Sally's Slaw Salad

 This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law, Sally.  

This is Sally...isn't she cute?  She is so pretty and sweet.

 Anyhow, she planned a girls day for us a few summers ago and made this for lunch.  

I make it several times every summer.  It's quick, easy, light and yummy!

You will need:

1 package cole slaw

1 package broccoli slaw

 In case you have never seen broccoli slaw, you can see what it looks like next to the cole slaw.  

1 package chicken Top Ramen noodles, uncooked, crumbled well

1 can cooked chicken (or I like using fresh, grilled chicken breasts)

1/2  to 1 cup slivered almonds

1/2-1 cups chow mien noodles

Toss together.  

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 packet Top Ramen seasoning, chicken flavor

Pour over salad and stir till coated.  

Yum!

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Blueberry Salsa

I found this fabulous recipe for Blueberry Salsa in Southern Living Magazine and gave it a try for book club tonight.  It's so pretty, how could I resist?  You can also never go wrong with their recipes.  They are fool proof!

It's fairly easy to make, even better if you have a killer Cuisinart like Dan gave me this last Christmas.  Otherwise, get to choppin'.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped fresh blueberries (I pulsed it several times in the food processor)
• 1 cup whole fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 seeded and minced jalapeño peppers
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

Preparation

Aren't these gorgeous? 

Coarsely chop fresh blueberries. Stir together chopped fresh blueberries & whole blueberries.

 Looking not so pretty yet.

Add fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh cilantro, jalapeño peppers, red bell pepper, onion, and salt in a large bowl. 

 Ohhh...looking better!

Gently stir together. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 I know you're thinking I missed my calling as a food stylist.  Everyone thought it was going to taste sweet and then POW!  

The salsa has a great bite to it.  This is my new go to recipe this summer - delish!

Enjoy!

Linking to:

It's A Hodgepodge Life

Fingerprints on the Fridge 
HOH
Somewhat Simple

Eclair Cake

I made this Eclair Cake for my dad and Dan for Father's Day.  
It's a fairly simple and inexpensive to make.  
I haven't met a boy (young or old) who doesn't love it!

You will need:

31/2 cups milk

2 small packages french vanilla instant pudding

1 (8 oz) container of cool whip

1 box graham crackers (I use HoneyMaid)

1 can chocolate frosting (not the whipped kind)

Mix milk and pudding until thick.  Add cool whip and mix well.  

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam.  Line bottom of pan with graham crackers.

Pour 1/2 of pudding mixture on top of graham crackers and and spread evenly.  Then layer again adding 2nd layer of crackers. Pour the remainder of pudding on top and spread evenly. Add 3rd and final layer of graham crackers.

Place in fridge for 2-3 hours to let it all soak together.  Then frost cake with chocolate.  Let sit for at least another hour in fridge after frosting to let it all soak together again. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Bars

One of the easiest sweet treats to make is a rice krispy treat. The basic recipe has only three ingredients - marshmallows, rice krispies and butter.  

These rice krispies are topped with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of chocolate, giving them a rich peanut butter cup flavor that is a great contrast for the sweet, crunchy base. The peanut butter layer is slightly crumbly, similar to the interior of a peanut butter cup.. The topping is a chocolate ganache, made with semisweet chocolate and butter.

The only time consuming piece of this snack is that you need to let the layers set up one by one. Even so, you can probably get it done start to finish in an hour - and the hands-on time is probably about 5-10 minutes. They’re a great treat to make with kids and are probably just as likely to be a hit with adults.  All the men I had try them gobbled them up!  (ok, Dan and my dad...but you get the idea...)

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Bars

2 tsp butter

5 oz marshmallows (1/2 large bag)

3 cups Rice Krispies/puffed rice cereal

Peanut Butter Filling
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (natural or regular)
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp milk

Chocolate Topping
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup semisweet/dark chocolate chips

Lightly grease a 9×9-inch pan.
In a large, microwave safe bowl, combine butter and marshmallows. Heat until butter is melted and marshmallows are soft. Stir to combine. Fold in rice cereal with a spatula, then pour mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Allow to cool and set at room temperature.

For the peanut butter layer, combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. The consistency should be like frosting. If it is too crumbly (consistency may vary slightly by type of peanut butter used), add an additional tablespoon or two of milk until filling is spreadable. Spread onto cereal layer.

For the chocolate topping, melt chocolate chips and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour over peanut butter layer and, using an offset spatula or regular spatula, spread chocolate to cover entire surface. Let chocolate set up at room temperature before slicing.

 Makes 20 rectangular candy bars.

Cheesy Rigatoni Bake

1 (16 ounce) rigatoni noodles

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1/4 cup water

4 eggs, beaten

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce (I used a jar of marinara)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth, gradually add milk and water.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.  Add beaten eggs to pasta and mix.  Spoon into a greased 9x13 pan.  Top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Spoon white sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes.

To freeze, slightly under cook pasta.  Cover pan with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and label. 

Creamy Ham Casserole

 An easy and quick way to use leftover Easter Ham!

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups coarsely chopped ham

2 cups tri color rotini pasta, cooked and drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 green or red pepper, chopped

1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots

Seasoned bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients except 1/2 of cheese and crumbs in large bowl

Spoon into casserole dish

Sprinkle with remaining cheese 

Cover with bread crumbs

Bake for 30 minutes or until light brown.

Oreo Cookie Lollipops

OREO COOKIE LOLLIPOPS

I make these now and then for fun treats - they make cute simple gifts.  

I seriously love cute and simple!

So we came up with these, too bad I got instructions on HOW to do them after I started, but it turned out to be pretty easy and they looked CUTE if I say so myself!

First you will need Double Stuff Oreos, white chocolate chips, lollipop sticks, cellophane treat bags, sprinkles, tags and ribbons (if gifting them.) I bought everything in one quick trip to Wal-Mart.

HINT! I did this backwards!! Melt your chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds till completely melted. Dab a tip of your lollipop stick into the chocolate before sticking it into the Oreo ever so slowly and gently! The chocolate on the tip acts as a glue to keep the cookie on the stick!

Re-heat your chocolate if necessary for a few seconds. Dip cookie thoroughly in chocolate coating both sides. I used a spoon to help pour extra where the stick meets the cookie. Place to harden on wax or parchment lined cookie sheet. I would do 3-4 cookies, then sprinkle!

To make sure everyone knows I'm a novice baker, here are a few of my rejects before my happy helpers Graham and Greg ate them in the name of "taste testing." Quality assurance working at its best!

Letting the chocolate harden and cool. Took about 30 minutes till I felt I was safe to wrap them.

Ta-DAA!!! I didn't get a shot of the ones we gave L. I had a larger treat bag, stacked 4 (2 sets of 2 side by side) and wrapped multiple ribbons with a tag. 

They really turned out darling!