Broccoli Salad

1 or 2 broccoli bunches
1 cup real mayo
1 cup shredded cheese
cooked bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar

Mix broccoli, bacon and cheese.  In a separate bowl, mix mayo, vinegar and sugar.  Adjust to taste.  Pour over broccoli and stir gently.  

Roasted Sausage and Potatoes

Feeds 4-5

2 lbs smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch slices
1 onion, large diced
3 lbs new potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
Salt
Pepper
Season Salt


Preheat oven to 400.  Place diced potatoes onto baking sheet.  Drizzle about 1/4 cup vegetable oil onto potatoes, sprinkle salt, pepper, and season salt onto potatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Stir and check tenderness.  Add sausage and onion to pan.  Continue baking for 15-20 minutes, depending on how tender the potatoes are.

Minecraft Birthday Party

My now 13 year old son wished to have a Minecraft birthday party this year.  So I did what every parent does, go on Pinterest for ideas.  Wow, you can spend LOTS of money and time transforming your house/yard into a Minecraft bonanza.  Since our party was small, I opted to do the simple things and it worked out well.

I did not make the placecards for the food (pretty obvious what they were, at least to the boys).

I branched out and made the little square cakes with white icing.  I used red velvet cake mix, cream cheese icing, and cinnamon dots.

Cole Slaw (without creamy dressing)

This recipe goes great on fish or shrimp tacos, or if you need to cut back on the calories.


1 bag of precut cole slaw mix
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
Diced red bell pepper (optional, for color and crunch)
Juice of one lime
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Mix everything in a large bowl and let stand in fridge for 30 min to an hour for optimal flavor.  Season as needed.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup favorite salsa
1 green onion, sliced
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine and let set up for 30 minutes.  

Sausage with Red Beans and Rice

1 pound mild or spicy smoked sausage, cut up
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
1 can red beans, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper (optional)
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning

Saute onion and bell pepper in a little vegetable oil until almost tender; add garlic.  Add sausage, cook for 5-10 minutes until it lets some of its juicy goodness out.  Then add both beans.  Add up to 1 can of tomato sauce, depending on how much liquid you prefer.  Season with Frank's Red Hot and Tony Chachere's.  Serve over cooked rice with some nice crusty french bread.

Serves 4 

Stromboli

Such an easy, delicious and quick weeknight supper!  My only regret with this recipe is that I did not make two.



1 can Pillsbury pizza dough (I used the thin crust)
Pepperoni
Shredded mozzerella
6 slices of deli salami
6 slices hot capicola
(The ingredients can vary to your tastes;  I might try a sausage and pepper stromboli next time)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Unroll the pizza dough onto a cookie sheet.  I sprinkled some cornmeal on the sheet first, but this is totally optional.  Layer the pepperoni first, down the middle of the dough.  Use as much as you like. :)

Sprinkle mozzerella cheese on top of the pepperoni.  Then layer the salami, then more cheese, then capicola, then more cheese, if you want.

With a pair of kitchen shears, cut the dough into strips and fold over the filling. 

Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a shallow bowl, sprinkle in some italian seasoning and garlic powder.  Brush over the dough.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.  Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.