20 Recipes for Memorial Day

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I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Memorial Day is Monday!  I’m sure you already know that, but I’m saying it out loud to make it more real for me.  It’s just hard to believe that spring is winding down and summer is almost here.  My kids have but a few weeks of school left, and their baseball season is almost over.  The older I get, the more time seems to fly!  I’m not sure what we’re doing for Memorial Day yet, but I’m sure it will involve the grill.  And a pie.   :smile:

Below are 20 Memorial Day worthy recipes that you may enjoy:

Salads/Side Dishes:

Main Dishes:

Desserts:

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  :smile:

Roasted Strawberry Milkshakes with Nutella Espresso Ganache

roasted strawberry milkshakes with nutella espresso ganache

Welcome to Part 3 of my 3-part post!  I’ve utilized my Nutella Espresso Ganache from Part 1 and the Roasted Strawberries from Part 2 to create these milkshakes.  These Roasted Strawberry Milkshakes with Nutella Espresso Ganache are utterly delicious.  The strawberry flavor is deeper, and more concentrated in these milkshakes because the strawberries are roasted.  The ganache has that wonderful chocolate-hazelnut Nutella flavor, which is intensified by the espresso.  The fact that it’s mixed with heavy cream means that it’s velvety and decadent.  This is one great flavor combo! :smile:

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Roasted Strawberries

roasted strawberries

Welcome to Part 2 of my 3-part post!  Part 1 was the Nutella Espresso Ganache that I posted yesterday.  Today’s post is just as exciting for me, as it involves strawberries in a different and exciting way!  I know strawberries and sugar together is pretty simple stuff.  Well, sometimes the simplest things in life can be the best.  These Roasted Strawberries are a great example of that!  It’s amazing how only two ingredients — strawberries and sugar — can turn into something so magical.  Roasted strawberries are sweet and syrupy, with a concentrated, roasted flavor.  This is one of those recipes you’ll use again and again!  :grin:

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Nutella Espresso Ganache

nutella espresso ganache

Welcome to Part 1 of a 3-part post.  It was a delicious process for me, I must admit! :smile:   How could it not be?  It involves Nutella!   Now, chocolate ganache is one of my favorite things in life.  It’s so rich, chocolatey, and decadent, and it can single-handedly transform almost anything into a sophisticated or special dessert.  I’m always using it to dip my brownies in, to drizzle over ice cream, or frost a cake.  When I finally tried Nutella just this year (I know, I know!) — I knew I wanted to make a ganache out of it.  My vision finally became a reality with this Nutella Espresso Ganache.  It’s got a luscious chocolate hazelnut flavor, which is intensified by the espresso powder.  It’s just dreamy!  :grin:

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Spring Vegetable Linguine

spring vegetable linguine

In the spring, there’s nothing I like to do more than pick up some fresh veggies at our local farmer’s market and come home and whip up some Spring Vegetable Linguine.  I’ll grab asparagus, broccoli, fresh peas (preferably shelled!), or whatever looks good to me.  Add fresh lemon juice, zest, and some shaved parmesan, and you’ve got a fresh, simple supper or side!  :smile:

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Healthier Hummingbird Muffins

healthier hummingbird muffins

I’ve been wanting to bake hummingbird cupcakes forever.  The problem is, I don’t get around to baking cakes or cupcakes unless there’s some type of occasion.  I love cake too much to have it lying around! :smile:  Because of this reason, the hummingbird cupcakes just haven’t happened yet.  :sad:   I do bake muffins often, however, so I baked these Healthier Hummingbird Muffins instead.  These are the perfect way get your hummingbird fix without the guilt associated with cake.  They’re moist, and packed with so many wonderful things — bananas, crushed pineapple, and shredded coconut.  They’re topped off with crunchy, toasted pecans.  These are so delicious, they instantly became my new favorite muffin.  :grin:

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DIY Roasted Almond Butter

diy roasted almond butter

I’m the peanut butter queen.  Yep.  I eat it almost every single, solitary day for lunch.  I just crave it, and there’s nothing I can do about it.  Why then, did I make this DIY Roasted Almond Butter before I tried a homemade peanut butter?  My husband eats almond butter, and I’ve tried it, but didn’t care for it.  I figured it was something that I could tailor to suit my taste buds.  I’ve found plenty of peanut butters (crunchy, of course!) that I love, but I wanted to prove to myself that I can like almond butter.  I mean, I love almonds, so it makes sense!  Guess what?  I really liked my roasted almond butter.  I think the secret was the extra roasted, toasted almonds.  I can do this!  :wink:

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Apple Blackberry Upside Down Cake

apple blackberry upside down cake

It’s time to turn your next dessert upside down….as in Apple Blackberry Upside Down Cake.  I can’t tell you how much I love upside down cakes.  It’s such an old-fashioned, retro dessert, which is probably why it’s so appealing.  It’s not fussy, difficult, or too terribly sophisticated — it’s just good.   :smile:

apple blackberry upside down cake

A few weeks ago I made a pineapple blackberry version, but my pictures were horrible. :sad:  No reason to fret, as I was oh so happy to make it and eat it again!  :tounge:  This time, however, I had no pineapple.  That didn’t matter, because I did have a giant Granny Smith apple.  This version was just as delicious, and I’ll definitely be making it again.

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Mother’s Day Recipes

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This Mother’s Day, I’d like to pay tribute to the women in my family that gave me the baking inspiration growing up that still fuels me to this day.  There are three in particular — my mom, my grandmother, and my Aunt Diane.

Some of my fondest memories growing up were baking in the kitchen with my mom.  Every family birthday was celebrated with a cake or two, made completely from scratch.  My mom and I would find recipes that we wanted to make for each birthday that was coming up.  My mom’s specialty was a pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting that one of my grandmothers always requested!  Coconut and carrot cakes were big around our house, and let’s not forget the Easter bunny cake that my mom made me every year when my April birthday was close to Easter.  German chocolate cake worked it’s way in there, too, and has always been a favorite of mine.  :smile:  To this day I still prefer to bake cakes completely from scratch.  You can call me a cake snob, but really, it’s just tradition!

My mom always baked a ton over the Christmas season and gave the goodies away as gifts.  She made rocky road candy, marshmallow drops, romance bars, and many other treats.  I’ve carried on the tradition, and every year I bake my favorites — armies of gingerbread men, sugar cookies, cocoa thumbprints, and whatever new recipes inspire me.  Some years I swear I’m not going to do it because I often become exhausted, but I always do it.  Somehow it just isn’t the same if I don’t!   :wink:

My grandmother, or Granny, as we called her, used to bake pies and breads from scratch often when I was younger.  She told me she gained too much weight, so she had to stop! :wink:  As I got older, she would buy store bought pies instead, but I always remember her homemade ones.  I’ll never forget her hams that just melted in my mouth every Christmas and Easter, and of course, Granny’s Rice Pilaf that graced the table every single family get-together.  :smile:  Granny passed away five years ago, but I never feel like she’s very far away.

My Aunt Diane passed away 16 years ago, at much too young of an age.  She was always smiling, and always ready to help anyone that needed it.  I’ll never forget her spanakopita, baklava, and a creamy, chocolate-vanilla layered pudding dessert called “The Dessert”, which was my favorite!  I will make that some time, as it’s one of those recipes that needs to be shared.  You could feel the love in all of Aunt Diane’s dishes.  She aimed to please, and please she did! :smile:

Below are 20 of my favorite Mother’s Day recipes:

Apple Raisin Baked Oatmeal

Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Bread

Coffee Cake Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Coconut-Lime Baked Donuts

Greek Yogurt Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup

Healthier Strawberry Banana Muffins

Raspberry Coconut French Toast Bake

Grapefruit Brulee Fruit Salad with Toasted Coconut

Fresh Key Lime Yogurt Dip

Baby Kale Salad with Bacon and Dried Cranberries

Cranberry Pear Salad

Grilled Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Baby Lettuce Salad with Raspberries, Cranberries and Feta

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Key Lime Cooler Cookies

Key Lime Pie with Meringue Whipped Cream

Lemon Burst Cookies

Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies

S’more Cupcakes

Strawberry Orange Rhubarb Pie

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours!  :smile:

One Hour Rosemary Focaccia Bread

one hour rosemary focaccia bread

I’m so proud of myself.  I actually baked bread!  I’m not talking about quick bread, because I do that all the time.  This time, I made a yeast bread, which actually doubles as a quick bread considering that you can make it one hour flat! :smile:  This One Hour Rosemary Focaccia Bread is crispy around the edges, soft in the middle, with a golden brown rosemary-parmesan top.  We ate it right out of the skillet, but next time I’m making pizza with it.  This is all so exciting to me, and I can’t wait to make it again.  :wink:

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