French Cheese Bread

What an easy and delicious bread to add YUM to any meal! 

We enjoyed it along taco salad.
(They're both cheesey!!) 

I was delighted to see this recipe in a cookbook gifted to me from

my dear friend Lark at Lark's Country Heart...entitled

"Our Valley Cookbook Vol. 2" 

It is one of two community cookbooks Lark has been a part of putting together.  It's full of easy, simple, delicious dishes. 

This dish will knock your socks off and your family will love it. 

FRENCH CHEESE BREAD 

1/2 c. mayonnaise

(I used light)

1/2 c. margarine, softened

(I used Smart Balance)

1 c. black olives, chopped

2 c. mozzarella cheese

(I used Italian)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 green onions, chopped

1 large loaf French bread, cut lengthwise

(or in slices) 

Add mayo to margarine and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients, except for bread.  Spread mixture over bread halves.  Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. 

(The spread can be made ahead and even freezes well). 

Linked to 
           Weekend Potluck
           Scrumptious Sunday
            Melt in your Mouth Monday

Homemade Pop Tarts (Easy Peasy)

When my out-of-town grandchildren recently came for an overnight visit, I had fun making some special dishes for breakfast the next morning.  

I squirted yogurt from a ziploc bag onto waxed paper to make little 'droplets' and froze them. 

They are refreshing and fun.  But I didn't get a photo of them. 

I also didn't get a photo of the pop tarts themselves, BUT...I did get photos of my cutsie granddaughters enjoying them.

These pastries are very simple to make and you can change them up however you'd like by using any favorite kind of jam, or nutella?

The frosting and sprinkles were a necessary part of the fun! 
I just wish I had taken time to tint it pink (princess color you know!=)

I just adore the 'family fun' type recipes I find at Everyday Mom's Meals.
She does Kid-Friendly meals alot. And I love them all. 

With a little supervision, older kids could make these themselves. 

For those of you who were use to seeing our Claira Ruth with curly hair...she's lost it as she's gotten older. 

What gorgeous eyes & sweet smile our 'Kaity Bel' has.

(She's always had straight hair=) 

(The girls are wearing new nighties nana got for them to spend the night. The hems are trimmed with a tulle ruffle.)

HOMEMADE POP TARTS 

1 pkg. refrigerated pie crusts 
Strawberry Jam

(I used Polaner no sugar added) 
1 can strawberry or vanilla frosting
sprinkles

Preheat oven to 400. Cut dough into 3-inch rectangles. On one side, spread jam leaving about 1/2-inch on all sides. Top with another rectangle. Using a fork, crimp the edges to close. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (or spray with cooking oil) and bake for 9-12 minutes until slightly browned. Remove and transfer to a cooling rack and place in fridge for about 5-7 minutes. (This will make frosting much easier...and we don't want those precious babes burning their mouths!). Spread frosting on; top with sprinkles.

Linked to Melt in your mouth Monday
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Creative Thursday
It's a Piece O' Cake
Fabulous Friday
Mop it up Monday
Breakfast Ideas Monday
Scrumptious Sunday
Weekend Potluck
  Foodie Friends Friday
Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Kid Friendly

BE SURE TO THANK A VET!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!! 

My dear husband (MSgt. Ronald E. Baker, Retired Air Force) served 20 years in the military.  We are still very stirred when someone takes time to shake his hand and thank him for his service.  Every now and then, someone will salute him, and it always brings me to tears. 

I.AM.SOOOO.PROUD.OF.THIS.MAN!! 

My handsome Marine served 4 years in the USMC - 3 tours in Vietnam...
2 years, 2 months and 22 days...when he came home (& married me!) then he went to Parris Island, SC to become a Drill Instructor. (He is  presently 100% disabled because of exposure to Agent Orange).  His strong Marine spirit keeps him going. 

OORAH!! 

He then served 16 years in the Air Force and did an outstanding job of running the base correctional custody facility at Fairchild AFB, WA.  Here he is holding drill competition and speech competition awards (2 of the 4 that were given to his class of 39 members) at the NCO Academy when we were stationed at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. 

This next photo was one that was published in our local newspaper after I had a tea party with 2 of our granddaughters and some of their friends a few years ago.

As a 'team' they 'built' a flag on our fence by pushing dixie cups through...our neighborhood enjoyed it for the whole summer. 

BE SURE TO THANK A VET!! 

Taco Dip & Weekend Potluck #19

WELCOME TO WEEKEND POTLUCK #19

AND

Where I share a previously posted recipe...worth sharing AGAIN....


This is an all-year-round family favorite. We have it for birthday parties, picnics or any kind of get together.

TACO DIP

1 (lg. or sm.) can of refried beans

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1/2 pkg. taco seasoning mix

Top with your choice of:

grated cheese

diced tomatoes

chopped onions

black olives 

Spread beans on large platter or bottom of 9" X 13" glass dish.

Mix mayo and sour cream together - stir in taco seasoning and blend well. Spread over beans - then top with any, or all, of the toppings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. I suggest letting the flavors blend for atleast 4 hours - so it's a good 'make ahead' dish also. Serve with Tostito or Dorito chips.

I normally use fat free beans, lite mayo and sour cream - since there's no baking involved, you could use fat free if you choose. Serve with baked chips.


Onto the Par-tay!....

Last week's Weekend Potluck made it difficult for our team to choose which recipes to feature. I guess that is a good thing, right? If you missed it, go back and take a look at all the delicious recipes available. I promise that Pinterest-addicts will be very happy.

NOTE: We cannot feature the recipe with the most clicks since it was not linked back from within the post. (Please refer to the linky guidelines for more information.) That makes us sad, but we are very happy to recognize...

The recipe with the most 2nd most clicks was ~

Lofthouse Sugar Cookies by Stella B's Kitchen

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Gooey Peachy Butter Cake by The Cannery Family

Easy Cheesy Bacon Chicken by Serving Joyfully

And, a personal favorite ~

Lettuce Tomato Chop Salad by Cooking with K 

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button below.

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Your hosts ~

• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested.

Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!

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Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Oh this is such a yummy dessert - especially this time of year when strawberries are in season. 

This is another delicious idea to serve for the upcoming holiday weekend!
(You could even add a few BLUEberries for a patriotic dessert!) 

I'm always excited to try Brandie's recipes...AKA -

the country cook. 

(teehee - I didn't realize I'd 'accidently' posted two of her recipes in a row...
but you can't go wrong with Brandie's recipes...not ever!!)

{She's famous you know - she doesn't like to brag, but I like to brag on her...she's been featured at Foodbuzz and Gooseberry Patch a number of times each!}  

So please stop by her blog and show her some love, and don't forget to tell her The Better Baker sent you over!

If you didn't know anything about her before now, rest assured she has PHENOMENAL recipes...down home...country style...simple.

{I also love to tease her about being the Cake Boss "Queen" - she definitely knows how to 'doctor' a cake mix like no one else I know!!}

Thus....the recipe I'm sharing today is one that Brandie is well known for. 

I love the ease of using a cake mix and doing something different with it.

It's simple and easy - much like a strawberry shortcake, all in one pan. 

Give it a try and everyone will ask for more!

(Since I took mine to a potluck and didn't get a single serving photo...Brandie agreed to let me use hers - YUM-OOOO!)

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CAKE 

1 box (18 ozs) white cake mix

additional ingredients to make cake according to pkg. directions..

egg whites, oil and water

1 (8 ozs) pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temp

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 (8 ozs) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 container (13 - 16 ozs) premade strawberry glaze

(I used sugar free and it's ohhhh so good!)

3 c. fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces

Bake cake in prepared 9" X 13" baking dish, according to package directions.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Second layer: 

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in frozen whipped topping; spread over cooled cake. 

Topping:

In medium bowl, combine glaze with prepared strawberries. Spread mixture over cream cheese layer. 

Slice and serve or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

(You can look for prepared strawberry glaze in the fresh fruit section of the store.  It's normally where the strawberries are found.)

Or make your own if you have a favorite recipe. 

ENJOY EVERY TASTY BITE AND HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY WEEKEND! 

(Please be sure to Thank a Vet!!) 

Linked to It's a Piece O' Cake
               Thursday's Treasures
           Creative Thursday
             Scrumptious Sunday
           Mop it up Monday
             Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party
         Mix it up Monday
             Ingredient Spotlight - Whipped Topping