~ Dreamsicle Pie ~

Another summertime Favorite here!

What you need Dreamsicle Pie mix, 16 oz softened cream cheese, 8 oz of thawed Cool Whip, graham cracker crust.

 

Directions: Mix cream cheese with the pie mix using an electric mixer                                                                                   

 

Stir in Cool Whip 

Pour into crust

 Chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator or 2 hours in freezer

 I served mine with some whipped cream and a cherry on top! Every dessert should have whipped cream and cherry on top, shouldn't it?  Here's where you can buy yours.

~ Chocolate Caramel Surprise ~

I made this for a special treat for 4th of July.  This is a new item added to Gourmet Cupboard and it is wonderful!  It tastes sort of like a brownie with chocolate chips in it until you bite into mouth watering chewy caramel. Nice!

What you need:

Chocolate Caramel Surprise mix, 1/3 cup milk, and 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening.  Now I have to explain this photo. First of all I only had Crisco shortening but it worked just fine. Secondly when this got delivered we just had come off of a few days with 106 degree temperatures. So when I opened my box the plastic bag with the caramel and chips mixture had melted. I stuck it in the fridge until I decided to make this today. That package had hardened up so I had to break it up with yes a hammer (still in plastic obviously) but I spread it out on a paper plate for easier spreading when the time came.  Still turned out wonderful, just a little extra work.

 Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix contents of the large bad with milk and shortening.

 Take HALF of this mix, pat in a 9 x 11 greased pan and bake for 10 minutes.

 After taking the pan out of the oven,evenly sprinkle the contents of the bag containing caramel bits over baked cake.

 Cover  with remaining HALF of the cake batter. You may have to crumble it evenly over top.

 Bake an additional 20 minutes.

Serve warm as dessert or cut into bars when cooled.  

Despite a little work it took to make this because the chocolate melted then hardened, it was well worth it!  Get it today for a nice surprise dessert unlike any other.

~ Chai Tea Blend ~

Back in April at the garage sale for the animal shelter I picked up a really nice cast iron tea pot.  A special kind that you put the tea leaves right in the top filter area and let steep and then pour!

It was a great opportunity to try one of our excellent tea blends.  So I made this back in May. Way too hot for me to think about hot tea just now although I suppose I could make some hot tea and then put it in the fridge for cold Chai Tea. :)

Ingredients: Hot water and the Chai Tea Blend mix

Directions: Scoop 2 heaping tsps of Chai Tea Blend into one cup of boiling water. 

Let stand for about five minutes.

Strain the tea and then add hot milk and sweeten as desired. I made mine too strong the first time and forgot to add the milk so it was very strong!  But the second time I made it I used 1 teaspoon and it was plenty!  Deep rich flavor!

Get some of our gourmet teas, coffees or other gourmet drinks at my website today!

~Parmesan Herb Mix ~

A few weeks ago I use one of our wonderful mixes called Parmesan Herb Mix that can be used on many things.  I like to coat my potatoes with this tasty seasoning whenever I make my crock pot meatloaf. This is great on grilled chicken or other meats and also adds a great flavor to mashed potatoes or crescents before baking them.

 What you need:  Parmesan Herb Mix, potatoes (and meat loaf - I make either our yummy Mexican meatloaf or the one with the crock pot- this is the one that comes with the crock pot recipes).

 After making the meatloaf and placing in crock pot, I place the potatoes around the edge of the meat loaf as in photo.

 Sprinkle Parmesan Herb Mix generously over all the potatoes

 Such a nice flavor when they've roasted all day in the crock pot.  Why not get some Parmesan Herb Mix yourself and find out all kinds of uses for it!

~ Cajun Gumbo ~

This took a little more prep but man did my kitchen smell like a southern restaurant!!

Come see my Cajun Gumbo!

Ingredients: Cajun Gumbo gourmet cupboard mix, water, cooked meat.

  Add the contents of the package and 6 cups of water.

 Add desired amount of your choice of cooked meant (chicken, seafood or sausage). I chose a pound of shrimp...

 

 And a pound of Italian sausage cut into 1-2 inch pieces 

 Here they are combined and being kept warm while the gumbo broth is boiling. After add the cooked meat, cook for an additional 10 minutes (sorry I thought I took a picture of this but I don't see it)

 Serve over rice.  Nice!!  Hubby liked it too.  Its on the list to 'have again soon' !! Get some for yourself here!

~ Fruit Crisp ~

I made this dessert a few weeks ago. 

 Here is what is needed: Fruit Crisp Gourmet Cupboard Mix, water, 21 oz can of your choice of fruit (apples, peaches, cherry pie filling, etc).

 Instructions: Empty contents of bag into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of melted margarine.

Mix until well blended

 Drain a 21 oz can of your choice of fruit. I used 2 cans of 'lite' peaches as that is what hubby bought at the store. I think I would have liked the regular peaches in heavy syrup better.  Place in greased 8 x 8 pan.

Spread topping mixture evenly over fruit. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

I have to say this smelled wonderful baking in the oven.  The outcome? Well the peaches didn't blend with the topping very well so I didn't care for it very much. And I do not like coconut and although I tried to take most of the shredded coconut out of the mixture before I made it, I could still taste it. (See I don't always rave about everything :-) ).  I would have it again if it did not have coconut but would use something like cherry pie filling instead to give it more of a thicker fruit base to go under the baked topping. 

If you'd like to try it with your own choice of favorite fruit, please do so! 

~Country Cream Gravy Mix ~

We made this for dinner Thursday with sausage. Yum!

Ingredients: County Cream Gravy Mix and Water. That's it!

 You don't have to mix this with anything but we added a pound of cooked sausage to the gravy for biscuits and gravy. This is a picture of the sausage with the added water (see below).

Directions: Mix gravy and 1/4 water. Stir until well blended. 

 Place 3/4 water in pan on stove. Heat until boiling. As I said I made with sausage (see photo above with 3/4 cup water & sausage). Once water is boiling add gravy that you mixed with 1/4 cup water.

 

We put biscuits (Bisquick Grands) in the oven until ready 

Split the biscuits open and the ladled the creamy gravy (with sausage over top). This is one of my hubby's favorites!

You could use this gravy for many uses, not just with sausage!