Gingham Salad

I'll post a picture later. I forgot to take one when I made this last week. And I probably shouldn't take credit for this recipe because I got it at the same time that Kathy did from Heather's mom who copied it for us out of the Hayden Lake Country Club cook book. And some of you already have it because even though we didn't make it and bring it to the salad recipe night (because it wasn't berry season), Kathy and I did pass out the recipe. I hope no one cares that I'm posting it, because it is definitely worth sharing!

This dressing recipe makes a TON so you might want to half it, or plan on saving some for later.

2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
¼ c. poppy seeds
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
½ small yellow onion, pureed
¾ c. cider vinegar
¼ c. Balsamic vinegar
2 2/3 c. salad oil

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

Toss with:
Mixed salad greens
Sliced strawberries
Bleu cheese crumbles

Top with:
Mandarin oranges
Toasted almond slivers
Fresh seasonal berries (raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries and/or blueberries)

For a Main Dish salad, add grilled chicken strips.

Kathy

Hi! My name is Kathy Thomander. I was born in Germany, but since I was four we lived all around Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Dave and I met here in the Springs the summer before we both attended BYU-Idaho in the fall. We fell in love and were married Aug '02. I got two years of college under my belt, and then we were blessed to have Kayla. She is 4 1/2 and so happy and bouncy we call her "Tigger". I love being her mom.

Moscow was awesome. Mostly for the wonderful experiences we had, our ward, and the awesome people we got to meet. We miss it already. I loved the recipe swap! I loved the food and chatting and sharing. I miss all of you! This blog is awesome to help us keep in touch and continue the sharing!!!

This last May Dave graduated in Civil Engineering with a Bachelor's and commissioned with the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant Officer. We got stationed in Colorado Springs, CO; that's where we are right now!

I love to cook. My mom always let us kids help in the kitchen. My mom also participated in craft shows selling quilts and things and let me sell cookies and treats and keep all the profit from them. For family night I was often in charge of the treat, and spent many a Sunday afternoon trying out a new recipe.

I remember one disaster where we had bought a really yummy fruit filled braid from a school fund-raiser. (a.k.a.-expensive) It needed to rise, so I put seran wrap over it. After it rose I stuck it in the oven. Except, I had forgotten the seran wrap! The seran wrap had melted over the bread. It stunk of burned plastic and everyone was disappointed not to eat it. Whoops!

Some things I enjoy are cooking, reading, scrapbooking(I'm a beginner), being a mom, having tea parties, watching chick flicks(the good clean kind), having dates with my honey, entertaining in our home, and singing (esp. in the shower).

Ham BBQ

Hi everyone! This isn't exactly a summer salad or vegetable dish, but it's a great summer dinner because it's easy, cheap and doesn't require the oven. It has been SO HOT that just the thought of using the oven gives me heat stroke.

My husband's family makes Ham BBQ every time they are together. He grew up in Pennsylvania, and apparently it's a local thing. When I joined the family, I was very scared to try it. I've even been hesitant to post this recipe. It sounds strange but it really is delicious, I promise!

1 pound thin sliced deli ham
2 tablespoons butter
ketchup
sweet relish (dill works too, though)

Chop the ham into small pieces. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add ham and squirt in enough ketchup to coat the meat. Add some relish (I have no idea how much---maybe two spoonfuls??). Cook until the sauce starts to bubble. Serve on hamburger buns.

Fettuccine Primavera

8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
1-1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1 small zucchini, coarsley chopped
1 small yellow summer squash, coarsley chopped
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 small sweet red pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, coarsley chopped
1 small onion, diced
3 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp cornstarch
2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Cook fettuccine. In a large saucepan bring 3/4 cup broth to a boil. Add veggies(except tomatoes), basil and salt. Return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until veggies are tender-crisp.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth; stsir into vegetable mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat;
stir in tomatoes and sour cream. Drain fettuccine; lpace in a large bowl. Add veggie mixture, parmesan cheese and parsley; toss to coat.

Fiesta Southwestern Salad

1 pkg Romaine Lettuce, or 1 head chopped
5 plum tomatoes, chopped (or 5 Campari)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 small red onion, chopped
8 oz. Fiesta style shredded cheese
15 oz. can Fiesta style corn, drained
6 oz. black olives, sliced
2 cups crushed tortilla chips, I use lime chips

Mix all that in a bowl, then combine these next ingredients to use as a dressing.
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

This is my final post, but this really is so good too. This always sounds good to me.

Corn Salad

1 can corn, drained (or equivalent fresh)
2 diced tomatoes (or 5-6 small Campari)
1/2 c. green onions, chopped (about 4 stalks)
3/4 c. cucumbers, peeled & chopped (1 large or 2 medium)
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. sour cream
2 T. Mayo or Miracle Whip
1 T. vinegar
1/4 t. celery salt (optional)
1 /4 t. mustard
Drain corn, pour in bowl & add tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables. This is such a good summer salad. Paul and I swear we could eat it every week and not get sick of it. It just tastes so fresh, we love it!

Black Bean Salsa

2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can corn, drained (or equivalent fresh)
5-6 small tomatoes (I use the campari tomatoes from costco!!)
1 -2 avocados, cut up
1/2 of red onion, chopped
1/4 cup + cilantro, chopped
3 T. lime juice(I just squeeze about 2 limes over it)
2 T. red wine vinegar (or balsamic)
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Cut up veggies, then mix dressing & pour it over. This keeps good for several days. And it makes a big batch. You can substitute a can of black beans for garbanzo beans for a little bit more crunch if you like. You can grill chicken and turn this into a salad if you like. Or just eat it as salsa, either way-- I make this constantly.

Pomegranate Salsa

I made this a while ago for the group, but I never posted it. It is one of my top two salsas! I know it isn't really pomegranate season at all, but I thought I'd post it anyways.
1 large pomegranate--seeded
5-6 Roma tomatoes--diced
1 small lime or lemon
3-4 avocados --diced
1/2- 1 c. red onion --diced
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce or other hot suace
1 tsp. Accent (optional)
Seed the pomegranate, cut up avocados & tomatoes into smaller chunks. Chop up red onion. Mix it together and then squeeze the juice of lime all over it. Add additional 3 items & mix together once more. Serve with tortilla chips & enjoy!

Yummy Pasta Salad

Sauce:
4 T olive oil
6 T redwine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oregano
1/2 t pepper
1 t salt

Mix with a whisk and toss with veges (we grill egg plant, art. hearts, peppers, squash) and pasta.

Strawberry-Banana Salad

1 package (6 oz) strawberry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

2 packages (10 ozs each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, partially frozen

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup mashed firm bananas

2 cups sour cream

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in water. Stir in strawberries, pineapple and bananas. Pour half of the mixture into a 13X9 dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Set the remaining gelatin mixture aside. Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Spread over the chilled gelatin. Spoon remaining gelatin mixture over the top. Chill until set.

Hidden Veggies Pasta Sauce (My favorite thing to do with garden veggies)

Cut up all manner of vegetables (carrots, celery, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic and any vegetable you want to hide from you children) Sauté them in olive oil and butter. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can or 2 of tomato sauce, 1 cube beef bullion, salt, pepper, dried basil, parsley, butter, and a touch of thyme. NO OREGANO (in Italy it is only used for pizza). If you want a meat sauce, brown mild Italian sausage and ground beef. Mix all together and simmer all day long. Sometimes I puree it to keep the veggies unrecognizable.

Serve on pasta with cheese. (I also love to make a basic white sauce to spoon on top . . . just a little creamy-ness)

Pasta Cooking Hints: Do not cook pasta with oil in the water or sauce will not stick. Do not drain all the water, or it will be too dry. Reheat pasta by running hot water over it in a colander.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I made this last night and loved it! Chris didn't care for it very much though.

1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbs. sugar
1 package (10 oz) fresh spinach, torn
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

Dressing:
2 Tbs. canola oil ( I used olive oil instead)
1 Tbs. raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1/4 tsp. salt

In a skillet, cook and stir almonds and sugar over low heat until sugar is dissolved and almonds are coated. Spread on foil to cool; break apart.
In a bowl, combine spinach, strawberries and almonds. In a jar with a tight-fiting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Drizzle over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Ducky Birthday Cake

This is the cake that I made for Jeanette's birthday. I thought I'd share because it was so easy and cute and I thought some of you might like to use the idea. You can get the directions at http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=45539

Habanero Salsa (recipe from New Mexico State University)

This is a salsa recipe for home canning. The Habanero adds a citrus like flavor to the salsa...and heat! It makes 16-18 pints

7 qt peeled,cored,chopped paste tomatoes (Roma)
4 cups seeded,chopped long green chiles
5 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped,seeded,Hot peppers (Habanero,Jalapeno,Yellow wax)
3 Tbsp oregano leaves*
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro*
2 cups bottled lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp ground cumin*

Combine all ingredients except cumin,oregano,and cilanro in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner: 15 min. at 0-1,000 ft. altitude; 20 min. at 1,001-6,000 ft, 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.

This recipe works best with paste tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes require a much longer cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency.

The only changes you can safely make in this recipe is to substitute bottled lemon juice for vinegar and to decrease the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe.

*optional

Liz

When I first saw the Palouse I immediately fell in love with it. The rolling farmlands, the smell of the rain, the sereneness of the arboretum, and the CLEAN air. We lived in Moscow for two years while my husband completed his Master's in Architecture. I thought moving to Moscow, away from family would be difficult. Moving from Moscow back to family was even more difficult.I felt like I left part of myself there.

I am currently working on the last few prerequisites prior to applying to a Dietetics program, working part time in an Urgent Care clinic, and trying to be a full time Mom. At times I think I am crazy. I find my respite from life through my hobbies. I love to read, sew, cook, and work in the yard. Weeding the flowerbeds is one of the best stress reducers I have found so far.

Basic BBQ Rub

This one doesn't exactly go with the theme, but it's great for summer. Last night, we had a BBQ and there was a request for me to post the recipe on the blog. It's kind of spicy, but full of flavor as well. I got this rub from my America's Test Kitchen cookbook. It's my new favorite!

1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt (I use coarse salt)
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Mix together and sprinkle over your meat. Then rub in with your fingers. Cook the meat however you want to. Leftover rub can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a month.