Fresh and Creamy Cukes and Tomatoes

I've been grilling tons lately again, and love to serve some fresh veggies on the side. This is a simple salad with many variations. What I like about this one is the addition of celery salt. It adds such a great flavor. I usually add a bit more then called for. Using fresh cracked pepper makes a big difference too.

Sometimes I use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, which adds a bit of tang, and sometimes I do a combo of mayo and sour cream. Actually, I use whatever I have on hand, and it always tastes fresh and creamy!

Creamy Cukes and Tomatoes

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

sliced red onion to taste

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix the sour cream, celery salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill.

Peach Fluff Salad

Summer...time for creamy sweet fluff salads! 

They are easy to mix together with just 4 ingredients, and a great side for all those grilled burgers. This one is peach flavored...I used a can of peaches, but you could also use fresh peaches too. 

So light and refreshing!

Peach Fluff Salad

3 oz. package peach jello

8 oz. peach yogurt

8 oz. Cool Whip

16 oz. can peaches, drained and chopped

Mix the peach jello and yogurt. Fold in the Cool Whip. Add the chopped peaches and chill.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts

It's hot...AND humid out today! 

We are never very hungry when it's this warm, so I like to serve salads for dinner. This one is so fresh and tasty! You probably have the ingredients on hand already. Any type of greens or nuts taste great. The dressing is premade...just combine poppy seed dressing and raspberry vinaigrette for a fun twist!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts

6 c. spinach

1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 to 2 cups of sliced strawberries

Arrange on plate in order given.

Dressing:

1/2 c. raspberry vinaigrette

1/2 c. poppy seed salad dressing

Mix well and pour over salad.

Broccoli Cranberry Slaw

I just can't seem to get enough of this salad!

 It has such a perfect combo of ingredients that I can stir together in just a minute.

I like to keep it in the frig for a quick side with a sandwich for my lunch. It's nice and crunchy and pairs well with my fave deli meat...mesquite turkey breast.  I also have served it for Christmas with ham and turkey. I love the bright colors!

Broccoli Cranberry Slaw

1 package broccoli coleslaw mix

1  (3 oz.) pkg. dried cranberries

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 c. sliced almonds

1/4 to 1/2 c. bottled coleslaw salad dressing

Mix and serve.

Dressing I use:

3 Tbsp. sugar (or Splenda)

1/2 c. light mayo

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Mix well.

Easy Egg Salad

Leftover Easter eggs? Time to make some egg salad!

This is the recipe I often use,it's so easy to remember. Now that I'm doing weight watchers, I sub Greek yogurt in place of the mayo. It's delicious, and counts ZERO points...yay! Actually the entire egg salad is zero, as eggs are free on the new plan too. That's a win!

Easy Egg Salad

3 eggs, chopped

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (can sub Greek yogurt)

1 Tbsp. mustard

1/8 tsp.salt

1/8 tsp.pepper

1/8 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. minced onion

Mix and serve.

Pineapple Snow

If you like maraschino cherries, you will LOVE this salad. 

Or dessert. 

You could use it for either!

My family loves fluffs and I make them for every holiday meal, actually for almost every meal when we are all together. This one is very sweet, and the cherries are the star! We love it!

Pineapple Snow

1 c. crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)

1 c. mini marshmallows

1/2 c. quartered maraschino cherries

1 c. cool whip

3 Tbsp. pineapple juice

1/4 c. toasted slivered almonds

Mix all and top with slivered almonds.

Broccoli Peanut Salad

Here's a super EZ salad for Easter...just 3 ingredients! 

Chop up some broccoli, add some poppy seed dressing and chopped honey roasted peanuts. Simple....crunchy...and delicious!

This time I made my own poppy seed dressing, and that tasted great too. But the one I usually use is from Panera.

I think you could add just about anything to this and it would be good...bacon...sunflower seeds..raisins...dried cranberries.

Broccoli Peanut Salad

2 lb. broccoli, chopped

1 1/2 c. chopped honey roasted peanuts

1 small bottle of poppy seed dressing

Mix and serve.

All American Potato Salad

We love potato salad!

 I make it quite often, and this is the recipe I use most often. When I boil potatoes for any other meal, I always boil extra to have for this the next day. My mom used to do that when she served mashed potatoes, she always reserved some to slice for fried potatoes or salad for another meal. It kind of becomes like a habit now, and I just keep peeling!

This turns out a bit different almost every time I make it, depending on the amount of mustard or milk I add. Sometimes I like to add chopped dill pickles, but Brent prefers without. Once in awhile I'll sneak them in though!

All American Potato Salad

6-7 medium potato's boiled, cooled and sliced

4 eggs, boiled and peeled, dice 3 ( slice 1 for the top)

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 c. mayo

salt and pepper to taste

mustard to taste

dash of milk

dash of sugar

Place the sliced potatoes,diced eggs, chopped celery and onion in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, dash of sugar and milk. Mix until smooth.  Fold into the potatoes and top with sliced egg. Chill.

Broccoli Bacon Pasta Salad

It's summertime...time for cold salads you can make ahead and grab out of the frig on busy days. I like this easy recipe, as it can be a side for burgers and sandwiches, or is great alone as a meal.

You can add other veggies, whatever you have on hand actually, but I make it just the way it is...such a perfect combo of flavors and textures!

Broccoli Bacon Pasta Salad

4 oz. pasta, cooked and drained (about 2 c. cooked)

1 bunch broccoli, chopped

1/2 c. chopped red onion

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 to 3/4 c. mayo ( I tend to use 3/4 c.)

Mix altogether and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Monday's with Mom 7 Layer Salad

One of my favorite salads that my mom used to make was the old fashioned, ever present pot luck favorite....THE 7 Layer Salad!

This salad was present at just about every function up north while I was growing up, right beside the hot dish and jello. It's such an easy salad to bring anywhere, and of course it tastes GREAT!

I'm not so sure about the 7 layers though. This used to bother me when I was little....as I would count the layers and always came up with more than were in the salad! Mom's recipe has 8 if you count the topping as one layer, and the cheese as another layer. And most people throw whatever they have on hand in....like chopped eggs, tomatoes, etc. making even more layers!

Regardless of how many layers, it's always a hit. It looks beautiful in a glass bowl, but back then, I ALWAYS saw it in a 9x13 pan, and that's how I make it too. 

7 Layer Salad

1 head of lettuce, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 package frozen peas,thawed

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped red or green pepper

Topping:

1 1/4 c. real mayo

2/3 c. Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. sugar

In a 9 x13 glass pan, layer the lettuce, onion, peas, bacon,celery and peppers. Mix the mayo, Parmesan cheese and sugar. Spread over all, and sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Refrigerate until chilled.

Spinach Salad

Brrr it's cold out....and getting colder!

I should be posting about some WARM soup. But today I have a simple spinach salad to share.

This bright colored salad is sweet and salty....

 The dressing is slightly sweet with a bit of a tang from the vinegar, while the bacon is crisp and salty. We love the chunks of red onion, and actually adding some chopped tomato would make this very festive for Christmas!

Spinach Salad

1/2 c. sugar ( I used 1/4 c.)

1/2 c. canola oil

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1 bag spinach

1 small red onion, sliced

5 hard boiled eggs,cooked and  sliced

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Stir the sugar,oil, vinegar and celery seed until combined. In a 9 x 13 glass dish, layer the spinach, onion, eggs and bacon. Repeat. Pour dressing on top and serve!

Crunchy Poppyseed Coleslaw

I have really been into salads lately and one of my favorite bottled dressings is Panera's Poppyseed. I usually like to make my own dressings, but I do keep a few bottled on hand for quick meals. I tried it in one of my coleslaw recipes, and it was a winner!

Crunchy, sweet and a bit salty...it was a perfect side for some grilled pork chops.






Poppyseed Coleslaw

1 pkg. angel hair coleslaw

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. honey roasted slivered almonds or peanuts

3/4 c. poppy seed salad dressing ( I used Panera)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix and chill 1 hour before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Fluff

I had some leftover Blueberries from Easter, so I threw a quick fluff together....Brent will eat anything with whipped cream  in it! 

I LOVE anything lemon, especially lemon yogurt, that and vanilla are my favorites, so I always have both on hand. This makes such a quick and easy dessert....can't go wrong with this!

Lemon Blueberry Fluff

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 c. blueberries

6 oz. lemon yogurt

Mix the cool whip and yogurt, fold in blueberries and chill until serving.

Quinoa Salad

I really like quinoa, although I never cook much with it, so I decided to remedy that!

I've been pouring over recipes and found quite a few to try. This one combines a couple of them.

 Brent really liked this too. The lime gave it such a fresh taste,and we loved the zip from the spices. Next time I will make just half a batch though, as we were eating this for week....it makes a ton. It was awesome on it's own for a quick lunch, and perfect as a side with grilled chicken!

Quinoa Salad

1 c. quinoa, rinsed

2 c. chicken broth

Boil according to directions, set aside to cool.

Mix dressing and set aside:

4 Tbsp. lime juice( about 2 limes)

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. garlic salt

2 tsp. chile powder

2 tsp. cumin

Combine:

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 c. frozen corn

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

4 sliced green onions

1/4-1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Add the quinoa to the mixture, and toss all with dressing. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

Tangy French Salad Dressing

We have gone back to eating lots of salads lately, and I always like to make my own dressing. Tangy French Dressing is a favorite. 

 My daughter and son in law gave me this Oxo Salad dressing Shaker a few years a go, and it's one of the most used tools in my kitchen. I love the tight seal and pour spout. The dressing stays fresh for days.

I'm kind of a french dressing girl, while Brent's favorite is always ranch. But when I make this simple french dressing, he has no complaints! It's just the right blend of ingredients and the chili sauce gives a nice lil tang!

Tangy French dressing

1/4 c. vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. chili sauce

2 Tbsp. grated onion

1 c. oil ( olive or canola)

Special Christmas present....

Hi everyone!

I have something fun to share today....a VERY special present I got for Christmas this year from my daughter. She made me a recipe book, filled with some of her favorites. Complete with photo's and handwritten recipes. A few years ago, she made one for me, and I treasure it! I couldn't believe she made me ANOTHER one...they take SO much time...but she did.... AND the cover is my favorite color!

 I look at it every day. 

Sometimes more than once a day!!! 

And her sweet pups are even in it!

The recipe cards are all different:

.

And the photo's make me SO hungry:

The recipes are fun to try, and I have many more to go!

I love the cute stickers!

This is sinful...yes we tried it already....sinfully bacony good! Is that a word? It should be!

Here is the last page:

I think you can see why I love this gift!

One of the first recipes I tried was Pioneer Woman's Mexican Salad. 

My daughter has all of her cookbooks, and has tried tons of her recipes. It was awesome!

Here it is:

1/2 c. mayo

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. sour cream

3 Tbsp. minced cilantro

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

hot sauce to taste

1 clove garlic, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Mix well. Serve on greens,tomato,black olives, red onion, tortilla chips,cilantro, shredded cheese ..any toppings you like!

Have a great day!