Fruit Dip

This makes a big batch, so half the recipe if desired! This is a neighborhood staple - from my friend Shelby Stephens.

2, 8 ounces blocks of cream cheese 

1, 16 ounce cool whip (I like to used homemade whipped cream so whip up a pint)

Powdered sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup)

Fresh lemon juice

Strawberry jello (or another flavor, added for a little color and taste. Orange would also be yummy!)

Set cream cheese out to soften at room temp. Whip cream cheese in your mixer until smooth and fluffy. Remove cream cheese from mixer if you need to whip your cream. Combine cream cheese and whipped cream and gradually add in powdered sugar until desired sweetness. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a few teaspoons of jello powder. 

Best served with apples, pineapple, strawberries and grapes. 

Peach Crisp

Recipe from https://ohsweetbasil.com/dutch-oven-day-3-peach-crisp/

This was really delicious. I used Bob's Redmill 1 for 1 gluten-free flour in this recipe. I also made 1 and a 1/2 times the recipe and instead of more peaches I added about 1 1/2 cups of mini frozen wild blueberries. It fit perfectly in a 9x13 pan. 

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 6-8 Peaches , peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter , melted
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch

For the Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Butter , cold
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 Pinch Salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• In a bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients, folding gently with a spatula to combine.
• Place fruit mixture in bottom of a greased dutch oven or 9x13-inch pan
• In a separate bowl, add the flour, oats, spices, and sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add the butter and using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the butter. At the end, use your hands to combine everything into a thick paste. 
• Spread topping mixture over fruit.
•  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until done. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and serve with ice cream!

Cranberry Pomegranate salad

Recipe from lovetobeinthekitchen.com

I could eat this salad every day!

INGREDIENTS
1 (10oz.) bag fresh whole cranberries (about 3 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (20oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pomegranate seeds (I just used what I got from one pomegranate)


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until fine and no large pieces remain. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. 

2. Drain any accumulated juices from the cranberries and the mix in the marshmallows and drained pineapple. Set aside.

3. Whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken, about 1 minute, and then beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cranberry mixture, one third at a time, until fully incorporated. 

4. Refrigerate or freeze for about 2 hours. Right before serving, top with pomegranate seeds. 

Acai Smoothie

I just wanted to share this smoothie I've made a few times because I'm so obsessed with it! I don't really measure so I'm guessing here but add more or less of stuff depending on consistency and taste preference. This is also yummy as a bowl, just add less liquid.

Makes 1 smoothie-

1 Packet of frozen acai (I buy the unsweetened-whole foods for sure has them but you can find them in the frozen fruit section, my regular grocery store just started carrying them)
1 c Almond Milk
1/2 c Frozen Blueberries
1 Tbs Almond Butter
2 Tsp Flax/ground flaxseed

Fresh Peach Pie

This is Tyler's Grandma's recipe and I love it so much! It will definitely be a family recipe we will keep and pass down forever. It's also nice since you don't have to bake it (besides the crust) so you don't have to wait, or heat your kitchen in the summer!

7-8 Peaches (they should be pretty ripe since you're not baking them)
1 Package of Pecan Sandies Cookies (should be about 19-20 cookies)
1/4 cup Butter (doesn't matter if it's salted or not) - melted
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

Crush cookies in a ziplock or food processor. Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into pie plate. Bake crust at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Let crust cool completely. While crust is cooling, peel and slice peaches into 1/4 inch slices. Whisk together, condensed milk and lemon juice. Start layering peaches into cooled crust and pour milk/lemon mixture over peaches. This will look like a lot but just keep layering and pouring until your pie is nice and tall. Refrigerate for a few hours. Best served with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

• Dressing:
• 
  
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 
  
  
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Salad:

• 8 mandarine oranges, peeled and segmented
• 4 apples (preferably 2 gala and 2 golden delicious)
• 4 ripe kiwis peeled and diced
• 4 bananas, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (from about 1 large)

Combine all ingredients for dressing and toss with fruit.  Serve immediately.