Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

3 cups cauliflower
3 cups broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 to 6 slices bacon

Sauce:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 package of Dray ranch dressing
1/2 tsp. tsp. vinegar 

Directions:
Mix cauliflower, broccoli and cheese in large salad bowl. In a medium sized bowl combine mayonnaise, package of ranch dressing and vinegar.  Add mayonnaise mixture to vegetables and mix. Refrigerate.
Fry bacon until crispy. Let cool and crush or break into pieces. Mix into salad just before serving.

Broccoli Salad

1 cup mayonnaise, reduced-fat mayonnaise, or salad dressing
1/2 cup craisins
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
7 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled 

Instructions
In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, craisins, sugar, and vinegar. Add broccoli and stir to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, stir in sunflower seeds and bacon.

Oriental Cabbage Salad

1 package Ramen Noodles

4 cups shredded cabbage

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 cups cooked diced chicken

make dressing with seasoning packet 

3 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2-2/3 cup oil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Citrus Jicama

1 jicama, peeled and diced
2 oranges, segmented
2 grapefruits, segmented
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

Juice & zest of 2 limes
1 jalapeno, minced (optional)
Chili powder, to taste
Salt, to taste 

In a large bowl toss together jicama, segmented fruits, red onion and cilantro. Squeeze in lime juice. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt to taste.

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

6 cups fresh baby spinach
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 avocado, diced (or you can double this to 2 avocados!)
4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
1 /4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
half a small red onion, thinly sliced 

Poppy seed Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 cup avocado oil (or any oil, such as olive oil)
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
pinch of ground dry mustard (optional)
salt and pepper

Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad

2 (16 oz) boxes bowtie pasta cooked and drained)
3 cups chopped celery
2 bunches chopped green onions
2 cups seedless grapes cut in half
30 oz pineapple tidbits
1 1/2 cups cashew halves
6 cups chopped boiled chicken breasts

2 cups mayonnaise
1 bottle Kraft cole slaw dressing

combine all ingredients add salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Caprese Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 6 ounces soft mozzarella cheese, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16 grinds freshly ground black pepper (about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon) 

Instructions
Cook quinoa according to package instructions. If you prefer chunks of mozzarella, put quinoa
in the fridge to cool before combining. If you prefer melted cheese, go ahead and combine all
ingredients in a large bowl. 

This serves 4 people as a main dish, or 6-8 as a side dish.


www.thatswhatieat.com

Yummy Potatoes

2 bags frozen grated hash browns
1/2 c. butter
3 c. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 c. grated sharp cheddar

For the top:
1/2 c. or more crushed corn flakes
2 Tbs. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix butter and soup in pan until butter is melted. Blend in sour cream, green onions, and cheese. Mix. Add hash browns and stir until coated well.
Top with corn flakes and butter.
Bake for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Zucchini Fries

Another recipe to use up all those zucchini in the garden!  Found this on Betty Crocker.

2 - 6" zucchini
(I used one really big one, you know those ones that you don't even see until they are over a foot long!  But beware, the middle where the seeds are gets squishy so either scoop out the inside or use 2 6" like the recipe calls for.)
1 teaspoon salt (I used Johnny's seasoned salt and mixed it in with the flour.)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

The original recipe says to place spears in colander over bowl; sprinkle with salt.  Cover; let stand at room temperature 4 hours so zucchini spears can dry.  Then is says to rinse again and dry with paper towels...  I did none of that!  I washed the zucchini, cut it up and started dipping...  and just mixed the salt in with the flour.


1. Heat oven to 425.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Spray with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Cut off ends of zucchini.  Cut each zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half into 8 (3-inch) spears.
3. You need 3 bowls, 1-flour/salt, 2-beaten eggs, 3-bread crumbs/cheese
4. Coat each spear with flour, dip in eggs and coat with bread crumbs.  Place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes turning spears over halfway through baking time, until golden brown.

Serve warm.  Great with marinara sauce or ranch dressing dip.

Spanish Rice

2 cups rice

2 Tbsp veg. or olive Oil

1 medium onion – chopped

1 small can tomato sauce

Chicken broth when added to tomato sauce makes 4 ½ cups of liquid.

1 tsp. garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic if you want, but chop very fine and sauté with onion)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onions in oil, until soft, add rice, brown lightly.  Add liquid, garlic powder and S&P, stir, bring rice to boil and turn heat down to slow simmer.  Cook until rice is done, do not stir. 

For nice festive looking rice (doesn’t change the taste much).  When adding liquid, add ¼ cup chopped green onions and ½ cup sliced black olives.  Stir once and then let simmer as indicated above.


Recipe from a family friend that is a fabulous cook, Kathy.

Christy's Cucumbers

Combine in large bowl:
6 cucumbers thinly sliced
2-3 onions thinly sliced

Combine in saucepan:
3/4 cup vinegar (I usually use white)
1/3-2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp dried dill
Bring to boil and cook 1 minute.  Pour over onions and cucumbers.  Toss to coat.  Chill for 8+ hours.

Mashed Potato Casserole

10 medium red potatoes peeled and quartered
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
¼ c sour cream
¼ c milk
2-3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes 15 minutes drain and mash. Add cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Spoon into greased pan, drizzle with butter and bake at 350 for 30 min or until brown.

Mom’s Stuffing

This is the best part of Thanksgiving for me. My mom makes the BEST stuffing. Even people that don't like stuffing change their mind after having this. There's nothing special about the recipe, it's just SO yummy!

1 bag of stuffing bread crumbs (Ms. Cubbisons or Mom’s)
½ c cut up celery
½ c onion
½ pound sausage fried
1 can chicken broth
1 stick margarine

Mix together bread crumbs, celery, onion and sausage, melt butter and combine with chicken broth pour over bread crumb mixture. Butter bottom of tin foil or baking dish with 2 Tbsp butter wrap up stuffing. Bake 45-60 minutes at 325.

Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 pkg. shell noodles
shrimp about 20 large cut in pieces
2-3 green peppers
3 hard boiled eggs
1 pkg. frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise until desired consistency

Mix.

Pistachio Mallow Salad-Waldorf Salad

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
½ cup walnuts, chopped
3 ¼ cups miniature marshmallows, divided
2 tubs (8 oz. each) cool whip, thawed
Maraschino cherries with stems, for garnish

STIR pudding mix, pineapple with juice, nuts and 1 cup of marshmallows in large bowl until blended. Gently stir in 1 tub of whipped topping.

MIX remaining tub of whipped topping and 2 cups of marshmallows in separate bowl; reserve 1/2 of the mixture for garnish. Spoon 1/2 of the pudding mixture in large serving bowl. Top with remaining marshmallow mixture and remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with reserved marshmallow mixture, marshmallows and maraschino cherries.

REFRIGERATE until ready to serve.

Sesame Cucumber Salad

8 c thinly sliced cucumbers
1 tbsp salt
2 green onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Place cucumbers in a colander. Set the colander on a plate; sprinkle cucumbers with salt and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. In a bowl, combine the onions, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sesame seeds and cayenne. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Creamy Mashed Potato Bake

3 c mashed potatoes
1 c sour cream
¼ c milk
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 1/3 c French fried onions
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Combine mashed potatoes, sour cream, milk, and garlic powder. Spoon ½ the mixture in 2 qt casserole dish, sprinkle with 2/3 c French fried onions and ½ c cheeses. Top with remaining potatoes. Bake 30 minutes at 350 or until hot. Top with remaining onions and cheese, bake 5 more minutes.

Italian Vegetable Kebobs

1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ c fresh whole mushrooms
½ c Italian dressing, divided
¼ c parmesan cheese, grated
8 wooden or metal skewers
Chicken or beef (optional)

Alternately thread vegetables onto skewers. Baste with ½ of the dressing. Grill over medium heat 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is cooked (if using), turning occasionally. Remove kebobs from grill brush with remaining dressing and grate cheese over the top.

BLT Bites

16 to 20 cherry tomatoes
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/3 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

Cut a thin slice off of each tomato top. Scoop out and discard pulp. Invert the tomatoes on a paper towel to drain. In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into tomatoes. Refrigerate for several hours.

Creamy Sliced Tomatoes

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light cream
3/4 teaspoon dried basil or 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil, divided
Lettuce leaves
6 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream and half of the basil; mix well. Refrigerate. Just before serving, arrange lettuce, tomatoes and onions on individual salad plates. Drizzle dressing over: Sprinkle with remaining basil.