Crunchy Romaine Toss

Crunchy Romaine Toss

1 c. walnuts or pecans
1 pkg. ramen noodles, uncooked and broken into pieces (discard flavor packet)
4 Tbsp. butter
1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and cut or torn into pieces
4 green onions, chopped
1 c. Sweet & Sour Dressing (recipe below)

Brown nuts and noodles in butter; cool on paper towels.  Store in ziploc bags until ready to use.  Mix broccoli, romaine and onion in salad serving bowl.  Before serving, toss lettuce mixture and noodle mixture together with 1 c. sweet and sour dressing.  (Original recipe says start with 1 cup.  I started with ½ cup and added as needed.  I probably used about ¾ cup.)  Toss to coat well.  Serve with remaining dressing for guests to add as they prefer.

--

Sweet & Sour Dressing

2/3 c. olive oil
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt & pepper, to taste

In a mason jar, mix all ingredients together and shake well until all ingredients are combined.  Continue to shake periodically until all (or most) of the sugar has dissolved.  Refrigerate remaining dressing.


--

I recently had some friends from church over for supper and this salad was a hit.  When I first tasted the dressing by itself, I was worried that it wasn't going to be good because the dressing seemed a little too strong.  Mixed with all the other ingredients and it was delicious!  I served it alongside Sausage & Zucchini Pie and for dessert we had Nutella Pie with a graham cracker crust.

Cucumber Salad

I make a cucumber salad for my dad that has cucumber, tomato and onion.  I was looking for something a little different because it isn't my favorite.  I apparently love the vinegar a pickle offers, so this salad has hit the spot and made me enjoy eating the cucumbers from my garden.  I've only stumbled on using jalapeño pepper because that is what I had and threw it in there.  I love Famous Dave's pickles, so this accomplishes that without the trouble of canning pickles.  If you don't like heat, just use dill.

Cucumber Salad

4 cucumbers (I only used 2 because my cucumbers are a loooong variety), peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 c. vinegar
½ c. water
¾ c. sugar

In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, water and sugar to a boil until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over thinly sliced vegetables and chill.

**I've also just remembered that I do like taziki sauce, so maybe I like cucumbers more than I realize.

Green Bean, Walnut & Feta Cheese Salad

This is from my favorite Presbyterian cookbook and I recently made it for my bunco group.  Not for everyone, strong flavors, but I thought it was delicious.  It may be a little easier to eat with cut green beans and not the whole green beans the original recipe called for.  I can't see where the particular bean would make a difference.

Green Bean, Walnut & Feta Cheese Salad

1 (4 oz.) pkg. crumbled feta cheese
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
¾ c. olive oil
¼ c. white balsamic wine vinegar (I couldn't find this so I just used balsamic vinegar)
1 T. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried)
½ tsp. minced garlic
¼ tsp. salt
3 cans Del Monte blue lake whole green beans, drained
1 sm. red onion (same thing as purple onion)

Bake walnuts in shallow pan at 350 for 8 minutes, until toasted.  Combine oil, vinegar, dill, garlic and salt.  Mix for marinade.  Drain beans, slice red onion into thin slices and separate into rings (I might try half rings next time, too).  Pour marinade over beans and onions.  Refrigerate 1 to 2 days.  Before serving, add walnuts and feta cheese and toss well.

Fiesta Pasta Salad

2 c. small rotini noodles
1 c. salsa
½ c. mayo
½ tsp. salt
14 oz. can kidney beans, drained (I prefer a softer bean, like ranch beans)
1 c. shredded Mexican cheese
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 medium red pepper, chopped
10 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
2.25 oz. can sliced black olives (I use chopped)
¼ c. chopped red onion

Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and cool.  Place the cooled pasta in a large bowl.  Combine the salsa, mayo, and salt.  Pour over the pasta; mix gently.  Add the beans, cheese, tomatoes, pepper, corn, olives and onion.  Chill.

**This recipe is even better if you make it a day or two ahead of time.

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.

Rice and Artichoke Salad

This was the one dish that I thought my guests might balk at.  Fortunately, everyone (with one exception) seemed to enjoy it.  The Dish Washer definitely balked!  I thought it was delicious.  My in laws joined us for lunch on Monday and we ate leftovers.  My MIL pointed out that it tasted like curry chicken salad...minus the chicken.  I thought that made sense.  I think it would be great served at a luncheon.

Rice and Artichoke Salad

1 (6.9 oz.) pkg. Rice-A-Roni, chicken flavor
1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts
5 green onions
1/2 c. mayo
1/4 tsp. curry powder


Cook rice according to package directions, omitting butter.  Allow to cool completely.  (Will really be clumpy and you will think the recipe may be messed up, but the dressing will help separate the rice again.)  Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.  I chose to chop them into smaller pieces.  Chop green onion.  Add artichokes and onions to rice.  In a separate bowl, whisk mayo, artichoke juice and curry powder.  Pour over rice and mix well.  Allow to chill completely.  Best if made a day ahead.

Broccoli Salad

Earlier this week, I made this Broccoli Salad.  Aren't they all about the same?  It is a pretty classic salad recipe, but I thought a good one to add to our recipe index when we are looking for yummy recipes on here.

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli, chopped small
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped or grated
1/2 c. raisins
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. mayo
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

In a small bowl, combine mayo, sugar, and cider vinegar to form dressing.  In a larger bowl, combine broccoli, onion, raisins and crumbled bacon.  Pour dressing over mixture and mix to coat.  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

--

The version pictured above was made with Miracle Whip for mayo and Splenda for sugar.  I left the bacon out, although if company was coming I'd make the REAL thing.  Just trying to keep things somewhat healthy around here and those substitutions really worked out well for us for everyday.

Pea Salad

Did you think I jumped ship?  I haven't.  In fact, I have done a lot of cooking, it has just been things I have already shared with you.  This pea salad originates with my MeeMaw.  When she is asked to bring food for family gatherings, it is usually pea salad.  (Her stove is turned off to keep her from burning down the house, so this requires little cooking.)  While her pea salad is good and I always look forward to eating it, I like to jazz mine up a little more.  She makes it much like a traditional chicken salad with mayo, eggs and relish.  She also uses canned peas, but I prefer to make mine using steamed peas for a little crunch.  Peas are one vegetable that, on occasion, we can seem to get The Bun to eat.  This is what I make with the leftovers.  There are no particular measurements, just how much of each thing you prefer.  (It is usually based on our leftovers...not too much mayo to pea ratio.)

Pea Salad

Steamed peas
Mayo
boiled egg, chopped or crumbled
cooked and crumbled bacon
chopped red onion
cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and chill before serving.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Cranberries

I wanted to change up my go to chicken salad recipe for the fall and came across a similar recipe calling for tarragon after watching Barefoot Contessa show me that tarragon in chicken salad can be a secret ingredient.  This one sounded delicious and I changed it up just a smidge for our tastes.  It also calls for pecans, which I thought would be great in it, but The Dish Washer would have complained all day.  So, I opted to leave them out.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Cranberries

2 whole chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 c. dried cranberries, chopped chunky
1 c. toasted pecan halves, chopped
3/4 c. mayo
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken on roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 45 minutes or until cooked through.  Allow to cool completely.  Once cool, remove skin and shred or chop chicken, whichever you prefer.

In a small bowl, whisk mayo, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, combine, chicken, celery, shallot, tarragon, cranberries and pecans.  Pour dressing over and mix well.

Three Bean Salad

This is a salad that I absolutely love that The Dish Washer's mother makes.  It is so addictive, but again I love all things sweet and sour.  I decided to make this for the past weekend's family get-together too.  It's pictured above from several Thanksgivings ago, but it has me in the mood for fall just looking at the picture.  Too bad we are still expecting 100 degrees this week!  Doesn't seem right for the first week of college football to be 100 degrees!  It's usually hot, but not that hot.  My Dad loved this salad and said it is the best Three Bean Salad he has ever had.  I'm not sure there is much difference between this recipe and other recipes, but he wanted this recipe none the less.  So, here it is:

Three Bean Salad

1 can cut green beans
1 can cut wax beans
1 can red beans
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar


Drain beans and rinse.  Set aside.  In a saucepan, combine oil, vinegar, sugar and onion.  Heat until sugar dissolves.  Allow to cool completely.  Place beans in a refrigerator bowl and pour cooled sugar/vinegar mixture over beans.  Allow to marinate overnight.  Serve chilled.

Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad

YUM-O!!  This was the recipe that jumped off the pages of Southern Living this month and it is DELICIOUS!!  I had to make it right away to get it off of my mind.  Check out the recipe if you haven't seen it:

Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad

Copper Pennies (Marinated Carrots)

I believe I tried a recipe for "Copper Pennies" sometime this year that never made it to the blog because it wasn't good.  It was served warm, though, so I think that is why I didn't care for it.  I really like this cold version, and I am a fan of all things sweet and sour.  This recipe is from my mother in law's community club cookbook and the ingredients are all things you have on hand to whip up a veggie for unexpected company.  Really yummy!  Now that I have had the good stuff, it really reminds me of the Sweet Potato Salad that I make.  This is just more saucy and obviously uses carrots.

Copper Pennies (Marinated Carrots)

2 cans carrots, drained

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 small onions, sliced and "ringed" out (meaning separate into individual rings)

1 can tomato soup

1/2 c. salad oil

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. vinegar

1 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt 

pepper

In a serving bowl, add carrots, bell pepper and onion.  Mix other ingredients really well and pour over carrots.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  Serve.

Chopped Caprese Salad

Chopped Caprese Salad

3-4 tomatoes
1 ball mozzarella
fresh basil, about 3 leaves chopped
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Chopped tomatoes and mozzarella into bite size chunks (however big or small you like your chunks).  Mix olive oil and vinegar.  Toss with tomatoes and cheese.  Add basil and salt and pepper.

Fancy Salad

I really have no clue what to call this exactly, but if I am having a "fancy" salad with my meal this is the one I prefer.  I've never been a HUGE fan of the spinach salad with mandarin oranges, but I will still eat it.  This one I love.

Fancy Salad

1 bag Spring mix salad
craisins
walnuts
crumbled feta cheese
bottle of Wishbone Salad Spritzers Balsamic Breeze

Can either serve in a large bowl sprinkled with craisins, walnuts and cheese allowing guests to spray as much salad dressing as they like or serve already on individual salad plates with about 10 spritzes of dressing.

Luncheon Chicken Salad

(The bread isn't burned, it just looks that way because I am a bad picture taker!)

Whew!! We've been busy since my last post and I can't believe it is already October!! Lots and lots has happened and lots and lots of cooking has been going on!

Let's first start with the most important news of all...Skittle has arrived!! My Buddy is the most excited big brother you have ever seen in your life and Skittle is such a sweet baby. I am dying to see him again! While I was home, I made Sister and her bunch their first dinner as a family of four. It included: Roast, mashed potatoes, corn salad and fried squash. My Buddy helped me make some box brownies (The Chicken Farmer's favorite) and we served that with ice cream.

Then the next weekend, we had some more spend the night company at our house. We love having them come because we love having company. Being the ones who live "away," we don't get many visitors too often so when we do it is so exciting. In honor of The Dish Washer's birthday, we had meatballs (that I made from scratch instead of using frozen for this recipe this time), Lady's green beans, squash casserole and Not Yo' Mama's banana pudding. He loves some banana pudding and it is exactly what I made last year, but I think what he loved most about his birthday this year was finding out that The Bun in the Oven is a mini Dish Washer! We get to eat BLUE birthday cake icing for the rest of our lives and are so excited!

Oh, and we have tiles falling out of our shower. The Dish Washer's dad is helping to fix that, so I am in the process of making them lunch for tomorrow since I will be at work. It will be a trio of salads...creamy dill slaw, sweet potato salad and this new recipe for chicken salad. I've never been good at making chicken salad, but The Dish Washer requested specifically chicken salad with grapes so I am giving it a try.

UPDATED**** If you like grapes in your chicken salad, this is SOOO YUMMY!! I didn't add the honey because I thought the grapes would be plenty of sweetness for us. This is definitely a keeper for me!

Luncheon Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked chicken, diced and cooled
1/3 - 1/2 c. mayo
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 c. green seedless grapes, sliced
3 green onions, chopped (including green tops)
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey, or to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add more mayo as needed. Allow to chill at least 8 hours before serving.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

This could be considered somewhat of a cold version of the Roasted New Potato Salad that I have made. In our office building, there is a deli that at least one person in our office relies on for breakfast or lunch. He has the best breakfast sandwich (that The Bun and I are certainly enjoying regularly), very good Chicken Pot Pie that I have to get every time, and he also has a cold potato salad with bacon and ranch flavor. I've had the same salad at a restaurant before, and I believe it can be purchased at Sam's. I finally saw a similar recipe in Paula's magazine and changed up a few things to make her version more like the deli's. This was what I made to go with the Sloppy Joes.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

1 bag new potatoes, unpeeled and sliced (so still in circles)
1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled
1-1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 (1 oz.) pkg. ranch dressing mix

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Place in mixing bowl and add bacon. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix in with potatoes. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Tri-Colored Pasta Salad

James Spann has taken over my TV for the night, so I thought I would give an Easter food blog since I haven't done that yet. We had a great Easter with The Dish Washer's family, and as usual, had way too much to eat. While the big girl were hunting Easter eggs, I got to love on Little Brother, who I am renaming The Burrower because he LOVES to burrow his little face into the elbow fold of your arm. Then he will pull a free arm over his head to block out the light. It is the funniest thing! We had ham, macaroni and cheese, peas, hashbrown casserole, grape salad, green beans, devilled eggs, dinner rolls and sweets-a-plenty! In addition to making the hashbrown casserole, I also made this pasta salad. It is really very good and is a recipe of my mother-in-law. She made it once when I went home with The Dish Washer...we were still dating. I've had the recipe ever since, but she also included it in the handwritten cookbook she gave me one Christmas.

Tri-Colored Pasta Salad

1 bag tri-colored pasta
1 pint Miracle whip
1 c. water
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. sugar
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4-5 eggs, boiled and chopped

Cook pasta according to directions, drain well. Mix miracle whip, sugar, onion and seasonings well. Add water and mix well or whisk to blend. Add vinegar. When dressing is well blended, add pasta and eggs. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight.

Layered Salad

Saturday night was our supper club and I took this salad. (It went with a yummy Chicken Spaghetti, bread and chocolate!!) Sunday morning we woke up to our backyard looking like this:

Such a fun treat! There are still a few snow patches in the shaded spots, but for the most part all gone! That's southern snow for you! Now onto this recipe: Sister used to make this all the time for our family cook-out. I think it is supposed to be 7-layers, but she probably didn't like whatever that 7th layer (probably peas or something like that) was and decided to leave it out. That's why I just decided to call it Layered Salad.

Layered Salad

1 bg. lettuce

1 bg. spinach (end stems pinched off)
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

8 eggs, hard boiled and chopped (original recipe called for 10)

Layer in order given. Mix the following and spread on top:

1 c. mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

1 pkt. ranch dressing mix

Toss with cheese before serving. (I went ahead and added my cheese to the layers and it turned out fine.)

--

I am attempting to cut our grocery bill in half or better! So far pretty successful and now I am completely addicted to couponing! (Even though I just really started this weekend!) My favorite blog to read about couponing and saving is Southern Savers because everything is completely mapped out for me. I learn by doing, so this is teaching me how to look for and get the best deals! I was so sad to think about it because I like to cook such fun things on the spur of the moment and was thinking that was going to come to a screeching halt...UNTIL I saw this! She is teaming up with Southern Plate and will be coming up with recipes using all of our sale items! I'm so excited!! Check 'em out! The Dish Washer says I am the new CFO of our household and he is the CEO! I was cracking up thinking about this on the way to work this morning!

Last-Minute Lasagna

This past Thursday night, I had The Former Roomy, The Baby Daddy (her hubby), The Son of a Preacher Man (her brother) and The Cupcake Baker (his girlfriend) over for dinner. They wondered what their names would be...what do you think? :) It was a blast.  I was enjoying their company more than I was worried with taking a picture, I guess. The Dish Washer was out of town, so he missed out. We got to talk about the new baby and old times growing up (catching trees on fire and wrecking with rednecks come to mind).

Here's the story behind the recipe: Our friends had us over for dinner one night several years ago, and we were served this. It was so good, so I knew I wanted to make it for my crowd. The first time we had these same friends over to dinner at our house, they brought me a copy of Real Simple: Meals Made Easy. What do you know? It included this recipe. I was planning our menu at work, so I emailed Ashley for a little help with the recipe. Thanks again!!

Last-Minute Lasagna

1 (24-26 oz.) jar pasta sauce
2 (16-18 oz.) bags frozen cheese ravioli, unthawed
1 (10 oz.) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
1 (8 oz.) bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 350. Spoon 1/3 of the pasta sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place half of the ravioli on top of the sauce in a single layer. Sprinkle with the spinach and half of the mozzarella. Layer on the remaining ravioli (you may not need all of them). Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella and the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling, 5 to 10 minutes more.

**I found that I had to allow mine to bake longer than the suggested time, so just check center of lasagna before removing foil.

I served this with SALAD (spring mix greens, craisins, walnuts and balsamic vinegarette...normally it includes feta cheese that is delicious with it, but I left that off since The Former Roomy is pregnant), French bread, and cake balls using spice cake mix.

--

Meet Buttercream! She is my new dutch oven that I am so excited to have. She is the most beautiful pot I have ever seen! I got her as an early birthday gift from my parents. I have big plans for her!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Well Christmas has come and gone and we'll do it all over again in 12 months. We had a great Christmas with our families, and in fact will do a little more celebrating today and tomorrow. This is a recap of all of the food we ate:

The Dish Washer's Family (2 gatherings)

Ham
Dressing
Three Bean Salad (I found the recipe and will post later.)
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Casserole (more like a souffle)
Peas
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Grape Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Bread
French Silk Pie
Lemonade Pie
Pound Cake
Peppermint Cake
Fudge
Yummy Cheese dip and chips for after we opened presents

I didn't have to take anything! My mother in law had all of the food, but she did allow me to help her the Saturday night before our Sunday gathering. I also got to go to their church's Christmas dinner theater that night and we had French onion soup, salad, prime rib, baked potatoes, dinner rolls and cheesecake! Writing all of this food really makes me feel guilty for eating so much! :)

We also got to participate in Family Communion this year because they changed it from Christmas eve to the Sunday before Christmas. Their church does it where each family goes in as a group one by one and participates in The Lord's Supper together. There were 17 of us from This Dish Washer family there. It was very special.
--
Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti (YUMMY!)
Green Bean Casserole (made by The Dish Washer and not your mama's)
Salad
Bread
Leftover desserts from above gathering

This was our gathering on Christmas day. We were able to bring the green bean casserole. When I make it, I usually use the traditional recipe. When The Dish Washer makes it, he adds this and that to it and it is so good, but unfortunately there is no recipe that goes with it. He is good at that kind of thing. I am a pretty strict recipe follower. There isn't even a picture of the casserole because my battery died. Hopefully Kim will share her recipe for chicken spaghetti for later.

My Family (Christmas Eve)

Turkey
Ham
Dressing
Giblet Gravy (that turned out very good this year!)
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Casserole
Squash Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Lady's Green Beans
Pea Salad
Devilled Eggs
Dinner Rolls
Four Layer Delight
Sausage Cheese Dip (for munching)

WHOA NELLY! That is a lot of food! There were certainly a lot of mouths to feed, so honestly I don't feel like I overate like I could have. (Maybe I am just trying to justify it in my mind.) :)

I made this salad, the Four Layer Delight and the Sausage Cheese Dip. I have added several pictures to the recipes if they didn't already have a picture. I forgot to take pictures until we had already fixed our plates, which is why you have "after" shots.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 c. crushed pretzels
1-1/2 sticks butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1 (8 0z.) carton Cool whip
2 (3 oz.) pkgs. strawberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries, sliced
1 small can crushed pineapple

Preheat the oven to 400. For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter and 3 Tbsp. sugar. Press into 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 7 minutes and set aside to cool. Beat together cream cheese and 3/4 c. sugar. Fold in cool whip. Spread over completely cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled. Dissolve the Jello in the boiling water; cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.