Homemade Taco Sauce

I adapted this recipe from joyofkosher.com; its a great one and it really tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff.

A single recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

-8 oz. tomato sauce OR 1/4 cup tomato paste + 1/4 cup water + 1/8 tsp salt OR 16 oz. crushed tomatoes

-1/3 cup water {omit if using crushed tomatoes}

-1/4 tsp chili pepper

-1 1/2 tsp cumin

-1 1/2 tsp dry minced onion

-1 tbsp white vinegar

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp paprika

-1/4 tsp sugar

-1/4 tsp cayenne

Process:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. I used crushed tomatoes I canned from last summer's garden; so I ran the sauce through the food processor.

4. Cool and place in an airtight container and use or refrigerate for up to 1 week {or freeze and thaw as needed}.

If you have any extras, it would be great mixed in taco meat, pasta sauce, used as pizza sauce or in a mexican style soup!  Enjoy!

Excellent Sweet Coleslaw

This is the BEST basic coleslaw recipe!  Its very easy to make and is always a huge hit.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.

Ingredients:

-16 oz. bag coleslaw mix {or the equivalent in thinly sliced cabbage and carrots}

- 2 tbsp diced onion {we like red onion and I usually add more than 2 tbsp}

-2/3 cups miracle whip

-3 tbsp vegetable oil 

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 tbsp vinegar

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Process:

1. Combine coleslaw mix and onion in a large bowl.

2. Mix together miracle whip, oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and poppy seeds.

 3. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, toss well to coat.

4. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes:
*Sometimes I will just put everything in a bowl together and mix it all at once.
*Its also easy to mix the dressing ingredients in the large bowl then add the onion and coleslaw.
*I don't always allow 2 hours for chilling and its still great!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cucumber Salad

I found these great mini cucumbers at the local grocery store and they are from right here in Iowa so I had to try some!  

So, I made my Mom's cucumber salad; my husband, son and I all love this as a side to a great meal.

Ingredients:
-3 to 4 medium-small sized cucumbers
-1/2 cup miracle whip
-1/8 cup milk
-about 1/4 cup onion, chopped or thinly sliced
-salt and pepper, to taste

Process:
1. Thinly slice the cucumbers {I like to use my mandolin slicer, but I have also cubed the cucumbers for this recipe too}

Place cucumbers in a medium bowl.

2. Add onion to cucumbers.

3. In a small combine miracle whip, milk, salt and pepper.

Whisk well.

4. Add dressing to cucumbers and onions.  Mix well.

5. Place in a container or bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours or enjoy right away.

Excellent Mexican Coleslaw

This is a fantastic Mexican coleslaw!  I've made it with all kinds of beef and pork tortilla wraps; it is great as a topping for these as well as a side dish.

Our local grocery had this Asian slaw blend of cabbage, kale, carrots, snap peas and broccoli.  I used this mix for this recipe, although you could use or make any slaw vegetable mix you like.

Ingredients:
-1 bag slaw veggies  {or substitute a small head of cabbage, 2 carrots and 1 small onions, all shredded}
-about 1/4 cup shredded or chopped onion
1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup vinegar
-1/2 tsp mustard powder
-2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground corriander
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp ground pepper
-1/2 cup olive oil, canola or other veggie oil

Optional Additions:
-3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
-2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Process:
1. In a small bowl combine sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, salt, corriander, cumin, cayenne, pepper, oil  and parsley and cilantro, if using.  Mix well.

2. Add onion to slaw mix.

3. Pour dressing over slaw.

4. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 1 day before serving.

Enjoy on its own or as a fantastic topping for tacos or other festive tortilla wraps.

Cotton Candy Salad

This is a great salad for a summer barbecue!  Its very easy and is best made ahead so it can chill thoroughly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-14 oz. sweetened condensed milk {I made my own; recipe below}

-2 cups crushed pineapple, drained {I used one large can, I think 32 oz.}

-1 can cherry pie filling

-1 can strawberry pie filling

-12 oz. cool whip, thawed

-3/4 cup chopped pecans, optional {I left them out for the kids}

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk:

In a saucepan combine...

-3/4 cup sugar

-1/2 cup water

-1 1/8 cup dry milk

Bring to a boil and cook; stirring constantly for about 20 minutes, until thickened and smooth.  Use as called for.

Process:

1. Combine sweetened condensed milk, drained pineapple, cherry and strawberry pie filling in a large bowl.

 2. Mix well.

 3. Add cool whip and mix thoroughly.  {Also mix in pecans, if using.}

 4. Spread salad in serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

How to Roast Garlic

Surprisingly, this was the first time I roasted my own garlic! 

And its so simple, will last quite a while in the fridge and adds oh so much to so many recipes.

Ingredients:
-whole heads of garlic, as many as you want
-olive oil or another oil if you prefer {I've done this with canola oil}

Process:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel away an loose papery skins from the outside of each head.
3. Cut off about 1/4-1/2 inch from the top of each garlic head.  You should be able to see the inside of each clove.

4. Place garlic heads in a baking pan with cut sides up; I like to use muffin pan.

5. Drizzle oil over garlic, about 2 tsp per head.  Rub each garlic head to make sure it is coated with oil.

6. Cover the pan with foil.

7. Bake garlic for 30-35 minutes.

8. Allow garlic to cool enough so you can handle it.

9. At this point, you can either refrigerate these in an airtight container as is or squeeze the garlic from it's skin and use or store out of its skin.

I stored my in the skins in this dish all together...

You can mash it and spread it on toast of fresh warm bread, mix it with sour cream for on baked potatoes or mix it with Parmesan and toss with warm pasta.  Or really in any recipe!  Its mild and excellent in so many things!

Enjoy!