Gilled Chicken Strawberry Salad

This salad was just what I needed after a hot day of playing softball.

Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad

1 large grilled chicken breast

1 bag of lettuce

strawberries

onion

tomatoes

feta cheese
walnuts or almonds
fat-free raspberry vinaigrette

The best thing about a salad is the fact that you can top it with practically anything you like. I experiment with different fruits and vegetables all the time. Be aware that things such as dressings & cheeses can add a lot of fat/calories to your dish so you want to use them in moderation.

Enjoy!



Caramel Ring-A-Round

Caramel Ring-A-Round

3 tubes of buttermilk biscuits
1 stick butter
1 cup ice cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
cinnamon
sugar

Caramel mixture:: melt butter in a small sauce pan, add brown sugar and ice cream stir well. In a ziplock bag: mix a generous amount of sugar and cinnamon. Drop biscuits into bag and shake until coated. Stand upright in a bundt pan. Pour caramel mixture over biscuits. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Flip onto a serving plate and serve.

Enjoy

This recipe was borrowed from: Debbie Wherry:: The Herreid Centennial Cookbook

Summer Pasta Salad

Summer Pasta Salad1 box ring noodles
1 large can black olives, sliced
1 large cucumber chopped
1 carton of cheery tomatoes
2 cans of mini shrimp
purple or yellow onion chopped
Miracle Whip lite
vinegar
sugar
milk
dill weed
salt & pepper

Boil noodles according to the box. Strain and rinse with cold water. In a serving bowl stir noodles, slived olives, cucumbers, onion, shrimp (drained), and tomatoes.

Dressing: Put a generous amount of miracle whip in a seperate bowl, add a teaspoon or so of both sugar and vinegar. Stir well, test and adjust the sugar/vinegar to your liking. Stir in milk to thin to dressing. Add about 3 tablespoons of dill weed. Pour over noodles mixture and stir well. Chill. Serve.

Enjoy!

Cheddar Ranch Burgers

Put a twist on grilling.

Cheddar Ranch Burgers

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk powder

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped onions

hamburger buns

Sprinkle ranch powder on hamburger, add chopped onions, shredded cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir well. I always let the hamburger mixture rest for about 20 minutes prior to making the patties. Grill.

Serve with your favortie toppings: sauted onions/peppers/mushrooms, sliced cheese, crisp cooked bacon, ketchup, mustard, pickles etc.

Enjoy!

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

I was cooking for five extra guests this morning and wanted to make something other than the traditional eggs and bacon. Traditional is great but having eggs, bacon, and toast can be quite challenging with larger groups without having to eat in shifts.

 Sausage Breakfast Casserole
1 1/2 pounds breakfast sausage

1/4 cup butter

4 cups frozen hashbrowns

9 farm fresh eggs

salt & pepper to taste

1 - 24oz container of fat-free cottage cheese

1/2 of a small onion (I normally use yellow but purple onions give the dish some color)

1 small red or orange pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brown sausage, drain and set aside.

Place butter in a 9x13 baking dish and put in the oven for about 4 minutes or until melted. Once melted remove of the oven and toss frozen hashbrowns in the butter. Once the hashbrowns appear to be coated press them into the bottom of the pan to for a crust for the casserole.

In a separate dish beat eggs with salt & pepper, stir in cottage cheese, chopped onion and pepper, sausage and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Pour over hashbrowns. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes. (Test with a toothpick-insert toothpick in the center of the dish and pull it out. When the toothpick comes out clean the dish is done.)

What to serve with it?

toast, fresh fruit, juice and coffee

Enjoy!

Creamy Goodness

Pickle wraps just got a whole lot easier at my house! A long time favorite recipe of smearing a cream cheese mixture on a very thin piece of meat and rolling them up can be time consuming. Having a brother like mine that can eat them as fast as they are made I think this is the perfect alternative with the same great taste.

Pickle-Wrap Dip

2 - packages of Budding Ham

1 - 12 ounce container of whipped cream cheese

3 - Tablespoons Dill Relish

1 - teaspoon Worcestershire

1/2 - teaspoon Accent

green onion - optional

Cut ham up into tiny pieces. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and chill. It is best to let this dip chill for a couple hours prior to serving to enhance the flavors.

Serve with your favorite crackers!

Want to try something different?

Serve this dip warm....it is creamy delicious! 

How to make this recipe a little healthier?

Weight Watchers makes a wonderful whipped cream cheese. Also try using fat free cream cheese most people cannot taste the difference.

Not familiar with Accent? 

Accent does not really have a taste but it enhances the flavors already present in your dish. I use accent in many dips, cheeseballs, wraps and other appetizers! 

Small bites are unbelievably better when you have full flavor! 

Enjoy!

Berry Ice Cream Treats

My family always gets together over the 4th of July to celebrate our freedom. We take in a parade, have a potluck, fireworks of course, etc! It has been tradition for years that someone would make Great-Grandma Zelda's "Ribbon Salad" (recipe coming soon!) but this year I wanted to try something different. This is what I came up with!

Berry Ice Cream Treats

- strawberry sorbet

- vanilla ice cream

- blackberries (or blueberries)

- 1 packet of Stevia (or Splenda)

Thaw the strawberry sorbet until it is soft enough to line a custard dish. Place in the freezer until frozen well. Repeat this process with vanilla ice cream and layer over the sorbet. Freeze.

Meanwhile, place fresh blackberries in a dish and sprinkle with 1 packet of Stevia. Smash berries with a fork until it's pureed. Let the berries sit for about 15 minutes in the fridge while the dish is freezing. Spoon berries into the layered custard dish and freeze.

To serve: dip the bottom of the custard dish into a bowl of very hot water.

**You want to dip it for only a few seconds as sorbet thaws quickly.**

Tip the custard cup upside down on your seving plate. Once it releases from the cup it is ready to serve.

Serving::  This is where you get to be creative and make this dish your own! These can be served alone, on  short cakes, decorated with piped whipped cream, or with fresh fruit and so on.

Options::  If you are serving larger groups and don't want to use custard cups, use a bundt pan or any type of decorative bowl! Depending what dish you use, there are other ways of releasing your goodness to serve. You might laugh but use a small torch and heat the outside slightly while it is placed upside down on the serving platter, it works!

This recipe can be used with any type of sorbets, ice creams, or fruits to fit the theme of your party. Your guests are going to love it and want to know how you made it.

Enjoy!

Mom's Lazy Cheese Buttons

Yes you read that right, Cheese Buttons. It is no surprise that you will find German food on this blog!

Lazy Cheese Buttons

1 box lasanga noodles

2 containers of dry curd cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

2 large onions sauteed in butter

1 pint cream

Boil lasanga noodles for half the time shown on the box. In a mixing bowl stir the cottage cheese, eggs, and sour cream together. Sometimes I will add dried minced onions, salt, and pepper to this mixture. In a 9x13 baking dish layer the noodles, then cottage cheese mixture, and continue making layers until your bowls are empty.

Sprinkle the sauteed onions over the top layer and pour the cream on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes prior to serving. This recipe was created by my amazing mother and has since been added to our family recipe box.

Enjoy!

Tortellini Kabobs

'Tis the season for picnics, grilling, and fun summer sides. I put this idea together for a party I hosted last year. I apologize in advance for not using exact measurements. I got my cooking/baking skill from my Grandmother who's recipes call for "a little of this" and "a splash of that" and "enough to taste"!

Tortellini Kabobs
Ingredients:

- Cheese Filled Tortellini's

- Black Olives & Green Olives
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Mini Pepperoni's
- Cucumbers
- Italian Dressing

- Kabob Sticks

Prepare the Tortellini's according to their package.   Once the noodles are done boiling rinse them with cold water. Put the noodles in a nice Tupperware bowl.

  

Pour a generous amount of Italian Dressing over the noodles, cover and put in the refridgerator until completely cooled. *I normally let them marinate for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready begin assembling the kabobs by alternating the ingredients above. I absolutely love using the mini Pepperoni's. They are just the perfect size for a Kabob.

 I encourage you to be creative with this recipe and use vegetables that your family likes. Once you have your kabobs filled place them in a storage container with a lid. Chill. Moments before serving these mouth watering kabobs drizzle Italian dressing over the entire platter. Not only will they taste amazing, they will look beautifully catered!

Enjoy!



~ For the Peanut Butter Lovers ~

I am somewhat of a health nut! I like almost every woman in America has tried this diet....and that diet.....and wow this one looks even better I need to try that one. After spending lots of money and time learning different diets, eating pre-made meals I always seem to fall back to portion control and reading the nutritional labels. One of my biggest downfalls is peanut butter. I L.O.V.E peanut butter!

I set a search out for some healthy peanut butter a couple months go. This is what I've found and absolutely love. PB2 it comes in regular and chocolate flavors. I purchased the powder form which is easily prepared by mixing 2 Tbsp of PB2 + 1 Tbsp of water. Occasionally I will add a little Stevia for a little sweeter mix.

Now how do you eat this PB2 without spreading it on a piece of bread (I  use Sara Lee 45 calorie bread) you might be asking? Try this too good to be true PB2 on sticks of celery or with apples!
Here is where I order by PB2:: http://www.bellplantation.com/

~ Thank You ~

The past couple weeks have been some of the hardest for a lot of North Dakotan's. The river has busted out of its banks flooding homes, roads, schools, etc. The communities have pulled together like those of  small towns do during tragic times. Neighbors have been helping neighbors, complete strangers have taken time to help those in need. Nonetheless the men in uniform are also here to protect us. Take time to thank your neighbors, soldiers, and friends for being a part of your life!