Cranberry Chicken Salad

Man, has it been hot here in South Carolina! When the weather is like this, you just don't feel like cooking and getting the kitchen and the rest of the house all hot from baking. This is the time to get out my salad recipes. Here is an easy chicken salad recipe that uses canned chicken. Yes, canned chicken--how easy is that! I like to use the Valley Fresh brand of chicken. Oh, one other thing--you need to make this the day before and let it chill overnight. The longer it stays in the refrigerator, the better it gets.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

1 (10 - 12 oz.) can white meat chicken, drained and mashed

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onion (I like to use red onion when I have it)

1/4 cup dried cranberries (I put in more because I like them)

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Mayonnaise to consistency of choice

(I start with 1-2 Tablespoons and then add more to consistency I like.)

Mix all of the above ingredients together and chill overnight. Serves 4-6 people.

**I always double this recipe because it is sooooo good. I love to eat it on a bagel. Yummy!

Nana's Butter (Lima) Beans

Butter beans, lima beans--whatever you call them (I guess butter beans is a southern thing)--I always get raves on how good they are. Since they are part of "the meal" mentioned in my last post, I knew I needed to share my secret of delicious lima beans every time. Sugar! Yes, sugar. Here is how to make them:

Nana's Butter (Lima) Beans

1 package frozen baby lima beans or petite lima beans (do not use the large lima beans)

1 piece bacon (uncooked)

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons sugar

Put frozen baby lima beans in a pan and cover with water. I take out any beans that look bruised or browned. Sometimes the skin of a few of the beans will float to the top--I take those out, too. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a piece of uncooked bacon and the sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes or more until beans are tender. Add more salt or sugar if needed. Remove bacon and serve.

Sometimes if I have leftover butter beans, I add a can of corn nibblets and make succotash.

Our Favorite Potato Casserole

Since I already posted my grilled chicken recipe (see chicken), I now need to give you my favorite potato casserole recipe. My kids always call it "the meal"--grilled chicken and potato casserole. My butter beans (lima beans) are also included in that meal along with my Cucumber Cooler recipe (see salads). When I made the potato casserole today, I put it on the table and before I could even get a picture, it was half gone. That's how delicious it is. Enjoy!Our Favorite Potato Casserole

6-8 medium potatoes, baked ( I bake them at 350 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours)

Cool and grate.

1 /2 cup grated onion (I just grate one large onion)

1 - 2 cups grated cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Add these ingredients to the grated potatoes

1/4 cup melted butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

8oz. sour cream

Melt butter in a small bowl. Add soup and sour cream and mix well. Pour into potato mixture and mix well.

Put in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

1 1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed

1/4 cup melted butter

Take out of oven and sprinkle topping of crushed corn flakes on top. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter on top. Put back in oven and bake for 15 more minutes.

**You can actually buy packaged potatoes already grated, but I always use fresh potatoes. It takes a little more time, but it is worth every bite. :-)

Jello Cake

I found this recipe in a magazine about 15 years ago. It is so light and so, so moist. It has become one of our favorites.This is a great dessert to serve any time of the year.

Jello Cake

1 package (18.5 oz.) white cake mix (I use Duncan Hines--it's the best!)

1 small package (3 oz.) jello (I like cherry or strawberry. Lime is good, too.)

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

1 small Cool Whip (I use the Light Cool Whip)

Prepare cake mix as directed on package, baking in a well-greased and floured 13x9 inch pan. Cool cake in the pan for 20 - 30 minutes--then prick with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals. (Sometimes when I prick the cake, the cake sticks to the fork or leaves a little hole at the top. Don't worry, it will still turn out great. It's covered with cool whip anyway, so you can't see any mistakes.)

Now, dissolve the jello in the boiling water and mix until dissolved. Add the cold water, mix and carefully pour over top of the warm cake. Chill 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. Spread the cool whip on top, cut and serve.

**The longer it stays in the refrigerator the better it is. So, I usually make it the night before I plan to serve it.

Tricia's Perfect Pesto Sauce

My daughter-in-law, Tricia, is a great cook. She is very health conscious and usually makes everything from scratch. Here is her perfect pesto sauce recipe that she made while I was visiting in Utah. It is definitely a winner!

Tricia's Perfect Pesto Sauce

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring constantly just until the pine nuts begin to turn golden. This toasting really brings out their flavor. (Be careful! Don't let them burn.)

Put the pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor or blender and add the rest of the olive oil, basil leaves, garlic and salt. Process until almost smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times so that the sauce blends evenly. Add Parmesan cheese and process just to mix.

Serve over your favorite pasta.

**This makes about 2 cups and freezes really well.

Brandon's No Bake Cookies

I couldn't leave Utah without making my son Brandon's favorite cookies. I like to make these because you make them right on top of the stove. That's why they are called "no bake", duh! So try it--you'll like it! (Warning: This does contain peanut butter.)

Brandon's No Bake Cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 stick butter (melted)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

Bring the above ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it comes to a boil, boil it for 1 minute--continue stirring. Remove from stove and stir in the following:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Drop by tablespoons onto wax paper (I never have wax paper so I just use any kind of plastic wrap.) Let it cool and eat!

Nana's Deviled Eggs

When it comes to food, I always have lots of requests from my grandkids. Would you believe deviled eggs is one of their favorites? My grandkids here in Utah raise their own chickens, so they were anxious for me to fix my deviled eggs with their chicken eggs. I really don't do much to the eggs--my husband thinks they are plain--but the kids love them and I do too! If you like hard boiled eggs you will love them, too. Here's what you do:

First, boil the amount of eggs you want to make. I always boil the eggs in salted water for 10 minutes. Then I rinse them in cold water and peel them. (Hint: The older the eggs, the better they peel. Don't you just hate to peel hard boiled eggs and all the white comes off? Also, there is a thin layer of skin right under the shell and if you make sure you are peeling that away from the egg it helps, too.)

After the eggs are peeled, cut in half (lengthwise) and take out the yellow and put in a small bowl. Put the whites on a plate.

Mash the yellows with a fork and add mayonnaise to make them somewhat creamy. Be careful though, not too much mayo. For a dozen eggs, I'd start with about 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo and add by teaspoonfuls until the texture is right. Add salt to taste.

Finally, put about a teaspoon of yellow into the white and sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Easy Hamburger Macaroni

Wow! I don't know where the time goes--especially here in Utah. It has been rush, rush, rush, just to get everything done that I want to do. The other night we didn't get back home until 7:00 pm and everyone was starving. So, Nana to the rescue! I made my quick, easy hamburger macaroni and everyone loved it. Of course, we were so hungry we could have eaten a horse, but this recipe really is good and something to make in a hurry. We were sitting around the table eating by 7:30 pm. Now I call that a quick meal!

Easy Hamburger Macaroni

1 16oz. box of macaroni noodles

1 pound hamburger

Salt, pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

1 small onion chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Boil macaroni noodles according to box directions. (I always boil my noodles in salted water.) While this is cooking, brown the hamburger. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, then add the onions and cook for several minutes until the onions are soft and look clear. (By this time your noodles are ready, so drain and rinse, then set aside.) Drain off the liquid from the hamburger and add the cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups to the hamburger. Mix well. Add the cooked macaroni noodles. Mix together well, and Presto! Dinner is served! :-)

**If you have a small family and feel this will make too much, just half everything, and instead of the two soups, use one can of chickeny mushroom soup. Yes, Campbell's has a soup that is both cream of chicken and cream of mushroom already mixed together.

Easy Caesar Salad

I'm having a great time in Utah. Although I love doing a lot of the cooking while I'm here, my daughter-in-law, Tricia, cooks for me, too. One of my favorites is her Caesar Salad. I could eat the whole bowl! It's quick, easy and delicious! And if you have any left over grilled chicken, just add it to the salad for a complete meal.

Easy Caesar Salad

1/3 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)

6 - 8 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 head romaine lettuce (leaves separated, rinsed and drained)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup croutons

In a blender or food processor put the oil, lemon juice, anchovies, and garlic. Blend until smooth.

Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and add croutons. Pour dressing over lettuce mixture and toss.

**If the dressing is too thin, you can add a teaspoon or more of mayonnaise to thicken it.

Nana's Famous Chicken on the Grill

I'm in Utah right now visiting my son and his family. Of course, when Nana comes to visit, Nana loves to cook for the family. One of our very favorites is my famous grilled chicken. You just marinate the chicken and put it on the grill. It is our all-time favorite recipe. We always make it when our family gets together. You will love it!

Nana's Famous Chicken on the Grill

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Mix together until garlic powder is dissolved. Pour over chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours. (I usually do it overnight.)

Put on grill and cook about 10 minutes or more on each side until done.

**This is a great marinade for steaks, too.