Recipe Link Up: Strawberry Shortcake

Hello!!!

If you are new to my blog, I just got a much needed makeover last week.  I am so in love with it!!! I also changed the name of my title to Memories of May.  I added the reason behind my new name up in my navigation bar.  If you have any interest in that, just click Why Memories of May?

 

Today, I am so excited to be linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals. 

This recipe is a favorite of my hubby's.  I have been making it for several years because Aaron loves it! Plus, it's so EASY!!!

 

The last time I made it was in January for Aaron's birthday, but with summer almost here I know I will be making it again really soon.  Here is where I originally got the recipe.  It is by Sandra Lee, so of course it uses shortcuts and timesavers which I am ALL about!!!

 

Ingredients:

Can of Grands Biscuits

2 pints of strawberries

3/4 c. Sugar, divided

1 tsp.Cinnamon

8 oz. tub of Cool Whip

1 c. Sour Cream

Bake biscuits according to package directions.  While they are baking, cut up strawberries and add 1/4 to 1/2 c. of sugar and stir. Cover strawberries and put in fridge, so they get good and juicy.
Empty tub of Cool Whip into a separate bowl and fold in sour cream.  In another bowl take your remaining sugar and mix in cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar.
When biscuits are finished baking, remove from oven and cut open.  Immediately dredge each half of biscuit in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Now, you can begin assembling your shortcake by adding strawberries and cream mixture and stacking it as high as you like. :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my strawberry shortcake loving hubby does!!!


Thanks for stopping by!!!

Crocktober Link Up: Hawaiian Chicken

I am sharing one of my all time favorite recipes.  My mom made this chicken while I was growing up, and it turned into being one of my favorites and most requested.  In fact, this exact chicken dish is what I requested as my first meal home from college all the way back in November of 1999.  After weeks and weeks of nasty Henderson dining hall food mixed in with trips to Taco Bell and Chickfila, this chicken never tasted so good.

When my mom makes this, she bakes it in the oven.  However, now that I am making it. This chicken is one of my crockpot rotations.  Either way you make it- oven or crockpot- you will love it!!!

Ingredients:
3 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. Russian dressing
1 packet of onion soup mix
3 T. apricot preserves
1 medium onion chopped

Place crockpot liner in crockpot.  Layer your thawed chicken breasts and top with chopped onion.  In a separate bowl, mix dressing, onion soup mix, and preserves.  Pour mixture over chicken and onion.  Cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 4 to 5 hours.

I always serve this over brown rice.  My mom always made this delicious skillet rice that had almonds and green onions in it.  Whether you do plain or fancy rice, you will love this chicken and it's sauce!!! 

 

As you can see, I dug into my chicken before I remembered to take a picture!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Summer Salad and Link Up!!!

I decided to join in on the fun with another fun blogger today!!! This is my first time to ever link up with anyone in blog land. I thought since I have a fun summer salad, why not share it!!! I made this salad a couple of weeks ago, so here it is again!

 

Nectarine and Blueberry Summer Salad

Ingredients:
Bag of fresh spinach
nectarines (1 per person)
blueberries (handful per plate)
almonds (toasted)
grilled chicken (1 chicken breast per person)
creamy poppyseed dressing

I saw this on one of my favorite food blogs- Pinch of Yum.  Lindsay actually made her creamy poppyseed dressing, but I cheated and used one of my favorite store bought dressings.

LOVE Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing!!!

My mom introduced me to this dressing a couple of years ago when she made us a salad to go with a meal she brought over for us to eat, and I have been in love with it ever since!

 

This salad is as simple as it sounds.  It's really just washing, cutting and assembling once you grill your chicken.  In fact, you could short cut that and buy the bag of already grilled chicken in the deli if you wanted to.  I chose to grill my chicken in my grill pan with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  

 

On a plate layer spinach, sliced grilled chicken, bite size pieces of nectarine, a handful of blueberries, and a handful of toasted almonds.  Then top it off with a good drizzle of the poppyseed dressing.  It's quick! It's delicious! It tastes like summer!  Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

Linking up with The Larson Lingo

 

 

Recipe: Holy Yum Chicken

Here's another recipe I LOVE!  I made it for the first time maybe 3 months ago, and this is the 3rd time I've made it.  That's saying a lot for me!  I am always trying something new from one of my favorite food blogs or Pinterest.  So that fact that I have thought to make it two additional times means it is good and SUPER EASY!!!

I honestly don't remember where I found it.  Maybe Pinterest?  I might have just googled chicken recipes, I don't know.  Regardless, it's delicious!

Here's the blog I found it on: Table for Two.  This isn't a blog I frequent, but I probably should because she has other stuff that sounds good, too.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/4t. pepper
1 T. cornstarch
Rosemary for garnishing tops of chicken

You must follow the directions very specifically otherwise it won't turn out.  Place your chicken in a small baking dish (I used my pyrex-8X8).  I double lined it with foil and then sprayed it with cooking spray.  Place your thawed chicken in the dish. Mix your Dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake the chicken for 40 minutes @ 450. 

Straight out of the oven!

Close up!!! The top of the chicken is browned to perfection!

I know 450 sounds really high for a really long time, but it turns out great!!!  That is why you must put the chicken in a smaller dish, so it is closer together.  If you used a 9X13, it would spread the chicken and sauce out too much and burn it up.

After cooking, take chicken out of pan and place it on a plate.  With the reserved sauce stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with dry or fresh rosemary.  How easy is that!

It's easy and impressive.  When you plate up your food, drizzle the sauce on top of each chicken breast and sprinkle on the rosemary.  It looks fancier than regular chicken, and the taste is dynamite!

I always serve this with brown rice and a veggie.  The sauce is so good you'll want to drizzle a little on your rice, too!

Recipe: Nectarine and Blueberry Summer Salad

I don't really have hobbies.  Never have.  I'm not really good at anything.  I'm not athletic or artsy. Aaron is always getting on to me about finding one.  I just haven't ever really found anything.  However, if you consider it a hobby, I like to cook and bake.  I don't know if it qualifies because it technically fulfills a basic necessity of life- eating.  At any rate, I enjoy pinning recipes and reading food blogs. So here is one of my latest discoveries.  It was super simple and was so easy I don't know if it counts as cooking.  It was just the perfect thing to make for a summer evening when you don't want something heavy.

Ingredients:
Bag of fresh spinach
nectarines (1 per person)
blueberries (handful per plate)
almonds (toasted)
grilled chicken
creamy poppyseed dressing

I saw this on one of my favorite food blogs- Pinch of Yum.  Lindsay actually made her creamy poppyseed dressing, but I cheated and used one of my favorite store bought dressings.

 

My mom introduced me to this dressing a couple of years ago when she made us a salad to go with a meal she brought over for us to eat, and I have been in love with it ever since!

 

 

 

This salad is as simple as it sounds.  It's really just washing, cutting and assembling once you grill your chicken.  In fact, you could short cut that and buy the bag of already grilled chicken in the deli if you wanted to.  I chose to grill my chicken in my grill pan with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Just layer it all on the plate and add your dressing.  Easy and delicious!