🔥Around the Campfire (week 22)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap incase you missed anything at MMDC last week:

Posts ~

5/23: 🔥week 21 

5/24: cream filled cupcakes and sprinkle blend

5/25: tip-sy tuesday: iced coffee

5/26: gift tag and card (all-in-one)

5/27: firecracker meatballs

5/28: red, white, and bleu potato salad

5/29: patriotic brownies

What's Cooking ~

• burgers on ciabatta rolls, potato salad, cole slaw
• grilled marinated thin chicken breast, caesar salad
• pork chops, mixed veggies, mashed cauliflower
• brats, cheesy potatoes
• bone-in marinated chicken, roasted asparagus, carba-nada pasta w/light alfredo

Isn't this painted flower pot a great idea? And seems pretty easy, especially if you have a star stamp or stencil.  I am so going to steal this project and make it!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Keeping this short and sweet again because I've got to run and make more cupcakes to take to an afternoon get-together today. Hope you have a great weekend!

Sincerely ~

Jill 

camp counselor 

Patriotic Brownies

Going to my sister's today for a Memorial Day get-together, I initially said I'd bring deviled eggs but she said if I wanted blog post ideas she had a couple recipes she'd been wanting to try (more like wanted me to make for her hahaha). Sure, I always like to make new things so I can blog about them and share with you! One is for peanut butter cheeseball and the other for a wedge salad dip thing - since neither of those are very patriotic for the holiday I decided I'd also make some easy brownies with lots of red, white, blue, and silver star sprinkles. If you're looking for a quick dessert idea for this weekend check these out!

I cut a standard 8x8" pan of brownies into 16 pieces and then cut some of those in half - you know there's always too much food at a dish-to-pass picnic so I figure some smaller bites of brownies will be a good option for people.

I've been pre-slicing and individually portioning desserts for the past year to help spread the (sugar) love and not germs! 

 

5.29.20: flower seed bombs

5.29.19: banana bread

5.29.18: goat cheese mousse

5.29.17: happy memorial day (check out the star cookies!)

5.29.16: smashed red potatoes and summer slaw

Red, White, and Bleu Potato Salad

This is a repost from 2016 - a great dish for any Memorial Day celebrations (or just make and eat it by yourself any ol' time you want potato salad haha!):

Dave doesn't love potatoes (gasp! I could live on potatoes alone) but he does like potato salad - he 
likes it so much that when I don't have time to make it for him he'll go buy it at the grocery store for himself. A couple months ago he "accidentally" bought a different kind that had bleu cheese and bacon in it -  he said it was an accident but I'm pretty sure he saw bacon and just wanted it - and it inspired me to make a patriotic red, white, and bleu potato salad for July 4th this year.  I haven't googled it but I'm sure there are tons of recipes, I just winged this one.

Red potatoes, celery, mayo, a dash of mustard, salt and pepper, bleu cheese. No bacon (sorry Dave), I figure the potatoes, mayo, and cheese make it "red, white, and bleu" so bacon not necessary as far as I'm concerned, I'm sure it'd be a delicious addition if you want it!

I know this is unusual for me but I actually measured things this time so I could be a little more exact in my recipe! I don't know how many servings this makes, it's a pretty big bowl of it so I'd guess around 6-8.

2.5 pounds red skin potatoes
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each coarse salt and pepper

• Boil the potatoes until soft when pierced with a fork but not mushy, and drain. Break them up into big bite sized pieces (I use a fork and knife and roughly break them up) and sprinkle with white vinegar and olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. Let them stand until cooled to room temp. (If you love potatoes as much as I do then you'll put a little bit of this mixture in a bowl and have it for a snack, it's really good...just sayin'). 

1 cup diced celery
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use light mayo, can't tell the difference), or as much as you like
1 tablespoon spicy brown or dijon mustard
6 oz. bleu cheese crumbles

• When the potatoes have cooled mix in celery, mayo, and mustard, then fold in the cheese. Adjust seasonings if it needs it.

I have parsley growing in my pallet herb garden so chopped some up to sprinkle on the top, not necessary but nice if you have it.

And of course feel free to add bacon if you want - don't tell Dave though cuz I didn't put it in his and he'll be jealous :)

5.28.20: TBT: pigs in a blanket

5.28.19: tip-sy tuesday: jicama

5.28.18: hasselback butternut squash

5.28.17: travel blog - Scotland

5.28.16: berry trifle

Firecracker Meatballs

Here's another Hello Fresh knock-off, this time it's Firecracker Meatballs which my sis said they love so I thought I'd give it a go. And I'm glad I did, these are great!

I don't love spicy so didn't put very much hot sauce in the firecracker sauce, but then I drizzled it with mild buffalo sauce which was the perfect amount of heat for me. Add as much as you want to make it more or less 'firecracker-y'. This is what I did:

Ingredients:

(for the meatballs)

• 1 lb. ground beef (I buy the leanest possible)
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 T. soy sauce 
• 1 t. ground ginger
• salt and pepper

(for the sauce)

• 1/4 cup mayo (I use light)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (ditto with the light version)
• 1 T. honey
• 2 t. soy sauce
• a couple dashes of hot sauce or sriracha (to taste)

(for serving)

• cooked Jasmine rice seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
• buffalo sauce (optional)

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to the top position. Preheat oven to 425'. 

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl. Set aside 

Combine all ingredients for the meatballs, form into approximately 20 (1 1/2") meatballs. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until cooked through 14-16 minutes. Note: if you also want roasted veggies you can add to one half of the baking sheet and bake with the meatballs. 

To serve: Add the cooked meatballs to the bowl with the sauce, toss to coat. Serve over rice. Drizzle with buffalo sauce if desired. 

5.27.20: dill pickle soup

5.27.19: red, white, and blue berry trifle

5.27.18: chicken with apples

5.27.17: travel blog - Scotland

5.27.16: berry topping

Gift Tag and Card

I made this gift tag a bit larger than usual so I could write my message on the backside - tag and card in one. First I stamped the ball jar and flowers on white paper (Stampin' Up stamp set), then quickly colored it in using colored pencils. I didn't even try to color it in perfectly, just lightly filled in the spaces. Trimmed the white paper into a rectangle so it's just big enough for the image. Stuck on a couple little shiny gems to give it some bling. Made a little bow out of skinny ribbon and glued it to the ball jar using a glue dot. Cut out a colored piece of cardstock just a bit bigger than the white stamped rectangle (about 1/4" larger), glue the two papers together; hole punched a corner to tie it to my gift. Simple but cute!

5.26.20: instant flower pot filler

5.26.19: 🔥
5.26.18: tuna orzo salad
5.26.17: travel blog: Edinburgh, Scotland
5.26.16: herb pallet garden (I still use this and it's held up great!)

Tip-sy Tuesday: fluffy iced coffee

This isn't exactly a tip, more like a 'did you know how easy it is to make a fluffy iced coffee at home?'

Do you guys call flavored coffee with or without whipped cream and drizzle that you get at a coffeehouse 'fluffy'? I do!

I don't know (without Googling and I don't care enough to do that haha) the difference in all the iced coffees - frappuccino, macchiato, etc. I usually point at a picture when I'm ordering one or just ask for whichever one is blended (I prefer blended to over ice). And I usually gravitate towards a caramel one. So the other day it sounded good so I threw some things in a blender and ended up with a delicious fluffy caramel coffee and thought I'd share how easy it is to make one. Here's the general idea of what I did, change it to your preferences. 

I didn't think to put it in a clear glass to make the picture prettier! 

1 cup ice cubes

3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

cold coffee (I didn't measure, probably 1/3 to 1/2 cup)

1 T. caramel coffee syrup (I used sugar free)

1 T. caramel sauce

Put it all in a blender and pulse until smooth. 

Cream Filled Cupcakes and Sprinkle Blend

I've said this before, I love sprinkles and have waaaaay too many (click here for a funny sprinkle story). One of my fave things to do is combine a bunch of different kinds/colors/shapes to make my own sprinkle blend. I was asked if I wanted to make cupcakes for Brooke's soccer senior night and of course I said yes before asking how many they needed - I'm thinking like 35, seems reasonable for a few girls right? Nope. I ended up making 13 dozen!!! Thankfully my sis helped me frost them and add the sprinkles! 

I made up a sprinkle blend using her team colors - I even found little silver edible stars that are SO cute and add a little sparkle to the mix.

For the cupcakes: I doctored boxes of cake mix with an extra egg, sour cream, melted butter instead of oil, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Bake according to package directions. Note I made regular size and also mini. Remove to racks to cool completely.

Combine 1 box of instant pudding (I used cheesecake flavor) with 3/4 cup whole milk. Whisk for a minute and then fold in 1/2 of an 8 oz. container thawed Cool Whip. Fill a decorator bag fitted with a large tip. Push the tip into the top of each cupcake and gently squeeze a little of the pudding cream mixture into each one. Don't put in too much or the top of the cake will explode! Yep, ask me how I know... 

After filling all of the cupcakes, frost with buttercream (homemade or store-bought, up to you) frosting and add sprinkles. Note: you need to add sprinkles right after frosting each cupcake, if you wait the sprinkles won't stick. Again, ask me how I know ;)

1 down - 149 to go... hahahahahhahaha!

🔥Around the Campfire (week 21)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a very short and quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

5/16: 🔥week 20

5/17: individual baked eggs

5/18: TT: bread ties

5/19: spaghetti squash lasagna

5/20: MSIH: chicken tamale casserole

5/21: white fish ceviche by Macey

5/22: jam thumbprint molasses cookies 

What's Cooking ~

So I got super busy and behind this week - planted the garden then went to the campground to set up the RV for the summer (and did tons of yard cleanup!) so I didn't keep track of menu planning - so no dinner ideas share! 

I did read a couple more John Sandford 'Lucas Davenport' series books and liked them but not enough to share. I think I'm reading too many of them in a row and they're sort of all running together...

That's it for this week - still more outside work to do and the weather is a little cooler today so it's nice to be outside (it was so hot yesterday working in the sun - I got a little too much sun on my neck, boo) - gotta keep moving! Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

Jam Thumbprint Molasses Cookies

 I made these using Cathy's recipe for molasses cookies (click here for that post and a funny story, see below for the recipe); after rolling into balls and white sugar I just made a small well in the top of each one and added about 1/2 t. jam. You can press your thumb into the top, use the bottom of a small glass, or I found the handle of my pizza slicer is perfect! Bake as directed. Yum.

These are much prettier in person, they remind me of flowers. Use whatever kind of jam you like, I made with low-sugar strawberry. 

MOLASSES SUGAR COOKIES

• 3/4 cups shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 t. baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. ginger
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt

Melt shortening in a 3 or 4 quart pan over low heat. Remove, cool. add sugar, egg, and molasses and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to sugar and molasses mixture, mix well and chill until cold. Roll in 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and place on uncreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 375' for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen 

White Fish Ceviche

Here's another light, fresh, and easy recipe from Macey - with summer and high temps coming quickly this no-cook dish might be a nice refreshing lunch or appetizer idea; I've never made ceviche before, I don't love fish so this might not be my favorite thing but I'm willing to try it and see! 

Ceviche is raw fish 'cooked' in citrus juice, somehow the acid in the juice changes the raw fish into not-raw fish - hahaha, not sure what word to use for 'not-raw' because I don't know if 'cooked' is the right word? It's no longer raw after marinating it in the juice. I did google how long to leave the fish marinating before it's ready to eat - seems like at least 1 hour at the minimum and a few recipes said they leave it for 4 hours. Check it after an hour and then keep checking until it's 'cooked' to your preferred doneness. I'd go 4 hours for sure, I'm not eating raw fish! You can use any mild white fish, Macey says she just buys what's on sale and looks good. I know you can also do this prep with shrimp and scallops. Here's how she makes it:

Cut the fish into small pieces and marinate in a mixture of lemon, lime, and orange juices (you want enough juice to completely cover the fish). Once it's done to your liking, toss with chopped tomatoes, onions, fresh jalapeño, avocado, mint, and fresh cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips (blue corn organic is my personal favorite).