The Perfect Corn Salad

Here is another awesome recipe from our bunko friend Heather! She made this at our last bunko gathering with chicken breast and spinach salad and it was so superb that I told her she HAD to give me the recipe "or else!!". ;o) She gladly emailed it over to me and I had a terrific dinner with it and some grilled fish.
I know there are several kind of corn salad recipes out there, what's your favorite?

Heather's Corn Salad

• 2 cans corn, drained ** Heather had 3 cans of corn in her recipe but I thought 2 were fine!**
  

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• Fresh Pico de gallo, (as much as you like) I didn't have this on hand so I just chopped up some onion, tomato, garlic, 1 jalapeno, and cilantro.
• add more cilantro if you'd like...I'm not a very big cilantro fan so I didn't add a whole lot!
• Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (recipe below)...don't add too much!

Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight or at least a couple of hours.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

Mix together and pour over salad

Tara

Triple "S" Salad

My husband and I were joking about this post so I'm dedicating this to him! We just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary this past weekend! Wow, it seems like it's been WAY longer than that! (Ha Ha Ha) But, it's been so worth it...3 children later and loving every minute of it!

As, I was posting this recipe my husband was peeking over my shoulder and helping me out on what to name it. We decided it's the Triple "S" salad! Steven's Strawberry & Spinach Salad!! He's absolutely in LOVE with it...almost as much as he loves me!!! I had made it for bunko a couple weeks ago and it was a big hit with the girls as well! I found it on All-recipes and tweaked it just a little to our liking. We also like to put some grilled chicken on top of it too, but believe me it's wonderful all by its little lonesome! Enjoy!!!

Steven's Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely, chopped onion
  
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions

1. In a blender, blend together the sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. After it's all blended, add the sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, walnuts, red onion, and feta. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. ENJOY!!

Tara

A Good summer salad...

I'm not really sure if we've posted this recipe before or not but this is one of my faves! We had it for dinner last night and I forgot to take a picture of it before I plunged into it. The longer it sits the better the flavors can soak in, but I do like the crunchiness of the noodles and they will get softer the longer it sits! ENJOY!

Broccoli Slaw

1 pkg Broccoli Slaw

2 pkg Ramen noodles, chicken flavor, crunched up with your hands

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower kernels

3-4 chopped green onions

**Sauce**

½ cup sugar

½ cup white vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil (I use a little less, maybe like 3/4 of a cup)

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 pks seasoning from ramen noodles

Mix the first 5 ingredients into a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the 5 ingredients for the sauce. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sauce on top of slaw mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. ENJOY!!

Trying this tonight...

White Cheddar-and-Squash Casserole
(myrecipes.com)

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
3 pounds yellow squash, sliced
2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (10-oz.) block white Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley


Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add squash, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from heat; drain well. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cheese and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Gently stir together squash and cheese mixture in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over top. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serves: 6-8

Tonight I'm serving this with Pork Tenderloin, Fresh Green Beans with Bacon, and Hot Rolls. YUMMM....

Broccoli Salad

This is another fave of ours from Mama Nise. She makes this all the time and even my 9 year old devours it!!! I wish I had a picture to post but I don't....so, trust me, it's delish!

5 cups Broccoli florets, cut into bite sizes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup golden raisins, we use Craisins
1 cup low fat mayo
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp vinegar

Put the first 3 ingredients into a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl add the next three ingredients and whisk together until creamy. Pour the mayo mixture in with the broccoli mix and stir together. It's better if you can chill it for about 30 minutes but if not just dig in!

** I think Mama Nise adds pecans to her's too. But honestly I don't add anything but the broccoli and the mayo mix and it is still awesome!!
ENJOY!!

Southern Fried Cabbage

I made this last night for our "money luck" for the new year and I got so many compliments on it! It's really scrummy!

Southern Fried Cabbage

Keepers for a fortnight...

If anyone knows me - they know I absolutely HATE going to the grocery store!!! So, I usually try to shop for two weeks at a time. So, I'll go ahead and post my menu for the next two weeks in a minute, before I end up loosing my Weekly Planner sheet!!! ;)

Here's some "keepers", that we've made over the years, from AllRecipes. We'll be having these over the next couple of weeks, or as the Brits say - a fortnight...

Basil Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
• 3 tablespoons brown mustard
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• white pepper
• 3 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a shallow, non-porous dish or bowl, mix together olive oil and melted butter. Stir in lemon juice, mustard, basil, and garlic, and season with salt and white pepper. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill to high heat. Remove shrimp from marinade, and thread onto skewers. Discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate, and arrange skewers on preheated grill. Cook for 4 minutes, turning once, or until opaque.

Grilled Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Souvlaki

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
• skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large glass bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, and garlic; add pork, onions, and green peppers, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork, peppers, and onions onto skewers.
3. Lightly oil grate. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or to desired doneness, turning skewers frequently for even cooking.

We usually have this one night and then use the leftover meat for Gyros with Tzatziki sauce!




Spaghetti Casserole
(this comes from Fifi! It's an easy meal that tastes great and the kids love it!)

I can't find my recipe but basically you cook your spaghetti noodles, drain, and then stir in the spaghetti sauce of your choice. You then layer half of that in a casserole dish, then put a full container of sour cream next, then the rest of your noodles and sauce, then top with cheddar cheese. Pop it in the oven until heated through and just beginning to brown on top.

Kathy's menu - week 5

Sunday - Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry and Egg Rolls
Monday - Potato & Leek Soup and crusty bread
Tuesday - I'll be taste testing this!!!
Wednesday - Beef & Beer Stew and cheese bread
Thursday - Texas Black Bean Soup
Friday - Chicken Marsala, Roasted Garlic Cauliflower, green beans, and rolls
Saturday - Taco Ring