Frog Eye Salad

I've never been a huge fan of Frog Eye Salad before but my grandma asked me to make some for our early Thanksgiving get together this weekend so I found this recipe online and when I was done making it I was surprised at how much I liked it.  So I thought I would pass it on!  I got this from Cooks.com.  


1 c. uncooked Acini Di Pepe pasta 
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple shown below)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice


Cook Acini Di Pepe: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill. 


In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour, salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave).  Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.  


Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe.  Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled.
Add the following:
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows


Stir lightly.  Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8-10

Fresh Corn and Wild Rice

Okay I've been a little MIA for a few weeks... or months. Things are not really settling down, but I'm trying to get back to the things I did before baby #2. Yes, yes I know, I sound wimpy because there are moms out there who have 3, 4, even 5 kids and have an easier time getting back on their feet. But, I have a bit of a special circumstance.....

Here's my thanksgiving side dish, from none other than the PIONEER WOMAN. I love this lady, and I made this corn side dish last year and it was a HUGE hit, I LOVED it, and can't wait to make it again this year.... maybe, if I get around to it. :)

Here it is:

Fresh Corn and Wild Rice 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 3-4 cups fresh corn kernels (scraped off the cob)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt (or table salt to taste)
• cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2-1 cup milk, for thinning

Directions

1. 
   

   1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 
   

   2

   Cook wild rice in chicken broth until almost done. Rice should still have a firm (but not crunchy) bite. Drain rice and allow to cool.
3. 
   

   3

   Scrape corn kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add in cream, butter, beaten eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir together.
4. 
   

   4

   Add in cooled wild rice, stirring gently. Splash in milk so that mixture is stirrable, but not overly juicy.
5. 
   

   5

   Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne pepper if needed.
6. 
   

   6

   Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until just turning golden brown on top and mixture is somewhat set.

nothing new....

.....but still delicious! My favorite way to do potatoes is roasting them with the lipton onion soup mix. I love it this way, I especially love using the leftovers as hashbrowns the next morning!

Oh, one other thing I like to do with potatoes is to do "baked" potatoes in my crockpot. I wash them off, pile them in the crockpot, sprinkle with a little salt (it helps the skins get a little crunchy) and cook them on low until they are nice and soft. This is a great way to have baked potatoes in summer, you don't heat up your whole house! I make a whole bunch and then I can use them in other stuff for a few days, once again, they make awesome hashbrowns the next morning!! Just dice them up, put them in a fry pan with a little olive oil, or butter, and salt. Then let them get brown and crispy! This is the only way my three year old will eat potatoes, and it is SO SO easy!!

Homemade Salsa

I LOVE homemade salsa. It's pretty good canned as well, but nothing beats fresh salsa and tortilla chips. Mmm... my mouth is salivating right now. Seriously, this is the best.

So there isn't really an amount to anything here, just make as much as you want. But when I make it, I make alot. So I'll give you what I usually do.

6-7 tomatoes
3/4 green pepper, chopped
1 lime, squeezed
1 chopped jalepeno (remember the seeds inside are what is really hot, so don't just chop the whole thing and put it in unless you like it REALLY hot... I'm telling you this from experience. Although, that batch did last a long time, because we couldn't put very much on each chip!)
1/2 onion, chopped
cilantro - optional
salt
garlic powder

I cut the tomatoes first, and see how much I have, then add a small amount of everything and keep adding what I want until it tastes just right. But those amounts are generally what I end up using. Sorry, this is kind of generic but it gives you the opportunity to make your best salsa, just how you like it!

Pasta Salad

This is perfect for summer and I am always asked for this simple recipe.

1 16 oz box tri-colored rotini pasta
1 large crown broccoli, chopped
2 thick slices Provalone cheese, cubed
2 thick slices hard salami, cubed
1 can large black olives, sliced
1 16 oz bottle Ken's Italian with Aged Romano salad dressing

Cook pasta till al dente. Rinse with cold water, drain, and pour into large serving bowl and add everything but the dressing. Chill till ready to serve(chill dressing separately). Take dressing bottle and do not shake. Pour off half the oil at the top of the bottle, then shake the rest and pour on pasta till well covered, about half a bottle. Add more dressing if necessary or on leftovers.

This is a very colorful dish and easy to pick stuff out or add stuff in.

Deviled Eggs

So after all the egg decorating is over what do you do with all those colored eggs?? One of our favorites things to do with them is to make deviled eggs for Easter dinner.
It's pretty simple but here is the recipe we use:

6 hard boiled eggs
3 TBS mayo
1/2 tsp mustard
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Peel shells off eggs and cut lengthwise in half. Remove yolk and put into a bowl and mash up with a fork. Add remaining ingredients to yolk and stir together. Spoon mixture into egg whites. And if you want you can sprinkle some paprika on top. Yum! We love these.

And I don't usually care about them looking too fancy but if you do then you can use a piping bag (the bag you use with frosting to decorate a cake) to put the mixture in and squeeze into eggs whites... then it looks a little prettier (like the picture... which is not my picture).

Buttery Herb Pull-Aparts

I made these for a Baby Shower today and they were yummy and REALLY easy. The recipe is stolen from a woman in my ward who stole it from someone else....who probably stole it from someone else.

1 pkg. Rhodes White Dinner Rolls (they don't have these here so I used Bridgeport)

1/4 c. butter, melted (or however much you want)

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes (I didn't measure this, I just sprinkled it until they looked pretty)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

2 T. Parmesan cheese (I used real shredded parm--not the green can of yuck!)

1/4 c. grated mozzarella cheese

About 3-4 hours before baking thaw rolls on a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Thaw rolls until soft, but still cold. I cheated on this part and just put the rolls still in the package into the fridge the night before to thaw. Cut rolls in half (or fourths if you do it in a mini muffin tin...which I highly recommend because everything is cuter when it's smaller.) Roll each piece into a ball and place 3 balls in each cup of a muffin tin (also sprayed with cooking spray.) Cover rolls loosely with sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size (this took about an hour...but I do live in FL.) Drizzle butter over rolls and sprinkle with parsley, garlic, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Next time I don't think I'll measure anything...it's that foolproof.

Cottage Cheese

Well, I couldn't think of an actual recipe I have that calls for Cottage Cheese, besides lasagna, but I don't make that.... so I thought I would tell you what we like to eat with cottage cheese.

Here are our favorite cottage cheese combinations:

 - cott. chz and blueberries (my son's fav, just a bowl of frozen blueberries and some cottage cheese!)

- dip potato chips (the good and salty plain Lays) into cottage cheese

- pears and peaches are a must!

- okay, this one is a little weird, but we like it.... we put a little spoonful of cottage cheese into our mac 'n cheese.  I think it is really yummy!

- we like to dip just about anything salty into cottage cheese, wheat thins, pretzels, and ritz crackers

I know this isn't too exciting, but we do like cottage cheese and eat it often!

Bruschetta

I have no idea if I spelled that right.  Shalee can correct me, I think it is Italian?  Anywho.  I've been craving this because it is yummy.  I'm not a tomato fan, HOWEVER, this is one of the only ways I can eat fresh tomato.  I don't have a real recipe, so I'll just tell you how I make up my own version of this....

Buy some yummy artisan french bread/baguette.  It has to be artisan, the bread is what makes it so good, and you can't have soggy bread, ew.  Sometimes I buy the demi baguettes from Costco and use those a lot.  Then, you chop up a fresh tomato, I do it really fine and petite (like I said, I don't do tomatoes well).  Put the tomatoes in a bowl and stir in a LITTLE olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and whatever else you think might be good.  Italian seasoning, maybe?  Then I like to spread a little pesto sauce (kirkland brand from Costco is my fav, I could eat it plain with a spoon right out of the jar!) on my bread and put it under the broiler for a just a minute or two to get it a little toasted, then top it with the tomatoes and LOTS of PARMESAN CHEESE!  Then it goes back under the broiler until it is nice and toasty and melty and bubbly.  YUM, it is so good, I love it! We eat it with pasta tossed with the same pesto sauce, and salad, it makes a great little side dish. 

Enjoy, let me know if you have questions about my weird directions.

Since We're Roasting...

We are literally roasting down here in Florida...we turned on the AC the other day in our home :)

But instead of trying to make you jealous and since we're on the topic of roasting, I thought I'd share a new recipe I found here. It's a delicious "Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip" that I served on slices of baguette (it's also good with Tortilla chips.) It was a nice change from Spinach Artichoke Dip and everyone that tried it loved it. It only took about 10 minutes to prepare and then I threw it in the oven 45 minutes before the party. The next day I zapped the leftovers in the microwave and it was still yummy.

Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus

I found this on Pioneer Woman and I LOVED it.  Plus it was really easy.

All you do is wash and pat dry however much asparagus you want.  Layer them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used sea salt and fresh ground pepper).  Then, the trick is to make sure your oven is really well pre-heated before you put them in there.  So, set your oven at like 450 and wait until it is fully heated.  Then pop the asparagus in there for about 7-10 minutes or until they start browning a little.  It depends on how you like them, I like them a little more cooked, but with some crunch, I think 10 min. in my oven was perfect for me.

Another variation I heard is to add some red bell pepper as well, I haven't tried it but I'm planning to this week!  My 2 year old loved the asparagus and even ate them cold the next day. If you want a better, more colorful recipe, go to the pioneer woman cooks website!

Homemade Granola

I have made this many times, and my kids just love it. I pick out and eat all the toasted walnuts, they're so good! Store in ziplock baggies.

1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c oil
2/3 c honey
5 c old fashioned oats
¾ c walnuts
1 c shredded coconut
¾ tsp cinnamon
1 c craisins

1. Combine sugar, oil and honey in medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat till sugar is dissolved.
2. Combine oats, walnuts, coconut and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Pour sugar syrup over top and mix till all coated.
3. Spray large jelly-roll pan with oil. Spread granola evenly over surface.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and gently stir in craisins. Let cool and then store in plastic baggies.
Makes about 2 ½ quarts

Raspberry Jello

Okay, ever since Chalece posted her recipe for Orange Jello Salad, I've been wanting to try it! Especially because I have this recipe that is so similar and we LOVE it. Will eats this by the bowl full! Oh, and it is SO easy.


3 oz. cook and serve tapioca pudding

3 oz. cook and serve vanilla pudding

3 oz. raspberry jello


Boil 3 1/2 cups of water. Add tapioca, vanilla pudding and jello. Stir until boiling. Stir and cool 4 minutes. Refridgerate overnight to set up.


The next day:

Add 8 oz. cool whip and 1 pkg. frozen raspberries.


It is super delicious!

Frog Eye Salad

This big salad is perfect for parties where you are serving a meal. Kids love it and it is easy to make ahead. It makes a ton, 25 servings!

1 16-ounce box Acini De Pepe pasta (little pasta balls)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 ¾ cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
½ tsp salt

1. Cook pasta in boiling water till done.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix together juice (use the juice drained from the two cans of pineapple being used, add water if needed), sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and salt in a medium saucepan.
4. Cook until thick over medium heat.
5. Cool slightly, then pour over pasta in a large serving bowl. Stir together and then cover and chill overnight(or hours later when cooled completely).
6. The next day, add:

1 16 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 qt. Cool Whip
1 16 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg mini marshmallows
2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

7. Stir together gently and serve cold.

Makes a very large bowl to serve about 25 people

Orange Glazed Carrots

It has been a few months for me!!! Wow, I've been a little pre-occupied, I guess.
I made these last night, though, and my 19th-month-old loved them! It was so easy, too. I got it from a great cookbook I would recommend to all mommies out there. "Food for Tots" by Dr. Janice Woolley, M.D. and Jennifer Pugmire, Mom. My aunt is the illustrator! (Marilyn Taggart).

"Orange Glazed Carrots"
These lightly sweetened carrots are a good source of vitamin A.

4 cups frozen, sliced carrots or about 5-6 fresh carrots, peeled and sliced. (I used almost a full bag of mini carrots)
2 Tbls. brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbls. orange juice
2 Tbls. butter or marg.

1. Cook carrots by steaming, simmering, or microwaving.
2. Stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Mix orange juice into sugar mixture.
4. Add butter to sugar mixture.
5. Cook sauce on stovetop over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, or microwaving for 1-2 min.
6. Pour sauce over carrots and reheat on stovetop or in microwave.

Yield: 4 cups

Grandma's Orange Salad

I don't know if this is the right name for it, but my grandma used to always make this wonderful orange salad at every family function, so that's what we call it! Anyway, this is super yummy. And it's easy to make as a side dish for any dinner!

Orange Salad

2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 lg can crushed pineapple
4 pkg tapioca pudding
2 small pkg orange jello
1 container cool whip

Drain out the 3 cans of fruit into a measuring cup (put the rest of the fruit in the fridge). You'll want to get as much juice out as possible. Get enough of the juice, and cold water to be 4 cups. Put it into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add 2 more cups cold water. Then add in the tapioca pudding and orange jello. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick.

Pour the mixture into a med/large sized bowl and place in the refrigerator. Let it stay there long enough to set up (at least 2 hours). Once it's set up take it out of the fridge. Add in the oranges and pineapple, and then the cool whip. Mix it all together. You can either refrigerate it, or serve it right away.

Enjoy!!

Canning Peaches

You'll need:

Ripe peaches (about 3-4 per jar)
White sugar
Boiling water
Clean quart jars and lids/rims
large stock pot

1. Peel peaches. You may dunk peaches in boiling water briefly to make peeling easier. Cut peeled peaches in half.
2. Make a solution of 1 cup water to ½ cup sugar. Heat to boil and stir till sugar is dissolved. Then remove from heat.
3. Sterilize jars and lids with boiling water. (this means you need to boil water and put about a cup in each jar, and swirl it around, even for new jars. Lids are done by placing in boiling water for a minute or so. Lids can only be used once to seal.)
4. Pack peaches into jars all facing one direction to the bottom ring of the jar. (this just makes them pretty, if they face in 1 direction)
5. Add sugar solution to top ring.
6. Place lids on jars securely(use tongs so you don’t contaminate them) and seal with rims. (rims can be used over and over again)
7. Place jars in large stockpot. Fill pot with plain tap water to just cover jars.
8. Bring water to boil and cover with lid.
9. Boil 20 -25 minutes.
10. Remove jars, place on counter to cool.
11. Test lids (after jars have completely cooled down) to see if they are properly sealed. You know the jars have sealed if they don’t give on the top. Unsealed jars can be resealed using a new lid or eaten promptly.

This is how many I did one morning, with some help! Note: the blue pot is one we used to can in. That's all you need. You DO NOT need a pressure canner or water canner to do this.

I hope I've described everything. It has just kind of become habit for me now so I have a hard time remembering if I got every thing. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will comment back. Good canning!

Jalapeno Jelly

I'm not a huge spicy fan and I'm not a Jalapeno fan at all, but every Christmas my mom makes this jelly and we eat it with crackers and cream cheese until every last drop is gone! It's delicious and addicting! So try it! I helped her make it last year and was surprised at how easy it was. I always thought jam was hard!

Jalapeno Jelly

1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups green bell pepper (about four) seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup canned chopped jalapeno chili peppers
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
2 bags liquid pectin
green food coloring
Ritz crackers
Cream cheese

Blend together lemon juice and both kinds of peppers in a blender. Add sugar and vinegar and blend some more until it's mixed. Then in a large pan (this bubbles up high so make sure your pan is big!) boil mixture for 5 min. Then mix in pectin and food coloring (enough to make it green) and pour into jars and seal. Let it set overnight on a counter top.

Now this part is crucial. After it's set up take a Ritz cracker, spread on some cream cheese and then some of this jelly and pop it in your mouth! YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM!!!!!!
It does have a kick to it so don't forget the cream cheese!

And I don't actually know how to seal a jar. I just put the tops on and let the jars sit on my counter overnight so the jelly sets up. But then we eat it after that so we never have a real need to seal it! But if anyone knows how to seal a jar feel free to teach us! :)

Won Tons

I thought I better post today since I'll be out of town for awhile. So, here's our favorite "appetizer" - usually we eat it as a meal, with rice and veggies, but they are fun to take as appetizers to any event or potluck.

Directions: buy a package of wonton wrappers (found in the cold part of the produce section - by the pre-made salads). Brown about 1/2-1 lb. sausage. When sausage is cooked, add very finely diced celery, and one egg lightly beaten. Stir it around until the egg is cooked. You can do any combination of wonton filling you want, this is just what we like. Some people do shrimp, or ground pork, and add water chestnuts, grated carrots, or whatever else you think would be good. Once the filling is all done, start wrapping the wontons according to the directions on the back, this is the fun part.... get your whole family helping you or it will take awhile.... but it is WORTH the wait! :)

Here's how I wrap them: (I should have pictures for this, sorry) I turn them so they are diamond shape in front of me, put a little filling in the middle, wet the edges with my finger, with water, fold it up so it makes a triangle. Then wet the edges again and fold the corners into the middle - they end up looking like a little triangular hat.

After you wrap them, you just deep fry them in a little oil until they are crispy and golden brown. Then we serve them with our special won ton sauce:

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
2 Tb. cornstarch or 4 T. flour
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. sugar
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. ketchup

Bring to a simmer, and stir constantly with a whisk until thick and bubbly. Like I said, we eat our wontons with rice, sweet and sour sauce, and veggies.... it is always a special occasion when we make wontons!!!

Tortilla Roll-ups

My mom used to make these. They are super easy and are a yummy snack or can be used as an appetizer at a party!

Tortilla Roll-ups

.

flour tortillas

softened cream cheese

diced green chilies or ham deli slices

.

Spread cream cheese on a tortilla then spread green chilies over. Roll up and slice to create these small circles. OR spread cream cheese on the tortilla and then place a layer of ham slices down and roll up. Both versions are really good! I usually make both. (And this is not my picture but this is how they look when you're done)