Panzanella Bread Salad

I first had this Italian peasant style dish at a picnic that Jaime and I attended. I was dubious of it at first because I didn't really care for raw tomatoes at that time but I tried it, and boy was I glad. It's everything that's good about Italian food, all in one simple salad. The hum of garlic, the zing of red wine vinegar, the smooth fruitiness of the extra virgin olive oil, and the herby goodness of basil. Hope you like it!

• One loaf of dense, crusty bread (Italian or French is best)
• 1/2 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar can also be used)
• 1 pint container of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 10 mozzarella cheese sticks (fresh mozzarella can be used if you prefer)
• 1 bunch of basil (10 leaves or so)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Cube bread into 1 inch pieces. Allow to dry overnight, or dry in a 200° oven for an hour. You want the bread stale and tough, but not rock hard.


2. Cut, or tear, mozzarella into small pieces, less than bite size


3. Halve, or quarter the tomatoes, again you're shooting for smaller than bite size


4. Finely dice garlic


5. Cut basil into a chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll them lengthwise, then finely slice them). You should end up with long, thin, strings of basil.


6. Place bread into a large mixing bowl. You're going to use your hands to mix it up, so give yourself plenty of room


7. Pour 1/2 cup each of oil and vinegar over bread, allow to soak in.


8. Add garlic, basil, tomatoes, and cheese, stir with your hands. Once everything is well coated, start squeezing the bread. The goal is to treat the bread like a sponge so that it sucks up the juice from the tomatoes, as well as the oil and vinegar.


9. Add salt and pepper to taste, allow to sit for a few minutes.


10. Gauge the moisture level of the bread and add more oil and vinegar if need be. The bread should soak up all of the juice, but not be dripping. There should be no juice left in the bottom of the bowl.

A note...this salad can be made ahead but try to avoid refrigerating if possible. It's best served at room temperature

Ramen Noodle Salad

• 3 pkg beef ramen noodles
• 1 pkg broccoli coleslaw
• 3 chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 bottle salad dressing - we've used Italian and Asian Sesame

Break up and cook ramen noodles, drain, mix with 1 seasoning packet. Let cool, then mix with all other ingredients. We like it best after it's been in the fridge a while. We end up adding more salad dressing if it sits in the fridge more than a day, because it soaks it up.

Recently we tried this without cooking the noodles first, and I actually liked it better but Andy did not. He thought they tasted stale. I have a friend who couldn't be bothered to cook her Ramen during college, so would just break them apart in the bag, open it at the top and dump in the seasoning packet, hold closed and shake, and that was her snack. It's actually pretty good!

Tuscan Potato Salad

From the West End Community Church cookbook, courtesy of my friend Shannon.

• 3 pounds new potatoes (cubed)
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 red onion (very thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup parsley, fresh (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook potatoes until soft and drain. While potatoes are still hot, add the remaining ingredients. Can be served warm or chilled.

Spicy French Potatoes

From the West End Community Church cookbook

• 3 white potatoes, washed and cubed
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray. Combine all ingredients and toss well to coat. Bake in single layer at 475º for 20 minutes. You can use whatever spices you like and have on hand. You can also use all sweet potatoes or all white if you prefer.

Spring Rolls

Andy loves Thai food, and several years ago he decided to try making his own spring rolls. These turned out very well and we really enjoy making them. They freeze well, and you can pull out just a couple at a time to go along with a meal. They can go straight from the freezer into the frying pan.

• 1 pkg dried bean vermicelli noodles
• 2 cloves garlic
• cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 oz raw prawn meat, finely chopped (we do not use)
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tsp fish sauce (we do not use)
• 1 Tbsp chili sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water
• 25 spring roll wrappers
• oil for deep frying

Break the vermicelli into pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 4 minutes or until soft, drain well.

Chop the garlic and cilantro finely. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the garlic and cilantro and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the ground pork and prawn meat and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the carrot, green onions, fish sauce, chili sauce, and noodles to the wok. Stir well and then allow to cool.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to form a paste. Place the spring roll wrappers on a damp tea towel and cover with one end of the towel.

Place 1 wrapper at a time, with a corner towards you, on another damp tea towel. using your fingertip, wet all the edges with the cornstarch paste.

Place 1 Tbsp of filling in the center of the wrapper and spread out to form a sausage shape. Fold the edges towards the center and roll up tightly. Seal the edge with paste. Continue with the remaining wrappers and filling, keeping the spring rolls covered with a damp tea towel.

Heat the oil to moderately hot in a wok or deep frying pan and cook 3 or 4 spring rolls at atime until they are golden brown. Remove from the oil using a wire mesh strainer, tongs or a slotted spoon. Drain the spring rolls on paper towels and serve immediately with a dipping sauce.

*We use a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame seeds as a dipping sauce.

Crash Hot Potatoes

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

• new potatoes or other small round potatoes
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• pepper
• rosemary, or other desired herbs

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, cook until they are fork tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place potatoes on sheet leaving room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Rotate 90º and mash again. Brush the tops of each potato generously with olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs. Bake at 450º for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

These even taste good cold!

Schnitzel Beans

• 2 cans green beans
• 1 Tbsp bacon bits, or chopped bacon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 large onion, sliced in rings
• garlic salt

Mix all ingredients in a medium pot. Cover and simmer one hour or longer.

Black Beans

• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can rotel
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• balsamic vinegar

Combine in a pan on the stove, simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Lentil and Orzo Salad

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 small container crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cucumber, finely diced
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (we use parsley and basil)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Prepare lentils and orzo as directed on package, drain and pour into a large bowl. While still hot, stir in remaining ingredients. Add 1/4 cup oil and vinegar to start, taste and decide whether it needs the second 1/4 cup.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce

• 2 cups cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp margarine
• 1 Tbsp flour
• dash pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

In a saucepan cook cauliflower, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Drain, remove from pan.

In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add cheese, stir until melted. Stir in cauliflower.

This sauce would work well on any vegetable, really. We've used it on broccoli and cauliflower.