Over the past several summers, gardening has become one of my favorite hobbies. So far this year, we have an insane amount of peppermint and more strawberries than we know what to do with. I have been enjoying experimenting in the kitchen with our garden bounty. One of my favorite combinations is Strawberry, Lime and Mint Infused Water. Yum! The perfect thirst quencher for those hot summer days.

To make this tasty beverage, you will need 2 lime slices, 3 strawberries thinly sliced, 3 peppermint leaves, 2-3 large ice cubes, and water.

First, toss the fruit, leaves, and ice into a glass or mason jar. Add more or use less of the ingredients depending on what you like! If your desire is a more intense flavor, crush the mint leaves before adding them or push the strawberries against the side of your container when you stir.

Next, pour the water (sparkling or still) into the glass and let sit for at least 10 minutes before consuming. The longer you let it sit the more flavor your drink will possess.

Finally, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Strawberry, Lime, and Mint Infused Water from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Ingredients
2 Lime Slices
3 Medium Strawberries- thinly sliced
3 Mint Leaves
2-3 Large Ice Cubes
Water- sparkling or still

Peperation
Add slices and leaves to your glass/mason jar, whatever you’d like to keep your drink in. Then fill with water.

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Last night we had pizza on the grill. Yes, you heard that right. Grilled California Club Pizza, with chicken, bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and avocado on it. Yum. But before you start to think we’ve lost our minds, hear me out.

If you’ve never had pizza with lettuce and avocado on it, then you may be missing out. Seriously, this pizza is the bomb dot com. My mouth is watering just thinking about all of the yummy ingredients.

To make your own, start out by firing up the grill. Grab a pre-made pizza crust and spread some mayonnaise on top of it. That’s right. I said mayonnaise.

Next, sprinkle on some diced chicken and bacon pieces (both pre-cooked.)

Then, add some mozzarella cheese and a few tomato slices.

Place the pizza on the grill and let it cook until the crust is crispy and the cheese is ooey-gooey.

While the pizza is still on the grill, mix a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise with some chopped lettuce. Try to resist dumping the whole bottle of mayo in the bowl. Add the lettuce/mayo combo, along with diced avocado, to the top of the pizza when it is finished.

Now, just to keep things real, I don’t really like loathe tomatoes, so I always pass them off to my hubby. However, our whole family absolutely loves this pizza. And it is totally tweak-able if you don’t like/can’t have some of the ingredients. (I.e. gluten, pork, etc.) Let us know if you try this one out!

California Club Pizza from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Ingredients
Premade Pizza Crust
1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and diced
3 Slices of Bacon, cooked
1/3 C. Mozarella Cheese
1 Tomato, Sliced
4 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 ½ C. Lettuce, Chopped
½ Avocado, Sliced or Chopped

Preparation
Preheat Grill. Spread 2 tbsp. of mayonnaise evenly on the pizza crust, then layer with chicken, bacon, cheese and tomato. Grill until crust is crisp and cheese is melted and bubbly. In a bowl, toss the remaining 2 tbsp. of mayo with the lettuce. Layer lettuce and avocado on top of the hot pizza and serve.

Something about the fall/winter seasons and crock pots just go hand in hand. Maybe it is the cooler weather, the shorter days, or my extreme laziness, but I often find that using a slow cooker makes my life a lot easier this time of year. One of the recipes that frequently gets requested is Pizza Soup, a simple, yet delicious, meal that can appease even the pickiest of eaters.

My favorite thing about this soup is that it can be thrown together in flash and is totally customizable based upon your own personal tastes. Love pepperoni, but hate veggies? Great! Despise the meats, but diggin’ mushrooms and peppers? You win too! The possibilities are endless. Here is how I made our soup this time.

First, I gathered all of the ingredients.

We’ve found that we love this recipe a bit spicy, but if you prefer less heat, feel free to reduce the amount of banana peppers or omit them completely. Heck, just throw in any of your favorite pizza ingredients and you will be sure to have a soup that makes your mouth water.

Next, I added all of the ingredients to the crock pot, except the mozzarella cheese. (After I emptied the jar of pasta sauce, I filled it with water and add that as well.)

Then, mix everything together. It may look a bit like hot lava, but at this point, will not burn your finger prints off when touched.

Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. Add some mozzarella cheese to the top and watch it melt. Yum! Serve with a bread stick if you like.

Seriously, this soup is so easy to whip up and my family wolfs it down in no time. Plus, it can fix that pizza craving without us having to call a delivery man!

Crock Pot Pizza Soup from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
• 1 lb. ground sausage (browned)
• 1/2 cup quartered pepperoni
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 jar four cheese pasta sauce
• 1 cup chopped mild banana peppers
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 16 ounces tomato sauce

Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients, except mozzarella cheese, in crock pot.
2. Fill empty pasta sauce jar with water and add to crock pot.
3. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, until soup is bubbling around edges. (Times my vary.)
4. Serve with shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

I love Jalapeno poppers! The spicy flavor of jalapenos combined with the cooling properties of cream cheese just make my mouth water. Mmmmmm! I thought I would take that classic appetizer and give it a little twist. What I came up with was Baked Jalapeno Cream Cheese Wontons.

These little bites turned out so amazing. I just had to share how I made this delicious appetizer.

First, I sliced the jalapenos in half and removed the seeds. You can keep the seeds if you’d like, but let me warn you, your tongue will be on fire!

Next, the stem was taken off and discarded and the pepper halves were cut into 3 equal sections. Again, you have a choice here. You can eat the stem if you want, but it is not recommended.

Then, I placed the wonton wrappers flat on a plate and added one jalapeno piece and a tablespoon of cream cheese to each. I worked quickly so the wrappers wouldn’t dry out.

After that, I folded up the wontons. I am not sure I did this the “proper” way, but I just tried to make sure all of the stuffing stayed inside the wrapper.

Finally, I brushed each ball of goodness lightly with olive oil, placed them in a shallow baking dish, and cooked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

These wontons are amazing! The perfect appetizer for entertaining.

Baked Jalapeno Cream Cheese Wontons from Elizabeth Joan Designs
Yield
18 Wontons

Ingredients
– 18 Wonton wrappers
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 3 Jalapenos- seeds removed and cut into 6 pieces
– 1 Package jalapeno cream cheese (You can use plain cream cheese if you like them less spicy.)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill each wonton wrapper with one jalapeno piece and cream cheese. Fold carefully and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake 8-10 minutes or until wonton is browned. Cool for about 3 minutes and serve warm with your favorite salsa or ranch dressing.

I love the jalapeno cream cheese wontons, but my curiosity peaked at the sight of pumpkin & spice cream cheese. It was a must try with the wonton wrappers. I filled each one with cream cheese and wrapped it up. After I brushed the wontons with olive oil, I sprinkled them with cinnamon.

Wow! These tasted like fall in a ball! Yummmy!