Cheesecake Cookie Cups

1 package (24 each) chocolate chip cookie dough

(or you can use your favorite home made recipe)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
24 muffin paper liners

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 24 liners into muffin cups. Place one piece of cookie dough in each cup. Bake cookie dough for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla in bowl until smooth. Place an ice cream scoop full of cream cheese mixture over each cookie in cup. Turn heat down to 325° F and bake an additional 15 minutes until set. Refrigerate for two hours. Serve plain or with your favorite topping!! (Shown is cherry fruit filling!)

Great Strawberry Lime Topping (good if in season!!)
1 lb fresh strawberries, chopped & hulled
¼ c sugar
2 limes, juice and zest
1 pinch salt
1 T fresh mint (optional)
Combine all ingredients for topping and chill. Place heaping tablespoon on each cheesecake before serving.

Fairy Salad

1 cup cream
1 t vanilla
powdered sugar to taste
zest of one lime
1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 carton raspberries
4 containers (4 oz) strawberry yogurt
Whip cream, vanilla, and sugar. Add zest, yogurt, and fruit.
Chill until serving. My daughter calls this "FAIRY SALAD"
because the fairies love to eat fruit and cream!!

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Butter Cream Frosting

Cake:

1 c sour cream
1 package lemon cake mix
3/4 c water
3/4 c canola oil
1 t lemon zest
4 eggs
1 dash salt
1 small package lemon instant pudding
Mix ingredients with electric mixer for about two minutes. Line 24 cupcake tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Frosting:
2 sticks butter, softened
6 c powdered sugar
½ c fresh lemon juice
1-2 t lemon zest
12 strawberries (for garnish)
Beat butter and half of sugar. Add juice and zest and beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar until frosting is a good consistency. Pipe frosting onto cool cupcakes, and garnish with half of a strawberry (greens on or off) on each cupcake!

Mango Limeade

This is one of my FAVORITE Summer drinks!!

Mango Limeade
1 can of frozen limeade (made as directed)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 c frozen mangoes
1/2 bottle of Sprite
ice cubes
Garnish with lime slices, if desired
Make up frozen limeade in large pitcher. Fill a blender half way with ice cubes. Add mango, sugar, lime juice, and fill to near the top with limeade. Blend well. Pour this mixture back into the pitcher and stir until blended then add Sprite.

Sweet Sushi

Something's fishy about this sushi -- maybe because the only fish in it comes from the candy aisle!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Pound cake, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
White frosting
Fruit leather (we used FruitaBü Organic Smoooshed Grape Fruit Twirls)
Flaked coconut
An assortment of candies and jellies for sweet toppings and sushi sides

1. Sushi bases: For rolls, use a knife to cut 1 1/2-inch circles from a slice of cake. Frost the tops of the circles, then wrap a 6-inch strip of fruit leather seaweed around each one, using a dab of frosting to secure it. Press coconut rice into the frosting. For individual sushi, cut a cake slice into rectangles and round the edges, as shown. Frost the top and sides of each oval, then roll it in coconut.

2. Sweet toppings: From left to right, starting with the top row, we used orange nonpareils, apricot preserves, and pieces of Twizzlers Rainbow Twists. In the middle row, we used a green gumdrop slice, diced Swedish Fish, and gumdrop wedges. On the bottom row, we topped the sushi base with a Swedish Fish, then wrapped it with a strip of fruit leather.

3. Sushi sides: To make wasabi, warm a green Starburst candy in the microwave for 10 seconds, then use your hands to work it into a mound. For pickled ginger, microwave and flatten an orange Starburst candy, then bunch it up into a pile, as shown.

Recipe from Family Fun.

Yummy Tea Party Scones

These are the best scones for Tea parties that I have found!! And so EASY!! ~Mindy

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
Course sugar for top of scones
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened.
Separate dough into 12 circles and coat with course sugar.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

Orange and Arugula Salad with Marmalade Dressing

Mindy Powell
Adapted from Rachael Ray show

1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 lemon (juice and zest)
3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oranges, skin and white outer pith removed, then sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
5 cups arugula (or mixed fancy greens)
Whisk together the marmalade, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and EVOO. I let people make their own salad by arrange arugula and orange discs on plate and drizzle with dressing.

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

Mindy Powell

1 pie crust (frozen or refrigerated)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped broccoli thawed (I freeze my own or you can use frozen from store)
4 eggs
1 cup cream
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t Italian Seasoning or 1 T fresh herbs
Preheat oven to 400°F. Let frozen pie crust thaw while preheating oven and then cook for ten minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven to 375°F. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly onto bottom of crust and top with broccoli. Beat eggs, cream, milk and seasonings until well blended; pour over ingredients in crust. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Frozen Mint Herbal Tea Strawberry Lemonade

The PERFECT Summer Tea Party Drink!!
4 cups water
6 mint herbal tea bags
1 can frozen raspberry lemonade
1/2 cup sugar, (or to taste)
1 package frozen strawberries (sweetened)
10 ice cubes
In the morning or the night before, heat 4 cups water to boiling. Add the mint tea bags and let sit for 5 minutes. Take bags out and put tea in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Mix raspberry lemonade, but use only 2 ½ cans of water. In a blender, place ice cubes, 2 cups of tea, the frozen strawberries and sugar. You can start with 1/4 cup of sugar and then add more as you blend. As the ingredients blend, you may need to add more tea if it gets to thick to process. When the mixture is well blended, pour into the lemonade. Serve immediately for a slushy drink. You can add more ice if you want it really slushy, but then decrease the water when making up the lemonade.