Spinach Cheese Salad

This is a crowd pleaser and is popular with the men.

1 (10 oz.) bag washed and trimmed baby spinach
1 small head iceberg lettuce, washed and drained
¾  pound grated Swiss or mozzarella cheese (Heather uses mozzarella)
1 (16 oz.) carton cottage cheese
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces

Put spinach into a large bowl.  Break lettuce into pieces and add to spinach.  Just before serving, add cheese, cottage cheese, and bacon.  Toss with poppy seed dressing:

Poppy Seed Dressing

1 T. poppy seeds (optional)
¾ cup vinegar
½ cup sugar
1½ T. grated onion
1½ t. salt
¾ t. dry mustard
1 ¼ cup oil

Mix dressing ingredients in the blender.  Toss with salad.  Refrigerate unused dressing for future use.  Keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

From Heather.

Homemade Flour Tortillas (large 24+)

How awesome to make homemade Flour Tortillas.

8 cups flour

4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup oil

3 cups boiling water

STIR TOGETHER FLOUR, SALT AND BAKING POWDER. THEN MIX IN OIL, THERE WILL BE SOME SMALL LUMPS IN DOUGH, THAT'S OK.

STIR IN BOILING WATER AND MIX WITH A WOODEN SPOON UNTIL WELL INCORPORATED. THEN ADD MORE FLOUR TO KNEAD BY HAND UNTIL SOFT BUT NOT STICKY.

CUT OFF GOLF BALL SIZE AND ROLL OUT ON A FLOURED SURFACE WITH A FLOURED ROLLING PIN. DON'T WORRY IF NOT PERFECTLY ROUND.

BAKE THE TORTILLA OVER MEDIUM HEAT ON A DRY PAN-DO NOT USE OIL.

WHEN TORTILLA BUBBLES UP, (ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS) FLIP OVER AND BAKE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

Makes over 24 tortillas

USE FOR FAJITAS, BURRITOS, WRAPS, SOFT TACOS, QUESIDLLAS...yUm!

Asparagus Parmesan Tart

This is fast and easy.  Grandma couldn't stop eating them - she had 6!

2 T. olive oil

1 shallot, sliced thin

1 pound asparagus, washed, ends trimmed, cut in 1          inch pieces

1 (9 oz.) sheet puff pastry, thawed (there are two in a Pepperidge Farm box)

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.  Heat 1 T. olive oil in sauté pan.  Add sliced shallot and sauté until tender and a little crispy.  Remove from pan.  Add 1 T. olive oil and asparagus and cook over medium-high heat until asparagus is crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

Roll out thawed pastry on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, 10x16-inches.  Pick up the paper and place it in a baking tray.  Prick the pastry all over so that it doesn't puff up in an odd place.

Spread ricotta evenly over the pastry.  Place the sautéed shallot evenly over the ricotta.  Slice the asparagus in 1-inch pieces.  Place on the tart.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the shredded Parmesan cheese evenly over it.  You might want more than 1/2 cup of that!  I have also tried a Romano, Asiago, Parmesan mix and like it even better.

Bake the pastry for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.  Makes 24.

Creamed Eggs on Toast

Grandma always made creamed eggs on toast and I still enjoy them.  It is an easy breakfast and uses what you already have at home.

4 T. butter
4 T. flour
Milk
Salt
6 eggs, hard boiled

In saucepan, melt butter.  Add flour and stir until bubbly.  Add milk to make a medium thick white sauce. Season with salt.   Peel eggs; cut in quarters the long way and then slice and put into the white sauce.  Serve over toast.

Oranges

The best way to get kids to eat citrus.  Slice off the top and bottom of an orange, slice the peel off the sides and cut the orange in slices.  Dan and Stephen eat lots of oranges that way.  It is just a neat little trick.

Bacon Crescents

These disappear as fast as you can bring them out of the oven. A great appetizer.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 T. milk

2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375°.  Mix cream cheese, crumbled bacon, Parmesan cheese, onion, parsley and milk until well blended.

Separate each can of dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.  Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture.  Cut each rectangle into 8 wedges.  Roll up starting at the short end.  Place on a baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.  Makes 32.

The Best Sugar Cookies

These are just so yummy.

1 cup butter – real butter is the only way to go with

         these

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

3 t. vanilla

4 ½ cups flour

1 t. cream of tartar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Cream shortening, butter and sugars.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before rolling out for cut out cookies.  Roll out on a floured tea towel to just under ¼-inch.  Place on baking tray and bake at 375° for 8 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges.  They are better if they are not over cooked.  Makes about 4 dozen medium hearts.

Two times this recipe with just fit in a Bosch mixer if you want to make lots.       
                    

My favorite way to roll out cookies, rolls or pie dough is to put a flour sack towel down.  It catches all of the flour and sticky stuff and makes clean up a snap.

If you don’t want to do cut out cookies, roll these in a ball, dip in sprinkles and place on baking tray with the sprinkles on top.  They are great.