Avocado Mango Salsa

1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
1 lime juiced
1 mango peeled, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped (wear gloves when working with hot peppers)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste.

Place the avocado in a serving bowl, and mix with the lime juice. Mix in the mango, onion, pepper, cilantro and salt.

You may substitute Red and Green Bell Peppers if you don't want to make a hot salsa.

Delicious Pineapple Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pans.

In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Drain pineapple reserving 1/4 cup of juice. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the reserved juice, egg, milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix just until blended.

In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup melted butter to make the topping. Spoon batter into muffin cups, then spoon crushed pineapple over the batter and sprinkle with the cinnamon topping. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the crown of the muffin comes out clean.

Broccoli Cornbread

I grew up in a home where cornbread was just cornbread. It didn't have anything like broccoli in it. So when I was at a friends house some time ago and she served this...I thought it was odd. But guys, it tastes delicious! I have a better time thinking of it as a cheesy broccoli bake! Enjoy.

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
3 eggs
8 oz cottage cheese
1 chopped onion
1-1/2 sticks melted butter
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli thawed and drained
4 oz grated cheddar cheese

Mix the jiffy, eggs, cottage cheese and melted butter together. Add the chopped onion, broccoli and cheese and mix well. Bake in an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking oil for 30 - 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 package taco flavored seasoning mix
1 package of dry ranch dressing mix
1 can yellow corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 can water

Garnish and Serve with:

Tortilla Chips
Cheddar cheese
Sour Cream

Brown the beef. Drain and transfer to crock pot with remaining ingredients and cook on low until ready to serve. Garnish with cheddar cheese and sour cream and serve with tortilla chips. YUM!

Baked Brown Rice

Until I found this recipe I never had a good method for cooking brown rice. Mine would either come out sticky or too watery. I thought I would be stuck cooking minute rice my whole life! I wanted to eat more healthy whole grains and when I found this recipe I was able to make a big improvement in that department. This is just too easy!

1-1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter unsalted
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the rice in an 8 inch square baking dish. Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice. Stir to combine and cover the dish tightly with heavy duty tin foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

**NOTE** This rice would go well with the next recipe...slow cooker pepper steak!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

2 pounds beef sirloin cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large green bell peppers roughly chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix the cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Best Ever Chicken Salad Recipe

2-1/2 cups of cooked, diced and chilled chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced seedless grapes
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Fold in mayonnaise. Add the rest of the ingedients. Mix well and chill.

My family loves this salad on croissants.

Cowboy Baked Beans

1 - 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 large onion
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, undrained
1 can (15-1/2 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) lima beans rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) chili beans undrained
1 can (14-1/2 oz) wax beans, drained
1 can (10-3/4 oz) tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 celery ribs chopped
2 teaspoons of dry ground mustard

Brown the ground beef and onion over medium heat in a large skillet. Drain and place in crock pot. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir together well. Cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.

These are the best baked beans I've ever tasted. I've taken them to pot luck meals and have never met anyone yet who didn't absolutely love them!

Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars

1 (12 ounce) package butterscotch chips
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 Cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1 (14 ounce) can eagle brand milk
1 teas. vanilla
1 egg

Melt chips and butter over medium heat. Stir in crumbs and nuts. (I like walnuts in this recipe but you can use whatever you like.)

Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Beat cream cheese til fluffy. Beat in Eagle Brand milk, vanilla and egg. Pour over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. (bake at 325 for glass baking dish) Cool to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator before cutting. Refrigerate left overs.

Peanut Butter Dogs

2 sticks of butter melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup coconut

Mix all ingredients together and shape into small logs about 2 to 3 inches long. Chill

In a medium saucepan melt together a 6 oz package of chocolate chips and 2 ozs of cooking paraffin. Bring the chilled logs out of the fridge a few at a time and stick toothpicks in them. Dip them into the hot chocolate mixture to coat them all over and set them out on wax paper. The chocolate coating will firm up very quickly so remove the toothpicks right away and let them firm up. Can be eaten as soon as the chocolate coating is firm.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies

1 stick of softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut flakes (finely minced)
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces of solid white chocolate cut into chunks
1 cup macadamia nuts chopped

Cream butter and sugar together. Add coconut, milk egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and dry whisk to mix well. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture. Mix until smooth. Add in the white chocolate chunks and the chopped nuts. Mix well. Refrigerate dough for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven 300 degrees. Drop chilled dough about the size of a tablespoon full two inches apart on cookie sheet. Since oven temperatures vary and these have to cook at such a low heat I suggest you look at them after only 5 minutes. If they look okay wait another 2 to 3 minutes and check again. Cookies should be only slightly browned around the edges when they are ready to come out of the oven. Let them cool on cookie sheet for a few moments and then lift them with a spatula and place them on a cookie rack to finish cooling completely. These are delicious.

Best Chocolate Cake in the World

One box of dark fudge cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix together all ingredients. Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil spray. Bake 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Allow to cake to cool completely.

Frosting:

1 stick of butter melted
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the melted butter in a large mixing bowl and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Add the powdered sugar alternately with the sour cream, blending with an exectric mixer on low speed for 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes or until incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the vanillla. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute or more. Frost your cake and you are now ready to eat the best Chocolate cake in the world!!

7 Layer Mexican Dip

1 small can refried beans
1 can Fritos bean dip
1 container of guacamole dip
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 package of taco seasoning
shredded Jack and cheddar cheese
1 can sliced black olives
3 small chopped tomatoes
2 bunches chopped green onion

Mix refried beans and Fritos bean dip. Spread in bottom of small rectangular baking dish. Next, spread guacamole dip. Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning. Spread. Sprinkle cheese or cheeses to cover the third layer. Sprinkle olives, tomatoes. and green onion in that order. Serve with Corn chips or tortilla chips. YUM!

Best Ribs in the World

This rib sauce recipe is enough to cover three whole racks of Baby Back ribs. I usually only cook two racks at a time and have sauce left over.

1/8 cup black strap molasses
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mustard
4 - 6 cloves of garlic minced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
2 tablespoons of thai chili sauce

It helps if you have a small food processor to process the onion and garlic together but if you don't just remember to chop both very tiny. Mix all the above ingredients together in bowl and cover. Leave it sitting at room temperature until ready for use.


Use your largest stock pot. Mine isn't large enough to sink a whole long rack of ribs so I cut them into half racks for easier handling. I can fit two halves into my stock pan at one time.

Boil your ribs in Apple Juice until they are grayish in color and blood is no longer running out the ends. Lay them aside on a cookie sheet or plate until you've had a chance to boil all your half racks. If your apple juice boils down too low you can add water to bring the level back up to cover the ribs as they boil. You will still have the apple flavor even if you have to water it down.

When all the half racks have been boiled you need to wrap each one separately in heavy duty tin foil. Wrap them tightly.

Preheat oven 35o degrees. Place your wrapped ribs on cookie sheets in such a way that your seams in the tin foil are on top so that the juices can't escape onto the cookie sheet. Bake them for an 1 and 1/2 hours.

Remove them from the oven and gently undo the foil to open up and brush or spoon sauce over the tops of each half rack. Make sure to generously cover the entire surface of that side of the ribs. Now close the foil back loosly this time. Place back into the oven for 15 minutes.

Take them out again and gently pull back the foil. This time flip the rib over and brush or spoon the sauce on the other side. Close the foil loosely again and place back into the oven for 20 minutes. Now they should be falling off the bone tender. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family!!!

George Foreman Grilled Chicken

1 to 2 boneless skinless chicken breast (Or more depending on how many you're feeding.)
Soy Sauce
Canola Oil
Garlic Powder
One Onion chopped into one inch cubes
1/2 a bell pepper chopped into one inch cubes

I like to freeze my chicken breasts to a half frozen stage so that I can slice them easier.
Slice them into about 1/4 inch thickness as if you're making chicken tenders. You can also buy them already cut up into tenders if you don't want to cut your own.

Lay the tenders in a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle soy sauce all over them to coat them fully on both sides. Put your chopped onions and peppers in the dish with the chicken and toss them to get them coated with soy sauce as well. Sprinkle them with garlic powder mixing to get them sprinkled on both sides. Let them sit and marinate this way for at least an hour.

Plug in your George Foreman and let it preheat for 5 minutes. While it's preheating pour a little canola oil over your chicken mixture and turn it to coat everything good with oil. You'll be able to get 3 - 4 tenders on the little George and leave a pocket of space at the top to hold a handful of the peppers and onions in place. Close the lid and time them for 4 minutes. Then remove to a plate. Keep repeating until you have cooked all your tenders, onions and peppers.

These little things are wonderful alone, with baked potatoes, or chopped up to top off a grilled chicken salad. This is my solution to grilling chicken when it's just too hot to get outside and fire up the real grill....

Roasting Bag Chicken

One whole roasting chicken rinsed and patted dry.

Remove the giblets from the cavity and use those to make soup stock at a later date. (Keep them frozen until ready to use.)

Rub your chicken with a little canola oil all over. Sprinkle very heavily with Morton brand Nature's Seasons. I sprinkle all over, lifting wings and opening the legs to sprinkle in all the gooves, and sprinkle inside the cavity.

The roasting bags come with cooking instructions based on the size or poundage of your bird. Follow those instructions exactly. Make sure you flour the inside of your roasting bag before you place your bird inside. Cook according to instructions and then test your bird with a meat thermometer. I insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to make sure I have a temperature of 185.

There will be lots of juices that run off the chicken while it roasts. Save the juices and make a great chicken soup within the next few days or just use the juices to stew some potatoes, carrots or other veggies of your choice.

When I make a roasting bag chicken I buy a loaf of french bread to go with it. I serve chicken and buttered toasted bread together. Your house is going to smell so good when this is cooking that it will make even the most computer game addicted teenager come away from the computer or out of their bedroom to see what you're cooking!

Sour Cream Muffins

2 cups self rising flour
2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 pint of sour cream

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and spoon into small, ungreased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

My friend Josh sent me this recipe the other day and I couldn't believe how easy and wonderful these muffins are! Thanks Josh!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
1 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Roll into meatballs about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in size.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the meatballs until browned on all sides. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, ketchup, cornstarch, sugar and soy sauce. Pour over the meatballs and allow sauce to thicken. Continue to heat until the sauce just starts to bubble.

Joe's Crab Shack Crab Dip

2 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons of onions diced
4 teaspoons green pepper, minced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6 ounces of crab meat

Mix cream cheese, mayo, sour cream and butter until smooth. Blend in salt and paprika. Stir in onion, green pepper, cheese and crab meat. Bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes or until bubbly. I have a little 2 cup round baking dish that this recipe fits into nicely. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 4.

Southern Party Potatoes

2 lbs frozen hash browns
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken or cream of celery soup
1 carton sour cream
1 small jar cheez whiz or 2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups crushed corn flakes

Defrost potatoes. Combine 1/2 cup butter, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese. Mix thoroughly. Pour over potatoes in 3 quart casserole. MIx 1/4 cup butter and corn flakes. Sprinkle over top. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 16

Squash Casserole

6 to 8 yellow summer squash sliced
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup onion diced
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can filled with milk
1 cup shredded cheddar or American cheese
1 can Durkee French fried onions

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add squash and onion. Cook just long enough for squash to get tender. Remove from heat. Stir in soup, milk, 1/2 cup of cheese, and 1/2 can of Durkee onions. Pour in a casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and Durkee onions. Bake at 350 about 35 to 40 minutes. YUM!

Southern Fried Okra

1 lb. fresh okra
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teas. baking powder
1 teas salt
pepper to taste
vegetable oil

Wash and slice okra. Pat dry with paper towels. Combine eggs and buttermilk. Add okra and let stand for 10 minutes. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Drain okra, small portions at a time, using a slotted spoon. Dredge okra, small portions at a time in flour mixture. Pour oil in a deep fat fryer about 2 or 3 inches deep. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry okra until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

**NOTE** I love fried okra!! But when my dad used to raise it in his garden and he made us go pick it I thought it would itch me to death! Even if I wore long sleeves I still came out of the garden itching from head to toe! Does anyone else out there itch like that when picking okra?

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

1 head of broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup of pimento stuffed green olives (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
One bottle of creamy cucumber dressing

Slice the tops off the broccoli and cauliflower and chop them up into small pieces.
add the chopped olives and bell pepper
pour the creamy cucumber dressing over while mixing and tossing until the mixture is well coated. Refrigerate until serving time.

**NOTE** Sometimes it's hard to find creamy cucumber dressing around here so I have used cucumber ranch and if I couldn't find that I would simply chop a 1/2 cup of cucumber into my mix and coat with plain ranch dressing. The original recipe above is the best but these two back up methods still give you a delicious summer salad.

**NOTE** If you like cooked broccoli then you can save these broccoli stalks and cook them. Although the stalks are tough, when you peel them just like you would a potato, cut them into coins sized rounds and boil or steam them they will be very tender and delicious. Treat them like the rest of the broccoli when cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste or make a nice cheese sauce to pour over them.

Jamocha Shake

I have a little milk shake maker at home but you can mix this all in a blender as well.

1 cup of cold coffee
1 cup of cold milk
2 cups of vanilla ice cream
3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
3 talbespoons of granulated sugar

Blend together until smooth and creamy and pour into glasses. My kids and I love this shake!

Stretch Cheese Sandwiches

I came up with this a long long time ago when the kids were little. It was a riot!

My kids have always loved grilled cheese sandwiches. I would take a slice of Kraft Singles and place between two pieces of bread. I would heat a skillet to medium. I would take room temperature butter and spread on the outside of the bread and place in the skillet and let it slowly brown on one side and flip to the other side to let it brown. Slow cooking and browning allows the cheese inside to melt. But what I found one time when I was out of Kraft Singles.....

I had a package (block) of mozzarella cheese. I cut it into thin layers with my cheese slicer. I placed it in such a way as to fit the bread. The rest of the procedure is the same. Butter the bread, place in the skillet and slowly brown on both sides.

My three kids laughed so hard when they started biting into their sandwiches and seeing the stretch cheese pull away from their mouths like biting into a cheesy pizza....well, it became one of my better memories of when my kids were little. They would ask for stretch cheese sandwiches for years to come. Even though they are now 20, 21 and 26 years old, they still sometimes ask me to make stretch cheese sandwiches!!

These are great with tomato soup or chili.

Chili Cheese Dogs

This is a favorite of my adult children!

Buy a package of hot dog buns, a package of hot dogs, a can of chili with no beans, one medium onion and a package of shredded colby jack cheese.

Boil the hot dogs until plump. Lay them out on a paper towel to absorb the water off of them.

Place each hot dog inside a bun on a cookie sheet.

Spread chili on each dog.

Sprinkle each with finely chopped onion and top with shredded cheese. (My youngest son doesn't like onions so I just sprinkle his with cheese and put his two at the other end of the cookie sheet.)

You have to be flexible when you have kids. If you don't buy colby jack cheese then shredded cheddar will do. Mexican blend will do. Shredded Mozarella will do too!

Place in the oven preheated to 350. Bake for a few minutes until you start smelling the onions. Look at them to see if the cheese has melted. Some people like their cheese just starting to melt and some like it brown at the edges. Bring it out of the oven when you're ready.

Here's the thing: I'm like that old Maxine woman on the greeting cards. I don't piddle around with how many minutes to cook hotdogs!! If you like your cheese to start to turn brown around the edges and slightly brown on top then cook longer or cook hotter! I like 350 degrees because it's safe and it allows the cheese to melt, the onions to start cooking, and the chili to get heated before anything burns. Always experiment with a recipe and make it your own!

Red Skin Potato Salad

2 pounds red skin potatoes
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 pieces of cooked crisp bacon crumbled
5 green onions chopped
1 pack of dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (prepared using directions on package)

Boil potatoes until tender. Do not peel potatoes. Cool and slice. Add cheese, bacon, onion and ranch dressing and toss gently to mix well. Chill until ready to serve.

Layered Salad

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce (washed and drained and broken into small pieces)
3/4 cup of real bacon bits
3/4 cup of bell pepper chopped
3/4 of a purple onion sliced into rings (medium sized onion)
1/2 pound of frozen green peas
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of sugar

Before you start let me just tell you that this is a very pretty dish! If you have a clear mixing bowl or serving dish to put this in...it will look impressive on your table!

Start by layering your small pieces of lettuce on the bottom of the dish. Gently breaking lettuce is a kinder and gentler way to treat it. If you chop it with a knife it will tend to turn brown around the edges faster. You don't want to serve a dish where the lettuce is getting brown around the edges!

Add your layer of bell peppers and spread them evenly over lettuce
Break your sliced onions apart into rings and lay them on top of the peppers
top that with your layer of shredded carrots
Next will be your layer of frozen peas.
*** Note here about frozen peas: When you buy a small box of frozen peas and open them, often times they will be connected by ice. Put them in a colander and run cold water over them until all the ice is gone. Then let them drain. If you get frozen peas that are loose from each other and not ice connected then that's fine. You can go ahead and make your layer. The point is, if you put icy peas in your salad then eventually that ice is going to melt and run to the bottom of the bowl and cause your lettuce to be sitting in water. YUCK! If you run cold water over them then make sure they are well drained. Pat them with a paper towel if you want to make sure most of the water is absorbed off of them. But don't ever run hot water over them. Remember the main thing is to have raw fresh peas, not half cooked or overly wet peas. This is not hard to do. It's just something I wanted you to know.

Carefully spread your mayonnaise over the layer of peas. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the mayonnaise. Sprinkle cheese evenly over mayonnaise and then sprinkle the bacon bits on top. (I like hormel real bacon bits.)

Cover and refrigerate overnight if possible but at least for a couple of hours before serving.

*** NOTE*** I look at every recipe as something to experiment with. This recipe originally came to me calling for chopped onions. I would rather ring my onions in a lettuce salad when serving to others in case they want to remove them. You could also ring the bell pepper for easier removal. This recipe is a pot luck favorite!

Dad's Favorite Slaw

1 medium head of cabbage (shredded) or buy 2 small bags of shredded cabbage.
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 cup of vinegar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (very healthy for you)
1 medium bell pepper finely chopped
1 cup of celery finely chopped
1 cup of sugar.

After chopping or shredding the cabbage, onion, bell pepper and celery mix them together in a large mixing bowl.

In a saucepan, add the one cup vinegar, one cup of sugar, and the teaspoon of turmeric. Bring to a boil and let cool. Pour over cabbage mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

I've never known anyone outside my immediate family to make this dish. It gets really good if it sits in the fridge for a few days. I found that it's very good as a side dish AND it's good on hot dogs if you like slaw dogs!!!

Apple, Raisin Cheese Salad

Here's a recipe my mom made when we were growing up. It was enough to feed 6 of us. I still enjoy making this every now and then.

1/2 cup raisins
3 cup apples unpeeled and diced. Use yellow, red or green apples
3/4 cup American cheese, diced small
Enough Miracle Whip salad dressing to coat well (about 2 - 3 Tablespoons)
If you're a Miracle Whip junkie then add more.

Mix well and chill until ready to serve.

If you don't like Miracle Whip then make it with mayonnaise instead.

Here's another version that I came across after I grew up and left home. This is also called Waldorf Salad.

Use the same ingredients as above but add a stalk of chopped celery and about a half cup of small walnut pieces. Use Mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip. Chill until ready to serve. Either version is sure to be a hit!

Bow Tie Salad

Boil some bow tie pasta according to package instructions.

Boil as much as you need based on the number of people you'll be feeding.

Pour it out into a colander and run cold water over it and let it drain.

When it's cool and drained pour pasta into a mixing bowl.

Chop up some ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and onion and add to the pasta.

Pour enough of your favorite Italian dressing over this to mix and coat it all very well.

Refrigerate until ready to use. You can eat it immediately if you want to but it's better if it has a chance to chill and absorb all the flavors. You control the amounts of everything you use. If you love cucumbers then use more of those than you do onions and tomatoes.

I've had this salad with cheese cubes added. It was good. I've also had it where someone drained and rinsed a can of kidney beans and added those to it. Also good. So have fun with this recipe and use your imagination. Everyone in my family loves this. Especially in the summer months.