Chili Cornbread Salad

Happy Back to School to everyone!  With school starting earlier these days, I find myself in an odd spot when it first begins.  It’s like it’s fall, but yet it’s summer too!  One of my favorite things about this part of summer is the bounty from the garden and farmer’s market.  This Chili Cornbread Salad is one of my favorite ways to use some of that goodness this time of year!

I know Chili Cornbread Salad seems like an odd combination but rest assured, it is delicious!  All of the ingredients work well together and make the best dish.

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Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

The heat has been no joke this Summer!  I feel like the intense heat started super early and is still going strong!  Now, I love Summer but the heat this year has been like none other.  When I’m hot, my favorite way to cool off is with ice cream!  Who doesn’t love ice cream?  Sometimes you need something besides a basic scoop and this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake will fit the bill!  The fact that it is a no-bake dessert is a bonus!

What Do I need to make this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake?

You are only going to need a handful of ingredients to put this no-bake dessert together.  You are going to start out with a box of ice cream sandwiches, Cool Whip, hot fudge and caramel sauce and some nuts.  That is it!

Is this dessert hard to make?

No!  Absolutely not!  As a matter of fact, a young child could put it together.  All you do is unwrap all of the ice cream sandwiches, lay them in the bottom of a pan, top with Cool Whip, drizzle toppings and repeat!  This is a great dessert to make when you are short on time.  It can literally be done from start to finish in 10 minutes.  The most time consuming part is unwrapping the ice cream sandwiches!  One thing I have found to make spreading the fudge and caramel sauce easier is to place each jar in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.  It loosens it up enough to drizzle easier but it doesn’t completely melt it.

What if I don’t like nuts?

You could easily leave the nuts off of this, although I love them.  In addition, you could switch up the kind of nuts you use.  I have used Spanish peanuts before and it reminds you of a Peanut Buster Parfait from DQ.  Walnuts would work well too.  Use whatever kind of nuts you like.

I’ve been making this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake for years and it is always a hit.  It’s perfect to take to parties because it serves a lot of people.  You most likely won’t have any leftovers to take home.  Give this dessert a try this weekend!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Ice cream sandwiches make this a cool and easy go-to Summer dessert!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 24 ice cream sandwiches
  • 2 8 oz containers of Cool Whip
  • 10 oz Hot Fudge Ice Cream topping
  • 10 oz Carmel Ice Cream topping
  • ½-1 c chopped pecans or nut of your choice

Instructions

  1. Unwrap ice cream sandwiches and place half of them in the bottom of a 9x13 dish or rectangle cake pan.

  2. Spread half of the Cool Whip over ice cream sandwiches. Top with half of the hot fudge and caramel topping. Sprinkle half of the nuts.

  3. Repeat layers and freeze for 2 hours before serving.

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Apple Pie

I don’t know about you, but we have lots of apples at our house right now.  What better way to use those apples than in an apple pie?

I will admit that I was kind of on the fence about apple pie until I tried this recipe.  I took a community education class with a local caterer and she changed my mind about apple pie forever!

As with any really good pie this starts with a home made crust.  If making pie crust is not your thing, you can use refrigerated, but you really will be missing out.  Personally, I think home made crust is a must.  I like to make my dough up a little ahead of time and let it chill.  It is much easier to roll out when the dough is chilled.

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Perfect Lasagna

Now that summer is coming to an end, we are starting to want hearty, comforting food.  In my husband’s eyes, there is nothing more comforting than a big pan of lasagna.  I definitely think pasta is his love language!

There are so many great things about this lasagna recipe that make it perfect.  It is thick and rich, can be made ahead of time and feeds a lot of people!  Those three things make this one of my go-to recipes, especially when I need to take food to people.  It’s also great to serve company because all  the prep is done ahead of time and it frees me up to visit with my guests.

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Pina Colada ~ Thirsty Thursday

Now that summer is unofficially here, our pool is open.  I love long summer days lounging by the pool!  Of course, a nice cold beverage is a must for pool days.  Today I’m going to share my friend’s Pina Colada recipe.  This cool, creamy drink will help cool you off on the hottest of days.

I have to admit that I have loved pina coladas since I was a kid (the non-alcoholic version, of course)!  I love the combination of the pineapple and coconut flavors.  If I would ever make them at home, I would always use a can of the frozen pina colada mix.  I always thought they were just never as good as what you would order in a restaurant.  Finally, my friend made a pitcher of them for a cookout a few years ago and they tasted like the restaurant version!  She told me the key was to use cream of coconut.  I’ve been making that version ever since!

All you need is a few ingredients and a blender and you can have your own pina coladas whipped up in no time.  It’s as simple as blending some cream of coconut, pineapple juice, rum and ice.  Besides using the cream of coconut, I like to use Malibu which is rum with coconut liqueur.  That really elevates the coconut flavor.  You can use plain rum and it will turn out just fine.

Make these for your next pool day or any day for that matter.  They are sinful!

Pina Colada

This cool and creamy drink is the perfect way to cool off in the heat.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. cream of coconut
  • 4 oz. pineapple juice
  • 3 oz. rum (I like to use Malibu)
  • 2 c. ice

Instructions

  1. Blend cream of coconut, pineapple juice and rum in blender.
  2. Add ice and continue blending until all ice is broken into tiny pieces.
  3. Serve immediately.

 

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