24 Hour Picnic Salad

This was a really tasty salad. Sadly, though, I did not have a clear bowl to show off the layers of this salad before mixing. The picture above is after the salad has been mixed together. I had to sub sharp cheddar cheese for the blue cheese since most in my family do not like blue cheese. I think this salad would have been even better with some blue cheese. This is a great recipe for using up garden produce. If your using Tabasco sauce reduce the amount of hot sauce to one tablespoon so its not too spicy.

24 hour Picnic Salad
from the Cook's Country Cookbook

1 medium iceburg, washed, cored and chopped rough (about six cups)
salt
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (I used fresh)
4 celery ribs, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese

Place half of the lettuce in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Rinse the sliced onion under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Layer the onion, eggs, peas, celery, bell pepper, and cucumber over the lettuce. Add the remaining lettuce to the bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and top with the bacon and cheese.

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and spread the dressing evenly over the top of the salad. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and toss until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing.

BLT Pizza

I got the idea from the Kraft. Needless to say it involved some adjusting to make it work for us. I do not buy frozen pizza. I usually make pizza from scratch however I wanted this to be a quick recipe like the one in the Kraft booklet. So I made it with pita bread. I used my favorite homemade sauce to top the pita bread. I also made ranch dressing instead of bottled since I much prefer homemade dressings to bottled. However if you prefer you can use a frozen pizza and make this very quick and easy meal. I liked the pizza and it was a nice change from the usual pizza we make. Dh thought it was okay but not something he really enjoyed.

BLT Pizza
adapted from Kraft

Make one serving
one pita bread
1/4 cup pizza sauce (more or less depending on how saucy you want it)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (more or less depending on your like of cheese)
Bake in 400 degree oven until pita is crisp and cheese has melted. It took about 12 minutes for mine.

handful of shredded lettuce
1/2 tomato, chopped
3 tablespoons of ranch dressing
2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
Top the pizza with ingredients in order listed and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

These were so good. I am still thinking about these appetizers. Not only were they good but they were simple and easy to make. Another huge bonus only three ingredients needed to make this dish. I used jalapenos from the store but I think this would be really good with some jalapenos from a local farmer's market. As another testimony as to how good these are my father ate several and asked the next day if I had anymore.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

about 10 jalapenos, cut in half with seeds and membranes removed
8oz package of cream cheese
one package of bacon, you won't need it all, with slices cut into thirds

Fill jalapenos with cream cheese then wrap with bacon. Stick a toothpick through on the side to keep the bacon attached. Place on a wire rack under a baking sheet. Cook at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

July 11th Bountiful Baskets Coop

Here is how to order from Bountiful Baskets:
Right now there is nothing offered so the page is blank. However on July 21st there will a place to order for those in Utah. Click here for the page.

Here is what came in today's basket which cost $16.50
2 heads broccoli
1 1/2 pounds rainer cherries
8 bananas
4 white onions
6 nectarines
14 plums
5 pound bag potatoes
1 cantaloupe
1 pound carrots
1 head iceburg lettuce
6 apricots
5 tomatoes

I also bought a 15 pound box of Rainer cherries for $19. These are my favorite type of cherry. They are so sweet and delicious. These sell for $4.99 a pound in the store so its a killer deal. I'll keep some to eat but I think I'll can some for the winter.

Here are a few ways to use the items picked up today:
Broccoli cheese soup
Banana Cream Pie
Hasselback Potatoes
Bacon Cheeseburger Salad

July 10th Borski Csa

Another wonderful pickup from Borski CSA. We even had a little tour of the the smaller of their gardens and the boys got little treats from the farmer. I really like the Borski csa.
Today:
about 4 lbs of carrots
about 2 lbs of sweet cherries
about 2 lbs of green beans
a small box of raspberries
oregano start

Freshly picked locally grown organic produce. It does not get much better than this.

A few recipes to use some of the ingredients:
Hot German Green Bean Salad
Tin Foil Dinner
Best Raspberry Muffins

Quick Corn Chowder with Bacon

This turned out pretty tasty. It's a quick and easy to make chowder that would be perfect on a busy weeknight with some rolls. You can use fresh corn instead of frozen corn but I would not use canned corn. The flavors went together well and I am adding this to our quick weeknight meals file.

Quick Corn Chowder with Bacon
adapted from Cook's Country magazine June/July 2008 issue

8 cups frozen corn kernels. thawed (or one dozen fresh ears)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 shakes of Hot sauce
salt and pepper

Puree 4 cups of corn and 2 cups of broth in blender or food processor until smooth. Cook bacon in large pot over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion and potatoes in bacon fat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in pureed corn mixture, cream, thyme, hot sauce, and remaining broth and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in remaining corn and cook until corn is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with crisp bacon. Serve.

Mexican BLT Wraps

I was flipping through a cooking magazine and stumbled across a recipe called Zippy BLT's. I was interested in the theory but not in the actual recipe. So I played around with the recipe until this came to mind. Its a nice twist on a BLT and was perfect for our picnic at the park. This will be a recipe we make often. The flavors mingled together perfectly and it was another quick and simple dish to make.

For one wrap:
Warm one flour tortilla. Mix together 1 tablespoon mayo with 1 tablespoon taco sauce and spread on tortilla. Next add about 1/2 cup shredded lettuce, some chopped tomato, thin slices of red onion, and three slices of cooked bacon broken into smaller pieces (do not crumble the bacon). Chop 1/2 of an avocado and add to the wrap. Add about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and add some salsa or taco sauce if desired. Roll up and tuck in the ends of the tortilla. Wrap in foil and cut in half.

Blast Off Burritos

Out of the blue one day I decided to buy the Disney Kids Cookbook just for fun. The kids have loved looking through the cookbook selecting foods that they normally would not eat but wanted to try them cause their favorite characters told them this dish was good. Well this one comes from Buzz Lightyear and for those who know my kids know that Buzz is their hero. Don and I really enjoyed this dish too. Fun idea for a really quick lunch and overall it was pretty simple to make. Nathan ate one half of the burrito, which for those who know him is a big deal. The twins just sampled it and then tore it apart to eat only the pieces they like.

Blast Off Burritos
adapted from The Disney Kids Cookbook

6 8 inch flour tortillas
6 breaded chicken tenders, cooked and still warm
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 1/2 cups torn salad greens
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
about 1/4 cup mild taco sauce (salsa would work too)

Heat tortillas in 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Cut chicken into thin slices. Place chicken, corn, cheese, and taco sauce in bowl. Mix. Place a tortilla on a piece of foil place the chicken mixture on one side and top with some of the salad greens. Roll the tortilla up. Wrap the foil around the tortilla and cut in half. The foil helps to keep the burrito together so it does not fall apart while eating. I had to help the kids unwrapped the foil as needed.

July 3rd Borski CSA pickup and An Award

First off the award. Many thanks to Heidi at Tried and True Cooking with Heidi for giving me this award. If you have not been to her blog you really should check it out. Its full of simple and delicious meals.

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

7 things you might find interesting
1. I have a 6 year old boy and 4 year old twin boys. We are constantly asked if they are triplets.
2. I've made several cross country trips across America and yet have never spent more than a few hours in every state we traveled through. My father was a person who tried to bet his travel record each and every time we went on vacation.
3. I love to read. Our home could seriously be made into a library.
4. I love to grow a vegetable garden more than I like to have a flower garden.
5. I hate to drive. It's just not a thing I desire to do.
6. We have two dogs and three cats. We love animals in our house. I also love attracting backyard birds to our yard and love learning about the birds we bring in.
7. I homeschooled my oldest last year. Plans are to do it again this year but as always plans are subject to change.

I nominate:
1. Gianina at In Restaurante Gianinei- I love her blog. Yummy food is always pictured.
2. Glenda at The Little Red Hen Food Site- I love that she posts healthy meals and ways to make healthy meals with food storage.
3. Lynette at Netts Nook- I love her little themes. Great food is posted there.
4. Nan at Hobble Creek Kitchen- Cute blog and love the food.
5. Charlotte at Canning Jars Etc- I love canning and she posts great tips and advice to help with canning. Along with some great recipes.
6. Staci at Designing and Motherhood- Not really a food blog but she has loads of great ideas posted over there. You really need to check out her blog.
7. Becki at My Four Crazy Kids- Not a food blog but I really enjoy reading her blog. I love her outlook on life and reading her blog always brings a smile to my face.

Now for my CSA pickup. If you don't know what a CSA is it stand for community supported agriculture. You pay a farmer in late winter or early spring a dollar amount, for Borski it was $199, and then you get anywhere from 15 to 20 weeks of produce straight from the farm in summer and fall. Borski grows organically which I find to be important and he's local which is another huge factor for me.
We picked up:
about 1lb of assorted salad greens
about 2lbs of peas
about 3lbs of bing cherries
one huge head of garlic
one nice sized thyme starter for the garden

Tomato Caprese Salad

This turned out really good. However the kids picked out the olives and cheese and ate only those items. The flavors were good and overall it was just really tasty. I combined two different recipes into one to make this salad. It's simple and very easy to make.

Tomato Caprese Salad
adapted from Cook's Country Aug/Sept 2009 and Kalyn's Kitchen

3 cups tomatoes (cherry works best but I used regular tomato's and chopped them)
1 cup mozzarella pearls or fresh mozzarella
1 can black olives, drained (you could cut them in half or leave them whole like I did)
1 cup chopped basil
Combine the above into a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
Mix together until combined. Toss the dressing on the salad and serve.