Super Simple Side Salads

Sliced papaya and kiwi fruit with a garnish of fresh mint make a very pretty side salad for a nice dinner.

No dressing required, but you could drizzle the Creamy Citrus Dressing over it if you wanted to.

---

Another pretty but simple fruit salad:  fresh mango, strawberries and kiwi fruit – cut and arranged in a white bowl.

---

Lettuce, tomato, grated cheese and a drizzle of dressing looks colorful too, as well as being easy.  (Leftover taco toppings make this a breeze.)

---

And, the easiest side “salad”?  A bowl of canned fruit, of course. :-)

In a pretty, contrasting bowl it looks very attractive.

Fresh Green Bean Salad

 

This is a refreshing, delicious salad for a hot summer day.  If you have garden fresh beans, so much the better!  I don’t have measurements.  I don’t think we ever used any.  We just made it with however much was available.  It is easily adjusted for special diets too.
Fresh Green Bean Salad
Fresh green beans
Tomatoes, chopped or sliced
Whit onion (optional), diced
Crumbled Feta cheese, or cheese of your choice
Italian salad dressing, or vinegar and oil dressing of your choice
Parboil or steam beans just till tender crisp.  Remove from heat and drain immediately and rinse in cool water.  Refrigerate till ready to make salad.  Arrange beans around the edge of a large plate or small platter.  Place tomatoes in center.  Sprinkle with onions and cheese.  Pour salad dressing over the top.  Serve.
Note: You could substitute green or red onions or chives for the white onions.  Also, if you have fresh basil or oregano, it would be a nice addition snipped and sprinkled on top.
------------------------
Make this recipe dairy free by leaving out the cheese.  Make it gluten free by using gluten free dressing and cheese.

Salad Dressing – Creamy Citrus Dressing

Due to health issues and concerns we try to avoid a lot of things in our diet.  It is necessary that we avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate), which is in many store bought salad dressings.  We also make a point of avoiding high fructose corn syrup, which also appears in many store bought foods.  My mom made a lot of homemade dressings when we were growing up (probably because they are cheaper), so it wasn’t a big challenge to us to make all our dressings at home when these things became an issue. 
I enjoy inventing my own dressings.  They may well be repeats of other people’s efforts, but that isn’t surprising since there are so many thousands of recipes available on the internet now! :-)  I hope to post some of my recipes for salad dressing here this summer since summer is a the time of year for fresh fruits and veggies.  Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------
Creamy Citrus Dressing
1/2 C. sour cream
1 C. mayonnaise
Buttermilk or yogurt if needed to thin
2 Tbl. toasted sesame seeds
Sugar or natural sweetener to taste
1-2 Tbl. lemon or lime juice (fresh is best)
2 Tbl. orange juice
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
Mix all ingredients till smooth.
This dressing is especially good on lettuce salads with fruit in them – think strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, etc.  It might also be good on a fresh fruit salad.
 
You can sprinkle the sesame seeds on top if you prefer.  It is prettier this way. :-)

Caramelized Pecans

I found this recipe on the internet and then made my own adjustments to it.  It was a hit with my family!
1 Tbl. butter
1 heaping Tbl. brown sugar
1 tsp. white sugar
3/4 C. pecans
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
A pinch of salt
Pre-measure all ingredients.  You will need to add the sugars, nuts, etc. quickly before the butter browns.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add sugar, cinnamon and nuts and increase heat to medium-high.  Stir constantly until sugar loses its grainy appearance – about 5 minutes.  Pour nuts onto sheet of aluminum foil and let cool about 15 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.
These nuts are very good added to a salad of lettuce and fresh strawberries with a sweet-sour dressing!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Yes, really!  Pudding without a mix.  Boxed pudding will never taste the same! :-)  And, it’s so easy.  The only really “hard” part is stirring it till it’s ready.

Chocolate Pudding

3/4 C. white sugar 
5 Tbl. cocoa powder
1/3 C. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/4 C. milk
3 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla OR almond extract

In a large saucepan stir together dry ingredients.  Mix in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (this is very important).  Cook and stir till the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and flavoring.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve warm.  Or, chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

Note: If you don’t want a “skin” to form on the top while it’s cooling or being refrigerated, I suggest covering the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap.  If you don’t wish to cover it with plastic, then serve it with the skin and find out which one in your family doesn’t mind it, or even likes it, and let them have the skin whenever you make it. :-)

This pudding can also be used warm over ice cream to make a “hot fudge” sundae.

To give it a richer chocolate flavor I use 3 Tbl. of regular cocoa powder and 2 Tbl. of Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder.  It’s guaranteed to satisfy a chocolate craving. :-)
This recipe is gluten free.  If you also need to make it dairy free you might try making up some coconut milk from powder and using that in place of the milk.  Almond or rice milk would probably work fine too although I don’t know about their heating qualities.

A Breakfast Rambling that grew: Royal Wedding – A Shabby Affair?

2Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

This started out to be a Breakfast Rambling in a way since this verse that got me started was from my morning Bible reading.  However, as I wrote it turned out to be so long, I had to move it to the web site where it seems more appropriate. :-)  This item will probably stir the waters a bit, so try to go into it without wearing your feelings on your sleeve. ;-)

Here’s the start of it:

“It is wonderful the way God uses His word to direct our thoughts.  After the big hoopla over the Royal Wedding on April 29th I was quite disturbed about how some Christians responded to it.  It made me sad, and frustrated in a way.  I couldn’t understand entirely why they were so eager to participate in the media feeding frenzy, and even to go so far as to grant some approval to the wedding.

First of all, let me say that my grandmothers were both ‘royal watchers’.  My mother was for a while as well, but she laid it aside years ago.  At one time I was a Diana worshipper.  Yes, you read that right.  It was idolatry.  I admit it and call it what it was…”

Continue reading:  Royal Wedding – A Shabby Affair?

Thoughts from the Past – Looking for Good Things

 

Nov. 21, 2005
Looking for Good Things

In reading through Paul's epistles over the last months, several things stood out in particular in the way of themes. I would challenge you to notice these three things in particular the next time you read through these books.

1. Paul's love and care for the saints (regardless of whether they deserved it or not), and how much he expected and received joy from them.

2. The fact that Paul's authority was to edify and not destroy, even as an apostle. (2 Cor. 10:8)

3. The crucified life.

It is a great blessing.