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.

Monday's with Mom..... Cranberry Sauce

Cranberries...do you prefer from a can or homemade? 

It seems everyone has their favorite, and canned usually get bashed for being too jelly like and phony. My family has always preferred the canned though, including me!

But my mom usually made her own cranberry sauce for the holidays...she very seldom bought it from a can. (I didn't even know it came in a can for many years...LOL!)  I used to love to watch her make it. I liked to see the cranberries pop, and the bright red color was always so appealing. It looked so good, and smelled so good, but was always way TOO tart for me. I filled up on turkey and stuffing instead!

 But it wasn't Thanksgiving if mom didn't make it and I saw it sitting on the dining room table. She always had a lace tablecloth, and the red looked beautiful on the white lace. The dish was crystal, with a pedestal...so they looked pretty fancy to me!

This year as I was scrolling through recipes for the holidays, I found her recipe for cranberries. So I made a batch, and now as an adult, I can say I really LOVE them! Not too tart anymore, just right. I love the hint of orange, it adds such a bright, delicious flavor.

I wonder what my family will say? I plan to have a can on hand... just in case!!!

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. bag fresh cranberries

1 c. sugar

1 c. orange juice

Combine all in a sauce pan and cook about 10 minutes until cranberries burst and pop. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Brownie Pie with Rich Fudge Sauce

I had some friends over the other day and made this awesome brownie pie with fudge sauce.

The whole house smelled wonderful...warm chocolate...you can't get a better smell than that!

The brownie tasted great just as is, rich and fudgy. And of course even better with the fudge sauce. We also tried it with some warm caramel and peanuts besides...wow!

Then we tried apples dipped into the fudge sauce, the warm caramel and then rolled in peanuts.

 Oh my!

 It was a good food day!

Brownie Pie

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

2 eggs

1 tsp.vanilla

2/3 c. flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Bring water, butter and sugar to a boil. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Remove from heat. Beat the eggs and vanilla, stir into mixture. Combine flour, soda and salt, add to mixture and stir well. (can all walnuts if desired)

Pour into a greased pie plate and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Fudge Sauce:

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. butter  

Melt in a double boiler, stir until smooth.

Paula's Honey BBQ sauce

Hi everyone! I have another quick recipe to share.

I like to try different BBQ sauce recipes from time to time, and decided to give this one from Paula a go. I spooned some over some baked chicken, and we loved the slightly tangy sauce!



Paula's Deen Honey BBQ sauce

1 c. ketchup

1/3 c. honey

2 tsp. Worchshire sauce

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. chili powder

Mix well.

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)

Strawberry Dip? Salad? Dessert? It's all three!

I'm not sure why this sweet strawberry delight is called a dip, as I think of it more like a fruit salad. Either way you serve it, it's scrumptious! It's also great on top of a slice of angel food cake. It makes a light and pretty summertime dessert. Actually, it would be perfect for Valentines Day too!

With just 3 ingredients it sure is simple to prepare. You can substitute just about any combo of crushed fruit and yogurt, but we like strawberry the best!

Strawberry Dip

1 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, mashed ( drain if there is a lot of liquid)

1 (8 oz.)  strawberry yogurt ( you can use whatever you have on hand)

1 c. whipped topping

Mix the strawberries and yogurt. Fold in whipped topping. Serve with fresh cut fruit, or as a topping for angel food cake.

Orange Poppy Seed dressing

This is a fun variation to poppy seed dressing. 

The orange adds a bright citrus flavor that tastes so fresh and light. I served it on top of greens and mandarin oranges. I also added some toasted walnuts. 

It makes a nice side for grilled chicken or steak!

Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. poppy seeds

dash pepper

Shake well and pour on salad.

Citrus Salad Dressing

I'm back today with another low sodium, super easy salad dressing!

 This makes enough for two, and is very light and refreshing. I love it with a handful of blueberries on top!

Citrus Salad 

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime or orange..you choose!

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Combine and shake well. Pour over salad.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

Just a quick and simple salad dressing to share today...perfect for just the two of us!

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

1 tsp. Dijon 

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. honey

2 tsp. olive oil

Shake well and drizzle over salad.

Strawberry Balsamic Salad Dressing

One of my friends was coming for lunch the other day, and is trying to cut down on salt.  I decided to make my own salad dressing as the store bought can be so full of sodium.

This one was pretty simple and quick as can be! Only three ingredients...and is very versatile. You can use any berries you like. I decided to stick with the strawberries, and we thought it was great!

It was so fresh tasting...perfect for summer time salads!



Strawberry Balsamic Salad Dressing

smash 2 Tbsp. strawberries ( could use any type of berries)

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. olive oil

Shake well and pour over salad.

Marshmallow Fudge Topping

Oh NO!

I didn't have any chocolate in the house! I HAD to have some..you know the feeling...and I dug into every cupboard...but nothing!

PANIC!

Then I remembered I always have cocoa on hand, so I decided to make some fudge topping for the last bit of ice cream we had in the freezer.

That did the trick, and my chocolate craving was satisfied!

 My only complaint was that it hardened some on the cold ice cream, but no problem...I just ate it warm right from the spoon!

Marshmallow Fudge Topping

T of H

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. milk

1 c. mini marshmallows

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp, vanilla

Mix the brown sugar, cocoa, and milk, and cook until boiling and brown sugar is dissolved. Stir in the marshmallows, vanilla and butter. Serve hot over ice cream. ( I made half)

Cranberry Sauce

Here's a pretty cranberry sauce for the holidays...it's a bit tart, so you may want to add more sugar to your liking. My son and I LOVE the canned cranberries! I know, most people laugh at that, but we think they are delicious.

This year I decided to serve both!

Cranberry Sauce

4 c. cranberries

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat on medium until the berries pop and the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes.

Cranberry Maple Syrup

This is SO delicious.

I had some leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, so I decided to make some syrup for my breakfast waffles. It was sweet.... with just a bit of tart, and made my frozen waffles a special treat.

 I plan to make some pancakes to use up the rest of the syrup. Here's our favorite recipe. They should taste amazing with this!

Cranberry Maple Syrup

1 c. maple syrup

3/4 c. cranberries

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook over medium heat until cranberries pop.

Quick I'm outa ketchup!

I found myself out of ketchup, and too late to run to the store. So I googled it and this recipe popped up. It was a great replacement, and actually probably alot better for you with out all the added sugar and preservatives!

Heinz Tomato Ketchup

Top secret recipes

6 oz. tomato paste

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. corn syrup (or honey or agave)

1/4 c. water

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Mix and heat to boiling. reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

PW's caramel sauce

The other night I made some homemade vanilla ice cream, and thought some caramel sauce would be great on top. I couldn't find my recipe, so I tried Pioneer Woman's caramel sauce. You can find the recipe here.

It was so rich, creamy and well,  just plain sinful!

I ate it with my spoon....I didn't even wait for the ice cream!

Copycat Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

So creamy!

So delicious!

This was just the perfect side for the Sweet and Smoky pulled pork sandwiches I served the other night.

I like a good coleslaw, and this has just the right combination of ingredients.

But I have to say, everything does taste better made with Hellman's. Their light mayo is even outstanding,  I use it all the time.
It's the best!

Copycat Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

food.com

1 c. lite Hellman's Mayo

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. mustard

celery salt to taste

1 bag coleslaw

Mix mayo, sugar,vinegar,mustard and celery salt. Add slaw and mix well.

Brown Sugar Applesauce

I decided to try a different applesauce recipe, this one with brown sugar. It was good! I especially liked it when it was still warm.

Nothing says fall like the smell of applesauce cooking in the kitchen!

Brown Sugar Applesauce

T of H

8 c. sliced apples

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla

Cook apples, brown sugar and cinnamon on low heat 30-40 minutes until tender. Mash to desired consistency. Add vanilla.Makes 3 1/2 c.

Homemade Hershey Syrup

Did your mom ever make chocolate syrup? My mom did. She often made her own pancake syrup and salad dressings,too.

I was on face book and saw this copycat recipe, and it reminded me of my mom's. I'm not sure which recipe she used, but I tried this and it tastes alot like hers.

The recipe is simple, and tastes amazingly like the canned version. I think I'll try it in one of my  brownie recipes and see how it goes!

Copycat Hershey Syrup

1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa

1 c. water

1  c. sugar

dash of salt

1  tsp. vanilla

Bring the cocoa,water,sugar,and salt to a boil and boil about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool. As it cools it will thicken a bit to the consistency of Hershey syrup.

French dressing...Mondays with mom

I don't remember my mom ever buying bottled dressing when I was young. She usually just used vinegar and oil. Or sometimes she stirred together some mayo, sugar and vinegar. But every once in awhile she made French dressing. That was my favorite! I had forgotten all about it. UNTIL....

I was digging in her recipe book for a cookie recipe and there it was! She has scrawled it above another recipe in tiny handwriting, so I guess that's why I didn't notice it before. 

It was almost lunch time, so I mixed some up and had a nice tasty salad, thinking about my mom and all the great times we had together in the kitchen. They are some of my best memories.

French Dressing

3/4 c. ketchup

1 c. oil

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. grated onion

grated garlic to taste ( she never added garlic, but I did) 

Mix and shake well.

Applesauce....Mondays with Mom

My mom was fond of making sauce. I think the one she made the most was rhubarb sauce. We all loved rhubarb and always had a really good patch.

In fact, the patch was so good, it won 1st place ribbons at the East Ottertail County Fair for years.The stalks had such a pretty red color and were so fresh and crisp.

 Mom made pies, cakes, jams, and sauces all year long, as she often froze it. But it was best fresh from the garden, I always thought. (If you want to learn more about how to grow rhubarb here is a  link.)

But in the fall, she always got a bunch of apples from a family friend. His name was Old Jonny and he had a huge garden right behind us. He didn't live behind us though...he lived on the other side of the train tracks and walked over every day to work in his garden. It was a huge garden, and he had it all fenced in. He didn't like us kids to play in the garden, but we were always welcome to come visit him when he was working it.

He always had nickels in his pockets and would give us each one. He told wonderful stories. He was pretty old....couldn't hear very well...and I was always amazed at how far he walked to tend his garden, and then work hours at it. But he loved it, and that's probably what kept him going so well for so long. I remember once when he fell and I had to run and get my dad. I was so scared, but he was fine. My dad gave him a ride home that night. The next day he was back in his garden!

We all loved Old Jonny. My mom would often send me over with cookies or baked goods for him. In turn, he would often send over bags of apples from his trees.

Mom would make a pie or two, but mostly made them into apple sauce. Sometimes she put sugar in the recipe, like the one I'm sharing with you, but often she left it unsweetened. This recipe is not overly sweet either. She always had red hots on hand for decorating cookies and I loved to grab a few and stir them into the sauce when it was still warm. I still do!

Years after Old Jonny was gone, mom still made applesauce. When my kids were little they always had homemade sauces instead of baby food. She made them apple, peach, and pear sauce. She loved to buy crates of fruit and can them.

What I wouldn't give for some of my mom's canned goods! I loved her dill pickles and pickled beets, but her applesauce was pretty awesome too!



Applesauce

4-5 large apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 to 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Simmer slowly on the stove until apples are tender. Mash to desired consistency.