Santa Rosa Rice Salad

I had this gem at a baby shower a couple weeks ago.  It was the perfect Mom's dish: healthy and delicious and light!  I couldn't stop eating it and went straight home, begged for the recipe, and made it and ate the entire thing by myself, it was THAT good!  The dressing is light but tangy, not heavy at all. The snow peas give it the perfect crunch and round it out with a little bitterness.  The chicken gives it body and fills you up and the avocado gives it the perfect cool creaminess.  As you can tell, I am extremely particular about my tastes and textures, and this salad won me over!

SANTA ROSA VALLEY SALAD

 Serves 8

2 boxes Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice, cooked with seasonings

   Juice of 1 lemon

6 chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into pieces

4 - 6 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 - 6 ounces Chinese pea pods, ends removed

2 medium avocados, diced

1 cup chopped pecans (can be toasted)

   Lettuce leaves for garnish

 DRESSING:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a blender.  Cover and refrigerate.

Mix all salad ingredients except avocados and pecans.  Combine with dressing and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.  Before serving, add avocados and pecans and garnish with lettuce leaves.

Note:  May be made the day before.

White trash macaroni salad

I have never liked macaroni salad.  Mostly because they generally have egg in them which is a no no fo me.  But usually they are gloppy messes with weird jiggly things added to them.  

One time, years ago, I had a very simple macaroni salad that I fell in love with.  It has 5 ingredients and couldn't be simpler.  It's also kind of ghetto.  I've never seen it anywhere else, but it's the only kind I've ever eaten and probably ever will eat!  It's not the kind of thing I would ever serve guests because it's silly, but I have a little place in my heart for the only macaroni salad that ever won it.

Cooked salad macaroni

Tiny cubes of sharp cheddar and baby kosher pickles

A big ole scoop of mayo

A super big squirt of yellow mustard

A drizzle of pickle juice

Mix and eat in the secrecy of your own home :)

Cucumber Salad

I LOVE cucumbers!!!

Crunchy, a little sweet, so refreshing.

This is a great dressing, and you can tweak it so many different ways too!

A summer winner, for sure

Corn cakes

I'm a corn lover, and I'd been eyeballing this recipe for a while.  

It was simple and delicious!  The basil added that savory taste that changed the whole meal to the perfect dinner. 

Kerrygold Mac and Cheese

When I saw this recipe, I just happened to remember that for my sister's bridal shower a few months ago, we had bought some Kerrygold cheddar from Costco for the paninis we made.  I knew my mom had saved all the extra slices and put them in the freezer, so I popped over and tried out this recipe.  It was a little funky to make Mac n cheese without a roux, and the sauce seemed really curdly and not smooth and creamy, but in the end, it all came together and it was delicious!  Mostly due to the awesome taste of the Kerrygold.  So nutty and tangy and delicious!

Bang Bang Cauliflower

Jeremy and I took a quick trip to South Carolina and while we were there we stumbled upon a little gem called Bonefish Grill.  I didn't realize it was such a big deal until I started seeing recipes for their house specialty, Bang Bang Shrimp, all over the internet.  It was one of the most fabulous appetizers we've ever had.  I have never cooked shrimp before and I think the farther away from it I stay, the more I'll like it, so when I found this recipe for Cauliflower, I was so excited!  It was every bit as delicious.  I wondered if pan frying the cauliflower raw would cook it all the way through, and it did just perfectly.  It was still nice and crispy and super crunchy from the panko.  The sauce was great too!  Maybe a tad less sugar, but the perfect kick!

Summer Corn Salad

Oh.  My.  I.  Love.  Corn.  And every single other thing about this recipe.  I could literally eat a gallon of it.  It is sooooooo good!

Creamed Corn Gratin

Okay.  This recipe may go down as the All Time Most Successful Holiday side dish ever.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  It.  Was.  Amazing.  Will DEFINITELY be made again, and for many more years.

*Notes: I didn't use whipping cream, I think I subbed half and half and put in half at that.  Also, I ditched the fried onions (no thank you, grease splatters) and just mixed the canned ones from TJ's.  Way easier and just as good