A Favorite Community Meal

Last week was another Community LinC meal, the community meal that our volunteer organization provides twice monthly to anyone who wants to come for food, fellowship, and faith-based connections. This menu of bbq shredded chicken sandwiches, pasta salad, cowboy beans and assorted desserts was my favorite so far! We were preparing for a crowd, but these recipes are easy ones to prepare at home also.

Barbecue Shredded Chicken

Our preparations included 40 pounds of chicken, but we were serving about 120 plates. There are no exact measurements for this preparation.
Chicken breasts - remove visible fat and cut into thirds, layer in slow cooker, roaster or casserole pan
add a layer of sliced onions
cover with barbecue sauce
Bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours, until done (chicken internal temperature should be 165 degrees)  and tender. In a slow cooker that would be about 5-6 hours. Shred and serve on buns.

Diners are greeted with a smile
and a plate of hot food.

Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is easy to make in large or small amounts  

The great thing about pasta salad is it is so versatile. You can include what ingredients you like for the preparation. For our Community LinC meals we used tri-colored rotoni pasta, sliced olives, diced bell peppers,  chopped red onions, chopped carrots and chopped celery. Italian salad dressing from the bottle was mixed with the pasta and vegetables - instant pasta salad!

The littlest helper enjoys a taste

Here's another recipe for Pasta Salad that I made for a church funeral dinner last week. The dressing is a little different for this, mixing mayonnaise with Italian salad dressing to made a creamier dressing. The cherry tomatoes made a colorful salad.

Italian Pasta Salad

1 ½ cup uncooked spiral pasta

1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

½ cup chopped sweet red pepper

½ cup chopped green pepper

3 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

1 cup zesty Italian salad dressing

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

⅓ cup cubed provolone cheese

1 can (2-¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water and drain. Place in a large bowl; add vegetables. Whisk together the salad dressing and mayonnaise until well blended. Add cheeses and dressing to pasta mixture and gently stir in. Refrigerate a few hours before serving.  

Salsa - the New Catsup

Several years ago Salsa overtook Catsup as the number one selling condiment in the U.S. We all like some sort of salsa, and there are many, many different types ranging from sweet fruit salsas to very spicy pepper mixtures. Most popular salsa recipes are based on chopped tomatoes with a variety of peppers added for heat.
Last week I attended a food preservation workshop by K-State Research and Extension that was very helpful and interesting. The session included hands-on chopping, cooking and canning as well as instruction by a K-State food specialist. We all came home with new recipes and a few jars of product.

One thing to remember about home canning is that it is not the time to be creative! Use USDA approved recipes; ingredient substitutions can vary the acidity level which would affect the preservation method to use. Most tomato and fruit products can be water bath processed, which I think is the easiest. A big pot or the traditional blue enamal canner filled with enough water to cover the jars and other basic equipment is all that is needed. The recipes from USDA and land-grant Universities like K-State have been tested to be safe for this method. Making up your own salsa recipe to water bath process is too risky. You could pressure can it, but you might find the tomato and pepper products overcooked and too soft for you preference. Another option is to freeze the salsa. Be sure to allow headspace for expansion in the jars and use freezer quality containers for best results.
Here's the recipe that was used in the workshop:

Fiesta Salsa (4 pints)

7 cups chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes
2 cups chopped, seeded, peeled cucumbers
2 cups chopped and seeded banana peppers
1 cup sliced green onion
½ cup chopped, peeled, roasted Anaheim peppers
½ cup chopped jalapeño peppers
¼ cup minced cilantro
3 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cider vinegar or bottled lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
Procedure:
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process in boiling-water canner according to recommended methods. Processing time for pints is 20 minutes for altitudes above 1000 feet (Greenwood County is just above that).

My recipe alterations due to personal tastes and
ingredients on hand made me decide to freeze this
batch of salsa. I can taste the goodness of
next winter's soups already!

A good source for information on how to process foods by water-bath or pressure and also for freezing or drying is K-State's Research and Extension's Rapid Response website:http://www.rrc.ksu.edu/p.aspx?tabid=18. In fact, I have this site bookmarked on my computer as a resource for many questions.

My favorite recipe for Fresh Salsa is also from a K-State source, the Fix it Fresh collection of recipes. It isn't suitable for canning but is quick to fix and very tasty!

Fresh Salsa with Black Beans (8 servings)

½ cup corn, fresh cut off the cob or frozen

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup diced fresh tomatoes (or a can of good-brand diced tomatoes)

½ cup diced onion

½ cup diced green sweet bell pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 cloves chopped garlic

½ cup picante sauce

Instructions:

If using fresh corn, cook it as desired. If using frozen corn, let it thaw. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or more to allow flavors to blend. Serve cold with low fat baked tortilla chops of with baked potatoes or baked meat, fish or chicken. Cover and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. 

BLT Chopped Salad

Recipes are often passed down from one generation to another. I'm lucky to have a daughter that shares my love of food, and cooking, so often recipes are passed 'up', from her to me. We adapted this recipe she'd found on Pinterest for a Saturday lunch last weekend when I was visiting her. It was easy to make and we did a few changes according to what was in the refrigerator. (I think the secret to the tasty flavor is the bacon!)

BLT Chopped Salad

Ingredients (for 2 servings)                                                

2 cups assorted lettuce and fresh spinach, chopped
8 or so grape tomatoes
2 slices thick-cut bacon, fried and crumbled
½ cup sweet corn (we used frozen)
1 avocado, chopped (you could reduce this some, but what do you do with part of an avocado left?)
2 oz. feta, crumbled

Dressing:
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 lime, juiced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions: In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients except bacon and feta; toss together. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Toss to coat. Divide into serving bowls; top with crumbled bacon and feta.

Here's my salad garden at home - on my deck!

Spring = Strawberries + Spinach

Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of summer, but this year's holiday came so early in the month, I'm still calling it spring! Our family's lunch gathering after the two-county cemetery tour was a good meal for spring or summer. Juicy hamburgers (from Stephens' beef, of course), potato salad, baked beans, salad and dessert. I contributed the salad and dessert. It was a chance to make the yummy Coconut Cream (with ice cream) Dessert (blog of June 2, 2012) that I only make for a special occasion because it is so good we would eat it all.
The salad was a new recipe for me and was well liked. Strawberries and fresh spinach are fresh spring flavors that brought a lightness to the meal. I read that eating a serving of strawberries 3 times a week can lower a woman's risk of heart attack by over 30%. With that in mind, I should be heart healthy this spring.

Strawberry Spinach Salad          

Salad was almost gone by the time I took the pic!

Dressing Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
½ cup white sugar
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salad Ingredients:
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
¼ cup almonds, blanched and slivered (I used sliced)

Directions: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Refrigerate 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
Since this was a 'take and eat later' salad, I waited until serving time to add the dressing to the spinach and strawberries, then sprinkled the almonds on top.

Fruit Dip and Paint

  Recently a fun social evening found several members of our P.E.O. chapter painting and eating - two favorite activities. In spite of claims that we were not artistic, each produced a lovely acrylic painting on canvas of "Happy Flowers". We were Happy Friends that night (maybe the wine helped with that and with our artistic endeavors). Fruit with dip, crackers and cheese, and a few other munchies with lots of visiting make the evening complete.
The dip was as easy to make as the painting! And (hurray!) I had all the ingredients, all 3 of them! My web search brought me to Iowa Girl Eats food blog, and this claimed to be the "best fruit dip ever" from an 'antique' cookbook of the early 1980's
.

Best-Fruit-Dip-Ever

7 oz jar of marshmallow creme
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

Microwave the marshmallow creme until it is smooth. Soften cream cheese to room temperature and add to marshmallow creme. Drizzle in thawed orange juice concentrate. Whisk until smooth. Have lots of fruit ready to dip because you'll want to eat this by the spoonful! Remember, the fruit is the healthy part of this snack.

Brown-and-Serve Dinner Rolls

Yesterday was my turn to co-hostess the local women's Extension group. That meant taking the meat and bread for the covered dish meal. It was a good time to try the new recipe developed by Cindy Falk, Nutrition Educator at the Kansas Wheat Commission, for Brown-and-Serve Wheat Dinner Rolls. These rolls can be shaped in a variety of ways to make pan rolls, cloverleafs, snipped rolls, or bow knots. The best part is that they can be made ahead then just before serving popped in the over to finish browning and heat. Presto - hot, fresh rolls!

Brown-and-Serve Wheat Dinner Rolls     

3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 (¼ oz.) packages instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 ½ cups low-fat milk
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup (1 stick) margarine or butter
2 large eggs, beaten
6 cups bread flour, divided

With 9 cups of flour and 10 minutes of kneading,
this was a workout!

1. In large mixer bowl, mix white whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt.
2. Heat milk, water and margarine to very warm (120 - 130 degrees). For best results, check liquid temperature with a thermometer.
3. Add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl. Add eggs and 2 cups bread flour; beat 2 minutes, scrapping bowl. Gradually mix in enough additional bread flour to make a soft dough.
4. Knead on lightly flour surface or with dough hook 10 - 12 minutes. Cover dough; let rest 10 minutes.
5. Shape dough as desired; suggestions at bottom. Cover rolls; let rise in a warm (80 - 90 degrees) place until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. To check if dough has doubled, press tip of finger lightly into side of roll, If indention remains, the dough is doubled.
6. Preheat over to 300 degrees. Bake rolls 20 - 25 minutes, or until rolls are set and they are just starting to change color Cool rolls in pans or on baking sheets 15 minutes. Remove rolls to wire rack; cool completely.
7. Place rolls in sealable bags, label and date. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week or in freezer up to 1 month.
8. To serve: if frozen, defeats rolls at room temperature, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place rolls on cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 - 15 minutes.

I made simple pan rolls

To shape rolls divide into 1 ½ ounce pieces, then shape. This recipe makes about 48 rolls.
Pan rolls: Shape into 1-inch balls.  Place smooth-side up in greased pan.
Cloverleaf rolls: Divide each 1 ½ oz. piece into thirds. Shape each into a small smooth ball. Place 3 balls in each greased medium muffin cup.
Snipped rolls: Form into smooth balls. Place in greased muffin cups. With kitchen scissors, snip balls of dough in half almost to bottom, then into quarters.
Bow Knots: Roll each piece into a 9-inch rope. Tie in loose knot begging careful not to stretch dough. Place on parchment lined baking sheets.

The Tables were set - with Salads

Its Salad Season this spring. Many of the groups I attend are having salad luncheons and Saturdays was one of the most special. Each spring a team of women coordinate a Relay for Life Cancer Benefit lunch and style show. Mmmm - good food, close friends, and neat clothes; what a way to spend a Saturday.

Several hostesses planned table settings and decorated tables for eight with their own place settings, table covers, and centerpieces. There were even prizes for the ones with the most favored votes. I chose to set with friends from church at the Country Gardens table. Three long buffet tables of salads tempted us to taste each. There was even time to shop the clothes from the style show!
To help support the effort, I offered a salad. After several take-a-salad events, I was looking for a new recipe. This is one I'll use again, I brought I bit of it home, and it didn't last long.

Creamy Grape Salad       

I brought this much home, it was quickly eaten!

Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 pounds seedless red grapes
2 pounds seedless green grapes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
Directions: 
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until blended. Add grapes and toss to coat.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans just before serving.
Yield: 21 - 24 servings