Showing-off Potato Salad

You know those times when you have to bring something along to a BBQ or Pot Luck?  Well, M. Cook, you’re not the only one who all of the sudden becomes the gourmet chef.  How could I possibly bring my 5-ingredient-wonder to a food fest, when my personal character is being judged on such?  THIS is the real deal, my friends: It is waiting to be the show off of the table.

Have I mentioned that this baby also tastes divine?

I give you, The Showing-Off Potato Salad (I made that up – do you like it? )

Ingredients:

  • 8 small sweet gherkins
  • 6 potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled until just cooked
  • 4 eggs, boiled and peeled
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 stalk celery

Dressing:

  • 1.5 c mayonnaise (the real stuff, people, none of this ‘Salad Dressing’ nonsense)
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp gherkins pickle juice
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 Tbsp celery seed
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Instructions:

1.  Take an hour or two cutting that HUGE list of ingredients into tiny bits so it looks pretty.  Or you could use one of those cool manual chopper thingy’s.  (I’d totally be willing to review a chopper thingy.  Just sayin’.)

2.  Stir up the salad dressing.

3.  Toss together (be sure to bring some cute little red bits to the surface so it looks oh-so-pretty)

NOTE:  for the love of all things good – don’t smother it in paprika like your mama used to do!

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Recipe: Pulled BBQ Pork

This is my absolute favorite barbecue sauce, and it doesn’t even need Worcestershire sauce, which is a huge bonus for us gluten-free Canadians!

Mix together sauce:

  • 1/2 c. chili sauce
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/3 c. white vinegar
  • 1 c water
  • 4 Tbsp mustard powder

Pour over 1lb pork tenderloin, cook in slow cooker for 2 – 4 hours.  If you have more time, use ‘low’ heat, if you have less time, use ‘high’ heat.  Either way, it gets sooo tender and juicy, then pull apart with 2 forks.  And serve over gluten free dinner rolls (we prefer English Muffins) with a side of coleslaw.

Absolutely DIVINE!!

Tangy Pork Tenderloin – Diet Friendly

This would work beautifully wrapped in foil and barbecued too!

You’ll need:

  • 1 lb tenderloin
  • 1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 c. chopped onion (approx.)
  • 4 g. splenda
  • 1/4 c. water

It couldn’t be easier! Check it out:

  1. Combine all ingredients except the tenderloin, and stir until sweetener is dissolved.
  2. Place tenderloin in oven-safe dish and bake at 350° or barbecue meat and simmer the sauce over low heat.
  3. Cook until internal temperature reaches 160 – approx 20 minutes for the overn, and less for the BBQ.

And, friends, I SWEAR I took pictures.  I remember taking pictures, because the juice stained the meat a funny pink color!  But alas, they were eaten by the mean picture-eaters.   But in my searching I found this:

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Now you’re laughing so hard you won’t even notice the missing pic.  Plus, that there’s some good advice!

Weight Watchers Points:  4oz meat, and 1/4 cup sauce = 4pts.

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BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

One of my favorite lunches!

Ingredients (for 4 quesadillas):

  • 4 small brown-rice tortilla wraps
  • 2 Sl BL chicken breasts, sliced thin
  • 1/4 each: green, red bell peppers, and onino, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp Kraft Original BBQ Sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • salsa & sour cream, if desired

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Directions:

  1. Stir fry veggies and chicken over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp EV Olive Oil 5-7 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in center
  2. add garlic 1 minute before end of cooking, and turn heat down to low, simmer, being careful not to burn garlic.
  3. Remove from heat, add bbq sauce and stir.
  4. Lay out each wrap on baking sheet. On one half of the wrap, layer 1/4 of the chicken and 1/4 of the cheese.  Fold the empty half over top like a calzone.
  5. Repeat for all wraps.
  6. Bake on 400° for 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted.
  7. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Apricot BBQ Pork Tenderloin

I made this last week, and lost the scribbled note on the ingredients that I used!  Drat!  So here’s what I remember, if you give this a try, let me know how it goes!  I’ll confirm this next time I make this dish.  It was VERY yummy.  We ate it up, and the kids wanted more.  This idea was sprung from tons of recipes on RecipeZaar pairing fruit with pork, and my over-abundance of dried apricots.  Using up old stuff – isn’t that where the best recipes come from?  lol

  • 3/4 cup packed dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon (enough to make 1 cup broth)
  • 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite – I used original Kraft)
  • approx 2 lbs pork tenderloins
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  1. Place all ingredients into casserole dish or roaster, except the pork, and mix.
  2. Sear the pork in frying pan over med-high heat.  A few minutes on each side.
  3. Place pork on top.  Baste.  And cook.  Covered for 1 hour 350°F.  And then uncovered for 1/2 hour or so.

Serve with hot rice, veggie and salad!  Yummmmmmy.

I’m sick of bland!

I’m getting sick, sick, sick of skinless boneless chicken breast!  I mean, hubs does a fantastic job of grilling it perfectly, seasoned with garlic and rosemary, melt in your mouth, cut with a fork, type of SL BL Chicken breasts.  But enough already!  There’s got to be SOMETHING out there that is healthy and DIFFERENT!

I’m trying  a couple different seasonings this week:

  1. There’s always the good old fashioned lemon pepper, and lemon juice.  Toss with a bit of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and you’re good.  But I dislike lemon a lot.
  2. BBQ – now there’s a flavor I like.  Kraft Original BBQ sauce, and Kraft Light BBQ sauce are gluten free, and tasty.  For steaming veggies, dilute a tablespoon or so of bbq sauce with a tablespoon of chicken bouillon and add 1/2 cup of water.  Shake together, and “steam” the veggies in the liquid in the microwave.
  3. Italian – My personal favorite.  We’re talking garlic, rosemary, oregano, and basil.  Yummy.  Fresh garlic adds a great yum factor to potatoes.  I use Italiano pre-mixed seasoning from Club House.  Cheating, I know.  But EASY.  :)
  4. Mexican – do people really like this?  Apparently this is popular in some parts.  hehe  See the taco seasoning recipe here.  And then add this seasoning, or chopped canned green chili’s to veggies and bake ‘em!