August is here, peaches are in season and just ripe enough for picking! Local orchards are great for peach picking and rounding out your summer adventures. Often times they have children’s activities, food trucks, farm animals and pick your own fruit. If you don’t have children in tow, you may want to explore whether or not your local orchard has a brewery on site or offers local cider. If picking your own fruit isn’t for you, you can always pick up some fresh fruit from your nearest commissary! Either way, it’s a wonderful time for fresh fruit and especially peach pie! Try this for an afternoon snack or a special dessert.

Ingredients:

• 8 Ripe Peaches
• 1 Deep Dish Pie Crust
• 1 Pie Crust Top
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 3 Tbsp Butter cut into Pats
• 1 Egg Whisked with 1 tsp of Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Mix peaches and orange juice, then add dry ingredients to peach mixture and toss to coat. Place the peach mixture into your deep dish pie crust. Put butter on top of peaches and cover with the top pie crust. Pinch crusts together, brush egg wash on top, cut slits in top for venting and cover edges with foil to avoid darkening. Bake for approximately 45 minutes and let cool for one hour. Enjoy!

This refreshing salad is perfect for a summer BBQ side dish or a light lunch. The watermelon is light and the mint adds the perfect touch of freshness.

• 1 medium Watermelon
• 1/2 Red onion
• 1 package Feta cheese
• a few sprigs of Mint
• 4 cups Arugula
• Balsamic vinegar for drizzle

Dice or use a melon baller to create bite size pieces of watermelon. Set aside to drain. Chop the red onion and mint and mix with arugula. Once drained place the watermelon in your serve ware and gently stir in the arugula mixture. Crumble the feta over top and finish with a drizzle of balsamic. Enjoy!

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!

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!