Simple Broccoli Salad

Simple Broccoli Salad

If you've ever been to a Summer potluck, then you've likely had a variation of this simple broccoli salad.  It's a forgivable salad that you can tweak to make your own by adding or substituting ingredients or measurements.  Experiment!  You won't regret it.

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING

Mix the below together and set aside while making the salad.

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD

6 cups broccoli florets (or do a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower) 

- I do blanch the broccoli in salt water for 1 minute and then rinse with cold water.  After rinsing, place in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes until ready to mix together with the other ingredients.

1 block extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (8 oz), chopped into small cubes

1 cup cooked, chopped bacon

3/4 cup dried cranberries (or do a mixture of different dried berries)

3/4 cup purple onion / red onion, diced

3/4 cup sunflower seeds (I prefer unsalted)

Drain broccoli and pat dry.  Add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir to mix well.  Cover with dressing and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

German Style Slaw

 

I love this slaw. It's easy to make, tastes great and only gets better the next day!

German-Style Slaw

2 packages of shredded cabbage (16 oz packages)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
3/4 cup canola oil

Place cabbage into a large plastic or glass bowl. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Add oil. Return to a boil and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Pour dressing over cabbage; toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Sweet Cole Slaw

 

SWEET COLE SLAW

Simple, tasty, and the perfect side any time of year.  You can make this with fresh cabbage and carrots, but I prefer the ease of buying a package of tri-color slaw.

Sweet Cole Slaw

1 bag of tri-color saw mix (16 oz)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 teaspoons celery seeds

2 tablespoons minced onions (dehydrated, or finely minced fresh onions)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add slaw mix and coat evenly.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours before serving.  Amount of slaw will reduce as it stores so you can add more slaw mix if needed.  If you want to make more, just keep your dressing ratios the same when increasing the amounts.

Mom's Mac and Cheese Pasta Salad

 

Mom made this awesome salad a lot.  Somehow I lost the original recipe so I'm going on memory alone here.  

Mom's Mac and Cheese Pasta Salad

1 box elbow pasta
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups mild cheddar cheese (or American) in small cubes
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions being careful not to overcook it.  Drain and rinse with cold water at least 3 times.  Pour a cup of vinegar over the pasta, toss to coat and set aside.  Let rest at least 15 minutes and then drain any remaining vinegar.

Mix the pasta, veggies and cheese together.  Prepare the dressing in a small bowl.  Combine the Miracle Whip, tablespoon of vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt.  Mix well.  Add about half to the pasta and toss.  Add more dressing as needed.  Chill two hours before serving.

Summer Pasta Salad

 

SUMMER PASTA SALAD

1 box small shells
1/2 apple cider vinegar
1 cucumber
1 small red onion
4 medium tomatoes
1 can medium black olives
Olive Garden Italian dressing

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Prepare shells according to package directions careful not to overcook them.  Drain and rinse two or three times with cold water.  Place in bowl and add vinegar, stir well.  Let set 15 minutes and then drain.

Quarter and slice cucumber, onion and tomatoes.  Add to pasta.  Drain can of black olives and add to pasta bowl.  Toss ingredients.  Add about a cup of dressing adjusting to what you prefer.  Chill at least two hours.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Happy Halloween!

 

Halloween 'Boo' Bags

These little Halloween ‘Boo’ Bags are not only cute, but they are completely edible right down to the handle. The chocolate covered bars stand up to look like bags filled with Halloween treats.

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Halloween ‘Boo’ Bags
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Ingredients for the bars
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10 oz bag of large marshmallows
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
3 cups Trix cereal
1 cup Cheerios
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
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Butter an 8x8 pan and set aside. Combine Trix, Cheerios, pecans and cranberries in bowl and set aside. In a heavy sauce pan, over low heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and blended with butter. Add cinnamon and vanilla. Stir well. Add cereal mixture. Pour into 8x8 pan. Smooth down top with the back of a buttered spoon on spatula. Allow to cool at room temperature.

When mixture is cooled, cut into 9 equal size bars. The bars will still be a little soft, so you can mold them, if needed, so they will stand up right. Place bars in the freezer for ten minutes.
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Ingredients for decorating the bars
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16 oz almond bark
Writing icing
Candy corn for decorating
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While bars are chilling, melt almond bark according to package directions. Remove bars from freezer. Dip each bar in the chocolate, leaving about half an inch uncovered, and stand upright on wax paper. Once chocolate is hardened, apply the handles. Coat the inside first inch of each licorice stick with the melted chocolate. Apply each end to the side of a bag and hold in place until the chocolate hardens, about 20 to 30 seconds. You can reinforce the handle by adding a little melted chocolate around the seams.
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To make signs for your bags, put wax paper on a cutting board. Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on wax paper. Make the area large enough to write all of the words you want on your bag. With writing icing, spell out the words you want, like RIP or Boo. You can even use names if you want. Leave enough room between each word to cut out signs. With a sharp knife, cut around your words. Lift the wax paper and remove each sign. Put a little melted chocolate on the back of the sign and place it on the front of the treat bag. The chocolate will harden and hold the sign in place.
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Store in air tight container overnight. If you are not serving the bags the next day, refrigerate them until ready to serve.

Simple Broccoli Salad

This simple salad has a tangy sweet dressing that makes it a perfect summer side dish.  It's not an original recipe of mine as I found it at www.sugarspunrun.com.  The link to the recipe below.

I only made a couple changes - I used red-wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.  And, instead of shredded cheddar cheese, I chopped a block of sharp cheddar cheese into small cubes. 

https://sugarspunrun.com/broccoli-salad/