Mango Salsa

My sister shared this recipe with me years ago while having chicken tacos at her house. It was so yummy and refreshing on the tacos! I usually put it on my pork tacos but it is great straight with tortilla chips too. If you like mangos, you'll love this fresh salsa!

Mango Salsa

2-3 mangos, peeled and cubed
2 avocados cubed
1 cucumber, cubed
2-3 Tbs lime juice
1 green onion diced
chopped cilantro
½ jalapeno diced (*roasted or raw- if raw, remove seeds)

Stir together and serve fresh with chips or on pork,chicken,or shrimp tacos. would also be good on baked fish!

*Roasting a jalapeno... My sister also taught me how to roast a jalepeno to help release the flavor when making salsas. First you put the jalapeno(s) in a dry hot fry pan or grill. Turn it occasionally to get the grill marks all the way around. You will hear it pop and sizzle and it will soften up a bit. Then comes the magic... Pop the hot jalepeno(s) in a ziplock bag and seal it right up so that the jalepeno(s) can sweat. This releases the oils and adds flavor and cuts down on the heat. If you want to keep it mild, you can still remove the seeds. Once it has cooled, cut it up for your favorite salsa or dish.

Fresh Peach Pie

This is an awesome fresh peach pie recipe from my sister Janae. It is light, refreshing and not too sweet. Doesn't this picture make you want to take a bite? You can make this two different ways, as pictured or with a cream cheese filling layered on the bottom! Either way is delish! If you have fresh peaches and like pie, this recipe is a must!

Fresh Peach Pie - Janae Turner

2 cups sliced peaches

1/4 cup sugar (or Splenda)

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon of almond extract

dash of salt to taste

1 cooked and cooled pie crust


Directions:
Combine peaches, lemon juice and sugar

Let stand for 1 hour

Drain peaches should be 1 cup of juice if not add orange juice to make 1 cup

In sauce pan on stove add cornstarch and cook until thickened. and the butter almond extract a dash of salt. let cool

Gently fold in filling with peaches and place is a cooked and cooled pie crust.

Chill and serve with whipped topping


Cream cheese layer on bottom- Optional

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whipping cream or cool whip

Mix together place on bottom of pie crust and layer peaches w/ filling on top

Chill until ready to serve

Scalloped Pineapple

This is one of my favorite holiday side dishes! It goes great with turkey or ham. I accidentally left it in the oven a few minutes too long so the edges got darker than I would have liked, but it was still very tasty!

Scalloped Pineapple

1 20oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

6 slices white bread cubed

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter- softened

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs and then add pineapple with juices. Stir in cubed bread and then add milk. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

I have always been a fan of Tastefully Simple's Strawberry Rhubarb jam but my family gobbles it up so fast, that I had to find a way to keep my fridge stocked without breaking the bank! So, I played with a couple of recipes and came up with this one. It is pretty easy to make and so yummy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

2 1/2 cups chopped strawberries.

3 cups white sugar

1 3oz package strawberry flavored gelatin

Directions:

1- In a large saucepan or stockpot, stir together the fresh rhubarb and sugar. Cover and let stand over night.

2- Bring the rhubarb and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly, for 12 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat.

3-Add strawberries and stir in dry gelatin mix. Transfer to steril jars and let cool. Store in refrigerator (or freezer for long term storage)

Apple Puff Pancake

Wow, I have been busy playing this summer. Sorry it has been so long since my last post! The kids and I tried a new recipe this morning and they loved it. I also was happy that it was a healthy breakfast with all those apples. You can adjust how sweet you want it with how much sugar you add to the apples. I kept it simple since I knew the kids would be topping it with sugar or syrup. With school starting and apple season around the corner here in Michigan I thought this would be a great recipe to share. We hope you enjoy!


Apple Puff Pancake

3 apples
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
sprinkle of cinnamon to taste

1 cup milk
6 eggs
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Powdered sugar & cinnamon for garnish

Directions:
Peel, core and slice up apples thin and small, toss with sugar and cinnamon and place in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Mix together; milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, flour and salt to make a batter. Pour batter over apples in baking pan and bake in 350* oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm with powdered sugar & cinnamon or drizzle with pancake syrup.

Grape Salad

This is a fun summer salad. My daughter said she loves it so much she could drink it! I don't know that i could drink it, but I sure could eat a large bowl of it and enjoy every bite. I got this recipe from my good friend Celeste and have made it many times. It is a great fruit salad that is easy to throw together and please just about anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as my daughter and I do.

Grape Salad

large bunch of seedless green grapes

large bunch of red seedles grapes

Pick grapes off vine, rinse and dry.

Dressing:

4oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar ( depending on how sweet you like it)

Mix together well* and stir in with grapes in a large bowl. Garnish with sprinkeld brown sugar and chopped pecans.

*NOTE: This makes a lot of "dressing" so you may have more than you need depending on how much sauce you like. It makes for a great fruit dip as well.