This is a recipe I have used for pancakes and ice cream.  Something different than your usual chocolate or maple syrups.  I did not let mine cool before I used it though :)  It is sweet, but very delicious!

From Marthastewart.com

• 10 MINS
• TOTAL TIME1 HOUR 30 MINS
• YIELDMakes 2 1/4 cups (enough for 9 cocktails)

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups raspberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Combine raspberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until raspberries break down slightly and release some of their juice, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand for 15 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

My neighbor gave me some fresh basil and it needed to get used.  I decided on some fresh pesto!  I haven't made it in a long time and couldn't remember the old recipe.  So here is one that looked the same and it tasted great!  Pesto is great on warm pasta and sandwiches and so much more.  I only had 1 cup basil so I cut everything in half.  I wanted to freeze it to use for later so I put small amounts in ice cube trays and will freeze, then put in a ziploc bag to pop one out for whenever I need one!  With this amount, I was able to get 8 ice cubes full.

Found on: Simply Recipes

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Special equipment needed: A food processor

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Yield: Makes 1 cup.

I have had this recipe for a LONG time, but never even bothered to make it.  I was having a nasty prego chocolate craving the other night and decided to make this to go on top of a pan of brownies.  I convinced myself if I made the brownies, I would be eating them the whole next day, so decided to make a chocolate cake in a mug instead with this on top.  DELICIOUS!!!  And this hot fudge sauce is good hot, cold, a spoonful out of the jar when no one is looking... shhh!  Don't tell my husband or my midwife!  Enjoy!


1 C. chocolate chips
1/2 C. butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 C. Powdered sugar
1 1/2 C. canned evaporated milk

Melt chocolate chips and butter on stove.  Add sugar and milk.  Bring to a boil and cook 8 min., stirring every once in a while to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.  When this gets thick after about 8 min., you know you are done.  Add vanilla.

I have tried a couple of recipes to find a really great spaghetti sauce recipe.  I have also tried just about every bottle of sauce in the store.  The best one we found was Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce.  Pretty good in our book.  However, my husband and I kept wanting a more fresh, homemade taste.  I went to a little cooking class our church was putting on and they taught how to make your own sauce.  I took bits and pieces from that as well as from this website and put my own together.  Turns out different every time, but still very good.

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3/4-1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 medium green bell pepper, chopped 
• 3/4 medium red bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon salt (This sounds like a lot, but with all the other ingredients you have, it turns out about right.  I use more like 1/2-3/4 Tbs at first and salt to taste at the table)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced or crushed tomatoes - (use one Italian stewed tomatoes and one plain tomatoes.  It adds more flavor.  Or if you have lots of tomatoes from your garden, I have used 3 big fresh tomatoes ground up in a blender)
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil; sauté onions, peppers and garlic in the oil until tender. Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese before serving or serve cheese separately. Serve with hot cooked and drained spaghetti.   Serves 6 to 8. 

Meat version: Sauté 1/2 pound of lean ground beef  (we use ground turkey and you can't tell the          

difference!) with the onions, peppers and garlic until browned. Proceed with recipe.

I have wanted to try bruschetta before but have never gotten around to making it until the last couple of weeks.  And I wish I would have made it a long time ago!  It was great!!!  I did my own variation of the recipes I found online though.  Most of them called for fresh basil, olive oil and tomatoes, with a few added ingredients here or there.  I had just made a fresh batch of pesto that same week and decided that since pesto has olive oil and basil in it, I would try that.  So glad I did.  Here is my made up recipe below:

-One long bread baguette
-Pesto (If using frozen pesto from ice cube trays (http://sweettoothqueen.blogspot.com/2010/01/homemade-pesto.html), use 4 ice cubes worth.  If using bottled pesto, you will need to just eyeball it!)
-1 1/2 tomatoes chopped (something like hot house tomatoes... the round ones)
-shredded parmesean cheese
-Salt and pepper to taste

Slice baguette into 1/2-1 inch slices.  Spread with pesto.  Pop in the oven on broil until warm.  Then add chopped tomatoes and a little parm. cheese on top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put back in oven until warm (try not to cook too long so the tomatoes don't get mushy).  Serve warm with soup and/or salad  and a smoothie for a light dinner.  This is also great as an appetizer.  To add a little more substance, add chopped chicken pieces.  Enjoy!

Pesto is such a fresh, light flavor and can be used for so many things. It can be used as a spread on a lunch meat sandwich, to add flavor to baked chicken, or to create a really great pasta dish. I prefer homemade over store bought, so here is a recipe I found. You can freeze pesto in ice cube trays, pop them out when frozen and store them in a freezer bag. When needed, pull one (or more!) out and let thaw. There you have a fast, fresh, healthy seasoning ready to make your meal come alive!

Found on Food for Thought

They recommend doing this in a food processor. I had to use a blender because I am not the lucky owner of a big enough food processor (mine only holds maybe 1/2 cup of anything). Sigh.... :)

3 cups of packed basil leaves (washed and stems removed)

2/3 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

olive oil - enough to allow it to blend freely, but not be soupy

Place all of these ingredients in a food processor and drizzle a generous amount of oil on top. Pulse several times until it is coarsely chopped, adding more oil as necessary. Pulse a few more times until it is finely chopped.

Freeze in containers (I used ice cube trays, then when frozen, popped them out and put in a freezer bag), or use fresh.