Have y’all ever heard of grilled toast? with cinnamon? AND strawberries?? With a banana?? Yay! How cool is that?  Here is a very easy recipe and it’s soooo YUMMY!

1/4 C of sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
8 brown and serve rolls, cut into quarters
4 T of butter, melted (you can melt in the micro in 10 second intervals)
1 pint of strawberries, hulled
2 firm bananas, peeled and cut into chunks

Prepare the grill for low heat.
Toss together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix them up good!
Brush each of the roll pieces evenly with the melted butter.
Roll the pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture until they are evenly coated.
Starting with a strawberry thread a strawberry, a roll piece and a banana chunk onto 4 skewers until the skewers are filled. (Remember to soak the skewers for at least 30 min if you are using the bamboo or wooden ones)
Grill for 8 minutes, turning often until the rolls are toasted.

Should make about 4 servings

Hope y’all enjoy!!

Roonie

All you need for this naturally sweet grilled treat is a grill and a fresh pineapple! Love these kind of recipes!!

So, you will need to prepare the grill for a low fire.
Lop off the top and the bottomof the pineapple.
Slice down the side and remove the peel and eyes.
Cut the pineapple into quarters and remove the core.
Cut the quarters into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Place the pineapple slices on the grill rack. You can use skewers if you have them. If you are using bamboo skewers,make sure you soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before you grill. Ya might want to spray the skewers lightly with cooking spray so the pineapples will slide off easily!
Grill the slices for 15 minutes, turning once or until they are a little brown.

Should make about 4 servings

The outsides of the pineapple slices may be a little dry, but the insides will

be very juicy.  When grilling pineapple y’all don’t have to add any type

of sweetener: the natural juices will make them sweet and yummy!!

Enjoy!

Roonie

Oh My Goodness!! It’s almost JULY!!! 

Y’all need to stay cool on the 4th and I have some easy to make “cool” food ideas. They are cool and refreshing, fun and festive to serve up to your Fourth of July guests!

Red, White and Blue Cheese Salad

Combine 5 cups cubed watermelon, 2 cups sliced strawberries, 2 cups raspberries, 1 cup crumbled blue cheese and 2 tbsp. fresh, chopped mint in large bowl. Drizzle with ½ cup of raspberry vinaigrette. Serves about 6. EASY!!

Firecracker Macaroni Salad

Combine all of the following ingredients in a large salad bowl:

1 pkg. cooked shell macaroni
1  chopped green pepper
1 small can chopped pimiento
1 chopped onion
1 cup chopped sweet pickles
1/2  cup chopped celery
1/2  cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/4  cup sugar or sweetener equivalent

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill for a couple of hours.

Fiesta Salad

Combine these ingredients to make the dressing:

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
1 small clove garlic, mashed

 Add these ingredients to the dressing:

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, diced medium
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2  red onion, finely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

 Toss all ingredients together with the dressing.

Cool Veggie Salad

Combine the following ingredients together in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil. Stirring until sugar dissolves.

3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup sugar

 Combine the following veggies and mix together with the vinegar mixture above:

1 can (16 oz) French style green beans, drained
1 can (17 oz) English peas, drained
1 can (12 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 jar (2 oz) chopped pimento, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours, stirring occasionally.

Hope y’all have a wonderful 4th!!

Oranges are SO juicy and fresh! Love to eat them all year long and this refreshing salad just hollers cool!!

4 naval oranges, peeled and sectioned            
2 cucumber, sliced
1 C of orange juice
1/2 C of honey
1/2 C of olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar

Put the orange sections into a serving bowl.
Add the cucumber slices and gently toss to combine.
Pour the orange juice into a small mixing bowl.
Whisk in the honey until well combined.
Add the oil and vinegar and whisk until blended together well.
Pour the mixture over the oranges and cucumbers and toss gently to coat.

This should make about 8 servings

You can use a serrated knife to cut your cucumbers for a prettier salad.  It looke pretty cool. You can also place the salad over a bed of lettuce if you are making single servings.

Have you ever had folks stop by on a lazy Saturday afternoon and you had nothing to feed them?? You really want to be a good host, but let’s face it….it’s a lazy Saturday afternoon!! Well, here is something I do a lot for my guests….an easy fruity tray! (now, this is a snack, NOT a meal, Girlfriend’s gotta eat!)

Summer fruit like strawberries, melon, kiwi banana, cantaloupe, pears, etc can be cut up into bite sizes pieces and used for dipping into a fruity sauce. This fruity sauce is really easy!(Is this a sauce or a dip?? Don’t know but it’s GOOD!!)

½ cup sour cream (lite or fat-free if you are watching your waistline)
¼ cup strawberry preserves, jam or jelly (again, lite if your concerned about that waistline)
[You can also use different jellies for different flavors, like apricot if you like apricots or orange marmalade or something like that, I don't think grape would go over too well, but hey! Who knows?!?]
1 ½ cups thawed whipped topping (did anyone say lite??)

Mix the sour cream with the jelly and then fold (y’all know what fold is? Fold in is like folding clothes, you scoop and fold and scoop and fold, gently, not mixing) in the whipped cream and chill until you are ready to dig in!! Great fruit dipping sauce!

If you happen to cut up some peaches, apples, bananas or pears, you can dip them in lemon juice to keep them from browning. Brown fruit is definitely not on the menu!