Gran Gran's Red Jello Salad

In my last blog post, I shared our most treasured family recipe, Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti.  It was the only meal I ever had at her house.  (Except when the cousins and I were old enough to drive and took ourselves to Whataburger.  Another Texas staple like Gran Gran.) Along with her Chicken Spaghetti, my sweet Great Aunt Nona ALWAYS served freshly sliced cantaloupe, garlic bread, Apricot Nectar Cake, and Red Jello Salad.  Now I'm not a huge Jello fan, but this is such a lovely dish, and always well received.  The colors are vibrant, with chunks of flavorful fruit.  Nona always made sure to add a huge helping of Texas pecans.  I think that's what made it extra special.  When my Mom makes it, she serves it in a huge gorgeous glass bowl for a fancy presentation.  This Jello salad has been served at many a funeral, church supper and even bridal showers.  Recently I shared some as part of a Meal Train Dinner for a sick friend.  I didn't want her to hassle with returning dishes, so I used a disposable container.  If you're not transporting, go the extra step like my Mom and use a beautiful bowl to show off this lovely salad.  Everyone will enjoy it, kids and adults alike!

Another family favorite from Gran Gran.

This salad is so colorful and refreshing.  If you
don't need to transport it, serve in a pretty glass bowl for a beautiful presentation.

I tried my best to copy Gran Gran's famous menu.
Chicken Spaghetti, Red Jello Salad, Garlic Bread
My twist: Simple From Scratch Brownies instead of
Apricot Nectar Cake.

Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti

I've told you before about my dear Great Aunt Nona and her famous Apricot Nectar Cake.  Chicken Spaghetti was probably her second most famous recipe.  As kids, my cousins and I thought it was also her most over-made recipe and moaned every time it was on the table.  As an adult, I've made this recipe more times than I can count.  I now know why this was a go-to recipe for her.  It's quick, easily made ahead, and a true crowd pleaser.  I recently signed up for a Meal Train for a sweet friend and knew almost immediately I would make Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti.  I also wound up making Nona's third most famous recipe: Red Jello Salad.  In fact the only thing I didn't make was the cake.  I made a batch of Simple From Scratch Brownies instead.  I even texted my cousins and said, "It's official.  I've turned into Gran Gran.  I just made Chicken Spaghetti and Red Jello Salad." This can be made ahead and frozen and then baked, or baked and frozen.  Or made the night before and baked when you're ready to serve.  It reheats well and it's loved by everyone.  Perfect for potlucks, new babies, funerals or weeknight dinners, and especially meal trains...

A TRUE family favorite.  This dish is
made by everyone in my family for every occasion!

Easily prepared ahead, frozen, and as you can see:
transported in a foil pan for sharing.

I took this meal to a dear friend for a meal train.
I prepared exactly what Aunt Nona would have made.
Chicken Spaghetti, Red Jello Salad, and Garlic Toast.
The only thing missing: Apricot Nectar Cake!

Here it is most recently made for Mr. Devilish
Dish for his birthday.  BY REQUEST.
We even had the famous Apricot Nectar Cake
for his birthday cake!
This meal is a crowd pleaser that never fails.

Broccoli with Green Chile Butter

Little Devil and I love all of the cruciferous vegetables, especially: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage,  and broccoli.  Not only are they high in vitamin C and fiber, they have potential cancer fighting properties.  Not only are they good for us, we think they taste good!  Mr. Devilish Dish, not so much.  He's been known to ask if we can skip the brussel sprouts for a few weeks.  We've burned him out on those and cauliflower for a while.  His favorite green vegetable is Hatch Green Chiles.  Combining those with one of our favorite green vegetables made a very tasty compromise.  Freshly steamed broccoli tossed in a flavorful southwest-style butter is a great way to liven up a boring side dish, and a great way to get everyone to eat their vegetables!

A delicious southwest twist
on a traditional side dish.

Toss steamed broccoli in a flavorful butter.

A side dish everyone can agree on

A Taste of Houston

We took a little summer vacay trip to down to Houston to visit the Devilish Nephew and oh what an adventure we had!  We stuffed ourselves with with Buc-ee's Nuggets from Denton all the way to Woody's in Centerville where we stopped for a barbecue lunch.  The only thing I can say about Buc-ee's is "It's SOOOO Texas."  It's my favorite place to stop and stretch my legs.  And Buc-ee's Nuggets are ADDICTIVE.  If you aren't making a road trip through the Lone Star State soon, you can find them on Amazon.  I don't know how to describe them other than a it's like eating the best piece of cereal-turned-snack you've ever had.  I recommend Woody's if you're a connoisseur of jerky.  I've never seen so much jerky in my life.  We were too stuffed on barbecue including "shrimp stuffed bacon wrapped smoked jalapeno poppers" to even look at the jerky.  Woody's is the Devilish Nephew's favorite stop for jars of Homemade Chow Chow Relish that he loves to bring home to his grandparents.  Now mind you Mr. Devilish Dish and I had all of these things before we even made it to Houston where the REALLY good food is.  I'm going to go ahead and spoil the surprise and tell you the highlight of my trip was CATCHING A SHARK!  Then I'll share all of the other fun we had:

In full disclosure I have to tell you this was
actually the nephew's shark.  We caught
three, but only kept one.  

Italian Marinated Cheese & Olives + FREE Father's Day Printable OLIVE YOU DAD!

Father's Day is almost here and I haven't even gotten around to posting what I made the Moms for Mother's Day.  But I'm so excited about this post so I'm sharing early.  You know I love CHEESY food puns, like my "Don't String Me Along" String Cheese Valentines  or my Homemade "I Love You Honey Bunny" Honey Buns.  I'll go ahead and spoil the surprise from Mother's Day.  The moms all received homemade salsa and Mexican relish and tortilla chips in bags that said, "MOM, You're All That & and Bag of Chips!" I knew when Father's Day rolled around I would need something equally as silly and delicious.  Nothing says Dad Snack Food more than cheese and crackers, but I decided to level up by adding a tasty marinated olive blend and making my theme: OLIVE YOU DAD.  This mixture is delicious with any kind of olive, but I chose pitted Sicilian green olives and pitted Kalamata olives for my blend.  If you're ever near the international pantry in Norman, Oklahoma stop by and check their huge selection of bulk olives and French Feta cheese. That's where I stock up on my cooking essentials!  I chose to cube some Colby Jack cheese, but any hard cheese that can withstand a little while in the marinade like a firm Mozzarella or Gouda would be tasty too.  Throw everything together and let it refrigerate 8-24 hours and everyone will OLIVE YOU. 

Tell anyone OLIVE YOU with this savory snack.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl.  Refrigerate
8-24 hours.

Enjoy with some quality crackers.

Click on the image to enlarge.
Right click and save to your computer.
Open with the software of your choice
and print onto cardstock.

These images are my exclusive artwork.
Please be courteous when using these printables 
and remember they are for personal use only.

Godiva Chocolate Gift Basket

Michaela over at An Affair from the Heart and I have been great friends for many years.  We originally met over our interest in scrapbooking when Mr. Devilish Dish and I lived in Omaha.  It's safe to say that hobby has gone to the wayside for both of us, but thankfully we share MANY other things.  We both love our family, children, adore boxer dogs, and we love cooking and blogging.  And chocolate.  What kind of friend doesn't like chocolate.  We have this traditional we call the Fun Ball.  It's a small silver ball about the size of a baseball.  It has a hinged opening for storing small trinkets.  I think it's traditionally called a "Friendship Ball" but really doesn't Fun Ball sound more fun?  We mail that thing back and forth constantly.  Sometimes it has jewelry, sometimes cooking spices.  Sometimes a tiny figurine, and more often than not, candy.  It's a challenge finding something to fit in that little ball.  We use the same box, just adding our addresses on top of the other over and over.  Usually until the box is falling apart and one of use finds a new sturdy box just the right size.  For Michaela's birthday a few years ago, I send her a big 'ol basket with all things Godiva Chocolate.  A candle, some liqueur, of course some chocolate.  And I managed to incorporate the Fun Ball in there. I added a little "chocolate" pearl bracelet.  Then I topped the whole thing off with some funny chocolate quotes and a big chocolate brown bow. She has a birthday coming up this weekend, so stop over at her blog and wish her the best!

Isn't this fun?

I found that awesome Godiva candle first,
and the rest of the gift just came together around that.

Here's the Fun Ball
full of chocolate pearls...

And me!

I do love Michaela more than chocolate.
And that's sayin' a lot!

Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

I do not have a green thumb.  Nor do I enjoy yard work.  I do however enjoy a nice yard, which isn't always easy when you're married to a golfer.  Because if the weather is nice enough to work in the yard, it's nice enough to be on the golf course. So most of the gardening is my responsibility.  Every year I plant herbs and a few veggies with minimal results.  This year I decided I would actually put forth some effort into my gardening and really research how to reap the best harvest.  It's actually been rewarding this year because I've had good results, especially with lettuce and cherry tomatoes.  An abundance of cherry tomatoes.  Piles of cherry tomatoes.  What to do with a bounty of cherry tomatoes?  Come up with a great little dish that can be a side dish or appetizer.  I served it with toasty bread, a little like a deconstructed bruschetta, but it would be refreshing as a tangy side salad as well.  Bonus, I grew the herbs that went in here too!  Maybe my thumb will be slightly green by the end of summer.

Such a bright, colorful dish.

Garden fresh tomatoes and herbs.

Stir together tomato halves,
parsley and basil...

Add dressing, and toss to coat.

Serve with bread as a hearty appetizer,
or as a tangy side salad...

Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used half curly, half flat-leaf Italian)
3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut (roll up leaves and thinly slice to avoid brusing)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

In a jar or container with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, seasoned salt, dried thyme and sugar.  Shake until dressing is thoroughly combined.  In a bowl, gently combine the tomatoes, parsley and basil.  Pour dressing over and toss to combine.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Prep Time:  Approximately 15 minutes     Cook Time:  0 needs to chill