I’m a really big rosemary fan. It’s one of my favorite herbs, I buy at least one rosemary plant every summer. Today I have a shortbread cookie infused with rosemary. I really love the citrusy woodsy flavor the rosemary adds to the shortbread, it’s a wonderful combination.

I got the basic recipe from a friend many years ago, and I’ve changed it a bit through the years and adapted it to my own taste.

I used the star cookie cutter to make these, since I made them last week for a 4th of July party, but you can make them any shape. They’re wonderful for Christmas cookies, since the rosemary gives them a wonderful scent and flavor for the holiday season.

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large Tablespoon of chopped fresh or dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the vanilla, and the rosemary. Then slowly add the flour until the mixture forms a crumbly ball when you knead it.

Roll the mixture out on a floured board until it’s about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick, and cut into squares or use a cookie cutter to make shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 1o minutes, or until the top just starts to turn a light golden brown.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheet, and let them cool on a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

We’re big tortilla fans at our house! You can put anything in a tortilla and make it a meal, so I was super excited to see this fun contest from Mission Menus.

I’ve shared a few Mission Foods recipes here at Home and Garden Cafe. I also have several of my own recipes using tortillas. I I think I might tweak one or two of them to send in to the contest. Here are a few of the contest details.

Beginning June 28th 2010, Mission Foods is heating up summer with the Mission Menus Challenge!

The contest will feature Chef Sara Moulton encouraging you to submit your budget-friendly recipes to Mission at www.MissionMenusChallenge.com. Finalists will have the opportunity to compete in a cook-off in Los Angeles.

You’ll also have the opportunity to win a $10,000 dream kitchen makeover as well as several other weekly prizes. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to have a kitchen makeover!

The grand prize winner will win round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two to the Mission Menus Challenge Cook-off on September 10, 2010 at the Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles.
You can submit your recipe online between now and August 9th for your chance to win.

Your recipes must be original and include Mission Flour Tortillas. The recipe should also feed a family of 5 for less than $10.

Summer is officially here! Woot! 4th of July celebrations are coming up fast! It’s my favorite time of year for inviting over friends and neighbors for some grilling bbq fun.

Here’s a finger-lickin’ barbecue recipe for your next cookout. You don’t have to be a pitmaster to make this easy recipe for Chili-Glazed Beef Ribs courtesy of Tabasco.

The ribs get their kick from the combination of tangy chili sauce, sweet molasses and original Tabasco pepper sauce. Yum! Just the photo is enough to make my mouth water!

CHILI-GLAZED BEEF RIBS

4 pounds beef back ribs*
4 teaspoons original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce, divided
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Brush ribs with 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce. Place in large roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil; bake 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine chili sauce, molasses, vinegar, brown sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce and salt. Heat to a boil, over high heat; reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered about 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Preheat grill to medium-low, over indirect heat. Brush ribs on both sides with sauce. Place ribs on grill; meat-side down. Cover and continue cooking 15 minutes. Turn ribs over; brush with more sauce. Cook 15 minutes longer, or until ribs are tender. Serve ribs with grilled bell peppers, if desired.

Serves 6.

*If you prefer, substitute one 4-pound slab pork spare ribs in place of beef ribs. Prepare as above.

I’ll be back with the recipe for my brother in law’s famous (at least in our family), and delicous bbq ribs!

It’s strawberry season! The strawberry season here in Ohio is starting to wind down, but you’ll continue to find good deals on strawberries at farmer’s markets and local groceries for several more weeks. If you’re looking for a way to use up all those yummy fresh strawberries, check out some of the ideas below.

1. Strawberry and blueberry cupcake flag
2. Strawberry pie
3. Quinoa Berry Salad
4. Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

5. Strawberry Ladybug Flower Cupcakes
6. Strawberry Blueberry Yogurt Parfait
7. Strawberry Shortcake
8. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Fresh strawberries are sooo yummy! Especially when you add them to one of the dessert ideas above! They’ll be perfect to take to a last minute backyard barbecue, or Fourth of July celebration.

I have a yummy summer grilling recipe today that would be the perfect addition to the menu for your Father’s Day cookout. This delicious recipe is courtesy of Tabasco.

This is truly a no-fuss recipe combining classic barbecue flavors with a touch of heat with the Tabasco sauce. The results are a tasty tribute to dad. I don’t know about your house, but at our house we always have at least one bottle of Tabasco hanging out in the fridge for just such an occasion.

Spicy Barbecued Pork Loin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, about 6-inches long

Preheat oven 350° F.

Heat oil in small 2-quart saucepan over medium heat; add onion; cook about 5 minutes or until softened. Add ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Tabasco sauce and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside ½ cup sauce.

Rub outside of pork roast with ½ teaspoon salt. Place in roasting pan; top with sauce mixture to cover completely. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium. Place pork on grill; cook, covered 30 minutes, turning frequently, and brushing with reserved sauce until meat thermometer reaches 160° F.

Serves 8.

Serving Suggestion: Sautéed green beans and sliced red onion; toss with cooked, crumbled bacon.

Leftover Suggestion: Slice leftover pork; place on rye bread; top with deli sliced ham, sliced Swiss cheese, pickle slices, mustard and rye bread slice. Press in a pannini machine until sandwich is golden and cheese is melted.

One of my favorite healthy summer snacks is a fruit and yogurt parfait. Just like the one you can get at the fast food restaurant (only healthier).

Fruit and yogurt parfaits are super simple to make, and they look elegant enough for a summer brunch. Make them by layering fruit and yogurt into a parfait, or wine glass. Top the parfait off with a few more pieces of fruit and a sprinkle of granola cereal.

My favorite ingredients this time of year are strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, with organic vanilla yogurt. Chocolate yogurt is yummy too, with the berries.

If it’s not berry season, you could also use bananas, peach slices, or blackberries with your favorite flavor of yogurt. They’re also very yummy in the fall with apple slices, and vanilla yogurt topped with walnuts. You can make individual servings, or layer several layers in a trifle bowl for a summer dessert. Serve the granola on the side, and let your guests create their own.

I decorate cakes and cupcakes on a regular basis. Whenever I have cake scraps leftover, I usually throw them in a container and store them in the freezer to use later. Sometimes I end up using them in other cakes, sometimes I end up throwing them out after a few weeks.

This time of the year I like to pull them out to make a quick and easy strawberry dessert. I used some of the chocolate cake pieces to make mini trifles, because I love chocolate and strawberries together (can you say heaven).

I have some mini trifle bowls, so I actually made 3 mini trifles, instead of one large trifle. You could layer this in a large trifle bowl if you have one, and take it to a summer party, or layer it in wine, or dessert glasses to serve at a sit down dinner.

Even if you have to bake the cake, this is still a super easy, refreshing summer dessert.

Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

Ingredients:

chocolate cake pieces

chocolate syrup

strawberries

fresh whipped cream

I layered in chocolate cake, chocolate syrup, strawberries, then whipped cream. Then I repeated all the layers again.

It’s a delicious way to get your chocolate fix for the day!

My sister makes the most fan-tabulous hash brown and cheese casserole! It’s super simple to make, just combine everything into one casserole dish and pop it in the oven, set the timer and you’re done.

Sometimes I add a little ham, but usually I make it just like the recipe below. It’s wonderful during the summer if you’re grilling out, just make the casserole ahead and pop it in the oven about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before you plan to eat.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

• 1 bag of hash browns (small squares, or shredded)
• 8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups (1 container) sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat you oven to 425`F. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, reserve 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Put the mixture in a large casserole, or baking pan, then sprinkle the last cup of shredded cheddar over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Remove the foil and bake for 30 more minutes, or until the potatoes are soft, and the cheese is bubbly.

These potatoes are even better the next day as leftovers reheated for breakfast!

I love making salsa fresh from the garden during the summer. The flavors of the fresh tomatoes, onions, spices, and peppers are fabulous!

My brother in law makes the best salsa ever, so I talked him into sharing his super secret fresh from the garden salsa recipe. This is not an exact recipe, just chop, mix and taste, then adjust it to fit your own taste buds. I’m a big salsa fan, and I love garlic, so I tend to use quite a bit of both. If you’re not a fan, cut them back a little, or even leave the cilantro out entirely.

Fresh From The Garden Salsa

3-4 medium tomatoes

1 bell pepper

1 banana pepper

2 hot peppers (Jalapeno, Pueblo, Habanera, your choice and heat)

1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

3-4 cloves of garlic

cilantro (optional)

1 small onion

Give everything a coarse chop, then feed it all together into a food processor. Refrigerate the salsa when you’re done to let all the flavors blend together. This salsa is actually even better after a couple hours when the flavors are all melded together.

Serve with corn chips.

I’m warning you ahead of time, this salsa is very addicting! Once you start eating it, you might have a hard time stopping! Definitely worth the effort of chopping and mixing up a batch, especially with fresh from the garden ingredients.

I love homemade strawberry pie, it definitely tops my list of favorite foods! Especially this time of year, when strawberry season is in full swing, and the berries are plump, juicy, and loaded with flavor.

This strawberry pie recipe has a super easy crust that a friend gave me many years ago. The crust is super rich and flaky. I guarantee you’ll love it from the first bite to the last.

Easy Homemade Strawberry Pie

The Filling:

1 quart of fresh berries, sliced

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Stir 1/2 cup of powdered sugar into 3 cups of sliced berries. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for two hours. Blent the remaining cup of berries with 1/4 cup of water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Cook and stir the mixture in a saucepan until the mixture is clear and thickened. Fill a 9″ baked pie crust with whole berries; pour cooled sauce over them. Cool thoroughly and serve with whipped topping.

The Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of milk

Mix the ingredients together and pat into a 9″ pie pan. Bake at 400` for 10 minutes, then pour in the filling mixture and chill.

I’m soooo ready for strawberry season!