combine the soup, water, and seasoning and whisk together and thoroughly blended. Place chicken in crock pot, and pour soup mixture over the top. Cook for 4-6 hours until chicken is tender. About 30 minutes before it's finished, add the cream cheese and mix well. Serve over rice or pasta.

{sausage and pineapple shishkabobs}

This really isn't a recipe so much as it is just another way to use your grill this summer! We tried it a couple of weeks ago, and loved it.

SAUSAGE AND PINEAPPLE SHISHKABOBS

1 smoked turkey sausage ring
fresh pineapple
red onion
green pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut the sausage ring, pineapple, red onion, and green pepper into chunks. Alternate them on shishkabob sticks. Baste veggies with a small amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly browned. Enjoy!

{luscious lemon bars}

A favorite of mine...anything lemon is yummy to me!

LUSCIOUS LEMON BARS

Crust:
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Dash salt

Filling:
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
4 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. lemon juice

In medium bowl, mix flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter. Press into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
While baking crust, beat eggs at high speed with electric mixer until light and pale yellow in color. Gradually add sugar and flour, them lemon juice. Continue to beat at high speed. Pour over hot crust and return to oven for 20-25 minutes more, until slightly golden. Immediately sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let cool before cutting into bars.

{broccoli and ham ring}

My friend Julie told me about this recipe, and when I heard how much her family loved it, and how quick and easy it was, I knew I had to try it. She found the recipe at www.ordinarycuisine.blogspot.com. I made a couple of changes to it, and it was a definite hit with our family as well.

BROCCOLI HAM RING

1 cup chopped ham
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard ( I used 1 T. Dijon, and 1 T. honey mustard)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together, except rolls. Set aside mixture. Unroll crescent dough and separate into 16 triangles. Arrange 4 triangles with the wide end corners touching to make a square. Fill the gaps with 4 more triangles (wide ends towards the middle). Now there are 8 gaps so fill them with the remaining 8 triangles. There will be lots of overlapping. Scoop the ham mixture evenly in a circle around the wide ends of the triangles. Bring the outside points over the mixture and tuck under the wide ends. Some of the mixture may still show through. After doing this, I molded mine into a circle by squishing a little here and there. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

*I decided to try filling the crescent rolls individually, instead of making a ring. I placed two crescent rolls together, forming a square, filled it, then sealed the edges.

{buttermilk syrup}

I'm not kidding...once you try this, it's especially difficult to go back to traditional maple syrup. This is fantastic, and your kids will devour it! The buttermilk is magic, because it doesn't even taste like buttermilk once it's done! We serve ours over waffles. My friend Melissa gave me this recipe, and our life hasn't been the same since. :)

BUTTERMILK SYRUP

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Bring sugar, buttermilk, and butter to a boil, then turn off the heat and add remaining ingredients, whisking well. Because of the soda, it will be frothy until it starts to cool.

{refreshing punch}

This is a stand-by of mine, and I make it regularly. It's easy, light, and can be served with just about anything.

Per punchbowl:

1 can white grape juice frozen concentrate
1-2 liters Sprite
limes and lemons
ice

Mix the grape juice and Sprite together (it really is mostly to taste--you can do whatever ratio you prefer). Add ice, and float lemon and lime slices on top.

{cinnamon & sugar sour cream muffins}

I made these for my family this week, and they were literally gone within hours. It has been a favorite since my childhood, and myu love for them has definitely passed to my own kids. This recipe made 24 mini muffins, and 6 larger muffins.

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1-8 oz. carton sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
cinnamon & sugar mixture

1. Grease muffin tins (12 large or 24 small)
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Measure sugar into large bowl, then mix in butter.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
5. Stir in flour mixture.
6. Spoon batter into muffin tin, about 1/3 full.
7. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture, then add more batter until 2/3 full.
8. Sprinkle all the tops with sugar--it will form a nice crust on the top.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!!