Easy Fruit Tarts

Prepared By Patty

Easy Fruit Tarts





Ingredients:

• 16 frozen tart shells (from your grocer), thawed and baked*
• 3 cups vanilla pudding
• 3 cups assorted fruit
• 2 cups strawberry or raspberry gelatin, slightly thickened but not set
• Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

1. Spoon the pudding into the bottom third of the tart shells.
2. Decoratively arrange the fruit on top.
3. Pour gelatin over the fruit and chill.
4. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 16 tarts.

Notes:

Try using mini tart shells, if you like. As long as they're not too small they'll work well for traditionally small tea-party fare.

Think about adding a sprig of mint or pecan half, to your fruit tart arrangement.

Tasty Lemon Blueberry Trifle

Tasty Lemon Blueberry Trifle

Ingredients:

• 1 Light and Easy Vanilla Cake, cut in cubes (see recipe below)
• 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) lemon instant pudding and pie filling
• 1 pint fresh blueberries (about 2 cups)
• 1 square (1 ounce) white chocolate for baking

Trifle Preparation:

Prepare and bake Light and Easy Vanilla cake. Cool. (You may substitute this cake with store bought angel food cake or 1 160z frozen pound cake, such as Sara Lee).

1. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes; place in large colander bowl. Using a lemon zester, make several lengthwise scores in one lemon, top to bottom; slice into 6 slices. Cut each slice in half and set aside for garnish. Zest remaining lemon using short strokes; set aside. Juice lemon. Sprinkle lemon juice over cake; toss .
2. In a bowl, combine milk, sour cream, half of the whipped topping and reserved lemon zest; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix; whisk until mixture begins to thicken.
3. Set aside 12 blueberries for garnish. To assemble trifle, place 1/3 of the cake cubes into bottom of chilled bowl. Top with 1/3 of the blueberries. Grate 1/4 of the chocolate over blueberries. Top with of the pudding mixture, pressing lightly. Repeat layers 2 more times, reserving the remaining grated chocolate for garnish. Spread remaining pudding over entire top of trifle, creating a smooth surface.
4. Attach open star tip to a decorator; fill with remaining whipped topping. Decorate by piping 12 rosettes around edge of bowl. Place one lemon slice between rosettes and one reserved blueberry on each rosette. Grate remaining chocolate in center.

Yield: 10 servings or 20 sample servings

Light & Easy Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:
1 (18 1/2 oz) package white cake mix
1 2/3 cup water
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp imitation butter flavor

Directions:
In a large bowl, blend cake mix, water, egg whites, vanilla extract, butter flavor on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into lightly greased and floured 13x9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is great served with whip cream or cool whip and fresh berries. Or use in a trifle (see Tasty Lemon Blueberry Trifle recipe above).

Note: This recipe is from Jenny Craig.com

Cinco de Mayo

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we'd like to share our recipes from Mexican Night at Kathy's in April. The combination of foods and Kathy's Mexican decor made it feel like we were sitting in a delightful Mexican restaurant. You will find our Mexican Night recipes in the following posts. Enjoy!

Sangria

Pepared by Kathy

I found several Mexican Sangria recipes. The one thing they all have in common was that they used orange juice. Some used triple sac, some did not. Some added sugar, some did not. This Sangria does not need to sit over night or several hours.

Here is the recipe I used:

Wow, I’m looking at that and just realized that I did not follow this recipe correctly at all… oh well, it was still good.

2 cups Pinot Grigo (I used 1 cup Pinot Niero)
1 cup Merlot (I used 2 cups Merlot)
1 cup triple sac (got this part right)
1 cup OJ (got this part right too)

Ice, Oranges, Lemons, Limes

I combined the liquids in the morning, added the fruit and ice about 30 minutes before anyone arrived

NOTE: It’s ok not to follow this recipe correctly

Layred Taco Dip

Prepared by Karen

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) container nonfat sour cream
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and shredded
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 chopped tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives, drained

Directions:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread this mixture in a 9-inch (or a little larger) round serving dish. Top the mixture with lettuce, Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, bell pepper and black olives.

Tostones - Twice Fried Green Plantains

Prepared by Debbie

Ingredients:

2 green Plantains
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt

Directions:

1. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.
2. While the oil is heating up, peel the green plantains and then cut them into 3/4 inch slices.
3. Fry the slices in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They should be a light golden color and semi-soft.
4. Remove the plantain slices with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. When the plantain slices are cool enough to handle (about 1 minute), smash them into flat rounds.
6. Fry the rounds in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They will turn crisp and golden brown.
7. Remove the Tostones with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Salt to taste.

Serve Tostones with various dipping sauces ..

Tostones Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup Sour cream
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Lime juice
1 tsp Chipotle pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Place in a serving bowl and serve with Tostones.

Albondigas Soup Recipe

Prepared by Kelly

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
• 3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water OR a mixture of both (we usually use half stock half water as the meatballs will create their own stock)
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1/2 lb of string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup of raw white rice
• 1 raw egg
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and/or parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
• Dried oregano, crumbled
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Heat oil in large (5 qt) heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and string beans.
• Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint land parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Add raw egg. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs.
• Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serves 6-8.