RED WHITE AND BLUE & DELISH FOOD TOO!

Today I'm getting ready for the 4th of July!!  

Of course we have to start with the flowers! There's something so beautiful about a bouquet

with red roses, white baby's breath, and white hydrangeas with blue tips. I also stuck a little Dollar Store star flag in for a little pizazz!

There are a million tablecapes to be found for this patriotic holiday, so I'm using my red, white and blue salad plates with a cute little lobster on them this year. I love
red and white check tablecloths because they scream traditional picnic....which is traditional for us on the 4th. I had these blue stripped kitchen towels that seemed
perfect to use as napkins.

Here's another tablescape I've done with the addition of some Dollar Store decor. (tumblers, grapevine stars, placemats, and flags) I changed up the centerpiece and used golden Black Eyed Susan's in Mason jars that I spray painted a frosted look. I finished with a blue polka dot ribbon loosely tied. The runner is red stripe ticking that I just hem stitched.

It's always fun to add a bit of Red, White and Blue inside too! You can find died daisies in grocery stores! These little vases are something I've had for years from a mail order catalog.

We have to have a little dessert on this special day.....why not serve a RED cookie? Red Velvet Cheescake yummies with a cheesecake filling and white chocolate drizzle?

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/red-velvet-cheesecake-cookies/

It's the beginning of cold salad season. Veggies are fresh and bountiful and make such a beautiful presentation! One of my favorites is Ina Garten's Corn and Avocado Salad below.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/corn-and-avocado-salad-2303526

If you're like me I wait for Summer! It's grill time and all the mess is out of the kitchen!

However, you spend your 4th of July holiday, I hope that you take time to reflect on just how fortunate we are to live in a nation where our forefathers fought for the Independence we now enjoy!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

                          Kathleen

It's Foodie Friday--Winter Cozy!

There are some things I love about winter. One of them is when my husband has a beautiful fire in the fireplace on a cold evening. I have to admit I am a snuggler. I've always had a basket of cozy warm afghans and blankets in our family room easily accessible for everyone to grab when they feel a little  chilly. It's so funny because our girls do this in their own homes now.

OK, so this looks pretty inviting........so what's missing? Ah, yes it's Foodie Friday---so where's the food? Wouldn't it be nice to have a little something sweet with that cup of tea? I had no idea when I chose the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies recipe, that #1 they would be so huge and #2 so delectable. You can cut each cookie into 4's and share with the family! The center cheesecake is gooey and so yummy----everything in moderation of course!

The recipe states that it makes 10 cookies, but honestly, if I did it again I would make 20 smaller cookies because they are so decadent.  I can't believe that you start out the recipe with a cake mix! How easy is that?

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

Yield: 10 giant cookies
Cook Time: 11-13 minutes

Red velvet cookies with a creamy cheesecake filling and a drizzle of white chocolate. These bright red cookies are perfect for Christmas or Valentine's Day.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cheesecake filling:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the white chocolate drizzle:
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

1. To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
2. To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens.

Note: if you are going to store the cookies for more than a day, you may want to keep them in the refrigerator. You can make the cookies smaller. Just use less dough and filling. You want to make sure you completely wrap the cookie dough around the filling before baking-so it doesn't leak.

Enjoy!

Wishing you a sweet cozy weekend!

  Kathleen

Thanks so much to my source for this recipe:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com