Baked Potato Salad - A Picnic Favorite

6 medium baking potatoes (about 2 lbs)
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup Miracle Whip
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked (drained and chopped)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
6 thinly sliced green onions with tops
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.  Scrub potatoes thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Using paper towel, wipe potatoes with vegetable oil.  Prick potatoes with a fork.  Bake 50 - 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and Miracle Whip in small bowl.  Chop bacon, red onion, and celery using food chopper.  Add to sour cream mixture.  Stir in salt and black pepper; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove potatoes from oven; cool completely.  Coarsely chop potatoes into 1/2" pieces.  Place in large bowl; fold in sour cream mixture.  Cover and refrigerate 4 - 6 hours or overnight.  Garnish with green onions and cheddar cheese before serving.

Christian in his Easter outfit

Christian was the most adorable young man Easter Sunday.  His outfit was smashing!  Check him out . . .

Sesame Tilapia With Shitake Broth

Flavorful, pan-fried tilapia becomes a Japanesse-inspired one-bowl meal with rice and a gingery mushroom broth.

Tilapia
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 egg
2 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets (4 oz each)
3 Tbsp Asian Seasoning Mix
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Shitake Broth and Rice
1 small carrot
1 green onion with top
1/2 cup sliced shitake mushrooms
1 3" piece fresh gingerroot, divided
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup hot cooked white rice

For tilapia, combine panko crumbs and sesame seeds.  Lightly beat egg in a bowl.  Cut each fillet into three pieces with boning knife.  Coat tilapia with seasoning mix.  Dip each piece into egg and then  into panko mixture.  Set aside.

For broth, peel carrot; cut into julienne strips using julienne peeler.  Thinly slice green onion on a bias.  Slice mushrooms.  Peel gingerroot; grate 1 tsp of the gigerroot using the Microplane.  Cut remaining gingerroot into 1/4" slices.  Combine carrot, green onion, mushrooms, grated and sliced gingerroot, broth and soy sauce in 1/4 qt. saucepan; bring to a boil.

As broth comes to a boil, add oil to a 10" skillet; heat over medium heat 1 - 3 minute or until simmering.  Carefully arrange tilapia in skillet and cook 2 - 3 minutes or until browned.  Turn tilapia over; cook 2 - 3 minutes or until tilapia flakes easily with a fork, turning with small slotted turner.

As broth comes to a boil, add oil to a 10" skillet; heat over medium heat 1 - 3 minutes or until simmering.  Carefully arrange talapia in skillet and cook 2  - 3 minutes or until browned.  Turn tiaplia over; cook 2 - 3 minutes or until tilapia flakes easily with a fork, turning with small slotted turner.

For each serving, pack rice int 1 cup prep bowl and invert into bottom of serving bowl.  Ladle broth and vegetables around rice;  place tilapia over rice.

Red, White & Blueberry Trifle

This is an impressive and patriotic summer dessert.

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 prepared angel food cake (13 oz)

3 cups blueberries
1 container (16 oz) frozen sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed
1 lemon
3 containers (8 oz each) blended strawberry yogurt

1 pkg (3.4 oz) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling

2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping, divided

Cut cake into 1-in. cubes using Color Coated Bread Knife; set aside. Hull fresh strawberries and cut into quarters. Set aside ½ cup of the strawberries and ½ cup of the blueberries for garnish. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine remaining fresh and frozen strawberries; mix well.

Juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp juice. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, whisk yogurt, pudding mix and lemon juice until smooth using Stainless Whisk; immediately fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping.

To assemble trifle, place one-third of the cake cubes into Trifle Bowl. Top with one-third of the strawberry mixture and one-third of the blueberries, pressing down lightly. Top with one-third of the yogurt mixture, spreading evenly. Repeat layers two times, spreading last layer evenly using the Small Spreader to create a
flat surface.

Pipe whipped topping over top of trifle; garnish with reserved strawberries and blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings

Cook’s Tip: Cheesecake pudding and pie filling or vanilla pudding and pie filling can be substituted for the white chocolate pudding, if desired. If using vanilla pudding, add 6-8 drops of red food coloring for a pinker color, if desired.

Tangy Spinach and Pasta Salad

The weather is getting warmer and cool suppers will become the norm around our house as summer approaches.  Have your family try this and see if they notice how healthy it is.

It calls for grilled chicken and crispy bacon.  I like to fry extra bacon when I fix it for breakfast and then keep the leftovers in the freezer to use when I need bacon bits for a recipe.  I usually grill two extra chicken breasts when I prepare chicken breasts for dinner.  I dice them and keep them in the freezer to use when I need dinner in a hurry.  (See my recipe for Fool-Proof Chicken Breasts)


Ingredients:
6 cups uncooked rotini pasta
8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
2 cups diced cooked chicken  (12 oz)
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, diced
¾ cup French dressing



1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold running water.
2. Place pasta in Stainless Mixing Bowl (8 qt.); add spinach, chicken, bacon, carrot, cheese, onion and eggs.
3. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 12

Dill Dip

The weather is warming and BBQ season is upon us.  It's time to clean up the deck and the grill and get ready for entertaining.  I absolutely love to have a crowd over for BBQ and all the fixins.  This recipe for Dill Dip is a must.  It's perfect with all raw veggies.

1 cup sour cream (don't use fat free)
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp dried onion
 1 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp Beau Monde
1 Tbsp dill weed

Stir all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for two hours prior to serving to blend flavors.  Serve with an assortment of raw veggies.  Keep dip on ice so it will remain cold.

Bits 'O Brickle Brownies

1 /2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 (6 oz) bag Bits 'O Brickle (find this near the chocolate chips in the baking aisle)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together; set aside.  Cream butter with both sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Stir in Bits 'O Brickle.  Spread in well greased 9 x 12" pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

These are a quick and easy dessert when you need something quick to take to work to share, or when company drops in.  They are also a little bit different than your ordinary brownie or cookie.

Mini Lemon Cakes

Easter is coming!  And these are so easy to make because you make them in the microwave.  I've made them several times.  They are refreshing and just so pretty!

Cakes
2 Tbsp butter, softened, divided
2 Tbsp sugar
2 small lemons, divided
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 container (8 oz) sour cream

Glaze 
2 Tbsp lemon juice (from lemon used for cakes)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
Lemon knots (optional)

For cakes, brush six one cup prep bowls with 1 Tbsp of butter; sprinkle evenly with sugar.  Thinly slice one of the lemons.  Remove any seeds from lemon slices and place one slice into the bottom of each bowl; set bowls aside.

Zest remaining lemon using a grater to measure 1 Tbsp zest; set lemon aside for glaze.  Place remaining Tbsp of butter into a batter bowl; microwave on high 15 - 20 seconds or until melted.  Add lemon zest, cake mix, egg and sour cream; whisk 1 minute or until smooth.  Scoop batter evenly into prepared bowls.  Place bowls in a circle on the microwave turntable.  Microwave on high 4 - 5 mins or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Carefully remove cakes from microwave; cool in bowls 5 mins.

Meanwhile, for glaze, juice reserved lemon to measure 2 Tbsp juice.  Melt butter in small bowl. Stir in lemon juice and sugar; microwave on High 30 - 60 seconds or until boiling.

To serve, gently tap the sides of the bowls to release the cakes.  Invert cakes onto cutting board.  Transfer cakes to serving plates.  Drizzle glaze over cakes.  Ganish with lemon knots, if desired.

Yield - 6 cakes

Go Northwest Lions!!!

My son Luke's volleyball games start tomorrow.  The whole family is excited.  We can't wait to go and cheer them on.  Eddie bought me a mini bull horn to use at the games, but Luke has told me he'll disown me if I show up at a game with it.  Oh well, I'm loud enough without it.  I have to be their loudest fan.  The only other team I cheer for  with such enthusiasm is the St. Louis Rams.  Heaven knows they haven't given us much to cheer about in the last few years.

Send a little love their way with a "Go Lions" message in my e-mail "keplen@charter.net", on twitter at www.twitter.com/keplen, or on facebook (search for Karan Presson).  I'll print them and take them to the games.  The boys will love them.

My Weekend Shopping Experience

As many of you know, I love the Dierbergs shopping experience!  Shopping at Dierbergs is head and shoulders above the shopping experience at any other supermarket.  They have the best produce and the best meat.  The stores are clean and bright and the aisles are wide.  The employees are friendly and they will always offer to help you to your car.  You just don't find that anywhere else.  And . . . until last weekend, I thought Dierbergs charged higher prices for these premium options.

I actually went to Walmart to use a handful of "buy one, get one free" coupons on Saturday after I'd been to Dierbergs.  I don't usually shop at Walmart.  (Side note:  I saved $39.00 with my coupons and wound up spending only $202.00)  There were items I decided not to buy at Dierbergs because I assumed I'd find them cheaper at Walmart.  Wow, was I wrong!  Those items were actually more expensive at Walmart.  Gerber's Sweet Potato Puffs were $2.44 instead of $2.19.  Same thing with the Gerber's 'Li'l Crunchers'.  Moving on to Campbell's Soup.  Cream of Mushroom was $1.00/can at Walmart and $.92/can at Dierbergs.  There were several cuts of meats, as well as frozen shrimp that I compared.  Walmart was alway higher.  Walmart's days of being a less expensive alternative for groceries in the Fenton area are over.  Don't let them trick  you into thinking you're saving money.  Their produce is awful!  It is never fresh - it always looks days old.  Dierbergs pricing is always higher than Schnucks or Shop 'N Save.  Who ever thought Dierbergs would be less expensive than other grocery chains.

Can you even remember the last time someone at Walmart asked if you needed help to your car?

Hmmm!  Where do you want to shop?