I am back in my cooking mood. Getting ready to have some ladies over tomorrow and so you know how excited I get to cook when people are coming over. I decided to use the old fashion layered salad which I have not made in years. But since we have a meeting before and I needed something that I could pull out of the fridge, I went with this because I could prepare it today. It is just layers of different types of veggies, topped with a well…why don’t I just go ahead a give you the recipe..

1 head of lettuce

1 head of cauliflower

1 bunch of green onions (use only the green top)

2 eggs, boiled and chopped

1 package bacon, fried, cooled and crumbled

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*You can add yellow squash, radishes, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers; whatever veggies you like

Layer all of the above and then make your dressing: 1 cup mayo, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tables sugar, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. Mix altogether and spread over top layer of salad. Cover tightly and serve 8-24 hours later, giving flavors time to blend.

This salad intrigued me so I had to make it. I just couldn’t fathom grapes and bacon together. But it works.

A great Spring time salad that would be great for any brunch or salad luncheon. Comes from Southern Living  Sept-2011 (which I would have thought it would appear in a March or April issue, but guess they wanted to give us lots of time to get to the store to buy the grapes and broccoli or search around for the farfalle pasta!

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 (16 oz) pacage farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

1 lb fresh broccoli ( I wonder if it would be as good with old broccoli) sorry I just couldn’t resist that one.

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup red wine  vinegar

1 teas salt

2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (unless your Mother in law is coming to dinner and then buy the ones with seeds and watch her try to figure out what to do with the seeds in her mouth) OOPS, did I just say that out loud?

8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5-7 min or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Prepare pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems and finely chop stems.

Whisk together mayo and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli,  pasta, which you have drained and let cool  and grapes. Stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

When it is hot outside, this salad makes a terrific lunch or dinner. Serve it with garlic bread and you have a wiinner.
6 Servings
2 (9 oz) packages refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tables fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh corn kernals
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
Prepare tortellini according to package directions.
Meanwhile, process olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil mixture with hot cooked tortelinni and tomatoes and next 3 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for about 30 min to let the flavors blend….

Just received my new Paula Deen magazine and when I say this recipe, I just knew that I had to try it. We are headed to the lake with friends for the weekend so this will be one of the recipes that I will be making. Not only is it so colorful, it will make any type of meat look so pretty on the plate, and…..it will be a hit!

5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 seedless cucumber, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas, blanched *see below
1/2 cup halved pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette dressing.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, corn, black-eyed peas, olives, and red onion. Add vinaigrette, tossing gently to combine. I will let it sit for about 15-20 min in fridge before serving to let the flavors blend. If you don’t want to use frozen and don’t want the extra step of blanching the peas, use a canned, and rinse very well and drain before adding to the salad.

Micah, you should be proud of me, I am posting a pretty healthy salad here instead of chocolate desserts. Hope you like this. It is really so good and can be served with garlic bread and sliced avacados. Instant lunch!

1 bunch asparagus, about 3 cups diced
1 Tables olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 Table jarred garlic
12 oz orzo pasta, cooked to al dente and cooled
15 oz can artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, julienned or chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teas kosher salt
1/2 teas fresh ground black pepper
1/3 c olive oil
Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Turn off the burner, add in asparagus pieces and blanch for 2-3 min. While the asparagus is in the water, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a small saute pan. Add in onions and garlic and saute for 1-2 min, just until tender. Drain the asparagus and rinse in cool water.
In a large bowl, add cooked orzo pasta, asparagus pieces and sauteed onions and garlic. Drain artichoke hearts and quarter them. Add them to the bowl. Add in sun-dried tomatoes with oil and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, white wine vinegar; salt and pepper. Add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Stir the dressing into the salad. Move to the frig for at least 5 hours for flavors to combine. Serve cold.

This summer when you are wanting to have a salad, but don’t want the traditional lettuce salad, or you are wanting something to “spiffy” up the look of the dinner you are serving, let me encourage you to try this. It tastes so fresh and looks beautiful on freshly sliced tomatoes.
2 ripe avocados
3 tables lemon juice
1 tables grated onion
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas garlic powder or 1 clove minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
dash of Tabasco sauce
Peel and seed avocados. Place in a blender with the lemon juice and puree. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. If dressing is still a little thick, thin with milk to desired consistency. Yields 1 1/2 cups

We had this one night at a friend’s house and even the men loved it. It is a great summer nights dinner. Just add a stick of garlic bread and you have it made. Very simple and very good. Thank you Darlene for introducing this to us. Have served it many times.

Pizza Pasta Salad
3 cups penne pasta, cooked drained and cooled
4 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)
12 slices Oscar Meyer Hard Salami, chopped ( I got this at the deli counter)
1 cup Kraft Natural Mozzarella Cheese Crumbles (I used shredded Mozzarella instead, like it better)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup Kraft 100% Grated Parmeasan Cheese
1/2 cup (or more) Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing
Toss all ingredients in large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors
Makes 10 servings, 1 cup ea
You can make this ahead the day before with the exceptions of the tomatoes and just chop those in right before serving.

What a glorious Son (yes, I meant Son, not sun :)) filled day here in California. After the awesome Easter services yesterday, I realiazed that I need to give our great God more and more of my praise and adoration.
This recipe is taken off Mixin-Bowl web site and is really good. I added a little (about 1/4 cup) purple onion for a little extra bite, plus about 1/2 teas garlic powder and 1 teas dried dill to the dressing. Added a little more flavor to the salad.

A great summer salad, appetizer or luncheon meal

Servings: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20

Ingredients:

2 C cooked elbow or shell macaroni
1 C cooked salad shrimp
1/2 C diced celery
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, diced
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 C pecan or walnut pieces

Dressing:

1/2 C Mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 T lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients for salad. Make dressing, mix well and pour over salad, mixing well. Serve on bed of lettuce and top with grated cheese (optional).

Perfect for those warm Sunday lunches!
1/3 cup light olive oil
2 teas white whine vinegar
2 teas whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas black pepper
2 hearts romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 pt cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat
Pour remaining olive oil in a small bowl. Brush cut sides of romaine lettuce with a small amount of oil. Place romaine, cut side down onpreheated grill. Grill for 1-2 min or just utnil cut side begins to wilt. Place grilled romaine, cut side up on each of 4 serving plates.
Brush both sides of zucchini, yellow squash and onion and tomatos with a small amount of oil. Place on preheated grill and grill for 1-2 min per side, or until veggies begin to soften. Remove from grill and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil mixture, tossing gently to coat. Divide veggies evenly over prepared romaine. Sprinkle each with feta cheese.