Jello Cream Cheese Salad

Jello Cream Cheese 
          Salad






8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 box of jello
1 cup boiling water
1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 jar of maraschino cherries, drained
50 small marshmallows
small container of coolwhip

Place cream cheese in mixer and beat slightly.
Dissolve jello in 1 c of boiling water.  
Pour jello SLOWLY into cream cheese while beating (on low) and constantly scraping sides of the bowl just until well blended.  DO NOT OVER BEAT~

 


Stir in pineapple, cherries, and marshmallows. Fold in cool whip.
Place in baking dish or mold and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

This makes a lovely mold for any holiday spread.  Red or green for Christmas, yellow or orange for Thanksgiving or any pastel colored jello for Easter.

Hard Boiled Eggs Part 2- Macaroni Salad

I thought I'd share another favorite around here using some of those hard boiled eggs. While I don't exactly use a recipe, I'll do my best to give you some estimated measurements.  This is your creation so make it to your taste.  Anyway, recipes are just recommendations, right?

Macaroni Salad 
In a large bowl:
Begin with 2 cups of dry  macaroni cooked- but not overcooked

Add:
Some chopped onion, and celery
 Several hard boiled  eggs, chopped.  Reserve a few for garnish
(Feel free to add anything else you desire.  My mom adds pimento for some color)

To make Macaroni Salad my own, I add some small pieces of chopped up cheddar cheese.

I used white cheese because that is what I had.  However yellow cheese will add more color.

Macaroni Dressing
Mix together:
Begin with about 1 1/2-2 cups of Mayonnaise  (My family insists on Hellmanns)
add 2/3 c. of sugar and 2/3 c. vinegar
a squirt of yellow mustard

add the secret ingredient............horseradish. 

 Start with a small amount, add more if desired.  

Pour dressing over Macaroni.

Add some salt (or celery salt) and coarse pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced Hard Boiled Eggs and sprinkle with Paprika!

 ENJOY!!

Fun in the Kitchen

I had a little fun in the kitchen today. There have been a few items I have been wanting to make. So after making my rounds in the garden this morning, I got busy. There were a few strawberries still lingering that made it into my basket. There wasn't enough to make a pie or strawberry shortcake, but I did have just enough to eat on a little yogurt. I love granola on my yogurt and fruit! So I whipped up a batch of homemade granola. I had been wanting to try out this recipe for some time now. It is Crystal Miller's recipe from http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/. Check out her site if you get a chance. There's a girl that's got it going on! ......Oh, and the granola....de-lish!




My Favorite Granola

12 cups uncooked oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup powdered milk
1 T. cinnamon
1 ½ t. salt
1 cup light olive oil
1 1/3 cup honey
1 T. vanilla
2 cup raisins
2 cups nuts of your choice, chopped


You will need a very large bowl for mixing. Combine oats, coconut, flour, powdered milk, cinnamon and salt well in the large bowl and mix well. In a saucepan heat the oil, honey and vanilla until just warm. This helps the mixture pour easily. Pour this over the oat mixture and stir well. I start out by stirring it with a large spoon, but end up mixing it with my hands to insure that everything is evenly mixed. Spread this in a thin layer on 2 to 3 large cookie sheets and bake in the oven at 300 for 45 to 50 minutes. You will need to stir it about every 15 minutes. I bake two trays at a time and switch the position of the trays each time I stir so that the granola browns evenly. When the mixture is done you can pour it back into the large pan and let it cool. When completely cool stir in the raisins and the nuts. You can store the finished granola in any air tight container or even a couple of large Ziploc type bags. This recipe will make approx. 20 cups of granola.


Yogurt+strawberries+granola=delicious!

While the granola was baking, it was on to my next project-croutons. I love homemade croutons. And with all the lettuce in the garden, we have salad every evening. You can make croutons with any kind of bread you choose....leftover stale bread never needs to go to waste. I don't even use a recipe. I just kinda throw everything together.

Here's the crouton basics to get you started:
Cut bread into cubes, place in a large bowl
Drizzle and toss cubes with olive oil
Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice ( I like garlic salt and oregano)

Bake at 350 for 15 min or until golden brown
Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parm Cheese

Enjoy!







In the next post, I will share some tips on homemade dressings for your garden lettuce.

Dressing up a Salad

As promised, a post about vinegar and vinaigrettes. I have experimented with many vinegars, mostly because we enjoy homemade salad dressings as opposed to the store bought variety. I have many recipes for a wide range of dressings. But I prefer to just "wing it" using a few vinaigrette basics.

The basic ratio of vinegar to oil is 3-1. Three parts of your favorite oil to 1 part of the vinegar of your choice. Sometimes I even cut back on the vinegar(acid)and add a squeeze of orange, lemon or lime. Most any sweetner (ie... maple syrup, sugar, honey, artificial sweetners .....) can be used to sweeten the mix if you desire. I prefer my dressings somewhat sweet. My sweetner of choice is honey. Not only does honey serve as a sweetener, but it provides a thicker consistency for the dressing. And for a little kick, dijon mustard or a shot of tobasco works great. Or how about a dash of this and that from the spice rack. The sky is the limit on the number of concoctions you can put together. No measuring required. Just use the mix and taste method. (My favorite way to cook!)

Vinegar

I love to experiment with vinegar. For herbal vinegars with fresh cut herbs from the garden:

*Sterilize your bottles or jars by immersing them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool.

*Wash herbs thoroughly.

*Put four herb sprigs in each bottle and fill with 3 cups vinegar of your choice.

*Seal bottles with lids or corks.

*Store in a cool, dark place for three weeks to allow flavor to ripen.

I have also experimented with raspberry vinegar. We have a ton of wild raspberries here each summer. Raspberry vinegrette goes well with a salad sprinkled with a few berries of some kind. You get that mix of sweet and sour.

Raspberry Vinegar

6 cups Raspberries 1 quart Distilled White Vinegar (Heinz Natural If Available) 1/2 cup raw cane or date Sugar

Directions:
Place the berries in a large container. Bring the sugar and vinegar to a boil and pour over the berries. Stir and cover. Cool and refrigerate for 30 days. To process, strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth into a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into hot sterilized jars, cover and seal.

NOTE: This vinegar needs to sit for 30 days to attain its full body and flavor. Serve with salads, as a marinade for tofu, or for something unusual sprinkle over French fried sweet potatoes. Try using the vinegar in salad dressings.

Have fun Experimenting!