Well, I received some very ripe and sweet strawberries in my last grocery delivery. So I felt I needed to use them quickly. I’ve also been thinking about pies lately, so I figured this is the perfect time to try one! Since 1 lb of strawberries won’t make a full pie filling, this is what I came up with…….

• 1 pie crust (you can use store-bought or make your own. Recipes for pie crust have been posted previously on this blog if you’ve been following 😉)
• 1 pkg sugar free instant vanilla pudding (yes, instant! I used shortcuts this time)
• 1 1/4 cup milk (this is less than is used to make pudding so the pie filling will stay more firm)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract ( tip: using a little flavored extract brightens up store-bought puddings and whipped cream tubs to taste more homemade)
• 1 lb ripe strawberries, sliced lengthwise for a pretty presentation
• powdered sugar for dusting, optional
• Whipped cream for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place pie crust in pie pan, crimp edges and dock the whole crust with a fork

Set aside to cool completely

Whisk pudding mix with milk and almond extract til thickened and then chill in the refrigerator

After crust and pudding are completely chilled, add the pudding into the crust and smooth out the top

Place the strawberry slices into the pudding in a decorative pattern or any way you like

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired and serve with whipped cream, if desired

Luckily my daughter was able to come for dinner so I don’t have to eat the WHOLE pie! She took leftovers home too!

Submitted by G ♥️

Since we will be leaving our Florida vacation rental in about 12 days, my mission is to clear out all the perishable food in the house before we head back north. It’s a fun project and provides many colorful and creative meals.

Eggplant Stacker

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• Ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated parmesan cheese
• dried oregano
• olive oil

Season the eggplant slices with salt, pepper, and dried oregano, to taste. Coat a parchment-lined baking tray with pan spray, place the eggplant slices on the tray. Drizzle with olive oil; bake @375° for 25-30 minutes. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of Ricotta cheese atop every other baked eggplant slice. Top with a plain slice; cover each stack with marinara sauce; add a sprinkle of oregano and parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

Buon Appetito! Stay safe and well!

Submitted by L: 🍆

If you think there is no such thing as good potato soup without bacon, you’re in for a treat because this soup satisfies everyone! The flour thickens the soup, and the vegetables add sweetness and depth to the flavor. 

• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes
• 1 cup celery, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup baby carrots, sliced
• ⅛ cup onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper, to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut into large dice; coarsely chop the celery; slice the carrots, chop the onion. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, gently sauté the onion for about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir it until it browns lightly; add the milk and stir well. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, bouillon cube, and water. Stir to blend well. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a potato masher to purée the mixture, as desired. (An immersion blender would also work well.) Season to taste.

For bacon-lovers, feel free to fry a few slices of bacon to crumble on top of the soup as a garnish.

Submitted by L: 🥔

This recipe is good as an appetizer or, when paired with a salad, as a light dinner. For us, it was dinner, but one that had to be modified to meet vegetarian requirements. Let’s start with the ingredients…

• Tostito Scoops
• ¼ cup finely minced onion
• Olive oil
• Ground meat, (beef, sausage, turkey) – I used 6 links of breakfast sausage – skin removed, cooked, then crumbled
• Vegetarian option, Morningstar Farms Crumbles
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• Chili powder
• Ground Cumin
• Cheddar cheese

Layer the Scoops in a baking pan. Sauté the onion until translucent in a small amount of olive oil in a skillet*. Add the ground meat of choice and brown. Drain, and add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, to taste. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. Spoon the meat mixture evenly into the Scoops, top with cheese; bake @350° until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream.

(*I transferred a small portion of the cooked onion to a different pan and proceeded with the recipe using Crumbles and a small amount of the sauce. To keep the two versions separate in the pan, I fashioned a dual-compartment liner using foil fitted into a 9×13 pan.)

If this had been an appetizer, I would have been more careful about keeping some distance between the Scoops in the pan. As you can see, I just pulled my Scoops apart, and used my fingers to enjoy!

Submitted by L: 👩🏻‍🍳

When there is only a little of this and a little less of that in the refrigerator, including some cooked cauliflower, this pizza combines everything together in one baking tray. Nothing gets wasted, and the bonus is that this dish is gluten-free. AND, it is tasty and light, yet filling!

Cauliflower Crust

• 2 cups cooked cauliflower
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

Drain the cauliflower, removing as much moisture as possible. Use a potato masher to create rice-like morsels. Add the eggs, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well. Press evenly onto a parchment-lined pizza tray. Bake @400° for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Top as desired and bake 10 additional minutes.

Submitted by L:🍕

Taking advantage of things in my freezer these days when fresh is harder to obtain. Here’s 2 recipes I made with that in mind.

• 5 tbsp butter, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 30 oz bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• Salt & pepper, to taste, added to each step in the recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan by coating with 1 tbsp butter

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a large sauté pan and sauté onion, red pepper, garlic powder and salt & pepper until softened

Add the flour and whisk til combined for about 2 minutes

Whisk in the milk and simmer til it starts to thicken

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and 1 1/2 cups cheese

Add in the hash browns and some salt & pepper to taste until thoroughly combined

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and top with remaining cheese

Bake until golden brown about 35 – 45 minutes

Feel free to double or triple this recipe if you’re cooking for more people

• 2 fish filets ( I had Flounder in the freezer)
• The other half of medium onion, sliced thin
• The other half of red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp capers
• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Sauté onion and pepper in 1 tbsp butter with salt & pepper til just softened

In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp melted butter, garlic, lemon juice and capers

Preheat an empty sheet pan in oven for a few minutes to warm And then line with parchment paper

Place fish filets on the sheet pan and season with salt & pepper, to taste

Top with onions & peppers and then pour the butter sauce over all

Bake til cooked through, about 12 – 18 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. Don’t over cook!

Submitted by G ♥️

During this pandemic, we’ve been depending on grocery delivery service which has helped keep us in our self-isolation. The bizarre shortage of toilet paper notwithstanding, all the drop-offs have been very successful. We’ve met some very courteous, kind, dedicated “shoppers” who have gone out of their way to fulfill my sometimes complicated requests. My thanks to all of them!

What the shoppers cannot control include things like crowding in the stores, out-of-stock items, and me requesting things I already have in the refrigerator – like celery! Yes, I ordered celery even though there was a perfectly fresh and wonderful celery bunch in the crisper bin. So, dinner tonight was Creamy Celery Soup, served with Spinach Bread.

If you have a blender or a food processor, making creamed soup is really simple. Without one, you can mince the vegetables extremely finely and skip the purée step. It will still be tasty and creamy.

• 6 stalks of celery, roughly chopped, to make about 2 cups
• ¼ cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1 Tablespoon cream cheese
• ½ cup cooked rice
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; sauté the celery, onions, and garlic in the butter; cover and cook on low heat until the onion is translucent. Add the water and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the celery is tender. Pour the milk into a blender; add the cooked celery mixture. Using the blender’s purée setting, “pulse” to desired consistency; return to pan; stir in the cream cheese and add the rice; heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.

Submitted by L: 👩🏻‍🍳

You don’t need a crust for this Quiche because it makes its own as it bakes! It’s an easy to prepare dish that is very tasty for a brunch or lunch or dinner. Also perfect for Mother’s Day which is around the corner 💐

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 1/2 cups cooked broccoli florets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside

In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and onions. Add black pepper, to taste if you like

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture stirring until well combined

Stir in the cheese and broccoli

Pour mixture into a 9 inch pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray

Bake 35-45 minutes until set and golden brown around the edge

Submitted by G ♥️

In these days of grocery delivery, I sometimes receive items that may be past their prime, shall we say! This time I received some strawberries that fell into that category. So I thought some jam was in order! Here’s my go to recipe for an easy tasty jam.

• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan

Warm on med-low heat til sugar dissolves

Raise heat to med-high and bring to a boil stirring often so it doesn’t stick to bottom of the pan

Continue to boil while stirring until it starts to reduce and thicken enough to coat the back of the spoon. This takes 10-15 minutes

Remove from heat and allow to cool

Store in containers in the refrigerator or can be frozen

Submitted by G ♥️

Everybody likes pickles! Right!?! Well, here is a very fast and easy way to make your own….

• 1 English cucumber, sliced as thick or thin as you like your pickles to be.
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp mustard seed or 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large clove garlic, cracked
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 tsp dried dill or 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Heat a small saucepan with vinegar, water, sugar, mustard, salt, garlic & red pepper flakes until it begins to bubble, not boil

Toss the cucumbers and dill together in a heatproof bowl

Pour the warm liquid over the cucumbers and stir to coat

Allow to cool at room temperature and chill in the refrigerator.

Tasty!

Submitted by G ♥️