Strawberry Balsamic baguette slices
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced 1 tbsp. sugar 1 French baguette, sliced on a bias 4 oz. goat cheese 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar ¼ cup minced basil leaves Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl; toss to combine. Let the berries macerate for about 10 minutes so that they begin to release their juices. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top of each baguette slice. Top each slice with the strawberries. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top each slice with the basil leaves and cracked pepper, to taste.
Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Fig Jam
1 fresh baguette 1/8 cup olive oil sea salt or kosher salt 4 ounces goat cheese, plain, at room temperature 6 tablespoons fig jam 3 slices prosciutto, each cut in half 6 fresh basil leaves Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Slice six 1/2-inch slices of bread from the baguette. Place on a baking sheet and brush generously with the olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt on each slice. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and not yet turning golden. Watch that they do not burn. Remove from oven and cool slightly. This makes the bread very chewy and crunchy, you can skip this step if you prefer a softer bread appetizer. Spread some goat cheese on each, then spread about a tablespoon of fig jam on top of the goat cheese. Fold the half slices of prosciutto and place on top, add fresh basil leaf on each and serve.
Bee’s Salad
Bag of Spring mix lettuce blend
Strawberries
Sections of peeled cuties/mandarin oranges
Sliced or diced Avocados
Red Grapefruit slices, skinned
Sprinkled Feta Cheese
Sliced Almonds
Bottle of Balsamic Salad Dressing
I also made InstantPot Mashed Potatoes by washing & dicing a 5 lb bag of red potatoes, add to cooker with 1 cup of water and some salt. Manual cook for 12 minutes, then steam release and add milk, butter, garlic salt, sour cream, cream cheese, pepper and more salt - whatever you like to make your potatoes super creamy. 😉 These were served under the Artichoke Mushroom Chicken
ARTICHOKE MUSHROOM CHICKEN
4-6 Chicken breast halves
1 c marinated artichoke hearts
1 16oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
8oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered
2-4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ red cooking wine
In large skillet or cast-iron pan, heat a little bit of olive oil and brown chicken. I usually will dredge the chicken in flour first then brown over medium to medium high heat. Season with salt/pepper while cooking. Once browned but not cooked all the way through, remove from pan and add mushrooms and garlic for a sauté until they are golden. Add the remainder of ingredients and cook for 5 mins, place the chicken back in the pan and cover with a lid to simmer over medium low heat for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Can serve with fresh parmesan over mashed potatoes or pasta.
Dessert:
Easy Italian Layer Swap Chocolate Cake
· 1 package chocolate cake mix – use a really chocolatey mix
· 2 lbs ricotta cheese
· 4 eggs
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
· 1 (3.4 ounce) package of instant chocolate pudding
· 1 cup cold milk
· 16 oz. frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix according to the directions on the box.
3. In another bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour the cake batter into the baking dish, fill the pan evenly.
5. Carefully pour the cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter. Spread to cover cake as best you can (the layers will switch during baking).
6. Bake the cake for 1 hour.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
8. To make frosting, mix together pudding mix and milk with a whisk until combined. Carefully fold the cool whip into the pudding until combined.
9. Spread mixture on top of cooled cake and cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
strawberry cream puffs with chocolate ganache.
