Pot luck salad I take is simple and easy. Broccoli florets raw, a little diced onion, a can of drained dark red kidney beans, swiss cheese in small pieces, and a bottle of zesty italian. Zesty italian is normally too zesty for me but the bland beans need a strong dressing. I have tried it with my vinegarette and there was not enough zip. I would like to know your raisin and broccoli recipe exactly spell it out I'm not a cook for sure. It sounds healthy. So many people feed their kids tater tots and corn dogs and chicken nuggets; it is great you are pushing vegetables. What you eat as a child is the kind of food you like for life. When I was four we lived near an Italian who was going to restaurant management school. He made salads with garlic, oil and vinegar dressing that were a meal. My mother copied and to this day salads are my favorite food. I like too much dressing so I'm fat but my HDL is very high from all that olive oil.

Hi there! I'm Beth, I've been posting over on the Oklahoma Forum, even tho I'm in NE Arkansas... Dawn's just a very nice person... LOL! This topic has me over here tho, I LOVE veggies.

I've got two boys, and veggies ain't their favorite things. My three year old will eat cucumbers and sprouts that I've sprouted from lentils... amazingly enough! My fifteen year old is getting to where he'll eat more veggies. His favorite thing I make is corn and asparagus casserole, with a can of cream of mushroom soup in it.

Some of my favorites is broccoli and tomato marinated salad... with chopped red onions, feta cheese, all marinated in Italian dressing. VERY good. Also, my husband and oldest like fresh asparagus spears, wrapped in bacon and grilled on my big George Foreman grill. And a pasta salad is just begging for all kinds of vegetables, ya know? Cukes, tomatoes, red onions, peas (frozen), broccoli... you get the idea.

And how about veggie soup? LOL... :)

Beth

When I was married, I learned to cook Texas-style and appreciate almost all country food. I hadn't had "greens" until I was 45, though. I love to make them once a week or so -- mustard or turnip in water with a little bacon fat, cooked slowly and fresh spinach thrown in at the end. Sometimes add cut-up cooked bacon and onion. YUM!

And putting the cut-up stalks in the compost pile makes it even better, because I'm a compost nut.
Sunny

Welcome Beth you will like the people on this forum. Okiedawn should keep a copy of all her posts and write a book. She is nice too. Some experts are impatient and get short with people. I am mad at you for mentioning grilled fresh asparagus with bacon, but keep coming here anyway. I have not yet been successful with asparagus but I keep trying. Perennial plants are harder because weeds get in among them. Someone on here mentioned removing leaves mulching their asperagus. I just don't have their care straight yet. I think I need to prepare a really great bed dug deep and then buy the plants, instead of buying plants and needing to plant them quickly.

My granddaughters love the veggies from the garden, especially corn on the cob--Kandy Korn--Sugar Snap Peas, and Broccoli. But I'm a gardener more than a cook, so they just get them defrosted, warmed and served. They like cheese on the broc of course, and butter on the corn.

Their mother, my daughter, makes an herbed potato dish that is wonderful. It is better with fresh herbs but we have used dried. She slices the potatoes into a large skillet with some olive oil and sliced onions. She browns the potatos just a bit then adds sage, rosemary, oregano, and minced garlic. She turns down the heat, puts on the lid and stirs occasionally until they are soft and the herbs are wilted down, but not scorched. This is really good. Oh salt and pepper to taste, too, of course.

I am a pretty simple country cook so no real fancy dishes here.

I did make the confetti potatoes like they do at Silver Dollar City and we all love them. Just fried potatoes, sweet potatoes, red and green peppers and lots of onions.

Lately I have been cooking my green beans for a long time down very low and slightly carmelized on the bottom with some bacon drippings for seasoning. Everybody has been commenting on how they like them that way. I was doing the "healty" way .... just tender crisp and still bright green. Now I am doing it "mom's way".

I love the broccoli salad that you do. I must remember that when fresh broccoli is ready.

I love cooked carrots, cooked down very low or dry. Add a touch of sugar, salt, pepper and butter. I think they taste like sweet corn. I only buy California carrots; I think they are much sweeter.

I like asparagus any way you cook it. Helen keep trying, once you get it, it will be with you forever. It takes a few years to get much production. I wish you lived close. None of my neighbors (well, one) eats asparagus and fresh is the best. I like it creamed. I like creamed peas too.
Mom always cooked hers that way.

A new (to us) salad for winter is : Lettuce of any variety, sliced sweet onions, toasted sliced almonds and a few canned mandarin oranges on top. Make a vinaigrette of vinegar, olive oil, some of the orange juice from the can, salt and pepper brought to a boil.

Pour over lettuce and onion. Top with toasted almonds and the mandarin oranges.

We also like a salad of shredded carrots with raisins tossed in. I dress it with salad dressing but Ranch would work too, of course, sugar added or sweetener.

Then there is eggplant and all kinds of greens, but kids wouldn't touch that!

Now I am hungry!

Welcome Beth! Glad you decided to check out the Ozarks forum. It seems like kids just make up their own minds about what they're going to eat. My oldest daughter LOVED green peppers when she was a toddler. I thought it was strange that she would turn her nose up at other vegetables and then eat those like they were candy.
Your salad was similar to Helen's so I combined the two and put Zesty Italian on it. I didn't have Swiss or Feta but had other cheese. What a colorful salad! It turned out very good. It would be great for potlucks.

Helen - Here's the recipe for Trees and Raisins. It sounds healthy. It would be if you left out all the mayo, sugar and bacon. lol

1/2 c. raisins
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. vinegar
10 strips bacon cooked and crumbled

Mix together and pour over broccoli florets.
Tastes better if you let it sit in the frig for an hour or two to marinate before serving.

I've never tried asparagus with bacon but it sure sounds good. My little patch is same as gone. It was in too much shade. It's hard to keep the weeds out and I was having trouble with asparagus beetles laying eggs on the spears. I almost ordered some to plant this year but didn't. The fresh asparagus you buy at the grocery store just isn't as good, usually tough.

Sunny - I can remember eating "greens" when I was a kid but it was't a favorite. I might like them better now. Bacon helps just about anything. lol

The potatoes Mulberry described sound good and I've had the confetti potatoes at SDC but haven't tried to make them myself. I should do that.

My mother always creamed asparagus and also peas. She makes creamed peas with new red potatoes when those are available.

OH BTW... I do NOT have asparagus growing! I get it from my aunt... she's been working on hers for years now. Did not mean to cause confusion there, I'm just a beginner gardener myself, second year doing this. Thanks to OkieDawn I went from six tomato plants last year to FIFTY SIX THIS YEAR! LOL... I might be in a world of trouble here.

Thanks for the greetings! Glad you liked the salad! :)

Beth

Had Broccoli salad with dinner this evening and then logged on to find that it was one of the subjects here. Great minds think alike!
We use the recipe posted by christie, with some modifications.
1/2 c. raisins (we use California Gold Raisins)
1/4 c. chopped red onion (½ large red onion, thinly sliced)
1 c. mayonnaise (½ cup)
1/2 c. sugar (2 Tbsp)
2 tbsp. vinegar (Apple Cider vinegar)
10 strips bacon cooked and crumbled (6 strips)

With less Mayo, it's less creamy, but more crunchy and by mixing the Mayo, sugar & vinegar ahead of time, the sugar completely dissolves. We use very little sugar in cooking, except for making jams & jellies.

That was the green vegetable dish for the meal of southern fried chicken, butterfly shrimp, cheese/garlic biscuits & iced tea (peach flavored).

We have bacon for breakfast most mornings, so cut back on it's use in other recipes.
Our local Kroger has a special this week on Smithfield Hickory Smoked bacon, at $3.99lb./BOGO. That's cheaper than the unseasoned ground pork trimmings everyone is passing off as country sausage!
Enjoy!
Rb

I saved your recipes to my clippings. Do you all use this feature? I have started because sometimes I know I have seen a useful post and forget where I saw it.

I'm glad you mentioned that, Helen. I have been either printing them out or saving in a file in "Favorites." Clippings file would be much easier.
Sunny

Glenda - I've been looking on the web today for a recipe similar to Silver Dollar City's potatoes that you mentioned. I think they're called Calico Potatoes instead of Confetti. I posted a link to one that I think is close.
I'm trying to adjust the one below and make them in my slow cooker instead of frying them. I used some cooked bacon pieces instead of bacon grease and cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into chunks instead of slices. I put both red and green pepper in it and had celery so I chunked up some of that too and onion of course. I don't know what kind of seasoning they use there but I put some Lawry's seasoned salt and some Mrs. Dash in mine. Did you put any seasonings in yours? I'm thinking it might have been tasty enough to just use salt and pepper. Anyway - It smells pretty good. : )

You can order it with Polish(?) Sausage at SDC but I'm not a big fan of sausage. I was going to use ham but apparently someone ATE all the ham so I used bacon instead. lol

We have several new people that have joined Gardenweb lately. Any of you new folks want to share how you get your family to eat veggies? : )

Here is a link that might be useful: Calico Potatoes

I just fried mine using olive oil. I didn't use anything other than salt and pepper and maybe not even pepper. I did them in my big wok instead of the skillet like they do at SDC. It was the biggest thing I have ever seen. I got the sausage on the side, but gave it to my DIL. Way too much food!

I tossed together a really good dish yesterday. I had some green beans and zucchini I'd sauted previously. To that I mixed that with some boiled kale, raisins, nuts, chicken, raw carrot shreds, onion, and added oil, vinegar, mustard, and dill for dressing. It was like a salad only more filling and delish.

teeandcee, there was your five servings of veggies in one dish!

I have never tasted kale. I tried chard a few years ago...didn't care for it.

Gldno, I know, lol. It was about four cups total, a lot of veggies!

If you didn't like chard you probably wouldn't like kale, which is similar.

Sounds good Teeandcee. I've never tried Kale either...or chard.

The calico potatoes turned out pretty good. I used a lot more potatoes than sweet potatoes but next time I think I will switch it and use more of the sweet potatoes. They were very good fixed that way. I've never liked them baked with marshmallows like someone always brings to our Thanksgiving dinners and I think that's the only way I'd ever eaten them.

christie, I don't like them mashed and hate that topping too.

I do love them candied, or just baked in skins and eat like regular potatoes with butter, of course.

I also like them sliced maybe 1/4 inch and sauted until almost tender and then add cream and cook down a bit.

I always save the little skinny ones when I dig them in late summer and after curing, scrub and bake them all on a cookie sheet. I eat them as finger food, skins and all.

I think when I did the confetti ones, I used half and half sweet and irish.

Glenda what a healthy snack. I wish I liked them; I go for potato chips or buttered popcorn for a snack and you can tell. Christie getting kids to like veggies is so important for their health as adults. It is so hard to change your habits unless you get a scare and then it is too late.

Hi everyone, I've don't think I have posted here before, but there are so many good ideas here for veggies that I will try, maybe some one will get some good out of these recipes. ")
I cook baby carrots & then add just a small amount of butter & maple syrup, also we eat alot of cabbage,
Fried: is just cut up & put in a skillet & fry with a little salt & pepper then when it has some brown color to it I add water & cover with a lid to steam it, I sometimes add corn beef,
A different way is to quarter cabbage & cook it in a slow cooker with chicken breasts & chicken broth, salt & pepper.
Cole Slaw is another favorite with carrots, red cabbage & mayonnaise dressing

One good for pot luck dinners is;
Ramen Noodle Cole Slaw
mix 1/4 cup veg oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
The packet of beef seasoning (set aside)
smash the packet of noodles
add about 2 cups thinly cut cabbage
tiny cut red onions
sunflower seeds
mix & let chill in fridge
double for family gatherings

Elbow macaroni cooked & then add a can of tomatoes with salt & pepper

Also instant rice & add salsa to it & cook, sometimes we add sausage or what ever kind of meat we have left over.(we eat this one in the morning for breakfast with white gravy & it is also good for supper)

Oh, another one is a can of cut green beans, a can of french style green bean, cut up taters, onions, a beef bouillon cube, & cook till taters are done, it is really good with bacon or polish sausage.

I cut taters up into bitesize chunks add some cut onion & fry then when brown I add some hot dogs cut in half & some water & cover with a lid to steam.

lilly ")

When the kids were little they would NOT eat anything that they saw an onion in, DH & I really love onions & garlic so I just added in the onion & garlic POWDER & the kids just loved it & never knew the difference. I know this is underhanded but at least everyone was happy & I got to cook everything in one pot instead of one with & one with out onions. Tee-Hee-Hee ") Now that they are grown they love onions & garlic. Big Grins

Welcome Lilyjane! How did it take you so long to find the Ozarks forum. : ) Thank's for the veggie tips. Usually when I try a new dish, it's a main course instead of vegetables so I'm trying to do more of that.
I used to make baby carrots a similar way with butter and brown sugar for my two oldest girls when they were little. That's the only way they would eat carrots. My son doesn't like them sweet though. He likes just plain cooked carrots and my youngest daughter won't eat them cooked at all. She'll only eat them raw with veggie dip. My husband will go for the meat and completely skip veggies unless I nag him a little. Picky bunch. lol

Thanks for the welcome Christie "), I wish I had more time to visit different places here, there are so many neat ones ") I have lurked here a few times, I have learned so much from the winter sowing forum, but now that I have figured out, I will be able to spend time else where. Let me tell ya, I know about picky bunches LOL I think I'll go googling & find a peanut butter pie recipe for Easter unless someone here has a favorite they would share?
lilly ")
I hope every one has a safe & happy Easter :)

I've never heard of peanut butter pie. Sounds wonderfully fattening. lol
Here's what comes up at Allrecipes.com. I like this website because you can sort by rating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Allrecipes.com Peanut Butter Pie

Hi, Lillyjane and welcome to everyone new on this forum -- and Christie, you mentioned peanut butter pie and it's my very favorite. Allrecipes is a wonderful site and I'll check out that recipe. Thank you.
I'm taking asparagus to cook at my daughter's house today -- she wants to roast it with parmesan and butter, so I may have a good recipe for you all. She's a wonderful cook.
Everyone have a Happy Easter!
Sunny

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter, Christie, this is the recipe that I made, "it was a big hit!" the only thing I did different was I used a chocolate graham cracker crust & I topped it with cool whip & drizzled hot fudge over the top & added resses cups cut into pieces on the top. yummmy

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

"Creamy and delicious - melts in your mouth. This pie is a real crowd pleaser and it can be reduced fat ingredients."
RECIPE RATING:
This recipe has been rated 693 times with an average star rating of 4.8
Read Reviews (573)
Review/Rate This Recipe
PREP TIME 20 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs 20 Min
Original recipe yield 2 - 9 inch pies

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup milk
* 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.
   lilly

Awww Lillyjane you're a bad influence. hehehe The hot fudge and reese's on top would make it irresistable. I bet it didn't last long. I'm going to try that recipe sometime.
The asparagus sounds good Sunny. How did it turn out?

Welcome, Lillyjane! That is some great sounding food you have listed.

One of my Mom's standby meals when we were kids was brown beans, macaroni and tomatoes and fried potatoes and onions with corn bread. It is still a favorite supper of ours!

It's funny we were just talking about that ramen noodle slaw yesterday. I haven't made it in a while and need to do it again.

I think the sweetest carrots are the California carrots; I always look for those.

Sunny how did the roasted asparagus turn out?

My asparagus is just now coming on and I haven't cleaned off the bed yet!

My daughter's asparagus dish is a winner. We trimmed it, steamed it until almost done, then put it in a roasting pan, she cut up butter all over it, a little salt and pepper, then put on some shredded (real) parmesan cheese. Baked it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Really good!
Your Mom's standby meal sounds so good to me. And I'm making that pie soon. ! It was the Reese's and hot fudge that got me, too.
Sunny

Reese's and hot fudge are my favorite vegetables. Can I have 5 servings a day for good health?

Glenda I am looking for how you cook your eggplant. I know it is here somewhere but I did a search and can't find it. I thought you used oil and garlic. We have one total eggplant that sprouted in my friend's pot of hot peppers. It has one big purple one and we don't know how to cook it.