Cilantro Corn Feta . . .and Tomato Salad

Freezer corn thawed
Lots of Cilantro (did you know you can use the whole thing not just leaves? Thanks to you ladies for teaching me that) Could also use basil, instead.
Tomato diced
Onion (unless they are banned in your house like mine)
Black pepper, Sea salt, a little olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar
FETA CHEESE!

I add all ingredients together and just top each serving with feta so it doesn't get all soggy in the fridge. Also, FYI - I added a little pasta to mine because I thought it would be better and more like a salad. It was good, but I decided next time I will leave the pasta out.

Green Bean Casserole by Paula Deen

Let's start by saying this: I am not a casserole fan.
Unless all casserole = this recipe. Then, I guess I am casserole's biggest fan.
This is amazing! Not mushy. Not scary. Not crazy-salty!
I think maybe the secret is using FRESH beans. So here you go. Give this a try. It's slightly changed from paula deen's recipe found here. Thank you, Paula, you made our Christmas Dinner complete! I might have to make this again today... because there were no leftovers!

Ingredients

• 1/3 stick butter
• dried onions (you could use fresh, of course)
  
• rinsed fresh green beans (about 2 Cups.... I used 1 bag from sams club)
  
• 3 C. chicken broth
• 1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of mushroom soup (you could even use less)
• French-fried onions (a bunch! I use the huge bag from Sams & just throw some in)
  
• salt & pepper to taste
• shredded mexican cheese (the prepackaged shredded blend)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onions in the butter. Meanwhile, boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, to the onion mixture. Stir well. Add s&p to taste.

Pour into a baking dish (8x8") & bake for 20 minutes, then top with the cheese & add some additional fried onions and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until hot and cheese is melty-delicious.

Serves 4-6

Carrot Salad

Recipe For ~ Carrot Salad that was served at Rachel & Tyler's Hot Dog Roast
From the Kitchen of Grandma Omphalius

Salad

1 bag Grated Carrots (peeled)
1 cup Raisins
1 cup Crushed Pineapple (I like to put a lot in)
¼ tsp. Salt

Dressing

¾ cup Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
½ cup Vinegar
½ cup Sugar

Mix together and cool in the refrigerator.

Please note these measurements may vary you may want to add more or take out according to taste.

Grandma said you could add nuts if you desire I am not really a nut fan so I left them out.

Cranberry Couscous

last night for dinner we had a new and super yummy couscous with our easy (wegman's) honey-brined turkey. this was soo tasty, but if your palate tends to desire mild flavored foods, this however is not the couscous recipe for you. my alterations:

*used frozen not fresh oj
*did not soak the cranberries (not enough time)
*minced the garlic
*used orange bell pepper
*add a full tablespoon of curry powder
*omit water (not needed!)
*omit basil (out of it)
*double cilantro
*rind of 2 lemons
*chopped up 1 whole lemon

very good as a side dish. and for a vegeterian main dish, or to spice it up as a leftover toss in a can of rinsed and drained, garbanzo beans. DELICIOUS! by the way, i think this turkey recipe that it goes with seems also quite tasty!

Birthday Dinner

on sunday, we celebrated haven's birthday with some of her favorite foods. haven (and most of our family) love this butternut squash risotto. it's from cooking light, but i have altered it a bit. go from the recipe, and then follow these instructions:

*increase onion to a full 1 cup
*do not salt the squash, use plenty of pepper.
*after mixing in the squash and water, cover pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, until squash is very tender.
*omit the butter and the parsley.

this is sooo good, we eat it all the time during the chilly season. and it's pretty easy to prepare. risotto's are to be stirred constantly once adding the broth mixture, but i have periodically had to stop for moments to aid a small child or halt a disaster, and it is still delicious!


haven LOVES oranges! wegman's sells more than just your garden variety kind, and they are more spendy, but perfect for a dinnertime treat. the orange closest to the bottom is the cara cara. very sweet with hints of raspberry and a very pretty salmon color. the other orange, was nicknamed "sunset" by my ciela last year when we first tried them, but they are a type of italian orange, and the name has been different nearly each time i purchase them. currently at wegman's i believe the sticker says "italia vitta", but the sign said something to the effect of: italian orange. these are more tart, but incredibly striking served up.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Recipe

This recipe is SUPER yummy! I made it instead of the usual marshmallow sweet potato standby that we always have every single year, for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

14 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 5 pounds)

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.Place potato in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil.Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Combine the half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.
Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Yield18 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information CALORIES 250(23% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.5g,poly 1g);PROTEIN 3.3g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 49mg; SODIUM 149mg; FIBER2.7g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.1g

Mushroom Risotto

for sunday dinner we had sarah, erica/ella & stephanie/crew over.
we had pork tenderloin, mushroom risotto, fruit salad with honey-yogurt sauce, rolls, broccoli (sarah), cucumber/tomato salad (steph), peach kuchen (sarah) & cookies (erica). thanks for the company & the great food, girls (though I think aaron missed the guys)! why does the food always taste better when there are more people to enjoy it?

MUSHROOM RISOTTO (from this website...) ...this is how I made it tonight:
4 Tbsp smart balance butter
1 8oz package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/3 cup cooking sherry
3/4 cup heavy cream
7 cups chicken broth (I cheat & use bullion)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, peeled and finely minced
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

*Note on the cleaning of mushrooms. If you are using any type of choice mushroom, try not to rinse them if you can avoid it. Brush off any remaining dirt lightly. Many mushrooms (including chanterelles) absorb water like sponges and washing them will make it much more difficult to cook properly.

1 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes. Add sherry, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2 Bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan.

3 In a a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan (I used my "pasta pot"), heat oil and remaining butter. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with butter and oil. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20+ minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

4 Stir in the mushroom mixture, parsley & Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4-6.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

I took this salad to Crystal beach the other day. I got it from Cooking light, a nice fun summer salad to take on the go!
1/2 pound uncooked penne rigate
2 cups shredded Chicken(seasoned with parsley,lemon,garlic,thyme)
1 cup fresh corn kernels
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato (2 tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add Chicken and next 5 ingredients (through tomato); toss well to combine. Combine orange juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Sweet Potato’s

5 Actual Yams
1 Stick of Butter
Mini Marshmallows
Brown Sugar
Whipping Cream
9x13 Pan
Foil

Peel Yams & Slice or make into chunks ¼ inch big
Boil Yams in water for 10-12 minutes or until they just start to get soft
Drain the Water off of Yams

Preheat oven to 350°

In 9x13 pan Layer the following:

1. Yams
2. Butter cut into cubes
3. Sprinkle on a few mini marshmallows
4. ½ Cup of Brown Sugar

Start the Layering process over again and complete up to 3 layers total

When you are finished with the layers Pour the Whipping Cream on top and cover with Foil

Bake @ 350° for 1 ½ hours