Cucumber Salad

So, I just pulled 12 cucumbers out of the garden. That does not include the about 10 that could have been picked, but I decided they were only "ordinary" sized and not huge so they could wait a few days :-)! Now I'm desperate to find something to do with these beauties. I love cucumbers and am a HUGE fan of cucumber salad, so here is my version! Enjoy!

4 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon dried dill, or to taste

Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and pour over the cucumber and onions. Stir in dill, cover, and refrigerate until cold. This can also be eaten at room temperature, but be sure to allow the cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Favorite Fruit Salad

Every Sunday we include a fruit salad in our menu. It is usually fresh fruit just cut in chunks
and mixed up which is quite delightful. A few weeks ago, I was asked to do the fruit salad and I decided I wanted to try to spice it up (literally). I searched for fruit salad recipes online and came across one that included a sauce to pour over the top. The sauce almost reminds me of wassail, which I love. This is a variation of that recipe, I've changed it up for my liking. And you can really use any fruits.....apples, blackberries, blueberries, grapefruit, watermelon, etc. We liked it so much that my mom requested it again for Mother's Day dinner.

2 medium bananas, sliced
2 cups pineapple chunks (I like fresh pineapple)
2 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned (or 1 small can mandarin oranges)
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
1 cup red seedless grapes
1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 pears, diced

Dressing:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I omit because it is sweet enough without)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick

1.In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice and zest, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
4. Layer the fruit in a glass serving bowl.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce; pour the sauce over the fruit.
6. Cover and chill for several hours before serving.

Overnight Spinach Salad

Absolutely my favorite salad ever!! In fact this past week I was totally craving it, so I was delighted to be asked to bring a green salad to Sunday dinner. I even made enough that I could keep some at home to satisfy the weekly craving :-)! This picture doesn't show the dressing which I do in a large glass jar and that contains the mushrooms and onions. A great salad for any occasion.

2 pkg. Spinach
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 lb. bacon (or less)
1/2 red onion sliced
3/4 lb. Swiss cheese, grated
3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cottage cheese, rinsed so curds remain

Dressing:
3/4 TBS. poppy seeds
1/3 c. vinegar
3/4 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. sugar
2 TBS. grated onion
3/4 tsp. salt
1 TBS. dry mustard

Mix dressing ingredients in a glass jar, and add mushrooms and red onions and let sit overnight.

Jenny's Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I'm back!! I have taken a little break from this blog, and actually have taken a little break from cooking. I am now 17 weeks pregnant and feel like I may be able to step back into the kitchen -- safely :-)! I am grateful to a great husband who is ever so willing to stop and pick up anything for dinner and who makes a great breakfast for dinner :-)! I also feel so blessed to have such great friends who have brought enough food/dinners to keep my family going. I'm glad to be feeling better because that meant I could go on my annual friends get-away. And I actually had a craving for chicken salad, so I whipped up this recipe. I got it from my friend Jenny, and it is always a hit!

5 c. cubed, cooked chicken
2 TBS. orange juice (I didn't have an orange, or any orange juice so I just added 2 TBS. orange juice concentrate)
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. seedless grapes
1 c. toasted slivered almonds (I didn't have time to toast)
1 (14 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
3 TBS. cooking oil
2 TBS. vinegar
3 c. cooked rice (I just cooked 1 cup rice and used what that yielded)
1 1/2 c. sliced celery
1 1/2 c. mayo

Combine chicken, oil, orange juice, vinegar and salt. Marinate at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate overnight. Add rice, grapes, celery, pineapple, oranges, almonds and mayo to chicken mixture. Mix well. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve on croissants.
Makes 12 servings.

Homemade Cafe Rio

For Dave's birthday dinner, he requested homemade Cafe Rio. I decided to try as many recipes as I could, so here they are. Since many of us in my family aren't eating pork, I thought I would attempt to make the pork recipe using beef. Not only did it work, but I think we all liked it better. We had all fixin's for this meal, including the tortillas from Costco that you cook yourself, guacamole, salsa, cheese, black beans, and homemade corn tortilla strips. It was very fun and pretty simple to put together.

Cafe Rio Pork or Beef
2 pork tenderloin, or 1 large pork roast OR 1 3 lb. chuck beef roast
1 16 oz. bottle of Pace Salsa
1c. of brown sugar

Put in crock pot and cook 8 hours. Shred meat and cook an additional hour.
Serve on Tortillas or in Salad.


Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced (I omitted this)
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.


Cafe Rio Rice
3 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 c rice (see note)

Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.


Pico de Gallo
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t lime juice
1 t salt1/2 t pepper
Mix all together.


Tomatillo Dressing
3 Tomatillos, cut in chunks
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 pkg. Ranch Dressing
1c. chopped cilantro
1 c. mayo
1 clove garlic (minced or pressed)

Blend in a blender until smooth.


Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 small jalepeno, seeded & diced

Combine in blender or food processor.

Tasha's Pomegranate Salad

This recipe comes from my sis-in-law. She made it for us at Thanksgiving and it was so good I just had to have the recipe. It is very easy to make, especially if you buy the pomegranate seeds from Costco (then you don't have to get messy by doing it yourself). I made once using Bleu Cheese and didn't like it nearly as much as the Gorgonzola (the Bleu cheese was too strong). It is a pretty salad and very tasty.

Celery Seed Dressing

1 tsp celery seed
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt
It calls for 3 green onions, diced, but I sprinkle onion salt and onion powder instead

1 tsp dry mustard

1 cup sugar (I do 1/2 to 3/4)
3/4 cup oil (I use canola)

Mix and pour over salad and toss.

1 head Romain lettuce
1 pkg. Gorgonzola or blue cheese

1 head Red Leaf lettuce
1 large pomegranate or 2 small

1 pkg. bacon, diced (I use 1/2 pkg.)
1/2 cup roasted walnuts (I use pecans)

1-2 pears

Cook and crumble bacon. Peel and slice or dice pears. Add all ingredients and toss.

Cucumber & Tomato Slaw

What do you do when your cucumber and tomato supply runneth over in the garden? Find every recipe known to man and give them a try, right? Well, this is WINNER for sure! I found it on one of my favorite sites, Prudence Pennywise. It is not a traditional creamy coleslaw, it is light and tangy. I love cilantro and it definitely worked well here. The creator gives a great tip and that is the dressing ingredients don't need to be mixed separately, just put everything in a bowl and mix it up - yum!

1 (10 ounce) bag slaw mix
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, mint, or basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and mix. Season to taste for salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time. This salad keeps well for at least 4 hours. It is even good the next day, although it won't be quite as crisp.

Oriental Chicken Salad

Soy sauce
Sprite
4 chicken breasts
Iceberg lettuce
Romaine lettuce
Tomato
Shredded cheese
Cucumber
Shredded red cabbage
Oriental noodles
Mandarin oranges, opt.

Marinate chicken in 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part Sprite. Grill chicken and pour extra marinade on top. Serve chicken on top of salad mixture. Dressing follows:

2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. apple cider, vinegar
1 sm. Onion, finely chopped
1 c. sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. catsup

Blend well and refrigerate 3 hours.

Cranberry Salad

1 pkg. fresh cranberries (chopped)
1 can pineapple (drained)
1 c. sugar
1 pkg. miniature marshmallows

Mix and set aside for one hour. Fold in 1 pint whipped cream and set in freezer. Variation: Chill in the refrigerator. Does not have to be frozen to be delicious.

Fruit Salad

2 peeled apples cut in bite sized pieces
1 can cube pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 c. flaked coconut
1 small jar maraschino cherries halved
1 c. finely chopped celery
1 pkg. colored miniature marshmallows
1 small container whipped topping

Fold all ingredients together and chill before serving.

*I know this sounds like a strange combination, but it is really delicious. I didn't use Cool Whip; I whipped and slightly sweetened heavy whipping cream.

Christmas Ribbon Salad

1 3 oz. pkg. lime juice
1 3 oz. pkg. raspberry jello
1 3 oz. pkg. lemon jello
3 c. boiling water
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 c. cold water
2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 c. whipped cream
1 can (1 lb. 4 1/2 oz.) crushed pineapple

Dissolve lemon jello in 1 cup boiling water. Stir marshmallows into lemon gelatin; set aside. Dissolve lime jello in 1 cup boiling water. Cool and add 3/4 cup cold water and pour in 13 X 9 X 2-inch dish. Chill until set, but not firm. Dissolve raspberry jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add 3/4 cup cold water and set aside at room temperature. Add cream cheese to lemon mixture; beat until blended. Chill until slightly thickened. Then blend in mayonnaise, whipped cream, and crushed pineapple. Chill until very thick; spoon gently over lime gelatin. Chill until set, but not firm. Meanwhile, chill raspberry gelatin until thickened; pour over lemon gelatin. Chill until firm.

Note: If deeper green and red layers are desired, use 6 oz. packages lime and raspberry jello with 2 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 cups cold water for each package. This makes a very large salad. Can be made in two dishes, such as, 9 X 13 and a 9-in square, dividing each flavor into both dishes.

Acini de Pepe

1 c. sugar
2 T. flour
1 3/4 c. pineapple juice
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 qts. Boiling water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
1 pkg. acini de pepe macaroni

Combine sugar, flour, juices, salt and eggs. Cook till thickened and let cool. Add macaroni, 1 tsp. salt and oil to boiling water. Cook 8 to 10 minutes; rinse in cold water and drain. Add to thickened mixture. Stir and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Then add:

9 oz. Cool Whip
3 cans mandarin oranges
2 20 oz. cans chunk pineapple
2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. coconut (optional)

Mix with refrigerated mixture. Makes large salad.

Seven Layer Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 green pepper, diced
1 c. chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
1 16 oz. can of frozen peas
2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. bacon bits

Prepare salad in a large bowl. Add ingredients, one at a time as given each in a separate layer. Do no toss. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours overnight. Serve in bowl, making sure each guest digs down deep to get a portion of each layer.

Spinach and Raspberry Salad

Raspberry dressing:

2 T. raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 T. raspberry jam
1/3 c. vegetable oil

Salad:

3 c. torn spinach
1 c. fresh raspberries, divided
3/4 c. chopped pecans, divided
3 kiwi fruit, sliced

Dressing: Whisk raspberry vinegar and jam in medium mixing bowl. Add the oil gradually, whisking constantly until smooth.

Salad: Toss the spinach with half the raspberries and half the pecans in a shallow salad bowl. Add the dressing, tossing to coat. Top with the remaining pecans, remaining raspberries and kiwi fruit. May substitute fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and strawberry vinegar.

Peanut Thai Noodle Salad

1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. unsalted cocktail peanuts
2 carrots
1 c. pea pods
1 small red pepper
8 oz. fusilli pasta, cooked

Put lime juice, honey, soy sauce and peanuts in a blender and cover. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cut carrots, pea pods and red pepper into match stick strips.

Cook fusilli according to package, add vegetables during last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and vegetables.

Reserve 1/4 cup peanut sauce. Toss pasta and vegetables with remaining sauce. Let pasta stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Toss with remaining sauce and an additional 1/4 cup peanuts.

Olive Garden Salad

1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. rice vinegar seasoned
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 T. corn syrup
2 T. parmesan cheese
2 T. romano cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. parsley
1 T. lemon juice
3-6 T. sugar
Red onion
Tomato
Romaine lettuce
Olives
Banana peppers
Croutons

Mix 1st 11 ingredients in blender. Start with 3 tablespoons sugar and if too tart add 1 tablespoon more up to a total of 6 tablespoons. Put in refrigerator at least 6 hours the more time the better. Put in bowl all the salad ingredients. Pour desired amount of dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

Grandma's Jello Salad

1 lg. pk. Lemon Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 c. 7-Up
3 med. Bananas, sliced
1 c. small marshmallows
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, (drain, save juice)

Dissolve Jello in boiling water, add 7-Up. Let set until starting to jell. Add bananas, marshmallows and pineapple. Pour into 9 X 13-inch dish.

Topping:
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
1 c. pineapple juice
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. Cool Whip

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour, then add juice, sugar and eggs (beaten). Cook over medium heat until thickened. Let cool. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over Jello.

Farmers Chicken Salad

5 c. cooked chicken, cut up
2 T. salad oil
2 T. orange juice
2 T. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. cooked rice, cooled
1 1/2 c. grapes
1 1/2 c. sliced celery
1 c. tidbit pineapple, drained
1 c. mandarin oranges, drained
1 c. almond slivers
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise

Mix all together; serve on croissants and keep refrigerated.

Exotic Chicken Salad

2 qt. chopped cooked chicken
1 lg. can water chestnuts
2 lbs. seedless green grapes
2 c. sliced celery
3 c. slivered almonds
3 c. mayonnaise
1 T. curry powder
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 lg. can pineapple tidbits

Mix all ingredients. Can serve on a leaf of lettuce or in a croissant.

Cranberry Waldorf Salad

1 lb. fresh whole cranberries, ground
2 c. sugar
2 (20 oz.) cans crushed pineapple, well drained
1 pkg. miniature marshmallows
1/2 to 1 pt. whipping cream, whipped
1 banana
1 can fruit cocktail
1 can mandarin oranges
1 apple
1/2 c. nuts, chopped

Grind frozen cranberries in blender or food processor. Add sugar and pineapple. Yields approximately 4 cups. Freeze 2 cups for later use.

Add mini marshmallows to other 2 cups and marinate overnight. Before serving add whipping cream, bananas, fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, apples, nuts and any other fruit your family likes.