Favorite Summer Salad

We love this salad!

Pasta Salad
1 # cooked pasta, don't over cook!
Fresh veggies cut into bit sized chunks
(broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, radishes, bell peppers)
Cheese Cubes
Diced Pepperoni

Dressing:
1 cup White Wine Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
2 cups Olive Oil
3 T Fresh Garlic
1 T Sugar
1 tsp Oregano
1 /2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp salt

or
1+ bottle Italian Dressing

*Mix well.

Mix pasta, veggies, cheese and pepperoni. Pour 1/2 - 2/3 of dressing over the top. Chill overnight. Add more dressing before serving if it looks 'dry'.

Sprout Bean Dip

My husband loves this dip.It was a strange concept to me when we first go married. Sprouts on top of chip dip?
Plain weird!
I have converted though, this is the only way I'll make it now.

Layer in the bottom of a lg pie dish or 8x11 pan
You want a thin layer of each ingredient so every scoop has a taste of it all.

• 1/2 - 3/4 can of refried beans mixed with a few dashes of hot sauce
• 2 - 3 ripe avocado's mashed until smooth, add a little lime juice to prevent browning. One of these works fabulous for this.
  
• approximately 1 cup of sour-cream mixed with 1/2 bag of taco seasoning
• shredded cheese
• diced: onions, chives, tomatoes, olives, & jalapenos
• top with a container of sprouts, chopped with a scissors first to make the dip easier to eat

Chill the dip for at least 12 hours, 24 is better.
Serve with tortilla or corn chips.

Zucchini Stirfry

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite parts of summer is walking out to the garden, picking produce, taking it inside and serving it up.
Very satisfying for the soul and taste buds.

My family could eat stir-fry type dishes every meal. Plus, they are quick, easy and delicious. Your children can help by picking the produce and cutting it into slices. Uniform slices will cook the best, but when little ones are helping anything goes :)

You will need:
zucchini
yellow squash
onions or chives
olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

approx 1/2 - 1 tsp of all or some of the following:
(vary to your families taste buds, I starred the combination we like to use the best)
*basil, *oregano, *thyme, *rosemary, *sage, savory, parsley and marjoram. If you choose to use fresh herbs, increase the amount to 1 T.

Place sliced vegetables in a skillet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle herbs over top. Mix. Stir-fry on high heat until tender crisp. Make it a main dish by adding pieces of thinly sliced chicken breast, shrimp or pork loin, stir-fry protein first, then add veggies. Don't over cook your meat, the thin strips will cook fast.

Melons

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon...

Cold, juicy, crisp, sweet...nothing beats the refreshing taste of a melon on a hot summer day.

Have you ever watched someone pick out their melon? It makes me laugh. I've seen people shake, smell, examine, turn, thump, push on the end and tap the melon in question. They pick one up, turn it over, and set it down. Then proceed to dig to the bottom of the pile in search of the perfect one.
People watching is funny stuff.

The best melon we've had this year was picked by the following method...
Braden 'Mom, can I pick put the watermelon this time?'
Me 'Sure, if it's a bad one you owe me $4.'
Braden 'It's a deal!'
He looks at the stack, grabs one and says 'This is it. The best one in the bunch.' And it was :)

You can't take my son with you shopping, and his method has no guarantee, except money back, so I'll share a few tips I've learned about picking a good one...

• First look for a melon with good skin. Meaning no tears, scares, bruises or blemishes.
• Examine the skin color. Cantaloupe should have a golden or orange color underneath the webbing. If it is green, it isn't ripe. A watermelon should not be dark green and have stripes all around.
• Look for the 'field spot' on the bottom of the melon where it was laying on the ground. It should be a yellowish/white color.
• Feel it/Thump it. A cantaloupe shouldn't be soft, if it is, it is over ripe. A watermelon should sound hollow when thumped.
  
• Smell it. Cantaloupe and honeydew will smell sweet.
• Pick it up. The melon should feel heavy for it's size.
• Shake it. A honeydew should rattle with loose seeds when it is ripe.

What is your method of picking a good melon?

Potato Boats

Do you ever get ambitious at 7 AM with your dinner plans?
I do.
I am full of energy first thing in the morning, the day is new ready to be attacked. It is waiting for a plan, and you know how much I like a plan!
I have all kinds of tasty, fun food ideas floating around in my head ...MickeyMousePancakes, StuffedBellPeppers, PotatoSkinPizza, ChixOnAStix, ChixBallSoup, MeatloafCupCakes&ColoredMashedPotIcing...
Potato boats were one of those 'great ideas'.
I knew my kids would love them.
Oh, they LOVED them, as did the man of the house but
.they. aren't. quick.

So if you're ambitious today, try these :)

Potato Boats
Bake baking potatoes.
Cool.
Slice the warm potato in half (the long way) and scoop out centers.
Place skins in a greased baking dish.

Make mashed potatoes, but keep the mixture on the thick side.

I baked 4 LG potatoes, added salt to taste, and APPROX: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup cream cheese and enough milk to make a smooth and creamy, but not runny, filling.

Carefully fill potato skins.
I used a decorator bag to fill mine.

Sprinkle the Boats with fresh chives, cheese and crumbled bacon.
Return to refrigerator until you are ready to bake.

Bake at 375* for 20 - 30 minutes or until heated through. Cover if needed to keep from browning.

Enjoy!

Cowboy Chili Beans

(it's all about the name people)

Spicy and filling, these beans make a delicious side dish. Add sausage, (my addition) and top them on a baked potato, rice, corn biscuit or noodles and you'll have hearty main dish.
A bonus, they cook up in your crock-pot!

• Dice 1 or 2 bell peppers and 1 onion.

Saute in olive oil, until cooked and tender.

Put in a crock-pot:

• 3 cups (or 2 cans) of cooked pinto beans, with liquid
• 2 - 4 T minced garlic
• 1 - 2+ T chili powder
• 2+ tsp oregano
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, start with less and add to desired 'kick'
• salt and pepper

Turn crock-pot on high and stir well.

If desired, fry up 1# of sausage. Drain fat, add to crock-pot along with:

• sauteed peppers and onion
• 1 - 2 cups of ketchup or a 4 oz can of tomato paste
• 2 - 4 T Worcestershire sauce

Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours with the lid off*. Then turn to low and cook for 2 - 4 hours.

We ate them with oven roasted (red) potatoes. The meal was a hit with my entire family, perfect for cold winter day.

*Cooking with the lid off will help to thicken if you use ketchup. If you use tomato paste it should already be fairly thick. I used ketchup.

Let your cow-pokes dress the part.
Remember 'it's all about the name'.

Pumpkin Pudding

I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the color of the pudding... until I tasted it, and then it didn't matter. It was delicious!

• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half, I used 2% milk
  
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream (use cool whip if you want, omit sugar below if using cool whip, but fresh whipped cream is better!)
  
• 1-2 T sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
  

* Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in a heavy pot. Add milk, egg yolks, molasses and salt. Whisk continuously over medium high heat until mixture begins to thicken. Slowly add boiling water. Continue to whisk to keep the mixture smooth. Add pumpkin, cook and whisk until very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whip with electric beaters (if needed) to make smooth. Let cool to room temp. Whip heavy cream and sugar until fluffy. Stir whipped cream into cooked pumpkin mixture with 1 T cinnamon.. Chill.

Snickers Tapioca

5 cups water

1 cup baby pearl tapioca

Bring water to a boil. Add tapioca. Bring back to a rolling boil. Cover and turn off heat. Let set 1 hour or longer until tapioca balls are clear.
(the mixture below needs to sit about 30 more minutes.)

Add 2/3 cups sugar and 1 box of instant vanilla pudding.
Mix well. Let sit until cool.

When cool, add 8 oz thawed Cool Whip.

Chop 2-4 Snickers bars into small pieces.

Stir in Snicker's pieces.

Chill until ready to serve.

Pasta and Coleslaw

Pasta Salad
1 # cooked pasta
Fresh veggies cut into bit sized chunks
(broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, radishes)
Cheese Cubes
Diced Pepperoni

Dressing:
1 cup White Wine Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
2 cups Olive Oil
3 T Fresh Garlic
1 T Sugar
1 tsp Oregano
1 /2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp salt
or use Italian Dressing
*Mix well.

Mix pasta, veggies, cheese and pepperoni. Pour 1/2 - 2/3 of dressing over the top. Chill overnight. Add more dressing before serving if it looks 'dry'.
My middle child loves this. In fact, he ate it for breakfast one morning.
This was his bowl.

Coleslaw
2 bags Cabbage mixture
1/2 cup diced Chives
*Stir cabbage and chives together.

Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/4 - 1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 T Salt
*Mix dressing ingredients. Stir into cabbage. Refrigerate overnight.

Potato Salad for a crowd

10# potatoes, peeled, diced then cooked until firm, but not mush
12 eggs, hard boiled and diced
3 onions, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
10 oz dill relish
2 QT Salad Dressing (mayo)
1 T salt
2-3 T sugar
3 T white vinegar
3 T prepared spicy mustard

*Mix all together. Let sit overnight.
This little contraption, is a lifesaver when dicing things. I bought it at Target, love that store.

Cooking Black Beans

Beans are a great food to feed your family. They are full of vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. Beans are an inexpensive protein, and can easily be cooked at home. Stored at room temperature, dry beans will keep for up to a year. One pound of uncooked beans will yield around 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups cooked beans.
Around 9 months of age, you can introduce beans to your baby. Cooked beans make a good finger food for little fingers.

How to cook...
Start by pre-soaking your beans. If you don't, you will have to increase the cooking time and double the amount of water you use during cooking. Pre-soaking beans cuts down on the negative 'side effects' of beans :) plus it makes them easier for your body to digest.

I use a 1/2 gallon canning jar to soak my beans. Fill the jar 1/3 full of beans, then fill the rest with water. Let sit overnight on your counter to soak. Do not add salt.

The beans will expand overnight and look like this.

Discard the water, rinse the beans.

I like to cook beans in the crock pot.
Place the soaked, rinsed beans in a crock pot. Cover with new water about an inch or two above the beans. Turn on high and go about your day. You can jazz up the flavor of the beans by adding garlic, chilies, onion, and spices. Do not add salt, wait until the end. Salt toughens the outer layer and will make tough beans.
(You can also simmer your beans on the stove. Cooking time varies by bean type from 30 mintues 3 hours. This method requires more attention.)

Allow the beans to cook for 4-7 hours. Smaller beans will take less time, larger beans will take more time. Test beans for doneness by tasting them. The beans should be tender and smooth when you bite into them. They should not be gritty.
Now you can add salt. Beans need quite a bit of salt to bring out their flavor; approximately 1 tsp of salt for every cup of dry beans. This may be too little or too much for your taste buds, start with slightly less, it is easier to add then take away. If your beans taste bland, try adding more salt.
If you want beans for salads, add the salt when they reach the firm but cooked stage. This will help the beans keep their shape and not be mushy. If you wait to add the salt, the texture of the beans will be softer than canned beans purchased from the store.

When the beans are done cooking, cool and freeze what you will not be using within 4 or 5 days. Store the beans you will be using in the refrigerator.

This is one of our favorite salad's.
Chicken with cumin, and Black Beans.
Black beans are good with taco salads, bean and cheese tortillas, burritos, salsa, chicken salads, Pulled Pork Sandwiches and plain (with salt of course).
Black beans can be used in place of pinto beans. They make tasty homemade refried beans.

What's up with tomatoes?

Did you know tomatoes are a wonderful... Fruit? Actually they are technically a berry! However, in 1893 the US Supreme Court ruled that the tomato should be legally be classified as a vegetable because it is used as a vegetable. Can you imagine being one of the lawyers in that case ;) Too funny!
Approximatly 80 years ago most Americans considered this odd, South American Food, to be poisonous. Today, tomatoes are the 3rd most common consumed 'vegetable' in the US. Tomatoes are produced in all 50 states. Texas, California, Florida and Ohio are the primary growers. In the winter months, most tomatoes are imported from Mexico and Cuba.
Why should tomatoes be apart of your diet?
*Large and regular consumption of tomatoes can help improve skin texture and color.
*Tomatoes are one of the highest food sources of Lycopene. Lycopene isn't naturally produced by the body. Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant. It neutrilizes free radicles in our body helping the body to fight against cancerous cell formation.
*Tomatoes help purify the blood.
*Tomatoes are a natural antiseptic. They can help protect against infection.
*Tomatoes can help reduce cholesterol.
*Tomatoes are a great source of vit A, vit C,vit K, and Potassium
*Some studies are also showing that riboflavin, which is also found in tomatoes, helps with energy metabolism and fights against migraine headaches.

*A newer study is also showing that Lycopene in tomatoes helps protect the body from UV rays.

How do you enjoy your tomatoes? We like...
*Salsa
*Tomato Cucumber salad
*Sliced fresh with sea salt or sprinkled with sugar
*BLT's
*Pizza Sauce
*Pasta Sauce
*Zucchini Stir Fry
*Off the vine for an outdoor treat
*Or just plain, eaten like an apple, like my daughter in the picture.
With tomato season in full swing, eat up!

Corn, from field to table

I am happy it is today.

I am glad yesterday is over.
I am thankful for 50 Qt of corn for my freezer.
The Process...
My dad picked the corn from the field and my son brought it to the wash bay.

Here is our pile of corn. It was quite large!
We husked and removed the silk from the ears. This year I found it easiest to rub the ears with a clean, dry cotton cloth to remove the silk. A vegetable brush can also be used.
Then we cut the corn from the cobs.

After all of the corn was cut, we headed inside to cook and prepare the corn for freezing. There are several ways to prepare corn. Our favorite recipe is as follows.
(My kettles hold 8 times the amount of the recipe, in ( ) is the recipe x 8)
8 cups cut corn (64 cups)
2 cups water (16 cups)
1/4 - 1/2 stick butter (2 cups)
*recipe calls for 1/2 I use more like 1/4
2 T sugar (or less) (2/3 - 1 cup)
1 tsp canning salt (3 T)
*Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes.

Cool, put in freezer boxes, jars or bags and freeze.

Tomato Cucumber salad

We love this refreshing summer side dish, plus it is a great way to use
extra tomatoes and cucumbers from your garden.
This is a 'dump' recipe, recipe perfectionists beware!

Start with equal amounts of diced or sliced:
*Fresh tomatoes
*Fresh cucumbers
Then add:
*chopped onion
*minced garlic
*fresh or dried basil and/or dried oregano
*fresh or dried cilantro
*salt, and pepper
*fresh lime juice
(1/2 of a lime is good)
*equal amounts of olive oil and balsamic or distilled vinegar
(start with 2T of each and add additional as needed)

**Gently stir ingredients together.
Chill for 2-3 hours. Serve.

Stir Fry Zucchini

If you have ever planted zucchini, you know one plant can mass produce! What does a family do with all that zucchini? Muffins, chocolate cake (recipe in previous post), fried, and stir fry a a few ways to use them. Last night we had stir fry zucchini, it was delicious.

Slice a young zucchini into thin stripes.
I left mine slightly larger so little fingers could pick them up better.

Dice 1/2 - 1 medium onion.

Dice one large tomato.

In a skillet put several tablespoons of fresh, minced garlic and your onion.

Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, 1tsp sea salt, pepper to taste, and 1/2 - 1 tsp thyme. Saute until the onion is clear.
Scoot the onion over, add diced tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until heated through. Mix tomatoes and onions. Let simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend.

Add zucchini, cook on high heat for 1-2 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn heat down, cover tightly and let steam for 2-4 minutes.
Remove from stove and keep covered until you are ready to eat.