Baked Potato Salad

I cannot even tell you how happy I've been to be back in the kitchen, as well as blogging again.  I dread those first few months of pregnancy when eating/cooking/looking at food makes me queasy.  I am glad all that passed so I can now enjoy all the fabulous summertime BBQs with all the excellent side dishes that accompany them!  

This is super  simple as far as potato salads go, and is great served warm or chilled.  If you love these flavors, try them in this yummy Loaded Baked Potato Dip.

Baked Potato Salad

4 large russet potatoes

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 c. freshly chopped chives, divided

8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

pepper, to taste

Wash, peel and cube potatoes into bite-sized pieces.  Put in a large pot, cover with water and boil until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.  You do not want mashed potato consistency.  Drain and let cool a bit (or a lot if you plan to serve chilled).  

In a separate bowl, stir together the mayo, sour cream, cheese, half the chives, about 6 strips worth of crumbled bacon, seasoned salt and pepper; mix well.  Add mixture to potatoes and fold together until all the potatoes are completely coated.  Taste and add more seasoned salt and pepper, if needed.  Garnish with remaining chives and crumbled bacon.  Serve immediately or refrigerate if serving later.  Serves 4-6.

Recipe Source:  Eat Cake For Dinner

BBQ Burger with Secret Sauce

I have a hard time letting go of grill season.  I do.  So I will probably have a few more recipes to share that make you think summer rather than fall.  Oh well, I'll get to the fall recipes soon enough :)  This recipe in particular is a great way to fulfill your grill craving, even in the middle of the winter!

This burger is full of flavor and turned out super yummy and juicy.  The trick to these is to use an indoor grill pan, they are too fragile to head outside (your burger will probably fall through the grates of the grill.  Enjoy :)

BBQ Burger with Secret Sauce


2 lbs ground beef 85/15
sesame seed buns
1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
season salt to taste
cracked black pepper
onion powder
Secret Sauce
3/4 cup of mayo
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup relish
2 tablespoons worcestershire
seasoned salt

Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.

Then it is very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty–this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome. These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.

Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan. Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.

Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.

For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.

Assemble the burgers and serve with avocado, lettuce or your choice of toppings!

Recipe Source:  Little Miss Momma

Tortellini Summer Salad

I am so ready for some summertime BBQs.  I love having potlucks with friends and family this time of year...they are the best!  This salad is yummy AND it helped me use up some ingredients that were about to go bad.  I love it!  I used some lite Ceasar dressing, and it was great.

Tortellini Summer Salad

4-6 chicken breasts (cubed & soaked in Zesty Italian Dressing)

48 oz. Cheese Tortellini

1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped

1 cup Sliced Olives

1 cup Artichoke Hearts, chopped

2 cups Baby Spinach

Mix all together in a large bowl & toss with your favorite Caesar Dressing.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

*Just a suggestion...I waited to put in the spinach until just before serving.  Also, I added half the dressing immediately and refrigerated.  I added more right before serving as the noodles soak up a lot of the dressing.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Our Recipe Club

BBQ Sloppy Joes

When I think of sloppy joes, I think of "kid food."  I always liked them, even when you use the sauce out of a can....it's all good!  I would put these sandwiches in the 'comfort food' category, because it is one of those foods that just takes you back to younger years.  I love foods that are associated with great memories, and these are for me!


BBQ Sloppy Joes
From:  Stefanie's Cooking Spot

1 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups ketchup
1 package of onion soup mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
½ cup water

 In a large skillet brown ground beef with garlic; drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on medium for 15 minutes. Serve on buns with cheddar cheese.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

I have never had a whole lot of luck with chicken in the crockpot.  It almost always dries out and tastes awful.  I think I have finally figured out the problem...cooking time.  I saw this recipe and noticed the cooking time was so short, and thought we'd give chicken another shot.  I cooked it for 2 and a half hours, shredded it, and surprise...the chicken was still moist!  The best part of this is how simple it was...the chicken was frozen when I put it in!


This was super tasty over some cooked rice with some steamed broccoli.  I like to cook my rice in chicken broth, it gives it a wonderful flavor.


Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken
From:  Six Sisters Stuff


4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (mine were still frozen!)

1 (16-20 oz) Bottle Barbecue Sauce 

1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy cleanup!  Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce.  Serve over rice.

57 Zesty Honey Chicken

• Summer days are surely winding down.  This will be our last year in Ohio and I'm trying to take everything in, the last of the fireflies, the beautiful fall-like weather, and the wonderful people here.  This chicken was great, tweaked it slightly and loved the results :)
  57 Zesty Honey ChickenFrom: Food.com
  1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (we used all breasts)
• 1 cup Heinz 57 steak sauce (A1 was cheaper this week...turned out great still!)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2-1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  

1. Marinate chicken in italian salad dressing for at least one hour prior to grilling.
   Grill chicken until cooked through (12 to 15 minutes for breasts, 25 to 35 minutes for thighs) brushing with sauce the last 5 minutes.
2. For sauce, combine 57 Sauce and remaining ingredients.
3. Divide sauce in half. Brush chicken often with one half of sauce during last 5 minutes of cooking time.
4. Serve chicken with remaining sauce for dipping. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

Chili Cheese Frito Salad

Oh my...this stuff is quite addicting!  The picture is awful...I forgot to take a picture until after the Fritos got all soggy, but don't let that fool you!  This salad would be great for all your summer BBQs, goes great with burgers and hot dogs.  It is very simple and comes together quickly.  The flavor is great, the crunch, the sweetness from the corn, and creamy dressing...you cannot go wrong.  The downside....leftovers are nasty!  Nothing like soggy chips :)   Try this soon!

Chili Cheese Frito Salad

From:  Real Mom Kitchen

• 3 (14 oz.) cans of corn, drained
• 1/4 of a red pepper, diced
• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (9 1/4 oz) bag of chili cheese fritos

1. Combine corn, peppers,onion, cheese, and mayo in a bowl.
2. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Just before serving mix in the fritos. I save about a handful to sprinkle on the top.  Enjoy and eat it all because it’s not good as leftover.  The fritos get too soggy.

Pineapple Glazed BBQ Meatballs over Rice

Yesterday around 5 o'clock I really didn't want to make dinner.  At 6:15 I had to leave for work.  What is a girl to do...let her family starve?!  I checked out Real Mom Kitchen, which always has lots of quick fixes, and this one sounded right up my ally.  I needed to get rid of some meatballs in the freezer, so this was perfect.  Good flavor, and all done in under 20 minutes...a success in my book!


Pineapple Glazed BBQ Meatballs over Rice
From:  Real Mom Kitchen

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup undrained crushed pineapple in juice

1 (16 oz) pkg fully cooked frozen meatballs

cooked rice

In a skillet combine the barbecue sauce and pineapple together.  Add meatballs and stir until coated.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.  Serve over rice.  Serves 4-6.

BBQ Sloppy Joes

I tell you what...when I think of foods that take me on back to my childhood, a sloppy joe is one thing that comes to mind.  Recently, a co-worker and I started talking about them and since then, I have been craving one and went searching for a recipe.  I went to one of my old go-tos...Mel's Kitchen Cafe and she did not disappoint.  These are dang good.  I never would have thought to combine BBQ sauce and soy sauce, but it works, and it works well :)


"The Best Sloppy Joes"

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Potato rolls or hamburger buns

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the grease off the meat and onions. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe meat up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.

*She stated that this also freezes really well.

Honey BBQ Crockpot Ribs

Again, gotta love the crockpot on a Sunday.  Nothing like a no fuss meal after wrestling kids through church!  These turned out really tasty, tender and juicy.  The recipe came from a ward cookbook I got for Christmas...those are the best!

3lb. boneless pork ribs (we had bone-in)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2  c. honey
1/2 c. spicy brown mustard
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce

Place ribs in bottom of crock pot.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.  Drain.  Reduce heat to LOW.  In bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour over ribs in crock pot.  Cover and cook on LOW for 3 more hours.

 It was dang delicious with a baked potato!

Cowboy Quesadillas

I have a sick obsession with Mexican food.  I have an even sicker obsession with chicken...as if you couldn't tell from almost every recipe I post!  This meal is very easy and quick to prepare, great for a busy weeknight!  It tasted great, a definite keeper!  The recipe comes from Our Best Bites.

1/2 C white rice
1/3 C black beans
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 C fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
2/3 C diced tomato
3 Tbs sliced green onion
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
1/4 C bbq sauce
6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6") I used wheat tortillas

Dipping Sauce

equal parts bbq sauce and ranch dressing

Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese. Add bbq sauce and stir to combine. Place about 1/3 C of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.

Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove top. When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, or drizzle with canola or olive oil. Place quesadillas in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp. Flip and repeat on opposite side. Cool for a few minutes and then serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce.

Barbecue Chop Salad

I got this idea from the Neely's (chefs on the Food Network).  Their recipe is found here.   It's definitely not as good as the Cafe Rio version, but good for a change :)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 head romaine lettuce, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
4 thinly sliced green onions
1 cucumber, sliced
1 can corn kernels, drained
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
Barbecue Sauce
1 can Rootbeer
2 pounds pulled pork
Ranch dressing, to taste

Place pork in crockpot and pour can of Rootbeer over top.   Cook on low for 5 hours.  Take pork out and shred.  Drain juices.  Place about 1/2 a bottle of BBQ sauce in crockpot and cook with pork for 1-2 more hours on low.

Arrange the lettuce, green onions, cucumber, tomatoes, and corn in a large bowl. Sprinkle the jack cheese over the top. Place pork and dressing on top, toss and serve

Rootbeer BBQ Chicken

Oh how I will miss the grilling season!  I'm trying to get in all that I can before the cold hits!  This was a good variation of the traditional BBQ chicken...give it a try!  This recipe came to my attention through Prudence Pennywise.

2 cans root beer, divided use
1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, plus 1/4 cup more for marinade
brown sugar, if needed
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon each paprika and garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a small saucepan, boil one can root beer until thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup each smoky barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup Dijon. Taste this sauce and add brown sugar if the sauce needs a little sweetness. (Notes: you should have plenty of extra sauce for dipping-just reserve half of it before spreading it on the chicken.) Meanwhile, smear chicken with Dijon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder; drizzle with olive oil. Place in zip top bag. Pour root beer over chicken, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Grill or broil chicken, about five minutes per side, or until outside is nicely browned and inside is no longer pink.

Rick's Ribs

These are definitely always a crowd pleaser around our house.  This is one of the many creations of Rick, my father-in-law, who is always coming up with great recipes!  We were lucky enough to have him make these while they were visiting us this weekend!

We like to get pork spare ribs and have the butcher cut them in half lengthwise, but baby backs will work also.  Remove the membrane from them and coat them with the following dry rub:

   1/2 C brown sugar
   1/2 tsp garlic powder
   1/2 tsp onion powder
   1 tsp cumin
   2 tsp paprika
   1/2 tsp dried oregano
   1/2 tsp thyme
   1/2 tsp dried mustard
   1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
   1/2 tsp black pepper
   1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place coated ribs on a cookie sheet, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  Let the ribs sit out about 30 minutes before grilling.  Grill 10 minutes per side on medium-high heat, being careful not to burn.  Turn grill down to medium-low heat and grill indirectly for about 1 hour.  Baste with favorite barbecue sauce 2 or 3 times during last 20 minutes.

Sweet Mustard Chops

Loving that grilling season is in full swing!  There is nothing like the taste of grilled food.  This is another recipe from cooking club, submitted by Melinda.  I was looking for a new pork chop recipe, and this one was great!  We had some grilled veggie packets on the side. Made for a perfect Sunday dinner!

Sweet Mustard Chops

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. prepared mustard

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/3 c. red wine vinegar

4 bone-in pork loin chops (1 inch thick, 8 oz each)

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, brown sugar, mustard, and seasoned salt. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into large Ziploc bag. Add pork. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, turning occasionally.

Grilled BBQ Chicken

My husband found this recipe in a magazine over at his dad's house, and we've had it quite a few times.  It tastes so good right off the grill!

Chicken breasts (3-4 breast halves)
2 tbsp. Orange marmalade
¼ c. BBQ sauce
¼ c. Italian dressing
¼- ½ c. Italian dressing (for marinade)

Marinate chicken breasts in ¼- ½ c. Italian dressing for 1-24 hours. Combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, orange marmalade into glaze. Cook chicken on grill until no longer pink in center. Before taking chicken off grill, glaze with mixture and cook for about 2-3 more minutes.

Creamy Potato Salad with Sweet Dressing

This one is a Grandma Barb staple.  She makes it for almost every family gathering, and it is delicious! 

6 potatoes
1 c. celery
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Boil potatoes, cool, peel, cut into small cubes and combines with above.

Dressing:
2 eggs well beaten
1 tsp. corn starch
¼-1/2 c. vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 c. mayo
½ c. cream or evaporated milk
3 tbsp. soft butter
¾ c. sugar
Salt to taste

Mix eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add vinegar, cream or evaporated milk. Cook mixture in saucepan until thick. Remove from heat, beat in butter. Add mayo, mix until smooth. Add potato mixture to dressing. Sprinkle with paprika.
Barbara Green

Barb's Baked Beans

Summer BBQs are the best!  This one is a family favorite, they taste oh so good as a side to a burger and potato salad.  There's nothing like Grandma Barb's beans!

¾ lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 Lg. onion
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. mustard
1 Lg. can Pork and Beans (I usually use 2 small cans)
¾ c. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup

Bake 1 hour@ 350 degrees. Top with cheddar cheese and/or bacon.
Barbara Green

Macaroni Salad

This is one recipe Grandma Barb ALWAYS makes for get togethers.  It is my favorite salad she makes by far.  It is a little different than any other macaroni salad I've had...I love the zucchini in it!




Macaroni Salad


22 oz. salad noodles
2 c. celery. Diced
1 bunch radishes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 small zucchinis, peeled & chopped
5-6 tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ c. peas
3-5 c. cooked chicken, cut into small cubes


Dressing:
1 pint mayo
1 pint Miracle Whip
1 c. buttermilk
½ c. sugar
½-1 tsp. mustard
1 envelope + 2 tsp. buttermilk dressing


Combine all ingredients for dressing. Chill. Mix other ingredients together and then add dressing.


Recipe Source:  Barbara Green

Cookie Salad

1 Lg. pkg. Instant vanilla pudding
2 sm. Cans mandarin oranges
1 pkg fudge striped cookies
1 c. buttermilk
1 Lg. can pineapple chunks
16 oz. pkg. Cool whip

Drain mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks. Mix buttermilk and pudding (will be a little thick). Fold in Cool Whip. Add in mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks. Just before serving, break up cookies and mix in the salad.