Fresh Corn Salad

I got this recipe from my Barefoot Contessa Cookbook - one of my fav's. I am always looking for ways to get more fruits and veggies into the mouths of my babes (and hubs) this is a good one. The following is the original recipe:

Fresh Corn Salad
5 ears corn, shucked
1/2 c red onion, diced
3 T cider vinegar
3 T EVOO
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c chiffonade fresh basil leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. drain and immerse the corn in ice water. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob. toss the corn in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients except for the basil. just before serving, toss in the basil. Serve chilled or at room temp. The book says to use fresh, not frozen corn - I always use corn in the package (from costco) and I think it tastes great!

The only differences I've made were eliminating the basil and adding 1 T sugar (we are talking about my hubs and 3 kids under the age of 6 here).

Aunt Leah's Chicken Salad

Ever since Krystal posted her "Grandma D's Chicken Salad" recipe - I've had a craving for my Aunt Leah's recipe. She makes this for every baby shower, every bridal shower in our family (and we have a HUGE family!) Thanks for the recipe Aunt Leah! XOXO
Aunt Leah’s Chicken Salad (sandwiches)
4 chicken breasts shredded or cubed
3/4 c celery diced
1 cup grapes halved
1 small can Mandarin Oranges drained
1 small can Pineapple tidbits drained
1/2 c Miracle Whip
1/2 c Sour Cream
2 T onion diced
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4-1/2 c sliced almonds (toasted)

Mix together and let chill overnight. Serve on croissants.
We had this on the Sunflower Wheat bread I posted yesterday - so yummy! I also made this morning - and we ate it for dinner - so you don't necessarily have to chill overnight. And I waited until the last minute to add the almonds - I love a good 'crunch'!!

Sunflower Whole Wheat Bread

I got this recipe from an old “Dutch Oven Style” cookbook my hubs bought 'for me' at the Sportsman’s Warehouse several years ago. Mmmmm…. My hubs loves wheat bread - with enthusiasm. This is hands down his fav bread - sandwich bread - french toast bread - snacking bread - toast bread. Give it a try - you'll never buy Great Harvest bread again.Sunflower Whole Wheat Bread
3 cups warm water
¾ c honey
1 ½ T dry active yeast (4 1/2 t)
¼ c butter, softened
4 cups whole wheat flour
3 – 6 cups unbleached flour (I just use regular old flour)
2 t salt
1 c sunflower seeds

Combine and mix the water, honey and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add butter, wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached flour, salt and sunflower seeds. Slowly add 2 – 3 cups unbleached flour. Mix until combined. Flour your surface and knead dough for a few minutes. 

Place it, in a greased bowl and turn the dough to grease its top. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth in a warm place for about an hour. 

After it rises for an hour, knead the dough for 1 minute, cover again and let rise til double (about an hour). 

Punch down a second time. Divide the dough in half, shape and place in 2 5 x 9” loaf pans. Place loaves in a warm place and let rise to the top of the pans, about 45 minutes. Bake the loaves at 350 for about 1 hour or until they are well browned and hollow sounding then tops are tapped. Turn loaves out onto a rack to cool.

These breads I post really are super easy - you just have to make them when you have a day at home. Laundry day, sick day, lazy day - they honestly take very little effort - most of it is the waiting around time! Let me reiterate that I don't have a bread machine - I don't even have a kitchenaid - all I have are my hands and a wooden spoon. Don't be intimidated (like I used to be!!) My kids and I are sitting here right now eating warm pieces of this delicious bread - for dessert - (that is how good it is) is there anything better? My hubs will be so stoked when he walks in the door and smells this bread - it's one of his favs. Coming home to the sweet smell of baking? Oh yeah.

Potatoes Three Ways

Photo is the "Chunky Mashed" version...

Twice Baked Potatoes
8 russet Potatoes
2 sticks butter
1 c sour cream
1 c cheddar
1 c bacon bits
1/4 t Seasoned Salt
Black pepper to taste
Milk
Green onion
No precise mesurements. Wash and place 8 potatoes on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes – making sure they’re sufficiently cooked through. Within a few minutes after you remove the potatoes from the oven, you need to begin scraping them out. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and with a large spoon, scrape out the insides into a bowl. Lay the empty shells on a cookie sheet.
Add 2 sticks (= 1 c) softened butter to the bowl. Add bacon, sour cream and mash together. Add the seasoned salt, pepper, onion and milk (if needed). Fill the empty potato shells with mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is warmed through and the cheese is melted on top.


Same ingredients – different prep – half the time

Chunky Mashed Potatoes
All the same ingred. Listed above. Except – peel and cube potatoes. Boil until fork tender. Add all other ingredients and voila!


Same ingredients – different prep – good for leftovers of either the Twice Baked or the Chunky Mashed

Potato Cheese Soup
All the same prep as the “Chunky Mashed” but add more milk – so that is the consistency of a nice and creamy potato cheese soup. I usually freeze my leftover Chunky Mashed or Twice Baked and stick them in this soup when we are havin’ a chilly day!

Ode to Macaroni

This is my personal fav mac n' cheese - I think I got this recipe from Picky Palate http://picky-palate.com/ over a year ago - she is a great cook - and has a TON of ideas.

Jack Mac n' Cheese

1 lb dry elbow pasta noodles
2 T EVOO
1/2 c white onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1 T jalapeno, diced seeds and membrane removed
2 c cooked shredded rotisserie chicken
3 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 c butter
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 call purpose flour
14 oz can tomatoes with green chilis, milk
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
5 c whole milk
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar
2 1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack
1/2 c cream cheese, softened
2 T melted butter
1 c plain Panko bread crumbs

Cook pasta for about 10 min or until al dente, drain and reserve. preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat. add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno saute until tender add chicken, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes; saute for 3 or 4o more min, remove from het and set aside. in a separate large pot over med heat, melt butter. remove from heat and whisk in flou, salt and pepper until sooth. place back on med-high heat, slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boile while continuously whisking. reduce heat and stire in Cheddar, Monterey Jack and cheddar until melted and smooth. stir in cooked pasta and chicken mix. Pour mac and cheese mix into a greased 3 qt. casserole. in a med bowl, combine butter and panko. toss to coat and sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the M&C. bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crumbs are browned.

My kids don't like baked macaroni - their little palates are pretty unrefined- this is the recipe my kiddos request the most...

Mac For My Peeps
1/2 block of Velveeta
Milk
Salt & Pepper
Pasta

I use whatever pasta I have on hand - whatever is requested - my kids like the funny shapes. Split the loaf of Velveeta in half and then into cubes. Add milk, salt and pepper to taste. I usually melt the Velveeta in the micro and add the milk, salt and pepper in for the last round. It's easy to tell what effect the milk has on the cheese. Just add 1/4 c at a time until you find the consistency you like. Pour over hot pasta and serve. EASY. Plus, you can always add in according to your tastes, I've added bacon, onion, and ground beef or chicken to make it more of a one pot meal etc. Velveeta also sells "Pepper Jack" and "Mexican Mild" to add a little more kick.

Crunchy Asian Salad

UPDATED Crunchy Asian Salad
Crunchy Asian Salad
Dressing:

¾ cup vegetable oil
4½ Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
4½ Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

2 pkg ramen noodles
1 head of cabbage (you can use 2 pkgs coleslaw blend)
Green onions a bunch
½ c sunflower seeds
½ c sliced almonds

Make dressing - shake it up a bit to help it meld. Set in the fridge while you do everything else. Break (dry) noodles apart (discard seasoning packets) and toast with the sliced almonds - set aside. Add cabbage, onions and dressing. Let chill in fridge for at least an hour. I usually add the ramen and almonds just before serving.

Blue Cheese & Tomato Dip

This is for the "Go To Appetizer Request"
I have already posted a few of my 'go to' favs - Texas Caviar, Artichoke Dip and Chili Con Queso Dip. I make Texas Caviar and Artichoke Dip because they are super easy and delicious. I make the Queso by request - a bit hit!! This next recipe I got from my friend JenO - she made it for every baby shower or bridal shower for years - always by request - always a winner.

Blue Cheese and Tomato Dip
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 small container crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
1/3 c Balsamic vinegar
1/3 c EVOO
Crush as much garlic as you think you can stand
Mix all ingredients and serve at room temperature. Right before serving, throw a couple of teaspoons of sugar to cut the acidity. Serve with bread chunks or crackers.

Sugar Fingers

I started making these faux French Fries for April Fool's Day a couple years ago (the pic is from Fool's Day - I cut the dough down so they appear more like fries). They were such a big hit though, that I've made them often for dessert. My little boy graduated from Kindergarten and tonight, for his Graduation Party - I asked him to pick the menu - he said "Easy! Pizza, breadsticks and sugar fingers with jelly." This post is more of an idea - or inspiration. All you need is a can of grocery bought breadsticks, bake them per directions, when they are done cooking, spread with butter and sprinkle with sugar. I serve with strawberry jelly (I warm up the jelly a bit for better dipage).

Easy Crescent Rolls

Everyone has a recipe for crescent rolls. I grew up with my Mom’s amazing crescent rolls. They were so delicious – and always the first thing to go. They are also extremely labor intensive, so much so that they were only made for holiday’s. That being said… a few years ago, I got this recipe from my sister. She promised “better than Mom’s and so easy it’s ridiculous” I was curious – better than my Mom’s? Little labor? Was this possible? I actually made these rolls as almost a dare – there is no way there are rolls out there that are better than my Mom’s – and that are super easy. She was right (as all big sisters are). Delicious and so easy - great when you take dinner to a friend. I make these rolls at least twice a month. I make a batch of ‘small’ ones for dinner and a batch of ‘big ones’ for sandwiches. It’s all in the ‘cut’ The picture shows the 2 sizes.

Megan’s Favorite Rolls
4 t yeast
½ c melted shortening (cooled)
1 ½ c warm water
1 ½ t salt
3 eggs
4 ½ c flour
Dissolve yeast in water. Add all other ingredients. Stir and let rise 2 hours. Split in half. Roll out on floured surface in a circle. Brush with butter. Cut into 12 slices. Roll up from the end. Let rise 1 more hour. Bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes – until just golden on top.
*shortening – room temp – I’ll microwave it for about 30 seconds right when I start – it’ll be cooled by the time you are ready for it.

Dill Cucumber Salad

This is the original recipe, from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I made the ‘dressing’ last night – to make sure the flavors had plenty of time to marry. But, for lunch today – I decided to do something special with my 4 year old. My oldest (boy) is in (all day) Kindergarten and my youngest (girl) is 16 months. Every day when I put my baby to bed – my 4 year old and I do something special together ‘Mommy & Me’ time, because today is the last day of school –we will have to take a break from our regular routine. So, instead of making the Cucumber Salad as a side for dinner (as intended), I used it for our ‘High Tea’ end of the regular ‘M&M’ schedule celebration. We had tea (water with lemon) and cucumber (with this Dill dressing) tea sandwiches. She was in heaven. So – use it how you please – it’s a goody.

Dill Cucumber Salad
2 lg cucumbers, peeled and sliced
½ c thinly sliced onion
1 T fresh dill or 1 t dried dillweed (my garden again! I can’t believe I’ve never planted one before – so easy and so worth it)
1 T white vinegar
½ t salt
¼ t sugar
¾ c sour cream

Add all ingredients in bowl except the cucumber and onion. Mix together well and fold in onion and cucumber.

BLT Salad

Another obvious dinner. The only reason I post the 'obvious' recipes - is for inspiration. Sometimes I see a commercial, or look in my fridge and see lettuce and tomato and think - what can I make that would be super delish? Tonight - I made...

Lettuce, chopped
Onion, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Cucumbers, diced,
Avocado, diced
Crumbled bacon (Kirkland/Hormel - make such amazing crumbled bacon - not like Baco's at all!) Cheddar, shredded
Croutons
Ranch dressing

Add ingredients to your liking - and yum. I always make the HVR dry packet for my ranch dressing - I don't know why, but it tastes a million times better when I make it (and I follow the directions on the package!) Also, I make my own croutons, not because I think they are particularly great - but just because I don't like to waste food. When I made the italian bread for our hot sub, the recipe made 2 loaves. My hubs is out of town and that second loaf has just been sitting there - and I know it will sit there at least until he gets home - or will go bad. So, I made croutons with it. My croutons are good - but I know someone makes 'em better!

Cinnamon Rolls

This was from a previous post - but I posted it with another recipe - I just wanted to seperate the two for 'searching' purposes.

If you want to impress (your hubs boss – or your in-laws!) make these…

CINNAMON ROLLS
Makes 20 rolls
Dough:
¼ c warm water
1 T yeast
1 c warm milk
½ c canola (or veg) oil
½ c sugar
1 t salt
5 – 5 ½ c flour
2 eggs

Filling:
6 T softened butter
½ c granulated sugar
½ c brown sugar
2 t ground cinnamon

Optional: walnuts, raisins, dates Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Measure the water into a small bowl and add the yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand 5 minutes. Heat the milk in the micro and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, sugar and salt. Mix in 1 cup of the flour. Add the eggs and beat again. Stir in the yeast mixture. Adding 1 cup at a time, stir in 4 more cups of flour. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest.

Lightly grease the mixing bowl and put the dough in it. Spray plastic wrap with Pam and cover the bowl. Let rise until the dough is doubled in bulk, 1 to ½ hours. Grease a 12x18” sheet pan and set aside. Punch down the dough. Rollout the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 20x14” or larger. Spread generously with the butter. Mix both sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle the mix over the dough. Starting on the long side of the dough – roll up the dough into a tightly rolled log. (So, you don’t want a short, fat log – you want a long, thinner log).

Mark the center of the roll with a knife – then mark evenly spaced rolls on the entire log. Slice with a strand of heavy duty thread or dental floss. Place the thread under the dough; crisscross it over the dough, and pull quickly to make a clean cut for each roll. *I thought this was a funny tip – but it works awesome – and doesn’t flatten the roll!

Place the rolls in prepared pan(s). Cover the filled pans with dish towels and let rise again until nearly double – about 30 minutes. This is when I usually make the frosting (below). Preheat the oven to 400°. When the rolls have risen, bake 10 – 15 minutes, until just lightly browned. Frost the rolls while they are still hot!!

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T butter, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1 t milk
½ t vanilla extract
1 t lemon juice
Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.

Kids Fav Cheese Quesadillas

Even the name is simple. I hope you all don't think I am crazy for posting this - b/c it is so obvious, but I swear - everytime I make these with another adult in the room - they are surprised that they never thought about doing this way and at how much of a difference this process makes in taste.
I babysit a friends son, Mason every Monday. When his Mom came over to pick him up, the kids were just finishing up these nummies. Mason pipes up "deeyas! deeyas!" His Mom said "so these are the 'deeyaas' Mason talks about all the time! Every time he asks me for one, I pop it in the microwave and he won't eat it!" He says "No, Mrs. V's deeyaas!" These are my tools - skillet and spatula. I invested a whopping $3 in the 'big' spatula (left) and it's really great for quesadillas, omlettes, crepes, etc. I set the 'regular' spatula next to it so you could see the difference in size. Sorry - they are dirty - but they get used!!

Put your skillet on with the temp on high. A pat of butter and a tortilla. Add cheese (cheddar is the preference around here) and top it off with another tortilla. Just like a pancake - flip it when its nice and golden on the bottom. Take it off the heat when golden on the other side.

You can mix it up to your liking. I always add black beans and onion to mine. Yum - fast - yum. See - duh. Simple. They charge $6 for these at any mexican restaraunt!!!

Dressings

I used to be so intimidated about making my own salad dressing. My sister in law, Mary makes all of her own dressings - I would watch her make them (using an immersion blender - drooling here). She never uses measurements, just eyeballs everything and then blends them with her immersion blender (love).
I was never confident in my abilities - or kitchen accessories - to attempt homemade dressing, but I was constantly unsatisfied with what is available at the grocery store. I mainly ate salads at restaraunts because those dressings were the only ones up to my standards (wow - sounds like I am a dressing snob!)
In an experimental mood one day at the grocery store - I picked up a dry packet of Ranch and a dry packet of Italian. This has lead to a life altering change in my dinner habits!! I realized that making your own dressing is the way to go!
Hidden Valley Ranch dry packets are ALWAYS in stock at my house. I use them all the time. Homemade HVR (following the directions on the box) is about 100 x better than the HVR bottled stuff!! The dry packet is also used as a base in most of the dressings I make! It's easy, cheap, fresh and most dressings keep for about a month.
Trust me on this one - you don't need any special tools, just a wisk (or a fork will do!) Most dressings are made with stuff you have in your fridge right now - and you will serve salad as your 'go to' side every night for dinner!! The recipe posted below is the original 'intimidator' from my sis in law Mary...

Mary's Vinaigrette
Equal parts EVOO and *Vinegar
1 shallot finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 T mustard (I like Grey Poupon)
Blend - yum.
*You can use any of the following: lemon juice, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar - it just depends on what you have on hand - or what your preference is.

Get to it!

Chicken - An Experiment

When I made my Chili's salad the other night, I started thinking... what does my hubs usually get there? Baby Back Ribs (posting soon) or the Honey chipotle chicken crispers. I deferred to research online with no luck whatsoever. I knew I'd couldn't even get close to the Chili's recipe mainly because I don't own a deep frier (if I did, I'd weigh about 400 lbs.) So, this recipe is more of an "Ode to the taste" of the original.

I made this chicken 3 ways. Sounds complicated - it's not. Because 2 of my kids are allergic to eggs - I have to make adjustments sometimes. This is what I came up with...

Chipotle Chicken 'Crispers'
2 T chipotle sauce (Tabasco brand makes one)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 c panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Blend together the chipotle sauce, mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste until the mixture is smooth. In a baking pan arrange the chicken pieces in one layer and coat them completely with the mayonnaise mixture. Chill the chicken, covered, for at least 1 hour.

In a large bowl combine the panko (I am sure you can use bread crumbs too - panko is just something I always have in stock), salt and pepper to taste and coat each piece of chicken with the panko mixture. Arrange the chicken pieces on a lightly oiled baking sheet – spray the chicken with Pam to help them brown. Bake at 425°F turning them once for 20 to 25 minutes.

Adjustments: Chipotle is pretty spicy. For my kiddos, I eliminated the chipotle on their pieces. As for the allergy babies, instead of the mayo mixture - I used honey. Everything else was the same.

Dipping Sauce:

Honey Chipotle Sauce
1 c mayo
2 T Grey poupon
½ c Honey
2 T Chipotle sauce
1 T cider vinegar

The hit of the night was the dipping sauce. The chicken turned out great - crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Add the dipping sauce and you have a hit! I served it with steak fries.

*No pics. As most experiments go in my house - first round is not pretty - but tastes amazing.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

I think I saw this one on GTU?

Creamy Ranch Chicken
6 slices bacon (or the – easy!)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts – cut into bite size pieces
2 T flour
2 T ranch dry salad dressing mix (one packet)
1 ¼ c milk
3 c dried medium pasta
1 T parmesan cheese

Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillete, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 T of drippings. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon. Serve the chicken over buttered noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

*To make this SUPER duper quick – Hormel bacon crumblies (in a bag at Costo) and canned chicken!!

Patty's Beet Salad

Don't let the beet's scare you. Aside from this salad - I don't think I've eaten a beet in my life. C'mon - grooooose - right? I tried this salad out of politeness and ended up LOVING IT and going back for more! This is a good one for a BBQ - you are already using your grill to cook meat - just throw the beets on too!
This one is a combo. I got the dressing recipe from my awesome sister in law Mary – who calls herself a ‘garbage chef’ – which I always laugh at! What she is referring to is the fact that she can throw basically anything she has in her fridge and make a masterpiece!! Dressings are her forte.

Then, the salad is from my friend Patty. She made this salad for a BBQ last 4th of July and everyone there asked her for the recipe – another salad that has unusual ingredients – but trust me – Mary’s dressing + Patty’s salad!! We had people from the ages of 1 to 60 at this BBQ – and that was the first thing gone. Thanks girls!!

SALAD
Red Beets (and yellow if you can find them)
Romaine or bibb lettuce
Salt
Pepper
EVOO
Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Mary’s Vinaigrette
1/3 c EVOO
1/3 c vinegar (you can use lemon juice, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsalmic vinegar - for this recipe she used white)
1 chunk shallot finely chopped
Salt pepper
1 T mustard
Equal parts EVOO and vinegar. Combine all (immersion blender would be heaven) but for me – I’ve gotta use a regular blender.

Peel the beets, salt, pepper to taste and drizzle with EVOO. Wrap them in double aluminum foil and place on the grill *or in the oven to cook. Meanwhile, wash and chop your lettuce and prepare the vinaigrette. When the beets are done cut them into slices, set them on top of the lettuce. Top the beets with the Gorgonzola. Salivating right now…

*I talked to Patty and she said that she either does the beets in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour - or on the grill for 45 min - 1 hour if they are BBQing.

Chili's Caribbean Salad

I used to frequent Chili's restaraunt a couple of times a month. Every single time I went there - I had the Caribbean Salad - with Honey Lime dressing - yummmm. The last time I went - they had taken it off the menu! How dare they!! I have had to resort to making my own version. I searched online to find a copycat dressing recipe. None of them were 'perfect.' So, I have come up with my own - a combination of sorts from 4 different 'copycat' recipes - and I am telling you - THIS IS THE ONE BABY! To all my sisters and my Mom - you have to make this - it is exactly the salad we have eaten so many times at the restaurant!! If you've never tried it, it sounds like an unusual combo of flavors - but it is sooooo good (did I say that already?)

HONEY LIME DRESSING

1/4 c Grey Poupon mustard (the smooth kind)

1/4 c Honey

1 c Mayonnaise

1 T Sesame seed oil

1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 t lime juice

1 1/2 T sugar

Blend all together, cover and chill. I make this a little ahead so the flavors have time to mesh. I usually double the recipe - it keeps for about a month.

SALAD

Lettuce (I use romain)

Corn

Black beans

Tortilla chips

Mandarin oranges

Pineapple chunks

Your favorite teriyaki sauce (mine is Yoshidas)

chicken

pico de gallo (or like tonight - I just used fresh salsa and drained the juice out of it)

and I add cucumber

Marinate the chicken in Teriyaki sauce for atleast 2 hours - grill and cube. Add all other components - and try not to drool before you take your first bite.

This is the best way to get your kids to eat salad! They have so many choices - they can make the salad to their liking! My 6 year old had chicken, corn, mandarine oranges and cucumber. My 4 year old had that plus pineapple and lettuce. Lil Boo (16 mo.) added black beans and corn. Of course -hubs and I had the works!! *I put all the ingredients in the fridge (except the chicken) a couple of hours ahead of time - so everything is nice and cold and crisp!

Pizza Night

We do pizza night once a week – usually on Friday, but I won’t be here Friday – I am going to play Pokeno (??) with friends – so we did it tonight. Our kids LOVE it! They get to make their own pizza’s – complete with pepperoni smiley faces. The picture is the one my 6 year old boy made (all by himself!)

I got this dough recipe from my friend Jackie S. I know Krystal has a good dough recipe too – but I can’t find it!! Krystal – post your dough recipe!!

1 ½ c warm water
1 T yeast
Mix together, let bubble – about 5 minutes
Add:
1 t salt
1 T sugar
2 T EVOO
3 cups flour

Mix, knead until it looks good, let it rest 10 minutes while you get everything else out. Sprinkle cornmeal on the pan. Use EVOO to pat it out to your desired shape and size. Decorate, cook at 425° for 12 – 15 minutes. This recipe makes about 2 ‘medium’ pizzas.

*It’s fun to mix it up by putting fresh herbs in the crust – or like tonight, I used rosemary infused olive oil. Also, if I don’t have homemade marinara on hand, I just use canned. Right now, Albertsons is selling Hunts 26 oz. cans of their spaghetti sauce 10 for $10!! I’m stocking up!!

Texas Caviar

Every time I make this, someone asks for the recipe.

Texas Caviar
1 can black eyed peas *I have even used black beans in a pinch
1 can corn
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onion, chopped
2 diced tomatoes (or 1 can of 'diced tomatoes)
1 package Zesty Italian Dressing
Avocados
Lime juice - just a bit so the avocados keep their color
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips!

*Make this a completely NON FAT dip by excluding the Avocados - but remember - avocados have the 'good' fat in them!

German Pancakes

My husband makes this all the time – he must’ve gotten the recipe from his Mom. Two of my sisters even make this for a quick fix dinner!

German Pancakes
6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c flour
½ t salt
5 T butter
Beat eggs until they reach a smooth golden color. Then add all other ingredients. Melt butter in a 9x13” casserole. Add mixture in center of melted butter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 450°. They are done when the pancake is up the sides of the dish.

Quick Burritos

This one is from my hubs brain. Very simple – but good!

Quick Burritos
1 can refried beans
1 lb ground beef
½ onion, diced
1 small can diced chilis
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortillas
Brown ground beef in pan. Add onions and chilis and cook until onions are soft. Separately, cook refried beans. Grab a warm tortilla, scoop a spoonful of refried beans, top with shredded cheese and a scoop of ground beef mixture. Wrap and serve with sour cream, salsa, tomatoes and avocado.
*I also cook ground beef and onions x 3 then keep in the fridge for multiple uses. It takes the same amount of time – but you get meat for 2 or 3 more meals! (i.e. the Queso below!)

Chili Con Queso Dip

Best cheesy, meaty, delicious dip ever! I make this during football season - so yummy!

Chili Con Queso Dip
1 lb ground beef
1 c onion, diced
14 oz. green chilis
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 lb Velveeta, diced
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans

Cook beef, onion, green pepper and chilis until moisture is cooked out. Add tomato sauce, Velveeta, W sauce until Velveeta is melted. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from head add cayenne. Serve with tortilla chips.

*For a big game, I brown the beef and cook the onions until soft - then add the meat mixture to all the other ingredients in my crock pot - so it stays nice and warm and gooey all game long:)

Artichoke Dip

I know there are several versions of this dip – but I like this one the best…

Artichoke Dip
2 c mayonnaise
2 c shredded parmesan
2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped
7 oz can hot green chilis
7 oz can mild green chilis
10 oz can jalapenos, diced
Bake in a 9x13” pan at 450° for 20 – 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly.

*sometimes, I add panko bread crumbs (in butter) on the top for the last 10 minutes.

Roasted Veggies

Let’s talk about roasted veggies. I love them – my kids, not so much. BUT, this recipe is requested in my house all the time. The kids get so excited when they see squash in the fridge. They love the sweet flavor…

Smith’s sells butternut squash in ‘halves’ very easy to work with – Costco also sells butternut squash already peeled and cubed.

Roasted Butternut Squash
2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into bit sized pieces
4 t butter
4 t brown sugar
Kosher Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Melt butter and mix with brown sugar. Drizzle that mixture over each squash. Season with salt and pepper – roast for 40 minutes, until fork tender.


To make this next recipe super simple – I use baby carrots – that way you avoid all the peeling and cutting you’d have to do with ‘big’ carrots. Another staple:

Roasted Carrots
Carrots
3 T good EVOO
Kosher Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400° - lay carrots on baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

I have also done this with Brussels Sprouts – so good!

*I got all these recipes from the ‘Barefoot Contessa Cookbook’ circa 1999.

A friend asked me a couple of years ago about my obsession with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. These are seriously a must for everybody! You can find Kosher salt at every grocery store – and it costs the same as table salt. As for the pepper – I don’t even own a pepper mill. Costco sells “Kirkland” brand ‘Tellicherry Black Pepper Grinder’ in their spice aisle for about $4 – it’s just a plastic spice jar with a grinder built right in. It’ll last you a year (or more). Neither of these are expensive – but the difference you taste is amazing!

Italian Bread

All my kids love to cook with me - and bread is their favorite - sticking their little hands in the soft flour... and eating the rewards when they are done!

I used to avoid any homemade bread recipe – because I don’t have a bread maker – or a KitchenAid. BUT – I have found great recipes where a good wooden spoon – a big bowl – and my 2 little hands do the trick! You have no excuse!! I mentioned my “Italian bread” recipe when I made my lasagna last week and Krystal asked me to post my cinnamon roll recipe. My hubs boss (which is coincidentally her father in law) was in town last week. He stopped by the house a few hours after I’d made these cinnamon rolls. Both my hubs and Krystal report that he said “they were the BEST he's EVER had” Woo Hoo!

I can’t take credit for these recipes though – I got both of them from one of my fav cook books “The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner” by Liz Edmunds. I have actually gotten almost ALL of my bread recipes out of this book. They are all easy and delicious. Without further ado…

ITALIAN BREAD

This bread makes friends! Ha-ha. It makes 2 large loaves – so one for your family and one for a friend – or to freeze.
3 c warm water
¼ c butter, melted
1 ½ T yeast
7 – 9 cups flour, divided
2 T plus ½ t sugar, divided
1 T salt

In a small bowl combine the water, yeast and ½ t of the sugar. Stir just until the yeast is dissolved. Cover with a small plate of towel and let stand until the mixture is bubbly or foamy, about 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the salt, the remaining 2 T of sugar, butter, the yeast mixture and 3 ½ c of the flour. Keep adding flour, ½ c at a time, up to 3 ½ cups, for a total of 7 cups. The dough should be firm(ish) if the dough is still sticky, add more flour ¼ c at a time up to the remaining 2 cups.
Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl and turn it once to coat. Cover with a towel and let it rise until doubled in bulk about 20 – 40 minutes.
Punch down dough and divide in half. On a lightly greased pan, form each half into a thick baguette shape, about 10” long. With a sharp knife, make 3 angled ½” deep slashes on the top of each loaf. Let loaves rise until doubled again – about 20 to 40 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°. When the dough has doubled, bake for 30 minutes. For a crispier crust, spray water in the oven with a spray bottle just before baking and again a few times during baking.
Turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack – and enjoy!!

*To make rolls, pinch off about 1 ½” balls of dough for each roll and place side by side on a greased sheet pan. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 30 – 45 minutes. Bake at 350° until the rolls are lightly browned 10 – 13 minutes.

Potato Crust Quiche

Looking for a crowd pleaser ‘brunch style’ a couple years ago, I defaulted to my younger sister – who is a fabulous cook (hope she joins the blog!) and who always has the perfect recipe. This is a family fav. We’ve made it for tail gaiting, company, Easter brunch or today – for Mother’s Day brunch... Potato Crust Quiche
32 oz frozen hash browns
1 onion grated or diced (preference)
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2/3 c butter
8 eggs
2 c ham, bacon or sausage (preference)
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c milk

Mix hash browns and onion with salt and pepper. Melt butter and pour over mixture. Press into greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes. Beat eggs with milk until foamy. Add cheese and cooked meat. Stir well. Pour over potatoes and bake again at 400° for 25 minutes.

Happy munching on this Happy Mother’s Day!!

P.S. I made Krystal's Teriyaki Lime Chicken for our BBQ last night - it was delicious!!

Vietti Lasagna

When I met my hubs 13 years ago - I didn't know how to boil water - seriously. At that time, I didn't need to. We were young and crazy and ate out every night - it was only when I got pregnant with my oldest (now 6) that I realized I was missing very crucial cooking knowledge. I started to teach myself to cook and bake and experiment. This has given me a sort of food philosophy. Don't be afraid to experiment - it's how we learn. Cooking and baking are easier than you imagine it will be. AND make every dish your own - cater dinner to your own little family's tastes. Eliminate things you don't like and add things you do. We relate food to holidays, events, childhood memories, etc. Food feeds the soul...

I know, I really need a decent camera - and some serious 'food presentation' coaching - but I always think a picture helps and just look at those chunks of chicken...2 of my 3 kids are allergic to eggs. Because of this, I have had to use creativity and make little adjustments to my dinner choices. This lasagna came out of necessity. Most lasagna recipes consist of the same basic ingredients - and most use eggs as a binder. This recipe is straight out 'me noggin - and incorporates all of my family's tastes. I'll give you the 'original recipe' first - and then I'll tell you how today - for the first time, I 'tweaked' it.

Vietti Lasagna
12 oz ground Italian sausage
1 lg chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Lasagna noodles (uncooked)
15 oz. container cottage cheese (you can also use the traditional Ricotta - but it's about 4x more expensive - and in a dish like this, you really can't taste the difference)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
6 oz shredded mozzarella
1 7oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1/4 t pepper

For sauce: cook meat, onion and garlic till meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. For the filling, combine the cottage cheese and grated Parm. Spray your casserole(s) dish with Pam. Put a small amount of the sauce (no meat) on the bottom of the pan. Then layer the noodels, followed by half the cottage cheese mixture, then half the meat sauce and half the mozz. repeat layers x 2.
Bake for 30 - 35 miutes on 375.
This makes a hearty 9x13 casserole OR I make 2 8x8 casseroles. One to eat and one to freeze.

*Trade Secret: I don't cook the lasagna noodles - you don't have to. While the lasagna is cooking, the dry noodles soak up the liquid and cook while everything else is cooking. This helps with 2 factors - 1. your lasagna is never 'watery' and 2. you get a perfect cut - the noodles aren't overcooked, so your dinner is much more 'in tact.' And - you don't have to cook the noodles seperatley!

OK. So - tonights substitutions... my hubs is in town (which is rare) so I asked him what he'd like for dinner - without thinking he blurted YOUR LASAGNA. It's his fav. While looking for ingred. though, I realized - I was fresh out of sausage AND diced tomatoes (kinda important). BUT, I did have cottage cheese and chicken that needed to be used up in the next couple of days - and I had spaghetti sauce in my pantry. Voila - a twist. Chicken instead of sausage, and spaghetti sauce instead of the last 6 ingred listed - and my table was all silence as the 5 of us sat down and chomped us some good dinner.

I also made 'Italian Bread' tonight... stay tuned for the best, easiest loaf of bread you've ever made (good for beginners)...