About Melissa Young

A Little about me: My name is Melissa Young and I am Senior Director of Mission Delivery, Client Services/MRI. I have my MSW from the University of Pennsylvania. In my spare time I enjoy playing golf and tennis, cooking, and spending time with my family and friends.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Bacon

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Melissa Young

Do you love grilling season? I love grilled corn, especially with bacon. When you wrap corn with bacon it adds additional flavor and tenderness to the corn. Brush the corn with butter at the end if you would like. It is easy and yummy! Continue reading →

Pea and Bacon Pasta Salad

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Melissa Young

July 4th is almost here! This recipe only takes a few minutes to make and is fantastic to serve to a crowd. This is the perfect summer pasta salad to serve warm or cold too!! Continue reading →

Memorial Day Cookie Cake

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Melissa Young

With Memorial Day coming up next week, it’s time to think about stars and stripes!!! Memorial Day cookie cake is a quick and easy dessert to take to your Memorial Day picnic or family BBQ. This treat is soft, chewy and smells amazing. It will be loved by all. Continue reading →

Chicago Area Resource Guide

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Melissa Young

MSAA is pleased to highlight a few towns across the country to showcase local resources and support for the MS community. The first area we are highlighting is in and around Chicago, IL. The resources provided below can assist those who live in the area get connected to MS Centers and helpful programs throughout the region. We hope you find this guide to navigating local resources helpful! Continue reading →

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Melissa Young

Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese frosting is so yummy! This moist cake is made with bananas, pineapple, pecans and delicious spices. Every bite of this Bundt cake is satisfying and sweet!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ cup salted butter, softened
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 can-8 oz crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 4 1/2 cups sifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F.
Grease a standard bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed together.
Beat in bananas and pineapple. Fold in pecans.
Stir in flour mixture just until combined.
Carefully pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 70 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack
Let cool completely.

To make the frosting: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, to make a smooth frosting.

Happy Baking!

Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow (for humans)

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Melissa Young

Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow is the perfect treat for the holiday. An amazing combination of salty and sweet! With a few simple ingredients you can munch on this fun sweet treat right away.

This recipe is so easy and you only need a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Chex Mix Cereal (any variety)
White chocolate chips – 1 package
Powdered Sugar – about 1 cup
Mini Pretzels Twists
M&Ms – Valentine colors
(2) Gallon-sized Plastic Bags
Parchment paper

Directions:

Grab a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Set it aside. Next, you’ll divide your Chex Mix between two plastic bags and set aside.
Now, melt your white chocolate in the microwave for about 20 seconds, mix and heat again until melted.
Pour the candy in the plastic bags and toss/shake around to coat all the cereal.
Add your powdered sugar and toss that to cover the candy coated cereal pieces.
Now, add in your pretzels and mix.
Finally, place it on your cookie sheet and sprinkle your red, pink & white M&Ms.

Happy Valentines’ Day!

Bisquick Quiche

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Melissa Young

This Bisquick Quiche Recipe was a Bisquick recipe on a box at some point, and I still use it and love it every time I make it for my family.

This recipe is simply the easiest and best quiche ever! It can be an easy vegetarian recipe too, just add your favorite veggies (minus the bacon)!!

Ingredients

12 slices of bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 Cup Swiss cheese, shredded (about 4 ounces)
1/3 Cup onion, diced
2 Cups milk
1 Cup Bisquick
4 Eggs
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
Lightly grease a 10-inch pie plate.
Sprinkle the crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and diced onion evenly over the bottom of the pie plate.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper and then stir in the milk.
Add in the Bisquick and beat until smooth – it must be smooth to work.
Pour the liquid mixture over the ingredients in the pie plate.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Italian Soft Biscuits

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Melissa Young

This month’s recipe comes from MSAA Staffer, Kaitlyn G.

My grandmother’s recipe for Italian Soft Biscuits always reminds me of the holiday season. They are the perfect treat for those who want to make something simple, but still get in the holiday spirit! Jazz them up with red, green, or blue sprinkles and you’ll have the perfect dessert for any holiday party. Enjoy!

Ingredients for biscuits:

¼ lb. of butter
1 ½ cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of anise
3 cups of flour

Ingredients for icing:

1 ¼ cups of powdered sugar
3 tablespoons of milk
½ teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Instructions for biscuits:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time into the batter. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and anise. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add this to the batter. Grease and flour three cookie sheets – the batter will create about 9 rows of dough. Put three rows onto each cookie sheet. Put in the oven for 15-20 mins. Allow the biscuits to cool.

Instructions for icing:

Combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon juice into a bowl, and mix with spatula until icing consistency is similar to milk. Once the biscuits are cool, drizzle icing over top of the rows and then cut the rows to the size you would like. Throw some colorful sprinkles on the top to complete the dessert!

Candied Sweet Potatoes/Yams

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Melissa Young

This is a simple and quick way to enjoy a Thanksgiving classic! Canned yams or sweet potatoes may be used. Bruce’s Brand of canned yams is easy to find this time of year at your local grocery store. It is a crowd pleaser and easy to make.

Ingredients

1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place sweet potatoes/yams in a medium baking dish. Place butter pieces evenly over the top of sweet potatoes/yams. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Layer with miniature marshmallows.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes and marshmallows have melted.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving from my table to yours!

Butternut Squash Fries

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Melissa Young

Welcome fall! Here is a simple and delicious recipe for Butternut Squash Fries. I am a sucker for anything fries. This recipe is great with several dipping sauces too! Be creative and have fun.

This recipe is also great for last-minute dinner emergencies. If you need a side dish for a potluck or party, this would be a perfect go-to.

Ingredients:

1 small (1-2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and sliced into “fries”
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne powder

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450F.
Place the fries into a bowl with the olive oil. Toss until all the fries are coated. Season with remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
Pour onto baking tray and evenly spread out so no pieces overlap. Place into oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip, and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached.

Enjoy!

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