Lentil Salad

I recently made this recipe for a get together for various college friends. I was looking for a vegetarian recipe that would be hearty. This recipe was an excellent addition to the menu. While the ingredient list on this recipe is somewhat long, it creates great flavors. If there is an ingredient that you do not like, you could easily leave it out or substitute in something else. 

I have recently started using lentils more often. I tend to rely on canned lentils for the convenience. I may need to try using dried lentils to allow more customization. Lentils are versatile and nutritious.

Lentil Salad 

• 2 cans lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 Bell peppers, diced
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup mint or parsley
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine lentils, red onion, bell pepper, carrots, mint or parsley, and apricot. Make the dressing by blending the lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, and black pepper. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients. Refrigerate. Prior to serving, mix in pistachios. Enjoy!

Lemon Pizzelle

Pizzelles are a family classic. The standard flavor is vanilla or anise, but I like to try out other flavors. Anise Pizzelles are delicious, but not universally liked, so I do not make them too often. I made these Lemon Pizzelles for Mom's Birthday. These Lemon Pizzelles were a hit and may make it into the regular rotation of pizzelles.

The nice lemon flavor was subtle but clear. I used lemon extract. Adding in lemon zest would also enhance the lemon flavor. The basic pizzelle recipe is the same for all pizzelles. The recipe makes about 40 pizzelles on my pizzelle baker, so this recipe is great for a party.

Lemon Pizzelle 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled butter and lemon extract. Sift flour and baking powder together; add to the egg mixture. Drop by spoonful onto the heated pizzelle baker. Close to allow the pizzelle to bake, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pizzelles with tongs to a flat surface. Allow to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Asian Cucumber Salad

This summer, my cucumber plants have been extremely productive. So we have been eating cucumbers every day and trying to come up with new ways to use cucumbers. I usually enjoy this Tomato and Cucumber Salad, but my tomatoes have not been very productive yet this year.

I found several recipes for Asian Cucumber Salad that I have adapted here. This salad is great on its own or served on a bed of spinach. The flavors are a tasty blend that compliment each other. You can easily adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit your preferences. If you do not have maple syrup on hand, honey would work well. 

Cucumber Salad 

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup diced chives or green onion
• 1 tsp. ginger paste 
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Score the cucumber with a fork. Thinly slice the cucumber. Spread cucumber in a colander and toss with salt. Allow the cucumbers to sit for 30 minutes for excess water to drain out. Mix together remaining ingredients. Toss sauce with cucumbers. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Enjoy!

Gooey Butter Cookies

This recipe is inspired by Gooey Butter Cake. In July 2024, the Buckleys took a family trip to Lake of the Ozarks. Gooey Butter Cake is a Missouri specialty, and we had some delicious cakes while in Osage Beach, Missouri. This year, for the Fourth of July, I made these Gooey Butter Cookies, which taste just like the cake but in a portable cookie form, as a treat to enjoy while watching the parade. Pictured here is Mom with her grandkids Mike, Tim, Ava, and Lorelei, along with Great-grandson Andrew.

This recipe is a much simplified version of the cake recipe, but tastes just like the cake. This recipe is easy to make but the dough does need to be refrigerated for a few hours. If the entire batch of cookies do not get immediately eaten, these cookies freeze well. 

Gooey Butter Cookies 

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• powdered sugar

Combine the cake mix, butter, vanilla, cream cheese, and egg until well blended. Chill dough for at least two hours. Roll dough into one-inch sized balls. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350. Allow to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

BBQ Shredded Chicken

This slow cooker recipe is one that I frequently make because it is so easy and very popular in my house. The recipe can be adjusted to fit the size of your slow cooker. The recipe can feed a crowd or can make delicious leftovers. I recommend adding this recipe to your regular rotation.

When I make this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Other chicken could be used, but boneless chicken is much easier. You could make your own BBQ sauce, but I always prefer to use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. When I make the recipe, I will only add about a cup of sauce at the start, but then add more toward the end of the cooking time if needed.

BBQ Shredded Chicken

• 2-3 onions
• 4-6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1-2 cups BBQ sauce

Chop the onions and place the pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Cut off excess fat from the chicken; add the chicken on top of the onions. Add about a cup of BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on low for about six hours on low or for about three hours on high. Occasionally stir the contents and add more BBQ sauce as needed. When chicken is cooked through, use forks to shred the chicken. Add more BBQ sauce, if necessary. Enjoy!

Fruity Cookie Recipe

These cookies can be made using any flavor jello that you can find. I used strawberry to test this recipe, and the cookies were delicious. This recipe uses a cookie press, which is a nice reminder that the cookie press does not need to be saved for Christmas cookies. I made these cookies for the block party because the recipe makes a lot of bite-sized cookies that are easy to share. The cookies quickly disappeared.

When I made this recipe, I had two boxes of gelatin. But you could use just one box and reserve a spoonful for the sprinkling or skip the sprinkling step. Also, I found the temperature in the recipe to be too high and the time too long, so I updated the recipe below.

Fruity Cookie Recipe 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package (3 oz.) gelatin, any flavor
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Additional gelatin for sprinkling

Sift the flour with baking powder. Set aside. Cream the butter. Gradually add sugar and gelatin. Cream well after each addition. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition until smooth. Force dough through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with extra gelatin or decorate as desired. Bake at 375 for 11 minutes, or until golden brown at edges. Enjoy!

Skillet Barbecued Chicken

I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, but I am not sure that she made it when we were kids because it uses chicken with bones, a possible choking hazard. Mom is more likely to have chicken tenders for kids than bone-in chicken. Recently at a family get-together at her house, Mom had both chicken tenders and broasted chicken. All the broasted chicken was eaten while there were plenty of leftover chicken tenders because Mom's grandkids are getting older and prefer the broasted chicken.

This recipe calls for a broiler-fryer chicken, which is a young chicken. Instead, I used all drumsticks. It worked out just fine. But because I used about four pounds of chicken, the pan was a bit crowded which might have made the cooking time a little longer. Mom's recipe calls for a seasoning called kitchen banquet, but I substituted Worcestershire Sauce. This recipe is a little messy to make because there can be a bit of splatter, but it is worth the effort for a delicious chicken meal.

Skillet Barbecued Chicken 

• 1 broiler-fryer (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. tabasco

Cut chicken into serving-size pieces. In a large skillet, brown chicken on all sides in hot oil. Blend together the remaining ingredients. Cover. Cover low heat for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Turn and baste chicken with sauce every now and then. Enjoy!