Thursday, March 6, 2008

March's Side Dish Mania!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster) - Jenn Barlow
2 cups bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (extra sharp?)
1/4 cup butter
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Combine Bisquick, milk and cheese and mix until soft dough forms, beat vigorously 30 seconds. Drop by heaping tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 8-10 mins or until golden brown. Combine butter and garlic and brush onto baked biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

Potato Salad - Jenn Barlow
8 med potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked until tender
4 hard boiled eggs, cooled and coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onion, minced
3 pickles, coarsely choppedsalt to taste
2 t. prepared mustard
Mayo to cover
2 t. sugar
Mix all ingredients and chill. So easy, and so good, haven't had any leftovers yet!

Scruds - Jenn Barlow
8 med potatoes, peeled and cooked about 20 mins, then cooled
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 med onion, chopped and cooked until translucent (or a bunch of green onions)
3 c. grated cheddar cheesesalt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. milk
2 T. butter
Grate cooled potatoes, mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

Winter Green Salad - Jenn Barlow
1/4 c chopped pecans
2 Tbsp sugar
In a small frying pan over med. heat, stir together until sugar melts and starts to carmelized. Cool on foil.
Romain/Spinach/Green Lettuce (and your favorite)Purple Grapes- cut length-wise
1 pomegranate- cut in 1/2 and break under water to get seeds out
3 Kiwi- peeled, sliced and cut in 1/4s
Mix and add pecans. Place a damp paper towel over salad.
1/4 c oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Whisk and Chill. Toss onto salad right before serving.

Rasberry Jello Salad - Jodi Schwartz
1 bag of frozen or fresh raspberries
1 container of coolwhip
1 box raspberry jello
1 box vanilla cook and serve jello
1 box tapioco jello
Mix the three jello's with 3 cups of water and boil for two minutes. Cool jello mixture completely and then add cool whip and raspberries. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Mushroom Salad - Karen Tucker
1 lb Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 C wine vinegar
1 C Celery, sliced
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 C Green Pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Basil leaves, crushed
1/2 C Onion, chopped
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 C Olive or salad oil
Mix together and let stand in refrigerator for several hours before serving. (I have used Italian or a Balsamic vinegarette instead of making the dressing.)

Wholewheat Bread - Valerie Ereksen
Use fresh ground wheat (I prefer the white wheat)
I use a Mini Bosch mixer with the dough hook.
I also use TWO 5.25” x 9” x 2.75” glass loaf pans. Standard loaf pans will make three loaves.
Dry ingredients:
6 Cups ground wholewheat flour
½ Cup wheat germ
1 ½ Tbs. Instant Yeast (Saf-Instant) Comes in vacuum packed square foil container. Once opened, I put it in a mason jar and keep it refrigerated.
1 Tbs. All Natural Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Dough Enhancer
1/4 Cup Lecithin Granules
½ Cup Wheat Gluten
1/4 Cup fresh ground Flax Seed
½ Cup raw Sesame Seeds
½ Cup raw Sunflower Seeds
2 Tbs. Poppy Seeds
½ Cup chopped or slivered Almonds
Optional - Raisins, walnuts, dried dates, raw pumpkin seeds.
NOTE: Using dough hook, allow all dry ingredients to mix together for a few minutes on low speed.
Wet Ingredients:
Using a 4 Cup measurer, start with ½ Cup hot water. Add to that 1/3 Cup olive oil, 1/3 Cup honey, 1tsp. Vanilla flavoring and 1 tsp. Almond flavoring.
Fill to 3 2/3 Cup with room temp water.
Combined liquids should be between 100 and 110 degrees.
While my mini Bosch mixer is running on slow with the dough hook (1), add liquid slowly. Allow flour to absorb all liquid before turning mixer up to next highest speed (2). Allow dough to kneed for 10 minutes. You want the dough to pull away from sides of bowl. If it is too wet, add small amounts of flour until it is firm enough. If too dry, add small amounts of water until it is at right consistency.
After 10 minutes of mixing, turn dough out on dough board or counter top that has been oiled. Apply olive oil to hands to avoid dough sticking to fingers. Pinch dough in half. Form each half into shape of loaf. (you will have to develop your own technique for that) Place in 2 large or 3 small loaf pans. Allow to rise from 10 to 25 minutes on top of preheated oven away from drafts. Keep an eye on it so it does not raise more than about 1” above top of pan. Place in center of oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn out immediately onto cooling rack and allow to cool.
Because this bread has no preservatives other than the honey, I refrigerate it in plastic bread bags after it has cooled. It can be frozen as well. Notice that this bread is very soft and moist. We love it! Hope you will as well. Any questions - call me at 208-757-1168 or email at vperekson@hotmail.com

Rainbow Pasta Salad - Sarah Smyth
1/2 pkg. rainbow pasta
½ C. Mayo
1/2 C. ham, cubed
¼ tsp. mustard
1/2 C. cheese cubed
½ tsp. sugar
1/8 C. olives
½ -1 TB milk
1/2 tsp. salt or seasoning salt
Chopped vegetables (tomatoes-can be cherry tom., broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.)
Cook, drain, and cool pasta (run under cool water). Mix dressing from mayo, mustard, sugar, salt and ½ TB milk. Thin with the rest of the milk if needed. Pour dressing into pasta. Add rest of ingredients and mix till evenly coated. Salad tastes better if chilled for at least an hour.

Easy Fried Rice - Carin Tatom
*This is a recipe that you can put as much or as little as you like in it! Do it to your own preference, this is just a guideline.
2 cups rice, cooked (it is best used the next day)
2 eggs
3/4 cup chopped ham or sandwich meat
1/2 cup chopped grean onions
Soy Sauce
Scramble the eggs with the meat. Add meat and egg mixture to the rice. Add green onions (you can add them raw or saute them a bit - up to you). Mix rice, meat, eggs and onions together. If you want it hot, then put in a pan and spray lightly with cooking spray - cook on low/medium heat, whle stirring until the desired heat is reached . If you want it cold, leave everything in a large bowl. Pour a little soy sauce at a time over rice mixture, stir, taste it. Put as much or as little soy sauce on as you prefer. (For me, I like the rice a light brown color)