Hugh Jass Salad


I like to make great, big salads. The bigger the better. Thanks to the cookbook ~ Peas & Thank You ~ I now have a name for my over the top creations. My I present my ~ Hugh Jass... Salad.  It's never made the same way twice, variety is the spice of life.  How I love my Huge Jass. So I just gotta ask, how big is yours? hehe :)




Homemade Natural Fruit Juice 'Soda' ~ Izze Copycat


When I was shopping for groceries the other day, another mom and I got to talking and started sharing our favorite quick recipes. She told me about her kids favorite 'healthy soda' recipe, a copycat version of the natural soda brand, 'Izze'. Since that brand can be a bit pricey, her inexpensive version sounded right up my alley. It's as simple as can be to make this tasty drink ~ just make a 70/30 split combo of sparkling water/fruit juice. Easy-Peasy. I make it using frozen fruit juice stirred into the sparkling water ~ about 2-3 Tbsp frozen juice to 8 oz. sparkling water. Since I like to use the frozen juice concentrate, I can make a different flavor each time without committing to just one bottle of fruit juice taking up a lot of fridge space. Served over ice and we're all happy... and my wallet is SUPER happy, too. Gotta love that!  :)



Seaweed Salad


When I was cleaning out my pantry the other day, I found a package of nori sheets (the black/dark green seaweed wrappers that are used for making sushi) hiding in the back. I decided to see what type of other recipes used nori sheets besides sushi. I came across this recipe for a quick and easy Seaweed Salad that looked interesting, so off to the kitchen I went. I'm happy to report that the dish was a success, I just loved it! I used my kitchen scissors to make quick work of cutting the nori sheets into thin ribbons and after just a few minutes of soaking them in warm water, a bit of easy shredding/combining of other ingredients, I was ready to assemble my lunch. I've seen seaweed salads for sale in some of the upscale markets, but they're always expensive, so I'd never tried them before. Didn't know what I was missing. So happy that I can now make it at home. Cheap and cheerful makes this cook smile. :)

Quick Creamy Mushroom Risotto ~ Meatless Monday



The day I came up with this spin on the classic Italian rice dish ~ Mushroom Risotto ~ I had some leftover cooked white rice sitting in my fridge, a craving for something Italian, and a hungry tummy that wanted fed...NOW.  So, I hit the pantry and threw this delicious meal together in well under 10 minutes. It's quite a bit quicker than a traditional risotto, with just as much flavor as many of the restaurant versions that I've ordered over the years, it's definitely cheaper than what the restaurants charge, and it doesn't take too long to make. Gotta love that. 

I created this creamy, dreamy concoction by ~ heating the leftover cooked rice (about 3 1/2 cups) with 3/4 of a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup; a small can of sliced mushrooms with their juice; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese; splash of white wine; fresh ground pepper and dried basil. I stirred it all together, added a little bit of water and it all began to take on the classic 'creaminess' of a traditional risotto. The rice still had the correct firmness, and it was made without all the stirring fuss. Cool! Now that I know the secret of how to make this flavorful rice dish so quickly and easily, I think my leftover rice has finally met its match. :) 


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