Waldorf Salad

This recipe for Waldorf Salad is my last unposted recipe from my Winter Crop. I remember eating this as a kid, and I've loved it ever since. I love crunchy salads, and if they have nuts in them, even better. I'm so glad I don't have any nut allergies. I'd have to keep an Epi Pen in my back pocket.

Oh, and if you're on Weight Watcher's you might not want to know the points value for this. This is one case where ignorance is bliss. I'm just sayin' . . . Not that I would know.

Enjoy!

Winter Spinach Salad

I have a new salad for you. A salad to cheer you during these long winter months. It's super yummy too. And pretty, which is always a requirement for me. If I'm going to eat rabbit food, then it better be pretty.

When I make this salad for my family, I prep all the ingredients and store them in separate containers, because if I toss everything together and add the dressing, it won't keep. This way, if I keep it all separate, we can eat this over the course of three meals.

There I go with that cheating again. I'm so bad.

Cheese Enchilada Chowder

Today I have a yummy Crock Pot recipe for you that is certain to clear your sinuses. Better still, it's super easy to make. You just dump everything into the Crock Pot, put the lid on, turn it on, and walk away. It doesn't get any better than that. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Pasta Soup

Lucky you, do I have a recipe for you!

This is my all time favorite soup recipe, Tomato Basil Pasta Soup.

I've been making this soup for years and I promise you, it will clear your sinuses on a cold winter's day and warm you up. It's just a tad spicy--not too much for the little ones. My kids love it.

The pasta, I think, is what makes it palatable for the kids. Seriously, what kid doesn't love pasta?

Have you ever wondered how to peel a tomato? Here's how you do it.



Cut a cross in the top of the tomato, submerge it in boiling water for about 2 minutes, and it will slide right off. It's the neatest thing.

I made lots of this soup to freeze when had to get our tomatoes off the vines before the frost hit. I kept some for myself and shared some with my friends and neighbors.

Now that you have a great recipe for tomato soup, go make oodles of it and freeze some for another meal or two. Just don't include the pasta in the portion you're going to freeze. You can add it once you reheat the soup.

Enjoy!

Autumn Salad

I just realized that I didn't post a recipe on Sunday, and it has been my goal to post a recipe each Sunday. So, better late than never, right?

This recipe for Autumn Salad is one I made up from salads I've had in restaurants. Salads I covet. I have salad envy.

You should know that I very much dislike making salads. Because I'm lazy and there's so much washing and tearing and, oh, nevermind.

First off, I LOVE carmelized nuts in any salad, so those had to go in this recipe. I also lifted the dried cranberries idea. Then I topped it off with the yellow bell peppers, because they're pretty, and finally a salad dressing I got from my Mother-in-Law, the Barefoot Contessa.

Well, she's not really the Barefoot Contessa, but she's a dang good cook and she's taught me a few things over the years.

Like how to carmelize nuts. I hadn't a clue and she took me under her wing and gave me a lesson or two.

Then she bought me my first cast iron pan.

And my first set of really good pans.

And some awesome kitchen knives.

And my first micro plane when I didn't even know what a micro plane was.

The bottom line, she is responsible for my ever expanding butt.

Maybe I should rename this salad.

Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden

One of my favorite soups to order when I go to Olive Garden is Zuppa Toscana. This version is a bit different than their current soup, but it is still based on the same recipe. For example, I believe they use ground sausage in their recipe now instead of the sliced link sausage. Either way, it's just a dang good soup, and I'm thinking I might serve it at my Croptoberfest next month. It ought to be good and chilly then, and that's when this soup is best.

Enjoy!

Dash of Mandarin Salad

I got this recipe from my Mother-in-Law, Liane. Liane has lots of good recipes, and I'm sure many of them will be finding their way to my blog at some point. It's a nice light salad, good for any time of the year, but especially now, when it's hot and none of us wants to cook.

Roasted Tomato & Feta Pasta Salad

This is one of my favorite recipes to make when I'm short on time. I make it year round and it's great as a leftover. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

This coming Saturday I am hosting one of my all-day crops where my cropping buddies and customers come all day, from 10:00 a.m. to Midnight to work on their albums. I always make lunch and dinner for these crops and the menu is always a hurdle that once I figure it out, everything else seems to fall into place. So in my ongoing quest for good recipes, my next crop menu is always on my mind. The food is always enjoyed, but I need some work in not only planning a good menu, but making sure I stay on budget.

This recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad will help me stay on budget, and I'm going to need it to offset the Pizza on the Grill and the Barefoot Contessa's Fourth of July Cake (watch for those posts soon).

By the way, if you want to get these recipe cards developed for your own use, you should be able to drag the jpg from my webpage to your desktop, upload it to a photo center that you use, and order it as a 5x7 print. I don't recommend getting it as a 4x6, because I don't think the ratio would transfer right and you would end up with parts cut off.

Back to the recipe, this one is pretty simple and it keeps for DAYS. It makes enough for an army, so I end up eating it for DAYS because my husband won't touch it with a ten foot pole. It's a salad and it's girlie, I guess.

THE Best Salad for Summertime!

I got this recipe at an end of the school year potluck party. My friend and fellow teacher, Charlotte, brought this salad and shared the recipe with us. You won't believe how easy it is, and more than that, how delicious it is. The combination of strawberries and avocado in a salad is unexpected and really very good.

Something else I'd like to do on this blog is share some of my favorite recipes. I love to cook and I'm always looking for new recipes. I have hundreds of recipes, in some semblance of organization, that I have yet to try. If I find a recipe that's a keeper, I make a recipe card like the one I have posted above. I do this digitally in my Creative Memories StoryBook Creator Plus program. It is a very user friendly digital scrapbooking program that seems to be very similar to PhotoShop with its use of layers, but is actually quite intuitive to use. If you've ever tried to teach yourself how to use PhotoShop, you probably know what I'm talking about. Anyway, as I was saying, I create a 5x7 recipe card in my program, save it as a jpg file, upload it to my photo center of choice, and have it processed as a 5x7 print. Then when I get it back, I adhere it to a 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inch piece of cardstock (half of a full sheet), slide it into a sheet protector of the same size (which you can find here) and then I put it into my recipe card box.

If you would like to print these recipe cards for yourself, I suggest that you use the following procedure:

1) First click on the recipe card so that you get the best resolution possible, then drag it onto your desktop or right click and save it to your desktop.

2) Upload the jpg recipe card to your photo center of choice (or print it yourself at home).

3) Order the recipe cards as a 5x7 print. They were not created in a 4x6 size. If you try to print them at that reduced size, you will lose part of the recipe card.

SOUPS & SALADS

Autumn Salad

Cheese Enchilada Chowder

Chinese Chicken Salad


Dash of Mandarin Salad


Roasted Tomato & Feta Pasta Salad


Summer Surprise Salad


Tomato Basil Pasta Soup


Waldorf Salad


Winter Spinach Salad


Zuppa Toscana