Texas Cowboy Salsa (aka Cowboy Caviar)

My mom shared this yummy recipe with me at a family reunion. It is another great summer recipe, although I also served it at a New Year's Eve party and it was a  total hit. It kind of reminds me of a bean salad with the marinade, but way better! My kids often ask me to make this because they like it so much. Be aware that this makes a large batch which is perfect for a group, it's delicious! 

Texas Cowboy Salsa

1 can each-drain and rinse

  Pinto beans

  Northern beans

  Black beans

  Black eyed peas

  Kidney beans

  White kidney beans

  Corn

Chop fine-

   1 c green pepper

   1 c celery

   1 onion

2 cans diced green chilies

Mix all together in a container with a tight lid.

I use a large flat one so it covers better to marinate.

Depending on the amount of beans used, you will need to make

½ more or double the marinate.

In a saucepan bring to a boil:

   1 cup oil

   1 cup sugar

   1 tsp water

    ¾ c white vinegar

    1 tsp salt

     ½ tsp pepper

Let marinade cool, and  then stir in with bean mixture. 

Let marinate for 24 hours before serving for best flavor. 

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Tabbouleh

Well, I've been "missing" for a while. We decided to sell our home and move to a new home. It all went very well and I'm finally back to sharing recipes again!

Here is an amazing recipe that I am excited to share with you. I got from my sweet friend Holly after she brought it to a summer picnic. It is refreshing and full of flavor. I am not normally a big fan of Tabbouleh that you get from a deli because I really don't care for parsley. But, this recipe uses flat leaf Italian parsley and not nearly as much as you see in those deli recipes. I think this is divine. My family can just sit and eat this for a meal and be happy. I hope you enjoy this too. It's a great refreshing summer salad. 

Tabbouleh

1 1/2 cup bulgar wheat
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 bunch green onions, diced (both green and white parts)
1 1/2 cup Italian/flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 2-oz package pine nuts
1/2 cup feta cheese
 2+ tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. put bulgar wheat in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 1 hour
2. Drain bulgar, if necessary you can use cheesecloth to squeeze out excess liquid 
3. Add all non-liquid ingredients to a big bowl and toss together 
4. Add liquid; adjust amounts to achieve correct moistness. (It should be a little juicy, but not soupy)
5. Serve with cut pita bread

Fresh Summer Corn Salad

I made this for a church picnic today and had a lot of compliments. This was a yummy refreshing salad! Thanks to Jen from Tatertos and Jello for sharing this great recipe on her blog!

Fresh Summer Corn Salad ( from Tatertots and Jello)

8 ears sweet corn OR 4 cups of frozen corn.
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, minced
3 large tomatoes, chopped, or 25 mini tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the fresh corn off the cob or add the frozen corn to the pot and steam for 3 to 5 minutes in 1/4 cup water.
2. Remove lid and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more or until water evaporates.
3. Toss the corn with all other ingredients and chill.

**Be sure not to overcook the corn.

Makes about 6 cups.

BBQ pork sandwiches, Grilled Corn, & Creamy Dilled Potato Salad

This is a yummy meal but each item is delicious on it's own! I'll start with the BBQ, move on to the corn, and finish with this yummy dill potato salad!



BBQ Pork Sandwiches

This is easiest of all, no recipe really. Just add your favorite BBQ sauce ( we like Sweet Baby Rays) to roasted pork ( I used left over roast) and serve with cole slaw on a bun. Seriously, the kids were hesitant but it was very good! I just bought some cole slaw mix and mixed in slaw dressing from a jar, No recipe here but a great combination. We had never tried it this way before but will definitely do it again!




Grilled Corn
Ok, this is another easy peasy recipe that I got from my friend Sue. ( I love her recipes) Anyhow, you have to use canned corn! Yes, canned. Frozen and fresh corn won't work.

Drain your canned corn and dump it in a non stick skillet. Cook it on medium high heat until any water evaporates and the corn starts to brown and get a little carmelized. Season with salt and pepper. That's it! So easy and so yummy!!

Creamy Dilled Potato Salad from Family Circle Magazine
Ingredients
2-1/2 pounds small red- and white- skinned potatoes (about 1-inch diameter), unpeeled
1 medium-size onion, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped dill pickles
1 cup light mayonnaise
3 tablespoons brine from pickles
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
2. Cut the potatoes in half (cut larger potatoes in quarters so all pieces are about the same size). Place the potatoes, onion, eggs and pickles in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, brine, garlic salt, pepper and dill. Spoon mayo mixture into potato mixture and stir gently.
4. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Mandarin Orange Salad

This is one of my favorite summer jello salads. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Susan years ago and am excited to share it with you. I made this for the same get together that I had made the Chinese Chicken Salad for and it was gobbled up in a flash! I hope you enjoy it's sweetness. :)

Mandarin Orange Salad

Dissolve together:

1 large package (or two small) orange Jello

2 cups boiling water

Add:

1 small 6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate.

Dissolve in jello mixture

Add:

1/2 cup water

Approx. 3/4 of a 20oz can crushed pineapple with juice

1 can mandarin oranges, drained and cut

Miniature marshmallows.

Chill and let set up in fridge.

Mix 1 small package instant lemon pudding and spread on top of set jello. Then top with whipped cream or cool whip. Keep cold until ready to serve.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite salad recipes that I got from my dear friend Sue! I doubled it for a get together and it was gone in a flash! It takes a little effort but it well worth it! It doesn't look like much but it is so incredibly yummy!

Chinese Chicken Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, torn, washed & dried
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (found in the Asian section at the grocery store)
3 cooked chicken breasts, diced
*1/4 pkg won tons, fried
* Fried rice sticks

Dressing

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbs sesame oil

6 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Put dressing ingredients in a jar and shake/mix until the sugar dissolves.

Plan ahead....

*To save time and mess, you can buy fried won tons and fried rice sticks at most Chinese restaurants. I go to a Chinese buffet to get the fried won tons and to a different Chinese restaurant to get the rice sticks but it only costs me a couple of dollars and saves me a lot of work at home so I think it is well worth it! Just call around, they may think you are weird but that's OK, they'll understand once you explain what they are for.

Anyhow, if you are frying your own won tons and rice sticks, make sure you have plenty of time. Cut up the fresh won tons and deep fry them in oil. Set aside to drain. Then, deep fry the rice sticks in Very Hot (near boiling) oil. They will immediately puff up and you have to pull them out quickly! Be prepared and use metal tongs or a large metal slotted spoon to pull them out (it will warp your plastic.)

Drain and store the won tons and rice sticks in a paper sack until you are ready to serve the salad.

Toss all the ingredients and add dressing just before serving. YUMM!

Jodi's Mexican Salad

My sweet friend Jodi made this salad when we were visiting this summer. It was delicious and I am so happy she shared it with me. I recently made it for a pot luck and had lots of compliments. I hope you enjoy it too!



Mexican Salad
1 head of lettuce, torn up
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 or 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 - 1 purple onion, diced
1 cup grated cheese
The amounts aren't anything exact--it depends on what your family or guests like!

Catalina dressing
Fritos, crushed

*Mix everything except the dressing and Fritos, then add those to as much as you are going to serve. If you don't dress all of it, you can save the Fritos and lettuce from getting mushy/wilted

Favorite Balsamic Dressing

I found this recipe in my Fix-It and Enjoy-It Cookbook and it is so very yummy! Whenever I make it, my kids run to make a salad because they like it so much. It is easy to throw together and I usually double the recipe so that there is plenty to go around.

Favorite Balsamic Dressing (makes about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1 clove garlic- crushed

2 Tbs. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine ingredients and blend till smooth. Store in regrigerator.

Balsamic Vegetable Salad

This colorful, refreshing vegetable salad has wonderful flavor and crunch! It is so simple and easy to prepare. The original recipe called for tomatoes and cucumbers, but we jazzed it up by adding red onion and summer squash. It was so good! I even enjoyed it the next day after it had "pickled" a bit in the fridge. Feel free to customize it with your favorite vegetables and enjoy!

Balsamic Vegetable Salad

Salad:

3 large, firm tomatoes, cut into wedges

3 medium cucumbers, halved and sliced (peeling optional)

1 Onion sliced

2 summer or zucchini squash,sliced and halved

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 Tbs. water

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

In a salad bowl, combine cut vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, water and dressing mix. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.

Grape Salad

This is a fun summer salad. My daughter said she loves it so much she could drink it! I don't know that i could drink it, but I sure could eat a large bowl of it and enjoy every bite. I got this recipe from my good friend Celeste and have made it many times. It is a great fruit salad that is easy to throw together and please just about anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as my daughter and I do.

Grape Salad

large bunch of seedless green grapes

large bunch of red seedles grapes

Pick grapes off vine, rinse and dry.

Dressing:

4oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar ( depending on how sweet you like it)

Mix together well* and stir in with grapes in a large bowl. Garnish with sprinkeld brown sugar and chopped pecans.

*NOTE: This makes a lot of "dressing" so you may have more than you need depending on how much sauce you like. It makes for a great fruit dip as well.

Chinese Slaw Salad

I have always enjoyed the typical ramen noodle/coleslaw salad but this one takes on a twist with an asian flair. It is so yummy! Make sure you toast the sesame seeds first and then toast the almonds seperate. It dosen't work well together. Sometimes I buy the pre-toasted almonds to save time and they are delicious. Thanks to my sweet friend Sue for sharing this recipe with me!



Chinese Slaw Salad

1 pack cabbage coleslaw mix OR broccoli slaw mix ( I used the cabbage)
1 bunch of Green Onion
1/2 Cup of Sesame seeds
1 pack of slivered almonds ( 1/2 cup)
1 or 2 packages of Ramen noodles
Optional - 1 grilled chicken breast, cut up


Directions:
Chop up the Green Onions and mix with the coleslaw. Put a small amount of butter in a pan and fry the sesame seeds. Set aside and then brown the 1/2 Cup of slivered almonds. Break up the ramon noodles and brown them. Let the the sesame seeds, slivered almonds and noodles cool off and toss in the salad. (Or just skip the toasting and toss them in the salad)

Dressing:
1/3 Cup Vinegar
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup oil
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce.

Mix till sugar is dissolved When ready to serve, pour dressing over salad and mix all together.

Spinach and Swiss Salad

This salad is so very yummy! It makes a very large salad which is perfect for a crowd but for our family of 6 I usually half the recipe and then add the salad dressing as we eat it. Enjoy!

Spinach and Swiss Salad

1 large head iceberg lettuce, torn
1 (10 oz.) bag fresh spinach, torn
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 C. sliced mushrooms
3/4 C. grated Swiss cheese
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled ( I use the pre-cooked crumbled bacon)
1 C. small curd cottage cheese, rinse and drain off liquid in small colander
Croutons

DRESSING:
1 C. sugar
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
2/3 C. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 T. poppy seeds
Mix together ingredients in blender. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Toss all salad ingredients together and add dressing. (Makes more dressing than you will need for one salad.)