Chef Marie: Baking and Cooking

This Light Cucumber Dill Salad is a perfect recipe for the summer! I found the idea for this recipe at Food Done Light . This dish is light, refreshing, and a cool treat for the summer months. Visit the link to get the complete recipe. Here is what you'll need: 1 ½ English cucumbers, thinly sliced (I used normal cucumbers) 1 ½ tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. light sour cream 2 Tbsp. 2% fat Greek yogurt 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (I used dry dill) ¼ tsp. black pepper  Directions: Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle them with 1 tsp. salt. Let the cucumbers sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well and drain. Lay the cucumbers out on paper towels to dry. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the cucumbers.  There you have it! A delicious, healthy recipe. Make sure to visit the link at the top of the page to get the complete recipe, view pictures, and to see other recipes!

It is a hot summer day here in Colorado, so I wanted to make a cold tasty drink. I searched the internet for coffee shakes and this is what I came up with! Coffee Shake Recipe , from Allrecipes.com I adjusted the servings on the webpage to 2 servings. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules 1-1/2 cups milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract   1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste 12 ice cubes 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup (optional)   Combine all of the ingredients together in a blender! I did not use any c

These treats are to die for! My sister Kathy and I made these delicious chocolate dipped s'mores. They are perfect if you want another take on simple s'mores. The chocolate is on the outside, while the toasty marshmallow and graham crackers are on the inside. These are perfect treats for fall weather and they are so easy to make. Enjoy one (or a few) with your favorite coffee drink; my favorite is the pumpkin spice latte. Here is what you'll need. Ingredients: - 8 full graham crackers - 3 cups of melted chocolate - sprinkles (optional) - 16 marshmallows  Directions: 1. First, break the graham crackers in half 2. Place 1 marshmallow in between the crackers 3. Broil in the oven on low for 2-3 minutes 4. Place the chocolate in a saucepan (medium heat) to melt it 5. Dip each s'more in the chocolate 6. Top with sprinkles 7. Freeze for 1 hour, or until chocolate is hardened 8. Enjoy!! These taste great! I was heading to my friends house f

My grandma sent me this toffee recipe. It is really delicious! Sweet and salty! I cut the recipe in half so it would fit in my pan.  Here's what you'll need: - 6 or 7 graham crackers - 1/2 cup brown sugar  - 12 Tbs. Butter  - 1 cup of sliced or chopped almonds  - a pan that is at least one inch deep 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 2. In a saucepan mix the brown sugar and butter. Bring it to a boil.  3. Place the graham crackers in the bottom of a aluminum foil wrapped pan. 4. Pour the sugar mixture over the graham crackers.  5. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the top. 6. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until bubbly.  7. Cut the graham crackers into pieces after letting it cool in the pan for 4 minutes. 8. Place the pieces on cooling racks until cooled. Enjoy these yummy toffee desserts! Yummmmm!

Looking for a new way to enjoy your chai? Try it frozen. All you need is a blender, ice, chai powder mix and water. I used the Pacific Chai brand. Here's what you'll need: - 2 cups of ice - 6 Tbs. Chai mix - 1/2 cup water   Put it all in a blender, and enjoy!

I was at the health food store, Natural Grocer's, and I was looking at the tea section. I came across green tea matcha tea bags. On Pinterest I saw a matcha recipe, but it had plant milk and some other weird ingredients that I hadn't heard of before. So, I just made a simple recipe. Here are the ingredients: - 1 green tea matcha tea bag - 1 cup of hot water - 1/4 cup of milk - 1/2 cup of ice Pour the hot water over the tea bag. Let it steep for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the milk and pour everything over the ice. Stir and enjoy. Note: do not add more sugar or honey. I used honey the first time I made it, and it was WAY too sweet. The matcha tea bag has a sweet taste to it already. Enjoy this drink on a nice summer day!

I recently bought a can of asparagus and I didn't know what to make with it. So, I used what I had in my kitchen to make a tasty salad. Here is what you'll need: - 1 can of cut asparagus (or fresh) - a few whole beets - feta cheese  - chopped walnuts  - seasoned rice vinegar  Combine everything together and you have a great side dish.

I was browsing Pinterest when I came across a recipe for egg-less cookie dough. It is really delicious, but very very SWEET! It makes about 2 cups of cookie dough.  I found the recipe at   http://www.thecookiepuzzle.com/2014/02/eggless-cookie-dough-3-ways.html?m=1.   All you need is flour, butter, brown sugar, milk, salt, vanilla and any candy pieces. After trying a few spoonfuls I decided to bake the rest. It turned out great!

It was my parents anniversary the other day, and I wanted to make a dessert to celebrate. I decided to make brownies. Brownies are probably my favorite dessert. I also put purple frosting and sprinkles on top. They were delicious! Here is the easy to make recipe: I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com To make the frosting I used 3 Tbs. Of mix mixed with about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. I combined them and added more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Then I refridgerated the frosting to make it thicker (about 30 min). Then I added a tsp. of vanilla and some blue and red food coloring.  Enjoy! Add any frosting or decorations that you would like!

I was browsing the Internet for healthy meals, when my sister Kathy came across a squash and zucchini recipe. It looked so delicious that I had to make it. Here are the ingredients: 2 medium summer squash, cut into ¼ inch slices 2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 pint grape tomatoes (I just used larger tomatoes, cut into small pieces) 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly 2 Tbsp. flour ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper 3 Tbsp. whipping cream 3 Tbsp. panko bread crumbs (I only had traditional bread crumbs, so that will work as well) 3 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp. olive oil   The recipe can be found at Cook The Story. Directions:  First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, flour, salt and pepper. Move into a pie plate or casserole dish, and drizzle with the whipping cream. Then, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese and olive oil together. Sprinkle the crumbs over the veggies. Cook un

This week I have been trying out different salads. Today I made a Beet Salad. I got the idea from SkinnyMs . I changed it up a little bit. Instead of roasted beets, I used canned beets because it was more convenient for me to make. Here are the ingredients that I used: - a few whole beets (cut into quarters) - a few handfuls of arugula - a few handfuls of spinach - 1 handful of feta cheese - balsamic vinegar (or the lemon juice and olive oil dressing works also) - chopped walnuts - pieces of cut endive - a dash of salt - black pepper Combine all of the ingredients together, and you have a tasty, healthy salad! Enjoy!