Italian Potato Salad Recipe

In an effort to take a delicious dish to our first potluck at our new church, I new some sort of potato salad would be a winner. I'm really not a huge fan of mayo-laden salads. Yes, I eat them and even enjoy them, but I can rarely bring myself to add that much mayonnaise to a dish. :) I decided to create a mayo-free version. Basically I took my traditional salad ingredients and replaced the lettuce with cooked potatoes. It turned out delicious! And no worrying about how long it's been out of the refrigerator! Bonus. :) 

Italian Potato Salad Recipe

recipe by adorkablerecipes.blogspot.com

Serves 6-10 

Ingredients

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 medium onion, diced

1-1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt 

pepper

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp Paprika

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar 

Directions

Add cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to warm pot to allow water to evaporate for 10-20 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients, drizzle in olive oil and vinegar (2 turns around the pan for each). Gently toss together. Keep refrigerated until serving.  

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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Recipe

For me, ice cream is a food group all its own. Even if I'm making another dessert--brownies or cake--I feel that I need ice cream. And homemade? You just can't beat that. This recipe costs about the same as a half gallon of store bought ice cream and with 5 ingredients. Quick and easy, and SUPER delish, this recipe is a winner! I can't wait to make another batch! (I keep my ice cream bowl in the freezer for spur of the moment ice cream needs.) 

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Recipe 

recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Yields 6-10 servings

Ingredients

1 cup Whole Milk, cold

3/4 cup Sugar

2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract

2 cups Heavy Cream or Half and Half

10 whole Oreo Cookies, crumbled

Directions

Freeze your ice cream bowl prior to starting your recipe, as it is very important that it is completely frozen.

Begin by adding the milk and sugar to your mixing bowl, and mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the vanilla extract, and the heavy cream. Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture.

Let the mixer spin for at least 25-30 minutes, adding the crumbled Oreo cookies in the last 5 minutes. Place the bowl back in the freezer for at least an hour or overnight if you prefer harder ice cream. Scoop and enjoy.

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Classic Hamburger Buns Recipe

I originally posted this recipe in 2009 and decided it was high time to share it again with you all. Annie's hamburger bun recipe is one of my favorites, and it was the perfect choice for our Labor Day meal. My Mom and Dad, who were joining us for the meal, really enjoyed this special homemade bun as well. 

With a little practice, you'll be able to whip these up in no time--and it's SO worth it. Even if the store variety are only a dollar or two, nothing beats the freshly baked buns made with you own hands. They freeze beautifully as well.  

Classic Hamburger Buns Recipe

recipe from Annies-eats.com

Makes 8-10 buns

Ingredients

1 tbsp. sugar

2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast

¼ cup warm water (105°-115°)

1 cup warm milk (105°-115°)

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

3 to 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water

sesame, poppy or caraway seeds, or coarse salt, for topping

Directions

In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water.  Add the milk, oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.  Gradually add flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough, about 7-9 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl.  Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil.  Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface.  Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 ½ -inch disks.  For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise.  For crisper bun, place them three inches apart. 

Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. 

15 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400°. Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°.  When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack.  This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

* Note: This particular dough should be quite slack, i.e. very relaxed in order to make soft and tender buns.  So you want to add only enough more flour, past the 3 cup point, to make the dough just kneadable, sprinkling in only enough more to keep it from sticking to you or the work surface.

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe

We wanted to go out for ice cream. But we were hesitant. Deep down inside we both knew it wasn't the wisest choice we could make, seeing as how we've both gained a few pounds in recent weeks. Then Kevin recalled me talking about this simple banana ice cream. He referred to it as "that banana crap." We laughed at his crud description. Neither of us thought this would turn into anything worth while. 

But it totally did! Within 60 seconds I had a bowl full of soft, creamy banana "ice cream"--totally healthy, and super delicious! You must try this next time (in the event you don't feel like baking another loaf of banana bread. :D) 

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe 

recipe adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

4 large very ripe bananas

Directions

Peel bananas and cut into 1 inch pieces. Arrange in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet and freeze for at least 1-2 hours. (You may wrap these and store in an airtight bag or container for weeks if you don't wish to use the bananas immediately.) 

Remove banana pieces from the freezer and add to a powerful blender or food processor. Puree until the bananas are smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. 

Serve and enjoy! 

We added a smidgen of chocolate syrup just for fun! 

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