memorial day recipes Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on May 25, 2014

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start to summer! I am so excited for summer for the nice weather, the fresh produce, and the chilled desserts! My boyfriend and I have been taking advantage of the longer days and have started running. We have a park within walking distance from our house so we started a Couch to 5k Challenge. There is still a lot of running/walking, but we are half way through the program. It is so nice to be outside and taking advantage of the beautiful park we live near.

I made this pie a few weeks ago and it was the perfect cold dessert. I love the peanut butter/chocolate combination of the pie and topping it with chopped peanut butter cups makes it even more amazing. This pie would be the perfect Memorial Day dessert because you can make it ahead and it is cold and delicious. It’s actually even better the next day so feel free to make it a day ahead of time and chill completely in the refrigerator. Hope you all have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For Crust

16 Oreo cookies
4 tbsp. butter, melted

For Filling

½ cup peanut butter
8 oz. cream cheese (I used ⅓ fat kind), at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. milk
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts
3 cups of heavy cream
½ cup chopped peanut butter cups, for topping

Instructions

To make Pie Crust-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor pulse the Oreo cookies until finely ground. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse until butter is incorporated. In a 9" pie pan spray with non-stick spray. Dump the cookie crumbs into pie pan, spread evenly and work in to an even crust on the sides and bottom. Bake crust for 10-15 minutes until pie crust is set. Let cool completely before adding filling.

To make filling:

In the bowl of your mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip two cups of heavy cream until thick and fluffy. Put the whipped cream in a separate bowl and set aside for a later step.
Add cream cheese and confectioners' sugar to empty mixer bowl and mix together until smooth.
Beat in peanut butter, milk and chopped peanuts and beat together for about 1-2 minutes.
Gently fold in 2 cups of the whipped cream by hand until everything is combined.
Pour the filling out into the cooled crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
When serving, whip remaining whipped cream and top each slice with whipped cream and chopped peanut butter cups.

Source- Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Posted by Meaghan Barry on June 19, 2013

Herbed Potato Salad (from 2 Sisters 2 Cities)

I recently came across this recipe for Herbed Potato Salad in a recent copy of Better Homes & Gardens. While I am not one to be craving potato salad on a daily basis, I certainly appreciate it’s place as a summer side whenever we make grilled chicken, hot dogs, or hamburgers. I tend to associate potato salad with tons of creamy mayonnaise. I was very surprised how much delicious flavor this recipe had considering the relatively small amount of mayonnaise and sour cream it used. I have definitely been eating it by the spoonful before the serving bowl even hits the dinner table.

Another thing I really like about this recipe is that the method for steaming the potatoes is pretty much foolproof. I am a chronic potato under‐cookerer (yes spellcheck, I realize cookerer is not a word, but it should be.) Nothing is worse than biting into a rock hard potato center…yuck! However, they have come out perfectly done every time using this steaming method.

Bowl of Herbed Potato Salad

I have already made this Herbed Potato Salad several times this spring and I’m sure it will be making it’s way to our dinner table many more times this summer. It’s tastes even better the next day (that is, if there is any leftover!) I also love that it uses a relatively small amount of fresh herbs so that I can use my container garden supply. I’m certainly not yielding any pesto‐sized crops yet so it’s nice to be able to use my my own herbs in recipes that call for a scant amount.

Herbed Potato Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients

3 pounds small red potatoes, washed, unpeeled, and cut into 1‐inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra‐virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1‐2 tablespoon(s) fresh herbs (I have been using a combination of chives, thyme, and oregano)
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (regular or light)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon celery seed

Instructions

To prepare potatoes, boil a large pot of water and place a steamer basket just above the water line. Once the water is simmering, add the potatoes to basket. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. Allow potatoes to steam for 18‐20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool down a bit.
In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add the cooled potatoes and stir to combine. You can serve immediately or place in the fridge to be served at a later time.

Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, June 2013

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on May 23, 2013

Before K and I start delving into a whole new season of summer recipes, we wanted to share a few of our favorites from the 2S2C archives. With Memorial Day weekend coming up (seriously people, I’m pretty concerned about what just happened to the entire month of May- eek!), I have been starting to plan my menu for the holiday weekend. If you are looking for even more Memorial Day menu ideas, be sure to check out our Memorial Day Weekend and Fourth of July menu round-ups from last year. In addition, K’s post about our Fourth of July family reunion party from last year is chock-full of patriotic menu and decoration ideas. I really want to make her DIY Patriotic Pennant Banner to have on hand for all the patriotic holidays!

Even though the weather forecast is looking pretty lousy for the Boston area this weekend, I’m still hoping to do a lot of grilling. In addition, we are going to have our first lobster night of the summer- can’t wait! I’m also going to try to make some of the 10 summer recipes shown below.

10 Memorial Day Menu Ideas

Salt Potatoes: an upstate NY summer tradition

Baked Beans: a great side dish for summer cook-outs

Greek Pasta Salad: the perfect side for hot dogs and hamburgers

Orzo and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Cranberry Vinaigrette: a family favorite (and a 2S2C old-school photo flashback!)

Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip: serve with red and blue tortilla chips! {I realize I put this dish in just about every round-up that I do, but you will not regret making this for your next party!!}

$Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip$
Mediterranean Dip: this recipe is great for showcasing fresh summer produce

The Classic Margarita: get the weekend started off the right way with this perfect margarita (5 more weeks to go until I can sample one!)

Sausage, Pepper, Onion, and Potato Bake (I’m making this tonight- one of my favorite summer dishes!)

Frozen Cupcake S’mores: a great summer treat!

Patriotic Star Sugar Cookie Cut-outs: for the very ambitious Memorial Day celebraters!

Well, it looks like K is a way better summer-blogger than I am considering that 80% of the above recipes are hers. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to catch up to her pace this summer with baby #2’s arrival, but I am still hoping to share a few of my new favorite summer recipes over the next few months. What do you have planned for your Memorial Day weekend menu?

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on May 24, 2012

It’s the unofficial kick-off to summer this weekend and I have been trying to pick out a menu that captures this essence. I’ve looked through the 2 Sisters 2 Cities recipe index to find the perfect Memorial Day Weekend menu ideas:

On The Grill:

On The Side:

Orzo and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Cranberry Vinaigrette
Sweet Potato French Fries
Nantucket Birthday Clam Chowder
Sausage, Pepper, Onion and Potato Bake (this could definitely be served as a main course as well)

Dessert:

Make up a batch of red wine sangria and it’s shaping up to be a great Memorial Day weekend! What are your menu plans for this patriotic holiday?

{For even more Memorial Day weekend menu ideas, be sure to check out our 2013 Memorial Day weekend menu round-up, our 2012 Fourth of July round-up, and the menu and decor ideas from our 2012 Fourth of July party!}