Light Corn Salad

Truly, you can't beat this Corn Salad that I make.  It is a hit everywhere we go.  But, honestly, it isn't something we eat everyday because it isn't that healthy.  I choose to make it for large crowds to share.  I found this recipe for a corn salad that is delicious and light!  It will be perfect for using up that fresh corn and those cherry tomatoes this summer.  You won't be disappointed.  It would also be the perfect picnic salad because there isn't any mayo.

Light Corn Salad

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut off (or freezer corn equivalent)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 gloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. coarsely chopped green onion
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat.  Add corn to the oil and cook until tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in garlic and cook another minute.  Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar until most of the liquid has cooked out.  Add tomatoes and stir another minute.  Remove from heat and stir in green onions.  Serve warm or make 1 day ahead of time and serve chilled.

Apple Julep

I signed up for Sunday school breakfast this month and decided Mother's day would be a great day to take a few things.  I decided to try my luck again at making another drink since I don't really think the Brunch Punch went over very well with the guys last time.  While this is probably still a "girly" drink, it is less punchy and easier for, at least, my guy to handle.  In addition to this drink, I took Sausage and Egg Casserole and Grape Salad.

Apple Julep

4 c. apple juice
1 c. orange juice
1 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. lemon juice

Mix all juices together and serve well chilled.

Of course, I doubled the recipe to make sure we had enough.

Biscoff Crunch Cookies

I made a special treat this week to send to The Dish Washer's coworkers.  I've had my eye on this one from Picky Palate for a while now.  These cookies are absolutely delicious!  They have crunch from the Biscoff cookies but yet are a soft cookie once baked.  The white chips just send it over the top.  I think these may be my new "go to" cookie.

If you aren't familiar with Biscoff cookies, this is what they look like.

If you've ever flown Delta and had their delicious cookies, THIS is the exact cookie now sold in our local stores!  Woohoo!

Biscoff Crunch Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
20 finely ground Bischoff cookies
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
20 crushed Biscoff cookies (coarsely crushed)
2 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.  In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs then vanilla until well combined.  In a large bowl add the flour, ground Biscoff Cookies, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine then slowly add to wet ingredients until just combined. Add coarsely chopped Biscoff cookies and white chips until just combined.With a medium cookies scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies**

**I used a smaller cookie scoop and it made well over 4 dozen cookies!

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I love the time when I can make a meal for a family with a new baby.  I didn't realize how HUGE this blessing was until I had my own baby and was so thankful for not only the food it brought but the company stopping by, even if just for a brief time.  It was so nice to see real, live people still in this world!  This was my second meal this month to take to a new baby's family and it would have been the third if I lived closer to my friend who also just had a new baby.  All three are girls...all I know, other than my own boy due soon, are new baby girls being born!  Tonight's family has two older children, and sometimes coming up with something you think kids might eat can be tricky.  Although, some children eat better than some adults I know, you just never know.  The Bun is a big meat and fruit eater.  We struggle with him considering a french fry the only vegetable in the world, and so I am always looking for ways to sneak in some veggies.  Mix them in a creamy sauce and even he will eat them.  Who wouldn't, right?  (But, really?  Are veggies mixed in with cream and pasta really that healthy for you and worth the trouble of sneaking?)  This recipe I found online had plenty of praise in the comment section about children eating it happily, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.  I think it is delicious, super easy and fast to make, and made the whole house smell so good!

Sorry there is no picture tonight because I was in too big a hurry to get out the door (and even burned their bread a little bit).

Chicken Florentine Pasta

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
4 c. fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
2 c. cooked and shredded chicken
2 (10 oz.) containers Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Italian cheese and herb (next to cream cheese in the grocery store)
ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. box of bowtie pasta
1-1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well and run under cool water to quit the cooking process.  Meanwhile, in Dutch oven, heat olive oil and cook onion until tender on medium heat.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Next, add spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken and pepper and stir until warmed through.  Add cooking creme and stir until combined.  Lastly, add bowtie pasta and stir until well combined.  Pour into 9x13 pan and cover with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.

**This recipe could be halved easily or you could make the whole recipe and separate into two 8x8 pans and save one for later.  I would cover with cheese and then freeze (covered in foil) before baking.  Thaw completely and bake according to directions.

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I also made the no fail, Honey Bun Cake tonight.  And earlier in the month, I chose to take Chicken, Green Bean and Rice Casserole.  And I even made the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake that seems to be all the rage on Pinterest these days, but I'll have to make it again to be able to give my opinion of it.  I can say that it smelled great baking!

Extra Gooey Brownies

I prefer a moist, gooey brownie over a cake like brownie any day of the week.  That's why I love Symphony Brownies.  The Chicken Farmer celebrated his birthday this weekend and he loves brownies so I decided to make this new recipe I saw that promised extra gooey.  I thought it was delicious!  The added ingredient is crushed up oreos, but you won't taste them at all.

Extra Gooey Brownies

1 box Ghiradelli Double Chocolate brownie mix
1 egg
1/3 c. oil
1/4 c. water
12 oreos, crushed

Preheat oven to 325.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, oil and water.  Mix until just combined.  Crush oreos using a rolling pin or hand, coarsely.  Add oreos to brownie mixture.  Batter will be thick.  Spread in greased square baking dish.  Bake 30-40 minutes.

Recipe doubles well, just double ingredients and bake in 9x13 baking dish.

Grandmama's Butternut Cake

This weekend was our family cookout and when trying to decide what to bring (I took the never fail Corn Salad, too), I made my mind up to attempt my Grandmama's Butternut Cake for the first time.  I haven't had this cake in years, but it has always been a favorite of mine that she would make.  I remember she would make it sometimes for cake walks at the church or school and I would do my best to win this cake to bring home with me!  :-)  The icing was always my favorite part!  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it at first because I couldn't find butternut flavoring anywhere, but then I finally found it at Publix and it was called "butter and nut flavor" and this was the McCormick brand.  I knew after I made it that it smelled just like I remembered it and I had hoped that it tasted the same.  I can now say after having a piece last night that it did and it even got the stamp of approval from Grandmama!  This cake is best if made 2-3 days before you plan to serve it because (and Grandmama says she doesn't know why), but the longer it sets it just does.  Who am I to argue with cake goodness, so I made this on Thursday to be eaten on Saturday.  She also NEVER put it in the fridge, which I wasn't sure about since it had cream cheese in the icing, but I've eaten it that way for years so in the fridge it did not go.  I also left it down there when we left and didn't even get a piece to bring home, trying to be good about these last few weeks to gain pregnancy weight.  I was mad at myself the whole way home and now I would really love to have a piece for breakfast!  HA!

Grandmama's Butternut Cake

1 c. Crisco shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 c. milk
2-3 tsp. butternut flavoring (butter and nut flavoring)

In mixing bowl, cream crisco, sugar and eggs on high speed for 10 minutes.  (I used my stand mixer which does things a little quicker than a hand mixer, so I did it on speed 6.)  In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose and self-rising flours.  Also, add butternut flavoring to milk.  Slowly, alternate adding flour and milk to batter, beating 1 minute after each addition.  Bake in 3 greased and floured round cake pans at 325 for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pans and then allow to cool completely on wire rack.

For the icing:
1 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 box of powdered sugar (made need additional on hand to thicken)
1 tsp. butternut flavoring
1 c. chopped pecans

Melt slowly on stovetop the butter and cream cheese together.  Beat with a spoon.  Add 1 box of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. butternut flavoring.  Add 1 c. chopped pecans and beat all together with hand mixer.  If too thin, add more powdered sugar.  (I think I may have added 1/2 c. powder sugar extra on this particular cake.)  Spread warm icing over cake, allowing to run down the sides to make it easier to ice the sides.

*Best if kept 2 days before cutting.

Sharp Cheddar Casserole

I hesitated to post this picture with the recipe, because it doesn't look very appetizing.  And let me tell you, THIS was my favorite thing from our Easter lunch and very appetizing.  This recipe is from The Dish Washer's Aunt and is in my family cookbook that I have mentioned before.  I've always read it when looking through recipes and decided now was the perfect time to give it a try.  In fact, The Dish Washer said not to make any other type of macaroni and cheese, ever, except this one.  I'd say he liked it too.  It is a macaroni and cheese with surprisingly different flavors.  Try it out for your next potluck.  It's great!

Sharp Cheddar Casserole

8 oz. large elbow macaroni (my store only had regular macaroni this time so that is what I used)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 empty soup can of milk
1 c. mayonnaise
1 (8 oz.) block sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups), shredded (I used white cheddar but you don't have to)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp. butter

Cook noodles according to package directions.  In a saute pan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter and saute onions and bell pepper until tender.  Drain noodles and add onion and pepper to noodles.  In a bowl, mix soup, milk, mayo and cheese.  Add to macaroni and mix well.  Pour into greased 2-1/2 quart dish.  Bake at 300 for 20 minutes uncovered.  Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. butter and mix with crushed Ritz crackers.  Cover casserole with crackers and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes.