Kansas Cucumber Salad

I'm feeling nostalgic for some good old-fashioned Kansas side dishes and luckily I get Taste of Home's emails periodically. I've made a couple of really good ones in the past week, so I thought I'd share.

We had some extra English Cucumbers and fresh dill from the garden. The apple cider vinegar made this a scrumptious dish. Can't wait to make it again when our garden cucumbers are ready!

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/kansas-cucumber-salad/?_cmp=holiday&_ebid=holiday5162020&_mid=345977&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b&os_ehash=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Broccoli Cualiflower Salad

I'm feeling nostalgic for some good old-fashioned Kansas side dishes and luckily I get Taste of Home's emails periodically. I've made a couple of really good ones in the past week, so I thought I'd share.

Brocolli and Cauliflower always seem to need some help and, well, bacon makes everything better!

I made a couple of changes: I added pepper, omitted the grapes and substitued green onion for red. [The original recipe from the 50's would have had raisins.]

The hubby said it's one of the best broccoli dishes he's ever had. :)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cauliflower-broccoli-salad/?_cmp=holiday&_ebid=holiday5212020&_mid=347010&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b&os_ehash=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Carrot Salad

A couple of weeks ago, the hubby harvested carrots from our garden--a big basket full! I decided to explore the world of recipes that contain carrots. This is the first of many that I tried; very pleased with all of them. It didn't really feel like we had a daily ration of carrots because of the multiple ways they can be served and prepared.


This one was easy because I used the shredder attachment on my Kitchenaid, just added a few ingredients and boom! Instant salad. I love honey and apple cider vinegar as a healthy option. The great thing is that this particular salad will keep in the fridge for several days. If I took this to a potluck, it would feel like cheating because it was so effortless.

https://www.deliciousmeetshealthy.com/carrot-salad/

Apple and Kohlrabi Salad

We love, love, love gardening, but the second best thing is the farmer's market. Last week we visited a stand in Elizabeth who's produce comes from the Western slope. There were many varieties of vegetables that we've yet to try-one of those being Kohlrabi (aka "German Cabbage"). I read through a plethora of recipes that include Kohlrabi, but this one was perfect for summer. It's got a great asian vinegar flavor; a great complement to the grilled salmon we're pairing it with. [Also serving with broccoli and fried combo of potatoes, tomatoes, onions and fresh dill.] Definitely have to add this to our garden next year. It cuts like a potato or jicama, but has a cabbage flavor. Next time I think I'll try a roasted version. [Also added carrots.]

https://cookieandkate.com/crispy-apple-kohlrabi-salad-recipe/

Southwest Chicken Salad

The night before I made this dish, we had chicken fajitas. I had quite a bit of shredded chicken left over and was craving chicken salad. This was the perfect daytime snack plain or as a wrap. I ended up doubling the recipe and used a 1/2 yogurt to mayo ratio. I also added extra garlic powder; added the cooked fajita veggies (onion/mushroom/red pepper) instead of green pepper; omitted the tomatoes (for the hubby) and served with fresh avocado. This would have been really yummy with black beans as well but our home is bean-free. :)

https://www.plainchicken.com/2013/09/southwestern-chicken-salad-football.html

Crunchy Thai Cucumber Salad

Another fun Asian cucumber salad. I had some leftover sweet thai chili which was perfect for this salad. Now the hubby is not a fan of peanuts in salads/entrees so I left them out. I think next time I will try macadamia or cashew nuts. Super easy to make though and a great little salad to have in the fridge.

https://iwashyoudry.com/crunchy-thai-cucumber-salad/

Pineapple Cucumber Salad

So I've been thinking WAY outside of the box with our cucumber harvest. Last week, pineapples were $0.98 again. I was so excited to find this recipe. I don't think this one needed salt. Next time, I might change it up and add mint instead. The hubby wasn't really a fan, but then again, he's never really liked fruit in his veggie salads. Yay, more for me. lol

https://www.momontimeout.com/pineapple-cucumber-salad/

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

With cucumbers and tomatoes pouring out of the garden, I am really having fun creating a new cucumber-based salad every other day. I enjoyed this one probably more than the hubby because I would rather have a sweet than savory sauce. It was refreshing and a great salad for summer.

https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2016/07/cucumber-tomato-salad-recipe.html

Asian Cucumber Salad

I'm averaging 1 cucumber salad every other day. This one was intriguing so I thought I'd give it a go. It is now my favorite salad of the year! The hubby agrees. I think it would be a big hit if you're invited to bring a salad to a dinner. It's very healthy and the sesame seeds and sesame oil make it so delicious. It would be best to give it a few hours for the vegetables to marinate.

https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/asian-cucumber-salad/

Corn, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This month is all about what to do with our garden harvest of Cucumber, Zucchini and Tomatoes. The hubby doesn't eat beans, so I was delighted to find this salad recipe. It was perfect with fresh avocado chunks to be added when served. The fresh lime is the key. You could easily add black beans and serve with chips as a pico.

https://theblondcook.com/corn-tomato-cucumber-salad/

Lemony Cucumber Couscous Salad

So the hubby is wanting to eat healthier (aka, Gallbladder cleanse diet) and we have an abundance of Armenian cucumbers in our garden. I knew he loved lemon and couscous so I found this recipe. What I loved about it is that couscous takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. I let it cool down before adding the mixture of cucumber, garlic powder, parsley (dried), lemon juice (doubled) and, since I didn't have feta, I added some goat cheese and yogurt for a super amazingly delicious salad. It was good both warm and cold and was the perfect complimentary for the scallops. Kudos to this author for sharing this recipe. I will likely be making this over and over!

https://www.budgetbytes.com/lemony-cucumber-couscous-salad/

Red Quinoa Salad

My aunt gave me the gift of red quinoa for Christmas with this recipe. It was yummy, like a Mediterranean salad. It was perfect timing on the ingredients too since the hubby has been buying too many cucumbers and tomatoes lately. He doesn't like mint, so I would opt for parsley instead. I also added red onion instead of shallots (since it's what I had on hand). I didn't think the red wine vinegar amount was enough, so I ended up adding fresh squeezed lemon juice--perfect! One trick I read after the fact suggested using chicken broth instead of water for the quinoa soak. Overall, a very healthy and delicious dish!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/red-quinoa-salad

Beet and Russian Kale with Goat cheese

Let the games begin. Daily, we've been harvesting lettuce for awesome salads. However, today was Russian Kale day. We've had too much, I had to use Pinterest to decide what to do. I actually used 2 different recipes (see previous post). I had beets to use up, so I just chopped and boiled, but kept the skins on. My goat cheese had gotten too soft, so I froze it before crumbling. I absolutely love goat cheese! This is one dish you should not skip/skimp on goat cheese. The russian kale is light and goes well with beets. I recommend preparing this a couple of hours in advance and chilling, however, room temperature was delicious as well. I think if we end up with more russian kale, I will be making this one again. Very easy to prepare. :)

http://www.marthastewart.com/904221/beet-and-kale-salad-goat-cheese

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad

I never know what to do with rainbow rotini, but I think a found a winner on Pinterest. I omitted the olives and added bacon. It passed the hubby's inspection--thumb's up. :)

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/05/feta-and-vegetable-rotini-salad.html

The Best Macaroni Salad Ever (Sweet) (Pioneer Woman)

I was looking for a macaroni salad that was sweet. Usually the hubby wants a vinegar, mustard macaroni salad, but this time, I wanted "my" version. The Pioneer Woman wins again! I did end up adding bacon and mustard for extra tang, but the bread & butter pickles (and a few leftover gerkins chopped) hit the spot. :)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the-best-macaroni-salad-ever/

7-Up Salad

I've been playing the Monopoly game at our local grocery store and one of my game pieces won me a bottle of 7-Up. We hardly ever buy 2 liter bottles of soda, but I decided it would be fun to go down memory lane and make a version of mom's 7-up salad. The recipe I found was very traditional. My mom always put walnuts in hers, but both of us omit the cottage cheese. We also us lemon jello. It's a very refreshing dessert and seemed a good pairing for our Easter weekend traditional steak, baked potato and green beans (with bacon and apple cider vinegar). It's the first time trying this for the hubby.

http://www.food.com/recipe/7-up-salad-31680

Bacon Macaroni Salad

Tonight is BBQ night (see post for Country Style Ribs and French Style Salad Dressing). What could go better with ribs and mashed potatoes? Ok, potato salad and coleslaw join in the rankings, but tonight macaroni salad is the winner. I like this recipe because it's more on the tart side. I love how cute the salad macaroni shape! I took the advice of the reviewers and added an extra tomato. I was also happy with the size of the salad for a smaller family; normally they are potluck portions.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/bacon-macaroni-salad?pmcode=IPIDC01T&_cmp=Top1010AM&_ebid=Top1010AM8/14/2016&_mid=108978&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

MEXICAN STREET CORN PASTA SALAD

The hubby's request yesterday was Chicken Enchiladas with green chili (previously posted when he bought Hatch chilis). It was almost as good with roasted Anaheim peppers, but I'm definitely looking forward to Hatch season again.

While I was researching what kind of pepper to substitute for Hatch, I came across this recipe and HAD to try it. I'm not usually a fan of pasta recipes (which can often taste bland if you don't double check the flavor), but this one was a winner. I had to double most of the ingredients and I would probably add sour cream to give it more tang.

http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/mexican-street-corn-pasta-salad-2/

Watermelon Feta Salad

What a busy week. Finally have time to post all the fun recipes I tried since my last post.

Starting with Watermelon Feta Salad. I'm not afraid to try new recipes and think this one would have been really good if the watermelon had been ripe enough. I was so disappointed when I brought it home and found it to be pink rather than red and not very sweet. This recipe relies on the sweetness of the watermelon to compliment the rest of the ingredients. Also, when it says serve immediately, use that as gospel, otherwise it will turn into a watery (unattractive) mess even a few hours later.
Even with the watermelon not being perfectly ripe and being served 4 hours later, I don't think my boys will get used to the idea of mint and feta with watermelon. In any case, it was a fun one to try.

http://www.runninginaskirt.com/watermelon-feta-blueberry-salad-recipe/

Memorial Day Menu

We have been so busy with moving to our beautiful 60 acre property and me with my new career (and endless amounts of studying) that I haven't been able to dedicate the time to give credit where credit is due in my day-to-day cooking. I will say, however, that I have been doing a lot of sheet-pan cooking during the move--it's so easy and minimal clean-up. Just stick it in the oven and come back an hour later.

Now that I am getting back in my groove, I was able to browse a few new recipes for this memorial day weekend which is being spent with our wonderful new neighbors.

The hubby smoked a brisket, ribs and brats with his own favorite seasonings--dee-licious!! We don't call him the "Grill King" for nothing. :)

I made fresh guacamole and salsa and then used google for Baked Beans, Potato Salad and Strawberry Pretzel dessert. [There are so many different varieties of baked beans and potato salad, it's fun to google a new one every time it's called for.]

First we start with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond--Baked Beans:

I used canellini, navy and pinto beans for mine (rather than pork and beans). I also added garlic and black pepper, omitting the green pepper since the hubby can't eat it. Probably some of the best baked beans I've ever had. I cooked it on the stove for about an hour to thicken up and then used my rice cooker as a warmer since I didn't have a crockpot the right size.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the-best-baked-beans-ever/

Next up from Food.com Dill Pickle and Mustard Potato Salad. 

I did half red potatoes and half russet (because that's what I had). I also used my french fry cutter to get quick cuts length ways then hand cut across the width. Cuts my time in half and makes nice (mostly) perfect cubes. I didn't add the cream and added black pepper and celery seed as well as at least a half cup of mustard. The hubby likes very mustardy potato salad so I'm always generous with the pickle juice and mustard. When I want to be extra healthy I use yogurt instead of mayo.

http://www.food.com/recipe/nans-classic-mustard-potato-salad-63017

Finally for dessert I can always count on Taste of Home to suggest delicious old fashioned recipes. I had tasted Strawberry Pretzel dessert when I was a kid, and after making it, realized it is still just as tasty. It's a great recipe particularly for a gathering with children and the elderly--ok, it's great for everyone. :)

I used Dream Whip, mostly because it stores on the shelf for a long time, saves space in my freezer and you don't have to wait for it to thaw. I didn't have six hours to let it set up, but it worked out well to keep in the freezer and turned out perfect. 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-pretzel-dessert