Balsamic Glazed Strawberries

My summer has been whizzing by with birthday parties and BBQ's and of course lots of delicious food. This dish is quick to whip together and a crowd pleaser. I know it sounds like a strange combination but it's worth a try and you won't be disappointed.

Balsamic Glazed Strawberries

Fresh strawberries, cut in half (about 16oz)

2 T balsamic glaze

2 T granulated sugar
Black pepper, freshly ground to taste

Place the strawberries in a bowl and drizzle with the balsamic glaze and sugar. Stir to coat the strawberries evenly and allow to sit for about an hour. Grind black pepper over the strawberries before serving. I don't put a lot of pepper on them but about 10 grinds makes me happy.

The balsamic glaze I use is from Olivelle. It's great on steak and with my grilled polenta w/ bruschetta recipe.

Cheesy Mustard Cauliflower

There is a dish I have loved since I was a little girl. My mom would make it with special meals and it's definately a comfort food for me. Thankfully with the internet I easily found the dish and got to enjoy it this past weekend. To heck with everything else I cooked this was the golden dish.

Cheesy Mustard Cauliflower

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 T spicy mustard

3/4 C cheese, Daiya worked great for dairy free

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Steam the cauliflower until fork tender.

Mix the mayonnaise and mustard together then toss with the steamed cauliflower. Place in a baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. I love this straight out of the oven and even leftover from the fridge, I can't get enough of this dish.

Southern Dressing

I had a 22 pound turkey taking up room in my freezer and it was finally time to cook the bird. We had some friends over to help us get rid of the goods and I finally tried out this delicious dressing recipe. Of course I'll have some other turkey related recipes to accompany this but they will show up in due time. I changed some of the ingredients so check out the original recipe if you want to add Italian sausage or roasted pine nuts.

Southern Dressing

Adapted from All Recipes

6 oz bacon

2 onions, chopped

7 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 C GF bread cut into 1/2" cubes

3 C GF cornbread, crumbled

1 T dried sage

1 T poultry seasoning

4 C GF chicken broth

2 C mozzarella, shredded*

1/2 C butter*

Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Cook the bacon over medium heat and remove to drain excess grease. Add the onion and celery to the pan with bacon drippings, cook until the onion softens and turns translucent. Add the garlic and cook another 3 minutes.

Crumble the bacon into the baking dish and add the onion and celery, bread, cornbread, sage, and poultry seasoning. Stir until evenly mixed. Add the mozzarella and chicken broth then stir until the broth is evenly absorbed. Dot the top with butter and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

I made this the night before and stuck it in the refrigerator before the baking step. It turned out really well and kept my to-do list a bit smaller the day of baking.

*For a dairy free option substitute Earth Balance and Daiya. It would probably be just as delicious without the cheese if you don't have any on hand.

Fruit Salad

I stumbled upon this recipe last summer and fell in love. It’s quick, tastes great, and kids love it! What more could you ask for? It’s a nice recipe to adjust to what is in season, what you have on hand, or what your taste buds prefer. My kids will happily eat this morning, noon, and night. It's not surprising since it's filled with their favorite things.

Fruit Salad in Seconds
Adapted from Allrecipes

2 apples, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces*
1 pound seedless grapes
3 bananas, sliced
8 oz French vanilla yogurt

In a large bowl mix together the fruit and yogurt. Serve immediately.

*I peel my apples because my girl doesn’t like the skins, you can leave it on if you prefer

If you make this a couple hours ahead of time do everything but the bananas, they get too mushy if they sit too long.

Add any fruits or flavored yogurt you prefer, it’s nice to play around with the flavors and mixes. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and pears would all be delicious.