Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

I made this for a summer barbecue and it turned out great. It doesn’t make a whole lot so I think I will double it next time. 

Mix together in a large bowl:

5-6 cups chopped broccoli

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C crumbled bacon

1/2 C sunflower seeds, shelled and salted

2/3 C craisins

1/3 C red onion, finely diced

Dressing:  Mix well and stir into the salad mixture

3/4 C Mayo

1/4 C sour crea,

1 1/2 TBSP white wine vinegar

3 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. 

PREPARATION

STEP 1

Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined.

Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.

Serve. Keep refrigerated if not consuming right away.

Caramel Apple Salad

About 10 years ago my mom made this recipe and I really loved it so I asked her to send me the recipe. Like a good lil' mama, she emailed it to me the next day. But somehow life must have taken over and I never got around to making it. Fast forward to 2019 and I got a hankering for it, so I searched my email and found the recipe. I made this salad for a BBQ at my boyfriend's house. It was a big hit, especially with his dad who told me it was "marketable" which I took as high praise indeed! And in case you're wondering, it really does taste like caramel apples!

1 egg
2 Tbsp. flour
1 10 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 C sugar
2 C mini marshmallows

Drain pineapple juice into a sauce pan and add sugar, flour, egg and vinegar. Cook until thick, then add marshmallows and melt. Stir in the pineapple and then put in the fridge for several hours.

Before serving add:
5 1/2 C apples, chunks
12 oz. cool whip
1 bag of caramel bits (buy them by the chocolate chips)
1 1/2 C salted peanuts, chopped

Chicken Salad

This year I have been making more of an effort to give my kids lunch options besides just sandwiches. So far I'm managing a couple times a week but it isn't even November yet. We'll have to see how good I'm doing next May! This chicken salad has been a crowd pleaser for sure and it's really easy to make.

Quick Chicken Salad

• 2 ( 12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• salt and pepper to taste
• pecans or cashews, optional

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.  Combine until well blended.
2. Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants sprinkle with some cashews or pecans.  This can also be served on a lettuce leaf.

Jello Pineapple Slices

Pour out liquid from a can of sliced pineapple.

Dissolve a 3 oz. box of any flavor jello in 1 cup boiling water (you could also use the pineapple juice and water to equal 1 cup liquid)

Pour hot Jello water over pineapple rings in the can.

Chill until set.  I would definitely suggest letting it set overnight. I tried taking mine out at about 8 hours and it was still kind of runny. Run hot water on the sides and bottom of can to loosen.  Then cut the bottom of the can and push the mold out or try to squeeze it out of the can. It is a little bit tricky and they don't come out absolutely perfect, but good enough! Cut between pineapple slices and serve.

*Optional:  top a slice with an ice cream scoop of cottage cheese or a dollop of whipped cream.

I think this would be really fun to do at Christmas time and do a red jello and a green jello and then layer them in a pattern on a platter. 

Stuffed Peppers Appetizer

My husband loves a good appetizer and these really hit the spot! In fact, I almost labeled them as a main dish because he loved them enough to just eat these! And they are incredibly easy!

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb. breakfast sausage, cooked and drained (I used a roll of Italian sausage)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package mini peppers, at least 25

Directions:
Blend the cream cheese using a hand mixer, add the sausage and shredded cheese and mix well. Wash peppers and slice in half and clean out the seeds. Mound cheese/sausage mixture generously on each half until you've used it all up. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Esquites (aka Mexican Corn Salad)

We all loved this Mexican Corn Salad recipe. The only problem is that I didn't make enough the first time so this is the recipe doubled for future reference. I didn't double the lime juice though because I thought it was a little too intense on the original recipe. 

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 cans corn, drained or 4 ears fresh corn cut off cob
• 1/2 Jalapeno seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or half greek yogurt, half Mayo)
• 2 clove of garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 Tablespoons Cojita cheese (or Mexican blend cheese)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder to taste
• 2 avocados, diced

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add corn and allow it to char on the bottom of the pan, then stir and char one more time.
3. Add jalapeno, mix and remove from heat.
4. Place corn mixture into a bowl and add mayonnaise, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, cheese, chili powder and avocado.
5. Gently fold ingredients until mixed through.
6. Serve warm or chilled, your choice. I like them both!

Sesame Noodles

I was looking for an easy Asian side dish to go with my sweet and sour chicken recipe and I ran across this really easy recipe for sesame noodles. I didn't have any sesame oil, but was able to make a substitute by sauteing 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame seeds in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil until golden brown. It gave me the sesame oil taste, but I did add a bit of vegetable oil to the sauce to make up for the fact that there was very little actual oil in my substitute. I also didn't have green onions so I just used some finely diced red onion and that worked great. Next time I'll probably add some peas but, alas, I was also out of peas. Um....it sounds like someone should probably go shopping! These noodles can be eaten hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. I'm thinking these would actually be a good alternate to put in my kids lunches for school sometimes. They are super easy to make and the kids gobbled them up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound (16 oz.) linguine or spaghetti 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot chili oil
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• optional garnishes: extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, coarsely-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions in a large pot of generously salted water.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and sriracha (or hot chili oil). Whisk until combined. When the pasta is ready, drain it. Then immediately toss with the dressing and 1/2 cup green onions until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with extra garnishes if desired.

Lebanese Lemon Parsley Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

1 can black beans

1 small red onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced in half or thirds lengthwise and chopped

1 ripe red tomato, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 teaspoon salt

Zesty Italian Dressing

Instructions:

1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, celery, tomato, cucumber, parsley and dill (or mint).
2. Make the lemon dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper flakes until emulsified. Pour dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. At this point I wanted a bit more flavor so I added a few generous squirts of Zesty Italian Dressing. Serve immediately for the most flavor, or let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of hours or longer. 

This is a great salad to take to a potluck or picnic because there's no mayo or cool whip to have sitting out on the table or in the sun.  And it tastes really good, nothing like the waxy bean salads you can buy in the store!

Strawberry Fluff Fruit Salad

Technically, this recipe was supposed to be Orange Fluff Salad, but we didn't have Orange jello. Since the criteria for our Family Potluck Dinner Extravaganza was to use ingredients we had on hand, we swapped it out for Strawberry.  Garrett, age 7, also insisted that we add mandarin oranges and marshmallows even though it wasn't called for in the original recipe. Since he was the chef on duty (and because his request wasn't too outrageous!) we decided to let our inner rebels run wild! This salad was really delicious and easy. It does require prepping a few hours ahead so it has enough time to chill.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
• small box of orange Jello
• 8 oz of cream cheese
• 8 oz of whipped topping
• 2 small cans mandarin oranges (optional)
• mini marshmallows (optional)

 Add entire can of pineapple (undrained) to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add orange jello and stir well.  Boil about 2 minutes. Cube cream cheese and add that to jello mixture.  Stir until most of cream cheese is melted.  Pour into a large flat dish and put in the freezer or refrigerator.  Once your mixture starts to congeal, remove and stir in the 8 oz package of whipped topping.  Put your dish in the refrigerator to set up for at least 3 hours before serving.

Pasta Salad

My son, Zac, age 9, is a pasta fanatic. Whenever I ask what we should have for dinner he ALWAYS asks for pasta. He doesn't care if it's spaghetti, or baked ziti, or stuffed manicotti as long as it's pasta! So for his part in our dinner it seemed appropriate that he should draw the Pasta Salad. Now, granted, this isn't exactly a "new" recipe, per our criteria in the previous post about our family potluck dinner experience, but it has been a really long time since I'd made it, so I decided it would count. There's not really a set recipe for this one. Just cook the pasta you want, add any vegetables, cheese, pre-cooked/cured meats (salami, pepperoni, ham etc.) Liberally coat with Italian dressing and salt and pepper to taste. We used the ingredients listed below, but you could alter it to what you like.

Ingredients:

1 16oz pkg. rotini or bowtie pasta
1 carrot, diced
5 green onions, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
broccoli, chopped
1 can olives, sliced
1 can corn
1 cucumber, diced
cheese, cubed
Italian dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese (optional)*

Cook pasta in salted water. Rinse with cold water to cool. Stir in vegetables, olives, and parmesan cheese. Add Italian dressing and salt and pepper to taste.

*I don't like the parmesan cheese in this salad. I think it makes it tastes "gritty." 

Healthy Egg Salad Sandwiches

I am not a huge fan of eggs or mayonnaise but I really liked this sandwich. The Greek yogurt cuts way back on the calories and it tastes really great. Makes a really fast, easy, dinner or lunch.

12 large eggs, boiled and peeled

2/3 cup low-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut each egg in half and place in food processor bowl. Pulse 10-12 times until eggs are broken up into small pieces, being careful not to overdo it and puree the eggs. (Or, chop the eggs with a knife.) In a separate large bowl, use a fork to whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt, and pepper. Add the chopped eggs and mix lightly with the fork until well combined.
 

Eat it as a sandwich with a good roll, or on a bed of lettuce, or with a tomato flower (slice wedges. starting at the top, in a tomato without cutting all the way through to the bottom. The wedges will fan out to make a flower like shape)

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
8 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce, OR basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Thyme (optional, I don't like Thyme so I always leave it out)
 Swiss cheese slices 1/2 tsp

Directions: In a large pan saute onions and garlic in one cup of the broth. Cook until the broth is completely evaporated and onions are caramelized. They should become a nice brown color without becoming burned. This is the step that gives the soup such a nice flavor.

Meanwhile, add broth, worcestershire, salt, pepper and Thyme (if using) to a crockpot. Add caramelized onions and cook on high for 4 hours or on low 8 hours.

Just before serving ladle soup into individual dishes and put a slice of cheese on top. Then either microwave for about a minute until cheese is melted or if you're using oven safe dishes you can put them in the oven for a few minutes. Also, it really is best to use swiss cheese. I ran out and tried cheddar instead on a couple and they weren't as good. Since this is really more of a broth it wouldn't be enough to be considered a main dish. I served this with grilled cheese sandwiches. Everyone in the family really liked it!

Mexican Fried Rice

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice (I used basmati rice)

4 cups vegetable stock or any stock of your choice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cup chopped colored bell peppers

1/2 cup sweet corn kernels

1 can stewed tomatoes (diced is best, but you can chop up larger tomato pieces)

1 can black beans *

1 can diced green chillies

1 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 tsp red chill powder, Optional

Salt to taste

1/3 cup canola oil

 

* My picture doesn't show the black beans but I do like them. When I made this batch we were having friends over for dinner who don't like beans so I left them out. 

 

**I like it a little spicier so I do add a can of Rotel. 

 

Directions:
Rinse the rice really well. This is important so the rice doesn't clump. Then cook the rice in the 4 cups of broth. I use my rice cooker, but you could do it on the stove if you have mad rice cooking skills (I don't....hence the assistance of Cuisinart!) It's best if you do the rice ahead of time because it needs to be cold before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. I usually refrigerate it overnight. Warm rice will clump.

Then add the oil to a frying pan and saute the garlic, onion, and peppers. Add the tomatoes (if they aren't diced you'll want to chop them up a bit) and the corn, chilies, and black beans. Then add the salt and spices and fry for a bit, stirring occasionally.

Cucumber Salad

One of my neighbors gave me a bag of cucumbers this week so I decided to make this cucumber salad recipe that I'd seen on Pinterest.  I did it as the recipe called for but I have altered it a bit because I thought the vinegar was too strong.  This is my altered version.  I really liked it.  It's very crisp and "summery."  Though, admittedly, not for everyone.  It does have A LOT of flavor!

4 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 large  sliced red onion
1 large  sliced green bell  pepper (or color of your choice)
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp celery flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic 

In a bowl place cucumbers, onion, peppers, salt, celery flakes, red pepper flakes and gently stir.  

Bring to a boil the vinegar,water,and garlic .  Then add two large handfuls of ice.

Pack vegetable mixture tightly into 2 quart jars (or 4 pints). Pour slightly cooled liquid mixture into the jars until they are full.  Keep in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Original recipe from Pinterest can be found Here.

Cheesecake Fruit Salad

1 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you can use regular cream cheese but this helps cut a few calories.)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

dash salt

2 cup whipping cream

Enough fruit to give the salad the amount of bulk you want.  For mine I used 2 bananas (sliced and coated with orange juice so they didn't brown), 1 can chunk pineapple, 1 can mandarin oranges, about 20 grapes (halved), and almost 1 lb of strawberries (sliced) I'll admit I was trying to use up the fruit I had in the house before going on a family trip so it wouldn't go bad. You could really use whatever kind of fruit your family prefers.

 

Graham crackers, optional

 

Add cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to the bowl of a mixer.  With the whisk attachment, beat until smooth 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Once smooth, add whipping cream and whisk at medium speed until thickened.  About 2-3 minutes, the whisk will leave 'trails' in the mixture.

 

Then fold in the fruit and refrigerate until chilled (a couple of hours) You can sprinkle crushed graham cracker over the top.  

I borrowed/lifted/plagiarized this recipe from my friend Amanda. I know she won't mind but you really should go check out her blog.  She has the best recipes ever!  And she takes good pictures of everything like a real blogger! http://www.girlplusfood.net/2013/07/berry-cheesecake-salad-red-white-and.html

Bacon Ranch and Tomato Pasta Salad

I recently made this for a barbeque we went to with a group of friends.  It was a real hit! I did add a bit of corn to the mixture because I didn't have quite enough tomatoes and I wanted a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounce) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 C mayonnaise
3/4 C buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
salt and pepper

1. Cook your bacon, either on the stove top or on a large cookie sheet in your oven. When it is cooked through remove it to a plate and pat the grease off with some paper towels. Set it aside.

2. Boil your pasta according to package directions. Pour it into a strainer that you have placed in your sink. Pour cold water all over the pasta until it comes to room temperature. Set it aside.

3. Slice the little grape tomatoes in half and toss them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Chop up 3 green onions and add them to the tomatoes.

 5. Pour your cooked pasta into the bowl.

 6. In a small mixing bowl combine 3/4 C sour cream, 3/4 Cup mayonnaise, 3/4 C buttermilk and one Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Stir it well to combine, making sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

7. Crumble up your bacon and add it to the pasta mixture.

8. Pour half of the dressing over the top of the pasta and stir it well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, or until you are ready to serve. Make sure to refrigerate the remaining dressing as well.

 9. When you are ready to eat this tasty salad, pour the remaining dressing over the top. Stir it well, making sure all of the ingredients are covered with dressing. Taste it and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

I got this recipe from here.

Roasted Cabbage

I got 2 large cabbages in my Bountiful Basket and I really don't cook a lot with cabbage.  So I went looking for a new recipe to try.  This was so easy and turned out really good.  Just slice your cabbage into about 1/2 inch thick round sections.  Spray a jelly roll pan and place the cabbage on the pan.  Then either drizzle olive oil on the cabbage rounds or put a dab or two of butter on each round.  Then sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt, or garlic salt, and ground pepper on top. (I actually did a no-salt seasoning mix on mine which is why there looks like a lot.  You probably wouldn't want to put it that thick if your seasoning contains a lot of salt)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes until slightly browned and tender crisp. 

Parmesan Roasted Vegetables

 This is a very easy and a tasty way to eat your squash.  Even my pickiest eater begged for more.  And my husband, who seems to have squashaphobia, ate a big plate full and loved it.

• Zucchini and Summer Squash (I used 3 small squash of each variety to fill the whole jelly roll pan)
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop your squash into large, chunky slices about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Spray a cookie sheet with a light coat of olive oil.
4. Line up your squash slices. Don’t worry about leaving any space between them.
5. Spray a light coat of olive oil over the top of the squash.
6. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper and then parmesan cheese on the squash slices.
7. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until they have a very light golden hue to them, and you can easily push a fork through them.

Honey Glazed Carrots

These were really good and my husband thought they were dripping in butter.....but they weren't!  They do have some oil but not a whole lot.

Mix Together:

2 Tbs. orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cut 1 lb. of carrots into thin strips and then toss will the liquid mixture until coated.  Place as a single layer on a foil covered large jelly roll pan.  Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until they are tender.

Cheesy Potatoes

Sometimes these are called Funeral Potatoes but that's just downright depressing....so to keep the mood a little lighter we're going with Cheesy Potatoes!

Ingredients:
1 (2 lb) package of frozen hash brown potatoes
3 green onions, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Topping:
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 cups of crushed cornflakes (which comes out to about 3 cups cornflakes before you crush them)

Mix all ingredients and place in a greased 9 X 13 casserole dish.  Sprinkle cornflake topping evenly over potato mixture.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  You can prepare this a day ahead and refrigerate, but it with need to cook longer.