Care to Share some Summer Recipes?

Favorite Answer

All of these are recipes that we like and use. I have been making the Watergate Salad since the early-mid 70's, the beans since 1982, the Hillbilly Cake since the early 70's, and the Veggie Bars since the 80's. I have a large family and we get together on a regular basis.

To make a really tasty dessert that whips up in about 5 minutes try this one:

Watergate Salad
1 8 ounce container of Cool Whip
1 small package(4 serve size) instant Pistachio pudding mix
1 can (16 ounces) crushed pineapple in real juice
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup ground walnuts (optional)

Combine Cool Whip and pudding mix until well blended. Mix in pineapple with the juice. Add the marshmallows and blend well. If using nuts, stir them in. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving. This is a cool and refreshing dessert. It will set you back around $3.99 a pound in central Ohio if you buy it in a deli. This makes a nice amount and is also a fun dish to take to pot lucks.

These are delicious and have a smoky flavor. I love them over rice.
Beans Deluxe
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound bacon, cut in small pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 16 ounce can lima beans, drained
4 16 ounce cans pork and beans
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbls. liquid smoke
3 Tbls. white vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown beef in skillet; drain grease. Place in crock pot and add remaining ingredients. Stir together well. Cover and cook on low for 4-9 hours. This is good alone or over rice.

Easy, delicious, and a real crowd pleaser.
Hillbilly Cake
1 Angel Food Cake
1 large instant vanilla pudding mix
1 quart strawberries
1 package strawberry glaze
1 8 ounce Cool Whip

Break up Angel Food cake into bite sized pieces and put in a 13"x9" pan or a trifle bowl. Make the pudding mix according to package directions and pour over cake. Let sit for 15 minutes. Hull and cut the strawberries and mix with the glaze. Pour over the pudding and cake. Top with Cool Whip. Allow to sit for up to two hours before serving.

Yum! these are so good!
Veggie Bars (Veggie Pizza)
2 packages (8 oounce each) refrigerated crescent rolls (Pillsbury)
1 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!)
1 package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 package dry Ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup broccoli, chopped fine
1 cup cauliflower, cut fine
3/4 cup green pepper, cut fine
4 green onions, cut fine
8 ounces shredded Cheddar or Co-Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spread crescent roll dough evenly on a large cookie sheet, covering bottom and sides of pan to form an edge. Bake 11 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool completely. Mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, and dry salad mix. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Combine vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over cheese layer. Top evenly with grated cheese. Cut into bars and serve. These can be made the day before you need them. These are always a huge hit....Show more

Here are a few enjoy....
SUMMER SALAD

2 medium cucumbers
2-3 medium tomatoes
1 each yellow, red and green bell peppers
1 small onion (optional)
2 cups zesty Italian salad dressing

Peel and thinly slice cucumbers, dice remaining ingredients. Combine all ingredients with salad dressing. Chill and serve.

CUCUMBER ONION SALAD

1 large cucumber
1 medium onion
1 large tomato
zesty Italian dressing
wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up cucumbers, onion, and tomato in small cubes. Salt and pepper as desired. Add 1 tbsp wine vinegar.
Add enough Italian dressing to cover (more or less to desired taste).

Great as a side dish for many meals.

EASIEST EVER FRUIT SALAD

1-30 oz. can fruit cocktail, drained*
1-11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained*
1- 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, do not drain*
2 firm bananas, sliced approx. 1 in. thick, optional
1 box instant vanilla pudding *


Combine all ingredients, stirring until dry pudding moisture is fully incorporated into the fruit mixture. Salad will appear to be runny, but will thicken as the pudding absorbs the pineapple juice. Chill for at least 1/2 hour or overnight. Stir before serving.
If salad sits for longer than 4 hours before serving, I have found that it is best to add the optional sliced bananas just before serving, as they will brown slightly, however, it will only affect the appearance, not the flavor of the salad if the bananas darken.

Variations include adding other canned or fresh fruits, using another flavor of pudding mix, such as lemon, coconut, banana, etc. When my children were younger I would add marshmallows or shredded coconut, or even chopped nuts.

*Note: as a diabetic, I use fruit canned in juice instead of syrup, and sugar-free instant pudding. This does not compromise taste or quality. My family actually prefers it this way. When you serve this salad, you WILL get many compliments, and even recipe requests. Whether or not you feel guilty, because it was so easy is up to you - :o)

ENJOY!!!...Show more

Here is one of my favorite summer meals.


SJ-SC-CA Incredible Chicken Salad

3 cups chicken breast (cooked and cubed)
1 cup pineapple (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts
1/8 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons sweet onion (minced)
2 Tablespoons apple juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well combined and chill. Serve with a lettuce garnish.

*********************************
summer dessert


This is a great frozen dessert. It makes a large amount for a crowd.

FROZEN LIME TORTE

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups hot water
2 (3 ounce) packages lime Jello
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed

Mix the first 3 ingredients together and press into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Dissolve Jello in hot water. Cool briefly in refrigerator. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add Jello slowly until blended. Blend in Cool Whip with the lime mixture. Pour into crust and freeze. Serve frozen or thaw slightly to make cutting easier.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Idea: Use any flavor of Jello that you like. Lemon is also good. Try pineapple Jello and add flaked coconut to make it “pina colada”.


************************************

Chinese Chicken Salad
Chopped cabbage (as much as you like)
1or 2 grated carrots
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp lime juice
chopped small pieces of the cooked chicken (you can buy cooked at super market)
Asian sesame dressing
mix all ingredients together and chill for a couple of hours. Delicious. Make sure you get a dressing that you like. You can also add almonds or crunchy noodles!

Another good one is Jicama and orange salad with mint
jicama medium peeled and cut into small pieces (like match sticks)
2 med carrots peeled and grated
2 seedless oranges peeled and sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juice
8 mint leaves thinly slivered
combine jicama, carrots and oranges in a bowl. In a small bowl combine the olive oil, and other ingredients (except mint leaves). Whisk and pour over jicama, carrot and oranges. Toss salad and refrigerate for a couple of hours and top with mint leaves....Show more

My family, friends, and I munch on Fruit Salsa all summer when we can get the fruit cheaper. 2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped; 1 lb strawberries, chopped; 2 kiwi, chopped; 2 tbsp brown sugar.. we eat with Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla chips (take flour tortillas and spritz with water and sprinkle with Cinn-sugar and bake until toasted about 5 minutes)

I also love to throw fresh fruit into a salad in the summer... I usually use ROmaine and Spinach, a mix of strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, grapes, feta cheese, broccoli, toasted nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts whichever you have on hand) and dress with a poppy seed dressing or red wine vinegriatte (allrecipes.com is a great place to find recipes and have reviews by others)

Thai Chicken wraps are great. cut up chicken into bite size pieces and cook in a skillet with olive oil. Once cooked, mix honey and sweet chili sauce (found in ethnic aisles) into the skillet with chicken, throw in some chopped nuts and julienned red bell pepper. Cook until pepper is tender. You can serve with rice or in lettuce cups. Great dish... be careful of chili sauce it can have a kick if its too much add a splash of vinegar to cut the spicy. (this came from Rachel Ray)

Bruschetta is wonderful and can be assembled individually by people. Just set out toast rounds, bruschetta (again check out allrecipes.com), some pesto, various cheeses for garnish and maybe some capers (but they can be expensive)...Show more

Almost anything is great on the grill. Love that the house doesn't get heated up and clean up is so easy. Any meat or fish is good. And any vegetable. Just drizzle the veggies with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and then grill. I especially like asparagus done on the grill. As for the lasagna, take any lasagna recipe and replace the pasta with thinly sliced zucchini or eggplant....Show more