Refrigerator Cucumber Salad.

Originally uploaded by BarbaraLN

I'm tried this recipe I found on Pinterest for Refrigerator Cucumber Salad. It is really delicious! I will definitely make it again.  The original recipe came from the blog, Recipes We Love.    I made it with Splenda instead of sugar, and it worked great.  The Red Pepper Flakes really gives it a kick.

Refrigerator Cucumber Salad

4 cucumbers, sliced thin

1 large sliced red onion

1 large sliced green bell pepper

1 Tablespoon salt

2 cups white vinegar

1 1/2 cups Splenda

1 teaspoon celery flakes or celery seed

1-teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt; set a side.

Mix vinegar, Splenda, celery flakes and pepper flakes  in a pan and bring to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil remove from heat and add 2 handfuls of ice until melted.

Place vegetables in  two 1 quart, large mouth canning jars.

Pour vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture and store in refrigerator.

The salad will  keep up to 2 months

Yield: 2 quart jars.   

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

During the past year I have barely used my stand mixer, now that I don't eat wheat.  Today I used it to make a treat for Winnie.  I found this recipe for Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits on Pinterest.  They are from Pink Pistacio.com.

It was really easy to do.  They have now been dog tested and Winnie approved.  

Hearty Breakfast Casserole

Recently I have been experimenting with breakfast casseroles done in my crockpot.  I love the idea of waking to the aroma of breakfast cooking.  It works okay, but I have decided it doesn't compare to this recipe for an oven baked breakfast casserole.  It is very easy to prepare, then cover it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before baking it in the oven.

Hearty Breakfast Casserole 

1 1/2 pounds of bulk turkey breakfast sausage
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup evaporated or almond milk (I used almond milk)

Crumble sausage into a large skillet.  Cook over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Transfer to a greased 13 in. X 9 in. x 2 in. baking dish.  Sprinkle with hash browns and cheese.  In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients;  pour over the top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.  Yield:  8 servings

This is great for breakfast or any other meal and the leftovers warm up great in the microwave.

Homemade Applesauce

When I visited my friend Nancy a week ago, she told me how to make homemade applesauce in my crockpot. As soon as I got back, I gave it a try.  It was so delicious, that yesterday I made another even bigger batch.  The applesauce you buy at the grocery store cannot hold a candle to homemade, and it's so easy to do.  Nancy makes hers without any sweetener or spices, but I am a big cinnamon lover.  I found this recipe in Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, by Stephanie O'Dea.  I modified it to suit my taste. Here is my recipe.

Applesauce in the Crockpot

Peel, core and slice apples.  I filled my crockpot to the top.  For every 4 apples add:

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon brown sugar (I used 1/2 T brown sugar, 1/2 T Splenda)

Combine in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.  When the apples are soft, use a potato masher or fork to mash them.  Voila!  Applesauce!

It is delicious warm or cold. I placed mine in individual containers and froze about half of them. What a treat!

Breakfast Smoothies

I recently bought a Ninja blender so I can make smoothies for my breakfast. It is easy and delicious.

Banana Berry Smoothie

1 banana
1 1/4 cups frozen berry blend (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) I got mine at Costco.
1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (sugar free)
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach
1-1/2 Tablespoons Splenda

Dump it all in your blender jar and blend well.  Yum!