salad – Page 3 – RefreshHer

Noodle Salad

Happy Monday, friends! I trust your weekend was fabulous! I had a weekend of watching God at work! I can’t wait to tell you about it! Thanks to those of you who prayed for me! I’m so grateful!!

I promised I would share the recipes from the gathering here a week ago, so let’s start with one of the savory dishes! When I was making my menu for my Spring Ladies’ Tea I knew I wanted some kind of salad that was refreshing, pretty and satisfying. Then I saw Pioneer woman make an Asian Noodle salad on her show and knew I’d found what I needed! The original recipe calls for spaghetti noodles, but I wanted to keep the menu to need a “fork only,” so I changed it to pasta shells and I was well satisfied. This is so colorful, and it made a ton! The leftovers were really good, too! You could adjust the vegetables to your family’s liking, of course!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
Salad:
8 ounces thin spaghetti
One 8-ounce bag julienne/fine-cut carrots (about 1 1/2 cups)
One 6-ounce bag baby sweet peppers, seeded and sliced thinly into rings (about 1 cup)
One 4-ounce bag bean sprouts (about 1 cup)
3 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced
3 scallions, sliced
Up to 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 head or more napa cabbage, sliced
1/2 head or more purple cabbage, sliced
1/2 bunch kale, leaves torn off the stalks and shredded
2 cups peanuts, chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped

P.S. I added a bottled Peanut Sauce to the salad for a little heat and we loved it!

For the salad: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti to al dente according to the package directions. Drain, rinse and let cool.
Mix together the cooked spaghetti, carrots, peppers, bean sprouts, cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, napa cabbage, purple cabbage and kale. Add the peanuts and toss together.
For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil and garlic in a medium bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix together with tongs or your hands. If the salad seems a little dry, just mix up a little more of the wet ingredients of the dressing and throw it in. It’s a very organic process.
Transfer to a large platter and serve.

One of the desserts I served that seemed to be a favorite was Key Lime Tarts. I wish I could say they were so complicated and I labored hours over them, but that is not true at all! They were the easiest thing I made!

Key lime tarts 2

I made up my pie crust recipe – 2 Cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 3/4 Cup Crisco, ice water and cut out small circles and baked them in a mini tart pan. (If you need a video tutorial on pie making here’s one I did several years ago) https://youtu.be/d3Wn-4bLdWI

I froze the shells early in the week then on the day of the Tea, I pulled them out and piped into each shell some Key Lime filling I purchased at an Amish Store nearby. It was sooo flavorful and delicious! Then, I whipped up fresh cream with a little powdered sugar added, and piped it onto the top of each tart. I finished by zesting a lime and sprinkling the zest on top! Yummy!

key lime tarts

I failed to get a good picture of tea Tea punch I made, but it was refreshing and simple, so I need to share it with you! The tea was in the punch bowl below!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

3 family-size tea bags

2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1 (33.8-oz.) bottle peach nectar

1/2 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup Simple Sugar Syrup

1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled

1 (1-liter) bottle club soda, chilled

Garnish: fresh peach wedges

Preparation

Hands-on: 10 Minutes

Total: 9 Hours, 5 Minutes

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add tea bags and mint leaves. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes.

2. Discard tea bags and mint. Pour into a 1-gal. container; add peach nectar, lemonade concentrate, and Simple Sugar Syrup. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
3. Pour chilled tea mixture into a punch bowl or pitcher. Stir in ginger ale and club soda just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

My menu also included Chicken Salad, Crackers, Cheese Straws, Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Honey Lemon Drop Cookies (here is my outcome of that recipe).

Oh, I made sugar cookies shaped into tea cups…and promptly left them in the freezer! Do you ever do that?!

With love from my country kitchen,

What did you bring (to the potluck)?

Ever get asked that when you go to a family or church gathering? I think it’s the most popular question! Who cares where you went on vacation or how you’re feeling after having the flu for two weeks? We want to know what you brought that was yummy for us to eat! (Just kidding!)

A great to-go recipe is sometimes just a simple something like an old recipe. That’s what I took to our church’s Friend Day picnic yesterday. I made a salad that I’ve been making for close to thirty years. Sometimes I forget to go back to those old tried and true recipes! What was I thinking for leaving this recipe in the dust? It’s so delicious, so pretty, and it is made the night before!

What is it? It’s the trusty Seven-Layer Salad. Have you ever made it? Has it been in your recipe box forgotten and tucked away? Why not make it for your next gathering or for your dinner one night this week? You can vary the ingredients you add, making it just what you and your family love. I like it, too, because it takes common foods that I usually have on hand. It stays fresh and crispy with the dressing on top. Put it in a clear bowl so each layer will show off its colors!

Seven Layer Salad – Original recipe – Serves 12

1 pound bacon
1 large head iceberg lettuce – rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
In a large flat bowl, place the chopped lettuce and top with a layer of onion, peas, shredded cheese, cauliflower and bacon.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle over salad and refrigerate until chilled.

I did try a new dessert for the picnic…Butterscotch Blondies! I found these in my Cooking Light Baking Cookbook. I seriously don’t miss any of the fat in the “normal” recipe! This is another recipe that has common ingredients .No tofu or agave needed – just less of the normal baking supplies! I love that! These are rich and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside! All they need is a cold glass of milk!

Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 Egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, firmly packed light brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Place butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Pour into a small bowl, and cool 10 minutes.

Combine butter and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Pour butter mixture over flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; smooth top with spatula. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.

Those blonde brownies are a yummy treat! Don’t wait for a special potluck to make them. You need these this week!

Have you made any of your old recipes recently? What was it?

With love from my country kitchen,

Tag: salad

A Spring Tea Menu

Ingredients

What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

What did you bring (to the potluck)?