Old-Fashioned Egg Salad Sandwiches

Hello Lunch!

 

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Light and refreshing, 

this creamy cucumber tomato salad is a hit with any meal!

It’s a classic salad that’s good on its own or served with grilled chicken, fish, pork or burgers or grilled steak. In other words, it’s a tasty side dish that goes for most any meat!

July 4th Best Potato Salad

Bill has probably not met a potato salad he didn’t like, I used to take it or leave it, as in too mushy, too wet, and swimming in mayo. 

Then I made it this way...

Potato salad has been around for many cook outs, a classic for the 4th of July!  The dish has been served since the early 20th century and things haven’t changed much with it.  

Dinner is: Iron-Skillet Roast Chicken with Acorn Squash, Red Onions and Bacon

How can anyone resist good crisp skin on chicken?  If it’s not crispy, it’s just simply a sad chicken...

Hello, crispy chicken with roasted vegetables and smokey bacon!  Here's a one-pan meal that’s bursting with flavor!

Tortellini Salad with Asiago, Peas and Proscuitto

Tortellini was a new food to me when we moved here to the Chicago area years ago ~ it was absolutely love at first bite!

The legend of tortellini is a little amusing: 

Baked Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini

I might live in the Midwest now, but I’m a Southerner at heart!

One of the reasons; besides, delicious cornbread, a warmer climate, friendly people and good food, and did I mention cornbread (?), is that Southern Living has been delivered in our mailbox ever since I was married ~ way back when Mom gave a subscription of it to me.

Which leads me to zucchini and this recipe!  

The gardens are starting to fill up with the vegetable; consequently, this slightly adapted recipe from SL is perfect for the season!

They are tasty zucchinis stuffed with a delicious blend of corn, onions, garlic, cheddar cheese, chicken and spices.  Choose squash that are uniform in shape so they will cook evenly.  The best kind are long, straight and not too skinny.

I will admit there was one problem with my finished dish:  I bought ready-made cornbread from the grocery store to speed up the process, unfortunately, I did not sample it first.  Too late, I realized the cornbread was very sweet, sort of like Jiffy mix, cake-like.  I’m not a fan of sweet cornbread, and seldom add sugar to the batter when I make it.

Southern cornbread is traditionally made with little or no sugar (I do claim to top it with butter and a swirl of honey at times) while northern cornbread is sweet and more cake-like. 

In Bill’s opinion and mine also, this zucchini mixture would have been much better with savory cornbread, the finished dish was too sweet for us.  And it was a touch on the dry side; the next time, I would add ½ cup chicken broth to the mixture, somewhere along the line.  It's definitely worth another try!

Whether you get your zucchini straight from the garden, or the farmers’ market, stock up on it and enjoy this cornbread-stuffed zucchini.

Just pay more attention than I did as to what type of cornbread you make it with!



Enjoy!

Author: Pam

Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini

Cornbread makes everything better!

prep time: 20 MINScook time: 45 MINStotal time: 65 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (about 10 ounces)
• 4 zucchini
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 16 ounces ground chicken
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 6 ounces cheddar cheese (about 1½ cups)
• ½ cup fresh corn
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Spread cornbread in a even layer on one end of a baking sheet. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out zucchini pulp to equal 3 cups pulp, leaving a ½-inch shell intact. Coarsely chop 1½ cups of pulp, reserve remaining pulp for another use.
3. Brush zucchini shells with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place shells on baking sheet with cornbread, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Place in 375° oven and bake until cornbread is lightly browned, about 10-11 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add ground chicken to skillet, cook, stirring to crumble, until browned, about 6 minutes.
5. Add onion, garlic, paprika, pepper, reserved 1½ cups zucchini pulp and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt to skillet, cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.
6. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and stir in cornbread, cheese, corn and parsley. Divide chicken mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place shells on a baking sheet.
7. Bake stuffed zucchini at 350° until filling is lightly browned and zucchini is tender, 25 minutes.
8. Serve

Created using The Recipes Generator

Opa!!! Greek Cucumber & Kalamata Salad

Are you ready for a salad with some OOMPH!!!?  If so, you’ve stopped by at the right food blog!

Combining the nippy taste of goat cheese with salty Kalamata olives and spicy radish slices gives you a pleasant pungent little salad.   Goat cheese is a bit tangy with great flavor and a creamy texture.   It pairs perfectly with the Kalamata olives.  The olives come to us from Greece with their deep rich aubergine color, turning dark brown when brined.  They’re sweet, rich and a treat to eat, especially when paired with cheese. 

You’ll enjoy this spicy summer salad like we do with about any meat or seafood from the grill.  If you haven’t tried Robusto Italian Dressing, put it on your shopping list.  It’s so spicy delicious and blends well with pasta also or is an excellent marinade for seafood.  I use it often, in many dishes but not with lettuce yet.  So I guess that will be next!

I adore this salad and really want you to try it!  I think you’ll like it also!  I actually could make a meal of it along with a slice of crusty bread!

Greek Cucumber  & Kalamata Salad

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

1 red onion, chopped

4 radishes, sliced thin

½ cup Kalamata olives

¾ cup crumbled goat cheese

¼ to ½ cup Wish-bone Robusto Italian Salad Dressing

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and allow to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Καλή σας όρεξη!

Does that really mean, Bon Appetite in Greek?

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes.  

Home-Fried Potatoes, My Way

“What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”    A. A. Milne

I am a potatoholic from way back!  It is an addiction I can’t kick, but I won’t be going into therapy for it.  I love potatoes prepared any way, with the exception of potato soup.  

There’s mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, potatoes au gratin, potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, smashed potatoes, potato cakes, potato chips, garlic potatoes, potato salad, potato bread, French fries, hash browns, potatoes O’Brien, tater tots, waffle fries, potato fritters, potato skins and my favorite when growing up ~ fried potatoes, just like Grandma used to fry them ~ in lard.

Just don’t ignore your potatoes because the tubers can grow “eyes” and buds will sprout like aliens.  If you forget about them, the aroma will lead you straight to them and if you haven’t experienced that, you’re the lucky one!

Fried potatoes from fresh potatoes are great but, what we really enjoy is fried potatoes made from cold baked potatoes ~ especially with breakfast!  When baking potatoes, I always bake a couple extra to have on hand for fried potatoes.  It’s quick and good!    I savor every bite of them!

Potatoes served at breakfast,

At dinner served again;

Potatoes served at supper,

Forever and Amen!

Pennsylvania prayer

Home-Fried Potatoes

Ingredients:

Olive oil

2 or 3 baked potatoes, leftover and cold, diced

1 small red onion, chopped

Paprika

Kosher salt

McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper Blend

Method:

Heat a little olive oil to cover bottom of skillet.

Add potatoes and onions; fry until browned.

Add seasonings, to taste.

Serve, enjoy!

Are you a potatoholic?

By the way, there’s still time to enter my $60 Le Creuset, CSN giveaway posted on August 11, 2010!

Be sure to visit my friend Linda's, my kind of cooking, great blog for a chance to win her wonderful cookbook with lots of easy, delicious recipes! 


Check out another great giveaway at Bo's Bowl.  He has fantastic recipes and tells great stories connected with his good Southern cooking!

Balsamic Cucumber Salad with Tomatoes and Red Onions

Did you know “cool as a cucumber” isn’t just a catchy phrase? It’s actually true; the inside temperature of a cucumber is 20 degrees cooler than the outside air!

Going back to the days of Dad’s gardens, I loved cucumbers and still do. 

Summer time is great for this salad but, I can’t wait that long so spring is a wonderful time for it also!  Sweet onions such as Vidalias or Walla Wallas can be substituted for the red onions in this, just double the quantity.  

It’s a quick salad with a little olive oil, balsamic and red wine vinegars and Dijon mustard added.  If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use more red wine vinegar. 

This salad never fails to satisfy us with all its great flavors.  I think the next time I will add a green chili to it for a little heat.  

I can’t resist a good cucumber salad and this one leaves me yearning for summer!

Cucumber Salad with Onions and Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

1 large red onion, thinly sliced and separated

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper Blend

Method:

In a medium bowl, cut cucumbers into ¼” slices.

Add onions and tomatoes.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the cucumber mixture.

Can refrigerate 1 hour or so before serving.

4-6 servings

ENJOY!

Bubba’s Guacamole

It is dangerous for me to start eating guacamole, especially with tortilla chips as I don’t know when to stop.

For that matter, I know of someone who may feel the same way; and that someone is my older son, Bubba ~ as in Bill. Jr.  For those of you who follow my blog, you will recall a couple of his great recipes:  chili, posted on Nov. 21, 2009 and enchiladas, posted on Jan. 12, 2010.

His guacamole is delicious and particularly so on a succulent grilled hamburger.  As you know, he loves hot food and with this recipe he usually adds 2 or 3 Serrano peppers.  That’s too much heat for me, so I cut it back most of the time. 

I know there are a lot of cooks out there who doctor their guacamole up several notches with many add-ins, but Bubba keeps the ingredients for his at a minimum which makes it really quick to make and simply delicious.  

Avocados, also called “alligator pears,” are native to Central and South America being used mainly to accompany meat and salads and of course, for preparing guacamole.  

They contain healthy fat, protein and a whopping dose of fiber.  Avocados are surprisingly a complete food, having 14 minerals to stimulate growth, including copper and iron for your blood.  They are very filling!

Serrano chili peppers have thin walls; therefore, they do not need to be steamed or peeled before eating, which makes it the perfect pepper for guacamole and salsas.  They also are 5 times hotter than the jalapeño with a flavor that is crisp, bright, biting and hot!  Plus, they’re pretty! 

Bubba knows a good thing and how to make it!  Here’s his recipe:

Bubba’s Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

½ medium red onion, quartered

2-3 Serrano peppers

1-2 tablespoons cilantro (I use parsley)

Method:

Place all ingredients in a blender jar in the order given. 

Pulse intermittently 8 to 10 times or until it reaches a chunky or smooth consistency, whichever you prefer.

You may need to turn off the blender and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the jar and process more. 

Serve and enjoy!

Bubba's note:  If desired, dice half a tomato and stir it into the guacamole after it's out of the blender.

I’m a sucker for guacamole and Bubba’s is the best!

Zucchini Casserole

We all love mozzarella on pizza but as I have said before fresh mozzarella on vegetables is a wonderful thing.  I buy my mozzarella at an Italian market and love it because it is a sweet, delicate cheese with a slight tartness that pairs beautifully with many foods. 

It’s a little early for the zucchini explosions from the gardens and farmers markets but it is always easy to find at the grocery store.  It’s a great vegetable to serve as fritters, in a salad, with pasta or in a good loaf of bread.

This dish is just zucchini, cheese and a touch of seasonings to flavor it.  It’s delicious with meat or fish from the grill and makes a perfect side dish that is a bit different.  And now I’m thinking a little crumbled crisp bacon sprinkled on top would be wonderful also!

Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ pounds zucchini, cut into slices

½ pound fresh mozzarella, shredded

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until wilted and lightly browned.

Place cut zucchini in a mixing bowl.

Add red pepper flakes and rosemary or thyme.

Stir in the warm onion mixture.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a greased casserole.

Scatter mozzarella cheese over all.

Cover with foil.

Bake until casserole is browned and bubbly slightly around the edges, 45 to 50 minutes, removing foil the last 5-8 minutes of baking.

Serve hot.

Love that mozzarella with zucchini!

Warm Spinach Salad

I love warm salads such as wilted lettuce salads and this recipe is along that line, only this one contains nutritious spinach. 

In the summertime, Dad would pick the lettuce and Mom made her wilted salad most nights.  I loved the taste of it; the hot bacon drippings with vinegar and a little sugar tossed with the lettuce and onions.  That was the best of salads back then.

Now, I have moved on and love it with spinach also.  This salad is filled with good things:  lots of bacon, red onion and pecans with a tangy dressing.  Especially, in the winter time when spinach is plentiful, this is an excellent way to incorporate fresh winter greens into your dinner menu. 

With heating the spinach somewhat, it serves a dual purpose:  it makes the salad more suitable for a cold day when raw lettuce might not be appealing and it diminishes the effects of oxalic acid. Spinach is rich in oxalic acid ~ that is what gives spinach the tang but, it interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium and iron.  The acid is much higher in raw spinach. 

This is a rich, colorful and flavorful salad and if you are a bacon lover like I am, that’s all the better!  I hope you give this a try!

Warm Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup pecan halves

6 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 pint (2 cups) grape tomatoes

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

2 to 3 bunches (1½ pounds total) flat-leaf spinach, trimmed, cleaned and dried

Coarse salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven until golden and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from skillet.

Add onion to skillet. Cook until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes, vinegar and sugar.

Simmer until liquid thickens slightly and tomatoes are heated through, 1-2 minutes.

Place spinach in a bowl and pour hot tomato-onion mixture over it.

Toss quickly to coat and wilt spinach.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with reserved pecans and bacon.

Serves 4

Yum!!!  So delicious!!!

Spinach Salad with Roasted Pecans and Bacon

Popeye and his bulging forearms moved spinach to the top of the list of foods that are good for you. Even though we may not look like Popeye after eating it, the health benefits from raw spinach should not be over-looked. It is rich in beta-carotene, folic acid, magnesium and Vitamin K.

So, eating your spinach has never tasted so good!  I think this salad is great, it is so good!  The combination of ingredients in the delicious vinaigrette is not too sweet and goes very well with spinach with the toasted pecans adding a nutty crunch to it.

The dressing could be made a day ahead of time for the flavors to blend well.  This salad is full of flavor with good eye appeal, being a simple elegant salad that is good for any occasion.  It will have all of your taste buds working!

Spinach Salad with Roasted Pecans and Bacon

 

Ingredients:

10 slices bacon

2 10-oz. pkgs. fresh spinach leaves, torn

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ c. pecan halves, coarsely chopped, toasted *

2/3 c. olive oil

4 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

2/3 t. dried tarragon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Fry bacon crisp and crumble. 

In large bowl, toss together spinach leaves, onion and pecans.

Combine remaining ingredients and stir well with a whisk or shake in a shaker.

Pour vinaigrette over spinach mixture.

Add crumbled bacon.

Toss well.

Portion onto salad plates and serve.

*Toast pecans in 350 degree oven in a shallow pan for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove and let cool.

Serves 8

ENJOY!!!