Crunchy Broccoli Salad

I made this salad for Father's day and everyone absolutely loved it! I can't wait to make it again.

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

1 head romaine, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 large head broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 pound bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
2 (3 ounce) packages Ramen noodles, crushed. Discard seasoning packet
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup pecans chopped or sliced almonds

Mix butter, nuts and crushed noodles. Spread on a cookie sheet and back at 350 degrees until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. About 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Add broccoli, onions, lettuce, bacon and noodle/nut mixture in a large bowl. Toss with dressing right before serving.

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red vine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro Lime Rice

I have made this rice several times and I see the recipe for it all over the place and I am sure many of you already have it. It is so good and perfect for the next recipe I am posting.

1 cup long grain rice
1 can chicken broth
zest of 1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. lime juice
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Combine rice, chicken broth, lime zest and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and in a small bowl combine sugar, lime juice and cilantro then toss with the rice. Serve.

Pie Filling Fruit Salad

This is the easiest fruit salad to put together yet it is so rich and sweet and yummy! To be honest, it is more of a dessert than a salad but I say serve it up as a fruit salad and have something even sweeter and richer for dessert, but that is just my humble, dessert loving opinion. If you need a last minute side dish for your Easter meal, this would be a good one.

Pie Filling Fruit Salad

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple
1 large container Cool Whip Light
1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk
4 large bananas
2 to 3 cups mini marshmallows

Combine Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk, add pie filling, crushed pineapple and marshmallows. Stir until combined. Chill until serving. Slice bananas and combine just before serving.

You can also add fruit cocktail and/or mandarin oranges if you like them. Adapt it to your taste.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I made the Paula Deen version of this salad about a year ago and it was so good. We had a family Christmas party and my cousin brought it and reminded me just how much I love it. This version is adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com and it is my favorite one I have made. It is much more like dessert than fruit salad. When I put mine in the fridge to set it was lopsided so the piece pictured has an extra thick layer of the jello. You have to trust me that it tastes much better than this picture makes it look.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
5 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen sweetened strawberries

Mix pretzels, brown sugar and butter and press on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool completely.

In a medium bowl mix the cream cheese and white sugar until smooth. Fold in cool whip and spread on cooled crust. Put in fridge for about 30 minutes to allow it to set.

Boil water, add to jello and then add frozen strawberries. Stir to defrost strawberries then pour over cream cheese layer. Allow to set in fridge, about 1 hour.

Easy Breadsticks

I am not really a bread maker, I wish I could whip up heavenly dinner rolls but I have yet to master that. I try but mostly mine turn out mediocre. I really love these bread sticks because they are easy, fast and they always turn out, even for someone like me when it comes to yeast bread.

Easy Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2-4 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tablespoon garlic salt

1-2 tsp italian seasonings of your choice

4 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil onto the bottom of a cookie sheet. Roll out thebreadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and large enough to fit onto baking sheet. Place whole sheet of dough on baking sheet, then brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil over top of dough making sure it is all lightly covered. Sprinkle garlic salt and herbs of choice over top of olive oil. Using a pizza cutter, cut breadsticks into desired length and width. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap and place in preheated oven and allow to bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush melted butter all over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Siggy Spice via Baking and Creating with Avril

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

My friend and neighbor gave me a huge zucchini so I made these and I could not get enough. In fact, I pretty much ignored the chicken I made and ate a big plate of these instead. I only wish I had a garden full of zucchini so I could easily make this for dinner several times a week.

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

Zucchini
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese

Slice zucchini and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle or brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with cheese. Put under broiler for about 5 minutes or until it begins to get crispy.

Source: Mindika Moments

Fruit Dip

This is so simple and so delicious. Everytime I make this people ask for the recipe and can't stay out of it.

1 small jar marshmallow cream

1 8 ounce block cream cheese ( I always use low fat or fat free)

the rind of one medium sized orange

Combine marshmallow cream and cream cheese then grate the rind of the orange into it with a fine grater and mix.

Enjoy!

Pico De Gallo and chopping onions and tomatoes

In my opinion, there is nothing better than fresh Pico De Gallo. I can eat it straight with a spoon and when I top a taco with it - watch out, I put ridiculous amounts on. You can vary this recipe with your favorite type of onion, pepper, etc, add more of what you like and less of what you don't, etc. This with some baked tortilla chips is one of my very favorite snacks there is.

6 roma tomatoes

2 halepeno peppers (sliced, seeds removed and finely diced)

1 white onion

1 bunch cilantro

1 garlic clove

kosher salt

juice of 1 lime

Chop all veggies, toss together with garlic, salt and lime juice. If you want it hotter, keep some seeds from the halepeno. When removing seeds, either wear gloves or be very careful - they are hot. Salt to taste.

Now for a little tip. My mom taught me how to chop onions and now I think they are so fun to chop. Here is a wordless photo tutorial. And one for getting your tomatoes nice and uniform.

Easiest, Yummiest Fruit Salad

My mom came up with this one, it really is like dessert! We love, love, LOVE it around here. It takes about 2 minutes to make and you usually have all ingredients on hand. You're going to love it.

Fruit Salad

1 large can mandarin oranges, chilled

1 large can pineapple chunks

1 small carton frozen, sweetened strawberries, thawed

4 bananas

Perfect combination, thanks mom!

Roasted Potatoes

My sister introduced me to this easy yet yummy recipe. I love finding new side dishes to make.

Simple Oven Roasted Potatoes

3 to 5 medium baking potatoes

olive oil

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

salt and pepper

garlic powder (optional)

Scrub potatoes well and cut into cubes. Place on a cookie sheet and generously drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Sprinkle onion soup mix, a little garlic powder and salt and pepper. Toss and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Mexican Rice

I don't know where I found this recipe, but I changed it from the original one. This is my favorite mexican rice and side dish to taquitos, burritos or tacos along with an easy salad.

1 cup long grain rice
2 TBS olive oil
1 small can tomato juice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin

Heat oil in skillet and saute rice until a light tan color. Add cumin, garlic, tomato juice and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Rice Pilaf

This is my mom's recipe. It is so good, I could eat a plate of this for dinner and be very happy. It is my favorite side dish that my mom makes. I usually double or triple this for my family of 6, it allows for leftovers. When I double or triple the recipe I don't increase the butter by as much as the other ingredients. (For a triple recipe, I use 1 1/2 the amount of butter).

Rice Pilaf

(printable version)

1 cup raw long grain rice
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
4 TBS butter
1 (13.5 oz) can chicken broth (I use 2 cups of water and 2 bullion cubes)

Saute rice, onion and garlic in butter. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Parmasean Roasted Asparagus

This is an Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) Recipe

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
2 Tbsp. olive oil1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minuites, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.