Welcome to The Freshman Cook! I am so glad to see you! It has been quite a while since I have been blogging, and I am thrilled to be back in the kitchen cooking, baking and mixing up recipes to share.  If you are a peach lover this Peachy Salsa will make you very happy! If you are not crazy for peaches, it is definitely worth a try, and I just might convert you to enjoying this refreshing fruit! I wanted to make a peach salsa today because, first of all, I love peaches! They are full of flavor, can be used for so many great recipes, and I have never met anyone who didn't enjoy peaches ..read more

I love summer, but I can easily get overheated when the high temperatures hit! Once this happens, the last thing I want to do is prepare a meal, and I lose my enthusiasm for grilling. When the hottest part of summer comes around, salads are on the menu quite a bit. I often grill chicken or steak for salads early in the morning to avoid the afternoon heat, and use it later in the day, for lunch or dinner. But today I decided on a Summer Fruit Salad! I included a few things you won't find in the traditional fruit salad, but I know you will love them. All the ingredients I used are easy to find ..read more

If you are anything like me, then you are always looking for tasty and unique appetizer recipes to create. I love making them simple and loaded with flavor. These Pork BBQ Crostini pieces hit both of the goals. They are both simple and very tasty! They make the perfect addition to a backyard bbq, a holiday party, or a get together with friends. All of the ingredients are easily available at your local grocery store. Pork BBQ Crostini (recipe makes 12-15  crostini) (printable recipe at the end of this post) 1 Pork Loin sprinkle of Garlic Powder sprinkle of Black Pepper 1 medium White O ..read more

Happy 4th of July! Today I am sharing some recent and past posts of ideas for celebrating our country's birthday. I hope you find something to inspire you! Quick and Easy 4th of July Trail Mix Red, White and Blue Celebration Cookies 4th of July Shortcake Bar Star Spangled Cookies Red, White and Blue Popcorn Balls 4th of July Firecracker Marshmallow Flags Red, White & Blue Shooting Stars Easy Cherry Pie Stars 4th of July Popsicles Red, White & Blue Pretzel Treats Freedom Stars 4th of July S'mores Red, White and Blue Mini Cupcakes Red ..read more

 If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying fresh cherries on a summer day, you must try this dessert! If you have had the pleasure, you know how amazing fresh cherries are! Cherries are a "good for you" summer treat and during the peak season, I love to cook and bake with them as often as I can. They are also incredible tasting right from the bag, but don't forget to remove the pit! What is needed for Fresh Cherry Clafouti? You are going to need a cherry pitter. This is what they look like. Picture is below this paragraph. I bought this one about 2 years ago, and I use it quite often ..read more

Tortillas are the best! When I am preparing food that normally goes on bread or a biscuit, I try to see if the recipe will work using a tortilla. These Summer Fruit Tortillas are fresh and taste amazing!   Just for fun, I stuffed the tortillas with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries.  Add whipping cream, vanilla and sugar to a bowl. Beat the cream with a mixer until it thickens. Refrigerate until ready to use.  Chop the strawberries into small bite sized pieces.  Chop the bananas into small slices and then each slice into four pieces.  Save a few pi ..read more

This is the last day of Lemon Week. It has been such a fun making and sharing lemon recipes and checking out what everyone else cooked. All the recipes were so impressive and mouthwatering! I can't wait to try them! My last recipe for the week ~ Lemon Donuts! These tasty donuts have lemon in the recipe, a           vanilla glaze, and a lemon curd in the middle of the doughnut. Full of fresh lemon yumminess,  these doughnuts can be made the day before you want to serve them. Make this recipe easy by cooking the lemon curd first and refrigerate it, once i ..read more

Today for #LemonWeek I made a fun and easy treat, a Lemon Blueberry Tortilla Layer Cake! This recipe is simple to put together, has tasty fruits involved, such as lemon ?, and will satisfy your urge for whipped cream, at least for a while!     I bought some special flour tortillas to use as the layers. This recipe is totally no bake. I whipped up some whipping cream to use as the frosting portion of the cake. Add some lemon and blueberries and you will have a delicious, quick to put together, last minute snack cake! Welcome to #LemonWeek 2022 hosted by Lynn from Fresh April Fl ..read more

As the weather warms up a bit, I am excited and looking forward to all the outdoor fun that summer brings us! I also love the fact that spring and summer means it is time for home grown fruits. No matter if you grow them yourself or buy them at the grocery, fresh fruits are the best! I have a lot of ideas for some yummy recipes you and your family will love, so this week I am sharing them with you as a part of Lemon Week! This week you will find recipes from bloggers joining together to bring you fun and tasty lemon recipes that I know you, your family and your friends will love! My first re ..read more

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek.  The sponsors, Rainier Foods and Intensity Academy generously provided samples to participants to aid in the creation of the #BBQWeek recipes and prize packages to give away to the readers.  However, all opinions are mine alone. Today I made what I call "Cactus Candy"! They are simply melted candy melts, poured into a mold and after they are set up, they are decorated. I thought they would make a fun dessert to round out the week. My other recipes were Southwestern Chicken Skewers as a main dish and Cowboy Caviar for an appetizer ..read more