Can you believe this weather? Honestly, we are having our third barbeque so far-and it is in March. We need to enjoy this, we may not have another spring like this in years. I had several letters suggesting side dishes for barbeques. We are coming up on the season for grilling, family get-togethers and outdoor parties. Maybe you would like to try one of these. Thank you, ladies for the recipes!! This first one is one of my favorites. I have had it at several potlucks and loved it. Enjoy.
1 pound bacon
4 cups broccoli florets
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Directions: Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Cool, crumble, and set aside. In a large bowl, toss together broccoli, green onions, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Toss with vegetables to coat. Cover, and chill until serving.
This next one we made using smaller mozzarella balls and grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
3 large tomatoes, sliced
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup minced, fresh basil
Directions: On a large serving platter, alternate tomatoes and mozzarella slices. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, salt and pepper; shake well. Drizzle over tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle with basil.
1 (16 ounce) package tri-colored pasta assortment
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
(you can leave it in large rings to allow some non-onion lovers to pick out)
1 15 oz can black olives, halved
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, cooled pasta and Italian dressing. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 1 hour.
Have a great week! I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you with any suggestions or recipes you like.
I can be reached at susieqcooking@ainop.com or c/o Pioneer Times, PO Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730. See you next week! Susie Q.
