Cabbage Broccoli Salad

I made something very similar to this a few months ago with a sesame dressing and mandarin oranges in the salad. I made it this time almost exactly like my mom used to make it but with the addition of broccoli. 

And since Ramen noodles are technically pasta (I checked) I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights 258 at Once upon a Feast.

1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head

1 head broccoli

2 pkg oriental ramen noodles

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1  - 2 c. sliced almonds

2 lb. chicken breasts

season salt

oil

Dressing (Recipe follows)

Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut out the core. Cut each quarter in half again, lengthwise and then slice into thin ribbons. Dump into a really large bowl.

Chop the broccoli pretty fine and place in the bowl with the cabbage. Add the sunflower seeds and the almonds. Crush the ramen noodles pretty well before opening the package and add the noodles to the bowl, reserving the seasoning packets for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine.

When that is all done trim the chicken breasts and season generously with season salt. Cook in hot oil until no longer pink in the middle and both sides are browned. Immediately chop the chicken into small pieces and add to the cabbage bowl. Stir to combine. You can use leftover chicken here, I like to add it hot to the salad though because it cooks the broccoli ever so slightly and makes it a nice bright green color. 

Dressing:

1 c. oil

6 Tbsp Red wine vinegar

2 Oriental ramen seasoning packets

3 Tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all together and set aside. 

In a pinch you can use apple cider vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar but you will need to reduce the oil by 2 Tablespoon and make up the difference with vinegar since apple cider doesnt have the same flavor as the red wine. 

Brussel Sprouts

 Sorry the picture is not all that inviting

My kids love brussel sprouts. They ask for them every time we are at the store. Just try and picture the strange looks I get in the store with three kids begging for brussel sprouts. And the even stranger looks I get when I tell them "not this time". They particularly like the frozen ones in the Green Giant packets with the butter sauce. These are similar but start from fresh, don't get all mushy and I can make as many or as few as I want.

 

1 lb brussel sprouts

6 Tbsp unsalted Butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

1 c. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

Cut the ends off the brussel sprouts and cut the large ones into quarters and the small ones in half. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet, add the brussel sprouts and cook until browned in spots and glossy looking. Sprinkle the flour over the top stirring to combine. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add the water and chicken bouillon. Cover and turn the heat down. Cook until the brussel sprouts are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

Optional and tasty: Saute 6 strips of bacon and remove from the pan. Use the drippings instead of butter and continue with the recipe as above. Just before serving crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.

Breaded Baked Zucchini

This was actually really fast to throw together and let bake while I made the spaghetti, and was a tasty side dish that was a change from my usual, steamed broccoli. For the dipping sauce since I was already serving spaghetti I just reserved some of the sauce before adding it to the beef to dip into.

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

2 medium zucchini

3/4 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dash Salt & Black Pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Marinara Sauce for Dipping

Pre-heat your oven to 400

Combine the egg, milk, and minced garlic. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Slice the zucchini about 1/8 of an inch thick and set aside.

In a separate container combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic. 

Dip the sliced zucchini in the egg mixture and then the crumb mixture, pressing slightly to help the crumbs stick. 

Spray a baking sheet really well. Place the zucchini in a single layer on the pan and spray with cooking spray. 

Bake at 400 for 18 - 22 minutes. Flip the zucchini over and bake an additional 7 - 10 minutes, until browned. 

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

It was surprisingly difficult to find a pound cake recipe that someone hadn't tried to reduce the fat content in. And I certainly wouldn't want that! So like any  ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶  classic pound cake recipe, this starts with an entire pound of butter.

1 lb butter

3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

6 eggs

3 c. flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 350

Mix together the flour, soda and salt and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until mixed. Then add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. When the flour is completely combined stir in the sour cream and mix until combined.

Grease your baking pan and bake at 350 for anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes, until the top is a dark golden brown. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run your knife around the edges of the pan and flop upside down on a cooling rack. 

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I got 5 smallish loaves out of this, each one yielding 10 slices. 

I'm guessing the pan size was 2 x 5 or 6

We ate one with macerated strawberries and
sweetened whipped cream. 

I think lemon curd also is very tasty with the pound cake,

and lemon curd with strawberries and whipped cream is always good too

The other 4 loaves I wrapped in plastic wrap and then tin foil and froze.