Granny's Potato Salad

I think if you were to ask most of my Granny's 50+ grandchildren that they'd beg Granny to make her potato salad every time we are back visiting!  She has, hands down, THE BEST potato salad recipe you'll ever eat!

1 - 5 lb bag red potatoes

1 dozen eggs

2 c mayo/Miracle Whip

1/2 small jar pickle juice

1/2 c sugar

1 t garlic

salt & pepper, to taste

1 t celery seed

Wash red potatoes and boil in pan until you can stick a knife in them and pull it out without trouble.  Leave the skin on while boiling.  Drain and let cool to room temperature.  Peel the skins off once cooled and dice the potatoes into cubes.  Bring eggs to a boil in a pan of COOL water on the stove.  Once they are boiling, let them boil another 5 minutes, then shut the water OFF and leave them set ON the burner for another 10 minutes.  Drain water, cool, peel and cut.  In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until well blended.  Pour over the cut potatoes and eggs and mix until all the sauce has coated everything.  If it seems dry, make a little more dressing mixture and add until you like it.  Leave sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before you refrigerate or eat.

Grandma's Taco Salad

This recipe is my Grandma Cowley's!  YUMMO!  My grandma CAN COOK!  She has entertained far more than most people I've ever met.  Love her heart of SERVICE.  We eat Taco Salad several different ways, so I'll share again a different recipe for another type (if you came to our adoption party for Chavalah, that is the recipe I'll post LATER) at a different time.

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained

1 can refried beans

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 sm can tomato sauce

Will also need:

lettuce

tomato

cheese

Combine all four ingredients over medium heat until heated all through and well combined.  Serve this meat/bean mixture over tortilla chips and top with cheese, lettuce & tomato.  With this kind of meat mixture you do NOT need salad dressing, but you may add if you desire.  You can also add anything else if you have a favorite topping.  A few other suggestions are guacamole, black olives, green onions, sour cream, etc.

Oreo Dessert

So, growing up, I grew up in Iowa!  My dad worked for John Deere and traveled MUCH!  The bulk of his trips were to Germany, but I won't ever forget the amazing opportunity it brought for me to learn other cultures and meet some really neat people that would also travel over here from Germany!  My mom had a heart of gold and was constantly inviting and hostessing many of these dear people in our home.  To this day we still have some very unique friendships with a lot of them.  I will also never forget my mom serving this to them on one of their many visits to the states and they would commonly call this dessert the "Iowa Dirt Dessert."  They thought the oreos look much like the rich soil of Iowa!  MAKES ME MISS HOME!  Many special things we've had to leave behind in the "Iowa dirt."

First layer smashed down on the bottom.

Ice Cream cut and smoothed.

Top layer of Oreos all spread out.

1 1/2 pkg Oreos (I used the Mint Oreos)

1 stick butter

1/2 c sugar

1 - 1/2 gal vanilla ice cream

Crush and blend the complete Oreo (all of them) in a blender.  I have to do mine in 1/3 pkg increments.  Put the blended Oreos into a bowl and add sugar and butter.  Stir until completely blended.  Pour half of the oreo mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Press into the bottom.  Cut the 1/2 gallon of ice cream carton into 6 sections.  Piece together in the pan and then smooth together so all the oreos are covered.  Finish by pouring the remainder of the Oreo mixture over the top and smooth out.  FREEZE for at least 3 hours so it becomes solid again.  Cut and serve.

Creamy Alfredo

1 stick butter
3 cloves garlic
8 oz cream cheese
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c parmesean cheese
1 box linguine or fettucine

Over medium heat in a saucepan, saute garlic in the butter until melted.  Add the entire cream cheese and let melt down.  Whisk to smooth the lumps out.  Add cream gradually while you continue to whisk.  Let heat to a slow heat and then lastly add the parmesean cheese until it is melted.  Keep warm until ready to serve.  Serve over linguine or fettucine.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

COMFORT FOOD!  Started loving this soup at Panera Bread back in the day!  Couldn't get enough of it!  Finally figured I'd probably save myself SO MUCH MONEY if I stopped buying it at Panera and made it for myself at home! :)  Have made it ever since! 

1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 c butter
broccoli (they usually have three in one rubberband), chopped
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c milk
1 1/2 t garlic powder
1/3 c cornstarch
1/2 c water

Melt butter.  Cook onion in butter til soft. Stir in broccoli and cover with chicken broth.  Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10-15 minutes.  Reduce heat, stir in cheese until melted.  Mix in milk & garlic powder.  In small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved.  Mix into soup.  Cook & stir until thick.  Serve.

Pickles

So, I'm a HUGE fan of dill pickles!  Anybody with me!? :)  LOVE pickles.  I've since found out that Ezra is a HUGE fan as well! :)  He and I could both eat pickles until we're sick!  So, this was a HUGE discovery for me.  Saves much on the pocket book! :)  Pickles aren't cheap.

Cucumbers (not all of them) picked fresh from our garden!

Peeled!

Sliced!  The thinner the better.

Put in the jars!  You can see I didn't pack them in enough!

Prepared dill pickle packet in now.

9-11 lbs fresh cucumbers

1 packet dill pickle seasoning mix

3 1/3 c vinegar

7 1/3 c water
6-8 canning jars

Peel and slice cucumbers.  Fill the canning jars and pack them in from top to bottom.  Prepare the dill pickle mix according to the directions.  Pour over the top of the pickles until jar is full, leaving 1" space at the top.  Put lids on tight.  Careful not to burn self as jar is VERY HOT at this point.  Let them set, and throughout the next sevearl hours, you will hear the most thrilling sound!  The lids will *pop* one by one! :)  LOVE THAT SOUND!  These can be stored in room temperature until you use them.  Once they are opened they MUST be refrigerated.