MICROWAVE SWEET PICKLES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 2 cup vinegar
• 4 cup sugar
• 8 medium cucumbers (unpeeled, thinly sliced)
• 1-2 onions

• Cut & Slice cucumbers and onions, add together.

• In small bowl, combine salt, turmeric, mustard seed, celery seed, vinegar and sugar.
• Mix in cucumbers and onions.
• Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir well.
• Return to microwave and repeat two more times. (15 minutes in microwave total).

• Cool and pour into pint jars.
• Fill jars with left over liquid from the cucumber mix.
• Get air bubbles out of jars.
• Put lids into boiling water.
• Place on tops of jars and place rings on them tightly.
• When their dots pop in, they have sealed properly.
• Store or eat! ENJOY!
• Makes approximately 6-8 pints depending on how much you put in each jar.

  
  
  

BBQ Meatball Sandwiches...

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg (80 count) plain frozen meatballs

1 bottle of BBQ Sauce of choice

8 Hoagie Buns

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Other toppings (lettuce, tomatoes...your choice!)

• Heat up frozen meatballs
• Drain the fat
• Add BBQ Sauce of choice
• Heat through

• Place meatballs on hoagie bun
• sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
• sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
• toast under the broiler on low until bread is crisp (not burned)

• Serve with chips
• You can add any toppings to your sandwich you like, such as lettuce, other cheeses, tomatoes...what ever you like!

80 meatballs will make about 8 meatball sandwiches, depending on which hoagies you use or how many meatballs you put on each sandwich. Great for reheating or preparing for a lunch the next day!

DeLiCiOuS sUmMeR SiDeS...

Summer time brings on a multitude of delicious fresh produce! One of our favorites is corn on the cob, freshly picked and cooked to perfection! Add some butter, salt and pepper and YUM YUM! We will eat just corn on the cob for a meal, but sometimes we want a little something else to go with it.....below are some cool sides that are picnic friendly!

FRESH CUCUMBER IN SAUCE:

• Peel and wash your garden fresh cucumbers.
• Then slice them into chips.
• Add in enough mayonnaise (lite if you prefer) and some sugar to taste.
• Blend together and place in a jar to sit over night.
• EAT AND ENJOY!

For another delicious and cool side, here is a variation:

• Peel and wash your garden fresh cucumbers.
  Then slice them into chips.
• Slice up an onion into rings, separate and place with cucumbers.
• Cover with ranch dressing and let sit over night.
• Eat the next day with your lunch!

These go deliciously well with fresh garden tomatoes, peeled and sliced with salt or sugar to top them!

4th of July Flag Cake...

I started by making a homemade white sheet cake. I did this so I could substitute Splenda instead of sugar. This makes it more diabetes friendly for those in my family who need that, and more figure friendly for those interested. :O) So, you can use a store bought box cake mix if you wanted to. Here is the way I did mine though: I made it in a sheet cake pan, which made the cake pretty thin. So, I cut it in half, and made it a two layer cake with coolwhip in the center. I decorated it as if it were the regular size.







WHITE CAKE

2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 C shortening, butter or margarine (no butter spreads)
1 3/4 C sugar (or Splenda)
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1 1/3 C buttermilk or sour milk (see below)




Grease and lightly flour baking dish.
Stir together dry ingredients. Set aside
In large mixing bowl, beat shortening, butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.
Add sugar (Splenda) and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
Add egg whites, one at a time beating well after each.
Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour into pan(s).



Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

** Sour Milk for this recipe= 1 1/3 C milk (I use skim) put in 1 tsp of vinegar and let sit while you are mixing up the recipe.




TO TOP THE FLAG CAKE:


After the cake is cooled off completely. Have two tubs of Cool Whip thawed out. Spread over the cake. Use strawberries for the red stripes on the cake and use 1 pt. of fresh blueberries in the star corner of the flag.

Zucchini Pizza Pieces (100 Calories)...

3 medium zucchini, each sliced into 12 round pieces

1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste

36 thin, 1 1/2 " square slices of part skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Mixed Italian herbs, crumbled

Preheat broiler to low. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, parboil zucchini pieces in water for 1 minute or until tender-crisp. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. Top each piece with 1 tsp tomato paste and one slice of mozzarella cheese; top with 1/2 tsp Parmesan Cheese and a sprinkling of herbs. Broil 4" from heat source for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and pieces are heated through. Serve pizza pieces immediately.

Serving size: 3 pizza pieces

Calories: 90

Fat: 6 g

Classic Cake Brownies...Less than 100 Calories!!!

CLASSIC CAKE BROWNIES

1/4 C unsalted margarine
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 C skim milk
3/4 C flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 C chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tsp powdered sugar
Chocolate Drizzle Icing (posted below)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" square baking pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Remove pan from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder until well combined. Add egg white and vanilla. Beat lightly with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in the milk; add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, using the spoon to beat until well combined. Stir in the walnuts or pecans and spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake in the oven for 10-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the brownies and drizzle with chocolate icing. Let stand for 30 minutes or until icing is set. Cut into 24 squares.

Serving size: 1 brownie
Calories: 74
Fat: 3 g


CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE ICING
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1-2 tbsp of skim milk, mix until of desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled brownies.

Very Cherry Cobbler

Oh THIS is my FAVORITE cobbler recipe. I have substituted different fruit and have not been displeased...

1/2 cup butter
1 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C milk
1 C sugar
1 can cherry pie filling


preheat 350 degrees oven
place butter in 9x13 inch baking dish
set in oven until butter is melted
In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, milk, sugar. Transfer mixture to baking dish with melted butter and spread evenly. Spread cherry pie filling evenly over crumb layer. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until fruit is bubbly.

SUBSTITUTES:
Instead of canned cherries, use fresh cherries, peaches, apples, apricots or what ever fruit of your choice. Bake until golden brown.