Mmmm.... Tzatziki sauce!

From OurBestBites.com

Tzatziki

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that's 2 6-oz. containers)

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped

1 tsp. dry dill weed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Lemon Pancakes (with blueberry syrup)

Now... before you balk... let me just say - the combination of lemon and blueberries is ABSOLUTELY divine!! When I worked at the spa last year, the fancy shmancy restaurant had a cheesecake one night that was a lemon and blueberry combination with sweetened ricotta cheese... I thought I had died and gone to heaven! These pancakes are a good substitute... and might I recommend, instead of butter, a smidge of sweetened ricotta cheese! :) (I didn't get to make the blueberry syrup when I made these... didn't have the ingredients on hand)

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 TBSP butter, melted

2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon you zested)

4 TBSP butter, divided (you use this for frying the pancakes and I needed more)

Fresh blueberry syrup - recipe in a minute

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (What this means for stand mixer users like me, use a glass measuring cup that holds 4 cups or more to mix the liquid part in, put the dry mixture into your stand mixer bowl.)

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 TBSP of butter over medium heat. Spoon 2 TBSP of batter for each pancake into skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter.

Serve with warm Fresh Blueberry Syrup.... or if your kids don't want that.. regular syrup is just as yummy. :)

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved.

Add blueberries; cook for 15-20 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly before serving. Sweetened ricotta is as easy as mixing whole milk ricotta with some sugar and vanilla! :)

Sunrise Smoothie

This is from another of my magazines that I love - Simply Southern. I tend to pick up magazines that have recipes that I want to try and most of the time, they end up being some of my most favorite recipes. This one is for a smoothie that is used in a brunch sequence. Way good!

Sunrise Smoothie

2 1/4 cups orange juice (if you can find the Tropicana Valencia orange juice, I highly recommend it)

2 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberry sorbet (if you can't find strawberry sorbet like me, I resorted to using strawberry sorbet fruit pops... enough to equal 1 1/2 cups. lol)

Garnish with fresh strawberries if you'd like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth... pour into glasses. It's not rocket science. lol

Orange Fruit Dip

I haven't made this one yet, but believe you me... the next time I get a chance to try it.. I will be! This comes from one of my most favorite magazines - Taste of the South

Orange Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream

1 (16 oz) container cool whip, thawed

2 TBSP honey

1 TBSP fresh orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

assorted fresh fruits

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add marshmallow cream and continue beating until combined. Add whipped topping, honey, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon, beating until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with assorted fresh fruits. (The picture in the magazine has pineapples, grapes, strawberries, and honeydew)

*Dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

White chocolate fondue

I found this online somewhere, this is GOOD stuff.

3/4 cup heavy cream
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped (look for the baking white chocolate bars)
1 tsp vanilla

Put it in a saucepan or fondue pot and melt it. GOOD stuff. I had this with cubed pound cake and strawberries. MMMMM.

Parmesan Fondue

I got this from allrecipes.com. This stuff is SOOO GOOD! Make sure you have a lot of people to eat it, cause it makes A LOT. Don't worry if you have leftovers though - I found several different ways to use it in recipes. :)

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, cubed.
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 loaf french bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. (I recommend putting the cream cheese in first and letting it melt a good bit before adding the milk. If you put both in at the same time and they're cold, it takes a LONG TIME for it melt)
Stir in parmesan cheese and garlic salt, cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker to keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Be warned - this stuff is RICH. You won't be able to finish it in one sitting. lol

Alfredo Sauce

I got this recipe off of my mommy site - it's supposed to be the same recipe that Olive Garden uses.


32 ounces cream cheese (4 - 8 oz packs)
2 cups butter (4 sticks!)
3 cups grated parmesan cheese
16 ounces heavy cream

Melt all ingredients together over low heat, stirring constantly. *this can be divided into containers and frozen*

Salsa

This is my mother-in-law (Linda's) recipe for salsa... SOOOO yummy!

10-12 roma tomatoes (you may need more)
green pepper - seeded
red onion
1 bunch green onions
1-2 tbsp garlic
1-2 tbsp salt (and probably more to taste)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 bunch of cilantro
4 jalepenos (seeded to desired heat level- more seeds=more heat)

Combine all ingredients in food processor - it may take several rounds for each few ingredients. Don't blend all your tomatoes at once or they'll get mushy.

Lemon-Pepper-Parmesan dressing

Got this from Rachel Ray! I LOVE this dressing...

3 heaping tbsp mayonnaise (I like the Kraft REAL mayo)
1 lemon - zested and juiced
1 tsp coarse pepper
3 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
salt

Combine mayo, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add pepper. Whisk dressing and pour in olive oil. (You'll want to whisk it pretty hard so that the oil emulsifies.) Switch to a spoon once mixed and stir in cheese and season to taste.