Summer Salad

I have been enjoying making dinner that I only have to assemble.  No cooking needed.  It makes the afternoon a little less busy and keeps me out of the kitchen longer.  My 1 year old has taken a liking to being held all.of.the.time….this leaves little room for cooking.  Its just a phase that will pass, so in the meantime, we will have quick summer dinners.
I found these rolls in the freezer section.  They take only 10 minutes to reheat in the oven and they are so good!!  I really love warm bread with a crispy crust, and a soft middle.

This recipe wont have measurements.  I made enough salad for 3 adults and a toddler.  So, this is just the ingredients.

I tossed some lettuce and baby spinach with raspberry vinaigrette.

I then layered on some shredded rotisserie chicken.  I just picked one up at the grocery store and shred it while it was still warm.  It has wonderful flavor.

Then I added some sliced kiwi, strawberries and avocado.

Top it all with some candied pecans or walnuts and drizzle a tiny bit more of dressing.

Serve with this warm bread and enjoy a light summer meal.

BLT Pasta Salad

I’m taking it easy in the kitchen this week.  Tomorrow is my last “rest” day in the cooking department.  I love that it is acceptable to eat a very large cold salad in the summer for dinner.  My husband spends his after work hours in the yard making our lawn beautiful and pushing the girls on the swings.  A nice crisp salad is always a welcomed meal for him.
The thing I really like about this salad, is how filling it can be.  It is a romaine lettuce base with pasta salad, dressing, tomatoes, and bacon.  Lots of bacon.  The recipe calls for 6 slices, I used about 15.  We always like a little extra protein for dinner.

This boxed pasta salad is a great starter.  I don’t know that it gets me really excited when I eat it just by itself.  But toss it with a bunch of extras and you have me sold!

I like to toss the romaine lettuce with a bit of ranch.  You could use any dressing.  I like it better this way, so as not to need to put dressing on the whole plate after it is served.  Keep it light, you wont want soggy salad.

I served myself a bowl first to taste it.  My husband went with our toddler to a BBQ with some families from his Bible Study group.  N and I had to stay home since she is still fighting off a yucky eye infection. 

I cooked the pasta and did all of the slicing and dicing while the girls had a nap.  Then I just put it all in the fridge to chill.  Then all you have to do it toss the lettuce with dressing and top it with the pasta, tomatoes, bacon and cheese.  Really easy and it will be crisp and cold ready for dinner.

BLT Pasta Salad
1 box Suddenly Salad Pasta (prepared according to directions)
2 vine tomatoes (you can use any tomatoes, these were about baseball sized)
6-15 slices of cooked bacon (I keep precooked bacon in the freezer)
1 bag romaine salad
ranch dressing or dressing of your choice
shredded cheese to garnish.  I used mozzarella.
1. Prepare pasta according to directions on box.  Let it chill in the fridge for an hour or so.
2. Toss lettuce with dressing, just enough to give it a light coating.
3. De-seed and dice tomatoes.  Set aside
4. Cook bacon and crumble.  Set aside
5. In a large bowl, layer lettuce, pasta, tomatoes, bacon and cheese for garnish.
6.  Serve and enjoy.
*Try adding shredded chicken or BBQ chicken to make it a little more hearty.*

Cobre Valley Taco Casserole

Delicious ground beef with seasonings and green chillies

It is a very pretty dinner to serve

At our house, we love Mexican food.  My dad is known for “taco nights” at his house.  He knows how to host, let me tell you.  And his tacos are just so yummy.  Whenever I dice tomatoes, I still think of him standing right behind me giving me very detailed instructions.  Be watching for a tutorial on how to dice tomatoes beautifully, the easy way.  Think less mush, less mess.
This dish I found in a Taste of Home magazine.  It is one full of dishes for using ground beef.  When I first saw this recipe and picture, I thought that it would be perfect!  However, it was not what I thought it would be.  This is more seven layer dip style than it is salad style.  But I adapted it to make it a more salad type dinner.
Cobre Valley Taco Casserole (Salad)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cans (15 to 16 ounces each) refried beans
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, optional
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped for salad
• sour cream, salsa, and guacamole for topping

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the taco mix, water, beans and green chilies if desired.
• Pour into a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Top with cheese, green onions, tomato, olives and chips. 

I served this over a bed of romaine lettuce with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

Perfect Strawberry Pretzel Salad (the insider tips)

I really love this dish.  I don’t call it a dessert because I eat it right along with my main meal.  But, I am sure it should be viewed more as a dessert.  When I first attempted this, I came out with a mess.  A real mess.  But after a little practice and a few suggestions, I have been enjoying it ever since.
Here are a few common problems
*Crust too hard
*Soggy, mushy mess in the middle
*Soggy crust

This is not a salad you want to make on a whim.  You really need to be patient and attentive if you want it to turn out just perfect.  The crust needs to cool completely, the cream filling needs to set, and the jello mixture also needs time to set before layering.  It is best to make this dish the night before you want to eat it.  But feel free to lick the bowls so that you are not deprived.

This is the good stuff right here.  I was caught licking the spatula tonight.  I continued to slurp and smack my lips with no shame.  I even shared.

One secret, is that you really do have to reduce the water, use the strawberry juice, and let this chill in the fridge for an hour before layering.

I like a heavy cream to strawberry ratio in my salad.

Joyful Momma’s Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
• 4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1 cups boiling water
• 1 (24 ounce) package frozen strawberries (sliced strawberries with sugar added) Usually in a container of some sort.  These are not the strawberries in the bag.  I found mine on the bottom shelf of the freezer section at Walmart. 

Directions
1. Crush pretzels and mix with 4 1/2 Tbsp sugar and the melted butter
2. Press pretzel mix into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes exactly.  Do not over bake or you will run in to problem #1 of a very hard crust.  You want to not break a tooth on this yummy dish.  Remove from oven and cool COMPLETELY on a wire cooling rack.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the 1 cup boiling water and 6 oz strawberry jello.  Stir until dissolved.  Add in the frozen 24 oz of strawberries and juices.  Stir until the strawberries thaw and mixed well.  Set in fridge for 1 hour to chill
4. In a medium bowl, beat together 1 cup sugar and cream cheese.  I used and electric hand mixer and beat it until nice and smooth.  Then, fold in the cool whip with a spatula.  Don’t use your mixer for this part.  Taste test as you see fit.
5. Spread cream cheese mixture on to the pretzel crust (after completely cool….getting the idea?) and let chill in the fridge while the jello mix sets as well.  Make sure to really get the mixture into the corners of the dish.  we want to create a barrier so that no jello juices can sneak down and cause problem #3 of a soggy crust.
6.  After the jello mix has chilled for one hour, layer on to the cream cheese filling.  Smile at your beautiful layered success. Chill over night and serve to your friends and loved ones with pride.
ENJOY!

Keep up with my current recipes HERE I am always adding new favorites. (find it here first before all your friends find it on Pinterest)