Myrtle's Cornbread Salad

At a recent family reunion, I met Myrtle. She is married to a first cousin of my husband's mother (got that?). She prepared this salad that tasted so good! I had never had this dish before and it was imperative that I have the recipe before I left the reunion. It thrilled me that Myrtle was willing to share it with me.

1 Jiffy cornbread mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
bacon


Sauce:
1 c. of mayonnaise
1/3 c. sweet pickle juice

Bake cornbread mix as directed. Crumble half of it in a round casserole dish. Layer with half of the vegetables. Pour half of sauce over the layer then repeat the layers.

Best if made 12-24 hours ahead. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon before serving.

Six Day Slaw

This recipe came from my friend, Lynn. Its a yummy slaw that doesn't use mayo and thus is more diet friendly.

Mix together:

1 head cabbage, shredded or grated

1 carrot, grated

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

2 t. celery seed

1/2 scant cup of sugar

2 t. salt

Boil 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup salad vinegar. Pour over cabbage. Stir together. Pour off liquid at time of serving. It’s supposed to last 6 days but I’ve never waited that long. Even if you use a large head of cabbage, the seasoning and dressing are sufficient.

Black Beans

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or 1-1/2 cups cooked dry-packaged black beans rinsed, drained
• 2 cups water or chicken broth
  
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Saute onion, bell pepper garlic, cumin, thyme, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf in olive oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in black beans, water or chicken broth,vinegar, salt , and pepper.

Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tips for cooking black beans.

Summer Means Grillin'!

Summer means fresh veggies from the garden! It also means cookin' on the grill to keep from heating up the kitchen. We do whatever we can around here to escape the heat.

Today we were given some fresh green beans, zucchini and tomatoes. So, I found these grilling recipes online: grilled tomatoes and grilled zucchini.

Then, I used this recipe from Ree for the green beans.

Add some steak, and yum!

Mom's Cookin': Fruited Spinach Salad

1 can (11 oz) mandarine oranges
1/4 c. olive or vegetable oil
3 T. raspberry jam
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 pkg (10 oz) fresh spinach, torn
1 red apple, chopped
1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped

Drain oranges, reserving 1/2 c. juice. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine oil, jam, vinegar and reserved juice; shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss oranges, spinach, apple and pecans. Serve with the dressing.
Serves 6-8

Mom's Cookin': Summer Vegetables with Parsley Sauce

4 new potatoes
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 1/3 inch pieces
8 oz. sugar snap peas
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley or 4 t. dried
1/4 c. chopped scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. minced capers or stuffed olives
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. olive oil

In large saucepan, steam (or simmer) the potatoes and carrots until they are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the squash and peas. Continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender- 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Meanwhile in a small saucepan over low heat, cook the parsley, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, capers, pepper and oil until hot - 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon over the vegetables and toss gently to coat. Serves 4.

Nutritional info:
calories: 117
fat: 1.5 g
cholesterol: 0 mg
sodium: 55 mg

Tomato Season Means Tomato Sandwiches

For the first 25 years of my life, I never heard of a tomato sandwich. Then I moved to North Carolina and someone asked me if I wanted one.

"A what?" I asked.
"A tomato sandwich," was the reply in a matter of fact tone as if I should know what they were talking about.
"Do you mean a sandwich that just has tomato on it?"
"Yes, of course," they said.

Well, I wasnt' afraid to try it, because I happen to love tomatoes. And sure enough, a sandwich made up of a couple of good slices of tomatoes and a little dab of mayo was pretty tasty. Now I look forward to the time of year when tomatoes ripen and I can savor the yummy southern, summer delicacy of a tomato sandwich. I took this picture of the one I had a couple of days ago. It was my first of the summer. I did a little jig in my kitchen cuz tomato season is here.

I know that some of you readers from other non-south portions of the world may read this and think we're nuts down here. We're not, we just love our fruits and veggies. I'll let you know how the tomato-and-watermelon salad tastes (I found the recipe in the Southern Living magazine) when I make it next week. Oh, and last week at a VBS family night gathering, someone brought bananna and mayo sandwiches. Haven't tried that one yet. Don't know if I will. :)

Hot and Sweet Green Beans

This is a Paula Dean recipe. I've adapted it a tad.

4 cans french style green beans, drained
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. chili powder
10 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon green beans in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and chili powder. Sprinkle evenly over green beans. Place bacon slices, in a single layer, over sugar mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp.