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/ 

Simple Cookery Brats & Cabbage

 

This is a remake of a Bangers & Mash recipe.  I wanted to re-make this recipe without using mashed potatoes.  I love turnips and thought they would add some distinct flavor.  As an added benefit, I took made the leftovers into a hearty soup the next night!

Simple Cookery Brats & Cabbage

1 pkg brats – 5 links

1 large red onion, sliced in rings

1 head cabbage, chopped

6-8 turnips, peeled and diced

2 cups chicken broth or stock plus water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup water

In large pot, combine cabbage, turnips, chicken broth and enough water to cover all.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cover.  Continue to simmer for 45 minutes or until cabbage reaches desired texture and turnips are fork tender.  If you like your veggies a little firmer, reduce cooking time. 

Meanwhile, cook brats according to package directions and remove from skillet.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  In same skillet, add olive oil.  Add onions, and cook over medium low heat until slightly browned.  Add water and mustard, scraping the bottom of the pan to make your ‘gravy’.  Remove cabbage mixture with slotted spoon to reserve cooking liquid.  Layer in a casserole or serving dish.  Top with onion mixture and brats. 

Bonus recipe for leftovers:

By reserving the cooking liquid, you have a delicious start to a hearty soup.  Dice any leftover brats and store overnight in cooking liquid.

Brat & Cabbage Soup

4 cups leftover cabbage, turnip, onion, brat mixture

1 small onion, chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

to taste – red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

1-2 cups chicken broth

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and tomato.  Cook until tender.  Combine all ingredients in medium sauce pan – adding the desired amount of chicken broth depending on how thick you like your soup.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook another 15 minutes. 

Happy New Year! Hoppin' John

 

SAGE DRESSING

 SAGE DRESSING

Ingredients:

4 cups crumbled cornbread
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
3 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook onion and celery in melted butter until tender.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  In large bowl, combine cornbread, sage, salt and pepper.  Pour broth mixture over ingredients and mix well.  Stir in eggs and add more broth if needed.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 until brown on top.

O'Brien Sausage Casserole

 

O'Brien Sausage Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (28 oz) Great Value
Southern Style O'Brien Frozen
Hash Browns with Onions & Peppers

1 pound Tennessee Pride Sage Sausage

1/2 cup chopped ham

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup French's Onions

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown sausage, drain and set aside.

Combine soup, sour cream, and milk. Mix well.

Add sausage, French's Onions, cheese and pepper.

Stir in package of frozen hash browns.

Pour into 9 x 13 pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Top with cheese or additional French's Onions and brown another 5-10 minutes.

You can put this into smaller pans or muffin tins for individual servings.

Pumpkin Crisp

 

Pumpkin Crisp

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanila extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix - butter flavored
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup butter, melted

Pre-heat oven to 350. Lightly grease 13 X 9 inch baking dish. In medium bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Add in pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Stir well. Pour into baking dish. Break up any clumps in the cake mix and sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts & drizzle entire dish with butter. Bake at 350 for one hour. Check dish and bake another five minutes or so until golden brown.

This dish is great served warm and topped with whipped cream. It is also great served cold.

Golden Graham Spiders

 

Golden Graham Spiders
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These spiders may look scary, but they taste delicious. Coconut tinted with black food coloring give the spiders their ‘hairy’ appearance. They make the perfect addition to your Halloween treat table! 
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Golden Graham Spiders
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1 cup Golden Graham cereal, crushed
8 oz package of chocolate almond bark
2 Tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
½ cup raisins
½ cup rolled oats.
1 cup coconut
Black food coloring
Miniature pretzels, about a half-cup
Writing icing, red
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In a glass bowl, mix coconut with a few drops of black food coloring. Stir until complete coated, adding more if needed. Set aside. Melt almond bark according to package directions. Mix in peanut butter and stir until smooth. Add cereal, raisins, and oats. Drop by tablespoonful onto wax paper, making the candy in an oblong shape. Before candy hardens, top each one with the tinted coconut.. Break pretzels into small pieces reserving the ones that are slightly curved to make your spider legs. Coat each pretzel ‘leg’ with melted chocolate and attach to the spiders side. Someone may be counting, so be sure to use four legs on each side. Reinforce the legs by drizzling a little melted chocolate on each side after they are attached. Sprinkle a little more coconut on top. Take the red writing icing and add two red dots on the front of each spider for eyes.

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.

Lavish Bread Ham Wrap

Lavish Bread Ham Wrap

Have you tried Lavish Bread?  I love using it for a wrap.  I made this one with Ham, but you can use any lunch meat - works great with Turkey too.  It is all about the layering of flavors so feel free to use the seasonings of your choice.

The first layer is Philadelphia Jalapeno Cream Cheese   - spread over the flat bread.  Then add a couple slices of cheese - I used Baby Swiss.

Next add thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.  You can also add sliced onions at this step.  I pre-seasoned these with salt & pepper after slicing.  Add any other seasonings you want.  I also patted them dry with a paper towel prior to adding them to the bread.  I also spread a little ranch dressing on it.

Now add baby spinach and lettuce of your choice.

Add the luncheon meat of your choice.  I used ham in this one - pat it dry before adding it.  Turkey works well or a combination of all your favorites meats.

Now roll it up - notice I left the very end without anything added - whenever I roll these, all the ingredients slide a little  - this helps keep it neat.  But, you may know a different trick!  Now it's ready to eat.  These do tend to get soggy if you leave them in the refrigerator so I would not recommend making them too far ahead.

 

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

 

This is tasty and easy - don't let anyone know you cheated :o)

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

1 can Campbell's Chunky Pub Style Chicken Pot Pie soup  

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked chicken - cubed or shredded

1 can crescent rolls

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix soup, chicken and about half the cheese into casserole dish (microwave and oven safe).  Heat in microwave for 5 minutes so that the mixture is hot before you put it in the oven.  Stir well.  Take your crescent rolls and slice them in half length-wise - so that you are making two mini crescent rolls - place around casserole edge end side dipping into your casserole.  Top open area with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the tops of the crescent rolls are browned.

You can also add your favorite veggies to stretch the casserole.

Egg White Breakfast Muffins

The base for this is egg whites but you can use whole eggs if you would like.  And the ingredients are endless - basically anything you would want in an omelet.

Egg White Breakfast Muffins with Spinach and Sausage

1/4 cup egg whites

1 cup cooked sausage, drained

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Add egg whites to muffin tins and top with each of the ingredients - adding cheese last.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm.  These freeze well - just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and enjoy!

 

Sweet Onion Mustard

This makes a great dip for anything or to add to your burger.  I miss French's Sweet Onion Mustard and remember my Grandmother always having a jar.  This is a very close replacement.

Sweet Onion Mustard

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon minced onions

Mx together and store in container.  Wat at lest an hour before using to allow the minced onions to re-hydrate in the sauce.

Chicken Nuggets - Two Ingredients!

I never believed you could make chicken nuggets in the air fryer with only two ingredients.  Trust me - you have to try this one!

Two Ingredient Chicken Nuggets

1 cup shredded chicken breast (I used a can and drained it)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

seasoning to taste - black pepper and garlic powder or anything you like

Mx well and take about a tablespoon of the mixture and squeeze together like a meatball.  Place on parchment paper and flatten a little bit.  In your air fryer, cook at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes - check to see if they are brown enough for your liking - if not, cook an additional minute or two.  Cool for two minutes and enjoy!

 

BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

 

Who doesn't love baked spaghetti?  It's a great way to use up leftovers.  But, I wanted to do something without pasta.  Spaghetti squash was the perfect base.  Yes, you have to bake it first, but it really is easy.  I think the hardest part, literally, is slicing the raw squash in half.

To bake the squash, slice length-wise and scoop out the seeds.  Season with some olive oil, black pepper and garlic powder.  Place cut side down on baking pan and bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until outside is tender.  Take a fork and shred the inside into spaghetti strands.  Be careful as the squash will be hot - use oven mitts to hold it.

BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

One spaghetti squash - I used about 2 cups of the shredded squash

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce (any flavor)

1 can mushrooms, sliced, drained

1  pound ground beef, browned and drained - seasoned with black pepper, garlic powder, salt to taste

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese for topping

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together into a casserole dish.  Top with additional 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until bubbly.