Strawberry, Strawberries!

Strawberries are at their sweetest right now.  At local farms you can also pick your very own. It's a sweet tradition in our family to do this at least once each year. 

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

For this last week's Sullivan's The Pulse post, I shared some of our very favorite strawberry recipes from The Ranch Kitchen's site.  These are not only my recipes, but those of friends of The Ranch Kitchen who have shared on my site.  

It's always fun to open up and see recipes friends have shared to post to my site.  These strawberry recipes also happen to be some of the most popular and visited on the site too.

Kathy's Strawberry Pie

You can click here to access on The Pulse - The Ranch Kitchens' Dessert, Dessert, Desserts - Strawberry post here too! These strawberry recipes are easy and everyone loves them on our ranch!  

Brandi's Strawberry Cupcakes

If you have some recipes you'd like to share on The Ranch Kitchen, it's easy.  Just click on The Ranch Kitchen's Share a Recipe link on the tab on the recipe section of my blog. You'll create a log-in there and you are set to go. Once I've checked it over, you'll be posted on the site and can share with your family and friends!

Strawberry Brownies

Our plans tomorrow are to pick strawberries at a local farm or two in the afternoon and come back to create a few new recipes.  My girls, their cousins and friends love picking strawberries and I know yours will too.

We hope your weekend is a great one!  

Alise 
The Ranch Kitchen!

The Ranch Kitchen's Creole Dressing

                                                 The Ranch Kitchen's

                                     Creole Dressing

The oldest daughter Ilissa is home and with that comes healthy eating and watching our carbs.  I know I need to do it...and I'm trying to be healthy.  So tonight instead of my Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, I came up with this dressing for her salad.  It was so good that it ended up on top of my grilled chicken and then on top of my wild rice...healthy is definitely not always easy for me...but I have to say....it's one of the best dressings I have had in a while.  You have to shake it vigorously to mix the ingredients, so maybe I burned a few calories! 

I plan to use it as a marinade for chicken next time, saving some to spoon on top of the cooked chicken.  Make sure the saved marinade/dressing was never used on your raw chicken. 

All and all preparing this recipe took a total of five minutes or less.  I have close to 3/4 of the dressing left, as a little bit goes a long way. 

I hope you enjoy my Creole Salad Dressing as much as we did.  It gets my big and baby girls two thumbs up.  Hubby liked it as well.

The Ranch Kitchen's Creole Dressing

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 tablespoon prepared Zatarains Creole Mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 cup vegetable oil

4 drops hot sauce, I used Tabasco brand

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, spicy brown mustard, pepper, garlic salt, oil and hot sauce until thoroughly combined. Place in a Mason Jar and shake vigorously before serving.  Spoon or pour gently on to salad greens, baked chicken, rice or pastas. 

Alise @The Ranch Kitchen 

Strawberry, Feta and Sugared Pecan Salad

As I have mentioned many times, I really don't plan much when it comes to my recipes.  Sometimes they flop...but at Easter and a recent dinner with friends, I put together a salad that I will make from now on for special occasions.  It's simple, pretty, and is over the top good.  My health-conscious oldest daughter says I need to find a lower calorie dressing...I'll try...but overall sometimes a little sugar is a pretty good thing!

I hope your family and friends enjoy it as much as we did.  You can substitute cherry tomatoes for the strawberries.




Strawberry, Feta and Sugared Pecan Salad

8 - 10 cups of a mixed green salad mixture

8 - 10 strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 package, 1/2 cup of sugared pecans or 'Pecan Pie Pecans' that I found in my local grocery store on the top shelf by all the nuts

1 - 4-ounce package of Herb Feta Cheese, crumbles

1 bottle of Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Start by placing 2 - 3 cups salad in a bowl.  Add 1/3 Herb Feta Cheese, 1/3 sliced strawberries, and 1/3 sugared pecans.
  Continue to layer two more times in the same order.

I highly recommend the Pecan Pie Pecans.  They are a new favorite of mine.

***You may also substitute cherry tomatoes instead of the strawberries.  Enjoy!