Chinese Slaw

A few weeks ago I had the challenge of making a Chinese/Asian appetizer. I don't fry, and Whitney had already claimed the edamame, so I had to come up with something. I remembered a yummy side dish that my Aunt Susan made for a family get together, and thought it would be perfect. She graciously shared her recipe with me and now I'm sharing it with you. It make a lot, so it's perfect for a crowd. And it is great left over, too. Enjoy!

Chinese Slaw
Recipe from Aunt Susan
1 bag of slaw (regular or broccoli)
Noodles from 2 packages of beef Ramen noodles, crushed
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 beef flavor packets from the Ramen noodles

Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the oil, vinegar, sugar and beef flavoring in a small bowl or saucepan. Heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave or on the stove, until sugar and beef flavoring is dissolved. Mix well. When the dressing has cooled, pour it over the slaw mixture and toss to combine.

Upcoming recipes:
Turkey and artichoke stuffed shells
Peach Cobbler
Tostada pizza

Sopapilla cheesecake pie

I have a sweet tooth. There's not a dessert I don't like (at least none I've found). So when given the opportunity to make something for a potluck, I tend to gravitate towards dessert. I have been known to make a dip or an appetizer from time to time, but nine times out of 10 I'll make a dessert.

A recent Mexican night get together with friends was no different.

While there are tons of great Mexican appetizer/dip recipes to choose from (mmm ... cheese), I didn't know of too many Mexican dessert recipes. Tres leches cake came to mind, but I knew it would be tougher to eat than the finger food we were supposed to bring. After scouring the Internet for a while I found a sopapilla cheesecake pie recipe. It looked tasty, had lots of good reviews, and seemed pretty easy.

Mexican/Spanish? Check.
Dessert? Check.
Easy to eat? Check.
One of my favorite desserts to make (cheesecake)? Check.

This was a hit. It was easy to make and delicious. It's not like a typical cheesecake, so I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for the more traditional, bake-in-a-springform pan cheesecake. But the filling is a mixture of cream cheese and sugar, so there is definitely a cheesecake taste. It's rich and sweet and oh, so good.

Sopapilla cheesecake pie
From allrecipes.com
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of your baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
Bake until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Watermelon feta salad

Watermelon is to summer what football is to fall. They just go together.

And I love me some watermelon.

While shopping at Publix this weekend, I picked up a watermelon thinking it would be a yummy addition to the fruit kabobs I was planning to make. Little did I realize how much watermelon one watermelon actually contains. When I was done cutting it up (four days and one messy kitchen later) we had a TON of it.

I like watermelon a lot, but not that much.

So I used some of it tonight to make a delicious summery salad.


I first ate this on Father's Day at my parent's house. I don't know where my mom found this recipe, but I'm glad she did and that she shared it with us!

Watermelon feta salad
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 pounds watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
8 ounces grape tomatoes, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula greens (about 5 ounces)*
1 cup sliced red onions

Whisk oil, vinegar and salt to blend; set aside. Place arugula, onions and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add cheese and melon; serve.

*My mom didn't have white balsamic vinegar, so she used regular balsamic vinegar and it was just as good. We both used romaine lettuce instead of arugula. And I don't have kosher salt so I used regular salt. All these substitutions and it was still a delicious salad!

Greek turkey burgers

I stepped on the scale last week and was not happy with what I saw. Of course, with the way I've been eating lately I should have known that I would be less than pleased with the numbers on the scale, but a girl can dream.

So in an effort to shed some of this baby weight I've still got hanging around, I am trying to cook and eat healthier. I don't really have much time to read these days, what with an infant in the house and all, but while (very) quickly skimming through the latest issue of Southern Living I found a recipe for turkey burgers. We're big burger fans in our house, but I've heard mixed reviews about turkey. I've heard that they can be dry and tasteless, but this recipe looked like it might be something we (or I...) would like. Anything with feta cheese is worth a try in my book.

Patrick was skeptical. He's a traditional burger kind of guy. But he humored me and grilled them anyway. He even ate one. And liked it!

These burgers aren't dry at all (I think the cucumber sauce helps) and are packed full of flavor. I really liked them a lot - they were so tasty and different from what we usually eat. Patrick liked them, too, and said that they didn't make him feel as full and heavy as a regular hamburger.

If you're looking for an alternative to your usual hamburger, give these a try. We finished them today and will be making them again.


Greek turkey burgers
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray, if using a grill pan
1/2 cup grated English cucumber (I couldn't find one, so I used a regular cucumber)
1 (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 French hamburger buns, split and toasted
Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber
Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers

Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

*We used our gas grill and cooked them at 300-400 degrees for about 7 minutes each side.

Chop-chop salad

This salad is one of my favorite summer side dishes. It's easy, healthy, pretty and travels well to picnics and potlucks. It's the perfect accompaniment to your favorite grilled food, and if you omit the bacon, it's a vegetarian dish, too.


Chop-Chop Salad
Recipe from family friend Sue Chaney
1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
6 green onions
1/2 pound bacon (or bacon bits)

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable or corn oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chop broccoli, cauliflower, onions and bacon into small pieces. Combine in a large bowl.
Toss with dressing just before serving.

Chocolate no-bake cookies

When Patrick and I started dating, I was introduced to one of his favorite cookies, one that was brand new to me. (How I missed out on a cookie for that many years is beyond me.) His aunt traditionally makes them for family gatherings, and the first time I ever ate one was when we all got together for a family reunion in Ocean Isle, North Carolina. They are tasty little treasures, full of chocolate and peanut butter ... two of my favorite things!

I never had the recipe until a sweet lady from our church brought us dinner and dessert after Nora was born. She very thoughtfully included the recipes, and this was one of them. Finally, I can make one of Patrick's favorite cookies!


Chocolate no-bake cookies
1 stick of butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oats

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil for one minute. Remove from heat and combine with remaining ingredients. Stir together until fully combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

A Cookie Conundrum

I have a chocolate-chip cookie conundrum, and I'm hoping y'all can help.

I have been making chocolate-chip cookies for as long as I can remember, but have never found that perfect recipe, one that gives me fluffy, chewy cookies. Although they taste good, mine always seem to come out more on the flat, crispy side, no matter what I do. And flat and crispy is fine and dandy if that's what you want ... but I want thick, fluffy, chewy chocolate-chip cookies!

Is it the butter? The softened butter, perhaps? Should I use cold butter instead, even though the recipe clearly calls for softened butter? Or should I use margarine? What about shortening?

I've even tried recipes that say they will turn out the way I want, but they never do. And y'all know how I follow recipes to a tee -- especially when baking.

So what gives? Please share any ideas, inspiration, advice you have.

Until then, I'll keep trying. Patrick - who has never met a chocolate-chip cookie he didn't like - won't complain!

*Photos are now courtesy of Patrick and his new toy, a Canon Rebel DSLR camera - no more iPhone pictures!