This yummy salad is a little bit sweet and not just to be
had alone. Load it on your sandwiches, burgers and even
grilled chicken. I like this as a picnic “bring-a-thing”
too. August is always the month of picnics for us and I
have the big family reunion next week so getting my recipes
in order.

Enjoy! Marzee
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RECIPE: APPLE AND RAISIN SLAW
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INGREDIENTS:
5 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)
5 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (about 2 medium)
1 large tart green apple (such as Granny Smith), cored,
  coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted
1 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 3 tablespoons dried dillweed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Combine cabbages, carrots, apple, raisins and sunflower seeds
in very large bowl. Whisk yogurt, dill, vegetable oil and
vinegar in medium bowl to blend. Add dressing to cabbage
mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Yield: 12 Servings
Category: Salads, Sides

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Crunchy things are nice at picnics for instance, radishes
and crisp spring onions. Firm tomatoes are a good idea, but
it goes without saying that they should be taken whole: never
slice them or put them in sandwiches, they’re too soggy (and
that goes for cucumbers too).

Rice or potato salads are handy salads to take on a picnic,
because they are dressed beforehand, but you do need a
polythene box with a tight-fitting lid. You could also take
a screw-top jar of the dressing separately.

Don’t take too much food, or you will only have to bring it
home again, past its best. On the other hand, remember that
eating outdoors can make people extra-hungry, so careful
planning is the name of the day.

Remember that food must not be left out in the sun, or you
run the risk of food poisoning. Use a coolbag or box if you
can, especially for chilled foods.

Don’t forget to take a picnic rug and a bag for all the
trash afterwards.

Keep food covered up until you are ready to serve it. This
will prevent it from becoming warm or attracting flies. And
don’t necessarily serve everything at once, for the same
reason.

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Well here we are at Friday again and I really am trying
to sneak in a blueberry pickin’ pitstop there is just
nothing within a nearby drive but stores so have to play
it by ear on the weather and make a morning of it.

Since our company picnic is coming up and we’re all
thinking of what dish to bring I leave you this week
with the famous taco salad recipe. If you’ve never
had this stuff…welcome to the world ) This can
be a meal in itself and is such a packable friendly
recipe perfect for picnics and BBQs. Careful you’ll
be begged to bring it again!

Enjoy! Marzee
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RECIPE: PICNIC TACO SALAD
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INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
2 packages taco seasoning mix
16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 red onion, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 heads iceberg lettuce, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 alvacados, chopped
1 can black olives, chopped
1 large bag of Doritos nacho chips, crumbled
1 8-ounce bottle Catalina salad dressing

DIRECTIONS:
Brown ground beef with chopped yellow onion. Add 1 package
of taco seasoning and water according to package directions.
Set aside to cool completely. In a large bowl mix together
chopped lettuce, tomato, cheese, alvacado, red onion,
olives, and 2nd package of taco seasoning. Add cooled beef
mixture. Just before serving toss with the dressing and the
last step is to mix in 3/4 of the package of crushed Doritos,
leaving the rest on the side for people who want extra.
(they get soggy if you do them too early.)

Yield: 8-10 Servings
Salads, picnics, taco, side dishes 

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               PICNIC FRIENDLY TIPS

Include fruit in your picnic basket.  It keeps well,
it’s nourishing, and it’s refreshing.  Often fruit
satisfies a craving for something sweeter.  Add fruits
and fruit pieces to green salads and turkey or chicken
salads.

Bring along a cutting board and a couple good knives.
You’ll be surprised how often you will use them. 
Cutting boards are especially useful if you are without
a picnic table.  The hard plastic types are great for
picnics.  For cleanup, just stick the cutting board in
the dishwasher when you get home. 

Here’s a great one… Keep extra condiments from fast-
food restaurants and drive-throughs in a drawer in your
kitchen, just for use on picnics! It’ll save a lot of
room in your cooler or insulated food compartment.

As always the antibacterial hand gel is always a great
thing to have on hand but go unscented when around
food.

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Had a lot of pineapple this weekend there was a sale and
they couldn’t be more juicy. Finally figured out the cutting
part and will next be giving them a try on the grill. Now
for some yummy comfort food PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE…just
like momma used to make. Here’s a great tip from one of our
fellow editors too. Instead of the pineapple rings use the
pineapple tidbits so you can cover the whole top more evenly.
Makes for better slicing too so everyone gets all the flavoring.
You can also cut the cherries in half if you do this and just
sprinkle them over the top. I like to just foil cover a baking
sheet and flip the cake onto for serving…makes for easier
cleanup.

Enjoy! Marzee

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RECIPE: PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
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INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
9 slices canned pineapple
9 maraschino cherries
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/3 cup of butter in a 9
inch square cake pan in the oven and remove from heat. Stir
in the brown sugar. Arrange pineapple slices on top of the
sugar, and put a cherry inside of each pineapple ring. Set
aside. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Set aside. In a medium bowl cream remaining butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time and continue beating until light. Stir
in vanilla. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and milk
to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry
ingredients. Pour over the pineapple in the cake pan. Bake
for 50 to 60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centre
comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn upside down
over a serving plate. Leave the pan on top of the cake for 2
to 3 minutes to let all the syrup and fruit drop out. Serve
warm.

* TIP: serve with whipped cream!

Category: Dessert

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      HEY, THAT’S A GREAT TIP!

Do you have fruit in your kitchen that’s ripening quicker
than you can eat it? Puree it and use in smoothies or as a
topping for ice cream, pancakes or waffles. You can also
freeze the purreed fruit in a plastic freezer zipper bag
and use it later on.

BTW: A tip on whipped cream…soupy whipped cream can be
revived by adding an egg white to it then chilling thoroughly
before re-whipping it to its former fluffy glory. 

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Seems like I’m always in the midst of the picnic planning
for one Summer gathering or another and although I
like the standard side dishes I like to keep mixing
them up a little too so it doesn’t get boring. Today’s
pasta salad has wonderful fresh dill and I actually
go a little extra on it because I love the aroma and
flavor. You can put some on the top for garnish too.
My CUCUMBER AND DILL PASTA SALAD is a creamy one. A
great tip for creamy dishes like this in the Summer
is to set the serving bowl in a larger bowl filled
with ice so it keeps the salad nice and chilled just
like some salad bars do.

Enjoy! Marzee

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 RECIPE: CUCUMBER AND DILL PASTA SALAD
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INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Macaroni or small shells
8 oz carton sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs fresh dill, minced
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup Tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain,
and rinse in cold water. Transfer cooked pasta to a large
serving bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream,
milk, dill, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Set dressing
aside. Mix cucumbers and tomatoes into the pasta. Pour in
dressing, and toss thoroughly to combine. Cover, and
refrigerate at least 1 hour, for best results and taste
prepare the night before the your together. Stir just
before serving.

Categories: Pasta, Salads

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              MORE PASTA SALAD TIPS:

For a cold pasta salad you can use a selection of
vegetables that have been marinated or roasted or
grilled. Suggested vegetables: broccoli, red and
yellow sweet bell peppers, zucchini and red onions.
Cut the vegetables into small strips or chunks and
combine them with the pasta while they are hot to
bring out the flavors, and either dress in olive oil
with salt and freshly ground pepper, or a mixture of
olive oil and balsamic or flavored vinegar. Add pitted
ripe olives and leave to cool so the flavors mingle
together well. A handful of chopped cilantro leaves
or basil will give your dish color and extra flavor.

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Here is a MUST HAVE recipe for the cold dish next weekend
to go along with your 4th of July spread….CANDY APPLE
SALAD which I always get special requests for. It is
unreal how much this has a taffy apple taste without an
ounce of caramel in it…believe it or not!

Enjoy! Marzee

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RECIPE: CANDY APPLE SALAD
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INGREDIENTS:
1 container (8-oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package dry instant butterscotch pudding
1 can (8-oz) crushed pineapple with juice
3 cups diced apples
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup marshmallows  

DIRECTIONS:
Mix cool whip, butterscotch pudding and crushed pineapple
with juice. Add apples, roasted nuts and marshmallows. Keep
in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Categories: Side Dishes, Fruit Salads

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IF YOUR BRINGING COOKIES TO A PARTY:

Focus on baking old favorites that remind everyone of the
holidays. Chocolate chip and sugar cookies are definitely
holiday cookie favorites. 

Use festive holiday cookie cutters to create entertaining
shapes. Many cookie cutter sets include shapes for all
holidays during the year.

Bake cookies one or two days before the party to ensure
enough time for cooling, decorating and packaging.

Place cookies on a platter covered with colorful doilies,
or in a decorative holiday-themed tin.

Finish off the cookie presentation with a shiny
bow or a hand-tied ribbon in the colors of the season.

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