Asian Spinach Salad with a Twist

This recipe belongs to my friend MJ.  She invited me over to her house to prepare this salad for me to enjoy and share with all of you.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  I will be adding this to my list of my all time favorite salads.

Looks Fantastic!

These show all your different players, first - washed baby or regular spinach, second - remaining salad components and third - the dressing ingredients.  

Whisk the salad dressing starting with the first ingredient, Crisco vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, catsup, salt and chopped onion.
(her photo)

 

Start adding the other ingredients on top of spinach - drained water chestnuts and bean sprouts, sliced or chopped hard boiled eggs, crumbled crispy bacon.

Toss salad and serve in individual salad bowls, 

drizzle with a little or a lot of dressing.  

Each bite gets better and better and then, before you know it, it's all gone!

The Recipe:

Asian Spinach Salad with a Twist

Salad:

2 bags baby or regular spinach

2  (8 oz.) cans sliced water chestnuts, drained

1  (15oz.) can bean sprouts, drained

3 hard-boiled eggs (chopped or sliced)

5 strips crispy bacon, crumbled

Wash and dry spinach, remove coarse veins and stems.   Place spinach in a large salad bowl.  Begin adding remaining ingredients - water chestnuts, bean sprouts, eggs and bacon.  Toss well and serve salad in individual salad bowls then drizzle with a little or a lot of dressing just before serving!

  

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup catsup

¼ cup vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Happy Eating!

(Dressing is enough for 2 salads)

See tomorrow’s post for what I did with the left-over dressing!

　

 

 

Chicken Chile Rellenos

Hello, well I did not win in the top 10 recipes on Rotel Across America but I did finish in the top 10 runner up's.  Found out a little while ago and that get's me a $25 cash gift card.  Hey not bad for a simple recipe and a little Rotel!

Check out the recipe on this link.

Mary from TX - RO*TEL Chicken Chile Rellenos - http://www.rotelacrossamerica.com/recipes/rotel-chicken-chile-rellenos/

Thanks for your support!!  I love you all.

Lemonade Pie

It’s been one of those mornings…

I woke up to a critter caught in between the fan blades of the vent-a-hood that hangs over the gas cook top in the kitchen.  After the initial shock of an animal being stuck in this contraption, the awful scratching noise it made, I wondered how the h_ll it wiggled itself two stories down in the first place.  These things are determined.  We had just spent an afternoon filling in all the gaps in the roof to get rid of the pesky squirrel living above the second guest bedroom upstairs.  And now we must have a mouse or a rat, something absolutely disgusting, stuck in my kitchen.  MY KITCHEN!  Luckily my hubby was home and my big sister, the retired cop, is in town – they could help me deal with the situation if worse came to worse and I were to pass out.  I’m not prone to passing out, but you never know. 

 We started to take apart the massive vent-a-hood (see photo below)

 it took all three of us holding it and unscrewing – trying to get to the fan.  Of course, I got to hold the end where the animal would come out.  After much deliberation, I decided maybe we should put this giant paint bucket under the hood for the little thing to fall in.  Maybe that’d be better than it falling into my face or on my body or anywhere near me.  We agreed and we set the trap.  When the final screw came out and he pulled that last part off the fan to reveal the culprit, who by the way was still making that god awful noise, rushing and putting a lid over the top, hubby rushes it out the door.  What was it you ask?

It was one of those awful black grackle birds that we all hate so much. After I finished jumping up and down repeatedly, ew ew ew. Hubby had to untangle the birds foot from the fan blade before the thing went sailing off free as a ….

I’m sure it’s over in the Tom Thumb parking lot waiting to crap on my car, but my hope is it went north for a cool summer because we all know it’s hot as hell down here in Texas. 

... And after all is said and done, we had to put everything back together - minus our third person.  My sister had a plane to catch so we took a quick break to run her down to Love Field and catch the flight home.  Back at it, we managed to balance the weight between the two of us straining with the glass, plugging in cords, screwing it to the top of the ceiling.  But always the klutz, I ended up slicing my hand with the freaking screw driver and ran off to the bathroom bleeding, while hubby held the entire thing up solo and managed to finish the rest of the assemble without me.  He’s my hero!

Thankfully, my darling vent-a-hood is all put back together again, a little wounded, a little scratched but it works!

In honor of such a rotten, sour day I've taken "when life gives you lemons make lemonade," to a whole new level - Lemonade PIE! 

Pie makes everything better!! 

The Players!

Mix partially thawed lemonade with sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl. Fold in the whipped topping and
pour into a graham cracker pie crust.  

Zest 1 lemon and sprinkle zest over the top of the pie.  

Place in freezer until frozen, about 5 hours or over night.

This is a very refreshing desert.  Hurry, this melts fast!

It is very creamy.

Holland thinks it's yummy!

Hey, I got a thumbs upfrom Holland, it must be good!

The Recipe:

Lemonade Pie

1 14oz. can Sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)

1 12oz. container of whipped topping

1 6 oz. can of frozen lemonade

1 graham cracker crust

1 lemon, zested

Partially thaw lemonade, add condensed milk and mix well.

Fold in the whipped topping.  Pour into pie shell, zest the lemon and add the zest over the top of the pie. Put into the freezer and freezer for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Happy Eating!

Pasta Salad

Need a cool dish for tonight?  This fits the bill, cool and refreshing and should be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  The longer in the frig the better!

Steel Head Trout Grilled on Plank

Here, just take a taste.

Your Players!

Soak your plank in water, covering the plank for 2 hours prior to grilling 

(keeps it from burning your plank).

Place fish on plank, season with your rub and drizzle a little olive oil over the fish.

Now your ready to grill.  Heat your grill to 400 degrees, place plank in the center of the grill and cook for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish.

 Isn't this a beautiful piece of fish.  How easy can this be?

Try grilling other fish on a plank, maybe beef or pork.  The plank is any easy way to grill without having to use a smoker to get the smoky wood flavor.

Happy Eating Healthy and Fresh!

The Recipe:

Steel Head Trout Grilled on a Plank

Serves 4

1 lb Steel Head Trout

2 tablespoons Trout and Salmon Rub (Colorado Spice Co.)

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 large plank (Cedar or Alder)(soaked in water 2 hours prior to grilling)

Season trout with rub, sprinkle olive oil over trout and let rest in refrigerator while plank is soaking in water.

Heat grill to 400 degrees.  Place fish on the plank.  Place plank with fish in the center of the grill and cook for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Remove plank from grill and serve ¼ portion to each person.

Happy Eating Healthy and Fresh!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Pull corn husks back and remove silks, wash corn thoroughly.  

Lay each piece of corn on a piece of foil, ¼ teaspoon salt and 
¼ teaspoon pepper on each corn cob.  
Drizzle ¼ tablespoon olive oil on each cob, 

Pull husks back around the corn. 

Seal in the foil.

Place on a pre-heated 400 degree grill.  Turn every 5 minutes 1/3 of a turn.  Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. 

To serve, pull corn husks off and cut the bottom off the stem end.  Butter it up and dig in!

Happy Eating!

The Recipe:

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

4 ear of corn

1 teaspoon salt divided

1 teaspoon pepper divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 10” sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil

Pull corn husks back and remove silks, wash corn thoroughly.  Lay each piece of corn on a piece of foil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper on each corn cob.  Drizzle ¼ tablespoon olive oil on each cob, pull husks back around the corn, seal in the foil.

Place on a pre-heated 400 degree grill.  Turn every 5 minutes 1/3 of a turn.  Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. 

To serve, pull corn husks off and cut the bottom off the stem end.  Butter it up and dig in!

Happy Eating!

Insalata Caprese

Tired of the heat yet?  This is simple and easy summer time salad or light meal by itself.  Of course, it is a little taste of Italy as well.

Just one bite will prove it!  Do you see the creaminess of the buffalo mozzarella and the ripeness of the tomato with a little hint of basil on top.  Man, this is good you can't just have one bite, I'm sorry!

Go for another!  I can just hear the music of Italy (Oh Solo Mio) playing the back ground as I'm savoring this bite.

He's just about to hit the cresendow so this time finish it off, 

you'd better hurry!

The Recipe:

Insalata Caprese

Serving Size: 4

Prep Time:  10 minutes

1 large beefsteak tomato

1 ball of buffalo mozzarella

3 large leaves of basil, chiffonade

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
black olives as a garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Quarter the tomato into eighths, season with kosher salt.  Quarter mozzarella to match tomatoes and insert in between each tomato.  Sprinkle with basil and olive oil.  Add freshly ground pepper.

Note: Add  a little balsamic vinegar is desired.

Happy Eating!