The Award Winning Potato Salad

This is the BEST potato salad in the world.

I would describe it as the bomb-dot-com.

The crunchy celery, the soft potatoes with chewy skin, the wonderful flavor...mmmm

I dare you to find a better tasting potato salad.

I found this recipe on the back of the Best Foods Mayo jar, and have perfected it.

The Award Winning Potato Salad

1 cup Best Foods Mayo (must be Best Foods, no other brand, it just isn't as good)

2 T. vinegar (I like rice vinegar, it's mild and smooth)

1 1/2 t. salt

1 t. sugar

1/4 t. pepper

1 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 T. bacon bits

Mix all together in a large mixing bowl.

Now the next step, clean as many baking potatoes that will fit on a large dinner plate. Does that make sense? Depending on the size of the potatoes you will always have a different number.

Bake the potatoes in the microwave until tender. Cube the potatoes and add to the mayo mixture.

Now the secret: the potatoes must be HOT. The hot potatoes will act as a sponge and soak up all the flavor of the onion, pepper, and celery.

Stir all together and chill in the fridge. Must chill for at least 4 hours. Best if chilled over night.

Like I said, I dare you to find a better recipe...

and if (yes, if) you do, then send it to me.

Best Steak...Ever

Steak, I love it!

Don't really love the price, or the task of taking out a busy two year old.

So want to make a great steak at home for half the price?

You have to start with Stubb's Texas Steak House Marinade. Now Stubb's makes ALOT of different types of marinades and sauces.

From what I've seen (and label read) this is the only marinade that is GF so make sure this is the one you get!

Just follow the directions on the bottle, from the marinading to the grilling, and you will get "the perfect steak".

Yes, see those grill marks? Can't take credit, my husband's amazing at the grill.

It was delicious!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Cheese Blintz

It was my honey's birthday so I make a special breakfast.

It tastes as good as it looks!

This recipe won a Best of Brunch contest, found in Taste of Home April/May '09

Raspberry Cheese Blintz Bake

(this can be doubled and put in a 9x13 pan)

1/4 cup orange juice

3 eggs

1 egg white

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 T. butter, softened

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. vanilla

Dash of salt

Filling:

1 egg yolk

1/2 t. vanilla

1 cup cottage cheese

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. sugar

Topping:

1 12 oz package frozen raspberries, thawed

2 T. cornstarch

3/4 cup orange juice

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Set aside 1 cup of batter; pour remaining batter into a greased 8x8 pan.

For filling, combine the egg yolk, vanilla, cottage cheese, cream cheese and sugar in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Spoon filling over batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. Top with reserved batter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-45 min or until center is just set. (mixture will jiggle). Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

For topping, combine cornstarch and orange juice until smooth; stir in raspberries. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with blintz.

I think next time I make this, I might try a different frozen fruit, such as blueberries or strawberries.

It's fancy, easy and delicious!

Lentils and Rice

This was my first time cooking lentils.

I think it was a spicy success!

It was good meatless, but it would also be very good with chicken.

Mexican Lentils and Rice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup dried lentils, rinse

1 T. chili powder

1 1/2 t. ground cumin

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup salsa

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. white vinegar

2 cups hot cooked brown rice

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.

Add the broth, lentils, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until almost tender.

Stir in the corn, salsa, tomato paste, oregano, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer. Stir in rice and cheese.

It was really good with cooked corn tortillas.

Sticky Chicky

Tried a new recipe tonight from the "Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry" cook book:

Sticky-Chicky.

Delish.

We had it with corn and mashed potatoes. So good, you've gotta try it!

Sticky Chicky

4 chicken breasts

Sauce:

1/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce (I used a GF hickory sauce and it was delightful!)

2 T. soy sauce (double check it's GF)

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. honey

1/2 T. chili powder

1/2 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 T. grated gingerroot

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 t. ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange chicken in pan in a single layer.

Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over chicken. Turn pieces to coat both sides with sauce. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 min, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Carefully pour sauce from pan into a small pot. Bring to a boil over med. high heat. Combine 1/2 T. cornstarch with 1/2 T. water and mix until smooth. Add to sauce. Cook until sauce is bubbly and has thickened, about 1 min. Serve hot chicken with extra sauce on top.

Barbeque Sauce

So tonight's dinner was, let's just say ok...not really a make-again.

But there was a key element, barbecue sauce! Sometimes it is hard to find a good sauce that's GF so here is my old stand by.

You can substitute it into any recipe that calls for bbq sauce.

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T. mustard

1 T. vinegar

2 t. dry minced onions

Mix ingredients together and enjoy!

Southwestern Soup

This is a good spicy soup with a thick sauce, no wimpy broth here.

It's ready in 30 minutes or you can make it ahead of time and put in the crockpot to simmer all day.

Southwestern Soup

1 1/2 cups water

2 (8oz each) cans tomato sauce

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup salsa (this will determine the spicy heat!)

1 t. dried minced onions

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried basil

Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips

Combine the ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve sprinkled with cheese and chips.

If you don't have any store bought chips on hand, it's easy to make tortilla chips.

Using corn tortillas, spray front and back with cooking spray. Sprinkle with lime juice and salt. Cut with a pizza cutter into wedges or slices. Bake on a cookie sheet for 7 minutes, turn over and bake for 5 more minutes or until lightly browned.