Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Confession: I use Suddenly Salad boxed mix as my "homemade" pasta salad. I toss in cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives, maybe some pepperoni or chopped ham. I usually make four boxes for parties/side dish.

That's such a waste of money though, why not just buy a box or two of pasta and a package of Italian dressing/seasoning mix

NP- it's not the same

^i would have to add basil

Heirloom tomatoes picked at -just- the right moment from my backyard. at approx 4 pm or so in the afternoon before you serve this:

that tomato, sliced thickly

room temperature imported mozarella di bufala

the faintest drizzle of NOT extra virgin olive oil, from a dark bottle that is date-stamped on the label proving olives were picked/packed within last 4 months or so.


I know I sound like a controlling freak but once you have your sources for the above items, it takes 4-6 seconds to throw them on a plate. and people will talk.

****** resist the urge to Olive Garden-it-up by adding balsamic vinegar, "herbs", "some fresh cracked pepper for you??" etcetera. Less is more.

Pumpkin dip: about a cup of canned pumpkin blended with a softened block of cream cheese, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice to taste. Served with fruit, gingersnaps, graham crackers, etc for dippers. It's not haute cuisine but people seriously freak out for this stuff.

Get a pumpkin shaped bowl to really blow their minds.

cream puffs from the frozen food section, thaw and sprinkle with powdered sugar, the brand in the yellow box is best

Anonymous wrote:Confession: I use Suddenly Salad boxed mix as my "homemade" pasta salad. I toss in cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives, maybe some pepperoni or chopped ham. I usually make four boxes for parties/side dish.

That's such a waste of money though, why not just buy a box or two of pasta and a package of Italian dressing/seasoning mix

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Baked eggs in muffin tins. If I want to go extra fancy, I will do a fun garnish, or mix in some chopped ham, or sprinkle with cheese, but they are just eggs in muffin tins. For some reason people devour them. Go figure.

I really want to make this. I am a Kraft Mac & Cheese, PB&J kind of cook. Can you break down for me exactly how to make it?

Lol, it really is a non recipe. Lightly grease a muffin tin. Sometimes I use olive oil, sometime I use butter. Crack one egg in each of the cups of the tin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake on 350 for about 15 minutes (or until set). Let cool for 30 minutes before taking them out with a spatula or spoon. This is the bare bones version. I have on occasion added chorizo, cheese, ham, parsley, salsa, whatever happens to be on hand. I usually make a dozen on Sundays (in fact I made some today) for a quick and easy breakfast. They are the perfect size to go on top of an English muffin. You can also whisk the eggs before you pour the batter into the tin, then they will have more of a quiche-like consistency from all the air bubbles. You can also use the mini muffin tins, and then the size is perfect for those little mini sliced breads thatanotver PP was talking about - you'll just have to shorten the cooking time. Tons of variations, all super easy. GL!

I'm OP, not egg PP.
I line muffin tins with wrappers. Put 1 tbsp of cooked (microwaved from frozen, squeezed water out) spinach. Crack egg on top. Top with stuff (differs every time- chopped bell pepper, chopped herbs, bacon bits, small bits of cheese, etc) grind some pepper and salt on top. Pop in oven 15-20 minutes at 375 ( my oven runs cool so 350 may do it). Serve up. Yum.

You can also scramble. I haven't down them that way so not sure of timing,etc.

I make a tomato-cucumber salad in the summer that always gets rave reviews. Start with cherry tomatoes, chop in half (or quarters if they're big). Get those small cucumbers that come 4-5 to a pack, quarter lengthwise, and chop crossways into small dice. I go for about equal amounts of tomatoes and cucumbers. Sometimes I toss in some chopped romaine lettuce. Add some crumbled feta, chèvre or mozzarella (feta is my favorite). Then the secret weapon: Good Seasonings salad dressing - mixed from those little packets of seasoning with oil and vinegar. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad, toss to combine. Sometimes I'll add chopped fresh basil, dill or mint if I have it.

Anonymous wrote:Baked eggs in muffin tins. If I want to go extra fancy, I will do a fun garnish, or mix in some chopped ham, or sprinkle with cheese, but they are just eggs in muffin tins. For some reason people devour them. Go figure.

I really want to make this. I am a Kraft Mac & Cheese, PB&J kind of cook. Can you break down for me exactly how to make it?

OP, like another PP, I was a little bothered by your description of just "herbs," when changing the herbs could change it enormously. It helped when you wrote out later that you just used whatever you have on hand. (though I imagine some herbs might not work so well, so cooking-challenged PPs may get in trouble)

My shredded carrot salad is even simpler... just mayonnaise and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Homemade guacamole. Get good avocados. Peel and mash. Add chopped tomatoes, maybe some onions (not a lot), cilantro, lime juice, salt....I change it every time and people act like it's a huge deal!

Anonymous wrote:I make this ice cream with raspberry sauce dessert that's always a huge hit. Literally, all you do is scoop a good quality ice cream into a wine or parfait glass, the drizzle the chocolate raspberry sauce on top. I make the sauce by combining Hershey's syrup and fresh raspberries in the blender until smooth. That's it. Oh -- sometimes I top with aerosole whip cream if I want to be fancy.

Sounds decadent!!