Dill Pickle Salad (a.k.a. Ham Pickle Roll Up Salad)

One of my favorite thing about summer is cold salads. And, if you know me at all, you know my love for dill pickles. This salad combines the best of both worlds, and by adding ham it becomes a meal.

1/2 lb. dry shell pasta

3/4 c. sliced dill pickles

2/3 c small cheddar cheese cubes

1 Tbsp. dried dill

3/4 c. cubed ham

1/2 c. pickle juice (to marinate noodles)

Dressing:

2/3 c. mayonnaise 

1/3 c. sour cream 

4 Tbsp. pickle juice

Boil pasta to al dente according to the directions on the box. Run under cold water to stop cooking. (At this point I like to let mine sit for a bit to air dry). Once rinsed, toss with 1/2 c. pickle juice and let sit for approximately 5 minutes. Drain again and discard pickle juice. Combine all dressing ingredients and stir well. Toss in remaining ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Saucy Chicken and Noodles

With things going on I have used my crockpot quite a bit this week.  It’s been fun trying some new recipes too.  We decided supper tonight was a keeper.  Hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into chunks

1/2 c. butter

Packet of dry Italian dressing mix

2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup

8 oz. cream cheese with chives

16 oz. fettuccine noodles

In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in dressing mix and soup.  Mix in cream cheese.  Heat through but do not boil.

Place chunks of chicken in your crockpot and pour sauce from pan over top.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  

Prepare noodles as directed on package. Place noodles on your plate and serve saucy chicken over top.  Some Parmesan cheese on top would be good too.

Al a Carte Cookies

Growing up in Windom at lunch we had an al a carte window where we could purchase extras outside of the regular lunch lines.  I think the cookies with pink frosting, which generally ran off the cookie, were my favorite. I found this recipe and added some red food coloring to the frosting and it brought me right back.

2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.*  Bake 8 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheet for a couple minutes and remove to wire rack. Frost when cool with vanilla buttercream frosting.

*I used a cookie scoop and mine turned out fairly small. I think you might be able to make them a little larger and adjust the cooking time a couple minutes.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp. milk
4-5 drops red food coloring

In a bowl mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and one tablespoon milk. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable.  Stir in 4-5 drops red food coloring.  If frosting is too thick beat in a little more milk, a few drops at a time.  I like my frosting a little thicker so they set up nicely for stacking during storage, if they last that long.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Corn and Broccoli Bake

Last night I tried out a new recipe to accompany our oven-baked pork chops.  This corn and broccoli bake received better reviews than the pork chops.  It is definitely a keeper. And, anything that you can do ahead to make meal time simpler is a plus. Throw in a slow cooker liner and cleanup is a breeze.

16 oz. frozen corn, thawed
16 oz. broccoli florets, thawed
4 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk

Place liner in slow cooker. Spray with cooking spray. Place corn, broccoli and cheeses in slow cooker and stir to combine. In a small bowl mix together soup and milk.  Pour soup mixture over vegetable and cheese mixture. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Give it a quick stir before serving.

BBQ Baked Beans

I know it has been awhile again since I shared a recipe, but I couldn’t pass this one up. Plus it makes it much easier when you have all your favorites in one spot. This was a great addition to our ribs this evening.

1 large can Bush’s baked beans (Country style are our favorite)
1/4 c. BBQ sauce

1/4 c. bacon bits (real) or crumbled bacon
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Crockpot Rice Pudding

One of the new recipes I tried this week was a rice pudding recipe that I had seen floating around Facebook. Well, it wasn't what I was hoping it would be. My mom found a different recipe and had much better luck than I did. Here is her recipe. I hope you have as good of luck as she did.

2 cup rice (not Minute Rice)
1/2 gallon milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Raisins (optional)

Put in crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Pork Chop and Potato Bake

So it's been a while. I've tried out a few new recipes this week. Here is one that I think my family really enjoyed. My son loves Hashbrown Casserole, and this combines that with pork chops for an unusual combination. I think my favorite part of the dish was the crispy onions combined with cheese on the top.

6-8 pork chops
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
6 ounces dried onions
3/4 cup sour cream
24 ounces Southern-style hashbrowns
3/4 cup milk
Lawry's seasoned salt
Pepper

Brown and season pork chops with Lawry's. Combine soup, milk and sour cream. Stir in potatoes and 1/2 cup cheese. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Lay pork chops on top of potatoes. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (I did 60). Top with remaining cheese and onions, bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes.