Spinach Salad with Cranberry Vinegarette

When I visited the beautiful city of Seattle with my son, he took us to meet many of the people he worked with while on his mission.  One awesome family fed us a yummy dinner.  My favorite thing on the menu and the only thing I can remember was this Spinach Salad.  My son made sure I got the recipe.  Whenever I make this salad I remember the great family that broke bread with us and the great time we had.

Ingredients:

Dressing
4 T rice wine vinegar
1½ t Dijon mustard
¼ t pepper
½ cup canola oil
4 T cranberry juice concentrate
Salad
8 cups spinach
1 avocado
½ cup red onion thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
OR
½ cup dried cranberries

Clam Dip

Chips and Dip!  What celebration doesn't include chips with some kind of dip?  This dip recipe is a big hit at my parties.  You can spice it up by how much horseradish you put in the dip.  Add more horseradish than suggested for a spicier dip and less if your not so much a horseradish fan.  It is guaranteed when my daughter brings the dip it will be on the spicy side. 

Ingredients:

2 cans minced clams
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. horseradish
2 Tbs. dried minced onion

Cheeseball

The holidays are right around the corner.  This year is the ON year, meaning all the kids will be home for Thanksgiving.  What a great time of year!  My son says it is his favorite holiday because it includes Family, Food, and Football.  I don't really know in what order.  One  recipe that is sure to be made during the holidays in our home would be this cheeseball recipe that has been handed down from my husband's mother.  It is served with crackers of all sorts. 

Ingredients:

16 oz. cream cheese
1 small bottle sharp cheese
1 small onion minced
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 pkg. Hidden Valley bleu cheese mix
walnuts chopped

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together except the nuts.  Form into two balls and cover with nuts.

Baked Rigatoni

When I looked in the cupboard and saw a huge bag of rigatoni I thought I should use some of that for Sunday dinner.  I started looking for recipes that included the ingredients that sounded delicious to me.  Of course sausage and rigatoni had to be the biggest players.  I couldn't settle on one recipe so I combined a few together.  It turned out just how I wanted.  For me, the very best part was the toasted Parmesan and asiago cheese on top! 

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 lb. rigatoni pasta

24 oz. spaghetti sauce

1 roasted red pepper chopped

½ onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cup mushrooms sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup mozzarella cheese grated

½ cup Parmesan cheese grated

½ cup asiago cheese grated

 

Directions:

 

Cook pasta until almost tender.  While pasta is cooking, fry sausage in large pot.  When sausage is no longer pink, remove from pot. Add onions, cook until translucent.  Add garlic, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, cook until mushrooms are limp.  Add sausage back into the pot along with the basil and cooked pasta.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Place mixture in a baking dish.  Top with cheeses.  Cover and bake 45 minutes at 350˚.  Uncover and broil for the last 15 minutes to toast the cheeses.

Baked Spaghetti

When my daughter told me about this recipe I was leery.  I had never considered having tomatoes and cream of mushroom soup in the same dish.  Well, I did give it a try.  Loved it!  It was a keeper.  The best part is you can make ahead and it is easy to put together.  I think I love the make ahead dishes better.  I hate the rush of getting everything to finish cooking at the same time and on the table.  I like the relaxed dinner that I just have to pull out of the oven and refrigerator .

Ingredients:

1 cup Onion chopped

1 cup Green Pepper chopped

1 cup Mushrooms chopped

1 Tbs Butter 

20 oz Tomatoes with liquid cut up

1 can Olives sliced

2 tsp Oregano

1 lb Ground Beef browned

12 oz Spaghetti cooked and drained

2 cups Cheese grated

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

¼  cup Water

¼  cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

Melt butter in frying pan, sauté onions, green pepper, and mushrooms.  Add tomatoes, olives, and ground beef, simmer 10 minutes uncovered. Place ½  of the spaghetti in baking dish.  Top with ½  of the vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle with ½  of the cheese.  Repeat.  Mix soup and water until smooth, pour over casserole.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Strawberry Salad

I am always on the lookout for great salads.  If I can't have dessert for dinner then a salad would be my next choice.  This salad recipe was handed out at Relief Society after a Stake Relief Society dinner.  I didn't taste it at the meeting but the strange sounding dressing caught my eye.  It is very easy to make and best eaten right after the dressing is poured on.

Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

Romaine Lettuce or Spring Mix
2 cups Strawberries sliced
1 pkg Bacon fried and crumbled
1 cup Cashews
¼ Purple Onion sliced or chopped

Dressing:

2 cups Mayonnaise
⅓ cup Half & Half
3 Tbs Raspberry Jam
¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar or Raspberry Vinegar
⅓ cup Sugar
Poppy Seeds

Caramel Bugles

My daughter introduced me to these Caramel Bugles.  They are better then caramel popcorn and much like Lays potato chips, you can't eat just one!  It doesn't matter if the caramel get too hard or if the caramel is too soft they are still delicious.  Even Goldie Locks wouldn't complain.

Caramel Bugles

Ingredients:

1 cup Light Corn Syrup
2 cups Brown Sugar
1 cup Butter
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 lg bag Bugles

Directions:

Bring to boil for 5 to 6 minutes.  Pour over bugles and stir carefully until the caramel is covering all the bugles.