Strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert. There’s no better time to take advantage of fresh and beautiful ripe strawberries than late Spring and early Summer. Here’s an easy shortcake recipe, topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries to escort you into the delight of Summer time sweetness. Bring along to a BBQ or enjoy on your patio or deck at home. Either way you’ll be relishing in the delight of a sweet strawberry shortcake.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups Bisquick Mix
• 1/4 cup + 3 Tbs sugar (separated)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbs butter melted
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp powdered sugar
• 1 quart strawberries sliced

Step 1: Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In large bowl, mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.

Step 2: In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.

Step 3: Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

Step 4: Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Elote, aka Mexican Street Corn, is a tasty handheld treat. It is popular in Southern California as street food and can easily be reproduced in your home. Eat it as a fun snack or treat or as a side for lunch or dinner.  Here is a tip – always make more than you plan to eat – it is delicious as an evening snack or even the next day for lunch. It’s the perfect side dish or main meal to eat in celebration of Cinco De Mayo!

Ingredients:

• Ears of corn, shucked – the number depends on how many people you want to serve
• Mayonnaise
• Chili Powder
• Grated Cojita cheese
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges or juice

Here are the directions to making delicious street corn. It’s super complicated, so pay attention.

Directions:

1.Grill the corn, making sure to turn it so that it is grilled all over.

2. Once off the grill, brush mayonnaise over all side of the corn.

3. Sprinkle chili, cojita cheese and cilantro all over the corn.

4. Before eating, sprinkle with lime juice or squeeze a lime wedge per ear of corn.

Yup. That’s it. Not complicated at all – and gosh dern delicious.

Mix it Up!

One of the fun and awesome things about Mexican street corn is changing up the toppings. Consider green onions, bacon, sriracha as toppings. Switch the cojita for shredded cheese. Change up the chili pepper for chipotle pepper or paprika. Or go for authentic Mexican crema and mix that with mayonnaise to brush on the corn. Want a more garlicky taste, mix minced garlic or garlic powder into the mayonnaise.

What’s your favorite topping on Mexican Street Corn?

Looking for a delicious and quick meal that everyone can enjoy? Look no further than easy Naan Pizza! It hits all the wickets for a busy time period – easy, quick, and can be done with a variety of ingredients. Mini-naans are perfect for handheld pizzas that can be personalized for each person’s taste. Or use the larger commercially available naans to make larger pizzas to share among the family. Have a family member who is vegetarian? They can enjoy a naan topped with veggies galore! Are you more of a meat-eater? Pile your naan high with a variety of options from pepperoni, chicken, sausage, or bacon! The naan is a canvas for pizza making and can be ready in minutes.

Easy Naan Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 Naan Breads
• ¼ cup pizza sauce
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil
• Topping suggestions: pepperoni, roasted vegetables, spinach, olives, cooked sausage, tomatoes, zucchini, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F
2. Brush naan bread with olive oil on both sides.
3. Spread pizza sauce evenly over naan bread.
4. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese.
5. Top with toppings of choice.
6. Bake on the oven rack for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

There are so many options. Make it gourmet and change up the cheese for goat cheese and make a squash, goat cheese and prosciutto naan pizza! Or perhaps a blue cheese, fig and arugula naan pizza is more your style.

Whether it’s a busy evening or a lazy afternoon, this recipe is the perfect meal for lunch or dinner. Better yet – get everyone involved in the preparation! Put the toppings out on the kitchen table and have everyone pile on what they want. Pop it in the oven and voila! Lunch or dinner is served!

Share your Naan pizza renditions with us in the comments below!

When winter comes, across the country, comfort foods become essential. The colder temperatures encourage warm soups and comfort cooking. From crockpot meals to leave it and forget it soups, we could all use a collective break. Let’s dig in!

Crockpot meals are the best at comfort foods because you can pour the ingredients in and let it cook while life goes on. This chicken and stuffing crockpot meal combines frozen, boxed, and canned ingredients for a tasty creamy crockpot casserole.  If creamy, cheesy goodness is your jam, this crockpot savory cheese soup using broth, fresh vegetables, herbs, and cheddar cheese is perfect for a busy day. Put all the ingredients in and let your crockpot do the work for you for the next 7-8 hours.

Soups are the perfect winter food. This white bean soup utilizes and rehydrates dried ingredients with fresh winter vegetables for a delicious, veggie-full comfort soup that begs to be eaten cuddled under a blanket in front of a fire (or the yule log on your television)! If a creamy clam chowder is more your speed, check out this clam chowder combining chopped clams, potatoes, onion, and celery with spices and topped with bacon that takes about 30 minutes to cook. Make it dairy-free by putting in vegetable broth instead of fat-free milk. Another delicious bean-based soup of Navy Bean Soup is perfect for feeding the family, with leftovers, using canned beans, fresh and sautéed vegetables, and potatoes.

Casseroles are wonderful winter meals. Toss everything in a dish and bake it up, which allows for the mingling of all the flavors. This Tater Tot Casserole is a classic and favorite. This casserole mixes ground beef, sausage, and beef with frozen vegetables, pantry items, cheese, and spices is topped with frozen tater tots and makes enough for two casseroles! The second casserole’s bonus is perfect for hungry days or for freezing one for use at a later date. This burrito casserole is perfect for Taco Tuesday! The casserole layers the ingredients of a taco of ground beef-cream of mushroom soup mix, onion, taco seasoning, bean, cheese with tortillas, and topped with hot sauce for a spicy casserole ready after 20 minutes of baking.

Pasta dishes are wonderful comfort foods. They are quick to prepare. They combine cheese, tomato, and starchy pasta for a quick, filling meal. What is better than pasta? Well, this creamy spaghetti pie! It combines all the pasta goodness of pasta, parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce, and herbs in a pie dish. Bake the dish for 30 minutes to melt the cheese into the herby, tomato-ey goodness, and viola – a dish that is for sure to be a new comfort food favorite.

Comfort desserts are the perfect combination of a warm hug and a fuzzy blanket. This Peach Bread Pudding is the perfect comfort dessert. Combining evaporated milk, butter, peaches, bread, egg, sugar, and spice for a warming and well-seasoned dessert. It is rich in flavor and taste. In winter, frozen peaches can be used in place of fresh peaches. Peanut butter-chocolate pudding parfait is the perfect chocolate comfort dessert, and it is easy too. It combines milk, whipped topping, and peanut butter with instant pudding mix for a quick and easy treat. You can even change the pudding mix with vanilla, chocolate fudge, or butterscotch to change the flavors. Make it like a sundae with toppings like nuts, fresh or canned fruit, and extra whipped topping!

Winter can be a hard month with cold days that make us stay indoors in the warmth. Enjoy these comfort foods this winter, and maybe find a new favorite! Which one will you add to your meal planning this season?

While the 2020 Holiday calendar won’t be full of holiday parties, it doesn’t mean you can’t try some new holiday treats at home. We dug through the Military Shoppers Recipe Archive for some unique and fun recipes to try with test in your kitchen.

Peanut Butter Lover Cookies – Mix the three ingredients of peanut butter, sugar and an egg for this fun drop cookies you can make when you want a quick sweet treat or want to do something with your kids with minimal dishes.

Gingerbread – A classic holiday cookie filled with the holiday spices of cinnamon, allspice, clove and ginger. This recipe is perfect for cookie making and building houses for those cookies to “live in” until they are eaten of course. The gingerbread dough also makes for excellent ornament making

Eggnog Kringla – Another cookie filled with the season’s flavors using 4 cups of egg nog and nutmeg to this chilled dough. Shape the cookies into fun holiday shapes or a pretzel-like shape. The light Scandanvian cookie is a lovely holiday cookie that is perfect cookie for a holiday

Lebkuchen –  Lebkuchen is a cake cookie that is often enjoyed as part of the German holiday celebrations. This spiced cookie from the European continent is filled with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, anise, mace, cloves and cardamom. The spices will coat your kitchen with the holiday aroma before your first bite.

Crushed Candy Cane Cookies – Peppermint. The smell and taste brings the warmth and sweet flavors of the holiday. The two sugars of white sugar and brown sugar make a sweet dough that is perfect to roll in the crushed peppermints and then baked.

Ugly Cookies – While the name may remark on the look of these cookies, the taste is amazing. They are filled with the good stuff – semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch, heath bits and almond slivers.

Cinnamon Stars – These cookies are made from egg white, ground almonds, confectioners sugar and cinnamon are gorgeous to look at. They do take time with an overnight drying before baking them, so plan accordingly. These make for beautiful gifts and holiday treats.

Peppermint Chocolate Brownie Cookies – Peppermint and chocolate are two holiday flavors that belong together. Crumble peppermint onto these warm chocolate brownie cookies and the peppermint pieces melt ever so slightly for an amazing chocolatey holiday treat.

Bon appetit!

While this year’s holiday gatherings may be smaller this year, the desire to avoid the hospital or doctor’s is perhaps stronger. Avoid food-induced illness by making sure to follow these criteria to prevent food poisoning.

Cook Food Thoroughly

Cooking large birds or meat is not something that we do often. Make sure to follow the directions on the package to defrost and cook to the appropriate temperature per the packaging.  Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food, making sure to stay within the meat and not hitting a bone as that can lead to an inaccurate reading of the temperature.

Thaw Food Appropriately

Read the instructions on the turkey, if you are having one. Thawing must be done slowly in an ice bath, in the fridge or a cooler. Make sure to follow the thawing directions on the label of the items and refer to Food Safety Charts. When thawing in an ice bath, make sure to change the water when the ice is defrosted or every 30 minutes. And for the love, do not thaw your Turkey directly on your counter.

Keep Cold Things Cold

Anything that was made to stay cold like pies, egg-nog, dairy-based dishes and the like should remain cold upon serving. An increase in temperature to above 40 degrees Farenheiht is an increased risk for bacteria to grow leading to food-borne illness. Refrigerate or freeze any cold items and do not leave them out beyond 2 hours.

Keep Hot Things Hot

When you prepare hot foods like stuffing, potatoes, casseroles and meat dishes, they need to remain hot to avoid bacteria from growing. Bacteria growing in the food can lead to food-borne illness. Put away and refrigerate leftover food after 2 hours of being out.

Wash Your Hands

As if we need any other reminders to wash our hands in 2020, but you do. Before and after touching meat, vegetables or fruit, make sure to wash your hands. Especially when moving from raw meat to something else.

Wash knives and cutting boards

When cutting or preparing raw meat, vegetables and fruit, make sure to watch the knives, preparation tools and cutting boards in between each item. This prevents cross-contamination from raw chicken or beef between to fruits and vegetables.

Read the directions

This one is for all the people who like to wing it. Make sure to read the directions. Even fully prepped, meals ready-to-eat (not the brown envelope ones), have directions on reheating. While they can cook from frozen, make sure to cook to the correct internal temperature before fully digging in.

2020 has been a difficult year and it can feel difficult to find what we are grateful for. Keeping the tradition of a holiday meal, and time with no virtual school is worth a little celebration – especially keeping it safely.  Happy and healthy eating to all!

It’s Fall Y’all. Which means it’s Pumpkin Time! If you are overseas, start hoarding those cans of pumpkin once they arrive at the commissary – you’ll want to try out all of these recipes! For those in the states- while canned pumpkin may be more readily available, you’ll still want to gather more than one can to enjoy these pumpkin recipes this fall!

BREAKFAST

• Pumpkin Muffins: Who doesn’t love an easy grab and go breakfast or snack. These muffins are transportable, whole grain, low fat and full of flavor! Change up the cranberries for nuts, dark chocolate or other dried fruits and you could have a pumpkin muffin daily all season long. Make it a double batch and freeze some for later – that way you don’t eat them all in one week – they are that delicious.

LUNCH/DINNER

• Pumpkin Soup: Cool fall days call for hearty warm soups and this creamy pumpkin soup delivers that with all the pumpkin-y goodness along with cream and spices. Top with roasted pepitas for a crunch.
• Pumpkin Pasta Sauce: This one may surprise you, but pumpkin makes an amazing base for this delicious sauce for the heavenly bed of pasta.
• Spicy Pumpkin Chili: Pumpkin and chili are two fall classics, so it makes sense that they are being combined for this robust chili. The addition of pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to the other spices are delicious and perfect for fall movie nights.

SNACKS

• Pumpkin Bread: This bread is perfect for chill days at home, and this one has pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in it! Where was this recipe when we were all on lock down this spring? Doesn’t matter, we will make this bread over and over again.

DESSERT

• Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake: Cheesecake is a heavenly dessert, and when you add pumpkin to it, it just elevates it to fall-scented heaven. The gingersnap and pecan crust contrasts with the smooth pumpkin cheesecake filling. This recipe does take a bit more time as it needs to chill for at least 4 hours prior to serving so plan accordingly. This dessert may just lead to your eating a piece of it in a closet away from your spouse and/or children it’s so good.
• Pumpkin Fluff Dip:  This is a personal favorite – it’s easy to make, only takes a few ingredients and is gosh darn delicious. It’s a fall dip that is sure to please! Dip graham crackers, animal crackers, apple slices or kohlrabi into the dip – there really isn’t a bad choice.

• Pumpkin Twinkies: This classic favorite with a twist is perfect for fall indulgence. Who doesn’t love a Twinkie? Infuse it with pumpkin and it’s a win-win!

Orange you pumped for all these pumpkin recipes? (See what I did there?)

Heather Walsh is a mom, Marine wife, Navy child, blogger, and lover of all things crafty and Disney. Professionally, she is a Physician Assistant and writer and has a passion for helping others to stay positive and supported. She has been writing since KidPix was on a floppy disk! She is one of three women who founded MilMomAdventures, sharing travel and lifestyle tips for the military family at www.milmomadventures.com . When she isn’t crafting with her kiddos, going on the next adventure, or writing for MilMomAdventures, she has contributed to NextGen MilSpouse, Daily Mom Military and Military Disney Tips while reheating her first cup of coffee for the tenth time.

We’re rolling right through berry season to orchard fruit season all while plump, juicy tomatoes ripen on the vines.

Yup, it’s summer produce time! And we’ve got 9 great recipes that make the most of summer produce!

9 Meals that Make the Most of Summer Produce

The fruits and veggies of summer beg for simple meals that really let each ingredient shine.

We are 100% craving these recipes right now!

Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Pasta with sauce is such a classic, especially when you use extra ripe tomatoes and fresh basil!

Pile of Veggies Rice Bowls

When it’s too hot to cook pasta, use a rice cooker to whip up a fresh batch of grains. Then top everything with the freshest produce you can find for a hearty veggie-centered rice bowl.

Bonus: you can swap rice for quinoa, bulgar wheat, farrow or any other hearty grain.

Berry Healthy Salad

And then there are days when it’s too hot to cook anything at all, even hands-off with rice cookers or slow cookers.

That’s when we reach for this incredible apple-berry-spinach salad that’s a snap to pull together super fast.

Simple, Easy Tomato Tart

When you’ve got an overload of vine-ripened tomatoes, it’s time to try this yummy recipe for tomato tart!

Watermelon Salad

Yes, watermelon in a savory salad. Just combine it with feta cheese and a few herbs for a delicious summer side dish.

Fast Fresh Dip for Chips

Give your chips something incredible to dip into when you make fresh pico de gallo. It literally could not be simpler!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Fire up the grill to savor sweet corn on the cob with a flavorful twist!

Quick Fruit Jams

Jam really captures the flavors of fruits, especially berries. While some recipes do take a little know-how and some time, we love a recipe for freezer jam!

Sip Strawberry Aqua de Fresca

Cool off on a hot summer day with a refreshing beverage. We love this simple, easy aqua de fresca made with strawberries!

Since we can’t just swing into the grocery store for that random, unique ingredient for a speciality dish – thanks, social distancing – we’re raiding the pantry and fridge for easy to pull together recipes with lots of flexibility.

Pantry Raid One-Pot Meals for Self-Isolation

All of these recipes feature ingredients that you probably already have at home, like canned or frozen veggies or baking mixes. We also included items that you also probably have in your fridge or freezer, like cold cuts, chicken or eggs.

Everything comes together in a snap and uses just one pot, skillet, casserole dish, sheet pan or slow cooker to cook. Some recipes are also leftover-friendly, which means you can repurpose yesterday’s dinner for today!

One-Pot Slow Cooker Meals from Pantry Staples

• Dump Soup: grab a 32 oz. container of any stock or broth; add chopped onion; add 1-3 cans of any beans; add 1 large can of diced tomatoes; add your favorite frozen veggies; serve hot after cooking 3-5 hours on high/6-8 hours in low
• Easy Peasy Chili: combine 2-4 cans beans, 1 large can diced tomatoes, one chopped onion; season with chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper; cook 4 hours on high/6-8 hours on low; serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa
• Chili Remix Potatoes: save some chili; clean enough potatoes for your family and poke them all over with a fork; season with olive oil and salt/pepper; cook 2.5-4 hours on high/6-8 hours on low; top with leftover chili, cheese, sour cream and salsa – inspiration from Passionate Penny Pincher
• Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner: place a whole roasting chicken in your slow cooker, seasoned all over to your preference; cook on high for 4-6 hours/6-8 hours on low; 1-2 hours before your chicken is done add in foil-wrapped packets of potatoes and carrots, all peeled and chopped; finish cooking and serve; save the liquid for soup
• Dump Chicken Soup: add the chicken cooking liquid + 32 oz. chicken broth to a slow cooker; add in shredded cooked chicken, any frozen veggies, any canned veggies; season to taste; cook on high 2-3 hours

We love slow cooker meals because it cooks while you live your life, minimal hands-on time required!

One Skillet Meals You’ll Love

Everything cooks in just one skillet for easy, peasy prep and cleanup!

• Taco remix: use what you have on hand – tortillas, crunchy shells, tortilla chips, rice – it all works; saute onions and garlic in a skillet until soft; add in ground meat and cook until browned; chop tomatoes, shred lettuce; combine your meat, veggies and tortilla/crunchy shell/chips/rice, top with salsa, sour cream and cheese
• Easy Chicken Biscuits: use 1 cup Bisquick, following the recipe on the box for drop biscuits (1c mix + 1 egg + a little milk); preheat the oven to 350; in an oven-safe skillet cook onions and garlic until soft; add in chopped celery; add in chopped fresh or frozen veggies like carrots, corn, peas, beans, etc.; add in leftover cooked chicken; add 1 c broth or 1 c milk; bring to a boil until the liquid slightly thickens; dollop the Bisquick mix in rounded spoonfuls over the top; put the whole skillet into the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes or until the biscuits are slightly browned on top
• Toad in a Hole: butter slices of bread on both sides; use a drinking cup to cut a circle out of the center of each slice; place each buttered slice of bread onto the hot skillet and crack an egg into the hole; cook until egg is done to your preference, adding in the cut-out bread circle and browning it on both sides; after all bread has been used, brown some thick-cut ham in the same skillet; serve hot
• Leftovers Rizzoto: use the rice you have – about 2 cups uncooked regular rice; saute onions and garlic in oil or butter in a skillet; add in rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, over medium heat; add in 2 cups of chicken or veggie stock; simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced; add more chicken broth to just cover rice and reduce again; repeat until rice is tender; add in cooked shredded chicken, peas or other leftovers; serve warm with Parmesan cheese

These meals require a little extra hands-on time, but still only dirty just one skillet.

Dinner on a Single Sheet Pan

Arrange all your dinner ingredients on a single sheet pan, cook in the oven and you’re done! These are super simple to DIY in a pinch.

Pro Tip: use a silicon mat or aluminum foil to really cut cleanup time!

• Sausage & Onions: heat oven to 375º; on a sheet pan or baking sheet, arrange sausages (any kind); in a separate bowl, combine one onion that’s been cut into eighths and then separated, 2-4 peeled and quartered potatoes, 1-3 peeled and chunked carrots; in the veggie bowl, drizzle olive oil, season to your preference; add veggie to sheet pan; cook for 30-40 min or until sausages are cooked through and veggies are roasted
• Fish & Chips: pat dry 3-6 unbreaded fish fillets, like Coleson’s Catch; arrange on one side of a sheet pan; sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary; add a very small pat of butter to each fillet; peel and cut into “fries” 2-3 sweet and/or russet potatoes; arrange potatoes on the other side of the pan; bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork
• Open Face Custom Sandwiches: divide 1-2 baguettes or French/Italian loaves into sections, enough for 1-2 servings per person; arrange on a sheet pan, crust down; spread butter over the face-up side of the bread; add your preferred cold cuts and cheese to each section; top with banana peppers, roasted tomatoes or peppers, etc. to your taste; season with herbs, salt, and/or pepper to your taste; bake at 350º for 15-20 min or until bread is crispy and cheese is melted; serve hot, with lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. to your preference
• 1 Pan Chicken Dinner: preheat the oven to 375º; in the middle of a sheet pan, arrange chicken thighs, breasts, or legs; drizzle olive oil over the chicken, season with salt, pepper, herbs or your favorite spices; around the chicken arrange peeled and quartered potatoes, chopped carrots, quartered onions, turnips, whole garlic gloves, etc.; bake for 30-45 min or until chicken is fully cooked

We love dinners that leave us with almost zero cleanup in the end!

What’s your favorite one-pot meal that uses pantry or fridge staples?