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Thursday, August 9, 2018

Cold Broccoli Salad




I have got to get better at my photography! :)  One of the problems is I am usually taking pictures in the evenings as I'm serving this food to my family, so the natural lighting is gone.  I like cold broccoli salads, but have never made one, so I looked up some recipes recently on Pinterest and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
5 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup craisins
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

For dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Directions:
1.  Combine dressing ingredients in small bowl.
2.  Combine salad ingredients in large bowl and toss with dressing.
3.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Super easy and tasty!


BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes



This is an easy meal that my family enjoys.  I bake some sweet potatoes in the oven on a foil lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half.  One of my favorite ways to cook the chicken is in a crock pot.  I put skinless, boneless chicken breast in a crockpot with about a cup of water.  I sprinkle salt and pepper on them and cook them 4 hours on high heat.  By that time they are very tender and break apart easily.  You can then mix your favorite BBQ sauce with the chicken.  On top of the open sweet potato I layer the BBQ chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, and green onions.  This week we ate these stuffed sweet potatoes with a side of fried okra fresh from our garden and some watermelon.



Fried Okra



We decided in the spring that we wanted a garden this year, and now almost 6 months later we are eating the fruits of our labor.  The okra is what is producing the best out of all that we planted, and we are loving it!  We aren't big on the gooey kind that you can stew with tomatoes.  We eat it fried every time and this is my favorite recipe to use.  It is so quick and easy.  At least once a week I go cut some okra out of our garden and immediately bring it into the kitchen to rinse it, cut it, and cook it.  Fresh okra is the best!  I literally pop these in my mouth like candy.  Here's a picture of our four year old (Camille) checking on our peppers.  The okra is the tall plant in the upper right corner of the picture.  The kids get so excited when we are eating food out of our garden.




Ingredients:
okra (about 10)
1 cup flour
1 cup white cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
3/4 cup oil

Directions:
1.  Rinse okra and cut into 1 inch pieces, discarding ends.
2.  Heat oil in pan on stovetop on medium high heat.
3. Let okra pieces soak in a bowl of milk about 2 minutes.
4. Put okra pieces in flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper mixture and stir gently to coat. 
5.  Put coated okra pieces in hot oil and cook about 10 minutes or until slightly brown.
6.  Transfer to paper towel covered plate to soak up any excess oil and sprinkle with salt while still warm.
7.  Serve immediately.





And while you're at it, throw some cut up green tomatoes in the same milk and flour mixture and cook in the hot oil after the okra.