Picnic recipes to enjoy with the family

The weather has sure been nice. The trees are leafing out and the grass sure is growing. I look forward to seeing flowers blooming and the crops starting to grow. It has been nice to get outside and enjoy the weather. I am looking forward to enjoying some picnics with my kiddos and hopeful doing some fishing here soon.

Our National Days this week are: April 19- Garlic Day, April 20- Cheddar Fries Day and Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day, April 23- Cherry Cheesecake Day and Picnic Day, April 24- Pigs in a Blanket Day, and April 25 is National Zucchini Bread Day.

DID YOU KNOW: Americans have been enjoying the Pineapple Upside Down Cake since the early 1900s. Back then the cakes were made in cast iron skillets. It is a cake that announces spring and is used at many teas and brunches.

Garlic is a vegetable that is also known as the stinking rose. It is a member of the lily family along with onions, leeks, and shallots. It originated in Asia over 7,000 years ago.

Garlic has also been used for medicinal purposes as a cold remedy, possibly lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and has antibiotic properties.

It also has a lot of myths and superstitions that goes with it. The most familiar is it will keep vampires away and also seems to be the same for witches, werewolves, demons and other such evils. Greek midwives used it to keep evil spirits away and Roman soldiers who ate it were filled with courage.

There are over 300 varieties of garlic. Gilroy, California claims to be the Garlic Capital of the World.creamy

Garlic

Basil Chicken Asparagus

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 4 to 5 Serves Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN 2 tablespoons olive oil 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1/2 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Basil

FOR THE CREAM SAUCE

1 can (12 ounces) low fat evaporated milk

1.5 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Stir-in Garlic Paste, or to taste

1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Basil, or to taste

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1- pound fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces (break off and discard the woody ends of the asparagus)

Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Parsley, for garnish Instructions

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet.

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and dried basil.

Place the chicken thighs in the skillet and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until browned.

Flip the chicken and cook for about 8 more minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Combine evaporated milk, flour, garlic paste, dried basil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl; whisk until well combined.

Add the prepared sauce to the hot skillet and bring to a boil.

Stir in prepared asparagus, place the chicken back in the pan, and lower heat to a simmer.

Cover and cook for 4 minutes, or until asparagus is tender and

with

allpurpose chicken is heated through. Remove from heat. Garnish with parsley and serve.

GARLIC BUTTER ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICHES INGREDIENTS

Garlic butter:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped basil

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 tsp garlic paste (or 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely)

Italian Sausage Mixture: 1 lb. ground Italian sausage

1 14 oz can of tomato sauce

¼ cup red wine salt to taste

1 tbsp chopped basil Sandwiches:

4 sandwich or hot dog buns

4 slices of mozzarella cheese

8 slices of provolone cheese

chopped red onion and basil for garnish METHOD

For the butter, combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully incorporated. Set aside until ready to use

For the sausage mixture: brown the sausage in a large pan then add the tomato sauce and red wine. Let it simmer for 15 mins over medium low heat. Remove from heat, stir in chopped basil and salt to taste.

When ready to serve, slather the butter over the inside and tops of buns. Toast in the oven until slightly browned and butter has melted. Remove from the oven and place 1 slice of mozzarella cheese into each bun followed by the Italian sausage mixture. Then top each sandwich with 2 slices of provolone cheese and place under the broiler under cheese starts to bubble. Remove from oven.

Top with onions and

chopped basil and

serve!

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Prep: 15 mins

Total: 1 hr. 10 mins Servings: 9

Ingredients

¼ cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained

9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired

1 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup shortening

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

1 egg

Steps

Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

No-bake Cherry Cheesecake {9x13 size} Serves: 20

Ingredients

12 large graham crackers, crushed into tiny crumbs

⅓ cup granulated sugar 9 Tbsp salted butter, melted

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (8 oz) tub of Whipped Topping

½ cup powdered sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 can cherry pie filling Instructions

In a medium-size bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and granulated sugar. Stir until combined.

Add the melted butter. Mix well until all crumbs are coated with butter and mixture sticks together when pressed.

Next, with cooking spray, lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Press graham cracker crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the dish. Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese slightly before adding the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat for one minute or until there aren’t any lumps.

Next, add half of the Whipped Topping and mix until there are no lumps. Add the rest of the Whipped Topping and mix until well-blended. The mixture will be a little thick.

Evenly space dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the crust, and then gently spread and evenly smooth out with the back of a soup spoon over entire crust. Spreading the mixture in this manner will help keep the crust from pulling up.

Once cream cheese layer is evenly spread on top of the crust, add the cherry pie filling by spooning it out slowly and evenly over the whole cheesecake. This will help keep the cherry topping layer from mixing into the cream cheese layer. It also evenly spaces the cherries out, so they’re not all on one side of the dessert.

After placing the topping on, cover dessert with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours or until ready to serve.