Chicken and Rice Salad

This is a quick and tasty side dish -- I'm making it tonight for Advent Supper at church :-)

Chicken and Rice Salad

3 cups seedless red grapes -- halved
1 cup rice -- cooked according to package
2 cups (cooked) chicken pieces
1/2 cup walnuts -- chopped
6 Tbsp. Italian dressing

 Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Frozen Banana Cream = Fake Ice Cream = Modern Miracle

Yes, it's true.  You can make a substance very like soft-serve ice cream from nothing but frozen bananas and milk.  My s-i-l told me about this a couple weeks ago, and we finally tried it ourselves tonight, and Oh My Word, it was sooooooooooooo good!  Thank you, Erika!!!

Frozen Banana "Ice Cream"

2 Bananas
2 Tbsp milk (approximate)


Wait for the bananas to be ripe, as in they need to have brown spots on the peels.  Peel them, break them into chunks (about 1 inch each), and freeze them until they are not soft anymore.  Stick them in a food processor, pour in a bit of milk (I didn't measure, but 2Tbsp is my guestimate), and blend until it's miraculously become ice cream-like.  You might have to stop and scrape down the sides during the blending.

You can add flavorings to this -- we tried cocoa powder tonight, and 1 Tbsp made it chocolate-and-banana flavored, so next time we might try 2 Tbsp.  We also thought of using strawberry jam, but haven't tried that yet.

Two bananas made enough for each of my 3 kids to have a pretty big serving, almost double the size of the ice cream servings I usually give them.  Two bananas made enough for a big serving each for Cowboy and myself.  Next time I'm going to try 3 bananas for the 5 of us, as this doesn't re-freeze -- you have to eat it all right when you make it.

Apple and Pear Crisp

A great autumnal dessert :-9  Not too complicated, either!

Apple and Pear Crisp

2 apples -- chopped
2 pears -- chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup walnuts -- chopped

 Mix the apples, pears, dried cranberries, 1 tbsp. flour, honey, and lemon juice in a greased 1 quart baking dish. In a large bowl, mix butter, flour, sugar, oats, and walnuts. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Cabbage with Mushrooms and Bacon

Mmmmm.  Bacon.  Mmmmm.  Mushrooms.  As always, use a scissors to cut up your uncooked bacon -- way easier than trying to use a knife!

Cabbage with Mushrooms and Bacon

1 small cabbage -- chopped
1/2  lb. thick-sliced bacon -- cut into 1" pieces
8 cloves garlic -- sliced thin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 cup water
1/2  lb. Penne Rigate

In stewpot, sauté bacon and garlic until bacon is almost done. Add crushed red pepper and cook and stir 1 minute. Add salt, mushrooms and half of cabbage. Cover and simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining cabbage and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Start cooking Penne Rigate according to package. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer 20 more minutes. Uncover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and stir to mix.

Cabbage Beef Casserole

This recipe makes me feel like I'm safely back in the Midwest :-)

Cabbage Beef Casserole


1/2  lb. ground beef
1 cup onion -- chopped
5 cups cabbage -- sliced 1 1/2” thick
1 carrot -- sliced thin
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2  cup rice -- uncooked
1 cup beef broth
1/2  cup water

In 5-quart kettle, fry ground beef until well-browned and drain fat. Saute onions and remove from heat. Add cabbage, carrots, pepper and salt. Toss to mix well. Pour rice into a greased 3-quart casserole. Spread beef mixture on top of rice. Pour beef bouillon and water over mixture. Cover and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir every 25 minutes and before serving.

Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta

Not a lot of recipes call for radishes, which is probably why we tried this in the first place.  Don't make this if you don't like butter!

Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta

1 box linguine -- cooked according to package
2 bunches radishes with greens
2 cloves garlic -- sliced
8 Tbsp. butter -- divided
12 oz. small shrimp -- peeled, deveined, tail off
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Remove radish greens and wash thoroughly. Remove stems and set aside. Trim radishes and slice thin. Sauté radishes and garlic in 2 tbsp. butter until crisp-tender. Add radish greens and sauté until wilted. Remove radish mix from skillet and set aside. Add shrimp and sauté in 2 Tbsp. butter until cooked through. Return radish mix to skillet. Season with salt and pepper and heat through. Add remaining 1/4 cup butter and melt. Add pasta and toss to coat.

Bunny Tuna Salad Sandwiches

A fast, yummy variation on the tuna salad sandwich.

Bunny Tuna Salad Sandwiches

2 cans tuna -- drained
2/3 cup mayo
2/3 cup raisins
1/2  cup carrots -- shredded
1/2  cup celery

Mix together in a medium bowl. Serve on bread.