{ Old Fashioned Refrigerator Pickles }

One of my family's most requested snack recipes are these sweet, crunchy pickles. They are so addicting. I  always have a jar of these in the fridge, and the kids  munch on them when they open the refrigerator looking for food. The trail of pickle juice from the refrigerator door to the kitchen table can attest to many forks stuck in the jar for a taste of these ! They are completely old fashioned and super  easy to make. I pop the jar in a cooler and take them on picnic lunches in the spring and summer with the boys. I always add the onions, and I am the only one who will eat them, but that works for me. Crunchy  sweet onions are just as good as the pickles. You can use more celery seed than called for in this recipe if you prefer a stronger celery flavor. I think that 1 tsp is perfect for our tastes. These keep for  a few months in the refrigerator, but I tend to have to slice a cucumber every three days or so and add it to the jar to keep it replenished. They are rally good on hot dogs and hamburgers too. And please note that these are refrigerator pickles. They will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. You do not have to can these. No hot water baths or waiting on the lids to pop. Just put on the jar lid and pop in the fridge. And they  do get better as the weeks wear on.

Old Fashioned Refrigerator Pickles

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups sliced cucumber
1 onion, thinly sliced

Place sliced cucumber and onions in qt or pint jars.
In a separate non reactive bowl, stir vinegar, sugar, water and salt together until dissolved. Add the celery seed. Mix well. Pour mixture over cucumber and onions . Place lids on jars and refrigerate.
Keeps for 2-3 months.


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{ Honey Ham & Swiss Cheese Sliders}

These little sandwiches are one of my husband's favorite meals ever. I make them on lazy Saturdays at home and he raves each and every time I serve them. He loves the butter-mustard sauce that is poured over the sandwiches. I have to admit they are very tasty. They are so easy to put together and I love that I can use good quality honey ham and swiss cheese from our local deli. The flavor combo seems weird, but I promise you it works. So go ahead and add them to your menu. You will love them!

Honey Ham and Swiss Cheese Sliders

12 King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

12 pieces good honey ham
3  slices Swiss cheese, each cut into quarters
1/3 cup mayonnaise





1 T poppy seeds
1 1/2 T yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Spread mayonnaise onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet, placing  very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. (You will not have to use all of the sauce)  Use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

{Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Breasts with Jalapeno Cream Sauce}

I am fortunate that all of my children and my husband and I can tolerate jalapenos. We love them, and the hotter the food the better. This chicken dish is so rich and creamy . It reminds me of a jalapeno popper. You can add or decrease the amount of jalapeno to your liking. I could even add another one  next time, truth be told. The kids like chicken cooked with cornmeal because they say that it takes like a tortilla chip.You can also adjust the spices in the cornmeal mix to your liking. Maybe instead of the cumin and chili you could add taco seasoning or other spices. This chicken dish in on a regular rotation at our house. Great for weekend company. Easy to prepare and the taste is great! Serve with a chopped salad with a lime-cumin vinaigrette and a pitcher of margaritas or sangria for the adults and watermelon lemonade for the kids and you have a perfect meal.


Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Breasts with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Ingredients4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornmeal ( i use yellow)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 slices of bacon, chopped
4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2cups chicken broth
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
scant  1 T cornstarch

Directions
In a medium skillet, fry bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels.  Combine cornmeal, chili powder, cumin, and salt in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken breast in beaten egg, then dredge the chicken in  the cornmeal mixture. Place in a lightly greased casserole dish . Bake, uncovered  at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until the  chicken is cooked through (this time will vary depending on size and thickness of the chicken).

Meanwhile, add jalapenos to the same skillet that was used to cook the bacon; season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in chicken broth,  deglazing  the pan with the back of a spoon. Bring to a boil. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in cornstarch and reserved bacon, stirring until the sauce has thickened.  Top chicken with sauce and serve.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

This recipe is from Giada DeLaurentiis from the Food Network.Very

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley 
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 

Directions

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano.Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons

1 medium onion, sliced

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup dry white wine

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes.

Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano.

Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This recipe is one of my go to recipes when I am having company. It is one of only a handful of salads that my husband gets excited about. The dressing is vinegary and sweet with the addition of the poppy seeds. I crumble a bit of feta cheese on my salad. I prefer it with the cheese. No one else in the family does, so I did not add the cheese to the ingredient list. And note that there is no dressing on the salad . I put it on at the very last minute because if you leave it sitting , spinach will get mushy.Gross.

SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD

* 1 lb spinach
* 1 pint strawberry, sliced set a few aside
* 1/2 onion, sliced
* 4-5 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
DRESSING

* 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons poppy seeds


1. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with tight fitting lid and shake well.
2. Toss the spinach,onions,bacon and strawberries together in a large salad bowl.
3. Add your desired amount of dressing and gently toss.
4.serve immediately.

Beef Tips

This recipe is one of my favorite go to crockpot recipes.It uses a small amount of ingredients and the flavor is great.

Beef Tips
1 lb beef stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 package onion and mushroom soup mix
1/2 cup ginger ale
1 green pepper,cut into pieces
3 (4 ounce) cans mushroom pieces

Place beef in crock pot.
Mix cream of mushroom soup, mushroom/onion soup, mushrooms and ginger ale together and pour over meat.
Cover and cook 5-6 hours on low.
Serve over noodles or rice.

Cajun Broiled Shrimp

This recipe came to me via one of those email recipe swaps from someone out in blogland. Very good. But very spicy.If you are making it and have little ones or someone that doesn't care for spicy, just broil without the seasoning. Anyway, I served these over a bed of rice and fresh steamed green beans. Perfect summer meal. It was easy to prepare and cleanup was easy. I used Weber's N'Orleans Cajun seasoning, but next time I am going to use Tony Cachere's just to taste the difference.We are huge TC fans around here and I picked up the Weber seasoning a few weeks ago on a whim.Not bad.Just want to compare to Tony Cachere's!

Cajun Broiled Shrimp

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T cajun seasoning
2 T good olive oil
lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to broil setting.Combine shrimp, cajun seasoning, and oil in a bowl.Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.Lay shrimp on a single layer of a jellyroll pan.
Cook on the middle rack until shrimp turn pink (about 5 minutes)** this depends on your broiler and the size of your shrimp
Transfer to serving platter and squirt lemon juice over shrimp.

Grape Salad

My  nana has been making this salad since I was a little girl.  Even though people usually serve it in  the warmer months I prefer it as a dessert  on chilly nights. Comfort food when I am wrapped up in a blanket watching television . It is very easy to make .Tastes a bit like cheesecake with chunks of grapes throughout it.Very yummy. You could use both red and green grapes. But I have always used sweet red grapes.The recipe calls for a topping that you make.But lately I have skipped that step all together and added a few handfuls  of granola.

GRAPE  SALAD

• 1 1/2 lbs red seedless grapes
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

1. Remove any stems from grapes and wash. Set aside.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
3. Fold in grapes and pour into a large serving dish. Spread mixture evenly in serving dish.
4. Mix brown sugar with cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle over top of grape mixture.
5. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Brownies

These homemade brownies are a hit with my husband and sons! They use cocoa powder instead of chocolate, which gives them an old-fashioned taste. You can add pecan, or use any chip in place of the cinnamon chips. My kids love Hershey's Cinnamon Chips, so that is what I tend to use. But they are so good with mint chocolate chips too.

CHOCOLATE CINNAMON CHIP BROWNIES
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1-2 cup cinnamon chips

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.Grease an 8 inch square pan or line with foil.
3.In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
4.Add sugar and mix well.
5.Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
6.Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour
7.Fold in cinnamon chips
8.Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25-27 minutes.
9.DO NOT OVER-BAKE! your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.
10. Cool the brownies completely and cut into squares