Monday, September 14, 2015

Spaghetti Salad

I love this salad, and while the recipe does make a lot, this pasta salad is sure to please your guests.  I do make this salad one day prior to serving, and that's so I can incorporate a bit more of the Italian dressing into the salad.



Spaghetti Salad 

1 pound of uncooked spaghetti (broken into 3rd's) 
 
1 (16-oz.) bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Dressing
 
2/3 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Bottled Dressing   
 
3 Tablespoons McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning
 
Half of 1 red bell pepper, chopped
 
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

 2 large Roma Tomatoes, seeded and cut-up
 
1 cup each, broccoli and cauliflower, cut into small pieces
 
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
 
1 (8-oz.) package Colby-Jack Marbled Cheese, cubed small

1 can (2.25-oz.) sliced black olives, drained

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1.)  Cook the spaghetti, then drain under cold water till the spaghetti is cool.  Drain well.  (I cooked my spaghetti exactly for 12 minutes.)
 

2.)  Marinate the spaghetti over night with the 16-ounces of Italian dressing. 
 

3.)  The next day (or morning), add the remaining ingredients, plus the 2/3's cup of Italian dressing.
 

4.)  Chill the salad several hours in the refrigerator before serving.  4.)  


5.)  Yields: 7 pounds of spaghetti salad  
 

6.) Note: Another really tasty Italian Dressing you can use in place of the Kraft Dressing... Fit & Active Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing (which is sold at Aldi's).

 
........... An additional up-close photo of the salad ...........



An additional photo of McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning.  That I used when preparing this delicious salad.

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Photo of 1 (16-oz.) bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Dressing. 
(I also purchased an additional bottle of the dressing, as I did add an extra 2/3 cup when preparing this delicious salad.)


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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Savory Scotch Meat Loaves

I enjoy these scotch meat loaves with the ketchup glaze on top.  You can make these meat loaves with either ground beef or with ground pork sausage.  I especially enjoy them made with "seasoned" ground pork sausage, which already has salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, and ground sage added as well.




Savory Scotch Meat Loaves 

1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (See *Note)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 lb. ground beef, or ground pork (See *Note)
5 medium size hard boiled eggs, peeled (See *Note)

Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
3 Tablespoons water
1-1/2 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried, crushed, oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon dried, crushed, oregano leaves


1.)  In a mixing bowl, combine the beaten egg, bread crumbs, diced onion, diced green pepper, plus the salt and pepper.


2.)  Add the ground beef or ground pork; mix well.


3.)  Shape equal portions of the meat mixture around each hard boiled egg; completely enclosing the egg.


4.)  Arrange the meat loaves in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.  (If I'm using 90% lean ground beef, I'll lightly grease the baking dish before adding the meat loaves.)


5.)  Bake in a 350ΒΊF oven for 30 minutes.


6.)  While the meat loaves are baking in the oven, prepare the sauce.


7.)  In a bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients.


8.)  Once the meat loaves have baked for 30 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, and discard any excess fat.


9.)  Pour the sauce over the meat loaves, and return the baking dish to the oven.


10.)  Continue baking the meat loaves in the oven for 15 minutes.


11.)  Once the meat loaves are done baking, remove from baking dish and serve immediately.


12.)  Yields: 5 servings.


13.) *Note: Sometimes when I'm mixing up the meat loaves, I'll substitute 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of plain dried bread crumbs for the soft bread crumbs.  I have also made the meat loaves using either 85% or 87% ground beef.  Also, if desired, you can opt to make 4 meat loaves, by just using 4 large size hard boiled eggs, and shaping a 1/4 of the meat mixture around each hard boiled egg.  Arrange the meat loaves in an 8 or 9-inch baking pan, and bake as stated in cooking instructions.  Also, I did want to mention, when it comes to preparing the medium hard boiled eggs, I let the eggs come to a boil in a saucepan of water, I then remove the pan from the heat, cover the pan, and let the eggs sit for 9 minutes.  Afterwards, I place the eggs in cold water (which I also added ice cubes to it), and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.  I then remove the eggs, peel them, rinse them under cold water, and pat them dry with paper toweling before I proceed to make the meatloaves.

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Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup

One day my daughter had given me some of her Yukon Gold Potatoes from her garden.   I then decided I'd quickly  throw a potato soup toge...