I love this salad.  Jeremy thinks its tolerable and my kids dislike it.  It must be a mom thing, as other moms have really liked it as well.  It keeps for a day in the fridge so you can have the leftovers the next day.  I got the recipe originally from neighborfoodblog.


 1 cup bulgur or spelt or faro or even brown rice - any chewy, larger style grain
 2 cups shredded kale
 1 chopped avocado
 1 apple, chopped
 ½ cup chopped pecans
 ¼ cup dried cranberries

 ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

• Juice of 1 orange
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook the bulgur or other grain according to directions.  Cool.
2. Chop up the avocado and apple and put it into a big bowl.
3. Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to the bowl and stir all together.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss all together.

Makes 6-8 side servings of 4 main dish servings.

Jeremy and I went out to dinner at a restaurant in Salt Lake called the Copper Onion.  They had a corn dish there that literally had us licking the plate after.  This recipe is as close as I could get at home and we love it.  I got it from a web site Closet Cooking and I changed it only slightly as to how I cook it.

2 Tbsp Butter
3 cups corn, cut from the cob or frozen
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 green onions, slices
1 Tbsp cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp cotija cheese crumbled
1 tsp chili powder

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the corn and stir it around well and then let it sit without stirring until the corn is slightly charred.  Mix it up, and let it sit to char again.  It takes 6-10 minutes each time.
Add the jalapeno and saute over high heat, then remove from heat.
Add all the other ingredients and stir together.

I love this salad and most adults I have served it too enjoy it. However my kids eat it only with some grumbling going on, but they do eat it.  You really can only make it in the summer as you need fresh produce.  I can't drain my orzo pasta which is like a larger rice kernel in my colander as it falls through the holes.  So I simply crack the pot's lid a tiny bit and slowly pour the cooking water out.  This is a recipe I got from Sunset Magazine several years ago.  It seems like a lot of preparation but it goes pretty fast if you do it all at the same time.

• 1 pound green beans
• 1 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta (8 oz.)
• 3 ears fresh corn 
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots or green onions
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes (12 oz.), rinsed, stemmed, and cut in half

Preparation

In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 2 quarts water to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse green beans, trim off ends, and pull off any strings. Cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths. Add beans to boiling water and cook until barely tender to bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and immerse in ice water until cold; drain well.
 Fill same pan with 2 1/2 to 3 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add orzo and cook until barely tender to bite, 8 to 11 minutes. Drain.  Cool.
Cook corn with husks on and everything in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Let it cool and husk corn.  Take a sharp knife and cut off corn kernels.
To make dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, shallots, mustard, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside one cup.
Add orzo pasta to dressing in large bowl.  Stir together.  Add lots of salt and pepper.  Smooth pasta level out.
Layer corn kernels, green beans and tomatoes over pasta.  Pour remaining 1 cup dressing over the top.
Chill in fridge till ready to serve and then toss it all together.

A few years ago we were having a Relief Society luncheon in November and were planning out a menu.  A little old lady piped up that she had the best cranberry sauce recipe and that is what we should make.  So we did and it is.  Not perhaps a true sauce but more of a compote, it is delicious served on turkey, in sandwiches or as I like to do s served on top of oatmeal or yogurt.  And as a bonus it makes your house smell wonderful and keeps for a week or two in the fridge.


1 package cranberries
1 c sugar
1 c water
Put these ingredients into a pan and bring to a boil.  Cook until cranberries "pop".

Reduce heat to low and add to the pan:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 pear - peeled, cored and chopped
zest of 1 orange and juice

Cook on low until the fruit softens.  Store covered in the fridge.

I have never been a big fan of the sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows.  But this recipe strikes just the right note for me between sweet and tart.  I make these the day before or in the morning and then just put them into the oven 30 minutes before dinner.  And when I saw sweet potatoes, I really am talking about yams.

3 large sweet potatoes
1/2 c cranberry relish
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 craisens
1/2 c pecans
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes.  Cook in a dish for 1 1/2 hours or till tender.  Cool slightly.
2. Cut tops off of potatoes.  Scrape out the inside pulp into a separate bowl, leaving behind a thin shell of potato.
3. Mash the pulp in a mixer along with the relish, sugar, butter and 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir in craisens.
4. Sprinkle sweet potato shells with salt and pepper.  Fill with mashed potato mixture.  Top with nuts.  bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Holiday meals always feel a bit like a one man circus in our kitchen.  I like this recipe because it cuts down on the craziness.  I can make them in the morning and leave them covered on the counter.  Then when the turkey comes out I pop in the mashed potatoes to get hot and it tastes like they were just made.  When I serve them with ham I will throw in a cup of shredded muenster cheese and a little extra milk.  You can adjust the amounts up or down.

12 russet potatoes
1/2 c butter
1 c milk or half and half
8 oz cream cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste (I use around 1 tsp of each)

1. Peel and boil the potatoes till soft.
2. Mash the potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper.
3. Mash in the cream cheese till smooth.
4. Put the potato mixture into a 9 x 13 dish.  Cover.
5. When dinner is almost ready, bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until hot, about 1/2 an hour.

This is a recipe I found I think in high school. Although kids gripe when I make it, Jeremy and I enjoy it so we over-rode their decision to not keep this recipe. It really only works in the summer time when your vegetables are fresh but it is one of my favorite ways to eat zucchini. I will serve leftovers on top of lettuce as a salad or just eat it plain.

This recipe has come to me through different friends but it originated with my neighbor Bonnie. These are not baked beans but more of a heartier version, almost a meal in itself. And it has lima beans in it which is Allison, our pickiest kid's favorite bean, go figure.

This is one of the favorites of the males in our household. Usually we only make it when we have ham. Since living in UT I have learned they are often called funeral potatoes as they are often made for family meals after funerals put on by wards. Spencer just calls them cheesey potatoes and Taylor signals more with vigor.

Potato Cassserole

1 onion, chopped
2 lb pkg frozen o'brien hash browns (the hash browns with the peppers)
1/2 c butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c sour cream
2 c cheddar cheese
1 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Saute onions in butter until limp. Add soup and sour cream. Stir till smooth. Add hash browns and cheese. Stir till combined. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top with bread crumbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Take foil off and cook 15 minutes longer.