Congealed Salad

This is what I brought to Christy's for Easter. We grew up eating it at holidays but it's a great dish to bring to a pot-luck or cookout...

Congealed Salad:
1 package (6 oz) raspberry Jello
1 1/2 Cups boiling water
1 can blueberries (15 oz) juice and all (I use Oregon )
1 can (15 oz) crushed pineapple (juice and all)

Mix boiling water with Jello. Add the other ingredients and pour into a 9 x 13 dish and chill in the refrigerator. When congealed, spread with topping.

Topping:
1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1 carton (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix topping ingredients together and spread on the congealed Jello. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts on top (I skip the nuts)

Notes: you can sub in cherries for the blueberries or change up the Jello flavor. Also, when making the topping, pour the sugar on the softened cream cheese and let it sit for awhile (1/2 to 1 hour). It will blend together more smoothly. After you get the sugar and cc blended, then add the sc and vanilla.

Asparagus Alternative

I really like asparagus and it's in season now, so it's a great summer vegetable. I usually grill or steam it, but this broiled version is nice too!

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbs. olive oil
S&P

Heat oven broiler. On a baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil, S&P to coat. Arrange in a single layer and broil, shaking occasionally - about 6-8 minutes.

This works well with broccoli too, but I roast it at 400 instead.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with honey

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.
Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Smoky Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from Kellee and it is super easy.
12 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni (3 cups)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (sometimes I'll put in 2 different kinds of cheese; mostly all cheddar and some Asiago but I've done it with all cheddar and its pretty much just the same)
2 cans (14 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, well drained (Muir Glen is the brand I buy but it doesn't matter and if you can't find diced, just buy the whole tomatoes and dice them yourself; I've had to do that before)
1/4 cup sliced green onions--I think I usually do a little less
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs--Italian or plain
2 tsp. olive oil
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on box; return to pot and pour cheese mixture over and stir.While pasta cooks, heat cream, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper in saucepan until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in cheese(s) with whisk until smooth. Pour sauce over macaroni. Stir in tomatoes and onions. Pour into baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; stir in olive oil. Sprinkle over top of macaroni mixture.Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown. Serves 8.

Mom's Great Mac & Cheese

Bring water to boil and cook maccaroni (I prefer the larger size).

In medium saucepan, melt 1 stick butter and 1/2 a brick of Velveeta cheese. Stir continuously so the cheese doesn't scorch. When melted together, add 3/4 cup shredded cheddar and stir until melted. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and stir until blended. (If it's too thick add more cream). Salt and pepper to taste.

Add cheese to drained maccaroni.

You can also use other cheeses - parmesan, Gouda, different cheddars, etc. The velveeta helps it have a really creamy texture.

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

4 lbs sweet potatoes
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup apple butter
Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Pierce potatoes with fork and place on baking sheet. Bake 1 1/2 hours until tender. Peel potatoes and transfer to large bowl. Mash until creamy. Add in butter and apple butter. Season with salt. Serves 10.

Herb Smashed Potatoes

3 large all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks Salt 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces 1 shallot, chopped 10 blades chives, chopped or snipped, 3 tablespoons 3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped, 2 tablespoons Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup good quality chicken stock, available on soup aisle 4 ounces, 1 small log, herb, peppercorn or plain goat cheese
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and salt. Boil potatoes 15 minutes or until fork tender.
Begin other dishes for your menu with the pocket of time you have here.
Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain. Return pot to stove. Adjust heat to medium. Add oil, then the butter. When butter melts, add shallots and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add herbs, then potatoes back to the pot. Mash potatoes, adding stock as you work to achieve your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove goat cheese from packaging and cut the small log into 4 discs. Serve potatoes on dinner plates and top each mound with a disk of goat cheese.

** I just crumbled the goat cheese and mixed it in to the potatoes instead of setting it on top.

Green Beans

1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, washed & trimmed
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
fresh lemon juice
toasted almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook green beans about 5-7 minutes in boiling water (or until they are as soft as your prefer).
Drain the beans and return them to the hot pot; toss with olive oil and butter until butter melts. Then squeeze 1/2 of a lemon and toss. Add salt, pepper and almonds.

Best Black Beans

from Sandra Lee
1 (15-ounce) can, no-salt added black beans
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles in sauce (recommended: Ro'tel)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (recommended: Christopher Ranch)
1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (recommended: Ore-Ida) (I used fresh)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place in a serving dish and serve hot.

Mom's Baked Beans

In a medium pan, melt 1 Tbs. butter and saute 1 small chopped onion. Cut 4 pieces of bacon in smallish pieces and saute with onions (optional). Add 2 regular size cans of Van Kamp's Pork & Beans (drained) and 1 can Rotel (not drained). Add 3/4 cup brown sugar. Stir together and cook on medium heat until desired thickness. This serves about 4 people. *If you like it spicier, add hot Rotel and not as much brown sugar. The Tucker family likes it sweet, so we use the regular Rotel and add a little more brown sugar.

If I am making this for more than 4 adults, I use 2 large cans of the beans and 2 cans of Rotel.

Shrimp and Pepper Kabobs

1 pound peeled large shrimp
1 cup lemon juice
3/4/ cup oil
1/2/ cup soy sauce
1/4 cup parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 onion, cut into pieces
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red and 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into pieces

Combine lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, parsley, 1/3 c. onion, salt, pepper , and garlic in bowl. Stir well. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over shrimp in a shallow dish. Cover and marinade for 4 hours. Drain shrimp, discarding marinade. Thread shrimp , peppers and onions onto skewers in whatever arrangement you'd like. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until shrimp turn pink, basting with remaining marinade. Serve over dirty rice. (I used Zattarain's brand that comes in a box and did not add meat to it.

Garlic Roasted New Potatoes

Place 1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes in a 9x13 and pierce each with a fork. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbs. dried crushed Rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until tender.

Bobby Flay's Red Chile-Citrus Marinated Chicken Breasts

Marinade: 1 cup fresh orange juice 1 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup ancho chile powder 2 tablespoons paprika 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1 cup
For the Marinade and the chicken breasts: Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade and set aside. Transfer remaining marinade to a large shallow baking dish, add chicken breast and turn to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning once.
Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade and season on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the breasts, skin side down, for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the breasts over and baste with some of the reserved marinade and cook for 4 minutes. Baste, turn and baste again, cover the grill and cook the breasts for 4 more minutes. Repeat the process once more for a total grilling time of 16 minutes, or until the chicken is well-browned and cook through. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover and let sit 10 minutes. olive oil. Serve with roasted potatoes and chips and salsa.
Roasted potatoes- Cut up red potatoes into 4ths. Put in ziploc bag and marinade with olive oil, and seasonings of your choice. I used a chipoltle grill seasoning. Place in roasting pan and cook for 45 minutes our until golden brown.

Green Chille Rice Casserole

2 c. cooked rice
2 c. sour cream
1 t. salt
1 (7 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 T. butter
3 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
Cook Rice. Combine all ingredients. Place in 9x13 dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350. his reciep can be cut in half and serve 4.

Squash Casserole

I don't really like squash and I love this. Even both my kids like this too. It can be made ahead of time if needed.

2 cups cooked yellow squash
1 cup chopped onion
6 T. butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs

Combine squash and onion, mashing squash slightly. Melt butter and combine with eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Mix everything together, except for 1/3 cup cracker crumbs. Put remaining cracker crumbs on top. Bake uncovered at 375 for 40 minutes.