Broccoli Pasta Salad

This salad is so good, if I do say so myself. I used broccoli and green onions fresh from my garden. Don't you just love garden time?? This is such a good side dish or if you are like me it is dinner. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

1 pound pasta-boiled al dente
1 large head broccoli-broke into florets
4 green onions-chopped
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 pound sharp cheddar-shredded
1/2 pound purple grapes-cut in half
1 bottle Cole Slaw dressing-I use Hidden Valley brand
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients and stir until well coated, now refrigerate for a couple of hours. I always save a little bit of dressing to stir in right before serving.

Broccoli Grape Salad

I can eat this salad everyday of the week. It all started when I was prego with baby number 3, Miss Raine, who just happens to be 10 going on 11 right now. I craved this salad so often that I knew that I needed a master recipe, instead of buying my deli out of it each week. The hardest part for me was the dressing but once I mastered that, it was smooth sailing. That is until I started craving Gala apples and Havarti cheese. Did I mention that Havarti cheese is not be found anywhere near Beaty's Creek??? That is another story for another day. Give this salad a try at your next potluck. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

1 head cauliflower-broke into small bite size florets
1 pound broccoli crowns-broke into small florets
1 pound red grapes-halved
1 pound bacon-cooked until crisp and drained on a paper towel
1 small red onion-diced
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 1/2 cups mayo
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t salt
1 t black pepper


Mix mayo, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and milk together until sugar dissolves and set aside. Now mix all of your veggies and grapes together. Pour in dressing and add bacon and stir very well. Place in fridge for 4 hours before serving. When serving I sprinkle sunflower seeds on top.

Poke Salad

Sounds odd but around here it says SPRING ALMOST SUMMER!! I have always wondered why "Poke Salad" is called "Poke Salad", one it is not a salad and two it is cooked. My dad said it is as close to a salad as the old timers got so who knows?? Poke is really the last of the “wild grown” edibles that we have around Beaty’s Creek until the fall and it is pretty much everywhere. My grandpa use to say Poke Salad was your spring tonic; it may not be tonic but is a spring favorite. We like our "poke salad" with eggs and of course crusty cornbread. My father likes his "poke salad" with vinegar on top and served like you would any cooked green. This is What's Cookin in my Beaty's Creek kitchen tonight. Hold your breath Sal.....

Needed:
1 paper grocery bag full of very young poke tips (I don’t like the stalks boiled, I have a recipe for those later on.)
Water
Salt
1/2 cup Oil
6 Eggs-beaten


Wash poke very good and place in a large pot, cover with water and boil for 3 minutes, now you will pour all of the water off of the poke. Why you may ask???? Well, poke will make you sick if you eat it after the first boiling. Boil again but this time boil it for only 1 minute and then pour off the water and add oil to poke. You will still have a little water in the bottom of the pot, this is fine, salt poke and sauté in oil for about 3 more minutes, now add your eggs. We don’t like ours real eggy but the amount of eggs is up to you. When you add your eggs you will need to stir and stir and stir again, this helps keep everything even and no big pieces of eggs. Cook until all the eggs are set.

Broccoli Slaw with a Twist

I ate a slaw somewhat similar to this while growing up. I've actually never made this type of slaw for myself so I mixed this one up in head, scary I know. This particular recipe is great with any grilled meat. My husband who is not a big vinegar fan enjoyed this side dish too. Give this a try the next time you want a cool salad to go with your grilled dinner. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
2 packages Ramen Noodles of your choice-crunched up
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
Or use 1 cup of Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette instead of the oil and vinegar
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 package broccoli slaw
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 T butter

Melt butter into a medium sauce pan. When melted, add in the crunched up noodles and toast in pan until slightly golden. Let noodles cool completely. Now mix together the balsamic vinegar, canola oil, sugar, Ramen noodle seasoning pack, and soy sauce. Place broccoli slaw in a bowl with a tight fitting lid and pour over dressing. Cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours. Right before serving, add the sun flower seeds and noodles. The noodles are very crunchy and taste so good in this salad. A weird combo but a good one!

Potato Salad

It is a beautiful day on Beaty's Creek and what do we like to do on a day like this?? Grill of course and what goes with any grilled item? Potato Salad, this recipe is so good I can eat it alone by the bowl full. It is so good with bacon bits on top too. Try this recipe the next time you grill.

Needed:
5 lbs. of potatoes-peeled, boiled, and cut into 2 inch pieces
4 eggs-boiled and chopped
1 yellow onion-chopped
1/2 a green pepper-seeded and chopped into bite size pieces
2 celery stalks-stripped and cut into bite size pieces
1 small jar pimentos-drained
3 cups of mayo
2 T yellow mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Once your potatoes and eggs are cooled place into a large bowl and salt and pepper them really well. Now is the time to add the onion, green pepper, celery, and pimentos, mix all items very well. Now add your mayo and mustard and mix until potato salad is creamy but still has potato chunks.

Quinoa Salad

I am trying new ways to use quinoa in my everyday life. It is such a great replacement for rice in meals like stir fry and beans, give it a try. I will tell you to make sure and rinse your quinoa very well before cooking. If you don't it will have a bitter taste. Everyone really liked this salad but my husband thought the dressing was a little too sweet. It is like a sweet oil and vinegar dressing, if you don't like sweet you can leave the honey out. Everyone else loved it so there you go. I am still trying to get used to using quinoa, I just can't get out of my rice dependency, hee hee I am trying though. This is What's Cookin on this very windy Winter's day on Beaty's Creek.


Needed:


1 cup quinoa-rinsed and drained
1 t sea salt
1 garlic clove-minced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes-cut in half
1 cup cabbage-finely shredded and chopped
1 cucumber-peeled and diced
Pepper to taste

Dressing

1/2 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 T local honey
2 T Dijon mustard
1 t cayenne pepper

To make Salad: Bring quinoa, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Set aside, covered, 10 minutes.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in separate saucepan. Add corn and cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain again. Stir together corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, and quinoa in bowl.

Dressing: Mix all ingredients in a jar and shake until smooth. Stir into Salad.






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Greek Pasta Salad

I get tired of the same old pasta salads but I do love them in the Summer months along with our favorite grilled foods. This year I thought I had better come up with more recipes for pasta salad so...this was my first try and it's not bad. Raven loves anything Greek and this salad made for a nice cool dinner after a hot afternoon at the creek. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today. Will someone please shut the oven door, this heat is crazy!

Needed:

1 pound whole wheat pasta
2 jars artichoke hearts-chopped
1 can black olives-split in half
1 head of roasted garlic
1 T salt
1 T black pepper
1 cup mozzerella cheese-shredded
2 tomatoes-chopped
1 bottle Paul Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Salad Dressing
1 bottle Paul Newman's Own Caesar Salad Dressing

Boil pasta al dente, pour hot water off and run cold water over til pasta is cool. Now toss in artichoke hearts, black olives, roasted garlic, salt, pepper, cheese, and tomatoes. Toss well and then pour in both dressings and stir to coat. Place in fridge for 3 hours.

Tabouli

I really like tabouli and could eat it everyday, with fresh pita bread of course. I made the family enchiladas and I was just not feeling in the mood for those...so I decided to make me some good ole' tabouli. I think tabouli gets better with age, much better. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

2 cups cracked wheat
2 cups very hot water
1 cucumber-peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes- chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint-chopped
2 cups fresh parsley-chopped

Dressing:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 T pepper
2 T salt

Pour hot water over cracked wheat and let set for 1 hour. All of the water should be soaked up but if you have a little left over, pour it off.
Now take all of your veggies and pour lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper over them. Now add this to your cracked wheat and stir very well.
Place in fridge overnight. Serve with freshly baked pita bread.

Cornbread Salad

When I first heard about this I thought what in the world? How could that be good??? But boy was I wrong! This is one of our favorites. Pretty easy to do and even easier if you have left over cornbread. You can use a sweet cornbread recipe or a plain ole cornbread recipe. Which ever you choose the salad will be great! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1 pan of cornbread-cut into bite size pieces
2 cans pinto beans-drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes-diced
2 cups of shredded cheese
4 cups of leaf lettuce-shredded
2 cans of corn-drained
1 bottle of ranch dressing
1 cup salsa

Layer in a large punch bowl, yes that is what I use, in this order,
cornbread
pinto beans
tomatoes
lettuce
corn
and cheese.

I make mine in the morning and then right before serving I toss the salad. I let people add their own dressing.

To make the dressing, take your favorite ranch bottled dressing and your favorite bottled salsa and mix. Easy peasy. :)

Honey Mustard Chicken Breasts

I am always looking for something different to do with boneless, skinless chicken breast. We always have Paul Newman's Light Honey Mustard Salad Dressing in the fridge, makes a great dip for grilled chicken strips or nuggets. I decided to try it on some chicken breast that I was getting ready to put in the oven. After all of the little sample takers made a pass, I barely had any left for the salad. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.



Needed:



4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-thawed

1 T salt

1 T black pepper

1 bottle Paul Newman's Light Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

2 T Lemon Pepper Seasoning



Coat chicken rather heavy with the salad dressing and season with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Bake on parchment paper at 435' for 30 minutes or until no longer pink. Slice and serve on top of salad. We used Paul Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing to top off the salad, a good combo.

Fall Pasta Salad

Last year I had the most wonderful pasta salad from Whole Foods. It had butternut squash in it and let me tell you it was delish!! I came up with this similar recipe and it is really good also. Give this a try if you have butternut squash running out of your ears and are looking for new recipes. I like butternut squash any way you can make it! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1 pound whole wheat pasta-boiled al dente
A 2 pound butternut squash-peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound of baby green beans-blanched with pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese-grated
2 T garlic powder
1 T oregano
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

I place the butternut squash on a parchment lined cookie sheet with sides and pour olive oil on it. I then sprinkle on the garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I like to coat my pieces evenly because I want every bite to taste good! Roast in the oven at 450' for 45 minutes. I like mine a little dark. Just check yours at 30 minutes if you just want the squash to cook through. Cook pasta til al dente. I put my green beans in the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta. Once pasta and green beans are done, drain completely and mix with butternut squash and stir. I add a little more olive oil and salt and pepper to the pasta mixture. You can eat it warm but I like mine after it has been in the fridge overnight. I place a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top right before serving.

3 Bean Salad

This is little Raine's favorite salad right now and it is super easy to throw together quickly. She ate it just about as fast as I could make it this weekend. It only takes a little planning to make sure it sits long enough for the flavors to mix well. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.


Needed:

1 can green beans-drained
1 can cannellini beans-drained
1 can kidney beans-drained
1 cup Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
1/2 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic-minced
4 basil leaves-sliced

Mix Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, sugar, and garlic together until sugar dissolves. Place beans in a bowl and pour dressing over them and stir to mix. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Coleslaw KFC style

This is a Todd Wilbur copycat recipe and it sure is a good one. To me this tastes just like KFC’s coleslaw, in fact my MIL thought it was. The size of your cabbage and carrot pieces will make all the difference and they shouldn't be much larger than a rice kernel. I shredded mine with a food processor and it worked out perfectly. Give this recipe a try the next time you fry a chicken. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek.



Needed:

½ cup mayo
1/3-cup sugar
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup milk
2-½ T lemon juice
1 ½ T white vinegar
½ t salt
1/8 t pepper
8 cups finely grated cabbage
¼ cup finely shredded carrot

In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients except the cabbage and carrot until very smooth. Now pour over cabbage and carrot mixture and stir very well. Cover and place in fridge for 2 hours before serving.

Cole Slaw

This is a favorite side dish with many of my recipes. We like ours a little on the sweet side with a special ingredient you will learn about shortly. This is great eaten alone with some crackers too. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:

1 head of cabbage-shredded and chopped really thin
1 T salt
2 T garlic powder
3/4 cup white sugar
3 cups mayo
1/2 cup milk

Mix mayo, salt, garlic powder, sugar, and milk together until mixed very well (or until sugar is disolved). Now pour this mixture over cabbage and stir until all of the cabbage is coated. Place in fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

5 Cup Salad

This is one my husband's favorites. It is good the next day also. I make my salads the night before Easter or Thanksgiving. The fridge gets crowded but it makes life easier on the big day. I finally got around to adding a picture to the post. Enjoy...

3 cans Fruit Cocktail-drained
2 large cans of Mandarin Oranges-drained
1/2 bag small marshmallows
1 cup coconut
2 tubs cool whip

Place first four ingredients in a bowl and mix well, add cool whip and fold gently. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in fridge. How easy is that???

Macaroni Salad

I bet you have seen macaroni salad at every picnic you have ever been to. I think mine is different because it is not a sweet macaroni salad. I should say more savory than sweet anyway. I like this with fried chicken and homemade buttermilk biscuits. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek today.


Needed:

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups mayo
5 green onion-chopped (I used ones from my garden.)
2 stalks of celery-peeled and chopped
3 boiled eggs-chopped
5 small gherkins sweet pickles-chopped
1-pound sharp cheddar cheese-cubed
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper-to taste
Ranch Seasoning (I get this from Country Life)

Boil pasta al dente and drain. Now run cold water over pasta until cooled. You want to drain your pasta very well. Once drained add green onions, boiled eggs, gherkins, and cheese. Stir until well mixed; now add your mayo, salt, pepper, ranch seasoning, and milk. You will really have to stir this pasta well so every piece of pasta gets covered in seasoning and dressing. Place in fridge for at least 4 hours and serve. I always mix in about ½ cup of mayo right before I serve this.

Pea Salad

This is a simple but good recipe to have in the spring. You can use frozen or canned peas, either one is fine.

Needed:

2 cans of peas-drained or 2 bags of frozen peas thawed and steamed for 3 minutes and then placed in an ice bath
3 cups mayo
1 small purple onion-diced
1 cups sharp cheddar cheese-cubed

Place peas of your choice in a bowl, add mayo, onion and cheese. Gently stir until mixed well. Chill overnight for best results.

Red Potato and Green Bean Salad

This is a recipe that my father loves, he loves anything with vinegar in it. Sean on the other hand does not like vinegar, he calls it kryptonite. I like this recipe alone or with some broiled fish. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1/2 pound green beans-cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4 pounds small red potatoes-unpeeled and halved
3 T Paul Newman's Light Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
5 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T Italian parsley

Blanch green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes and then place in ice water. Drain and place in large bowl. Boil potatoes for 12 minutes or until fork tender, drain water and place into bowl with green beans. Mix in a small bowl, Paul Newman's Light Honey Mustard Salad Dressing, oil and Dijon, once mixed pour over potatoes and green beans and add parsley with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold. To me it tastes better the next day.

Sufferin' Succotash

Okay, I'm ready for summer, well maybe not 100 degree summer days, but some nice warm days. Today on Beaty’s Creek it is mighty cool, so I decided to bring summer back to Beaty’s Creek with this succotash recipe. This is a really good recipe to use your garden favorites in. Fresh is always best but right now frozen is a close second. Well this is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek today.

Needed:
¼ cup olive oil
1 small purple onion-diced
1 red bell pepper-diced
3 garlic cloves-minced
1 bag frozen corn
2 small zucchini-diced
2 small yellow squash-diced
1 bag frozen baby lima beans
4 T Italian Parsley-chopped
2 T Marjoram
Salt and Pepper to taste


Heat oil in a large skillet add the following, onion, bell pepper, and garlic, sauté until peppers are crisp tender, about 3 minutes add corn, zucchini, yellow squash, and lima beans, sauté them until just tender, about 5 minutes. Now add marjoram and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes a great side dish!

Pasta Salad

Feels like Spring today so I made pasta salad and plan to grill tonight! I love pasta salad with grilled food. This recipe is pretty simple but very good. Give this a try and you will make it again and again. Well, that is "What's Cookin" on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1 English Cucumber-diced
1 container Cherry Tomatoes-slice in half
1 can black olives-drained and sliced in half
1 bunch green onions-sliced
1 pound pasta shape of your choice-boiled,drained and cooled
3 cups Paul Newman's Ranch Dressing
Salt and Pepper- to taste
2 T Lemon Pepper

Place cooled pasta in a large bowl and add all of the veggies and stir. Now add your seasoning and 2 cups of dressing, stir until well coated. Place in fridge for a couple of hours. Right before serving add remaining 1 cup of dressing to moisten it up. We like crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos on top of ours.