I bet the resolutions to make healthier choices are
plentiful right now and good luck to all. I hope to be
one of them too but am planning on taking baby steps
too but for starters I’m kicking the fast food habit…
planning ahead will help when on the go for all in
our family and I’ll pack my own nibblers for those
unavoidable times ya just gotta. Probably save a small
fortune too that’ll be a nice side-effect!

For just about any occasion…or any meal you can never go
wrong with a nice WALDORF SALAD and the ingredients are
always easy to find. This is so easy and versatile you
should have it in your library of sure-things. I love adding
a cup or two of shredded/cooked of chicken to this too
for a stand-alone lunch.

Enjoy! Marzee

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RECIPE: WALDORF SALAD

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INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (low-fat if desired)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Lemon juice
2 Apples
2 large Celery stalks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions
In small salad bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt and lemon
juice, to taste. Core apples, cut into bite size pieces, dice
celery. Add both to salad bowl, fold in nuts. Chill up to two
hours. Toss before serving.

* variations: bananas & pecans or in the summer peaches and
peanuts. You can also add 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken.

Yield: 4 Servings
Category: Salad

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MARZEE’s CORNER

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LOW FAT COOKING TIP:

You can successfully saute vegetables, etc., in 1 teaspoon or
less of oil in a non-stick pan. I keep olive oil in a pump
bottle and in a spray bottle by my stove. For sauteeing,
approximately three pumps is a teaspoon of oil, then use a
pastry brush to spread the oil in the pan. If you just need
to coat the pan lightly with oil, use the spray bottle or a
pastry brush to apply oil. Use these methods for sauteing
rather than coating the pan with a cooking spray, since the
lecithin in the cooking sprays burns easily, and it is
impossible to get the pan hot enough for a good saute without
burning the spray.

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Did you need some topping ideas for that ice cream
sandwich cake? Sky is the limit here are just a few…
* Nuts (whole, chopped or flaked) – hazelnuts, walnuts,
pecan nuts, almonds, etc. * Fruit – chopped or dried
such as banana or pineapple; also fresh fruit such as
sliced kiwi, whole strawberries, cherries, blueberries,
wedges of apple, etc. * Chocolate – strands, flakes,
also chocolate chips. * Fudge – small, square pieces.
* Shredded coconut  * Mini Marshmallows  * sprinkles

Now for just about any occasion…or any meal you can
never go wrong with a nice WALDORF SALAD and the
ingredients are always easy to find. This is so easy
and versatile you should have it in your library of
keepers. I love adding a cup or two of shredded/cooked
of chicken to this too for a stand-alone lunch.

Enjoy! Marzee

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RECIPE: WALDORF SALAD

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INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Lemon juice
2 Apples
2 large Celery stalks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions
In small salad bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt and lemon
juice, to taste. Core apples, cut into bite size pieces, dice
celery. Add both to salad bowl, fold in nuts. Chill up to two
hours. Toss before serving.

* variations: bananas & pecans or in the summer peaches and
peanuts. You can also add 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken.

Yield: 4 Servings

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                  MARZEE’S CORNER

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         RECIPE BLOOPERS FROM OUR READERS

Thanks for sharing Michele!

“Hi Marzee-
 
For several years I did all the cooking for the Wednesday
night suppers at my church. I had quite a reputation for
being an amazing cook. One week, however, I was making
macaroni and cheese and I accidentally burned the sauce.
It was too late to make any more sauce and I had 100 or
so hungry people coming. I fixed the sauce the best I
could and served the mac and cheese.
 
People raved about it. One person told me they would
have never thought of using smoked cheese in the dish
but they thought it very exotic that I had. There was
no smoked cheese- it was the burnt sauce. ” Michele”

 
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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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                  MARZEE’S CORNER
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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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          Viral Videos on the Net at EVTV1.com
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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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                  MARZEE’S CORNER
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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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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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                 MARZEE’S CORNER
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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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