Baja Salad

Baja Salad

Even though there is still a nip in the air, something about blooming flowers and things turning green again awakens something in me. I begin thinking about the beach. I am ready to hang up the sweatshirts and pull out the shorts. I have a hankering for lighter dishes like this delicious salad.

I typically have everything for this Baja salad on hand. However, there are a handful of extra ingredients you could add to this salad. For example, black olives, black beans, and diced bell pepper would be great. This salad is a great way to use leftover steak, chicken, or shrimp.

The real star of this salad is the dressing; homemade is always the best. This dressing is simple, but the taste is fantastic. I like my dressing to be a little heavy on acid, but if you do not prefer that much “tang,” decrease the lime juice just a bit. Use only the freshest and best ingredients to make the best dressing.

Baja Salad

Course Salad
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 head Romaine lettuce wash, cut, and spin
  • 1 small tomato diced
  • 1/2 avocado diced
  • 2 tablespoons diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup diced feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup white corn kernels
  • Baja Dressing Recipe:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • pinch salt
  • pinch ground black pepper
  • pinch sugar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup grilled steak, chicken, or shrimp (slice the steak and chicken)

Instructions

  • Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top with tomato, avocado, cucumber, cheese, onion, and corn kernels.
  • Top with steak, chicken or shrimp.
  • For dressing: Using a small jar with a lid, mix the oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, sugar and garlic together. Dress the salad with enough dressing to taste.

 

Mexican Corn Salad


Mexican Corn Salad

So let’s get real. Is it just me, or have some of you reached the “it’s too hot to cook” phase of summer? This could be bad because summer just began! The Georgia heat is sweltering, and the desire to heat up the kitchen went away with the spring flowers! 
 
The reality is that we have to eat at home, at least part-time, and this requires a little effort. It’s a good thing salads are so good!
 
Everyone needs a few good summer salad recipes on hand; recipes that will work for backyard barbecues, last-minute gatherings, or simple dinners at home.  
 
This delicious Mexican Corn Salad fits the bill for all the above! This recipe comes straight outta Swainsboro, Georgia, from Ann’s kitchen. It’s delicious and simple! 
 
Grilling is our cooking default for summer, and this salad goes with just about anything we throw on the grill. It can be made with fresh grilled corn on the cob, drained canned corn, or thawed frozen corn. Once you try it, you’ll be making it all summer. Your family and friends will definitely be coming back for seconds of this tasty salad. 

Mexican Corn Salad

Course Salad
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen whole kernel corn thawed
  • 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel drained
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno seeds and veins removed & diced
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Queso Fresco optional, crumbled for garnish
  • Fresh cilantro optional, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine thawed corn, Rotel, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chopped cilantro, jalapeno, and onion. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro leaves before serving, if desired.

Fresh Fruit Salad

We all use different techniques for relaxation. A good book is the choice of many while some enjoy a nice walk or exercise. I enjoy being in the kitchen with a new kitchen gadget, appliance, or tool.

I usually say that I have the least amount of storage space in this house than anywhere I have lived. In truth, it may be that I have more toys than I have ever had.

I try to purge and cleanout. I donate and throw away, but I am just a sucker for a new kitchen toy! I probably should have picked up on my obsession when as a newlywed, I asked for things such as Kitchenaid mixers and Cuisinart food processors for any occasion that would warrant me a gift. To this day, I can’t resist. The other day I ordered a new bread machine for those 3 loaves of bread I make annually!

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets, appliances, and tools? Is it the Instant Pot, the air fryer, or just your old handy dandy crockpot? I would love to hear from you. What is the favorite gadget or number one helper in everyone’s kitchen today?

This fabulous fresh fruit salad requires no tools other than a trusty knife. This salad is beautiful at a luncheon and very refreshing! The instant pudding and extracts give the fruit a sweet glaze that is irresistible. Try using different fruits but keep them fresh—no frozen or canned fruit in this salad.  Keep the same fruit ratio to pudding/extract amounts, and you should be fine.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Course Salad
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
  • 1 pound fresh blueberries
  • 1 pound fresh pineapple cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups fresh mandarin oranges peeled and sections separated (I used Halos)
  • 1 cup red grapes halved
  • 3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Instructions

  • Combine all of the fruit in a large bowl. Sprinkle with pudding mix and extracts.
  • Stir and refrigerate for two hours.
  • Stir again before serving.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

Brussels Sprout Salad
Often, I wish Savannah was just a little closer to home. It would be nice to meet for lunch on a whim or have her over for dinner more often. However, visiting her is so much fun. I grew up in a rural part of north Georgia. After Greg and I married, I had never lived more than a short drive from a Target until moving to the farm, though.

The move was an adjustment, to say the least. Despite that, there is no other place I would want to be now! Still, visiting Savannah can be pretty fun. We can shop for days and never hit all the stores we want to. And the food, oh my! My tastebuds are in heaven the entire time!

On a recent trip, I tried a Brussels sprouts salad that was wonderful! It bugs Sav when I sit at the table trying to analyze the ingredients, but that’s precisely what I did that particular day.

Oh, the joy when I whipped up this salad and the flavors were right on! This salad is super easy. If you like to add protein, top your salad with a few grilled shrimp or some grilled chicken or steak.

This is not your mama’s boiled Brussel sprouts! Give this fantastic salad a try today. You will be so happy to eat your vegetables!

Brussels Sprouts Salad

Course Salad
Servings 6
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh Brussel sprouts
  • 1 large granny Smith apple julienned
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries
  • 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
  • Dressing:
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Add all dressing ingredients to a small jar and shake well, set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 425℉.
  • Wash and dry Brussels sprouts. Discard any discolored leaves. Cut off the end of the stem and remove some outer leave to roast.
  • Drizzle the single outer leaves with olive oil and toss. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in preheated oven until crispy. Watch closely, this will not take very long.
  • Shred the Brussels sprouts using a food processor. {If you want to do these ahead of time, they will keep in a ziptop bag, stored in the refrigerator, for up to a week.}
  • Toss the julienned apple in 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.
  • In a large salad bowl, add the shredded and roasted Brussels sprouts, apple, and cherries. Toss with enough dressing to coat the mixture. Crumble goat cheese over the top and serve with extra dressing.

Sheet Pan Easter Dinner for Two

Sheet Pan Easter Dinner for Two

Our Easter will be very different this year. Greg and I will be alone. Our kids will not be gathering around our table. I suppose this is what comes with grown kids being out on their own. Greg and I have been empty nesters for two years, and I feel I’m still adjusting to that just a bit.

First of all, you know I love to cook. Cooking for my family is something that gives me joy.

Easter will not pass us by, though. We will have a packed weekend with the church, and I have planned a small Easter dinner for the two of us.

I discovered sheet pan meals only a couple of years ago. They are so convenient with the complete meal ready at once, on one pan, with one oven setting, and the best thing of all is one pan to wash!

That could be just a bit misleading with my Easter Sheet Pan Dinner for Two because it does involve more than one pan. Nonetheless, it is the least complicated Easter dinner I have ever prepared!

Easter 2021

Using two sheet pans, I prepared a rich and creamy potatoes au gratin, baked ham with a delicious raspberry chipotle glaze, and roasted green beans. I had an easy carrot salad to go with this meal and a super-easy carrot bundt cake with cream cheese frosting. You can always add dinner rolls if desired.  I suggest that you prepare the salad and cake the day before. 

Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course Dessert
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Frosting:
  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  • For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray Bundt pan with non-stick baking spray, set aside.
  • With an electric mixer beat the oil, sugar, and eggs. Add flour and cinnamon, mixing just until blended.
  • Stir in carrots and nuts.
  • Pour into prepared pan. Bang pan on countertop a time or two to remove any air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cake tests done with toothpick.
  • Remove from oven when done and cool in pan, on rack, for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto cooking rack and cool completely.
  • For the frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese together using an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and blend. Mix in the pecans. Spread frosting on cooled cake.

Carrot Raisin Salad

Course Salad
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 4 cups shredded carrots
  • 2 cups crushed pineapple drained
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine shredded carrots, drained pineapple, raisins, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Sheet Pan Easter Dinner for Two

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 2
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • Raspberry-Chipotle Glazed Ham:
  • 13 ounces good quality raspberry preserves heated and strained
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce this may be too spicy for some so start with less if desired
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and grated using microplane grater
  • 4 thick boneless ham steaks {Smithfield Anytime Boneless Ham Steaks were used in this recipe}
  • Au Gratin Potatoes
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 clove garlic peeled and grated using microplane grater
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Green Beans or Asparagus
  • 1 pound fresh green beans or fresh asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with foil, set aside.
  • In a small saucepan mix the strained preserves, vinegar, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and grated garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Scrub potatoes and slice 1/8-inch thick. In a skillet add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and potatoes.
  • Using a large piece of foil, foil sides up to make a "pan" inside your sheet pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spary and set aside.
  • Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Lower heat and stir to coat potatoes. Cook until cream has thickened, 2-4 minutes.
  • Pour potatoes and cream into the "foil pan". Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
  • Line a second sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Layer ham steaks on one end of the pan. Drizzle with a bit of the Raspberry Chipotle Glaze. Set aside remainder of glaze for serving.
  • Clean and snip green beans or cut off tough ends of asparagus. Arrange on the other end of the ham sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • After the potatoes have cooked for 10-12 minutes move the potatoes to the top rack of oven. Place the ham pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until ham is warmed through and the green beans or asparagus is tender crisp.
  • Remove both pans from the oven and serve.