A definite crowd pleaser and this couldn’t be easier. You get great return on your efforts with this one and all the preparation is done ahead of time. Pop these in the oven as you serve dinner and they are done 20 minutes later to rave reviews!

This is a wonderful, high protein, vegetarian salad. It works great as a stand-alone lunch or as a tasty and healthy side dish. No worries if it doesn’t all disappear at first serving, because it tastes even better the next day!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 2 lemons (about 14 cup)
4-5 scallions, thinly sliced, using both white and green parts
fresh mint, chopped, about a cup
flat leaf parsley, chopped, about a cup
1 english cucumber, seeded, quartered and diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
6-8 oz. good feta, diced or crumbled

DIRECTIONS
Pour generous 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and a teaspoon of salt, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until the grains are tender. Drain, place in a bowl and immediately add the lemon juice and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Add the quinoa and mix well. Carefully fold in the feta and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

If you want a show-stopping dessert and one that is also delicious, this is the one. Not only is it relatively easy to make, but no one will believe that you made it yourself! Also, feel free to use whatever fruits are your favorite or whatever you have on-hand. You can’t go wrong.

TART PASTRY
1 1/2 cups flour (do not use self-rising)
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted & finely ground
1/4 cup, packed light or dark brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg

PASTRY DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400º
Combine all ingredients in a food processor, until a ball forms. Although I use a food processor for this, you could just as easily use a mixer. Press the dough firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides of a 9″ or 10″ tart pan, with removable bottom. Then poke it all over, with a fork; this prevents it from puffing up while cooking. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Set aside to cool.

LEMON FILLING & FRUIT
1/2 cup lemon curd, Trader Joe’s is a good one
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
pint of strawberries
large handful of blueberries
3-4 kiwis, depending on their size

FILLING DIRECTIONS
While the crust is baking, beat the lemon curd and cream cheese, until very smooth. Then, spread evenly over the cooled crust and chill for about an hour or until firm. Arrange a selection of berries and sliced fruit over the lemon mixture. My favorite combination is strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries, for both flavor and color combination. However, you can certainly try any combination you prefer.

GLAZE
2 Tbs. apricot jam, jelly or preserves
1-2 tsp. water

Heat the jam and water in a microwave for about 10-15 seconds until melted, mix well, and brush over the fruit. You don’t need to go heavy with this, just a light coating will do. The jam glaze gives the fruit a nice, shiny, professional look. Alternatively, you could just use a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar. However, the shine that the glaze imparts really does makes it look professionally done.

Without a doubt, the best tasting sugar cookies out there!  I know, I know, everyone says that, but I promise you, my assertion is legit. Don’t you find that most sugar cookies taste rather bland? Well, these are decidedly not bland and I assure you, they do not disappoint. Please try them at least once and I don’t think you’ll ever revert to your old recipe. This one is a slight adaption from an old Betty Crocker cookbook that dates back literally decades…to 1969, a true relic!

My little ones love to decorate these for whatever the season or holiday. Whether it is just tinted sugar or a little fancier with royal icing, we all agree that they are the best tasting sugar cookies around. I hope you agree and don’t be shy about letting me know, either way.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
tinted garnishing sugar

DIRECTIONS
Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg in large bowl. Mix flour, baking soda and cream of tartar together and then add to bowl and combine until smooth. Wrap mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

This is an instant favorite. A definite crowd pleaser and all the preparation is done ahead of time, which makes it a hostess favorite as well.

My granddaughter proclaimed more than once, when out at a restaurant having ribs, “these aren’t as good as GG’s!” She is now old enough to help me with the preparation and other than the actual grilling, she has done it all. BTW, those front teeth have finally reappeared.

She is rather proud of how well she applied the spice rub.

Grilling is the adult job and then it is time for her to apply the bbq sauce.

After doing a great job slathering the ribs with all that tasty sauce, we wrap the racks in parchment, then in the heavy-duty foil, and pop them in the oven for a bit. The aroma permeating the house makes it torture until it is time for the actual consumption. I hope you agree that these are better than anything you have had in a restaurant!

BBQ SAUCE
18 oz. jar of good bbq sauce, Bullseye is a good one
1/4 cup of molasses, preferably Grandma’s Original unsulphured
1 to 2 Tbs. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it!)
2 Tbs. Hungarian or smoked paprika
1 Tbs. dry mustard
Combine the above ingredients and mix well to combine.

RIBS
Two racks of baby back ribs.
First, rinse and dry the ribs. Then, rub them with olive oil and cover the ribs quite heavily with your favorite spice rub. Brown the ribs for 5-7 minutes per side on a preheated grill. Next, lay out sheets of heavy-duty foil with parchment paper on top (1 for each rack of ribs).
Then, when finished browning the ribs, bring inside and place each rack on the parchment sheets. Slather the sauce on the ribs, don’t skimp here, you want good sauce coverage on both sides of the ribs. Next, wrap and seal the parchment around the ribs and then wrap the heavy-duty tin foil around that, making sure that you have sealed it well.

Finally, put the ribs in a large roasting pan with a rack (I use my turkey roaster) and add a little water to the bottom of the pan to keep things moist. 

Bake at 325º for 2 to 3 hours, they should be “fall off the bone” tender. Serve with coleslaw, baked beans, and cornbread.

Decadently delicious recipe, incredibly easy to make, and also very difficult to resist. Try this with coffee ice cream and salted pecans, it’s a  wonderful combination!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbs. salted butter, room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. fleur de sel (or any coarse sea salt)

DIRECTIONS
Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber colored liquid as you continue to stir, be careful not to burn.

Note: At first glance, this may seem daunting, but it really is pretty quick. Read through the whole recipe before starting and once you start it only takes about 10-15 minutes total.