Three Potato Salad

This recipe can be adjusted to your tastes. The main ingredients are:

Small white potatoes
Small red potatoes
Sweet potatoes

Cover potatoes with water and boil until tender, but not too soft. Cut into bite size pieces and add dressing of your choice. Either a mayo or oil/vinegar dressing can be used.

I used mayo with a dash of worchestershire sauce, squirt of Dijon mustard, hard boiled eggs, black & green olives, red and green onions, celery and a bit of dill relish. Season with salt & pepper or Trocomare seasoning, to taste. Decorate with fresh parsley and sliced tomatoes, if desired. It's not only delicious, but very colorful!

Hope you had a great Memorial Day!

Cheesy Baked Shells with Broccoli

I got this recipe from my daughter’s Real Simple Magazine. I made it for her and even Nathan, my grandson, loved it!

¾ lb. medium pasta shells
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed

Cook pasta until al dente.

Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add flour & cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Add 1½ c. of the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in nutmeg and salt & pepper to taste.

Add the pasta & broccoli and toss to combine. Pour into a 1½ quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I have a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread in my cookbook, but I came across this recipe recently. It’s so old the page is yellowing. I made it a long time ago and wrote “moist & light” and “delicious” on the recipe, so I thought I’d share it with you.

2 ½ c. flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. cinnamon
½ c. butter, softened (1 stick)
2 c. sugar (I use 1 c.)
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 tsp. grated orange rind
2 tsp. vanilla
½ c. milk
2 c. grated zucchini
1 oz. white chocolate
1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 12 cup Bundt pan with vegetable cooking spray.
In medium bowl, stir flour, powder, soda and cinnamon. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating well. Stir in unsweetened chocolate, peel, vanilla and zucchini. Stir in flour mixture. Pour batter into pan.
Bake 1 hour; remove to rack for 30 minutes. Cool completely; drizzle with melted chocolates.

Rice Pudding

In my cookbook, Cooking For a Cause, I have three different rice pudding recipes: one baked, one quick & easy and one made in a slow-cooker. I thought I'd share one more with you from my friend, Sue P. It's a very good recipe but requires a little more time on the stove. But believe me, it's worth it!

1 c. rice
6 c. milk (1½ qts)
2 c. water (1/2 qt.)
1 stick butter (1/4 lb
½ c. raisins (opt.)
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Put the rice, milk, water, butter and raisins in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add a little of the hot mixture to the eggs, sugar and vanilla, then combine it all together. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve warm or cold. Delicious!