BOW-TIE SHRIMP

Rained all day here in East Tennessee and we laid around most of the day watching things from Comcast’s ON DEMAND. Late in the afternoon we began to get hungry, so I went over the inventory.

I found some frozen medium sized shrimp, a jar of Bertolli’s Mushroom Fettuccini, a box of bow-tie pasta, some sun-dried tomatoes, some garlic, an onion, and fixed me a drink of my Christmas present – George Dickel Barrel Select! Man was that Dickel smooth!

I fixed the pasta according to box directions (salted and added a touch of oil to the water), diced a small onion, and put the fettuccini on low heat to simmer.

I then ran cool water over about 24 shrimp, pulled off the tails, and cut them into three pieces each.

Once the pasta was finished, about 10 minutes, drain it and set it aside. Turn on the heat under some olive oil, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the onions. Sauté this mixture until the onions were slightly limp and dumped in the shrimp. I salted the top of the shrimp, and sprinkled in plenty of fresh ground pepper (I recommend lots of pepper).

I did not have bacon or bacon bits, but if you do, add them at this point for more flavor!

When the water from the shrimp boils away, dump the mixture on top of the pasta and then the hot Bertolli!

Mix it up and serve hot! Bread is optional!

This plus a little George will warm you up on a cold rainy day.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

It has been a tradition with us to take our granddaughter Christmas shopping just before Christmas. She is fourteen years old, going on thirty-five! Thus far, her parents give her money to buy them presents. Every year she says the same thing, “It seems strange for you to give me money to buy you presents.” Well, yeah, but until you get a job, that is the way it will stay!

She is, if I do say so myself, a lovely thing with a sweet heart. However, she often misses out on our “reindeer fun” and “boomer” senses of humor. We have tried for the last eight or ten years to get her to relax and have some fun, but it appears we only embarrass her. Take for example today when I met these lovely ladies in Victoria’s Secret (see my other blog). She would not even stand with us for a photo opportunity. Somehow, women, scantily clad was more than see could take, or maybe it was the fact that her Papaw kept trying to pick them up in front of her Granny. The child just does not know how to have fun!

We do have our moments together as a family and I am saddened when I think that we may only have a couple of more years to enjoy this tradition. Soon, she will be running around with friends or worse yet, a horny, pimply faced young man who wants to buy her things other than perfume in Victoria’s Secret!

By the time we made it to Wasabi’s for an early supper, she had calmed down enough that me taking pictures of my plate for my blog did not seem as embarrassing to her. Maybe it was because she had her mouth full!

Anyway, this is my favorite part of the Christmas Season.

LAYER DESSERT

Layer 1:
- 1 cup flower
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
- 1 stick margarine (melted)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Mix and spread out in a 9X10” baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350. I prefer a glass container so everyone can see all the layers. Let it cool when finished.

Layer 2:
- 1 cup Cool Whip
- 8 oz. cream cheese (soft)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Mix and spread over 1st layer when cooled.

Layer 3:
- 1 pkg. chocolate pudding (instant)
- 1 pkg. vanilla pudding (instant)
- 3 ½ cups of milk
Mix as directed on pudding box and spread over the second layer.

Layer 4:
Top with the reminder of the Cool Whip.

Place in the refrigerator until served (best served cold with hot coffee).

BREAKFAST IN PARADISE

Just returned from Key West where we had a real feast. Our primary objective seemed to be to have a beer in every bar there, which is impossible (See Mushy’s Moochings for a round up of the most popular watering holes!).

Here were had a very relaxing breakfast at the Westin Key West Restaurant and watched the latest cruise ship passengers disembark. This spot, just south of Mallory Square, is a very lovely spot with a view of the Gulf, and in the evening, enjoy a spectacular view of the sunset with your meal.

The meal is simply a baked potato smothered with scrambled eggs, cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, and fresh green onions - with bacon, fresh orange juice, whole-wheat toast, and fruit on the side. This one stayed with me until mid-afternoon.

OVEN BAKED RIBS

Got no grill? No problem!

RIBS:
Rub the ribs (both sides) in garlic powder, salt, and black pepper – then pour on and rub in your favorite barbeque sauce as I did these. Pour a can of beer, some kind you don’t like, in for moisture. Bake in a throwaway aluminum pan for 3.5 hours on between 350 and 400 degrees.

Set the time for one hour each time, take the ribs out, and brush on more sauce, and maybe a little honey.

I you don’t want to bake that long, boil the ribs in enough beer to cover them for 1 hour, then bake for another hour or until the meat comes off the bone the way you like it.

Serve with potato salad, baked beans, and beer rolls!

POTATO SALAD:
Boil 4 or 5 medium sized potatoes until a fork will easily slip into them through the skin. Let the potatoes cool, peel them, and cut them into bite size chunks.

Boil two egg to well done – about 5 to 6 minutes. Let them cool, or run cold water over them, peel, and cut into small pieces (whites and yellows).

Dice up 2 or 3 carrots.

Now, mix all the ingredients into a large bowl. Dab in 2 or 3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise as needed for moisture and taste. Plop in 1 or 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish. Add salt and black pepper to taste. MIX! Then put it into the refrigerator to cool until ready to be eaten.

BAKED BEANS:
Pour a large can of baked beans (I used Bush’s Country Style) into an oven safe glass bowl. On top of th beans add one diced onion, 2 or 3e tablespoons of ketchup, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of mustard, and about 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar – MIX!

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees only long enough for the onions to cook completely.

BEER MUFFINS:
In a medium bowl, fill about halfway with Bisquick Pancake Mix and add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and then add beer until the mixture is just moist enough to pour out of a spoon but is still thick. Spray cooking oil or baker’s spray in a muffin pan that has about 12 slots. Fill the holes about half way.

Place the muffin pan in an oven heated to about 350 degrees and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. The muffins will be brown on the bottom before the top shows, so test the muffins by flipping on over after the time expires. Cook longer if needed.

Put all this on the table and get out of the way!

A nice pink Chablis went well with these, but most anything will!

BONEFISH GRILL - TURKEY CREEK

We celebrated my sister-in-law’s 55th birthday this evening at Knoxville’s second Bonefish Grill. We began the meal for our table of six with 2 of their best “starters” – Bang Bang Shrimp (Tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.) and Mussels Josephine (Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce.).

We finished off with market fresh fish grilled over an oak-burning grill. It was all yummy!

And yes, I can handle the chopsticks!

MAC & CHEESE - PLUS SOME

My wife fixed some macaroni and cheese this afternoon and then asked me what else I wanted with it. I told her to give me about 25 minutes!

This was my sly way of spicy up the dish and giving me time to enjoy a bottle of cold Killian while I cooked!

I first fried my usual chicken tenders in olive oil and (say it with me) garlic! On top of the mixture I added my favorite hot sauce. Once the tenders have thawed slightly on one side (yes, you don’t have to thaw them first), flip them and add salt and pepper. Do the same to the other side when thawed enough to hold the seasoning, allowing the seasoned side to begin to brown. Continue turning them until blackening occurs to your liking, and then remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel.

Cut the tenders into bit size pieces and set aside.

I then cut up a whole green and red bell pepper in to ½ to ¼ inch pieces, sprayed them with olive oil or canola spray, salted and peppered them and tossed them into the left over olive oil where the tenders were fried. Once they began to fry well, I dumped the chicken pieces back into the skillet and tossed the mixture for another 3 or 4 minutes then dumped it on top of the mac and cheese, stir, add two tables spoons of sour cream, stir some more, and serve.

The hot and spiced chicken gives the concoction a great warm feeling on a cold rainy day.

WINGS UP - BEER FLAT

After a 5.6 mile hike today my posse and I stopped in to the new Spicy Wings joint in Lenoir City, Tennessee. We had high hopes for this restaurant/sports bar, because it is closer than Bailey's in Knoxville.

We began with chips and dip, but the dip was too cold and sweet! Chips weren't too bad though.

Then we ordered a draft of Bass and Dos Equis, from their selection of 20 - both were very flat, but cold.

We finished the meal of wings and a chicken sandwich with iced tea in a fruit jar!

The hot BBQ wings were very good, done, and tender, but the sandwich was less than exciting.

However, since we judge our spots with the temperature and taste of the draft beer, it's back to Bailey's next trip.

LOBSTER FEST

Our recent travels to New England to be a "leaf peeper" for 8 days was a wonderful food fest which culminated the last evening in Hyannis, MA with a lobster fit for a king or queen! The pictures say it all!

THREE WAY SCALLOPS

The wife and I just completed an 8 day, planes, boats, buses, and trains (lots of trains) tour of New England. As they say there, we were "leaf peepas!"

This wonderful bacon wrapped, fried, and broiled scallop and rice dish from Legal Sea Food on Park Square in Boston was terrific. Had we not had the lobster at Cape Cod, on the last night of the trip (soon to be posted), this would have clearly been the stand out dish!

Read more about the "leaf peeper" trip at Mushy's Moochings!

SASSY & SWEET PORK CHOPS

It was football time again in Tennessee and we invited my daughter and son-in-law over for pre-game tailgate feast!

The main dish was butterflied pork chops. I began by letting them sit for about an hour with a light coating of olive oil, pork chop seasoning, and minced garlic.

During this time my wife prepared her famous potato salad and baked beans. She also unrolled some canned rolls and allowed them to warm and rise.

I decided to grill the chops on medium heat. I black peppered each chop on each side before placing them on the grill. I did not salt the chops until the side had been against the heat for about 15 minutes. I then turned them and salted the browned side. Each side was against the flame for a total of 25 minutes. The meat was tender, juicy, and done through.

I served the plate with the butterfly chop in the middle of the plate, potato salad on one side, and baked beans on the other. On one wing of the chop I placed a tablespoon of Harry & David’s Sweet Mango Chutney, and on the other a tablespoon of Harry & David’s Apple and Vidalia Onion Relish.

It is hard to say which I enjoyed the most. Suffice it to say, either is a good choice to sweeten up your pork!

APPLEWOOD FARMS LUNCHEON

My wife and I took my mom to Applewood Farms today so she could make Thanksgiving reservations for her, her brother, and sister-in-law. If you’re not on the books, you don’t get in on Thanksgiving! Most any other time you can walk right in!

The bargaining chip she used to lure me away from the computer was homemade fried apple pies and ice cream – it worked. There are members of our family that drive from Florence, AL all the way to Pigeon Forge, TN (home of Dollywood!) just for Applewood pie and ice cream. While it was delicious, I’m not sure I’d drive that far just for a taste.

I had the fried chicken livers (When you’re going to eat pie and ice cream, you might as well eat something fried too!), sawmill gravy, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw. The meal comes with biscuits, apple-fritters sprinkled in powder sugar, and great tea.

I am getting a bit lazy about cooking myself lately, but thought you might enjoy seeing the meal anyway.

The Applewood grounds are quite beautiful, surrounded by apple orchards, and a mountain stream. We spent some time walking off the meal in their craft and candy shops.

PORK TENDERLOIN AND SAUSAGE RICE

First, let me thank Gustad Mody who let me steal this general idea from his blog IRON STOMACH. I have been watching him cook and eat some very strange things over the past few months, and you should too!

About an hour before mealtime, I placed a pork tenderloin, split down the middle to open it up for cooking, in a brown’n serve bag (buy the combo bag and spice package), that was originally intended for pork chops. However, pork is pork – Porky!

The tenderloin I had on hand had BBQ sauce on it, but it is not necessary to have that specific one. Sprinkle the provided spices all over the pork, add about a ½ cup of water, and place on a cookie sheet for baking. I cooked the pork for about 40 minutes, turned the oven off, left it in the oven, and began preparing everything else.

- Prepare about 2 ½ cups of white rice by following the recipe on the box, except add about a tablespoon of butter and Velveeta cheese and salt in the water. When the rice comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and sit it aside.

- Mix you a drink of George Dickel (white label) and Diet Coke over ice and continue to follow directions – for as long as you can! You poor people outside the South will have to substitute, but no matter what you use, it ain’t go’na be good enough!

- Chop up about 3 bundles of green onions and place on a paper plate for later use.

- Chop up some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots for later sautéing, place in a paper plate, and sit a side.

In a medium skillet, bring a small amount of olive oil and garlic to heat. Dump in the green onions and sauté. Once they are hot, sprinkle on about half a tablespoon of sugar and turn off the heat. Continue stirring the onions over the low heat as you prepare the next step.

In a large skillet, dump in a pound of hot breakfast sausage and cook up as you would in preparing hamburger meat for spaghetti. Leave the meat in medium to small chunks of cooked sausage. When the sausage is about done, dump in the onions and continue to mix thoroughly.

When the sausage is done, dump the rice into the large skillet and mix thoroughly again. Turn the heat off, mix another drink, and move on to preparing the next step.

In the medium skillet you used for the onions, dump in mixed vegetables on top of hot olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle the veggies with Mrs. Dash’s spicy seasoning, cook for about 10 minutes, and then turn off the heat – more if you like wimpy vegetables!

Now, remove the tenderloin from the oven, slice, and serve with a scoop of the vegetables on one side and the rice and sausage on the other.

Mix another drink and take small sip between bites…good taste combo! Mmmmmm!

LEFTOVER MEXICAN BREAKFAST

We had some terrific Old El Paso Hard and Soft Tacos for dinner last night. Some gooey cheese spread on the inside of a soft taco shell and some great hamburger meat, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on the inside of a hard shell. Man, they were good!

This morning there was a lot of hamburger meat left over, so I proceeded to concoct a way of cleaning them up!

I first heated the leftover hamburger meat in a tablespoon of oil, added some jalapeño peppers, and a couple of spoonfuls of Harry & David’s Pepper and Onion Relish.

Then I pushed the heated meat to the side and added 2 eggs (actually 3 yokes since one was a double), salted and peppered the eggs as usual, and added a few sprinkles of Tennessee Sunshine Sauce and scrambled them.

When the eggs were just about finished, I mixed them into the meat mixture and turned off the heat.

I then spread out tortilla wraps, pasted the inside with sour cream, added a layer of the hamburger and egg mixture, sprinkled with shredded cheese and served. My wife added her favorite Salpica Tomato Jalapeño Salsa to hers, and we were off!

Coffee and jalapeños makes for a fantastic taste combination in your mouth. It’s wonderful!

FRIED RICE WITH SHRIMP

Let me say honestly, up front, that this did not turn out as I wanted it, nor like I have prepared it several times prior. It was probably because I only had brown rice and I do not think it has the right taste for this dish. Also, I only had canned peas and they are too mushy for the proper taste. Therefore, I will propose the proper ingredients to make yours turn out properly.

Get the following together:

- Two cups of white “5 minute” rice, cook with butter and a slice of Velveeta cheese in the water
- One package of pre-cooked, peeled, and deveined cocktail size shrimp (use fresh if you have time and don’t mind the work)
- One package of frozen peas, or peas and carrots, allow to sit out and thaw until the individual peas will separate
- One bunch of fresh green onions, diced into ¼” pieces
- One small jar of mushrooms, diced into small pieces
- About 1/3 of both a red and yellow bell pepper, sliced and diced
- About six halves of dried tomatoes, sliced and diced
- Four or five extra crispy fried bacon strips, crumble into pieces when cool
- Three or four large eggs
- One package of Kikkoman Fried Rice Seasoning Mix (or whatever brand you find)
- Soy and sweet and sour sauce

Begin by cooking the rice and allowing it to cool. Also cook the bacon and allow it to cool.

With all the onions, peppers, bacon, dried tomatoes, and mushrooms dumped into a bowl and sitting on the side ready for use, start some olive oil and garlic heating in the largest skillet you have.

When the oil is hot and the garlic begins to sizzle, dump in the bowl of vegetables and bacon, and stir-fry until they soften. Add some salt and pepper. Do not over cook, because they will be in the heat for a few more minutes as other ingredients are added.

When the vegetables are soft, dump in the rice, the cooked shrimp, the frozen peas, some soy sauce to taste, and fry until very hot and most of the oil is absorbed. If you use fresh shrimp, cook it first and sit it aside add it at this stage.

Now push the rice and vegetables to one side of the skillet and crack in the eggs. Salt and pepper the eggs and scramble them. When done, mix into the rice and vegetables along with Fried Rice Seasoning. Taste a bite at this point to determine if more salt and pepper is needed.

Some people’s taste is best fitted for just leaving it as is at this stage. Others may prefer a little hint of sweetness, so they can add some sweet and sour sauce after turning off the heat. Mix thoroughly and serve. I prefer a bowl and a large spoon to insure I have a little of everything in each bite.

TRASH CAN TURKEY!

Some great friends invited us to their lake home this week for “trash can turkey”! Wow, was it ever great.

It is so simple that anyone can get great results:

- Spread out some aluminum foil on the ground making a circle
- Drive a broom or hoe handle into the ground in the middle of the circle
- Rub a 15 pound turkey with your favorite seasoning or “rub” (use either smoked or un-smoked turkey)
- Place a the uncooked turkey down over the stake
- Place a 20-gallon non-galvanized trash can down over the turkey
- Place charcoal around the bottom of the trash can and over the top of the trash can
- Light the charcoal and once the coals turn white the turkey will be done in 90 minutes!

If you have more than 12 people, then cook two turkeys.

For desert, you might like some good ol’ Tennessee shine with cherries in the bottom!

Islamrada Fish Company Restaurant & Bar

Who'd a thunk it! Great food at a Bass Pro Store!

While visiting the shop today in Sevierville, Tennessee, a group of four of us decided to try out the new restaurant. The Samuel Adams and Killian as appetizer hit the spot, although it was only in the 80's today, instead of 97 like yesterday!

My brother-in-law had the Mahi Chardonnay, my sister-in-law and wife had the Lobster Tail, and I had the Shrimp and Grits. All were surprisingly delicious with the long grain brown rice and fresh butter and sugar coated bread.

Later we split chocolate cake and ice cream at Bailey's Sports Grille in Knoxville!

PORK TENDERLOIN AND APPLE RICE

I had to come up with something simple and quick to entertain my mom this evening, so I found a pork tenderloin that was about to go out of date, some packaged rice, a can of green peas, an apple, and jar of mushrooms. Sounds like plenty to me!

I first cut the tenderloin splitting it in half but leaving it connected on one side. I dropped it into a large Ziploc bag, poured in about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, dumped in about 2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic, some cayenne pepper, some regular pepper, salt, and a squirt of Heinz 57 and honey mixture, and then closed the bag and rolled the meat over and over to get the mixture evenly distributed over the meat. I then set it aside in the refrigerator.

I peeled the apple and cut it up into ¼-inch pieces, diced up the mushrooms, and minced up about ¼ of an onion, and dumped it all into a bowl and set it aside.

I then poured me a mixed drink of Diet Coke and Jefferson’s Straight Kentucky Bourbon and went out to light the grill!

After the grill was very hot I laid the tenderloin out on the grill and then turn it down to the low setting, closed the lid and went back to the living room to visit.

In about 15 minutes I check the meat, turned it, observing the nice black grill markings.

I then returned to the kitchen, and started 2 ½ cups of water boiling. I put 2 tablespoons of butter and about the same about of Velveeta Cheese into the water.

Once again, after about 15 minutes, I checked the meat on the grill and turned it.

By now the water was boiling, so I dumped in the package of rice, the apple, and the mushrooms. When the mixture was boiling good, I turned the heat down to simmer and placed a lid on the pot. I turned the timer to 7 minutes and walked away.

In a microwavable bowl, I poured a can of peas, a tablespoon of butter, and added salted and peppered. I cooked the peas for about 3 minutes in the microwave and set them on the stove to wait on the rest.

It was now time to check the meat for the last time. I turned all but the center burner off and moved the meat to the side, and left it for 10 more minutes.

By now my drink was empty and the timer was sounding for the rice.

As you can see, the meal was delicious looking and tasting and well received. My efforts were applauded again!

GREAT SUMMER – SCALLOPS?

Man, was it hot today or what? Came home from a hard day at jury duty and needed something quick, easy, and good! I found a package of Alfredo mix in the cupboard, a package of frozen bay scallops in the freezer, half a green pepper, and onion in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator and half a box of bow-tie pasta in the cabinet – what luck!

So, with my first Flying Dog – Old Scratch pale ale foaming in a frozen mug I began…

First, I started water boiling in a large pot, salted it, and put a drop or two of cooking on oil on top to keep the pasta from sticking.

I chopped up the onion and green pepper into dice-size pieces and sat them aside. By now the water was boiling and I dropped in the pasta and set the timer for 12 minutes.

I put the frozen scallops in the sink with the wrapper still on it and began warm water slowing pouring over it.

After the 12-minute boiling time I poured the pasta into a strainer and let the hot water pour over the scallop package. I shook out all the water, poured the pasta back into the pot, and sat it aside.

On a small eye, I began simmering ½ cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and a chunk of Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. When the mixture was about to slowly boil, I poured in ½ a package of the Alfredo sauce powder and stirred it until blended, and then reduced the heat to 1.

In a medium skillet, I poured in about a pancake size spot of olive oil and dumped in about ½ a large wooden spoon of minced garlic.

I took the wrapper off the scallops and cut them into 4 pieces each and when the oil was hot and the garlic began to sizzle, I dumped them into the skillet.

Salt and pepper the scallops and sprinkle them with Cayenne pepper.

When the scallops have tossed in the oil for about 5 to 8 minutes, dump in the onion and green peppers, which have been salted and peppered too. Leave the onions and peppers laying on top of the scallops for about 3 minutes to steam and then mix them up together and cook for another 5 minutes. The onions should begin to caramelize which is a single everything is ready – dump the skillet mixture on top of the pasta and mix it all up.

Stir the Alfredo sauce to ensure it is completely dissolved and very hot. Then pour it over the contents of the pot – stir it all up, finish off the last of the Old Scratch and ring the dinner bell!

I served it just in a bowl with nothing else, but some garlic bread or bread and olive oil/salt/pepper mixture would be good too.

Yummy!

FRIED GREEN TOMATO BLT

I feel like it’s my job to keep you well informed on the quickest meals around, and an occasional splurge at a great restaurant. So, here’s a quick plug for Puleo’s Grille, at Cedar Bluff in Knoxville – great food!

After browsing in several furniture stores yesterday with my wife and mother, we stopped in for a quick bite at Puleo’s. I have never gotten anything bad there and love the fact that they serve grits with their seafood and as a side item. Just like Charleston, SC!

Their slogan is Southern Roots - Italian Heritage and they have Killian on tap! My kind of place!

I ordered:

FRIED GREEN TOMATO BLT
Applewood smoked bacon, leaf lettuce, and our famous fried green tomatoes topped with Fontina cheese and honey mustard served on multigrain bread · $8.49

…with a side of GRITS! Wonderful my friends.

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

In an effort to keep myself feed while my wife diets and eat healthy myself, I quickly prepared this tonight.

Chop up some fresh vegetables like, different colored bell peppers, a red onion, anything you find in the vegetable drawer in the fridge and set them aside.

As usual, heat up some olive oil, garlic, and some hot pepper sauce in a skillet. Throw in some frozen chicken strips; you do not even have to wait until the thaw! As the meat heats up turn them over, salt, and pepper them. Do the other side in about 5 minutes, and turn them often, letting them blacken on each side. Remove the meat from the skillet when cooked well and sit them aside.

Dump in the couple of Roma tomatoes sliced in half and cook them about 3 minutes on each side. They soak up the oil and garlic flavor left in the skillet. Then remove the tomatoes and dump in the chopped vegetables - salt and pepper to taste. Cook the vegetables about 8 to 10 minutes.

Arrange the chicken strips in a flower pattern on a plate, and put the tomato halves in between the chicken strips and finally dump on the cooked vegetables.

Hot, spicy, crunchy, and delicious and you did it all yourself – quick and easy.

Let her eat her bland stuff – you are eating well my friend!

SUMMER SALAD

Now come on, even you can make a salad, surprise someone tonight! It’s this easy.

Just purchase and layout these items:

- Precut and packaged salad fixings
- One red, green, and yellow bell pepper (you only need half of each, so plenty left for the next one)
- Precut and packaged carrots
- Tomatoes (your choice of the kind – and they don’t have to be red)
- Onions (I like the little green onions – but Vidalia or red onions will work)
- Some cottage cheese
- Some shredded cheese (use your favorite kind)
- Your favorite dressing (I used a fat free variety and this raspberry brand really has a great taste combo with the peppers going for it!)
- A handful of sunflower or even peanuts for flavor

If you want a little meat, either then use grilled wieners (all beef), left over hamburger – as I did, or diced cooked ham.

Always use the largest salad bowl you have, because once you get started with the ingredients, it will always over flow! Simply layer the ingredients in the bowl beginning with the lettuce.

Come on – you can do!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY – EARLY

We got a little head start on the Fourth last evening and it included birthday cake and homemade strawberry ice cream for my 7 year old niece.

The host boiled brats in beer (Miller Lite since it isn’t fit for drinking) and then brown them on the grill with the hotdogs, while I sautéed onions, portabella mushrooms, green/yellow/red peppers in garlic, a little butter, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

The available sides were chili, coleslaw, and crunchy Cheetos and plain chips! It was a wonderful taste sensation.

Following the food was a large display of re-loadable motor tube fireworks for us kids!

Happy Birthday Juliana Bug Bug and America!