 It has been so hot in Oklahoma that the birds have turned the bird bath into a hot tub! 103º on Saturday with a heat index of 111º. Finally, yesterday we got a good storm and things have cooled down some. But I have a feeling, not for long. I’m making lots of cool meals on these hot days. Have you ever taken one of those tests where the very first question says to go to the last question and the last question tells you to just answer the last question and stop? How many of you actually did what the test told you to do? Or did you just go through the entire test and answer all the questions and THEN get to the last one? And did you feel like the dolt that you were? Yeah, well. That was me. I was “Miss Answer-All-The-Questions-NOW” dummy – but only the first time. However, it appears that I still have this block about reading directions. Two weeks ago, it was announced at church that we would have a potluck dinner July 23rd – yesterday. In the bulletin was a list that indicated the first letter of last names, divided into food groups. That way, there would be equal amounts of salads, meats, veggies and desserts. So, Saturday night, I was trying to figure out what I could make, right then, that would save me from getting up early on Sunday morning. I settled on Cowboy Caviar – my version. Yes. Cowboy Caviar. That’s what we call it here in Oklahoma. No, cowboys don’t lay eggs, but they can’t afford those expensive fish ones either. So there you go. Cowboy Caviar. I had taken a bunch of recipes for Cowboy Caviar and combined and removed and added to come up with my favorite method. I lovingly toiled over my project and proudly displayed the really large bowl of the tasty stuff to Mr. Fix-It. His comment was, “Isn’t that an awfully lot of Cowboy Caviar?” No. No it wasn’t. It was going to a BAPTIST church potluck lunch. Need I say more? I put the large bowl of ingredients into the frig to marinate overnight and began cleaning up. It was then that the thought crossed my mind that food groups had been assigned. Oh no. Hopefully, W was assigned to salads?? I ran to the computer, pulled up our church website and searched for the list. There is was. W….desserts. Great. And so, I got up at 6 am and threw together my favorite Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie. I grabbed a can of whipped cream, for the pie, and Mr. Fix-It and I transported a hot, chocolate pie – straight out of the oven – with the Cowboy Caviar to church, where I put the pie in the frig to see if I could get it cooled down in time. Long story short, we came home with an empty pie tin and an empty crystal bowl, all of the pie and Cowboy Caviar having been consumed. And then I took a nap. But I thought that I would share my Cowboy Caviar recipe with you because I bet you’d like to have something easy for a potluck dinner or for a great side on one of these really hot evenings.  Caviar Dressing: Directions: In a medium bowl, add all sauce ingredients and whisk until sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour over vegetables and toss well until all of the vegetables are coated. Cover bowl of Cowboy Caviar with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.  |
|
| |
|
Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ Company on Facebook
|
|
 |
|
Posts Tagged ‘salad recipe’
Cowboy Eggs??
Monday, July 24th, 2017
New Giveaway and Salad Recipe!
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
 It’s tomato season again!! I love, love, love home grown tomatoes. They actually have flavor!! And tomatoes are so good for you. According to Tomatofest.com • Eating tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato paste-topped pizza more than two times a week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 21 to 43 percent according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard University School of Public Health. • “The only nutrient that turned out to have significant preventative value (against prostate cancer) was lycopene,” writes Dr. Giovannucci who also found that lycopene was most efficiently absorbed into the body when accompanied by dietary fats (lipids). • “Cooking tomatoes in oil encourages intestinal absorption and results in a two-to-threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations,” • Men who eat two or more servings of tomato products average a 35 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk. • Tomato products are beneficial in aggressive cancers that have also spread to other parts of the body. • The best food sources of lycopene according to the Tomato Research Council in New York City: ( Amount of lycopene in one ounce) Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, Ketchup (5 mg); Tomato Soup, Canned Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Vegetable Juice (3 mg); Minestrone Soup, Vegetable Soup, Pink Grapefruit (1 mg) • Lycopene helps women guard against cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, (CIN), tumorous tissue growth in the cervix according to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago. • Lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of the growth of breast, endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) and lung cancer cells. • Tomatoes are good for the eyes. Lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the blood serum, was found to be the key antioxidant that guards against ARMD ( Age-Related Macular Degeneration), a condition that may cause blindness. • Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium • Lycopene is an inhibitor to heart disease. So there you go…eat your tomatoes and you’ll outlive Methuselah…well…maybe.  To celebrate the venerable tomato and to support our favorite tomato packagers, Red Gold Tomatoes along with out favorite chili creators, Willis Chili Seasoning, we are having a giveaway that will make your mouth water. The winner will receive a can of Red Gold tomato sauce, a package of Willis Chili Seasoning and a lovely Red Gold Tomato apron to wear while making chili. I know it is summer, but we eat chili all year round and it is one of our summer favorites. So leave a comment below and on following posts and your name will automatically go into the drawing that will be held on August 20th. Good luck!  To make you hungry for tomatoes, here is something new that we have tried and love. I can totally admit that I am an Okie country girl. I’ve never been to Italy and, up until recently, I’d never heard of a Caprese Salad (you have to say “Caprese” with your hand slightly waving next to your cheek with your thumb touching your index finger to add emphasis). The daughter, Mrs. Wonderful Mommy, is well acquainted with this salad and rolled her eyes at my delight at my new find, but I had been totally ignorant of this epicurean delight. Evidently, (and the home school mom is now coming out in me) Insalata Caprese is a salad in the style of the island of Capri and is usually served as an antipasto (first course), not a contorno (side dish). Oh yeah. Wish you could hear this Okie accent butcher THAT! Insalata Caprese is sometimes called Insalata Tricolore, because it is the three colors of the Italian flag – red, green and white. It can include avocado as well. from Foodielady.wordpress.com We have had an incredible tomato season in Oklahoma with the wonderfully cool weather and my Roma Tomatos have done exceptionally well. I love to dehydrate Romas and, of course, they make superb spaghetti sauce, but they are great just to eat! So, when a friend posted a photo of a Caprese Salad on Facebook, I had to try it. As is usual with me, though, I had to add my own flair! A recipe? I don’t need no stinkin’ recipe. Ha! Usually, only a fine olive oil is drizzled over this fresh vegetable and cheese dish, but I gotta dress it up. So here is my version of a Caprese Salad. Ingredients: Red leaf lettuce and butter crunch or Green leaf lettuce One Roma tomato per person Package of Buffalo Mozzarella cheese (the very soft, fresh mozzarella) Fresh Basil leaves 1 Tbsp Olive oil per person 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar per person ½ tsp Dehydrated garlic pieces per person Salt and pepper Instructions:  In a heated skillet, pour dried garlic pieces onto the dry surface with no oils. Quickly toss around with a spatula until pieces are lightly browned and toasted.  Mix olive oil and vinegar with a small whisk and add browned garlic pieces. Set aside. Cut thin slices of mozzarella and tear basil leaves into about 3 pieces. If the mozzarella is large, cut it into pieces that match the width of the tomatoes. Set aside. With each Roma tomato, carefully slice off the stem end of the tomato and then cut a thin layer, lengthwise, along what will be the bottom in order for the tomato to sit flat on a surface. Carefully make slices across the tomato, about ¼” thick, stopping slicing before you go all the way through the tomato. Gently spread the sections of tomato and insert a slice of mozzarella and basil between the tomato slices at the same time.   On salad plates, arrange torn pieces of lettuces to cover the plate. Place a stuffed tomato in the center of the lettuce. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the vinaigrette dressing over the tomato, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.  Isn’t that pretty? And just to let you know, we went to a VERY nice Italian restaurant this week and there on the menu, under the salads, was “Caprese Salad”. I smiled very knowingly at the waiter and considered stating, “I know what a Caprese Salad is – (while holding my hand to my cheek with my fingers touching.) I make them alllll the time. I just don’t choose to have one at today.” I’m sure that he would have been duly impressed!
Veggies! |
|
| |
|
Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ Company on Facebook
|
|
|
|
|
|
Homestead Revival
Paratus Familia
Rural Revolution