Author: Anita

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

One of my favorite things is roasted red peppers, so I was happy to find this recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette. Of course, the roasted red pepper flavor is delicious, but the vinegar gives it a little bite, and the honey balances it all out. Sometimes Mike and I will have salad week for dinner and we will change up the salads and make a couple of dressings for the week. This dressing has become one of my favorites!

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette is easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry. I used jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own, but either will work.

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
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5 from 1 vote

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

I used jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own, but either will work.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword roasted red pepper, vinaigrette
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 104kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the peppers, garlic and vinegar into a food processor.
  • With the processor on, drizzle in the honey and oil. Process until smooth.
  • Stop and taste. Add salt and pepper as desired. Process a little longer. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

I needed a side dish for lunches last week. This old fashioned macaroni salad was just what I was looking for. This brought back memories of the macaroni salad people would take to pitch-ins. It is deliciously creamy and has some crunch from the carrots and celery. It has a hint of sweetness from the sugar which is tamed by the apple cider vinegar. Elbow is my preferred pasta for this salad, but you could use whatever you have on hand.

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

I like that the sauce in this salad isn’t runny like a lot of recipes or the kind that you buy in the deli at the grocery store. The next time I make this old fashioned macaroni salad, I will add peas to it. You could also add cheese, ham or bacon to make it your own.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try our creamy pasta salad.

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

The next time I make this old fashioned macaroni salad, I will add peas to it. You could also add cheese, ham or bacon to make it your own.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword old fashioned, pasta salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
2 hours
Servings 8
Calories 674kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Molly Yeh

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
  • Add the macaroni and cook per package instructions, but add 2 extra minutes to the cooking time.
  • Drain well and place in a large mixing bowl.
  • Gently stir in the apple cider vinegar and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
  • Add the carrots, the white and light green parts of the green onions, celery and yellow onion. to the pasta.
  • Sprinkle the top of the pasta with 1 teaspoon of pepper.
  • In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk and sugar and gently fold the mixture into the pasta.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Before serving, stir the salad. If too thick add a bit of milk (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and stir. Also add salt and pepper if needed.
  • Serve garnished with the green onion slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 674kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5489IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Snicker’s Cheesecake Bars

Oh me. These little Snicker’s cheesecake bars are dangerously good. Oooey gooeyness from the Snicker’s. Creaminess from the cream cheese. A little crunch from the Oreo crust. Yowsa. The problem (if there is such a thing) with little bites like these is that it’s easy to lose track of how many you’ve had.

Snicker's Cheesecake Bars

I plan on making other versions of these bars. The base recipe is so simple, lending itself to using all sorts of other candy bars. But, I have to say, this Snicker’s version is pretty darned good and maybe shouldn’t be messed with.

Also try my sweetheart buddies.

Snicker's Cheesecake Bars
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5 from 1 vote

Snicker’s Cheesecake Bars

Oh me. These little Snicker’s cheesecake bars are dangerously good.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bars, chocolate
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 395kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 20 Oreos
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the filling

  • 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 13 fun size Snickers bars chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Tear off a piece of aluminum foil that is a few inches larger than a 9″ x 9″ baking pan. You want some of the foil to hang over the sides because you’ll use it as a ‘handle’ to remove the bars later.
  • Place the Oreos in a blender or food blender and pulse until they form a fine crumb. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
  • Add butter to Oreo crumbs and stir.
  • Pour mixture into the baking pan and flatten out using a spatula. Press down to make a dense crust.
  • Place pan into the oven and bake 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • Meanwhile, make the filling by beating the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixer for 3 minutes.
  • Gently fold in the Snickers.
  • Once the baked crust has cooled completely, spread the Snicker’s mixture over the crust, pressing into the corners.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes (ours only took 30) until the cheesecake has started to brown just a little on top.
  • Remove from oven and let cool before then placing into the fridge for 3 hours.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the pan by grabbing two sides of the overhanging foil and pulling upwards. The cake should pull out easily. Place onto a cutting board.
  • Cut cheesecake into 16 bite-sized pieces.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.