Texas Salsa

Mix ingredients in the order listed below. Just add ingredients to your taste. Keep bag of corn chips open and available for you to test the mixture throughout the process and make sure it tastes OK. This recipe makes a lot, so make sure you invite friends over for some.

• 1 Regular Can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 small can of Corn – abt. half the size of Black Beans Can (drained
and rinsed)
• 3-4 Diced Roma Tomatoes (de-gut and only use outside part of tomato)
• Cilantro (a lot, keep tasting until you feel it has enough)
• Salt (just a little to add flavor)
• Salsa Verde (Herdez brand)
• White distilled Vinegar
• Limes to taste (3 or 4 juicy limes usually do the trick – I also use the
already squeezed lime juice – it tastes just as good and is a lot easier)
• 2-3 diced Avocados – More if you like Avocados

Refrigerate for a couple hours (about 4 hours) before serving with chips and enjoy!

Recipe by Emily Seamons with some changes by me.

Tropical Smoothie

1/2 of 16-ounce bag frozen tropical fruit medley (pineapple, mango, strawberries)
1 cup milk
1 cup orange juice
2-3 TB yogurt
1 banana

Creamy Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

12 medium potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
2 cups cream
3 cups milk
1 TB salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, finely sliced
1 lb bacon, fried crisp, drained, and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and quarter potatoes and place in a large pot. Fill pot with water just to cover potatoes. Put on lid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Place chopped onions and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 2 minutes; set aside. Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Add cream; stir together. Mash potatoes until mixture is smooth. Stir in milk, salt, and onion-butter mixture. Return pot to stove and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully to avoid scorching. Turn down heat if necessary. Pass cheese, green onions, and bacon for topping individual servings. Salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 12 cups.


Recipe from Celebrations by Julie Badges Jensen.

Salmon Cucumber Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into very thin slices
(we just peeled them and put them in a small food processor)
1 TB grated onion
1 TB chopped fresh dill weed (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in cucumbers, onion, dill weed, salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least four hours before serving with cooked salmon.


Recipe from Celebrations by Julie Badges Jensen.

Polynesian Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 (12 ounce) package wontons
1 head lettuce, shredded
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
4 green onions, chopped
2 TB toasted sesame seeds
4 stalks celery, chopped
Polynesian salad dressing (see below)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut each wonton square into four strips. Fry according to package directions, set aside. In a bowl, combine lettuce, chicken, onions, sesame seeds, and celery. Just before serving, toss with desired amount of Polynesian salad dressing and top with fried wontons. Makes 8 to 10 servings.


SALAD DRESSING:

4 TB sugar
4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 TB vinegar
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp sesame seed oil

Combine and mix well. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Mason and I love this salad. I think that it calls for a lot of wontons so Mason and I only made as many as we wanted and then we made some cream cheese wontons with the extras (instructions on the package) and then we still had some left over for later. I also added chopped red pepper to the salad. When pouring the salad dressing, add a little then let it sit for a few minutes to really test for the right amount. I poured a little, tossed it a bit, and it didn't seem to have enough, so I added more, but later when it sat for a few minutes it then had too much dressing.

Recipe from Celebrations by Julie Badges Jensen.

Sticky Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice
1 TB ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 TB pepper

Chicken:

2 1/2 lb chick tenders
3 eggs beaten
cornstarch
garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Shake or dip in cornstarch. Dip in beaten eggs. Brown in skillet with oil. Mix all sauce ingredients. Place chicken in a clean pan, pour sauce over and bake 60-80 minutes at 350 until sauce becomes sticky. Can also clean out frying pan and cook chicken with sauce (much faster this way).

Recipe by Sue Outsen.

Egg Drop Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 TB cornstarch
3 TB water
1 TB oriental sesame oil
3 cup chicken broth
1 egg beaten
sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Mix cornstarch, water, and sesame oil. Stir into boiling chicken broth. Cook until clear. Rapidly stir in beaten egg, stirring until strands are cooked. Sprinkle with scallions.

Recipe by Francine Taylor