Red Velet Cupcakes

Whether you're baking for a group of kids or an upscale dinner party, cupcakes are a universal favorite. My kids and my husband love when I make cupcakes, who doesn't love a good cupcake! It puts a smile on a child's face and brings an adult back to their childhood. This cupcake recipe will be your favorite, I promise.

Key Lime Bars

I love anything with lemons and limes.. especially desserts. They are tart and sweet at the same time. They are fresh and scream "summer"! I am sad that summer is almost to an end so I'm going to experiment with different citrus recipes. This recipe is good, and very easy to throw together.

Fennel Slaw with oranges and olives

This recipe is really quite different. It has fennel and some people are just not fans. I happen to like that its crunchy and I like the anise flavor. So, try this if you eat "out of the box"... I say this because it has oranges and olives along with the fennel. It's that salty sweet thing again that I'm such a fan of! Try it alongside your fish, it has a fresh flavor that stands up to a mild fish.

Kettle Crusted Salmon with Lime

My kids nag me constantly to buy Kettle chips, so this trip to the grocery store I gave in. I thought to incorporate them into our dinner and immediately thought of salmon. The kids love it, and I love the fact it's healthy and delicious. When paired with the crunchy Kettle chips and the zest of lime it makes for a great pair. A quick, easy and elegant dinner!

Time for a Smoothie!

Anytime is the right time for a smoothie... it does not have to be summer and you don't have to spend $5 on it! You can make it at home with lots of different variations. This one actually has cantaloupe in it.. it is different I know, most people choose blueberries or strawberries or bananas.. all amazing fruits. But, did you know that cantaloupe has on 56 calories per cup and is an excellent form of vitamin A and C? This smoothie also has coconut milk and pineapple  that gives it that pina colada taste. Give this smoothie a try!

Coconut & Cantaloupe Smoothie
bliss n tell
Nicole Kraft

3 cups chopped cantaloupe
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
2 T. coconut milk
1 c.  skim milk
1 c. vanilla frozen yogurt
1tsp. coconut extract
1/2 cup ice

Put fruit in the blender and add both milks and yogurt, add extract and top with ice. Blend to desired consistency

California BLT Pasta

My Daughter loves BLT's, so much so that she orders them when we are out to breakfast sometimes! So, I created this meal especially for her. I do dress the past with a light mayo, but put lemon zest and basil in it to freshen it up and make it like no other BLT pasta out there... and it's California style because it has... you guessed it! AVOCADO!

Fried Zucchini

This is a fabulous way to enjoy zucchini...It is delicious and even the kids gobble it up! Normally, I pan fry them in olive oil and drain them on paper towels. However, this time I tried a shortcut and drizzled them with olive oil and baked them. Try them whatever way you wish!

Zucchini Pie

About a month ago I met possibly the nicest people in the world... they are clients of my husband and wonderful people. People with that special quality that very few people have these days. People that are very similar to my own dear mother's unique quality to make everyone feel special and loved. Mike and Diane Alexander have been clients of my husband Eddie for years. Diane bakes us dozens of cookies of all types every year at Christmas. The other day she made us a loaf of friendship bread and gave us zucchini and cucumbers straight from the garden. The zucchini was the biggest I have ever seen!



Thank you Diane and Mike! With this giant zucchini I am going to share a recipe of my mothers, zucchini pie. It is a great dish to have on hand. It is versatile and would be a great as a brunch dish or dinner.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

I have many favorite salads, but this one is definitely on the top of my list for sure. There are actually 2 versions of this salad. One is a creamy based dressing with toasted almonds ( even better if you can find the honey toasted almond in your grocery store). The other is a balsamic vinegar base dressing with candied pecans. To determine your favorite here is what I recommend...

Peppermint Patty Brownies

Here is how these brownies were born... My husband went to the store, and a few hours later he called me to say he was on his way home. He said "I have a surprise for you!" My response was pure excitement.. "you do, Yea!." Now, you know after 12 years of marriage there are not too many surprises coming my way! Waiting until he got home to see my surprise my mind started wandering.. Could it be flowers, maybe..probably.."well that's thoughtful." A gift card to Anthropologie? A clarisonic? ( yes, I really want one) A puppy ( Gavin is 16 mths, that is when I get my baby itch so I think I'll scratch it with a puppy this time.. ha) A diamond ring.. okay I'm thinking bigger and bigger .. He comes in the door, "what is it? I can't wait anymore!"

Grilled Watermelon salad

Okay, I NEVER thought I would be a fan of watermelon salad. I mean I frowned upon the people who put salt on their watermelon... it made no sense to me. But, Summer = watermelon according to me and my kids. We all love it. And, it's a staple in the fridge in the summer. So, today I decided to go for it.. my way, and people, my way is by far awesome.

Roasted Garlic

Garlic is known as a super food.. It has many health benefits and I like to include it in much of my cooking as it adds great flavor. One way of preparing it is roasting it. It is so easy and the result is amazingly tender, sweet and caramelized garlic cloves. I challenge you to think of all the ways you can use your roasted garlic. Garlic mashed potatoes, fire roasted garlic tomato sauce ( recipe soon to come)Roasted garlic bread...oh let me count the ways! Last night I added it to my balsamic vinegarette and it was so flavorful.. I also roasted cherry tomatoes alongside and threw them in the salad. I am obsessed with roasting, as you will learn from this blog. It brings all food to another level of BLISS!
Cooks note* Garlic may be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several days. To puree, crush garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.



Start with preheating the oven to 400 degrees
peel the outer layer of the garlic and cut the top of the garlic off

Wrap it up in some foil with a tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt. Make a foil "pouch"

Roast in directly on the oven rack at 400 for about 30 minutes


Squeeze out the cloves, they should come out so easy.. enjoy!

Garlic roasted balsamic vinegarette
Nicole Kraft
blissntell

2 cloves of your roasted garlic crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Salad Supreme to taste( by McCormick in the spice isle) Give it a try.. it's a favorite!
Whisk together and drizzle over your favorite greens

Green salad with Avocado and Heart of Palm

This is a simple salad.. I love Avocado and Heart of Palm so in this salad I have the best of both worlds. Usually I toss in some segmented oranges, but my son ate the last one an hour before dinner! Go figure! The dressing is easy and very healthy. Beauty boost : Avocados are healthy in many ways.. many believe that they help in reducing wrinkles, I'd like to think that!
Avocado includes necessary minerals like potassium, calcium, vitamin C and K, folic acid, copper, sodium and dietary fibers. An avocado a day keep the doctor away!

Lime Avocado dressing
by Nicole Kraft
blissntell.net



The juice of one lime
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
1tsp kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 black pepper
1/2 avocado mashed


Cut avocado in half.. dice one half and mash the other half



Toss the sliced Avocado with your favorite lettuce blend, heart of palm, pine nuts and orange segments drizzle it with your Avocado lime dressing

what's for lunch!

This week I challenge myself to figure out other things to make the kids for lunch. It has been a long summer with them home and they are sick of the same old grilled cheese, hot dogs, nuggets or PB & J. So, I began thinking of things to make. Of course, I start off with a kids favorite... One guess? Pizza!
I made it in little "pockets" and served it along side some extra sauce for dipping. The crescent gives it a buttery flavor rather than the usual dough. They are tender and flaky and melt in your mouth. A nice twist from the usual pizza delivery and you can save your $18 bucks! Sure to please kids and adults.. makes an easy appetizer too!

Pizza Pockets
by Nicole Kraft
Blissntell.net

1 roll crescent dough
pizza sauce or marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
pepperoni



Roll out your crescent dough and cut it into 10 squares



Spread the pizza sauce and add the pepperoni and cheese





Assemble them any way you like.. I took each corner and brought it to the middle into a little pinwheel
Bake until golden brown at 350 degrees about 13-15 min depending on your oven.
Your kids will be sure to like them:)