Corn & Jicama Salad

This was a pretty tasty salad and makes a great side dish for a BBQ supper. But I think it would be even yummier with chili flavored Fritos in it. Not as healthy but yummy! ;)

Mix in large bowl:

white frozen corn

drained black beans

1 chopped, seeded Roma tomato

thinly sliced red & yellow bell pepper (mini peppers work nicely)

chopped red onion

finely chopped seeded jalapeno

peeled, sliced jicama

minced garlic

Toss in bowl.  Add equal amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise until it is how you like it. We like ours drier than some people do.  Add juice of 1/2 lime, salt, pepper, chili powder to taste.

Stir well and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Shrimp & Jicama Salad

This is a very simple and refreshing salad for a hot summer day.

Mix ingredients in bowl:

peeled & sliced jicama

thinly sliced red & yellow bell peppers (mini peppers work nicely)

chopped red onion

chopped cucumber

peeled fresh orange segments

cilantro

cooked shrimp

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the salad and toss. Sprinkle with salt, chili pepper and paprika to taste.

Pressure Cooker Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

My pressure cooker has made my favorite, already easy to make potato salad even easier! Hooray!

Wash and scrub as many red potatoes as you would like,

Cut them into large bite-sized chunks.

Place them in pressure cooker with 1 cup water. Cook on veggie setting for 3 minutes.

Quick release and drain in colander.

Place potatoes immediately into a large mixing/serving bowl. While the potatoes are still hot stir in ranch salad dressing, frozen peas and black pepper to taste. Mix well.

Chill salad in fridge until cold.

At this point you may want to stir in more ranch dressing so it isn't too dry. But you can also just leave it as it is. Just depends on how wet you like your potato salad.

Stir in crumbled cooked bacon pieces just before serving.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Salad

This is quite possibly the best chicken salad I’ve ever made! I got the recipe for the chicken here at Food.com. Then I served it on a bed of baby spinach topped with my homemade fresh pineapple salsa. It was a huge hit on this warm summer day!

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix in a small bowl.

Cut up 4-5 chicken breasts into small pieces, not bite-sized. Rub each piece with the above mixture.

Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat, turning occasionally until cooked through.

Serve chicken hot on a bed of baby spinach. Top with fresh pineapple salsa. See recipe HERE.

4th of July: Patriotic Treats

The 4th of July is possibly my favorite holiday of the year, after Christmas of course! I love the warm summer weather, picnics with family, and the FIREWORKS! I am an absolute sucker for things that blow up, shoot sparks or need to be lit with a punk or blow torch!

This is our 2012 fireworks show. I’m not the only junkie in our family… ;o)

It’s actually a genetic thing. My grandfather was a fireworks junkie! He loved them! He was anal about emptying the dryer vent to prevent house fires, but would shoot off bottle rockets with reckless abandon. Can your toddler stand on his own and hold something in his hand? Then he is totally ready for sparklers! I think all of my boys held their first lit sparkler before they turned 2…  I think I miss my grandpa the most on the 4th of July!

this is my grandpa at his fireworks stand in the early 40’s

I also love the food on the 4th of July! Not surprising, huh?

I made all red, white and blue treats this year…

fruit salad with watermelon stars

  

strawberries dipped in white chocolate and blue sparkly sugar

3-layer punch. Fill cup with ice. Pour in red Kool-Aid, followed by blue Gatorade, then topped with sparkling water or club soda. The secret??? Pour VERY slowly over the ice!

I wish I could say I made this gorgeous strawberry-rhubarb pie with the sweet little blackbird pie vent, but it was my super-talented little sister! But if I ever make pies, I’m getting a pie bird! You can buy your own at eBay, HERE.

Hope you all had as wonderful a 4th as we did! And remember to be thankful for this amazing country we live in!

Cranberry Coleslaw

We had this again for supper tonight and I still really like it! For two weeks in a row, I have made salad rolls. Salad rolls means having a whole lot of leftover coleslaw mix! I also had a bottle of raspberry vinaigrette that no one wanted to use on their salad… Hmmm??? Would that work??? Yes, it did!

So here’s the result. It could barely qualify as a recipe but it makes a slightly sweet side dish that is super quick to throw together last minute.

Toss coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage) with dried cranberries, slivered almonds (but I think it would also be good with walnuts or pecans), and any bottled or homemade raspberry vinaigrette.

  Next time I’m trying an Asian variation with canned mandarin oranges and a sesame dressing. :o)

Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

There is something about an iceberg lettuce wedge salad. Simple, yet elegant.

For Chris’ birthday, my friend Kate made homemade blue cheese dressing for our salads. It was the BEST blue cheese I’ve ever had! She got the recipe from her friend Cozy. So, thanks Cozy! We love your dressing!!!

Dressing:

4 Tablespoons crumbled Blue Cheese, about 2 ounces (I used 4 ounces of Gorgonzola, so I would add per your taste for blue cheese)

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 teaspoon Horseradish

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Mash the blue cheese into the sour cream.  If you want it less chunky you can whirl in the food processor.

2) Stir in the mayonnaise and remaining ingredients.

3) Chill.

Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into desired sized wedges. Place one wedge on each salad plate. Spoon dressing over lettuce. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and bacon crumbles. Top with fresh cracked black pepper.

7-Up Salad

This was one of my favorites growing up and still is. I especially enjoy it on hot summer days! My mom always made it with lime Jello, but I like it with just about any flavor…

1 1/2 cups applesauce

1 small box of Jello

1 cup 7-Up (or any lemon-lime soda)

Heat applesauce until hot and bubbly. Dissolve Jello in applesauce. Pour into bowl and let cool. Stir in 1 cup 7-up. Chill until set.

Red Hot Salad

My friend Karen was talking about not being able to find red hots for making Red Hot Salad after they moved to Hawaii. I was so curious about what it was that I had her send me the recipe. It’s a cherry Jello salad made with red hots and applesauce. Zack and I liked it. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share it with you.

Melt 1/2 cup of Brach’s Red Hots in 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 small box of cherry jello in water. Stir in 1/2 cup applesauce. Chill until set.

Cranberry Christmas Salad

I love this jello salad my mom made for both our Christmas open house and our church’s Christmas party. I also had quite a few requests for the recipe, so here it is…

1 lg. box strawberry Jello

1 c. boiling water

1 10 oz box frozen strawberries thawed or 1 c. fresh sliced

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

Dissolve jello in boiling water.  Add cranberry sauce and mix well.  (use a wire whip or rotary beater)  Add strawberries. 

Chicken Spinach Stir-Fry Salad

This salad is one of many favorites that came from $1 Pampered Chef cookbooks. I made this one quite often when I was pregnant with Will because I just craved it so often. It makes a great light lunch with a roll and a glass of iced tea!



Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp soy sauce
dash of hot pepper sauce



Salad
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 lb cut up chicken breast
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 can (8 oz) of pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 bag fresh spinach



Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. Stir fry chicken, garlic, ginger, carrots, and sesame seeds until chicken is done. Lay spinach on plate or serving dish. Top with pineapple and onion. Place chicken mixture and dressing on top of salad. Serve immediately while still warm.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I should call this my "Award Winning Strawberry Spinach Salad"...I don't even remember when or where I got this recipe but it is one of my favorite salads ever! It is perfect for summer time lunches with chicken or as a side dish at a BBQ! I took it to a friend's BBQ Cook-Off Contest and everyone placed their votes for their favorite dish and this salad won! It was kind of embarrassing since it wasn't even one of the entries, only a side dish... But it is really good! ;o)

Me, Andy & my prize-winning salad

2 bunches or 1 bag of fresh spinach

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 Tbsp minced red or white onion

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar (or white vinegar with a little apple juice in it)

Combine dressing and toss with spinach, strawberries and sunflower seeds just before serving.

Oriental Coleslaw

We first had this salad at a Rose of Sharon potluck and it has been a potluck favorite ever since. It is the only way I can get my guys to even look at cabbage. I've had several variations on this recipe, but Sherry Purkeypile's is still the BEST!

1 bag coleslaw

3-4 sliced green onions

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 bag crushed ramen noodles, dry (discard seasoning packet)

1/4 cup butter

Toast sesame seeds and almonds in dry fry pan until lightly golden brown. (be careful, they burn easily) Melt butter in pan and fry noodles until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature on paper towel-lined plate.

Mix together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbsp soy sauce with wire whisk.

Combine all salad ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving. (it will become soggy if it sits too long)

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

This is one of the easiest salads I make! It's perfect for a summer BBQ! Use your favorite ranch dressing to make it your own.

Dice potatoes (any kind) and boil until just tender. Drain.

Toss in some frozen peas.

Mix in ranch dressing and black pepper. Stir well to coat.

Place in bowl and chill in fridge.

Mix in some crumbled bacon and serve.