Minty Lime Fruit Salad (by Suzie Macriss)

About 6 cups fresh fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces--such as melons, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, etc.

Dressing:
1/2 can thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1/2 cup honey or light corn syrup
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 - 2 fresh mint leaves

Place fruit in a large bowl.  Mix dressing ingredients.  Pour dressing over fruit and toss gently.

Lemon Thyme Orzo (by Suzie Macriss)

1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3/4 cup orzo
1/2 lemon, zested
2 T fresh chopped thyme leaves
salt

In a medium saucepan, add the stock, water, pepper flakes, and garlic and bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir in the orzo, lower the heat, and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and stir in lemon zest and thyme leaves.  Season with salt to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl.

Optional:  add 1 cup cooked diced chicken and/or 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

PESTO PASTA

• 3/4 pound fusilli pasta
• 3/4 pound bow tie pasta
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 cup pesto
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
• 1/3 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2 or more packages of fresh mushrooms
1 sausage (regular or it's good to mix regular with hot)
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

Wash mushrooms and remove all of the stems.  Fry the sausage--drain and pat off the grease.  Add cream cheese to the sausage and mix thoroughly.  (I usually use about 2/3 of the cream cheese brick.)  Pack the sausage mixture into the mushroom--pile it up and pack in down.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then broil for 10 minutes.

Lemon Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 ¼ cups water

1/3 cup oil

3 egg whites

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 T lemon zest

12 ounces cream cheese (softened)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ T fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup flour

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup butter (cold)

½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Combine cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Follow directions on box.  Pour into greased and floured spring-form pan.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool   (I put it in the freezer for awhile.)

For filling, mix softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  Whip cream until stiff peaks form.  Combine by hand with cream cheese mixture.

For crumb topping, combine flour and powdered sugar, cut in butter, vanilla, and lemon juice.  (use a pastry blender or a food processor)

Slice cooled cake in half.  Drizzle lemon juice on each cut side.  Spread half of the cream mixture on bottom half of cake, put cake ton on and spread the remaining cream on top and sides.  Sprinkle crumb topping on top and pat on the sides.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

¾ lb. linguine

3 T butter

2 ½ T olive oil

1 ½ T minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 16)

1 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

½ lemon, zest of, grated

3 T fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling walted water, add the linguine, and cook for 7 – 10 minutes (according to package directions).

Meanwhile, in another large heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic, sauté for 1 minute.  Be careful, the garlic burns easily.

Add the shrimp, 1 tsp of salt, and the pepper and sauté until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.  Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put back in the pot.  Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.