Craisins Salad ...for Chelsea

Craisins Salad
from my favorite cookbook The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen pg. 21

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 heard green leaf lettuce

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 (8 oz.) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (8 oz.) pkg. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled [I use precooked from Sam's Club and microwave!]

1 (8 oz.) package Craisins

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 recipe Craisins Salad Dressing (see below)

Break red and green leaf lettuce into pieces.  Shred iceberg lettuce.  Toss together with the other ingredients just before serving.  Pass dressing with salad. 

[I typically haven't shredded the iceberg but it would be a fun touch...and typically toss all together vs. pass dressing separately and have a little extra dressing.]

CRAISINS SALAD DRESSING

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 onion, chopped

1.5 tsp. salt

2 tsp. mustard

1 cup salad oil   [any oil basically...I typically use veg oil or canola oil if I'm feeling healthier, and half canola and half olive oil if I want to be fancy]

In a blender/food processor mix all ingredients, except oil.  Add oil and blend again.

Makes 12 servings. (or more)
(sorry no pic - I've tried 3 times and something isn't quite working with Blogger now - ...it's delicious a family fav. You can tone up or down the onion in the dressing depending on your liking.)

Baby Back Ribs

I got this recipe from Linda Alder.  She served them with cheesy potatoes, corn on the cob and a tossed salad.  A great summer meal.

Baby back rib – 3 pack from Costco

Lawry season salt

Garlic salt or garlic pepper

Pepper

Favorite barbecue sauce

Heat grill on high.  Remove ribs from packaging.  Season generously with season salt, garlic salt or garlic pepper and pepper.  Sear on the grill on both sides until nicely browned.  Put foil on a baking tray and place the ribs on the foil.  Three fit on a large baking tray.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake at 300º for 3 – 4 hours until the meat is tender.  Slice between the bones and serve with your favorite barbecue sauce. 

I actually enjoy these without sauce because they are so flavorful just as they are.  I recently discovered using the garlic pepper on them and it increases the flavor, but if you do, skip the pepper. When slicing, lay them curved side up to slice them and it will be a cleaner cut.  You can also sear them, bake them and put them in the freezer.  To freeze, cut the rack in half and place each in a Ziploc bag. Leftover ribs that are already cut can be placed in a bag and frozen as well.  These also work great in curry sauce. 

Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe is from Aunt Marilyn and is her world famous Peanut Butter Bars. When Dad and I went to the Payson Temple open house, we stopped in at John and Marilyn's.  She was just pulling the fifth batch of these out of the oven.  She makes them for Jill and Justin's shop the Sip'n Spot.  What a woman!

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. soda
3 heaping cups quick oatmeal

Cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs and mix.  Mix in flour, salt and soda.  Stir in oatmeal.  Spread in a large baking tray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Let cool.  When cool spread with a thin layer of peanut butter and then a thin layer of chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
(This is the tricky part, just sort of wing it!)

Powdered sugar - about a pound
3 T. of cocoa (about)
1 cube of butter or margarine
Pinch of salt
A little milk until it is a good spreading consistency

Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Sauce

A quick, easy and tasty chicken dish in a creamy parmesan and sundried tomato sauce. from Brianne's Pinterest Yum food board!  Yum is right.  I enjoyed another Sunday chicken dish that I didn't need a crock pot for.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
4 (~6 oz) skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy/ whipping cream
1/4 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, thickly sliced (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 min. per sides before setting aside.  (take out chicken)
2) Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
3) Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
4). Add the broth, cream, sundried tomatoes and parmesan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 min.
5) Mix in the chicken along with the juices, season with salt & pepper to taste, remove from heat and mix in the basil.

Raspberry-Almond Cookie Bars

Remember the Old World Raspberry bars that I posted in April?  Well, here is another near cousin of those and I think I like them better.  They are a great cookie to make on the spur of the moment because you usually have all of the ingredients on hand.  Another amazing recipe from the girls at Our Best Bites.

2 ¼  cup flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt, decrease to ½ teaspoon)
1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
¾ cups raspberry preserves, homemade is best
1 tablespoon coarse turbinado or raw sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with a parchment sling (lay an 8″ strip of parchment across bottom of pan so it hangs over each end, and then lay another the opposite direction.  Alternately you could just line the pan with foil, or simply spray with non-stick spray.  Lining the pan makes it easy to remove the bars and cut.)

Combine flour, white and brown sugars, oats, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Cut butter into chunks and add to bowl along with beaten egg and almond extract.  Turn mixer on and let mix until the mixture comes together into a cohesive dough that looks like coarse crumbs.  Remove 2 cups of dough (about half) and set aside.  Press remaining dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Spread preserves on top, avoiding the very edge of dough.  Take remaining dough and crumble on top of preserves in an even layer.  If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until slightly golden brown on top.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

The only problem with this recipe is it makes an 8x8-inch pan.  I always double it and put it in a 9x12.

California Dreaming Salad

This is a copycat recipe from a restaurant called California Dreaming

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup honey
1 T. mustard (scant- not all the way full)
2 T. apple cider vinegar

Salad:
Lettuce
Crumbled bacon
Diced ham
Shredded cheese
Diced hard boiled eggs
Diced fresh tomatoes
Slivered almonds

Whisk together dressing ingredients and chill for an hour.  In separate bowls serve lettuce and toppings.  Top lettuce with desired toppings and dressing, then enjoy!

Serve with rolls or croissants and honey butter for an easy meal.

Old World Raspberry Bars

These yummy bars are easier than they look and taste like a rich pecan shortbread with a raspberry filling.  I got this recipe from Amber Balli Sargent - a bar that is always popular.

Crumb mixture:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup pecans, chopped

2 ¼ cups flour 

Filling:

¾ cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine the crumb mixture ingredients by creaming the butter and sugar then add the egg and pecans.  Mix in the flour.  Mix at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and flour is incorporated.   Set aside 2 cups of the crumb mixture.  Press the remaining crumb mixture into a 9x9-inch pan.  Spread the  to within ½-inch of the edge.  Crumble the 2 cups of crumb mixture over the preserves.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Cool completely; cut into bars.  Makes 16 bars.  These are so good that it is a good idea to double and bake in a 9x13-inch pan.