Antipasto Pasta Salad

I just subscribed to "Celebrate" magazine, was looking through the Spring issue, and saw this salad.  It looked so good that I decided to make it this weekend.  I adapted it to my taste, and was very happy with the result...so was my hubby!  It has a great flavor, plus it makes a large amount, so it is good for big families or for a crowd. As there are just the two of us, we planned to share it with our neighbors, but ate it all ourselves over the weekend.  I changed quite a few things from the original recipe.  I used Calamata olives instead of black olives, because they have more flavor, and omitted the cup of garbanzo beans...because I don't like them. ;)  I used the farfalle the recipe called for, but any heavy pasta could be used.

Ingredients:
1 box farfalle, cooked al dente
1 TBS olive oil
1 C Genoa Salami, cut in bite sized cubed pieces
1 C Provolone cheese, cut in bite sized cubed pieces
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut in bite sized cubed pieces
1 roasted yellow bell pepper, cut in bite sized cubed pieces
2 C grape tomatoes, halved
2/3 C Calamata olives, halved
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/2 C fresh basil, cut in thin strips
1/2 C Vidalia onion, cut in bite sized cubed pieces
1/2 C Good Seasons Italian dressing, prepared per package instructions
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, squeezed through garlic press
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cook pasta per instructions on box for al dente; drain, then mix with 1 TBS olive oil to coat pasta well.  Roast peppers under broiler, and remove peeling.  When pasta and peppers have cooled, combine pasta, Salami, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, basil and onions in a large bowl.  Prepare dressing per package directions, add garlic and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste; pour dressing and red wine vinegar over salad; mix well, tossing to coat.


Sharing this with these great blogs!
Mix it up Monday
On the Menu Monday

Tea Party Tuesday
Tuesday At The Table
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesday Tasty Tidbits
Whimsy Wednesday
What's New Wednesday 

Wow Us Wednesdays
What's It Wednesday

Thriving On Thursdays
Taste This Thursday

Full Plate Thursday
Seasonal Sundays

Rock and Share

Your Cozy Home

Foodie Friday
Foodie Friday Linky

Weekend Potluck
Link 'n Greet Party
Seasonal Sundays

Morton's Steak House Iceberg Blue Cheese Wedge and Boompa's Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks

It was warm here today, so the hubby and I decided to grill some boneless rib-eye steaks for dinner, and I made a wedge salad using Morton's Steak House Blue Cheese Dressing, with a few modifications.  This dressing is simply delicious, and that's all there is to it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 head iceberg lettuce
6 slices crispy bacon, crumbled in large pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 C Morton's Blue Cheese Dressing (below)

Morton's Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients

1 C real mayonnaise
1/2 C plus 1 tbs sour cream
2 TBS buttermilk, add more to get desired consistency
1/2 tsp Durkee Famous Sauce*
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Add the buttermilk, Durkee sauce, and seasoned salt. Whisk until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk again.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blue cheese. Transfer to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 4 days.

SALAD

Remove any wilted outside leaves from lettuce head. Strike bottom of lettuce head on a flat surface to loosen core. Pull core out. Place lettuce head on cutting board and slice in half from top to bottom. Slice into four wedges. Put wedges in a zip lock bag, and place in crisper drawer of your refigerator for about 2 hours. When ready to serve, ladle dressing across wedge so that it runs over the side. Sprinkle chopped onion, bacon pieces, and chopped tomatoes over the top of the salad.

*Durkee Famous Sauce is sold in many supermarkets. It's a vinegar-flavored mustard-mayonnaise type of sauce.

Boompa’s Grilled Steaks

Here is how my husband, known as Boompa to our great-grandson, makes his steaks.  Black Angus beef is the most flavorful, so that is what we always use. They are delicious!  No kidding!

               

 Ingredients:

Black Angus Rib Eye steaks (bone in if available)

Olive Oil

Garlic salt

Tony Chacheres Cajun Seasoning

McCormick Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning

Worcestershire Sauce

Lite soy sauce

Instructions:

Rub steaks with olive oil on both sides.  Sprinkle both sides lightly with garlic salt and Cajun seasoning.  Add Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce to taste.  Liberally sprinkle on the  Montreal seasoning. Place steaks in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours.  When ready to cook, put steaks on hot grill to sear about 3 minutes per side. Then lower heat a bit, and grill to desired doneness.

I am sharing this with Tea Party Tuesday , Mix it up Monday , Table Top Tuesday , Wow Us Wednesday

Aunt Gladys' 1950's Lime Jell-O Salad with Pineapple, Cream Cheese & Pecans

I was thinking about my Aunt Gladys today.  She was my Grandmother's sister.  My Grandmother raised me, and Aunt Gladys was like a grandmother to me.  In the 1940's and 1950's, on the last day of school, her car would be in the driveway when I got off the school bus.  She and I would head for her home, where I would spend the entire summer.  What a glorious time I had with her!!  We would shop at Rich's and Davison's in downtown Atlanta for hours on end...until my skinny little legs wouldn't take me another step.  The next day, I knew what was coming..."Patsy, I don't think I want any of these things"...so off we would go to Atlanta to return them.  She took me to the movies, the swimming pool, church...anywhere I wanted to go.  When I was a teenager, she would arrange for me to meet some nice young men from well-to-do families...she picked some really cute ones!  It was at her house that I began my culinary love affair with asparagus...yum!  She made me sweet iced tea mixed half and half with pineapple juice...60 years later, I still love it... and we call it an "Aunt Gladys"...she was decades ahead of "Arnold Palmer" ;)  Also, she never failed to make this congealed salad for me...I thought it was divine...and still enjoy eating it.  Such sweet memories of such a sweet and special aunt!  Thank you, Aunt Gladys...I hope I said that often enough while you were still here...but I do hope God doesn't have to go shopping with you.  I would love to go with you again, though. :)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lime Jello
1 3/4 c. boiling water
1 can #2 crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Instructions:

Thoroughly blend cream cheese and Jello. Add boiling water. Stir until cheese mixture is completely melted. Chill until cool. Stir in pineapple and nuts. Chill again until set. Serve on beds of lettuce or make in a Jell-O mold, if desired.

Susta's Frozen Cranberry Salad

I just received this recipe from my cute, crazy, red-haired sister-in-law. I call her Susta, because I have loved her since she was six years old...she is 59 now, and still adorable! The recipe and the comments below are hers:

Here's the recipe. It's really pretty and VERY yummy! I make it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope I make the blog!!! Peace!! Susta

2 small cans crushed pineapple (drained)
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 3-ounce packages of cream cheese
2 TBS mayonnaise
3 TBS sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup whipped cream (I use the whipped cream in the can if I don't have time to whip it myself -- not that I'm lazy or anything, you understand!)

Instructions:
Combine first six ingredients with mixer. Then fold in the whipped cream. Can be spread in oblong dish and cut into squares after frozen, or put in pretty dessert dish or foil cupcake papers (makes about 16 servings in the cupcake papers and makes pretty individual servings) and freeze.
I am sharing this recipe with Tea Party Tuesday, Simply Delish Saturday and Tickled Pink Saturday

Holiday "Waldorf" Salad

My grandmother used to make this salad especially for my brother and I for Thanksgiving. It is simple, quick, and very tasty. Your kids and grand-kids will love you for it!

Ingredients:
6-8 apples, peeled and cubed
1 C pecans, halved
1 C raisins
1 ½ C mini marshmallows, not flavored kind
1 jar maraschino cherries, drained
Kraft mayonnaise, to taste

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients well. Place in pretty glass bowl to serve.

Orange Jell-o Salad

Ingredients:
3 C buttermilk
8 oz. Cool Whip
2 3oz. pkg. orange Jell-O
8 oz. crushed pineapple with juice
1 C chopped pecans

Instructions:
Put Jell-O, pineapple and juice in a small pan and bring to a boil. Cool. Add buttermilk and Cool Whip, and chopped nuts. Mix well, and refrigerate overnight. Makes a large bowl, and keeps well.
My dear mother-in-law used to make this in the summer, and the family always enjoyed it. This recipe is from the 50's...the heydey of congealed salads...always present at Southern ladies lunches and showers! I think I'll make some!

Greek Salad

Ingredients:
Head of Romaine lettuce, chopped (not bagged)
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
30 whole pitted Kalamata olives
6 ounces crumbled Feta cheese (or to taste)
1/4 C olive oil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar or Splenda (or to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
6 Kalamata olives (extra), minced
1/4 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 whole lemon

Instructions:
Put chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion slices, Kalamata olives, and feta into a salad bowl.
Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped olives in a small bowl. Whisk together until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Pour dressing over sald and toss right beforre serving. Squeeze fresh lemon over salad, and serve.
I serve this salad with Greek chicken. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog, and thought the dressing sounded extra good...I was right! I enjoy her blog..great recipes, and she's funny! Check her out!

Japanese Steakhouse Ginger Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 oil (peanut is recommended)
1/3 C rice vinegar
2 TBS water
2 TBS minced fresh ginger
2 TBS minced celery
2 TBS catsup
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients in blender, bled at high speed for about 30 seconds, or until the vegetables are well pureed.
I used bagged iceberg lettuce with carrots and red cabbage for the salad. Pour dressing over and serve.
This recipe is from CopyCat and is based on the Shogun dressing recipe. Very good!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup raisins
½ lb bacon, crumbled
½ cup shelled sunflower seeds (or pine nuts)

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp vinegar
½ cup sugar

Instructions:
Mix first five ingredients; blend salad dressing. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss.
A friend shared this recipe with me several years ago. This makes a lot of salad. Good for a family event. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Grapes

Ingredients
3 C cubed cooked chicken or chicken breast, chilled
1 C diced celery
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS onion, minced
1 tsp. salt
Kraft mayo to taste
1 ½ C seedless green/red grapes
1 11oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
½ to ¾ C toasted sliced almonds
Lettuce, mandarin oranges and grapes for garnish

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients; adjust seasonings and mayo to taste. Serve on platter covered in lettuce leaves with oranges and grapes for garnish.
A great salad for the hot summer. a great choice for showers, and ladies luncheons as well.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
1 16oz. can French style green beans, drained
1 17oz. can LeSeur peas, drained
1 12oz. can shoe peg whole kernel corn, drained
1 C celery, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¾ C white vinegar
½ C oil
½ C sugar
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 TBS water

Instructions:
Boil vinegar, sugar, oil and seasonings until sugar melts. Cool. Add rest of ingredients and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving

Greek Salad...again?

Ingredients:
6 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
1 C extra virgin oil, preferably Greek
2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced
Black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, tough stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 C calamata olives
½# Feta, crumbled
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
12oz. vine ripened tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced in strips
¼ green pepper, sliced in short strips

Instructions:
In small container with lid, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil; stir in oregano and pepper to taste. Make this ahead to allow flavors to marry. When read to serve, in large bowl, lightly toss lettuce with some of the dressing. Then divide lettuce among 4 salad plates. Scatter olives, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and peppers over lettuce. Serve, and pass remaining dressing at table.
This salad was on the menu for my hubby's 70th birthday. It is from the Food Network Kitchens. Very good!