Southern Living Recipe Reviews

I've recently tried two recipes that I found in Southern Living that we really liked. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them too!

Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-semifreddo-shortcake-50400000114543/

This is an awesome dessert! Because the fresh strawberries are pureed, it's a great dessert to make if the strawberries aren't picture perfect. The only thing... a plate (or something) needs to be placed under the springform pan before serving or your counters will be a mess!

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-chili-hash-brown-bake-50400000109928/

This one was a big hit with Dave! It claims to serve 8, but that must only be with very robust side dishes. We had this with a salad and it really took a serving and a half for everyone to feel full. We also tried this as a quick reheat for lunch a few days later and it was just as yummy.

Party Freeze Salad

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it's always a hit at summer gatherings - we sometimes call it Strawberry Freeze Salad.

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup honey
10 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberries, partially thawed (I usually use 1 oz unsweetened)
2 Ripe Bananas - sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 oz tub of cool whip

Directions:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add Honey and mix well. Add fruit and marshmallows, toss to coat. Fold in cool whip. Pour into a 13x9 dish and freeze overnight. Allow to thaw at room temp 30 minutes prior to serving.

Notes:
I use my stand mixer when I make this. When beating the cream cheese, I scrape the bowl twice to removed large clumps. I scrape the bowl again after mixing in the honey. After adding the strawberries, I allow he mixer to run on low while slicing in he bananas and adding marshmallows. I fold in the cool whip using a rubber spatula. This works great as a sweeter side dish or as a light dessert.

Edmund's Up North Roasted Potatoes

This was in the Penzeys catalog and you need Penzey's Northwoods seasoning for it. If you can't get to a store, visit www.Panzeys.com.

Ingredients:

4 Cups chunked red potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
2 Tablespoons Northwoods Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop onion and place in a large bowl. Leaving the skins on, cut potatoes into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Toss potatoes and onions with the Northwoods seasoning until well coated. Toss with the olive oil. Pour into a 13x9 glass baking dish and place in hot oven. Stir potatoes every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then bake for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are nice and brown.

Fresh Fruit Medley

I made this for Memorial Day and it got rave reviews...

Ingredients:
1 Cup orange Juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
2 apples, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:
Combine Orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix well. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Chill, covered, until cool. Combine orange sections, apples, and bananas in a bowl. Pour cooled dressing over fruit and toss gently to mix.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Another wonderful recipe from Penzy's....

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, cream together sugar, peanut butter, eggs, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread into ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Bake 35 minutes.

Spicy Orange Pecans

This one is from the Penzy Spice Co and is WONDERFUL! This one definitely makes it into the recipe book.....

Ingredients:
4 cups PLAIN pecan halves
2 Tablespoons Orange juice - fresh is best
1 large egg white
2 Tablespoons fresh orange zest
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher flake or coarse sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In large bowl, combine pecan halves, orange juice, and egg white. Toss to coat. In small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to pecans and toss to coat evenly. Spread nuts evenly on baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes until the pecans appear dry - about 1 hour. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Berry-White Chocolate Muffins

This is another Betty Crocker recipe. I made these ahead of time for Christmas morning and froze them. We thawed them over night then warmed them slightly in the microwave and they were yummy!

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare 12 cup muffin pan by lining with paper cups or spraying the bottoms only with cooking spray. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, except berries, until just moistened. Gently stir in berries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes then remove from pan.