Pool-side Party Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Tri-colored Bowtie Pasta, cooked & chilled

Diced Kalamata olives 

Cucumbers

Crumbled Goat Cheese (feta would work, too)

Girard's Champagne Dressing

Mix ingredients together and chill.

You don't need salt because of the briny olives and cheese. You could add fresh diced tomatoes, as well. This can be created over a number of hours. It's best to make it early, so the flavors can blend. I like dishes that can be composed over a period of time, between changing diapers, breaking up fights over who gets to choose the movie, and phone calls from people who have changed their mind about not coming. 

Entertaining should be as easy as possible, and this is the perfect recipe for that!

Party Sangria

Ingredients:

Barefoot Pinot Grigio (2 large bottles)
Blackberries-1 tub, rinsed**
Strawberries-1 tub, rinsed and halved
Sugar-- 1 and 1/3 cups
White-Cran Raspberry Juice
1 can 5-Alive frozen concentrate

Mix all ingredients except the blackberries and reserved strawberries in your largest drink dispenser and refrigerate overnight. This allows the flavors to "bleed" into the wine.
**Blackberries have a tendency to break down more quickly than the other fruit. If your dispenser has a spigot, the small kernels and seeds can get clogged there. This makes it difficult to fill cups and please your friends!

Taste OFTEN the next day prior to your party, in order to verify consistency of flavor......and to calm pre-parrrrty jitterszh. :)

Just prior to serving, rinse blackberries and remaining strawberries; slice the strawberries and place both fruits in the drink mixture. This will freshen up the color, since the other fruit will have broken down somewhat in the alcohol.

Some people like to add something fizzy just before serving. Ginger ale, tonic water, and Sprite are options.

This particular sangria recipe of mine generally goes quickly. Enjoy!!

The BEST Meatballs EVER!!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

*1.5 lbs ground beef

*Marinara sauce-enough to moisten and flavor

*2 eggs

*Seasoned bread crumbs-enough to adhere ingredients together

*Grated Parmesan and/or Romano Cheeses-fresh is best 

*Garlic Salt-several dashes

*Beef Granules--a dash or two. Maybe one to two teaspoons for you people who insist on measuring?? 

*Herbs de Provence--I'd guesstimate that I used about 3 Tbsp 
*Truffle Oil Salt--a dash or two. This adds a really delicious depth of flavor to the meatballs.

Mix, mold into Tbsp sized balls. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then 385 degrees for 15 minutes. Check meatballs to make sure they stay moist. 

Prepare to scream YUMMY!!! 

Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce or on sub rolls with sauce and cheese. I like fontina slices or smoked provolone for extra cheesy goodness. 

Golden Beet and Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients:

Golden Beets
Mixed Lettuce
Walnuts
Cucumber
Gorgonzola Crumbles
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Cracked Pepper

Chunk all ingredients, mix, then drizzle with olive oil. Add gorgonzola crumbles; salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken and Mango Salad

Because I love food and wine so much, I gained a lot of weight last year. Therefore, I am on a regimen of fruits and veggies. Salads can be so lightweight for the summer, as well as rocking some amazing possibilities for food combinations. This one has fabulous color AND flavor!

Ingredients:

•Mango
•Grilled, marinated chicken breast chunks
•Chives
•Small chunks of hatch pepper cheese
•Lettuce
•Olive oil, dash of Srracha sauce, garlic salt, dash of Monterrey Steak season

The only preparation needed for this meal is the marinated chicken, which was left-over from last night's dinner, and the dressing. The chicken marinade consisted of pickle juice, chili powder, garlic salt, and a pinch of turmeric. Then I grilled it in some olive oil. For the salad, I simply cut off chunks of chicken to toss with the rest of the ingredients. The dressing was comprised of the olive oil, Srracha sauce, garlic salt, and Monterrey Steak seasoning. 
Toss all items together, and eat immediately. 

The mango should be fresh and not too ripe, or the consistency may be globular and less appealing than it should be. 

Tangy Creamy Potato Salad

Here's a delicious potato salad recipe that was so tasty, my neighbor Susan came over the next day for left-overs!

Ingredients:

*Red Potatoes

*Olive Oil

*Sweet Onion, quarter cup

*Homemade Broth (see ingredients and recipe below)

*Dill

*Sour Cream

*Mayonnaise (I used Duke's)

*Rice Cooker

Rinse and remove any eyes and bruises from the potatoes. Leave some skin on for texture, color, and flavor. Dice potatoes into smallish cubes, then place in a rice cooker with olive oil and finely diced sweet onion. In a separate pan, make the broth, then pour it over the potatoes and onions. Pour in a liberal amount of dill, and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. Using the steam setting, cook for 35 minutes. 

When the potatoes are finished, place in a bowl and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Stir in equal measures of sour cream and mayonnaise to desired taste and creaminess. 

Keep chilled and enjoy! 

Broth Ingredients and Recipe:

*Creamy Jalapeno Pepper Dip (HEB)

*Chicken Broth Powder-1 TBSP

*Sriracha-2 or 3 dashes

*Garlic Salt 

*Beef Broth Powder-1/2 TBSP

*Dash of Olive Oil

*4 Cups of Water

Combine and bring all ingredients to a boil, then remove from heat and follow instructions above.

**All measurements all approximate. I do not measure when I cook, so these are all estimations. 

Shrimp and Cheese Grits

Clearly, I need to work on my presentation of foodie pictures taken to highlight my achievement of yumminess, but this was just too good not to include.

Cheese Grits:

*Jim Dandy Instant Grits (it's all they've got at the local store..), serving size for six

*Three ounces of Velveeta, cubed

*Water (according to serving size, minus a half oz)

*Milk

*Seasoning-- A Tablespoon of each: Garlic Salt, Montreal Salt Season, Coarse Sea Salt

*Cheese-any good hard block cheese, grated or cubed-two ounces

*Tablespoon of butter

Cook the grits according the directions. I like to stir mine with a fork after I pour the grits into the rapidly boiling water so they don't clump. I put the seasoning in with the dry grains prior to adding to water so they boil and seep flavor into the grits. I don't know if that's scientifically or culinarily accurate, but it works for me. 

When the grits begin to thicken, I add a dash of milk to make them good and creamy. Next, the cheese, Velveeta, and butter go it. Stir quickly and thoroughly, then cover your pot and let the mixture thicken. 

Shrimp:

*Deveined/Tails Removed Shrimp, frozen or fresh-one pound

*One jalapeno

*Garlic Salt

*Olive Oil

*Course Season Mixture-Salt/Pepper

*Shallot, finely diced

*Freshly Ground Pepper, coarse

Rinse and drain fresh or thawed shrimp. Dice jalapeno and shallot, then add to shrimp in bowl. Season with spices, then coat with olive oil. Set aside in refrigerator to marinate. 

When ready to cook shrimp, drain excess juice, and sautee in large pan. Make sure each shrimp has room to cook. Stir frequently. They are done when they are pink and curled, but not completely touching end to end. 

Serve shrimp on a mound of hot, delicious cheesy grits, top with freshly ground course pepper, and enjoy!