Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Pink Salad

Can I call this "my" recipe if I couldn't find an exact match in the first 20 google hits on "Pink Salad"? They all had sweetened condensed milk, pecans, pie filling, beets, or potatoes (??). So, here is my traditional, Easter, Pink Salad. I make it every year, I grimace as I buy the ingredients and empty all the packages into my bowl, at least 3 people groan and say "Oh my" when I take the lid off, and yet...we all eat 3 helpings each!

Ingredients:
1 small container Cool Whip
1 large container cottage cheese (1 pound?)
1 package strawberry flavored Jell-O

Mix together in a bowl. Don't try to use sugar free anything, it will taste bitter and separate. If you want to feel a little better about this, mix in a can or two of fruit cocktail or other fruit that you like. For the family gatherings, I normally use 1 large Cool Whip, and two of everything else. It almost fills my largest Tupperware bowl! Make sure you let this rest in the refrigerator for a few hours, so the gelatin and sugar can dissolve and the tastes can meld.

Enjoy!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Bacon Salt

So there is a product on the market now: Bacon Salt. Have you heard of it? Two guys made this up, and it is their mission to "make everything taste like real, delicious, bacon without all the fat or calories." Because Ernie and I are home alone today, I'm waiting for a few e-mails to come in (someone is giving away a free Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a motor problem, my grandpa is a motor whiz, and I know of at least 4 people who would LOVE to have a shiny Kitchen Aid on their counter next week- I'm just waiting for an e-mail saying to come and get it!) I thought I'd do some research on this blogosphere phenomena. There are facebook groups, bacon blogs, and rumors of new religions sprouting up around this product. What IS it?

It's available on the website in a few different flavors (hickory, original, and peppered) and a few different sizes, including the Big Pig (a 16 oz. porker of a jar.)

There are many testimonials of how good it is, how it changes lives, etc. But still- what IS it? It claims to be zero calorie, zero fat, vegetarian, AND kosher. (Do people who live the kosher lifestyle really want bacon flavored scrambled eggs? Do Mormons buy coffee-scented candles??)

Check out the ingredients and nutritional data for the original flavor here. Salt, spices, two kinds of MSG, wheat derivatives, corn derivatives (both syrup and flour), smoke flavor, colorants, vegetable shortening, natural and artificial flavors, and both disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate (two food additive flavor enhancers commonly used in conjunction with monosodium glutamate (MSG or also autolyzed yeast extract), and the guanylate version is extracted from dried fish or seaweed.)

Wow, how did these guys come up with this recipe?! The website says there is an "all natural" version coming later. But there isn't anything altogether bad about this, I think. I've been dreaming about using it in our pot of beans and pans of eggs to get that bacon flavor my husband loves without the expense or mess of meat. (Do all vegetarians start out as penny pinchers? I'm certainly not there yet, and don't intend to swear off eating anything so inherently beneficial and healthy, but GOSH is it expensive!)

So what do you guys think? Worth a try, or just another flash-in-the-pan product like this. (Or am I wrong about that one? Please say I'm not wrong!!) Would you season your Saturday morning eggs, or your next backyard grill hamburger? Maybe your pinto beans? Is this the next seasoning salt staple, like Jonny's or Lawry's?



Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Simple Quesedillas

Alright, if I spelled that wrong I'll be VERY embarrassed. I learned this recipe while visiting my husband's old roommate. I jazzed it up a bit so it would serve as a meal by itself...and use up all of my leftovers!

In the bowl of a food processor, combine one (drained) can black beans, 1 cup salsa, one cup grated cheddar cheese, and 10 black olives. I added a few slices of leftover pork roast, as well.

Chop until all ingredients are finely diced. Spread onto a flour tortilla, top with another tortilla and grill on a large griddle until both sides are crisp and the filling is hot and "melty."

Enjoy!