thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

Most of you know that I love to cook or sew. Not cook and sew. I never considered myself smart enough to design patterns and I don't think I'm smart enough to develop unique recipes. There's folks who have the talent, time and education to do all that for me. I'm a re-designer and re-developer. I changed the Corn Bread Salad recipe to use frozen corn instead of canned, chili hot beans and black beans instead of pintos and added Rotel tomatoes. I changed the spinach in the Tomatoes Florentine to fresh from the frozen brick that looks like wet grass and used 6-cheese blend instead of just Parmesan and added some cheddar. I added fresh yellow squash to the marinated vegetables. You can change crepe batter, but you can't improve it, so I let it be. Now, you have all the basic recipes plus the substitutions/additions. As I always say, take the recipes, change them to your tastes and make them unique to you.





.

Corn Bread Salad

1 package dry ranch dressing mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (9-inch) pan corn bread, cooled and crumbled

2 cups frozen yellow corn

1 (16-ounce) can Bush's Chili Hot Beans, lightly rinsed and well drained

1 (16-ounce) can Bush's Seasoned Black Beans, lightly rinsed and well drained

1 can Rotel Tomatoes, well drained

May substitute 2 fresh tomatoes, diced

¼ green bell pepper, diced

¼ yellow bell pepper, diced

¼ red bell pepper, diced

¬½ cup chopped green onions, white and green parts

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Crumbled bacon, optional

In a medium bowl, combine ranch dressing mix, sour cream and mayonnaise. Set aside. Bring a medium size sauce pan half full of water to boil. Add corn and blanch about 3 minutes. Empty corn into a sieve and run cold water over until cooled. Drain well. In a clear glass bowl (straight sided is best) layer half the corn bread. Top with approximately half of each of the ingredients. Cover with half the dressing mixture. Repeat layers of all the ingredients (reserve a little of the cheese and bacon for the top.) ending with the remaining dressing. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with reserved bacon and cheese and fresh tomatoes.

Tomatoes Florentine

1 bag/box fresh baby spinach, steamed, drained and chopped

¬½ cup dry fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¬½ cup chopped green onions, white and green parts

¬½ teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 egg, beaten

¬½ stick butter, melted

¼ cup Italian 6-cheese blend

2 large, ripe tomatoes cut into thick slices

Shredded cheddar cheese

Steam spinach, drain if needed and roughly chop. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, bread crumbs, seasonings, onions, garlic, egg, butter and cheese blend. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with Pam. Layer tomato slices in prepared pan. Salt to taste. Place a large spoonful of the spinach mixture on each tomato. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted

Parmesan Herb Dressing

1 ¬½ cups vegetable oil

¬½ cup fresh lemon juice

¬½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ¬½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning blend

¬½ teaspoon sugar

Dash of pepper

Dash of paprika

1âÑ2 cup freshly chopped parsley

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a blender and process (pulse) until blended. Refrigerate while you prepare the vegetables. (May be done a day ahead)

Marinated Vegetable Salad

2 cups small cauliflower florets

2 cups small broccoli florets

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 small can sliced black olives

1âÑ2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1âÑ2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 small zucchini, thinly sliced

2 small summer squash, thinly sliced

1âÑ4 each, red, green, red bell pepper, diced

1 carrot, shredded

Cut and layer vegetables up to carrots in the order given. Shred carrots over all. Pour marinade over all. Cover tightly and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

Basic Crepes

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

¬½ teaspoon salt

In a blender, mix eggs, milk and oil about 10 seconds. Whisk together flour and salt and add to blender; blend until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

To prepare crepes: Heat crepe pan over medium heat; brush pan with vegetable oil. Pour approximately ¼ cup batter into the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter thinly and evenly over the entire surface. Brown one side of the crepe about 30 seconds. Using a thin metal spatula, loosen one edge. Shake the pan to be sure the crepe isn't stuck and flip gently. Brown the other side about 15 seconds. Remove the crepe to a plastic wrap lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Place plastic wrap between each crepe. Refrigerate or freeze any unused crepes.

Dessert Crepe Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 cup sliced strawberries

Blend powdered sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in berries. Place about 2 tablespoons in the center of each crepe. Roll up, jellyroll fashion. Serve with additional strawberries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.