What's cookin'? - Broccoli Salad with Cooked Dressing

It's so stinkin' hot right now I don't even want to think about being in that hot kitchen!

But, summertime means a lot of eating/cooking outdoors and therefore, cool salads, (ie. PICNIC FOOD!)

I have already made a couple (at my son's graduation party a few weeks ago). Now, with the holiday weekend coming up and the rest of the summer I know I will be making a lot of salads!

Here's a recipe for a dressing that you can use on a couple of different salads. It's called "cooked dressing" and it was given to me by my friend and former colleague Tori E. (the same person that gave me that wonderful recipe for pineapple stuffing!)

I use it on this wonderfully tasty broccoli salad...

I also use it on macaroni salad...

So, let me share with you how to make this versatile dressing first, and then the broccoli salad. 

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Cooked dressing:

• 3/4c sugar

• 1/8c flour

• 1/4c vinegar (white or cider)

• 3/4c water

** Combine above ingredients in a small pot. Stir until smooth.

** Boil together and then cool.

** Add 3/4c mayonnaise and 1/4c yellow mustard (you can always add more mustard or even change to a different mustard if you wish!)

Now your dressing is ready for macaroni, potato or broccoli salad!

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Broccoli Salad:

•  Cook about 4-6 pieces of bacon until crisp.

• Drain on a paper towel and let cool.

• Crumble, then add to a large bowl.

• Cut 1 head of broccoli and 1 head of cauliflower into bite-size pieces.

• After adding these to the large bowl, add:

     • 1/2 chopped onion

     • 2c shredded cheddar

     • cooked dressing

• Mix it all upand refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

What's Cookin'? - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Had this one tonight.

So easy!

So good!

Liked by all!

It's a keeper!

In fact, I like this recipe because you could probably prepare it all ahead of time so it would be easy to put together quickly for a weeknight meal.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells

INGREDIENTS

• 2c shredded cooked chicken

• 2c cooked chopped broccoli, drained

• 1c shredded cheddar cheese

• 1/4c shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1 jar Alfredo sauce (16 oz.)

• 1 1/2-2c jar spaghetti sauce

• 1 box jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS

• Cook chicken and shred with two forks (I always poach mine, see directions below.)

• Cook broccoli according to package, drain

• Cook pasta shells in boiling water according to package directions, drain

• In a large bowl, mix together: shredded chicken, cheeses, broccoli and Alfredo sauce

• Pour tomato sauce into bottom of 13 x 9 casserole dish

• Fill shells with chicken mixture using a spoon (or a cookie scoop makes it easier!)

• Cover pan with foil and bake 35 minutes in a 350° oven.

** How to poach chicken - Whenever a recipe calls for cooked chicken, I usually follow the simple poaching method:

•Put chicken in a pot; add enough water to cover chicken by 1 inch. 

•Over medium high heat, bring water to a boil.

• Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand 20 minutes.

I use this method with any amount of chicken, and I also use it with the frozen breasts that you get in a bag (no thawing needed) and it is always cooked through!

What's Cookin'? - Side Dishes, Side Dishes and More Side Dishes!

 Holy cow!

I've been so busy stamping lately that I haven't really posted any food! 

This blog is, after all, called "A Few of My Favorite Things", which includes stamping and cooking! 

But, since my last food post (on the 5th of May) I have had two stamp clubs, a 2/5/15 class, and I have been very busy making my oldest son's graduation announcements.

Oh, I haven't stopped cooking! I just went on a food-posting hiatus! So, it is my intention to do a few recipes tonight and one every day of this week, since I do not have any stamping events scheduled. (Next week I have another punch class so I will be sure to show off what I have created!)

By the way, that is the new Circle Personalized stamp from Stampin' Up! You can get it made to say anything you want! As you can see, I had it made with his name, school and "Class of 2014". 

You can view the stamp info online by visiting my website. Click "shop" in the upper right-hand corner:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dandyspandy/

Until I post pics from the next punch class (May 28) - I hope you are hungry, because I have a lot to share! My iPhone is inundated with pictures of food! I have to blog so I can delete them and free up some space!

My post tonight will be on side dishes. That way I can squeeze several recipe ideas into one post.

Of course we enjoy (or, at least my husband and I do) the regular side dish of vegetables - steamed, roasted, baked - you name it, I'll make it!  Sometimes it's quinoa, rice, potatoes ...Tonight I will share with you some of the sides that I have made recently. A couple are simple and  a couple are indulgent, with fattening  ingredients.

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Pineapple stuffing

This recipe was shared with me years ago when I was teaching at Dover Area High School. My friend Tori E. made it for a school potluck and I fell in love with it! She was gracious enough to give me her family recipe. Since then I have made it dozens of times - a couple of those times it was Easter, since it pairs especially well with ham!

•1/2c butter

•1/2c sugar

•4 eggs

•one 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (use juice, too!)

•3 c bread cubes

* Cream butter and sugar

* add eggs, mix well

* add pineapple and bread cubes, mix 

* pour into a greased 2 quart casserole,

  Bake 350° for 30 to 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and top is golden brown

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Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Rosemary

It is just as the name implies!

This idea was given to me by my friend Marcia B. I think I make it a little differently than she does only because I misunderstood what she told me in the first place! Regardless, it is fabulous and we love it! 

Until I made this I had never even tasted a parsnip. Now this has become a staple in my arsenal of vegetable dishes.  If you've never had a parsnip, look in the produce section of the supermarket for what looks like a white carrot. My store sells them in convenient bags.

 I love roasting vegetables; it brings out their  sweetness as the sugars rise to the surface and become caramelized.

•Cut carrots and parsnips into "sticks".

•Toss parsnips and carrots with olive oil and kosher salt. (You decide on the amount of vegetables you need)

•Add fresh sprigs of rosemary throughout.

•Roast on 450° for about 20 minutes until soft and caramelized (brown).

Trust me you're going to love it! You'll never pass up a parsnip in the produce section again!

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"Beans and Greens"

This is an old Italian "standby".

I use broccoli rabe (rapini) and cannellini beans. But I bet that you could choose any combo!

•Rinse your greens and remove any tough stems.

• Sauté  in a frying pan with a little olive oil and a some minced garlic. (Sometimes I add 2 tablespoons of butter as well, as I do for a lot of my sautéed Italian vegetables)

• add one can drained cannellini beans

• add 1/2 cup chicken broth

• sook until liquid is absorbed and beans are heated through

• season with salt and pepper as desired

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Broccoli Stirfry with Garlic and Mushrooms

I think my mom invented this one! She's one hell of a cook! 

This has become a beloved dish over the years - even from my boys like it, and they normally don't eat broccoli!

You will need:

• one head broccoli cut into florets, stem cut into 1 inch pieces

• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

• 2 - 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

• 2T olive oil

• 2T butter

• salt, to taste

*Sauté  all in a frying pan on medium-high heat. I do the broccoli first,then add the garlic and the mushrooms, because they take less time to cook.

*Cook until broccoli is soft. Add salt last to taste.

Lately I have been adding about 1T of sesame oil too, for extra flavor. I love the nutty, roasted flavor that sesame oil adds! It seems to give it even more depth.

Enjoy!