Italian Dressing Mix

Ingredients:

1 TBSP garlic salt
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp.dried basil
1 TBSP dried parsley
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1-2 TBSP salt

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Store in a tightly sealed container.
To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 TBSP water, and 2 TBSP dry mix.

Chinese Noodle Casserole

This was new, fun, and easy. I'm not always a huge fan of casseroles, but I would definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can sliced mushrooms (I used fresh!)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chicken noodle soup (optional...did not try this!)
3 TBSP. soy sauce
1 cup frozen peas or broccoli
2 cups roasted chicken, diced (I used 1 cup leftover grilled, marinated chicken thighs)
Chinese noodles (Lo Mein--crispy)

Directions:
Sauté onion, celery and mushrooms in large frying pan until tender. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1/2 cup water and 3 TBSP soy sauce. Add 1 cup frozen peas or cut up broccoli and simmer 5 min. Add chicken, and two handfuls of Chinese noodles. Put in casserole dish and cover with Chinese noodles. Bake at 350 F for 30 min.

Sweet Potato Potato Salad

Lately, my recipe experiments have been mainly flops. :( I was so excited to finally find one that I WAS excited about! I lovelovelove this recipe! It makes the perfect potato salad. Seriously.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes (I used large new potatoes)
1 sweet potato (I used yellow)
4 eggs
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped (I just tossed in some green onion)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (or a bit less)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; cool, peel and chop.

Combine the potatoes, eggs, celery and onion.Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture, toss well to coat. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Raspberry Jell-O/Applesauce

The last post made me think of this one...another winner from my childhood.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
Raspberry Jello pkg.
2 cups applesauce

Directions:
Boil water. Dissolve Jell-O. Mix in 2 cups of applesauce. Refrigerate to set.

Strawberry Tapioca

Can you tell it's Strawberry season? (Unfortunately...it'll be over soon). This was a side dish my mom would make often when I was a kid. I think it's tasty enough for a dessert!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/3 cup minute tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, crushed
1 cup whipped topping (optional)

Directions:
Boil water, tapioca, and sugar until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from stove. Add strawberries. Cool and serve with topping.

Strawberry Pie

I got this recipe from our school's secretary. She claimed it was so easy to make, yet it looks so fancy! For some reason, pies really intimidate me, so I might be easily impressed...but this is delicious!! It's the perfect time of year as strawberry season winds down.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP. cornstarch
1/5 cups water (in small pan)
3 oz. pkg. strawberry Jell-O
4 cups strawberries, sliced
9 inch baked pie shell (Eilene used Keebler graham cracker--the one that serves an extra piece)
cool whip/whipped cream

Directions:
Mix first three ingredients in saucepan and cook until mixture is thick and clear. Remove from heat and stir in Jell-O. Fill a 9-inch bake pie shell with 4 cups strawberries and pour the mixture over the berries. Chill for several hours. Top with whipped cream just before serving (I think Eilene covered the entire thing in cool whip:) )