Ice Cream Cake

I made this cake for Chad's birthday last week. It was delicious! Super easy too. I got the recipe from Kraft.

24 OREO Cookies, divided

2 cups Strawberry ice cream, softened (I used vanilla instead)

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

2 cups Chocolate ice cream, softened

2 Tbsp. Hot fudge ice cream topping (I used crushed oreos instead)

LINE 9-inch round pan (I used a 10 in springform pan. Didn't have to use the plastic wrap) with plastic wrap, with ends extending over side of pan. Stand 14 cookies around edge of pan. Crush remaining cookies. Reserve 1/2 cup crumbs for later use; sprinkle remaining crumbs onto bottom of pan. Spread strawberry ice cream over crumbs; top with 1 cup COOL WHIP and reserved crumbs. Cover with chocolate ice cream.

FREEZE 4 hours.

REMOVE dessert from freezer 10 min. before serving. Use plastic wrap handles to lift dessert from pan. Carefully peel off plastic wrap; place dessert on serving plate. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Top with remaining COOL WHIP; drizzle with fudge topping.

Tradition: Fresh Cookies on the First Day of School

One of my favorite traditions is making cookies for the kids on the first day of school. When they come home I dish them up with warm cookies and a cold glass of milk as they tell me about their day.

Today is the first day of school for us! I made my normal Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, only I put in mini m&m's instead of chocolate chips. YUMMO!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. oatmeal (quick or regular)
1/2 c. chocolate chips (or more if you like!)
1 c. coconut (optional)

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix up dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients. Add in chocolate chips. Mix together well. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Makes about 3-4 dozen.

Red Potato Salad

This is the potato salad from the family reunion.

3 lbs. red potatoes cubed
1/2-1 c. real bacon pieces or crumbled bacon
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
1/2 c. Ranch dressing
Salt and Pepper
Milk (Add enough milk to get dressing to a heavy cream consistency.)

Cook potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool completely or rinse in cold water. Gently toss potatoes with bacon and green onions. Make dressing using the mayonnaise, salad dressing, and Ranch dressing. Add enough milk to achieve a heavy cream consistency. Add salt and pepper. Toss potatoes with dressing, using only enough dressing to coat potatoes well. Chill.

Black Bean Salsa

This recipe is so fresh and delicious. I get recipe requests everytime I take it somewhere. We used it for a stake luncheon a few years ago and I can't tell you how many recipe requests I got.

1 (12 oz.) can mexicorn or shoepeg corn
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 med. red or orange bell pepper chopphed
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 med. tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c. Italian dressing
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbls. fresh lime juice
1 Tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate 1/2 hour for all the flavors to meld. Serve with tortilla chips. You will love it!

Strawberry Watermelon Slushie

Another favorite recipe from Our Best Bites!


Strawberry-Watermelon Slushie
Recipe from Taste of Home

2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved (I actually used a little less than a pint. Maybe 3/4 of it)
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
2-4 C ice cubes
In a blender, combine the watermelon, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice; cover and process on high until smooth. With blender running, gradually add ice cubes until desired consistency is reached. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Yield: 5-7 cups



Marne's Tips: I used frozen strawberries and omitted the ice. Worked great! These are FANTASTIC! I froze the whole batch into popsicles. This was the perfect way to use up watermelon.

Pina Colada Salad

I had this salad at a friend's house over Memorial Day weekend - SO GOOD!! This is now my new favorite salad!

(Recipe found in cookbook called, "Stir, Laugh, Repeat")

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces (or 3, 20-oz cans chunk pineapple, drained)
1 cup flaked coconut
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 can frozen pina colada mix (Bacardi is the best brand - it's thicker than the others)

Mix everything together. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours so the flavors can blend.

You can add - strawberries, seedless grapes (red & green), or blueberries. The only fruit not to add is cherries because their flavor will overpower the other flavors.

Salad can be served over cake or ice cream. It's also great over cottage cheese.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Another new recipe...and another yummy hit! This was fabulous. Note that it is better fresh. The leftovers tend to get clumpy.

Chicken Pesto Pasta by Make and Takes
(go to the link for more pics and tutorial)

Recipe for Chicken Pesto Pasta – makes 4 servings

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pesto – in the summer I make it with Homemade Basil Pesto
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 box cooked pasta – we’ve got bowtie
• 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed

Cook and prep your chicken and pasta to your liking and combine in a bowl. Set aside.

For the sauce, bring your heavy cream to a boil, stirring constantly, it will come to a boil fast. Let this boil on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until it thickens up. Add your pesto and stir. Add your parmesan and stir until most of the cheese is melted in the sauce. Add your salt and pepper, not too much as the pesto and cheese have a lot of flavor by themselves.

Pour your pesto cream sauce over the chicken and pasta, and stir to combine.