Blueberry Crumb Cake

This recipe came from Heritage Schoolhouse and I will have to say, this is a hit!
It is a Blueberry Crumb Cake and it is perfect for summer. Great for breakfast or a snack. You have got to try this!!

Here is the recipe:

Streusel
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, melted
1 1/3 cups flour

Cake
6 tablespoons butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
powdered sugar

Butter and flour two, 9 inch round baking pans. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and then flour. Mix well and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, zest, and sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into pans and top with streusel. Bake 40 minutes at 350°. Cool completely. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Sausage Casserole

This is an easy dish which my family loves. It is easy to adapt if you don't have all the right ingredients.

Brown 1 lb. pan sausage
add chopped garlic, onions and green peppers in with sausage.
drain and set aside
in baking pan add:
1 can cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup
1 soup can water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup rice
small jar red peppers
1 small can water chestnuts
cheddar cheese optional to sprinkle in
mix together and then add sausage mixture
Bake covered at 350 for 1 hour.

Spinach Garlic Bread

I saw this bread at another blog - see above link, and since it had spinach and garlic, I knew it had to be delicious - I was right! I made this in the bread maker:

1 cup water

2.5 cup flour

1/4 cup oil (or margarine or butter)

*I had some roasted garlic in olive oil in my refrigerator, I used that and 1 Tablespoon of butter*

1 T of sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast

1/2 bag of fresh spinach - chopped or torn

2 Tablespoons of garlic

This complimented a spaghetti dinner beautifully!

Blueberry Yum-Yum

This is a light and fluffy dessert, perfect for summer.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups sugar - divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 T water
1 cup flour
1/2 cp butter softened
1 cup chopped pecans
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 8 oz container Cool Whip

Directions:
Combine blueberries, 1 cup sugar adn 1/4 cup water in saucepan. Cook over low heat until berries are soft about 15 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water and stir into blueberries. Stir until thickened. Set aside to cool.
Heat oven to 350. Combine flour, pecans and butter in bowl. Mix well and press evenly in a 13X9 inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.
Combine cream cheese and 1 cup sugar, beat until smooth, fold in Cool Whip. Spread evenly over crust and spread blueberry mixture over the top. Refridgerate several hours before serving. Cut into squares.

Sweet and Tangy Cucumbers

Here is a recipe you can play with and not mess up! A great use for extra cucumbers.

Mix together for a marinade:
vinegar - begin with 1/4 cup. You can also use red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Use equal part of oil ( the oil from the roasted garlic is delicious)
2 tsp (or to taste) sugar
add salt/pepper
snip some fresh rosemary
add a dash of lemon juice

Place the cucumbers in the marinade and soak for several hours or overnight. You can experiment with different spices etc.

Crisp Green Beans

This is a simple, but delicious recipe for green beans.
If you have fresh green beans, just snip the ends off and steam the green beans whole to crisp tender. If you are using frozen green beans, cook them in a small amount of water. In a pan, use some olive oil and brown some garlic in the oil. Place the green beans in the oil and garlic and season with salt and pepper.
This is a quick and easy vegetable to compliment any meal.

Stewed Squash with a Surprise

In our area, gardens are coming in and we have been blessed with lots of fresh squash. Here is a recipe I found which turned out delicious!

Squash - washed, sliced and quartered
Onions
Bell Peppers
Salt and Pepper
Butter
Sour Cream

In a pan put a small amount of water - less than 1/4 cup. Put squash, onions and pepper in, add salt and pepper and cook until tender. Add butter to your taste - I added about 2 tablespoons. Stir until melted and then add an equal amount of sour cream. Stir thoroughly and serve hot.
The sour cream adds a delicious rich and creamy taste to the squash.