Amish Salad

I made this to take to my mom's at Thanksgiving. Not a hit with the picky eaters but everyone else really enjoyed it and I loved it! I have not found a specific site to credit this recipe to. It seems to be posted all over the web so here is my version:

1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup miracle whip
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheese

In a large bowl combine broccoli and cauliflower, set aside.

In a medium bowl combine miracle whip, sour cream and salt. Stir sour cream mix into broccoli mix until vegetables are well coated.

Stir in bacon and cheese, reserving a small amount of each for topping. Seal tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with reserved bacon and cheese just before serving.

Serve and enjoy!

Peach Habanero Slaw

I made this yummy slaw to go with/on our fish tacos earlier this week. I had planned to make the slaw using Cilantro Cotija Sauce like I did here for fish tacos. When I went to get the sauce at the store, next to it was this Peach Habanero Splash. How could I not give it a try? The flavor of yummy peaches and spicy habaneros on slaw sounded perfect to go with/on fish tacos! It turned out super yummy!

Both of these sauces are HEB brand dipping sauces that come in little 3 oz containers and sold in their fish market area. I don't know what other stores have that would be comparable or a name brand sauce that would compare to these. They are sooo yummy.

1 3 oz container peach habanero splash
2 cups slaw mix

Comine in medium sized bowl. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Peach-Cilantro Vinaigrette with Spinach Salad

This month's Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, is to make something using peaches and herbs. Almost immediately a recipe for a Peach Vinaigrette Salad Dressing began taking shape in my mind. I made a few notes, but had to do some thinking on what herb I wanted to do. Finally it dawned on me - Cilantro. I use this stuff in everything, so why not in a vinaigrette with peaches? The hubby is not a big fan of vinaigrette dressings in general. He likes a combo of ranch and french dressing. Well, he added this as a third and said it was really good! I think it was super yummy!

For the vinaigrette:
1 large peach
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the peach. Remove pit and chop. Place the chopped peach into blender. Add balsamic vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, red pepper and salt.

Blend until peach is pureed. Add oil and blend until smooth.

Pour into jar, add cilantro, top jar with lid and shake well.

Serve with your favorite salad and enjoy!

For the salad:
mix of spinach and spring greens
red onion strips
grilled peach slices
avocado slices
feta cheese crumbles
dried cranberries

To grill peach: take one large peach. Peel, cut in half and remove pit. Brush the inside of each half with olive oil. Place on grill, flat side down, and grill for about five minutes. Cut into slices.

Place desired amount of greens in bowl. Top with onion, peach slices, avocado slices, feta cheese and cranberries.

Serve with Peach Vinaigrette Dressing and enjoy!

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Thursday Favorite Things

Freedom Fridays

Skillet Tuna Melt

I am not a huge fan of tuna but enjoy it every now and then. If I'm really going to enjoy it, it has to be spicy, imagine that, lol. This skillet version of a tuna melt came about because my oven is still on the fritz (hopefully it will be fixed the end of the month) and I liked it well enough to decide to keep the recipe. Loved the veggies in this! Yummm!

12 oz can white albacore tuna, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt or to taste
1 Tbsp dried chives
1 small avocado, chopped
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup chopped red onion
Butter
3 slices of bread
3 slices of colby jack cheese

In medium bowl mix together tuna, sour cream, jalapeno, cumin, coriander, salt, chives, avocado, tomato and onion.

Set aside. Butter one side of a slice of bread and place butter side down in a small skillet. Top with a slice of cheese and 1/3 of the tuna mixture.

Cook over med-high heat until bread is browned and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining two slices of bread.

Serve and enjoy!

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All My Bloggy Friends

Thursday Favorite Things

Freedom Fridays

Cilantro Lime Slaw

I made half this recipe for Cilantro Lime Slaw from Our Southern Table. I will make half this recipe again in a couple of days with half of her recipe for Fish Tacos. One thing I did not do half of, and am glad I didn't, was the jalapenos. For one the jalapenos I had bought were quite large and I had only bought two of them. If I used two, I wouldn't have enough to make it a second time without going back to the store. Well, one turned out to be plenty! I served this with Beef, Bean and Cheese Taquitos. I used serrano in the taquitos instead of jalapeno. Serrano peppers usually have much more heat to them. Not this time, that was one HOT jalapeno! Wow, I couldn't believe it!

2 cups angel hair slaw mix
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno (1 very large jalapeno)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Combine all ingredients, mixing well.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, two would be better.

Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Coffee Braised Chile Beef

Well I finally went and bought a larger slow cooker.

I have been seeing a lot of recipes I would love to do in the slow cooker for our group but there was no way my little 2 qt slow cooker was going to do the job. HEB had a nice 4 qt slow cooker on sale so I grabbed one up and immediately made this recipe, and I really do mean immediately. I hadn't been home from the store quite an hour and this Chile Beef was already in the cooker. I am so glad I came across this recipe, it was almost accidental that I did. While looking at recipes at Crock Pot King I came across a link to this recipe for Coffee Braised Chile Beef over at Stuff I Make My Husband. It sounded like the perfect recipe for our group here at the park and a great way to try out my new slow cooker! Thanks to Mamie there are actually pics of the final product, she reminded me to take them. I had to make a couple of adjustments but mostly followed the original recipe. I did not have enough garlic cloves so I used a combination of cloves and powder - 1/4 tsp garlic powder = 1 garlic clove. I used red pepper in place of chipotle powder and did not add water to the rub to make it a paste, instead I used it as a dry rub. Here is how it came out with the adjustments:

1 large red onion, sliced thick
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp sea salt
beef roast (I used two bottom round rump roasts at about two pounds each)
1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Place onion slices in bottom of slow cooker. Combine garlic (cloves and powder), cocoa, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and salt.

Rub onto all sides of roast (or roasts). Place roast on top of the onion slices. Combine the coffee and balsamic vinegar.

Pour over roast. Cook on low for six to eight hours.

 Remove from cooker and shred using two forks. Return shredded beef to cooker and cook in sauce for an additional 30 minutes.

Serve on tortillas with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

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Shrimp Pasta Salad

Everything this week is kind of up in the air so I am not posting a menu plan. We might be going out of town Wednesday morning and coming back late Thursday but we might not, won't know until Tuesday night. I do know I am preparing a meal for the group tonight but one of the group members has started a strict diet for the next few weeks. We checked out what was on that diet and I think we are going to cook from those guidelines on group nights. We may all be a little healthier in a few weeks! Last night I cooked dinner for just John and I. Here is what I threw together:

1 7.5 oz box bacon ranch pasta mix
1 4 oz can shrimp, drained
1 zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
cilantro

Remove the pasta from the box and prepare according to instructions on package. Meanwhile, in small skillet heat one Tbsp olive oil. Add zucchini and saute for about two minutes.

Stir in shrimp and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for an additional two to three minutes. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the seasoning from the pasta mix, 1/4 cup of olive oil and two Tbsp of lime juice. Set aside. When pasta is done, drain.

Add the seasoning mix to the pasta and mix well. Stir in the shrimp and zucchini.

Divide onto plates and top with the cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

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Quick and Easy Thai Chicken Salad and The Sunshine Award

This recipe for Quick and Easy Thai Chicken Salad was posted a couple of months ago on a blog I follow - Crumbs and Chaos. This is an amazing blog written by four sisters, you can always find something yummy, quick and easy for dinner!

I made a couple of changes out of necessity - I used orange ginger sauce mixed with peanut butter because our local store did not have Thai peanut sauce; I changed red pepper strips to petite carrots because I do not eat bell pepper of any color. I also added broccoli just because I had some in the fridge, in the future I would not do this, the raw broccoli made this not so great for the hubby. It was soo easy to make and in my opinion super yummy, a definite keeper without the broc!

4 cups packaged coleslaw mix (half of a 16 oz pkg)
1 cup broccoli florets
15-20 petite carrots
1/4 cup Asian sesame dressing
1/4 cup orange ginger sauce
1 1/4 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I used a 7.5 oz pkg carving board rotisserie chicken)
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, quartered

In large bowl combine slaw mix, broccoli, carrots and sesame dressing.

Set aside. In small bowl combine orange ginger sauce and peanut butter till well blended (heat in microwave for 15 to 30 seconds to make this easier).

In medium bowl combine the chicken with the ginger peanut butter sauce. Divide the slaw mix between two plates. Top each with half the chicken, green onion and cilantro.

Serve with lime. Enjoy.



I received this wonderful Sunshine Award from Jamie at Love Bakes Good Cakes. I am so flattered that she picked me as one of her ten to pass this award on to! Thank you Jamie for thinking my blog worthy of this award. Check out her blog, she has some amazing recipes - like this Zuppa Toscana Soup, can't wait for cooler weather to try this!
The Sunshine Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers. The recipients of the Sunshine Award are: "Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere." The way the award works is this: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Answer 10 questions about yourself. Select 10 of your favorite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award! Don't forget to copy and paste the award on your blog!

Ten Questions:

1. Favorite Color: Teal

2. Favorite Animal: Dog

3. Favorite Number: 7

4. Favorite Drink: Half Sweet Tea/Half Lemonade

5. Facebook or Twitter: Facebook - I don't even have a twitter account, one social network is enough to keep up with.

6. Good Book or a Good Movie: As much as I love a good book I'll have to say Good Movie since that is something I can enjoy with my wonderful hubby!

7. My Passion: This is a tough one - I am passionate about my faith, my family and creating. Now the creating part my interest in what I am creating may change - food, jewelry, cross stitch - but the act of creating, whatever it may be, is what I am passionate about.

8. Giving or Getting Presents: Giving! Particularly to children, their excitement is contagious!

9. Favorite Day of the Year: Easter! Celebrating the Resurrection of my Lord and Savior and spending time with the family without all the expectations that tend to be attached to other family holidays.

10. Favorite Flowers: Red Roses! or Pink!

Now for the REALLY hard part, picking just 10 blogs from all the amazing blogs I visit regularly! The 10 blogs I am sending the Sunshine Award to, in no particular order:

Ms. enPlace 

My Turn (for Us)

Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Mom's Crazy Cooking

Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

Kitchen Meets Girl

Chappy Trails

Crumbs and Chaos

Cajun Delights

The Girl Who Ate Everything 

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

First we need to make the shells for the taco salad. I had a couple of hiccups with this but in the end it worked out. Hiccup #1 - for these to fit in my tiny oven I had to move the rack to the lowest level (my oven has two positions for the rack), this put it right above the heating element causing the edges to begin to burn before the rest of the shell was ready to remove. This led to hiccup #2 - I decided to turn the bowls over at this point to stop the edges from burning, this worked fine except that I removed the foil I had used to shape the bowls, it was too soon for that so my bowls came out very oddly shaped. Would I make shells like this again? They came out both edible and usable so YES I would.

Taco Salad Shells
2 10" flour tortillas
nonstick cooking spray
aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wad up aluminum foil to make two cylinders (another idea I saw online was to drape the sheets of aluminum foil over an empty can).

Spray both sides of tortillas and draped one tortilla over each cylinder.

Bake for about ten minutes or until brown and crisp.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
2 taco salad shells
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
2 Tbsp olive oil
chili powder
garlic powder
sea salt
red pepper
1 large chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 cups Spring mix salad greens
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small avocado, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
cilantro leaves for garnish, optional
sour cream
salsa verde

Chop chicken into cubes. Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken, season to taste with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and red pepper. When chicken is done add chipotle and continue cooking for about two minutes. Divide the chicken between the two shells. Heat beans in microwave for about 30 seconds. Layer on top of the chicken.

Top each with salad greens, tomato, avocado, green onion and cilantro.

Serve with sour cream and salsa verde. Enjoy!

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Check out all the great recipes that will be linked up this week!

Chile-Lime Crab Salad

I received this recipe in my daily email from recipe.com. It was immediately pinned and very soon on the menu. You can see the original recipe HERE, although the only changes I made were that I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil and since my avocados were small I used two instead of one and a half. This turned out even better than I had expected it to be. A definite keeper!

5 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp jalapeno, finely chopped
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
8 oz imitation crab meat, chopped
2 small avocados, diced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1 large tomato, cut into four thick slices (about 1/2" each)
cilantro leaves for garnish, optional
tortilla chips

In small bowl combine first seven ingredients, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

In second small bowl combine crab with three Tbsp dressing, season to taste with salt and pepper.

In medium bowl combine avocado, onion and two Tbsp dressing; season to taste with salt and pepper. Place tomato slices on plates, season with salt, if desired (I left the salt out here). Top with avocado mixture, then crab. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

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Spinach Salad

I LOVE spinach salad. This is the first time I have made it with bacon and mushrooms; and without red onion. I had the red onion, I just forgot to add it this time and didn't really miss it. The bacon and mushroom made it super yummy!

fresh spinach
2 slices bacon
2 mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp dried cranberries
2 Tbsp walnuts

Cook bacon till crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Fry mushrooms in bacon grease for one to two minutes. Fill two individual bowls with desired amount of torn spinach leaves.

Top each with one slice of crumbled bacon, half the mushrooms, one Tbsp dried cranberries and one Tbsp walnuts. Serve with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

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Check out all the wonderful recipes linked up this week!