Olive Garden Salad

Who doesn't like the never ending salad bowl at Olive Garden? Now you can have it at home anytime you want.

12 oz bag iceberg salad mix

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup pepperoncini whole peppers

½ cup black olives

¾ cup croutons

¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved

DRESSING:

1 packet Italian dressing mix

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbs mayonnaise

⅓ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

Using a whisk, mix all dressing ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Refrigerate at least one hour. Pour ⅔ cup dressing over the salad, toss and serve.

Can be stored in the refrigerator up to three weeks.

Really Good Potato Salad

 I took this to the 2021 Packer Party, and got many compliments.

DRESSING:

2 cups Miracle Whip (not mayonnaise)

1 cup sour cream

½ cup half and half

3 Tbs sugar

3 Tbs mustard

1 Tbs vinegar

¼ c sweet pickle juice

8-10 lbs red potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cut up

½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped onions

¼ c sweet pickle relish

8-10 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Mix Miracle Whip, sour cream, half and half, sugar, mustard, vinegar and pickle juice. Add to WARM, cut-up potatoes, celery, onion, relish, and eggs. Toss lightly with a spatula.

Refrigerate for 1 day before serving.

Au Gratin Potatoes

A dressed up version of scalloped potatoes.

1 med onion, grated

1 ¼ lbs Gruyere cheese (can use a nice Swiss cheese), grated

6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced

Pepper

Paprika

2 Tbs butter

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9x13 dish. Layer half of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and onions. Layer the rest of the potatoes, and top with remaining cheese and onion. Sprinkle with pepper, paprika, and butter. Pour cream overall. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and continue to bake for another 90 minutes or more.

Optional:

Use a round iron skillet and arrange the potatoes in a circle around the pan. 

Bake @400 degrees for 50-60 min.

Calico Beans

I made this for a Packer Party in 2021. It's loaded with all the right things, and not too much sauce.

½ lb bacon

1 lb ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 (15 oz) can lima beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can butter beans

1 can great northern beans

1 can pork and beans

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup ketchup

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 Tbs vinegar

Fry bacon; drain off fat. Brown ground beef with the chopped onion. Set aside.

Drain all the beans except for the pork and beans. Mix together in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Stir in ground beef and bacon.

Pour into a large Pyrex baking dish and bake covered @300 for 2 hours. Stir before serving.

 

Italian Beef Sandwiches

This keeper came from Susan Goulet, my bridge buddy and personal interior decorator.

4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast

2 med onions, chopped

1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix

¾ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp mustard

1 Tbs ketchup

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2-3 pepperoncinis peppers, chopped fine

2 Tbs pepperacini juice

2 cups water

Trim all the fat fro meat and cut into large chunks. Add remaining ingredients. Bake covered for 4 hours @350, or put in a crock pot on low for 8 hours. Stir and add water if necessary while cooking. Pull apart before serving on French type sandwich rolls.

German Spaetzle Dumplings

This is a traditional German dumpling. You can mince a few pieces of bacon in a pan, and heat the cooked spaetzle in the bacon drippings, omitting the butter if preparing the recipe with bacon. I omitted the nutmeg. Not my favorite spice.

1 cup flour

¼ cup milk

2 eggs

1 pinch ground white pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg, optional (I omitted)

1 gallon hot water

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Mix together flour, nutmeg (if using), salt and pepper. 

Press the dough through a spaetzle maker or large metal grater. Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5-8 minutes. Drain well.

Sauté cooked spaetzle in butter. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Honey Baked Ham

I made this along with a small turkey Thanksgiving 2021.

10-12 lb shank portion ham (I used a butt)

3 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Remove the skin and most of the excess fat from the ham. Leave a small layer of fat to render while the ham bakes. You can score the ham and stud with whole cloves if desired.

Put in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake @325 degrees for about 2 hours until heated through.

While ham is baking, make the glaze. Mix mustard, brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon together.

During the last 45 minutes of cooking time, spread the glaze over he top of ham. Return to oven, uncovered, and continue baking for the 45 minutes. 

Let the ham rest before slicing thinly to serve.

The Ultimate Garlic Bread

Hands down, this is our favorite garlic bread so far. Tastes just like one served at a popular Italian restaurant out in the desert. I use an Italian unsliced loaf, rather than the French loaf called for. It's just chewier, but Im sure a French loaf would be equally good. The bread I use is from Aldi's grocery store. I usually double the recipe to keep some on hand. It keeps quite awhile in the refrigerator, and is easy to soften to room temperature for the next time.

1 loaf French or Italian bread, unsliced 

½ cup butter, softened

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Slice the bread in half lengthwise, placing each piece on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, olive oil, basil, oregano, parmesan, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spread the butter in a generous, even layer on each half of the bread. Broil until it just starts to brown. Watch closely so it doesn't burn. 

Southwest Green Chili Cornbread

This yummy recipe came from my friend Barbara Reed. 

It is served at The Boulders Resort in Carefree, AZ.

1 cup utter

¾ cup sugar

4 eggs

½ cup diced green chilies

1 ½ cups cream style corn

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow corn meal

2 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs slowly, one at a time. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

Pour into a well buttered 9" square pan. Bake @325 degrees for approximately 1 hour.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

These are very syrupy, more than I care for, but the grandkids really liked them at our Thanksgiving dinner 2021. So I shall include them for their future use.

2 lbs peeled and thickly sliced sweet potatoes or yams

1½  sticks butter

1¾ cups light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ t nutmeg

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the potatoes in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small saucepan. Whisk while heating until the butter is melted and mixture is combined.

Pour over the potatoes and mix until thoroughly coated.

Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish. Cover with foil and bake @375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and toss the potatoes to redcoat them. Return to oven and bake until tender, possibly 45 minutes depending on how thick your slices are.

                                                   

Green Bean Casserole (No Cream of Mushroom Soup)

I have not made a green bean casserole for Thanksgiving in years, because I don't much care for cream of mushroom soup. But I found this recipe and thought I would give it a chance. I omitted the nutmeg the recipe called for, as nutmeg has a limited use in my recipes and this wasn't one of them. My future grandson-in-law raved about it. So here it is, Michael, just for you.

½ lb bacon, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half and half

½ t black pepper

¼ t nutmeg (I omitted this)

3 (15 oz) cans French style green beans, drained

1½  c French fried onions

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crispy. Do not drain the grease.*

Stir in flour until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté very lightly. You must not let it burn, which it does quickly. Pour in chicken broth, half and half, pepper, and nutmeg, if using. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Combine green beans and bacon mixture. Pour into a lightly buttered 9x13 Pyrex pan. 

Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle with French fried onions over the top. Return to the oven for 5 minutes before serving.

*To reduce the amount of fat in this recipe, you can use just 2 Tbs of bacon grease, draining the rest.

Creamiest Mashed Potatoes

Made this for Thanksgiving 2021 and everyone loved them. We like a few lumps in our mashed potatoes, so I did not whip them completely. Obviously if you prefer them real creamy you will follow the directions on the recipe.

5 pounds russet or gold potatoes (I used gold)

8 cups water  

2 chicken bouillon cubes

½ cup butter

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

¾ cup buttermilk

1 t salt, or to taste

Peel and rinse potatoes. Cut into uniform chunks. Place potatoes into a large pot. Add water and bouillon cubes. Potatoes should just be covered with water.

Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce medium heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Do not over-cook them. Strain the liquid and put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the butter to the buttermilk and heat until butter is melted. Add the softened cream cheese.

Pour into the bowl of potatoes; add salt. Use a hand mixer and whip until light, fluffy, and creamy (3-5 min).

Note: The potatoes can be kept warm up to 4 hours before serving, by putting them in a crock pot on low setting. Or you can put them in a covered Pyrex bowl over a pot of simmering water. Be very cautious not to let the pot of water run dry.