Corn Salad

Source: Ina Garten

Ingredients:

5 ears of corn, shucked OR 4 cans of corn
1/2 cup finely diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 T cider vinegar
3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup diced fresh basil leaves

Optional- parmesan cheese

Cook the corn in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Slice the kernels off the cob.

OR, drain and rinse the cans of corn.

Toss all ingredients together, adding the basil at the end. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Christmas Eve Salad {with Apples, Oranges, Craisins, Almonds, & Feta}

Christmas Eve at my in-laws is a very casual night, with a big potluck, games, and Christmas carols. The past few years, we've brought this salad (a recipe from my mom), and it's been a huge hit. We usually have this in the summer, but with the dried cranberries and citrus, it felt festive enough for the holidays. 

Christmas Eve Salad

Fills 1 large bowl

Mix:

6-8 cups chopped greens (I use Romaine and Red Leaf lettuces)

2 stalks chopped celery

1/2 bunch chopped green onions

2 chopped apples (I use Fuji)

1 can mandarin oranges

1 cup Craisins

4 oz. feta cheese

1 cup silvered almonds (can be caramelized)

For the dressing, whisk together:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 T. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

I could eat this salad every day, I love it so much. Almost as much as Aunt Karen's Christmas Eve fudge.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays!

Macaroni Salad

Snickerdoodles

Apple Crisp

Modified from Martha Stewart


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks butter, cold and sliced in tablespoons
2 cups oats

10 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar


Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar.
Cut butter into mixture until it is the texture of coarse meal.
Add oats, and use the hands to mix in until large, moist clumps form.
Transfer to freezer to chill while preparing apples.

In a separate bowl, toss together apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1 cup sugar.
Pour into 9x13 dish, and sprinkle with the topping mixture.

Bake until golden and bubbling 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

From The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1⅓ cups carrots, chopped
1⅓ cups onions, chopped finely
1 cup celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2½ teaspoons lemon peel, grated
2 teaspoons salt

9 cups chicken stock
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 rotisserie-cooked chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
4 ounces orzo pasta, uncooked (about 3/4 cup)

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked (optional)
¼ cup romano cheese, grated (optional)


Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large pot.

Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, lemon zest and salt. Saute ingredients over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.

Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and *orzo. Simmer until orzo is cooked through.

Just before serving add parsley and remove bay leaf. Garnish with salt and black pepper if needed and Romano cheese if desired.

* Note: If you're serving right away you can add the orzo pasta and chicken at the same time until the orzo is cooked. If you plan on serving later it at a later time you may want to cook the orzo separately and add right before serving. The orzo pasta tends to soak up all the liquid and can become quite thick if you simmer the soup for a long time. You can always add more chicken stock if you want to thin it out a little.

Serves approx. 6

Cornbread {That's Actually Moist}

Source: crazedmom.com

"Everyone seems to want a moist sweet cornbread recipe and one that keeps for an extra day or two as well."

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 c. cornmeal

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/3 c. sugar

2 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. melted butter

2 T. honey

4 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.

Beat the eggs.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Pour in oil, butter, honey, eggs, and milk. Stir until just moistened.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 dish and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out just barely clean. The cornbread should be turning golden and starting to crack.

Serve warm with butter, honey, honey-butter, or just plain. :)