Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz. cold cream cheese (straight from refrigerator)

5 T. softened butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar.

1/4 c. fresh raspberries, mashed and strained to get rid of seeds.

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until combined. Sift powdered sugar and gradually add to mixture while mixing. Add mashed and strained raspberries to mixture. Spread over favorite cake or sugar cookie.

* I found the foundation of this recipe and decided to turn it into a raspberry frosting. you could use any fruit that can be mashed and strained easily. I was actually looking for a way to add a food coloring to the frosting for the cupcakes I was making for my baby's first birthday and my husband suggested the raspberries in the fridge. It turned out so yummy! (and pink :) Definitely make sure that you follow the instructions with the cold cream cheese and the softened butter. If you don't, it ends up being a runny frosting and doesn't stick really great. Also, if you wash your raspberries before, try and dry them off the best you can. It will also get runny if you add that little bit of extra water to it.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

2 T. prepared mustard

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

1 1/2 T. lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Mix the above ingredients in an airtight container. Add thawed chicken breasts that have been thinly sliced. marinate for 3 to 6 hours or overnight. Grill until desired doneness.

* This is a recipe that has been handed around my husband's family. It is such a great BBQ recipe to use. I made 12 pieces of chicken breast yesterday and I tripled the recipe. One recipe is probably good for 4 to 6 normal sized chicken breasts.

Grape Salad

Ingredients:

2 lb. green grapes

2 lb. red grapes

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 c. white sugar

1 t. vanilla

brown sugar

pecans

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar, and vanilla. Fold in grapes: sprinkle brown sugar and pecans over top, but do not stir in. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, stir to mix in brown sugar and pecans.

* This is the best summer fruit salad! Anytime I need to make something for a large group, I make this. I have made it on the spur of the moment where I haven't planned in advance to have it refrigerate overnight and it still tastes good, but it definitely tastes better if you do refrigerate over night. I made this yesterday for my baby's birthday party and my husband asked me as I was mixing everything in to add some more brown sugar to it, I did and everyone said that it was the best it had ever been. I also don't use pecans when I make it because I have family members who HATE nuts in anything and when I make it for a potluck dish, I am always worried about allergies people may have.

Fresh Peach Pie

Ingredients:

2 c. boiling water

1/2 c. cold water

2 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. + 2 T. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 (3 0z.) pkg. Orange Jello

1/4 c. lemon juice

Directions:

Mix cold water, sugar, cornstarch and salt together to make a paste. Add boiling water and cook until thick. Add jello; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and add lemon, mix and chill. Three cups sliced fresh peaches per pie. Mix 1/3 of filling with 3 cups peaches per pie. Pour in baked pie shell and serve soon after. Top with whipping cream. Makes 3 pies.

* I love homemade fresh peach pie! I have been making this recipe for a few years now and I just made it for the first time in a long time yesterday for my baby's first birthday party (she got cupcakes). I got this recipe from my husband's, best-friend's mom. It is such a yummy recipe!

BLT Salad

Ingredients

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 lg. tomatoes, chopped (or whole cherry tomatoes)

1 c. seasoned croutons

Dressing:

3/4 C mayonnaise

1/4 C milk

3/4 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. black pepper

salt to taste

Directions

Mix dressing ingredients in blender. Place lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and croutons in bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

*This recipe is from my sister Steffany. I made this and it seriously tastes like a BLT sandwich, it is very good!

Honey-Orange marinated Salmon

Ingredients

1/3 C reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 C orange juice

1/4 C honey

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 T olive oil

1 T sherry or apple juice

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 lb salmon fillet

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bad, combine the first 7 ingredients. Add salmon. Seal bag and turn to coat: refrigerate for 1 hour, turning several times.

Line an 8 in. square baking dish with foil; coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Drain and discard marinade. Place salmon in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

*I make a lot of seafood because my husband loves it and asks me to make it for him. I wanted to try something new so I found this recipe. I think it was very tasty! I did not have reduced sodium soy sauce so I used regular soy sauce and added a bit of water to it and it wasn't salty at all.