Smoked Chicken Salad with Herbs
August 19, 2010 - Written by DianaI have a smoker that I’m trying out, and I’m not ready to discuss it yet; however, I did smoke a couple of chickens. We ate one for dinner that night, and then chilled the other in a fridge and tore it up for a salad. I made a nice cold chicken salad for dinner, served in romaine lettuce leaves. The leaves make a cool vessel for the salad, roll it up, slice it across into two and it’s a chicken salad lettuce wrap with hardly any mess. My family loved the chicken salad, with my daughter and husband fighting over the last bits. I liked the smokey taste, but also all the fresh herbs that came straight from the garden. I have a kitchen tool, sort of a knife that I’ve come to like a lot that is perfect for chopping herbs, so I’ve been using big bunches in my recipes when I can. I also chopped and then toasted some almonds in a pan to add into the salad. The toasty almond bits were really delicious when they hit your tongue. I also added a couple of green onions and a little bit of chopped celery,topping it off …
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Wild Rice Salad
August 11, 2010 - Written by Diana
We knew there were going to be vegetarians at my son’s graduation party. I’ve been feeding his vegetarian friends whenever they came to visit. I don’t like picky eaters, people who don’t eat because something looks funny, or because it isn’t made the same way as their mom makes it. However, I do believe in accomodating dietary restrictions, and choices. These kids are not problem children and will find a way to help make things work, but for my son’s party I wanted there to food they would love, because I wanted them to know that they are always welcome and that I was thinking specifically of them. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a hardship, this dish is really an easy to make no fuss dish. I quadrupled and changed up a recipe I found in Cooking Light – Kitchen Secrets for Quick and Easy Meals. This booklet ( thicker than a magazine) is packed with plenty of great tasting and looking dishes. I love the dill, green onion and feta combination, it’s fantastically delicious and fresh.
Wild Rice Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon
- 2 cups cooked wild …
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How Do You Like Your Corn on the Cob?
August 4, 2010 - Written by Diana
We are smack dab in middle of fresh picked corn on the cob season, one of my favorite times of the year. We were so thrilled this weekend when we picked up some bison, and they told us that they were giving us corn on the cob free because we were such a good customer. We were planning on buying some anyway, but a freebie is always nice, even nicer when it’s just picked summer corn.A few of us online were discussing the best way to cook our corn. Corn on the cob always brings me back to the summer days growing up when we all sat at the table slurping our salted, buttered corn, getting the kernals stuck between our teeth and braces, but oh so worth the cleanup.
Let’s talk about our favorite ways to cook our corn on the cob.
- Boil – We always stripped the husk and the silk, then threw the ears into a big pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until the corn softened enough to poke with a fork. This is a delicious way, though if you cook …
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Deb’s Top 4 Salad Fails
August 1, 2010 - Written by Deb
I’m sure I’m not the only one who leans towards making and eating salads over the summer over cooking a heavy meal. I’m not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but here on the East Coast, we’re having one of the hottest summers on record and the last thing anyone wants to do is to turn on appliances that make the house hotter. My family has been grilling and rocking the salads as a way to keep cool.
I have to admit though, I’m not much of a tossed salad girl. I don’t like lettuces, especially those that turn my salad into something representing lawn clippings. However, I’ll also admit that there are other items that make or break a salad and that I can live with bitter, purple lettuces if the rest of the salad is filled with good stuff.
Here are my top 5 salad fails. Tell me how many you agree with:
1. Mayonnaise
My cousin used to eat salad manually. He would take each individual lettuce leaf and top it with a glob of mayonnaise and eat it that way. I … Tweet This Post Plurk This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Ping This Post Reddit This Post Stumble This Post
360 Triple Melon Soda – A Melony Summer Cocktail
July 21, 2010 - Written by DianaThe further into the Summer you go, the hotter it gets, and the closer you are to melon season. Melons need the heat to ripen and become sweeter. I’ll share a secret that the best watermelon my husband and I ever had was on our honeymoon in South Carolina. We love to find a good ripe melon with just the perfect amount of sweetness and as you’ve seen before adding melon to our drinks is one of our favorite ways to consume it. 360 vodka, the one in the good green bottle, sent us a melony drink that looks really delicious. Try it out and let us know what you think.
360 Triple Melon Soda- 2oz 360 Vodka
- ½ cup Honeydew Melon
- ½ cup Watermelon
- ½ cup Cantaloupe
Directions:
Muddle the melons gently in a cocktail shaker. Add 360 Vodka. Fill with ice. Shake sharply and strain into a martini glass with a melon base. Top with soda and enjoy!
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Grill Once, Dine Twice
July 16, 2010 - Written by Diana
We like grilled food, and grilling, but cooking a full meal every night can be time consuming and we are an easy prep/cook family. Most days I assign a person, and then that person tries to figure out a meal that won’t take up a lot of their time. Of course with my son it means Mac n cheese and hot dogs, plus something that’s not baked beans – because he doesn’t like them. If I can during the week I try to figure out something quick too. Grilling is great because not only does it taste good, but if you do it right, you get two meals out of one grilling.We had a meal or I should say meals lately that were fantastically good, simple and yet clean tasting all at once. We grilled some salmon, and veggies, just brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper. Really simple. Then for dinner the next night, I chopped up the salmon and the veggies, added a cucumber, some dressing and then spooned it on top of a bed of bulgur. My son both nights, waved his hand over the food, and …
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Deb’s Tortellini Salad
July 4, 2010 - Written by Deb
Everyone has a few tried and true favorite BBQ dishes they cook up for a party or bring to share. My tortellini salad is one of my Barbecue staples.
Before I share the recipe, I want to discuss pasta salad fails. These are, in my opinion, common pasta salad mistakes:
- Pasta is way too al dente. It’s one thing if it’s being served hot and will cook to perfection once sauce is added. It’s a whole other story to under cook. Hint: Pasta should not be crunchy.
- Pasta is too soft: Pasta shouldn’t be mushy, it should be firm. When boiling pasta remove when it just starts floating to the surface. For a pasta salad, rinse with cold water to stop cooking. It should never bloat to three times its original size.
- Using cheap pasta: I’m a frugal gal, but I also believe we get what we pay for. Cheap pasta yields cheap results. If using tortelli or ravioli take care to buy a premium brand. Fresh pasta is the best.
- Mayonnaise: Mixing pasta with mayonnaise does not a pasta salad make. It’s just fattening, artery clogging, mayonaisy pasta that you’ll have to …
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Fourth of July Fireworks Cocktails
July 3, 2010 - Written by DianaMy husband’s family was always big on doing the fireworks display though the clean up is always a problem since you can’t find the dead fireworks until the next morning since it’s pretty dark when they’re done. Growing up my family attended fireworks at Battery Park in NY, and later local parks. I think I like this way of celebrating the fourth with alcoholic fireworks instead. I’m content to sit on the side and sip a firework while I relax. I won’t be driving, so it’s okay.
Roman Candle
- 3 oz. Three-O Berry Vodka
- ½ Oz. Cranberry Juice
- Dash of Grenadine
- ½ oz. Blue Curacao
Shake vodka, cranberry juice and grenadine in a shaker with ice. Strain into martini glass.
Pour Blue Curaçao gently down the side of the glass so it comes to settle on the bottom
Sparkler
- 1 oz. 1800 Tequila
- 2 oz. Sparkling Wine
- .5 oz.Raspberry Liquor
- .5 oz. Soho Lychee Liquor
Combine tequila, raspberry liquor and soho lychee liqor in the bottom of a champagne flute
Top with sparkling …
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The American Flag Cocktail
July 3, 2010 - Written by DianaMy husband would love this 3 part cocktail. Any drinks that start off with juice from tomatoes is delicious. I haven’t tried Riazul yet, but I hope to soon. If you are a tequila fan, this would be a great way to impress your 4th or July guests.
Riazul – Salute to the Red White and Blue
If you find yourself in south of Señor Frogs on Cinco de Mayo, the traditional drink recipe you’ll encounter is the Coctel Bandera Mexicana. Representing the colors of the namesake Mexican Flag, the cocktail trio includes blanco tequila (white), sangrita (red) and lime juice (green) in three separate “caballitos”… sipped alternately.
Riazul Premium Tequila, whose heritage dates back to the Mexican War of Independence, would like to toast its northern neighbors on their Independence Day with an adapted flag cocktail… Bandera Americana: the American Flag cocktail.
The trio includes a small glass of Riazul Premium Silver followed by a traditional sangrita based on a generations-old Jalisco recipe, then chased with a blue margarita. Raise the flag to this tequila trifecta!
Ingredients:Red —Sangrita: …
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Fourth of July Recipes with Salsa
July 2, 2010 - Written by DianaIf you follow Cookerati, you know my husband is a salsa fiend and we always have salsa on hand. Pace has some great recipes for you to use for your Fourth of July Picnic. Salsa isn’t just for chips, so try it out in these great recipes.
Grilled Skewered Shrimp
Prep: 20 minutes
Grill: 10 minutes
Makes: 6 servings (2 skewers each)Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
- 1 can (about 8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions:
1. Stir the picante sauce, tomato sauce, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add
the shrimp and toss to coat.
2. Thread the shrimp on 12 skewers.
3. Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the shrimp for 10
minutes or until they’re cooked through, turning and brushing often with the picante
sauce mixture. Discard any remaining picante sauce mixture.
Tip: For even easier preparation, you can buy frozen large shrimp already peeled and
deveined. Just thaw and use instead of the fresh shrimp.
–
Pace® Rib Eye Steaks
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 beef rib eye steaks (about 1 pound each), 1-inch …
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- Boil – We always stripped the husk and the silk, then threw the ears into a big pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until the corn softened enough to poke with a fork. This is a delicious way, though if you cook …
