Summer Squash and Zucchini Bake

I love summer veggies and was craving zucchini and squash. I put together this dish the other night and loved it. We had mashed potatoes with our meal and the glaze on this bake made for a delicious 'gravy.'

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked if possible
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried herbs or fresh herbs to taste, I suggest a garlic herb mixture but you could also go a dill or parsley route
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 onion, any color

Directions:

Preheat your oven's broiler and set oven rack to 6 inches below broiler. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and seasonings in bowl, set aside to blend. Slice the zucchini and squash as thin as you can (1/16-1/8"). Slice onion into thicker, arched slices, lengthwise.

Add vegetables to oil and vinegar mixture tossing until evenly coated on all sides. You may need to do this in batches.

Spoon into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Broil for 10 minutes. Remove foil and broil until tender and browned on top, about 10 additional minutes. You can top with Parmesan cheese if you'd like, but the flavors don't need additional help.

Cafe Rio Pork & Creamy Dressing {copycat}

I know there are tons of recipes out there for copycat Cafe Rio.  I've tried so many variations over the years that I've lost track. But this is by far our favorite Barbacoa pork recipe. We have made it dozens of times over the last 7 or 8 years, and it is still our go to when we are needing a little taste of home. I prefer this recipe to the one that uses salsa, and I think it actually tastes more like the pork you get when you go to the restaurant. Of course, its not a perfect likeness, but its the best one I've found. You can serve this as a burrito, or my favorite, as a salad... either way, you will love it!

Cafe Rio Barbacoa Pork

1 Pork Loin Roast {about 3 lbs}
1/2 Cup Vinegar {I use white}
20 oz. Dr. Pepper or Coke {not diet}
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Grillmates Southwest Seasoning* {found by the taco seasoning or spices}

Cook in crock pot on low for at least 6 hours. Shred and return to crockpot.
Serve with any combination of tortillas**, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, salsa fresca, sour cream, black beans, tortilla strips, cilantro lime rice, cotija cheese, and creamy tomatillo dressing.

*I can't always find the grillmates. I've substituted a packet of fajita seasoning in the past, and it tastes pretty similar. 
**The very best tortillas for this recipe are the tortilla factory brand. You cook them up yourself, and trust me, they are about a million times better. I've found them at Costco, and recently at my local Meijer grocery store. 

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Package {make as per directions... But I halve the mayo and buttermilk}
2 Tomatillos
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 Clove Garlic
1 Lime, juiced of
1 Jalapeno {use seeds if you like it spicy}

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until no more chunks remain. Serve with Salad.

My New Favorite Salad+Dressing

I am addicted to this stuff. I have made it so many times recently, it is starting to get a bit ridiculous. I don't know about you, but summertime doesn't make me want to roast a chicken and bake some winter vegetables {that's a total lie though cuz I did both of those things a few weeks ago!!}. But salads... and fruit... and popsicles. That's what I really want to eat all summer long.

That's why when I had this recipe at a baby shower back in May, I HAD to have the recipe. In fact, I have had the salad a number of times over the last few years, but I had never asked for the recipe. What was I thinking??

You can really do any combination you want for the salad itself, but I will tell you what I put in mine. Its Devine, just trust me on this one.

Sesame Seed Salad Dressing

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1/4-1/2 Cup Sugar
2 TBSP. Toasted Sesame Seeds

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake it up! Refrigerate until ready to use!

The Salad Combo:
Spinach
Blackberries
Sliced Nectaries
Sliced Almonds
Thinly Sliced Purple Onion
Green Apple Chunks
Shaved or Grated Parmesan Cheese

& I occasionally add bacon pieces and craisins.
DELISH!!

Rice Salad

Please, look past the fact that my table cloth looks like it just went through a tornado, and enjoy the deliciousness of this salad.


I first had this salad last summer when I was visiting a friend in Salt Lake. Her mama invited us over for dinner, and I totally shoveled this stuff in. I LOVE it! It is a delicious mix of veggies, rice, and a saucey dressing. I find that it tastes great the 2nd day, but it is best enjoyed the day you make it. This salad has got so much going on that you can serve it as a meal by itself, or smaller portions can be a side dish.


{& if you are feeling particularly lazy, buy one of those rotisserie chickens and pull the meat off the bone. Or the prepackaged chicken strips would also work well!}

Rice Salad


Salad
1 Package Uncle Ben's Rice (or equivalent of another brand)
1 Cup Brown Rice (cook with chicken broth)
Juice of one Lemon
3 Chicken Breasts, grilled & sliced
4 chopped Green Onions
4 ounces Pea Pods, cut into thirds
1 Avocado, diced
1 Cup Pecans, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
 
Combine and toss in a large bowl.
 Dressing
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
 1/4 tsp Pepper
1/3 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
 
Combine and dress the salad. 

Citrus Chicken Pasta Salad

Here is a colorful and delicious pasta salad. You can eat it with or without grilled chicken, but I prefer it with. It would be a great one to use your Margarita Chicken in. You can also have this cold as a side, or hot as a main dish!

Citrus Chicken Pasta Salad

Salad:
4 Cups Cooked Pasta {rainbow would be better but I was fresh out!}
1 Can Kernel Corn, drained
1/2 Red Pepper, cut in small pieces
1/2 Green Pepper, cut in small pieces
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Small Can Sliced Olives, drained
Your Favorite Grilled Chicken

Dressing:
1/2 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
1/8 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
3 TBSP Fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 {4 oz} Can Chopped Green Chilies
1 Cup Cilantro Leaves, loosely packed
Lime & Cilantro for Garnish

Make pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water when cooked. Set aside and allow to cool.

Make dressing by blending all ingredients together. Put in cruet or tupperware and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to eat assemble salad {next time I will add jicama as well!!}, and either pour dressing over the top and mix well, or allow people to dress their own portions. Either option is great! :)

Linda's Pasta Salad

This recipe comes from my friend Suzanne Schmidt's mom, Luanne. It's delicious!

1 grocery store chicken (already cooked), cut or ripped up into small pieces {I just boiled and cubed some chicken}

½ bag (small bag, not Costco sized) craisins

1 large bag spinach leaves

1 box bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled

1+ bottles Briana's poppyseed dressing {I used about 1 1/2 bottles of dressing}

Asiago cheese for top {I used fresh-grated parmesan and Luanne some times uses Gorgonzola}

Pecans {I used praline, or candied, pecans}

Cook bowtie pasta according to package directions and cool. Coat with dressing and put in fridge. Let marinate for a few hours or overnight, if possible. Toss all ingredients together and add more dressing as needed. Serves approximately 12-15.

*We like it cold so you may want to refrigerate it after mixing all the ingredients together, or keep the ingredients in the fridge until you are ready to toss them together.

**Leave chicken out to make it vegetarian.

Sarah's Salad

I got this recipe from Barbara Fredrick--my best friend's grandma and Richard's Mission Mom. We had dinner at their house a while back and I had to have the recipe. Yum!

Makes 8 servings


1 head iceberg lettuce
3 strips bacon
1/2 10 ounce package frozen peas
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
2/3 C chopped green onion
1/4 C Mayonnaise
1/4 C Salad dressing (Miracle Whip)

Wash and drain lettuce. Dry thououghly. Dice bacon and saute until crisp; drain on paper towels. Run hot water over frozen peas and drain. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces into a salad bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Add peas, cheese, onion, mayonnaise, and salad dressing. These ingredients may be layered, if desired with the mayonnaise spread on last. Chill (you can also cover it tightly and refrigerate overnight). Toss when ready to serve and garnish with bacon, if desired.

*Even if you're not a fan of Mayo/Miracle Whip, try this recipe out! Richard loves this salad but doesn't usually like cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, etc.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

This is one of my favorite salad dressings! Its so simple and tasty... I think Greg would have eaten with a spoon if I let him. You can really do any combo for the actual salad, but I would stay away from iceberg lettuce. The salad I did had: Romaine, Spinach, Purple Onion, Craisins, Toffee/Candied Almonds, Pears, Mozzarella Cheese, & Bacon Crumbles. It would also be great with some grilled chicken and made as a meal itself.  I also halved the original recipe and I filled up one cruet with what was made... this one make s a lot! Sorry, no picture this time... I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like! :)

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Dry Mustard

2/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

3 TBSP Vidalia Onion, chopped

2 Cups Canola Oil

3 TBSP Poppy Seeds

Combine all ingredients (except Poppy Seeds) into a blender and blend on high for a few minutes, or until mixture looks fairly smooth. Stir in poppy seeds and pour into container. Refrigerate until ready to use. Delicious!

Strawberry and Feta Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 cup slivered almonds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 head romaine lettuce, torn

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

· In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the almonds, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside. (You can also put butter in the skillet and about 2 Tbsp. of white granulated sugar as you cook the almonds for a sweet addition.)

· In a bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, raspberry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. *I often use only 2/3 C of oil so add smaller portions until desired taste and consistency*

· In a large bowl, toss together the toasted almonds, romaine lettuce, strawberries, and feta cheese. Cover with the dressing mixture, and toss to serve.

Serves 10

Cabbage Crunch Salad

I got this one from a friend last month and have already made it a few times. Its really yummy!

Cabbage Crunch Salad:

1 Head of Cabbage, Sliced thinly (You can also use a bag of coleslaw mix. Much easier)

2 Green Onions, Sliced

1 Cup Slivered Almonds

1 Cup Chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded

4 TBSP Sesame Seeds

2 pks ramen Noodles, broken

Mix all ingredients together in bowl and refrigerate.

About 30 minutes before serving, add the following dressing and toss.

Dressing:

4 TBSP Sugar

1/2 Cup Oil

6 TBSP Vinegar

2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1 pkg Ramen Seasoning (from the noodles you used. Oriental Flavor is the best!)

**I also like to toast the Sesame Seeds and use a little bit more Green Onion. You can use canned chicken, but I find that one chicken breast is usually sufficient. I think next time I will try the Rice Wine Vinegar instead of normal...

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I got this one from Mom a while back and its one of our favorites. The only thing I do differently is use either Pecans, Almonds or Cashews. They all taste great to us! We just aren't huge Walnut fans in this house. I also use my homemade Strawberry Peach Jam, but I've done it both ways, and again, both are great! Also, sorry for all the additional info along the way; You can disregard it all & make the salad however you please! :)

Dressing:

2 TBSP. Red Wine Vinegar

3 TBSP. Sugar

1/2 Cup Oil

1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Strawberry Jam

Mix all ingredients in a blender. It will be fairly thick because of the jam. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad:

Stir 1/3 Cup Sugar with 1 Cup Walnuts or Cashews in a skillet over medium heat. WATCH CLOSELY!  These things can burn quickly so you need to keep them in motion!

Fry 15 Wontons, cut into thin strips. Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool. (I cut each strip into 3rds... I think its a good size; not too small, not too big!)

Now combine in a large bowl:

1 Large Head Red Leaf Lettuce (I frequently use Romaine...cheaper!)

1 Package Fresh Spinach, with stems trimmed

1/3 Cup Bacon Pieces (Hormel precooked & crumbled is my favorite...much easier than frying your own!)

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper

1 Small Purple Onion, thinly sliced 

1 Cup Strawberries, sliced (I always use more!)

Add Wonton's and cooled Nuts. Toss with Strawberry Dressing and eat it all up! (I also like to throw in a can of Mandarin Oranges).

**You can also add grilled Chicken to make this more of a "meal".

**Other seasonal fruit can be used as well. Just substitute the type of Jam you are using to match the fruit! So tasty!

Christmas Salad

Dressing
1/2 small red onion
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients, minus poppy seeds, in a blender until smooth. Add poppy seeds right at the end. Again, make a few hours in advance if not the night before. I think this recipe makes about a pint of dressing - much more than you need for one salad.

Salad
green leaf lettuce (this is just my favorite, feel free to use whatever lettuce you like!)
green onions
bacon
pears
apples
gorganzola cheese crumbles
pomegranate seeds if in season
You choose the amounts!

Combine lettuce and green onions in advance. Add the rest of the ingredients and coat with dressing right before serving.

(a little secret: Costco has containers of pomegranate seeds during their season! I think it is a little more pricey than buying the fruit and getting the seeds out yourself but well worth it I would say!)

Cranberry-Pear Tossed Salad

Dressing
1/3 cup apricot nectar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil (or whatever oil you have!)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix together all ingredients and let sit for a while before adding to salad.

**In a heavy skillet melt sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add walnuts; stir to coat. Remove from heat.

Salad
Mixed salad greens
sugared walnuts
pears
dried cranberries
crumbled bleu cheese

Add ingredients to your hearts content! Toss with dressing right before serving.

Mandarin Almond Salad

Okay, here is the deal - Alison requested some salad recipes. So, after I post these you have to promise to still love me because I am not sure what else I am good for besides bringing salads to dinner! :)

Mandarin Almond Salad

Dressing
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard (I do the ground mustard seed)
1/8 cup fresh onion (I like yellow)
1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

Put all ingredients in a blender - except for the poppy seeds - and blend until smooth. Add poppy seeds at the end for a quick blending or they will get all chopped up! I like to make the dressing at least a couple of hours if not the night before I make the salad. This recipe will make way more dressing than you need but I have already halved it from the original recipe I was given!

Sugared Almonds
In small pan melt 1-2 tbsp butter with 2/3 tbsp sugar. Put almonds in and stir until golden brown over med-hi heat. Take off heat and keep stirring until clumpy and hard.

Salad
2 bunches green leaf lettuce
2-3 tbsp green onions
1/3 cup sugared almonds
1 can mandarin oranges.
(Really I just add as much of these things as I want!)

Tear up lettuce and add green onions first. If I can I like to let the two of those sit in the fridge for a while together. Nice and cozy! Right before serving add all ingredients together and coat lightly with dressing!