Celebrate Labor Day

  On Labor Day, many people gather for a traditional picnic or bbq to celebrate. Celebration can occur on your porch, patio, park, seashore or lakeside. The tantalizing aromas of chicken or steak, the sizzling sounds of hot dogs and hambugers, the glistening glow of the coals and the humming sounds of happy voices. It definitely adds up to fun for everyone.

Salads are a welcoming addition to out door eating. What’s a better compliment to a sizzling steak than a zesty and tangy tossed green salad! And having fried chicken, isn’t a picnic without a creamy summer potato salad.

Quick and Easy Recipes

Here are some of our family’s favorite quick and easy recipes:

Crispy Herb Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

6-8 pieces of chicken

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup homemade bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon tarragon leaves

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and coat chicken pieces. In a large pot, heat peanut oil to 400 degrees. Fry chicken pieces until golden, approximately 10 minutes, turning and cook until browned and tender.

Kids Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

1 pound pork sausage

1 28 oz. can of canned tomatoes

1 30 oz. can kidney beans

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans

1 15 oz. can Ranch style beans

1 15 oz. can baked beans

1 large yellow onion

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Southwest seasoning

1/4 cup Cowboy barbecue sauce

Directions:

On medium-low heat cook ground beef and pork sausage in a skillet until brown, drain and set aside. Chop onion into small bite size pieces, set aside. Rinse kidney and garbanzo beans. To your slow cooker, add diced tomatoes with juice and all your beans. Add ground beef and sausage mixture. Add onion, chili powder, Southwest Seasoning and Cowboy barbecue sauce. Mix well. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. Serve as a side dish at a barbecue or as a main dish with cornbread. A simple Chili recipe your kids will enjoy!

 Cowboy Barbecue Sauce

In a saucepan mix 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Simmer 15 minutes or until slightly thickend.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 9-inch baked pastry shell

2 pints fresh strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons corn starch

2 Tablespoons Strawberry flavored gelatin

1 cup water

Red food coloring

Whipped Cream

Directions:

Remove stems and wash strawberries. Drain thoroughly on paper towels. Place berries in pie shell, arranging carefully, placing biggest berries on top. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, gelatin and water. Cook , stirring constantly, until thickened and clear. Add several drops of food coloring to make a rich red color. Cool 15 minutes. Pour over berries, making sure to cover all berries. Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream.

   Happy Labor Day!

Quick Easy Salad Dressing

If your garden is showing an abundance of cucumbers and your wondering what else you could do with them besides putting in them in your salad, how about a quick, creamy dressing? You won’t believe how good it tastes too. Try this delicious summer salad dressing today!

     Creamy Cucumber Dressing

Ingredients

1 cup light mayonaise

1 cup skinned, seeded, chopped cucumbers

2 Tablespoons minced parsley

1 clove garlic

1 Tablespoon chopped chives or scallions

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Directions

Process all ingredients in an electric blender or food processer until smooth. Chill.

Makes approximately 2 3/4 cups.

Why purchase your salad dressings from the store? Why not make your own? It’s very easy to do. Homemade salad dressings are always fresh and delicious.  Preparing your own dressing at home is not only easy, but very quick, and healthy. It’s also very cost-effective on your grocery budget. This dressing is very light and brings great flavor to a bed of greens.

       Light Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup imported balsamic venegar

1/4 cup tomato or tomato vegetable juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons water

1 garlic clove, mashed

Dried thyme and dried marjoram (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine ingredients in covered jar and shake before serving. Makes 3/4 cup of dressing.

Cooking Ideas For Busy Moms

   It is very easy to be a good cook when you have all the time you need. The real test comes when you have very little time to produce a satisfying meal for a family of six in less than an hour and serve that meal to your family minutes after arriving home from work. You work hard all day, the last thing you need is trying to figure out what’s for dinner every night!

Every busy mom who needs to prepare her meals quickly and efficiently, must have a system.  Plan meals that are versatile, healthy and always delicious. Chicken and Rice make the perfect, quick meal for your family.

Quick Dinner Recipes

Chicken and Rice are such a natural combination, one might think they were a match in heaven when combining together. They add convenience, and peace of mind when it comes to a quick hearty meal.

In this quick weekday meal, the flavors of garlic and lime blend together to add a special zesty flavor to chicken.

Garlic Lime Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 boneless, chicken breasts

3 garlic gloves, minced

2 cups white rice

4 cups vegetable broth

1 lime, halfed

1 1/2 cup frozen vegetables of your choice: broccoli, carrots, peas, or corn

Directions:

Drizzle 1 TablespoonExtra Virgin Olive Oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add chicken breasts, cook over medium-high heat 7-10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Mix together remaining olive oil with garlic, add to chicken. Cook another 3-4 minutes.

Add vegetable broth, rice and juice from 1/2 of lime. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat; simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add vegetables, continuing to cook another 5 minutes. Cut remaining 1/2 lime into slices and use for garnish.

Cook’s Tip

Garlic is a very popular ingredient worldwide for cooking. When purchasing garlic, look for firm heads with tightly closed bulbs. Store your garlic in an open container in a dark cool place. Garlic heads will last up to 2 months. If the garlic is separated, the unpeeled cloves will keep for up to two weeks. garlic flavors change depending on the cooking procedure. Raw garlic is extrememely sharp, while long, slow cooking mellows its flavor.