Fried Ice Cream

With a sweet and CRUNCHY crust and creamy ice cream in the middle, this fried ice cream is SIMPLE to make and even easier to eat! Everyone at our house (and our extended families, and our neighbors) love this cool ICE CREAM dessert.

Fried Ice Cream
1 stick salted butter
1 cup sugar
3 cups crushed cornflakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more
1 (1.75-quart) container vanilla or French vanilla ice cream, softened
1 small container Cool Whip (I used lite!)
Caramel ice cream topping

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and then stir in the cornflakes and sugar, tossing to coat and brown slightly. Sprinkle several dashes of cinnamon into the mix as well. Press just over half of the cereal mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan and set rest aside.

Stir 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into the ice cream along with the Cool Whip. Stir until completely combined and smooth. Spread over crust in pan and then sprinkle reserved crust over top. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Serve with caramel drizzled over individual pieces.

TIP: Honey or chocolate is also good drizzled over top. I think increasing the amount of cinnamon in the ice cream would be yummy if you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor, and adding some sort of minced nut to the crust would be another tasty addition.

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

If you can't tell, I've totally been obsessed with SANDWICHES this summer. So maybe they are all variations of each other, but they sure all taste SUPER yum. This is the result of the huge basil plant in my GARDEN. I just love the flavor and want to incorporate it into everything!

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich
Artisan bread of your choice, sliced
Roasted red peppers (I just grabbed a couple at the olive bar at my local Smith's)
Fresh basil
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh Parmesan, shredded
Balsamic glaze (you can make your own or buy some!)

Butter the bottom of each slice of bread and then set butter side down. Drizzle balsamic glaze over other side and then layer half of them with lots of peppers, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. Top with remaining pieces of bread, balsamic side down and grill over low to medium-low heat like you would a grilled cheese.

TIP: My husband likes meat on his sandwich so I layered some turkey and pastrami on his. :)

Peach Muffins

Don't forget to make my FAVORITE muffins! We are just getting to the last of our peaches and some of them are more bruised than I prefer. LUCKILY this is the perfect recipe to use those PEACHES. In fact, make a double batch of this DELISH recipe and freeze some so you can have them again later!

Peach Muffins

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, spices, soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, and sugars. Combine mixtures and stir in the peaches. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and then bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then let cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen.

TIP: I'm sure this would be great with canned peaches as well—just make sure if they are in syrup that you give them a rinse before putting in the batter. Another great addition would some yummy chopped pecans or walnuts.

Peach, Brie, and Basil Sandwich

Peaches happen to be my FAVORITE fruit. So naturally, we have a large box of them. And even though I'm happy to eat the peaches in all their fruity glory, I also like to venture out and explore new FLAVOR combinations. My basil plant is huge and almost done for the SEASON, but there are still plenty of tender leaves for me to pull from it. So with an abundance of both those two fab foods, this delightfully REFRESHING open-faced sandwich came to be!

Peach, Brie, and Basil Sandwich
Sliced artisan bread (just use your favorite!)
Fresh peach, thinly sliced
Brie
Basil, cut into ribbons
Kosher salt and pepper
Honey

Place slices of bread on a work surface and top with peaches and brie. Sprinkle basil over top as well as salt and pepper. Drizzle with honey. Broil in the oven until edges of bread are brown and toasty and the cheese is melted.

TIP: Don't be shy with the toppings—stack them on there! Mint would also be a tasty replacement for the basil.

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I typically use a jar of spaghetti SAUCE when we have spaghetti for dinner. I know, silly, but if I make my own, it defeats the purpose of one of my easy, go-to QUICK dinners. However, this sauce is so easy and so UNBELIEVABLY delicious, that I may not buy "those" jars anymore! And you can make it so MANY different ways, it's crazy!

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 small sweet onion, minced
1/3 red bell pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small zucchini, minced
Olive oil
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
Fresh chopped basil, oregano, and thyme (you can use dried in place of fresh)
2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste

Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and zucchini in oil until tender and lightly browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

TIP: You can mince up just about any veggie to make this your own. Or leave the bell pepper and zucchini out if you prefer. It's tasty no matter what!

Balsamic, Basil, and Mozzarella Cheese Naan

I have a HUGE basil plant growing in my backyard. I'm totally loving it and all the YUMMY meals I've been able to incorporate it into. It's the one HERB I would suggest everyone plants! Anyway, this is a quick little side DISH that is so easy to put together and practically steals the show from everything else on your plate. (But our corn and sauteed veggies were also delish!)

Balsamic, Basil, and Mozzarella Cheese Naan
1 package garlic naan (I buy mine at Target's bakery)
Olive oil
Fresh basil, cut into ribbons
Fresh mozzarella, broken into small pieces
Balsamic reduction (boil 1 cup balsamic vinegar down to about 1/3)

Light brush one side of the naan with olive oil sprinkle the basil and mozzarella over top, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Broil on LOW until naan is browned and cheese is melted.

TIP: The balsamic glaze would be fine to drizzle on after you melt the cheese in the broiler. And if you don't want the basil "cooked," sprinkle that on after as well! :)