Thursday Recipe - Vinagrette Dressings

Buying salad dressing can be expensive. Making your own isn't that hard. Here's the basic recipe for a vingrette, a vinegar and oil dressing:

1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Put everything in a tightly capped bottle and shake well. Refrigerate for one hour to let the flavors blend.

Simple, yes? The dressing will separate, so serve it in the bottle with the tight lid so people can shake it right before serving. Some people will be tempted to cut down on the oil in the dressing because they are watching their weight. Don't. The oil helps the rest stick to your salad. Just use less of it. And make sure you use a good oil, any oil will do but a good olive oil or canola oil will taste good and be good for you.

Now for the fun part - variations. Don't be afraid to experiment. Try a flavored oil or an exotic one. Try a gourmet vinegar. Try other spices or herbs. If you aren't sure, just cut the recipe down and try a little. Here are some ideas:

Sesame dressing: substitute 2 T. sesame oil for 2 T. of the oil in the recipe. Add 1 t. lemon zest (the yellow part of the peel, grated and chopped fine), 1/2 t. garlic powder, and 1 T. toasted sesame seeds.

Italian: Add 1 T. finely minced onion, 1 t. finely chopped garlic, 1 t. dried oregano, 1 t. dried basil, and 1 t. dried parsley.

Ceaser: Use the Italian variation and add 2 T. finely grated parmesan cheese.

Red wine dressing: Substitute red wine vinegar. Add 1 t. dried rosemary and 1/2 t. garlic powder.

Balsamic sweet dressing: Substitute balsamic vinegar. Add 1 T. sugar, 1/2 t. dried thyme, and 1/2 t. rosemary.

Orange ginger dressing: Substitute orange juice for the vinegar. Add 1 t. orange zest (the orange part of the peel, chopped fine), 1 t. ground ginger, 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1/2 t. onion powder, 1 T. soy sauce, and a dash of red pepper flakes. Use more if you like it spicy.

Peanut curry dressing: Mix 1 T. creamy peanut butter with the oil until smooth. Whisk in the vinegar, salt, pepper, 2 t. curry powder, 1 t. onion powder, 1/2 t. garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Go try something new with your salad dressing.

Thursday Recipe - On Saturday! Smoothies

It's been a wild week. Lady Fortuna has paid me a very unwelcome visit, not once, twice, or thrice, but multiple times this week. Sorry the post is late. I had it all written and everything, but disaster struck and now I'm finally posting it only two days late. One of these days I'll figure out how to schedule posts so it doesn't happen anymore.

Summer means lots of hot weather. I don't want to cook. My kids want cold treats. I want them to eat something other than sugar. Most of them can't eat dairy. So what's healthy, fast, cold, and a treat? Smoothies.

We recently empowered my 8yo and 10yo by teaching them how to run the blender and make their own smoothies. Below are some of their favorite combinations. Feel free to play with the recipes and try out your own combination. All you need is a blender, some fruit, and your imagination.

Smoothies

1 c. fresh fruit
2 c. frozen fruit
2 c. juice or rice milk (or other non-dairy milk or use dairy if you want)

Dump everything in the blender. Run on high until it's smooth and creamy. Add more liquid if needed. Makes about 1 quart.

Some variations to get you started:

PB&J - 2 c. strawberries, 1/3 c. peanut butter, 2 T. strawberry jam, 2 c. rice milk, 1/4 c. chocolate drink mix powder (optional)

Banana Surprise - 1 really ripe banana, 1/4 c. peanut butter, 1/3 c. chocolate chips, 2 c. rice milk, 1 c. ice cubes. Blend everything but ice cubes. Add them one at a time until the shake is smooth and creamy.

Tropical Fruit - 1 13 oz can tropical fruit salad (do not drain), 1 c. orange juice, 1/2 c. crushed pineapple with juice, 2 T. shredded coconut, 1 c. ice cubes. Dump everything in the blender and run until smooth.

Strawberry Banana - 2 really ripe bananas, 2 c. frozen strawberries, 2 c. rice milk, 1 t. vanilla

Berry Smooth - 1 c. frozen blueberries, 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1 c. mixed berries, 1 really ripe banana, 2 c. apple juice

Just Peachy - 2 c. fresh peaches, 1 c. apple juice, 2 c. ice cubes, pinch of nutmeg

Pina Colada - 2 c. pineapple, 1 c. pineapple juice (or use one 18 oz can pineapple in place of both), 1 c. lowfat coconut milk, 1 t. rum flavoring, 2 c. ice

Mint Julep - 2 c. strong lemonade, 2 c. ice cubes, 2 fresh mint leaves, 1 c. lemon lime soda. Blend lemonade, ice, and mint leaves until smooth. Stir in soda. Garnish with more mint.

Berry Blueness - 1 packet blue punch mix, 1 c. sugar, 2 c. water, 2 c. mixed berries, 1 c. ice, 1 t. lemon juice. Mix punch mix, sugar, and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour into blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Thursday Recipe - Seafood Salad

Summer is here and the temperatures are finally feeling like summer. Time for cold salads and picnics and lots of chilling in front of the AC. Most of my favorite summer dishes are simple like this one:

Watermelon

Buy a big watermelon that sounds hollow when you thump it. Chop it up and serve it. Refrigerate it if you like it cold.

Or this one:

Berries

Buy some really nice looking berries. Wash them and serve them nice and cold.

My kids nibble of fresh fruits and veggies all summer. Most need nothing fancier than ranch dressing or maybe some snort (whipped topping in a can). I really don't cook that much in the summer. This salad was what we served for dinner tonight. Quick and easy and tasty.

Seafood Salad

1 12 oz package of Krab meat, or crab meat if you're rich or live on the coast
1/4 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped small
1/3 c. red bell pepper, chopped
2/3 c. mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. paprika
salt to taste

Use a fork to break the krab meat into small pieces. Mix everything together. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with crackers or rolls.

Thursday Recipe - Mud Pie

Remember those summer days when you made mud in the backyard and patted it into pies? We got gourmet in my yard. Some of the dirt would make dark black mud. The sandier stuff made lighter mud pies. We mixed and twisted and patted and shaped and made lots of messes. Ah, to be a child again when mud under my nails was perfectly acceptable.

I'm watching another snowstorm moving in and wishing for spring to stay for more than an afternoon. Our weather tends to switch from freezing to roasting in just a few days. The sweet warmth of spring lasts for only a breath. Then it's mud pie season again.

This recipe is a fun one. Mix it up, switch it around, add what you and your family like. It's a cool and creamy dessert or snack perfect for those lazy summer days that are just around the corner.

So hose off your children and serve some up.

Mud Pie

2 large boxes of instant pudding mix, the 6 serving size
4 c. milk
2 c. smashed cookies, oreos or ginger snaps or vanilla wafers or whatever crunchy cookie you like
Assorted add-ins - gummy worms, chocolate rocks, jelly beans, marshmallows, nuts, chocolate chips, chopped candy bars or mint patties, toasted coconut
Assorted garnishes - gumdrop flowers, colored or toasted coconut, extra cookie crumbs or bits, teddy grahams, gummy bugs

Mix the pudding with the milk. Whisk until smooth and starting to thicken, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the cookies and up to 1 c. of add-ins. Stir gently just to fold in. Scoop into serving dishes or a big serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to one day. Garnish as desired and serve.

Suggestions:
Chocolate pudding, oreos, chocolate chips, nuts, and marshmallows for cookies'n'cream rocky road special. Garnish with teddy grahams.
Vanilla pudding, ginger snaps, and coconut. Top with chopped pecans, toasted coconut, or smashed pecan sandies.
Chocolate pudding, grasshopper cookies, chopped mint patties, and chocolate chips. Top with spearmint leaves and junior mint candies.
Butterscotch pudding, vanilla wafers, butterscotch chips, mini marshmallows, and chopped butterfingers. Top with gummy bugs or gumdrop flowers.

And the traditional mud pie: Chocolate pudding, oreos, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and enough gummy worms to make it look like dirt. Make flowers by rolling gumdrops flat for petals and leaves. Scoop pudding into ice cream cones. Sprinkle extra oreos on top to look like potting soil. Garnish with gumdrop flowers and an extra gummy worm.

Enjoy!

Thursday Recipe - Fruit Cream

Thursday Recipe - Fruit Cream

This is a loose interpretation of Ambrosia Salad. Easy to make and dairy free, if you choose the right ingredients. It’s a great salad or dessert for summer.

Fruit Cream

3 16 - 20 oz. cans of fruit (fruit cocktail, peach slices, pears, pineapple tidbits)
1 large box vanilla or lemon instant pudding (6 serving size)
1 8 oz. tub whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows (the multi-colored fruit ones are always fun)
Optional: 1/2 c. shredded coconut

Open cans of fruit and drain juice into large mixing bowl. You need about 2 to 2.5 c. of liquid. Add the pudding mix and whisk until smooth and very thick. Fold in whipped topping. Add fruit, marshmallows, and coconut. Fold in just until everything is covered. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Variations (because life just isn’t fun without them)

Use pistachio flavored pudding (2 small boxes if you can’t find one large), 2 cans of pears, and 1 of crushed pineapple. Mash pears into chunks before mixing in.

Use vanilla pudding and 2 cans of pineapple tidbits. Add 2 - 3 c. fresh berries and 1 c. white chocolate chips.

Use 2 cans of fruit cocktail. Add 2 c. broken pieces of vanilla wafers.