Pea Salad

Well Helloooo there! Long time, no...see(?)! Life has been pretty crazy around here!! Since I've last been around, we've had an addition to the family! So we've been buz-y! Our little mister is now 5 1/2 months old, and a little busy body! Hoo! He wears me OUT!! He was born on May 13, 2010 at 10:36 pm (after 2 days of labor!!) and he weighed 7 lb. 12 oz and was 20 3/4" long. He is also the picture of perfection! I couldn't ask for more! I quit my job as a teacher at the local daycare to be a stay at home mom, and I LOVE my job at home! There is nothing more fufilling to me than taking care of my husband, baby and household each day!

I finally decided after almost six(!!) long months that it's time to re-enter the blogging world! I was unsure at first if I wanted to, blogging can be a time drain! But, I miss it. I also miss having one go to place for my recipes!! So, I'm back! I don't promise a recipe every.single.day. I don't promise weekends. I don't promise anything. But as I have a recipe to share, I'll share. My cooking style has changed some in the past few months, but I still have lots of recipes to share with you all, and I still like to experiment! So, without further adue...a new recipe!!

I know that pea salad is a recipe that should traditionally be shared and eaten in the summer. With temps in the 40's and 50's around here, you'd think it more appropriate that I share a recipe for something more warm-you-up-inside...not for something cold and, well, summery. However, hubs loves pea salad, and since I have to pack his lunchbox each morning, I like to pack things that he likes. Plus, it's easy. Me likes easy :) Oh, and this recipe came from my Grandma's cookbook, which is a compilation of recipes from all the ladies in my (very) small hometown. We're talking a population of like 300 here. But dang! Those small town ladies sure do know what they're doing in the kitchen (how redneck did that sound?!?!?!?).

You'll only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe...

- 1 bag frozen peas

- 1/3 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed

- 2 tablespoons of sugar

- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise

The directions are pretty easy too!

Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well combined. Chill until Serving.

Egg Salad

Well now that Easter is over and the Bunny has left you with tons upon tons of hardboiled eggs, what to do with them? Even though they are colored, they are still safe to eat, so why not right?!? I've always loved hardboiled eggs, but after Easter there are so many left that eating them plain gets just a little, well, boring. I suggest that you whip up a batch of this egg salad to make sandwiches. Not only will this help to use up all those eggs leftover from your hunt, but it will also give you a much needed break from those leftovers at some point. Even though Ham and Scalloped Potatoes are always delicious, sometimes you just need a break!!

As with the potato salad recipe that I'm trying to crack, my Grandma made the best egg salad ever too! I really wanted to find a recipe that was similar to hers and I found this version over at Allrecipes and decided to give it a go. While it was not much like my grandma's recipe at all, it was really good! I have to say though, you MUST let this sit in the refrigerator so that the dried onion can soften...otherwise it's just gross with hard little onion bits. But if you are impatient like me, don't say I didn't warn you!

p.s. It's also National Egg Salad Week...so now you have two reasons to make this!

Ingredients...

...8 hard cooked eggs, diced

...1 c. mayonnaise

...1/8 c. dried onion flakes

...1/2 tsp. salt

...1 tsp. mustard powder

...1/4 tsp. garlic powder

...1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions...

Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently stir until well combined. Refrigerate for at least on hour prior to serving. This step is pertinent to softening the dried onion flakes.

Homemade Coleslaw

This is the first coleslaw recipe that I had ever tried to make on my own. I first discovered this recipe a year ago over at Allrecipes, but before I started my own search for a recipe I asked around for recipes from "foodie" friends and they all told me to just go to the store and buy the coleslaw mix, because that's what they do. If I wanted to just go buy a coleslaw mix, I wouldn't have bothered asking! This recipe would make a great side dish at any Easter celebration that you have coming up, because honestly, who doesn't love a good salad?

I decided to go with this recipe because it seemed simple, without all the crazy ingredients! It is just a simple coleslaw recipe that pairs well with just about any main dish! I decided that rather than shredding my cabbage, I was just going to chop it into very small chunks. I loved that chunkier feel to the coleslaw, it felt like it had more substance that way! However, when I've made this previously by shredding the cabbage I loved it that way too! This recipe reminds me a lot of that creamy coleslaw that you would get from a resturant off of the salad bar...simple, creamy and delicious!

Ingredients...

...1 head cabbage, shredded

...3 carrots, shredded

...1 c. mayonnaise

...1/3 c. sugar

Directions...

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar and cider vinegar. Pour over the cabbage/carrot mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. Let refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Taco Salad

For some reason, foods like taco salad just scream party food to me. I don't know why, but this recipe especially just seems very Super Bowl Party appropriate. Not only that, but it's also a great way to get a more "healthy" food into your loved ones systems than just plain chips and dips.

I love making taco salads this way, all mixed up in one bowl. All you have to do is just scoop and serve. Usually, I just lay out a buffet of taco salad makings, but then we end up with people who put almost all meat on their plates, leaving only lettuce and tomatoes for the rest. This way, when it's all mixed together, at least everyone has fair game for every ingredient!!

This recipe was originally printed in a hometown church cookbook, but the ingredients called for are a little different than what I list. I remember once, when I was 12, we had a church picnic one Sunday evening to celebrate the beginning of summer. As farmers, I believe we had been baling hay all afternoon, so when it came time to get ready for the potluck picnic, my mom got worked up because she didn't have anything to take! She took a quick glance at this recipe and then started pulling things from the cupboard and refrigerator to make it work, while still loosely following the recipe. This was the first time I had eaten a taco salad like this (growing up, we did them like previously mentioned, as a build your own) and I remember that I loved it!! So when I was making this recipe, I used the changes that we made in that particular rushed church potluck salad (yes. I still remember!) and still loved it!!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef
...1 pkg. taco seasoning
...8 oz. catalina dressing
...1 T. taco sauce
...1 head lettuce, broken up
...1 onion, chopped
...3-4 medium potatoes, chunked
...1 green pepper, chopped
...6 oz. shredded cheese
...Taco Chips (Doritos)

Directions...

Brown ground beef with onion and taco seasoning. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until everything is well covered and combined. Can be served cold, but is better when taco meat is still warm.

To see more delicious recipes, check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam!

Seven Layer Salad

This is a delicious seven layer salad. Except in this version, there aren't seven layers. There are 6. ish. There should be more, but I forgot to chop up carrots. And I forgot to hard boil some eggs to slice up. Even though that makes eight layers. ish. Either way. This is a recipe that my mom made when we were growing up and we always really liked it. And then I grew up and moved away. And never ate it again. Until now. And yu-u-um! I just love it! It's so different from your regular old run of the mill salad. It's tastier.

Ingredients....

...1 head of lettuce, chopped
...1/2 green pepper, chopped
...1/2 bag frozen peas
...1 cup sour cream
...1 cup mayonnaise
...2 T. white sugar (not pictured)
...shredded cheese (the amount is up to you)
...4 slices bacon (or bacon bits. those will work just as well)

Directions...

In a glass bowl (or 9x13 inch pan...that's how my mom made it back in the day...) layer lettuce, green peppers and peas. You can do as many alternating layers as your bowl will fit. In a seperate, small bowl, stir mayonnaise, sour cream and sugar together until well combined. Smooth over the top of the salad. Top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.

Cucumber Salad

As you may have noticed from a few recent posts, I'm loving on our local farmers market! So, last week when I was at our grandma's house she asked what kinds of veggies there were a lot of at the market. I mentioned pickling cucumbers, and she instantly started rattling off this recipe. I made a mental note, and picked up the cucumbers on Saturday at the market. Sunday at a family reunion, one of grandma's sisters made this and hubs was raving about how much he loves it every time grams makes it. So I came home and made a big 'ol batch for him!

Ingredients...

...3 Pickling Cucumbers

...1 onion

...Salt

...Water

...1/2 cup sugar

...1/2 cup vinegar

Directions...

Thinly slice cucumbers and onion. Place in bowl and cover completely with salt water. Cover bowl and let soak for one hour. After soaking, drain salt water from cucumbers and onions and combine with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Refrigerate until serving. Cucumbers will shrink from sitting in this mixture.

The Verdict...

This is ever so tasty! So summer like and light! Hubs gobbled it right up, while it took me careful babying of the salad because I felt it was a lot of onions. But I did end up eating it all. I think next time I'll try less onions, and cut them into chunks instead of long slices. Otherwise, this is another success in my book!

To see more great recipes using up your cucumbers, check out In Season Recipe Swap over at Tammy's Recipes!

Also be sure to check out Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom for a great selection of a variety of recipes to try!

Tuna Salad

This is such a simple recipe, and I feel slightly silly for sharing it, but it's hot and I don't want to cook! So this is what I made for lunch yesterday, with my own little twists! I enjoy this, and make it often when it's too hot to cook. I only make tuna salad in the summer, strangely. Probably because in the winter I enjoy using my oven, it aids with heating the house ;)

Ingredients...

...1 can tuna
...Mayonnaise
...Pickle Relish (yes. my relish is in packets. My mother in law found a box for cheap at Sams Club, so it's what I use!)
...Tomatoes (not pictured)
...Ranch Dressing (not pictured)

Directions...

Dump tuna in a bowl. Add enough mayo to make it creamy, but not too much. Add ranch dressing until salad has reached desired consistency/creaminess. Stir in pickle relish, as much or little as you desire. Chop tomato (not a lot) and stir in. Serve on bread with lettuce and tomato slices if desired.

The Verdict...

The ranch dressing added just the right amount of tang to this salad, and the tomato chunks add a little extra veggie serving as well as a little more flavor!

Potato Salad

My grandma made the best potato salad. EVER. The only problem? She didn't write the recipe down...it was more of a toss and taste recipe. And I have been on the hunt for a recipe similar ever since she passed. I think I finally have it about mastered. At least mastered enough to share it with all of you, because I really think this is a great base recipe. I also chose to share it this week because since hubs is gone on his motorcycle trip, I have more time to experiment in the kitchen :)

The Ingredients...

...5 Potatoes, boiled until tender but still firm
...3 Eggs, hardboiled
...1 cup chopped celery
...1/2 onion, chopped
...1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
...1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
...1/4 teaspoon celery salt
...1 tablespoon prepared mustard
...1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions...

Cube potatoes and eggs. Place in bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate several hours before serving to chill and allow ingredients to marinate in each other and thicken.

**As a side note, you may want to play with the amount of mayonnaise. I felt that 1/2 cup was almost not enough. After standing in the refrigerator and thickening, it wasn't as creamy as I prefer potato salad to be. So the amount of mayo added is really up to you**

My Thoughts...

I love potato salad. And I thought that this was really close to being perfect. As mentioned above, I didn't think that there was quite enough mayo...and next time may try it with 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup. I also may try it sans onion next time as I'm pretty sure my grandma didn't add any in hers, since none of the grandkids like onion. Otherwise, this was delicious and I really can't wait to try it again and get it perfected!

To see more delicious recipes, check out Works For Me Wednesday, Recipe Edition! over at We are THAT Family!

Macaroni Salad

This is a crowd pleaser. A tried and true crowd pleaser. Where there is summer and picnics, grill outs and barbecues...there must be this salad. It is also a great little side dish to whip up for those hot days when turning on the oven is just not an option. Plus...it's simple!

The Ingredients...

...16 oz. shell macaroni
...1 large grated carrot
...2 stalks celery, chopped
...2 c. mayonnaise
...1 can sweetened condensed milk
...1/2 c. sugar
...1/4 c. vinegar

Directions...

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, vinegar and sugar. Add to macaroni and stir in celery and carrot. Let marinate in refrigerator for several hours, or overnight.

My Thoughts...

Just like Grandma used to make. This is so tasty and creamy to boot. It's also a crowd pleaser, because let's face it....what kind of a summer eating event doesn't include a salad similar to this?

For more great crowd pleasing recipes, be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom.