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.

Mexican Veggie Dip

I friend of mine brought this to a Christmas dinner party and I fell in love with it! I have made it a number of times and am finally sharing it with you. It is so refreshing with the veggies and satisfying with the dip. This is a new family favorite! I almost forgot to take a picture so this is a picture of it half gone from the pan :)

Mexican Veggie Dip

Mix together:

2 blocks of cream cheese, softened

¾ cup mayo

2-4 tsp taco seasoning ( to taste)

Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

sliced green onion

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Spread the veggie mixture over dip and serve with chips. So refreshing and yummy!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries and Island Chicken

I made this for dinner a while back and it was a hit with the family. I love sweet potatoes and this is one of my favorite ways to make them. Super easy and healthier than fried potatoes. The chicken is from my Friend's blog Taste Every Season and is flavorful and pairs great with the sweet potatoes!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Peel and slice up sweet potatoes in the shape for fries. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Roast in a 400* oven for 15-20 minutes until done. It's that easy!

Island Chicken from Jessica at Taste Every Season

Marinade:
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1½ tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2-4 chicken breasts

How to Make:
1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. If using a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. If using a plastic bag, press out all the excess air and seal the bag tightly. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours. (the longer the better)

2. When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the excess marinade over them. Bake in the oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165° F, about 45 minutes (exact baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
OR Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill. When heated grill chicken for about 7 minutes on each side until done.

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

I found this recipe at one of my foavorite recipes sites All Recipes . It is an easy and delicious way to make asparagus and my whole family loved it. I hope you do too!

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce Adapted from All Recipes

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake asparagus 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.

While asparagus is baking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the baked asparagus to serve.

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.

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.

Fajitas

My sister Janae shared this recipe with me and we are hooked! The flavor is incredible and it is not hard to make. We've made these with steak , chicken and shrimp, all with great results. Enjoy!

Fajitas - adapted from Alton Brown- Food Network

In a blender add;
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of soy sauce
4 scallions
2 large garlic cloves
juice of 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

Blend above ingredients together until smooth and marinate meat such as thin skirt steak or chicken breast or even shrimp. for 1 hour in the fridge.

Cook on grill and slice meat in thin strips for skirt steak cut against the grain of the meat for tender strips. or in door stove top cast iron grill.

Veggies for fajitas

1 red bell pepper thin sliced in strips
1 green bell pepper thin sliced in strips
1/2 onion thin sliced

drizzled with veggie oil toss in oil cook in skillet or cast iron skillet
on med-high heat until onions are caramelized. on med-high heat

Serve with corn or flour tortillas and your choice of toppings, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream etc.

Great Easy Salsa!!

Andi’s Salsa – so easy even I can do it!

1 can of whole tomatoes (Big)
1 small can of green chilies
2 bunches of green onions (I use less)
¼ a bunch of Cilantro
Garlic salt to desired taste

Put in Blender
Cut off ends of onions – cut up about an inch long stems
Snap off leaf part of cilantro - about 1/4 of bunch
1 can of Green chilies

garlic salt
Juice only from can

Pulse just a little – not too much, you do not want to puree it

Add the tomatoes – pulse a few more times

Done!!!

Peas With Mushrooms (& Terragon Corn)

This side dish has been a family favorite for years. I comes from a recipe book "House Specialties" by Deanna House . I love her book because it is full of delicious recipes that use every day ingredients. Peas with Mushrooms has been a tried and true favorite. I made this for a Christmas family dinner on Sunday and it was a total hit. I also made Tarragon Corn which is another Deanna House recipe we love. Both recipes are made in the microwave for convenience but are easily made on the stove. Either way they are delicious!

Peas with Mushrooms
2 Tbs butter or Margarine
6 green onions, chopped
1 8oz can mushrooms, drained ( or 8oz fresh mushrooms, chopped and sauted)
2 10oz pkgs frozen peas
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp basil leaves, crushed
½ tsp salt

In a 2 quart microwave-safe casserole dish, place butter and green onions. Microwave on full power, covered for 2 minutes. Stir onions and add mushrooms, frozen peas, sugar and basil. Microwave on full power, covered, 10 – 12 minutes, stirring twice. Add salt. Serve piping hot.

Tarragon Corn
1 10oz pkg. frozen cut corn ( I use a 16oz bag)
¼ c sliced green onions
1 Tbs butter or margarine
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp tarragon
Dash of pepper

In a 1 quart microwave- safe casserole combine all ingredients and cover with a lid or plastic wrap that is vented. Microwave on full power for 5-6 minutes or until corn is tender and sauce is bubbly, stirring once or twice.