Macaroni Salad

This is a simple macaroni salad, the dressing is much like a coleslaw, so since I can't seem to leave recipes alone I added in some seasonings. I also added in lots of veggies, too much for my liking, so I would recommend adding 2 TBL- 1/4 cup of each. We had this with grilled burgers and grilled corn on the cob. This is a great picnic/BBQ salad.

Macaroni Salad

adapted from Hellman's/Allrecipes

1 box elbow macaroni

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

For add ins, add diced red and green bell peppers, celery, red onions, frozen peas, roughly chopped olives and 4 chopped boiled eggs.

Cook pasta for about 8 minutes, rinse under cold water and drain. Combine all ingredients except the add ins. Add to the pasta and stir in the add ins. Allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight or a few hours (if the pasta seems to be dried out before serving, stir in a little milk).

enjoy,

Chinese Chicken Salad with Mom's Egg Rolls

I bet you all are just starving, huh? I haven't posted a recipe in ages it seems. Well I'm trying to get back into the swing of home cooking since we are moved now, and ate too much fast food in the last couple weeks (we did find a great pizza place nearby though!).

So here is a great salad I tossed up last night. It's more about what ingredients you like so I didn't add quantities here (plus I made a ton, since we had 2 dinner guests). Prep time takes up most of this meal, since it's cooking chicken, slicing veggies and frying up won ton strips. Tossed all together and drizzled with some of the toasted sesame dressing makes this a great family style salad. I then took more time to make my mom's homemade egg rolls. I was in the kitchen 2 hours making all this, until we were eating, and that is why I will not have a cafe. Dinner would always come late. lol. So plan ahead slice and cook what you can ahead of time, I got a late start in the day so I was pressed for time. Everyone loved it and I have lots of leftovers!

Chinese Chicken Salad ingredients

Chicken breast, roasted and shredded
Romaine lettuce, finely shredded (TIP: use your serrated knife!)

Sugar Snap peas

Carrots, shredded

Baby corn (found in a can in the Asian aisle of the grocery store)

Green onions, sliced

Mandarin orange slices, drained

Fresh garlic, crushed

Fresh grated ginger

Fried Won Ton wrapper strips

Soy Vay Toasted Sesame Dressing and Marinade

I did season the chicken with garlic powder, salt & pepper and roasted in a 425' oven for 20 minutes. Shredded when cooled. Then I tossed it with a little of the dressing along with some fresh garlic and ginger.
For the egg rolls, I did add some fresh garlic and ginger to the mix as well and served them with a sweet and sour sauce or soy sauce.

as you can see, my (new) kitchen is not together yet, but here's a sneak peek of it so far! I love the long prep counter in front of the window!

enjoy,

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

I found this one morning while making my menu plans, sounded pretty good to me! My oldest said so too, so it was dinner that night! I used my favorite BBQ sauce for mine as well as for the dressing. Mr. and I both LOVED it (we had seconds), we love cilantro though and all the flavors come together in this. The kids weren't crazy about it, because of the cilantro. Next time I'll keep it separate. But gosh, this is GOOD! I forgot my tortilla strips for the photos *sigh.


Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad
The Sister's Cafe

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup BBQ sauce (my fave homemade here)
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Haas avocados, diced
shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! I like quite a bit since I love the smoky flavor of BBQ sauce in a salad. Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy! (I just drizzled more BBQ sauce over it)

*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges, but watch it! It burns fast!



enjoy,

Potato Salad

This is adapted from my mom's recipe and every time I make it I do it a little differently, this time I added in garlic, olives and sour cream. I also just eyeball everything but I'll guesstimate how much I used in this batch for you. Also, this makes a ton, perfect for get togethers or potlucks! Feel free to half this recipe. We love potato salad so it's great to have around all week.

5 lbs russet potatoes, boiled whole, slightly cooled (peeled or unpeeled*)
1 dozen eggs, hard boiled, cooled (How-to)
1 C celery, small dice
1 C dill pickles, small dice
1 small can sliced olives
1 onion, finely diced (I grated mine)
crushed garlic to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1 C mayo
1/4 C sour cream
1 TBL mustard
1/4 C milk (or to desired consistency)
paprika for garnish

-Cut warm potatoes into bite size pieces (fyi-doing so when potatoes are warm, helps them soak up the flavors of the salad better) place in a large bowl. Add in the diced celery, pickles, olives and onion. Carefully toss together.
-Separate the hard boiled egg white from the yolks. Dice up the whites and add to potato mixture (I use a potato masher for the whites).
-Mash up the yolks in a small separate bowl. Add mayo, sour cream, mustard, milk, garlic, salt and pepper to the yolks. Stir well. Adjust any liquids or seasonings if needed.
Pour over potato mixture and carefully fold into to combine. Sprinkle with paprika is desired. Refrigerate 6-8 hours for flavors to combine.

Psst! Watch this neat trick* on how to peel a boiled potato from Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island! I tried it for this recipe, and it sort of worked for me. I forgot the ice bath! I did have to peel pieces off and some potatoes broke righ tin half while trying to peel it, but it was pretty easy!

Then I found this on how to peel a hard boiled egg! I hate peeling eggs for deviled eggs and they get all torn apart! I may have to try this.

I'm bringing this to share at Tina's



enjoy,

BBQ Sauce, Pulled Pork, Baked Beans and Coleslaw

See what happens when you watch too much food tv! Since you can't always get what they're having, you improvise and make it yourself. I had been watching some of those BBQ pit shows, you know, the real deal BBQ food. Well I don't live in the BBQ South or have a smoker, so what I did was crock pot it. haha.

I did a pork butt roast seasoned with salt and pepper, a tiny bit of chicken broth and poured a tiny capful of liquid smoke over the roast. I let it cook on high for 1 hour then I poured a little BBQ sauce over it and set it on low for about 6 hours. When it was done, I shredded it into big pieces and tossed it with some more BBQ sauce. Put it on a bun and topped it with a little slaw! A side of beans finished the plate off and we all chowed it down.

This is my favorite BBQ sauce. It's found here and I blogged about it sometime ago.

Big Al's K.C. Bar-B-Q Sauce
-doubled, this makes 5 1/2 C.

2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke (a must!)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

~my side note:
I let this one simmer for almost 1 hour. then used it the next day to let the flavors merry and thicken up even more.

I made up some coleslaw using this sauce recipe here. I have never eaten slaw on a pork sandwich, so I decided to just try it. YUM! It's great! I used a bag of ready to mix shredded coleslaw.

Country Coleslaw
as seen at Guilty Kitchen

1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. White wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt

1. Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl. Stirring until sugar is dissolved. Combine with cabbage and let stand for 30 minutes prior to devouring.
3. Serve as topping for pulled pork sandwiches, or as a side dish for another meal.

I also made up some of my Mom's Baked Beans. Soo soo good! You may half this recipe, since it makes 2 casseroles. I also figured using a bag of frozen peppers and onion mix, then dicing it up a little more was just easier.

2 (30 oz) cans pork and beans
1 Lb. bacon, cut into pieces
1 large white/yellow onion, diced*
1 large green bell pepper, diced*
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Cup ketchup
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup molasses

Combine all ingredients and put into 2 round casserole dishes sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover and bake at 325' for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Undercover for last 30 minutes. These will thicken over time too.

I am sharing this at:



enjoy,

Review: Simply Salads Recipe Book

I was contacted and asked if I would like to review Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler. Of course I said yes! I love recipe books with great ideas! This book is packed full with more than 100 recipe ideas, and dressings. Jennifer's book is based on ready to eat packaged salad mixes, but of course you could buy a head of lettuce and go that way.



I decided to make a quick and easy dressing to go with dinner. Garlic Vinaigrette.

Garlic
Dijon mustard
White wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

I made this in my food processor and let the oil emulsify. I did buy a bag of mixed greens from Trader Joe's and added in another head of romaine, tomatoes, and extra carrots. It was great!
I was so excited to get to use my salad spinner! That was my $3 find at my favorite 2nd hand shop. No more soggy salads (especially when family is over for dinner!).

What a great little book this is! Thanks Jennifer for allowing me to review it for my blog!

enjoy,

Cold Chicken Pasta Salad

For dinner this night, I wanted something easy, cool, and "lighter" nothing heavy. It's been feeling a lot like the end of summer here, so this was the perfect choice for dinner. You can add what ever vegetables, cheese, or meats you like (ham would be great too). I've decided that the next potluck we go to, I'll be bringing this salad.

12 oz tri-color rotini pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
1/2 pd chicken breast, cooked and cubed
8 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup Italian Dressing (I used Wild Harvest Organics)
Parmesan shaker cheese (to taste)

Combine all, tossing to coat with dressing. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. For any leftovers, toss with a little more dressing, since the pasta will soak it up and the salad will seem dry.



enjoy,

Macaroni Salad

I've been using this recipe for some years now, but I change it up to our likes. First of all, I omit the pimento peppers, green bell pepper and cheese. Then I add in about 1 C. of peas, 1/2 C. sliced black olives, 2 C. mayo with about 1/2 C. sour cream and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika. If it becomes a little dry by the next day, just stir in a little milk.

Barefoot Carrot Salad

My mom used to make a very similar recipe. When I saw Ina making this, it reminded of it. I liked the addition of the sour cream she uses. I used black raisins in mine and doubled the fruit ingredients. This recipe won't be around long though, so hurry and check it out!

Coleslaw

1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine the coleslaw and onion in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar and lemon juice; mix until smooth. Pour mixture over the coleslaw and onion; stir well and chill for 1 hour.

~Allrecipes/Submitted by Marsha

~My side note:
I threw a pinch of celery seed in there too.

Soba with Toasted Sesame Seed Sauce

1/2 cup sesame seeds
8 ounces dried soba noodles
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
5 green onions, chopped
3 cups broccoli florets

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Pour the sesame seeds onto a rimmed baking sheet. Toast the seeds in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are a rich brown around the edges.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are just tender. Drain them, rinse them well with cold water, and drain them again.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and green onions. Add the noodles, and the toasted sesame seeds. Toss well, then stir in the broccoli. Let the dish sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

~allrecipes/submitted by jessica


~my side note:
I LOVE this, reminds me of a salad we had in the Deli I worked at. I used blanched julienned carrots and bell peppers and sugar snap peas, and omitted the broccoli. I toasted the sesame seeds on a low flame in a fry pan.

Quick & Easy Taco Salad

15 oz can chili with beans
12 oz bag of ready made salad mix
1/4 cup shredded cheese
2 Cups of Chili Cheese Fritos
Warm up chili, toss with salad mix, cheese and Fritos.

Serves 4

~Friend's

Eat It Up Chicken Salad

1 whole cooked chicken
2 celery stalks
1/2 roasted red bell pepper (about 4 pieces from jar)
1/2 small white onion
1 1/2 cup mayo
1 Tbl mustard
1 tsp garlic
seasoned salt
salt
pepper

Shred up whole chicken. Dice celery, roasted bell pepper, and onion. Mix all together with mayo, mustard and garlic. Add seasoned salt, salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Serve on sandwich rolls.

*My own recipe