I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day! I know I did.... Now back to business...This is the easiest pasta salad and so very tasty....I could make a meal out of it!
FYI: If you are interested in being a guest blogger on this blog and have some wonderful recipes you would like to share, contact me at countrycookdebi@gmail.com.
Ranch Pasta Salad
2 cups uncooked spiral noodles (or your favorite type)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. whole milk
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. real butter
1 tsp. sea salt + 1/2 tsp.
1 tsp. Dijonnaise (mustard/mayo blend)
Water
Bring about 2 quarts of water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil and add the pasta. Boil for about 8 to 10 minutes until pasta is done. Note, the spiral noodles will be a little tougher than some noodles and may take a little longer. Remove from heat and drain the noodles. Put the noodles back in the pan and add the butter, just long enough to melt it. Pour into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.
Serve and Enjoy!
These small, crispy breakfast wontons are so good and so easy to make. Kids will love these! Give them a try.
Breakfast WonTons
8 to 10 WonTon wrappers
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
6 Echrich sausage links (I like maple flavored)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
water
oil for frying
Separate and lay out the WonTon wrappers on a board. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Slice the mini sausage links into small rounds.
Melt the 2 Tbsp. of butter in a pan and add in the eggs and the sausage pieces. Scramble the eggs and meat with a spoon. Put a Tbsp. or so of the egg/sausage mixture onto the wonton and put a tsp. of cheese on top. Wet the edges of the wonton with water using your fingertips. Fold the corners over and press down with a fork.
Drop the wontons a few at a time into oil that has been heated to 350 degrees. They will fry quickly, so keep an eye on them. Turn once and when they are crispy on both sides, remove to drain on a paper towel.
Serve hot! Enjoy!
This dish is so easy and has been a favorite for a very long time. Just put it all in one pot and let it cook. How much easier can it get?
Cabbage Pot
1 small head of cabbage
1 pkg. of smoked sausage (your favorite brand)
5 medium potatoes
enough water to cover the ingredients
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. salt
You will need a very large stock pot for this recipe. Cut the cabbage into small pieces. Slice the smoked sausage into thin rounds. It is not necessary to peel the potatoes. Just quarter them. Add all of the ingredients to the pot, including onion and spices. Cover ingredients with just enough water to be at the top.
Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. The cabbage will wilt down and the potatoes should be done. Remove from heat and serve.
Good stuff! Enjoy!
What kid doesn't love chicken nuggets? What parent doesn't love BBQ? Why not please the entire family with these Honey BBQ Chicken Nuggets.....mmmm mmmm mmm
Honey BBQ Chicken Nuggets
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
Oil for frying
Sauce:
1/4 cup catsup
1/8 cup honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ginger paste
6 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Step 1: Fry the chicken nuggets
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks. Place the flour into a bowl and add salt and pepper. Dip the chicken nuggets into the flour mixture and drop into hot oil (375 degrees). Fry until golden brown and remove to a paper towel to drain.
Step 2: The sauce
Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the sauce ingredients into a skillet over medium-low heat. Bring up to heat (but not boiling). Add in the chicken nuggets that have already been fried and lightly toss them in the sauce to coat. Allow them to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes in the sauce (or until it thickens and sticks to the nuggets).
Remove and serve! Enjoy...
I am so excited that warm weather is here and soon it will be garden season! Here's my favorite recipe for zucchini (besides zucchini bread of course).... These are so tasty and your kids will love them.
Zucchini Fries
1 small zucchini, peeled
bowl of water - enough to cover the zucchini fries + 1 Tbsp. salt
Oil for frying
Ranch dressing for dipping
bowl 1 = 2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. pepper
bowl 2 = 2 cups whole milk or evaporated milk
bowl 3 = 3 cups of Panko bread crumbs
Peel zucchini and cut in half across the center. Cut each section in long, thin strips, similar to French Fries. Soak the zucchini strips in water for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the bowls as above. Bring oil up to about 375 degrees for frying. To fry: dip in bowl 1 and toss until zucchini is covered; dip in bowl 2 with the milk; drop into the bowl of Panko bread crumbs and press down on each side to make sure they are covered and the Panko sticks to the fries.
I prepare most of the fries first and lay them out on a board, so that I can easily drop them in bunches in the oil and fry them. They only take about 3 to 4 minutes to fry. Remove to a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with salt. Serve along with Ranch Dressing for dipping.
Enjoy!
Okay, it's no secret I love Mexican food! I don't like it really spicy, but I can eat Nacho's at least once a week....just ask my husband! He probably gets sick of them... This recipe is really good, fast and hearty! Give it a try......
Big Fat Baked Taquitoes
1 lb. lean ground beef
6 to 10 flour tortillas 10"
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 diced bell pepper
3 diced green onions
1/4 diced whole onion
1/4 + 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. seasoned salt
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. Taco Seasoning
1 small can green chilies
3 cups shredded mozzarella or mild cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef, 1/4 diced whole onion, bell pepper and Taco seasoning, salt and pepper in a skillet. Drain well and put mixture back into the pan. Add 1 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup cream cheese, green chilies, the green onions and about 1/4 cup of evaporated milk to the pan. Stir well to combine.
Ladle the mixture into 10" flour tortillas, reserving about 1 cup of the mixture in the pan. Top with about 4 Tbsp. cheese and roll up. You don't have to tuck in the ends like a burrito, just roll them up. Place them in a rectangle baking dish 9x11 or so that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (or long enough to brown the tortillas). Remove from heat and plate. Top with some of the remaining sauce below.
To the remaining sauce in the pan, add an additional 1/4 cup of the evaporated milk to thin it out to a sauce and ladle over the top of the Taquitoes.
Enjoy!
Once in a while you just need an easy dinner....maybe it's been a long day and you want something that will satisfy everyone but it won't take your entire evening! Well, kids and adults love this one and it is an easy fix!
Open-Faced Sloppy Joe
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
6 cherry tomatoes - finely chopped
2 green onions
1/4 small white onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 can of petite diced tomatoes (juices drained)
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasonings
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain the grease and put it back in the skillet. Chop 6 cherry tomatoes up into small pieces, finely dice 2 green onions, chop 1/4 small white onion and add all three to the pan. Add the seasonings. Open a 15 1/2 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes and drain off the juices. Add to the pan along with the sugar. Simmer all ingredients for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, toast 4 to 6 pieces of bread. Place the bread on plates and top with the Sloppy Joe mixture. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve.
Note: If you like your Sloppy Joes a little sweeter, you can add 2 Tbsp. sugar.
Enjoy!
This recipe was a fluke! Honestly, I was trying to make something else and it just turned out to be a delicious brownie!
White Chocolate Brownie
1 stick real butter
2 squares Almond Bark (White chocolate)
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. hazelnut flavoring (or vanilla)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. walnut pieces
Topping: 6 Tbsp. powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. hazelnut flavoring (or vanilla)
Melt butter and chocolate together over low heat (or in a microwave). Beat eggs, sugar, 1 tsp. of the hazelnut and evaporated milk flavoring together in a large bowl. Temper by adding just a Tbsp. or two of the butter/chocolate. Mix together and then add the rest of the butter/chocolate. (Doing this keeps your eggs from cooking)...
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl and then slowly add into the wet mixture. Pour into a 9x9 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Mix the 6 Tbsp. powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. hazelnut flavoring and beat with a fork. Drizzle over top of the warm brownies.
Mmmmm these are addicting! Enjoy!
I love good potato salad....this recipe is the best I have ever made! Give it a try...
Baked Potato Salad
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 strips of bacon or turkey bacon (finely chopped and fried)
1/4 white onion, diced
1 Tbsp. dill
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup real mayonnaise
1 tsp. sugar
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Peel, cube and boil potatoes until almost done (you don't want them totally fork tender). Chop up and fry bacon or turkey bacon in a skillet. Drain on a paper towel. Hard boil eggs using the 10 minute method
Place potatoes into a bowl. Allow them to set for about 30 minutes to cool completely, or put them in the refrigerator for a quick cool! Add remaining ingredients - adding the hard boiled eggs last. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
10 Minute Egg Rule: place eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, allow to boil for 10 minutes, turn off heat and let set 10 minutes - drain water and shake vigorously in the pan - shells will practically fall off.
Amazing! Enjoy!
I am always so excited when garden season comes around. There is nothing like fresh vegetables. I'm not a big vegetable eater, but with a little creativity, I can get my dose of veggies! These little crispy nuggets of goodness make my belly go to a happy place!
Fried Zucchini
1 whole zucchini, peeled and sliced into very thin pieces
2 cups of evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (more or less)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. dill
Oil for frying (375 degrees)
Wash, peel and slice the zucchini into very thin slices. I use a mandolin, which makes it much easier. Set out two bowls. In one bowl pour the evaporated milk. In the second bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper and dill.
Start by dipping the zucchini slices into the flour first, and then the milk and then back into the flour. (If you prefer, you can have a 3rd bowl for the second flour dipping) I like to make up several and put them on a plate ready to drop into the oil.
Drop into the hot oil. How do you know if it is hot without a thermometer? Drop a sprinkle of the flour into the oil. If it sizzles, it is ready. Turn the zucchini once so that they are browned and crispy on both sides. Remove onto a paper towel to drain. Add additional salt if desired. Serve
Enjoy!
