Directions:

Prepare and heat grill. In a 3 quart microwave safe casserole dish, combine potatoes, onions, carrots and water. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are hot and just beginning to cook, stirring once. Drain. Stir in salt and pepper.

Place potato mixture on an 18×18″ square of heavy duty foil. Top with bacon and dot with butter. Wrap securely with double fold seal. Place on grill 4-6″ from medium high coals. Cook 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, moving packet around on grill occasionally.

Grilling season is upon us.  When summertime hits, practically every meal is cooked outside at our house.  These sandwiches are one of our favorites.  We hope you enjoy too!

1. Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Evenly coat the salmon with the olive oil.
3. Cook the salmon on the preheated grill with the skin side down for about 5 minutes before flipping and cooking on the other side until the skin can easily be lifted off the flesh, about 5 minutes more. Flip the salmon once more and continue cooking until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, another 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Whisk the mayonnaise, dill, and lemon zest together in a small bowl; divide between 2 of the toasted bread slices. Top each with 1 portion of cooked salmon, 2 tomato slices, 2 bacon slices, 1 lettuce leaf, and a remaining slice of toasted bread.

We had a party over the weekend and had to bring an appetizer.  My daughters (ages 6 and 9 yrs) helped me make these super easy, super yummy little appetizers.  They look fancy (but trust me, are easy to make) and were gobbled up at the party (even though we doubled the batch)!  This will be my new signature appetizer…already planning to make them again for our visiting relatives for Memorial Day!  Thanks Pepperidge Farm!

1.  Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

2.  Stir the Muenster cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion and garlic powder in a medium bowl.

3.  Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface .  Brush the pastry sheet with the egg mixture.  Top with the cheese mixture and spinach.  Starting at a short side, roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into about 20 (1/2-inch) slices.  Place the slices, cut-side down, onto 2 baking sheets.  Brush the slices with the egg mixture.

4.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

5.  For best results, make sure to remove as much liquid as you can from the spinach before adding it to the pastry. If it’s too wet, it may make the pastry soggy.  We squeezed exess water into a bowl before we spread on the pastry sheet.

6.  Note:  We used a 1/2 bag of spinach for each sheet of pastry (we doubled the recipe for the cheese filling so we could use both pastry sheets in the box).  If you love spinach, you could go for the whole bag, but for us 1/2 bag was plenty for each sheet.

This summer time salad makes a gorgeous presentation at get-togethers.  It can be a no-cook option as well.  If you are ambitious you can cook your own shrimp and bacon, or if you are short on time, buy pre-cooked shrimp and microwavable bacon.

Thank you Family Circle!

Directions

In a 14-cup trifle bowl, layer romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes,  avocados, shrimp,  red onion and t peas. Spread 1 cup jarred Thousand Island dressing evenly over the top. Scatter 6 pieces crumbled fully cooked microwavable bacon over dressing.

Makes 6 servings.  Prep time 15 minutes

Put all in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 3 or 4 minutes, and stir until all  ingredients are melted. Grease a 9×9-inch pan (glass or aluminum). Add other ingredients like nuts, raisins, or coconut if desired. Put in refrigerator to set (3-4 hours). When chilled, cut i to squares.