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Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes

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These Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes are my goodbye nod to a fun and wonderful summer! Thank you 

"Summer of  '15"!! It's been a blast and I will miss you!

If you are still celebrating summer, you will want to try these mini cheesecakes. They are tangy, sweet, and creamy plus they give a little welcome relief for the still very hot and humid days we are having here in North Carolina and everywhere else! These cheesecakes would be great to serve at a party because they can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until it's time to make the whipped cream. They are elegant enough to serve as dessert for a special dinner, and for a different look, you could make a lime sauce or even a chocolate drizzle to top them off. And they are simple enough for everyday treats! No matter what occasion you make them for, you are going to love them!

Homemade Sushi/#SundaySupper

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I am sushi lover, so when I heard that the theme of this weeks #SundaySupper was Asian Cuisine, I was super excited! Asian food is one of my favorites. I have made homemade sushi several times in the past, but it has been a while, so I was a little rusty on technique, but it came back quickly, and it was very tasty! It was also a lot of fun, and it is a great activity to do for a family meal or party with friends. When we have friends over we always end up at the kitchen counter anyway! So have fun with this ~ that's what it's all about!

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Strawberry Sprinkled Bundt Cake/#BundtBakers

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It is time for #BundtBakers again, and this month we are celebrating "SPRINKLES"! Can you think of anything more fun! The idea is that the sprinkles can really be anything that you sprinkle on or in your bundt. I wanted to make something that is fun and colorful, and of course, tasty! So I made a Strawberry Sprinkled Bundt Cake. I started with a white cake, added some strawberry jello for color and some crushed fresh strawberries for the yummy taste. I topped it with a lemon glaze, like on a donut, and let loose with the sprinkles! Fun~Fun~Fun! I hope you enjoy it!

Summer Bread Pudding

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I am a huge fan of bread pudding, but I have to say, I don't think I have ever made it or eaten it during the summer. It has always seemed to be a fall or winter type of dessert. Until today! I made this Summer Bread Pudding with angel food cake, so it's a bit lighter, and fresh peaches because well,  fresh peaches!! I baked the bread pudding in individual dishes, but it would be great in a large pyrex dish too! The next time I make this I might add a light drizzle of vanilla sauce over the top right before serving. That would be good!

Summer Bread Pudding

Back to School Cookies/#SundaySupper

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Today we are celebrating "Back to School" at #SundaySupper, so I made Back to School Cookies! I love making decorated cookies and I like to give them as gifts for special occasions, birthdays and holidays. These cookies make a tasty after school treat for the first day of school!
 

Back to School Cookies

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Southwestern Salsa /#SundaySupper

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We are talking about saving the summer harvest with different types of  home canning today for #SundaySupper. Do you can?  Have you water bath canned? This was my third time canning, and I have to tell you that canning is satisfying, rewarding and fun. I made a Southwestern Salsa, and I love knowing that I now have some jars of my favorite appetizer in the fridge ready and waiting for me.

Chocolate and Rice Pudding Cups/#SummerofPudding

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Summer is still going strong in The Freshman Cook household, and so is the #SummerofPudding! We like to spend time hanging around the house cooking and entertaining friends and out of town visitors, barbecueing, grilling, and just celebrating life in our own little piece of paradise. We love to eat well, and last weekend I included Kozy Shack ® Rice Pudding as part of our menu. It was  awesome! It is elegant while being simple, and it has a flavor that is fresh, rich, creamy, and oh, so good! I made milk chocolate bowls, filled them with Kozy Shack ® Rice Pudding ®, and topped each one with a chocolate drizzled strawberry. Heaven! The recipe definitely shined the spotlight on the pudding and it was the star. Simple, elegant and yummy!

Elegant Rice Pudding Cups

(makes 4)
1 1/3 cup of Milk Chocolate
Kozy Shack ® Rice Pudding
1 Strawberry per bowl 
1/4 cup of Dark Chocolate Chips
2-3 tablespoons of Heavy Whipping Cream
1 bowl mold

 Chop your milk chocolate into small even pieces. Place in a double boiler and melt.

 Fill each mold 1/3 of the way up with the melted chocolate.

Put the top on the mold. You can see how it pushes the chocolate around the mold to form a bowl. Some of the chocolate overflowed, but you just cut it off later. Put the mold in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then in the freezer for 2 minutes.

The two molds on the right were overflowed with chocolate, so you just unmold them and use a paring knife to cut the edges off. After cutting, return to the fridge.

Place the dark chocolate chips and a little bit of the whipping cream into a pot and melt on low. You are making a ganache to drizzle over the strawberries. If it is too thick after melting, add just a little more cream, but make sure it is not cold. Refrigerate.

 Put the #ricepudding in the chocolate bowl, add your strawberry, and enjoy!

Looking for a reason to enjoy this recipe and some yummy #ricepudding?
August 9th is National Rice Pudding Day! Let's Celebrate with some Kozy Shack ® Rice Pudding!

Don't forget to celebrate with Kozy Shack ® !

Stop by the Instagram page and their Facebook page to see what's new and exciting at Kozy Shack ®.

Trio Salad/#WeekdaySupper

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Is it hot where you are? Here in North Carolina the air is smoldering and so thick you need a machete to get through! So when I saw that we were celebrating no cook dinners this week, I was in!! This Trio Salad, is so named because you get three cool, tasty, and refreshing salads topped on a plate of Romaine Lettuce, and served with deviled eggs, avocado, shrimp, and cuban crackers, and you never turned on the stove! How did I do it? Creative shopping! I bought the eggs hard boiled, the shrimp already cooked, and I used a deli baked chicken for the chicken salad! All I did was throw a few items together with each salad and we were ready to go!

Trio Salad

(makes enough for 2 )

Seafood Salad 
2.5 oz. imitation Crab
2.5 oz. Precooked Shrimp  + 6 for garnish
2 tablespoons of finely chopped Onion
1/2 cup Mayo
1 teaspoon Sweet Relish
Black Pepper to taste

Chicken Salad 
5 oz. Rotisserie Chicken
2 tablespoons of finely chopped Onion
3 tablespoons Mayo
2 teaspoons of Sweet Relish
Black Pepper to taste

Egg Salad 
3  Hard Boiled Eggs +2 for garnish
3 tablespoons Mayo
a squirt of Mustard
2 tablespoons of finely chopped Onion
2 teaspoons of Sweet Relish

Avocado
Cuban Crackers

Chop your crab or pull it apart a little. Chop your shrimp into smaller than bite sized pieces. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Pull your chicken from the bone, and mix it with all the rest of the ingredients. Make your egg salad by quartering your cooked eggs, and then cutting them in half. Mix the eggs with the rest of the ingredients.

Plate your salads on your romaine, add your garnish of egg halves, shrimp, avocado and cuban crackers.

Enjoy your cool weather, no cook, Trio Salad!                        

Looking for more no cook #WeekdaySupper ideas? Here's what some others made this week!

08/03/15 - Monday -Cobb Salad Bar by Cindys Recipes and Writings
08/04/15 - Tuesday -Simple Summer Spanish Tapas by Caroline's Cooking 
08/05/15 - Wednesday -Italian Pressed Sandwich by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
08/06/15 - Thursday - Southwestern Corn Salad by Redhead Baker
08/07/15 - Friday - Trio Salad by The Freshman Cook 

Thanks for stopping by!

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Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken/#FoodieExtravangza

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We are a chicken loving family here at The Freshman Cook, so when I found out that chicken was the theme for this month's #FoodieExtravangza, I was thrilled. The first thing I thought about was this dish we call "Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken Cutlet". We first began making this a few months ago, and one of the things I love about it is that while pan frying the chicken you are also cooking your potatoes! You are going to love how moist this chicken is. The potatoes act as a barrier to keep the moistness in the chicken as it cooks. Add some corn on the cob, and you have dinner!

Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken Cutlets

Swim Ring Cakes for #SundaySupper

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It is Pool Party time today at #SundaySupper! Everyone is bringing something yummy to eat, so I  brought some Swim Ring Cakes! These cakes are made using a cake doughnut recipe and are frosted with royal icing for a sweet treat! I made several versions of the cake before deciding on one of them. I tried using a white cake recipe, and it was very tasty, like white cakes are, but it was not as dense as I thought this dessert needed. Then I tried a couple different version of a cake doughnut recipe, and I liked how the cakes were thicker, but I wasn't crazy for the taste. I finally decided to mix the denseness of the doughnut recipe with the flavor of the white cake recipe, and I think know you are going to like it!

Swim Ring Cakes