Honey Dijon Slaw with Radish

1 bag of pre shredded slaw
6 radishes, thinly shaved
4 green onions, sliced
1 handful of golden raisins
olive oil, to lightly coat mixture
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt , or to taste
black pepper, to taste

Combine slaw, radishes, and onion in a mixing bowl. Lightly coat with oil and add vinegar, dijon, garlic salt and pepper. Set in frige to chill for 30 minutes and serve.

Happy 4th of July!

Cheers! This patriotic beverage will be a hit at your 4th of July cookout.

1 part Grenadine

1 part Peach Schnappes

1 part Blue Curacao

Slowly and carefully pour each ingredient into a shotglass in order above

Sticky Lemon Chicken

3-4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, this can be used with any favorite chicken portion.
salt and pepper to taste, to season chicken
3 tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
3tablespoons of soy sauce
4 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, sliced into rounds

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the chicken pieces  over medium high heat with the garlic and thyme for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add the red wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, bay leaves and bubble until reduced by half. Drizzle over the soy sauce and honey and shake the pan to mix. Return the chicken to the pan and add lemon slices and water. Let the liquid bubble and reduce down until syrupy, which will take about 15 minutes or so. By now the chicken should be cooked through. Place chicken on serving platter and drizzle sauce on top. I served this along with my corn salad and shaved potatoes.

Sausage and Cannellini Rotini

1 lb. Rotini pasta
3/4 lb. ground sausage, I used Graziano's but use whatever style you like (sweet, hot, mild)
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup + 2Tbsp. olive oil

In a large sauce pot cook pasta according to pkg. directions. While the pasta is boiling, heat the 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large deep skillet. Add and brown the sausage. Next add the cans of diced tomatoes, ( do not drain ) beans, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of olive oil and cook for 15 min. Top the drained pasta with sausage mixture and serve with warm crusty bread.

Tomato Avacado Salad

3 ripe tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
1 large avacado, Cut into small segments
1 vadalia onion, sliced into thin rounds
8-10 lemon basil leaves, torn ( regular basil works just as well )
Extra light oilive oil
Sea salt
Black Pepper

Slice tomatoes and onions. Arrange tomatoes on platter and top with onion wheels. Then add avacado and sprinkle basil over the top. Drizzle oil over each one followed by a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. Can be served right away or chilled for up to an hour.

Chicken Caesar Pasta

1 pound of rotini pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) bottle Caesar salad dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 head romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried and chopped
1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

Cook pasta according to package directions and then drain. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Next add chicken, salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove skillet from heat.


In a bowl, mix together salad dressing, vinegar and cheese. Make a bed of lettuce on a large platter.Toss together pasta, chicken, and dressing mixture. Sprinkle with tomato. Garnish with croutons and Parmesan curls, if desired.

Quick Bruschetta

1 15oz can of diced petite tomatoes, drained
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, rolled together and sliced (chiffonade)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve with either a toasted baguette or as I did with toasted focaccia with parmesan cheese.

Marinated Mozzarella

1 8oz conatiner of mozzarella fresca, fresh mozzarella balls
3 Tbsp. extra light olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2  tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill for one hour before serving. Serve along with your favorite olives and peppers.

Grilled Corn with Cilantro Lime Butter

Use enough ears of corn to feed your family. (This butter recipe feeds a family of 4-5 twice. Leftovers can also be used to top off grilled steak or tequila lime chicken.)
1 cup of softened butter
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice
a pinch of cayenne pepper

In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Mix in cilantro, lime juice, and cayenne pepper. Place butter on to a sheet of non stick wrap and roll it into a log shape. Chill for one hour and top off grilled corn with sliced rounds of the butter. While butter is chilling prepare the corn.

Carefully peel back husks from corn to within 1 in. of bottom and remove silk. Soak in cold water for 20 minutes then drain. Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning often.

Iowa Pork Patty

Here's one of my entries to the Sutter Home Build A Better Burger Contest. This is the original recipe but I may have to tweak it just a touch. The breakfast sausage was strong but did give it a unique flavor. I may reduce the amount of it or omit it completely since the seasoning almost duplicates it. I'd love your feedback on this if you should decide to make it. Word to the wise, use thinner sourdough :) Even with my big mouth I had to use a fork and knife!

For the burger:
3/4 lb. ground pork
1/4 lb. ground breakfast sausage
1 egg
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 celery stalk finely minced
1/4 cup homemade bread crumbs*
* 1 cup of cubed seasoned stuffing mashed into fine crumbs. I used a rolling pin to mash them in a Ziplock bag.

Grill patties over low heat 12 min. each side. Top with Brie cheese and cover for 2 additional min.

For the cheese:
1  8oz. brie wheel quartered and rind removed

For the bread:
8 slices of buttered and grilled sourdough.

The topping:
2 green apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin
1 white onion, sliced thin
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
a pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large skillet and cook over med. heat 30-40 min.

For the spread:
1 cup of whole berry cranberry sauce
2 tsp. dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper

I served the burger topped with apple/onion mixture and placed them onto the sourdough with the cranberry spread.