What the Forks for Dinner? - Page 97 of 202 - Recipes and ideas so you never have to ask what the forks for dinner!

No Bake Tropical Bites

Too hot to bake??? You bet, so don’t! No Bake Tropical Bites are a tasty trip to the Islands without the heat.

Little pop in your mouth snack that are filled with almonds, coconut, and pineapple. And the best part is you don’t have to turn on the oven.

These little bites are good for you too. Almond butter, oatmeal, and flaxseed, make them a clean eating snack as well.

Over the summer our school has a summer crew that does all the work that can’t be done during the school year. For a little extra cash I worked this summer on the paint crew. So, for those who know we well, know I LOVE TO PAINT!!!!!

Perhaps I’m slightly obsessed with painting. So, the paint crew seemed like the right choice and it was……I truly enjoyed it.

But, I had to pack a lunch everyday and I really tried to pack items that did not need refrigeration. No Bake Tropical Bites were perfect. Just popped them into a ziplock bag, and off I went. Now, I usually ate them for breakfast, they have oatmeal and that’s breakfast.

They also would make a great snack, or a sweet treat after a big meal. You know, when you have eaten a really great meal, and are stuffed, but just want something a little sweet, No Bake Tropical Bites are just the ticket.

A small sweet tropical treat. Enjoy some today!

Cranberry Almond Bakery Cookies

What’s better than a thick chewy bakery style cookie? NOTHING!! Cranberry Almond Bakery Cookies …..oh yeah!!!

I have mentioned before that I used to manage a bakery. Said bakery was in a grocery store, so volume was king. It would have been impossible to make all of the choices from scratch. So, we did what I fondly called fake and bake.

If you can decorate it or add a little something to the flavor it’s a win! Cookies for us came in the form of frozen pucks. All you had to do was put them on a cookie sheet and bake them. They were surprisingly good.

But alas, they were not homemade 🙁 These days I do not need to produce in bulk, so creativity and made from scratch are the order of the day.

I love cookies…….sigh! I love cranberries…..sigh! I love almonds……sigh! All three together…….Woot!!

I wanted to make an extra special, bakery style cookie. Big, chewy, and full of flavor. Continue reading “Cranberry Almond Bakery Cookies”

Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms

It has been HOT!!!! Let’s not heat up the house with the oven…….let’s GRILL. Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms.

Grilled stuffed mushrooms, full of gooey cheese, crispy bacon, and spinach. What’s not to love?????

I don’t know about anyone else, but when its ubber hot like it was last week, the last thing on my mind is cooking indoors. Outdoors is another story. No need to heat up the house and over tax your AC…thank you Mr. Carrier for inventing the best thing since sliced bread.

Sometimes the grocery store has a pre made item that will catch the eye. Such was the case of some stuffed mushrooms. They were stuffed with cheese and we were grilling so we threw them on the grill.

Other than the fact that they were probably not the healthiest things in the world. I recently have issue with too much pre-packaged foods, maybe because we have been eating too much of it. But they were little bites of heaven.

My mission was clear……to make my own version. Stuffed mushroom are pretty straight forward to make and you can stuff them with most anything.

I knew I wanted to use cheese,a given and cream cheese makes things super rich and creamy, besides every recipe I researched had cream cheese. They all couldn’t be wrong!

If all else fails, bacon is your friend. I swear it could make the worst thing take great. O.K. maybe not liver, but most anything else. So, a veggie would be nice, spinach. A nice green color, good for you, and tastes great with bacon.Everything gets all mixed up and stuffed in the mushroom cap.

For my money, baby bellas are the best stuffing mushrooms, but any nice sized mushroom will work. Be sure to remove the stem and wipe them clean with a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush.

I had a mushroom brush at one time and I don’t know what happen, but it disappeared. I can hear my Mom saying “Well it didn’t grow legs and walk off”……I sure do miss my Mom. But for cleaning mushrooms they are a great gadget to have.

The cool part of stuffed mushrooms is, you can make them in advance and cook them at your leisure. Outside, on the grill, with your choice of beverage.

Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms make a great appetizer, or can be a side dish for grilled meat. Give them a try for your next cookout!