Asian Cole Slaw

Asian Cole Slaw is a summer favorite.  The crunchies are the best.  We made this today along side some Teriyaki Chicken Legs and Fried Rice.

Asian Cole Slaw

Ingredients

• 1 head napa cabbage (we used reg)
• 1 bunch minced green onions
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, broken
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Finely shred the head of cabbage; do not chop. Combine the green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Make the crunchies: Melt the butter in a pot. Mix the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds into the pot with the melted butter. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake the crunchies in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven, turning often to make sure they do not burn. When they are browned remove them from the oven.
4. Make the dressing: In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.
5. Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Need a big salad to take to your next gathering?

Have lots of garden surplus to share with everyone?

Cucumber Tomato Salad is a colorful, delicious recipe for you.

This recipe serves 30-40.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad
8 medium tomatoes, sliced and quartered
4 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
16 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup cider vinegar 
4 cup water (tap)

Directions
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber and onions. In a small
bowl, combine the sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in the vinegar and
water. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate
for 4 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon

This recipe was added to a link party at:
Tasty Tuesday

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Oven space always seems to be at a premium when cooking for a crowd.  This Stove Top Mac and Cheese is a winner!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
1/4 cup salt
4 pounds elbow, shell or other bite-size shaped pasta
6 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup butter
1-1/3 cups flour 
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large soup kettle. Add salt and pasta. Using package directions as a guide, cook until al dente. Drain. To prevent sticking, drain and immediately pour onto a large lipped baking sheet and let cool while preparing sauce.
2. Meanwhile, microwave the milk and chicken broth in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or bowl until hot and steamy (not boiling). Melt butter in the empty pasta pot; whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard, Parmesan and pepper. Turn off heat, stir in cheddar until melted.
3. Add drained pasta (and optional flavoring ingredients, see notes) to sauce, and stir until everything is well combined over low heat. Stir to heat through, and thin with a little water if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.

Bacon Ranch Pea Salad

I love volunteering as my "me" time.  Once a month I plan, co ordinate and prepare a meal for 40 at the Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis.  This Pea Salad is always a big hit with the residents.

Bacon Ranch Pea Salad
40 slices bacon
8 (16 ounce) packages frozen green peas
3-1/3 cups chopped onions
4 cups Ranch dressing
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Boil the peas 1 minute, until just tender, and drain. Cool peas under cold running water. In a bowl, toss together bacon, peas, onion, Ranch dressing, and Cheddar cheese. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chilled before serving.

Oreo Layer Dessert

Although we did make this at the Ronald McDonald House, the recipe is for one batch.  We just quadrupled it for all the guests.  Very delicious!

Oreo Layer Dessert

1 pkg of regular Oreos 
1/2 c. of butter 
1 lg box of instant chocolate pudding 
2-8 oz cool whips 
8 oz. of cream cheese, softened 
1 c. powdered sugar 

Crush the whole package of cookies either with a food processor, or in a bag and a rolling pin. Save a 1/2 c. to sprinkle on top of dessert when it's done. Pour remaining crumbs in a 13x9 pan. Melt butter and pour into crumb mix. Stir it up good and press crumbs in bottom of pan to make a crust. Make chocolate pudding according to package directions and let it setup in the fridge. In a mixing bowl blend cream cheese until nice and smooth and then add powdered sugar, mix. Then fold in 1-8 oz thing of cool whip. Top oreo layer with cream cheese mix, then pudding, then your last 8 oz thing of cool whip, and then sprinkle remaining Oreo's on top. Cover and refridgerate until ready to serve. 

Lemony Cole Slaw

This recipe was a hit at the Ronald McDonald House and serves about 60

Lemony Italian Cole Slaw

Dressing
3 1/4 cup sour cream
4-5 tablespoons sugar
13 tablespoons lemon juice
13 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Salad
27 cups shredded green cabbage (5 small heads)
13 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (5 large bulb)
2 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 cup sliced green onions (about 25 medium)

In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients; set aside. In large bowl, mix salad ingredients; toss with dressing. Cover; refrigerate about 2 hours before serving to blend flavors. 

Eggplant Caponata

This is a recipe serving 60 used at the Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis.  This eggplant is a very unique dish and was a tad spicy.  I would tone down the chili flakes if I prepared it again.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA 

2 cup virgin olive oil 
2 large Spanish onion, chopped in 1/2-inch dice
3/4 cup pine nuts 
3/4 cup currants 
4 tablespoon hot chili flakes, plus extra for garnish 
8 medium eggplant 
8 tablespoons sugar 
4 teaspoon cinnamon 
4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder 
8 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 
1 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 
Salt and freshly ground pepper
20 sprigs mint, chopped 

In a large 12 to 14-inch saute pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, pine nuts, currants and chili flakes and saute for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes (to yield 4 cups). Add the eggplant, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the thyme, tomato sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, garnish with mint and chili flakes 

Basic tomato sauce: Yield: 1 cups 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1/4 Spanish onion, 1/4-inch dice 
1 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves 
1/4 medium carrot, finely grated 
1 (14-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved C
Salt 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. 

Parsley Potatoes

Another great recipe from the Ronald McDonald House dinners.  Serves 60

Parsley Potatoes

15 pounds new red potatoes
2 – 3 cups Extra Virgin Olive oil
5 onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, crushed
5 bunches chopped fresh Italian flat Leaf parsley
Salt and ground black pepper

Cut potatoes into quarters, place them in a large pot full of salted water. Bring the water to a boil; then reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion 5 minutes or until tender, add garlic for last minute. Chop parsley, combine with olive oil and onions. Pour olive oil mixture over potatoes and stir. Serve warm.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Rosemary & Thyme

I volunteer frequently to prepare meals at the Ronald McDonald Houses in St. Louis.  This recipe is of course for about 60 people.  But it was so delicious I wanted to share.  The grill was super dirty that day so we baked them completely in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Rosemary & Thyme

30 chicken thighs 
30 more chicken thighs 
24 ounces rosemary 
24 ounces thyme 
2 head of garlic 
Salt & pepper 
1/2 cup Olive oil 

Rinse and dry chicken thighs. Chop garlic thyme and rosemary, combine with salt & pepper and Olive oil. Spoon mixture under skin of chicken thighs. Grill and finish in oven.