A simple pasta salad that packs a lot of flavor.  Easy to assemble too! Great served warm or cold. Enjoy! Diane 

Bakers Pasta Salad
​
8oz Salad Noodle
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise 
 sliced black olives
2 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 Cup Cheese, shredded 
3 Scallions diced
1 cup cooked Olathe corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Directions: 
   Cook 8oz of the noodle of your choice.  Drain and add olive oil. Fold in all the remaining ingredients.  Serve warm or chilled.  

Cooks Note:  Tuna Salad with sliced green olives makes a great addition. 

     This is a great way to serve Shrimp.  Remember when grilling shrimp to cook the shrimp approximately 3 minutes per side (you want the shrimp to keep its "C" shape - and appear pink and opaque.  If it overcooks, it will head towards a closed "C" or an "O" shape *making it a bit tough and rubbery.)  I also suggest for those that want to get creative in the future with marinades, remember the sugar content - honey and added sugars will burn - make sure to brush any sugars on near the end of cooking time.  As well, garlic can be found in a lot of marinades but, be aware that fresh garlic in oil can scorch on a grill and create a bitter taste.  My opinion is, use powdered garlic in marinades for your grilling adventures. Hope you give this Marinade a try - it's excellent!  I do make my own Italian Seasoning mix (its linked in the Marinade list below.)   Enjoy! Diane 

​Grilled Shrimp in an Italian Lemon Marinade 

Ingredients:
  2 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinade: 
  1 large Lemon, squeezed for all its juice *at least 3 Tablespoons needed
  1/4 Cup Olive Oil
  1/2 teaspoon Salt
  1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  1 teaspoon Italian Seasonings
  1 teaspoon garlic powder 
  1 Tablespoon dried Parsley
  1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake, optional *brings a little more "heat" 
  
Direction: 

   Rinse shrimp under running water once thawed, if frozen.  Remove shells (you can save your shrimp shells to make Shrimp Stock, if preferred.) Place all the marinade ingredients into a large sealable bag with the fresh shrimp, I toss and "smoosh" the bag around to coat all the shrimp in the marinade.  Place bag on a plate in refrigerator and let shrimp marinade for at least 30 minutes but, no longer then 90 minutes.  While grill is being prepped, its a good time to grab your skewers and thread on the shrimp.  I hold the shrimp in a "C" shape and skewer the head and then tail of each piece.  I use steel skewers but, IF you are using wooden skewers remember to soak your skewers in water for a good hour so that when they are placed on the grill - so they don't burn!  Grill your shrimp for 3 minutes per side, making sure not to overcook.
​Serve Hot.   

A Great "side" to this dish is steamed jasmine rice and a vegetable of your choice. 

      This recipe goes from slow cooker to finishing off in the oven for an all day BBQ grill taste!  Great for busy days or weekends.  Enjoy! Diane  

Ingredients: 

• 4 lbs. rack baby back pork ribs (usually one large rack is 3-4 pounds) 
• salt and black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 Cup barbecue sauce, your preference
• 1 - 12 oz. can of "Dr. Pepper" soda, not diet

Instructions:

• Remove the "silver skin" sinew from the ribs (it’s the membrane on the back part of the ribs.) I do this by lifting a edge of the membrane with a paper towel while holding rack in other hand, lift membrane and pull off the entire length. 
• Cut the ribs in to 3-4 even sections.
• Season the ribs with salt and pepper (both sides) 
• Add ribs to the slow cooker
• Sprinkle over the garlic powder and add the liquid smoke.
• Smear the BBQ sauce over the ribs.
• Add in the Dr. Pepper.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
• Remove ribs from slow cooker and slice apart.
• Add ribs to a foil lined baking sheet and slather with more BBQ sauce
• Bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes; turning ribs over once during cooking and coating with sauce for the final 10 minutes.   
• I always sauce the bottom of the ribs first and finish with the ribs upright coated in sauce. 
• Serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired

 

• Use a 5 Quart Slow cooker, or larger.   

     This is a super versatile item!!  From making fresh hummus to utilizing the
by-product which is aquafaba, a vegan egg replacer used in meringues and even cocktails. I love cold garbanzo beans in my pasta salad creations and these are great when mashed and used as a thickener in soups and stews.
     I have seen recipes touting "Hummus in a jar" but, when you look at the ingredients and the recipe it is not tested for safety and I see a few questionable items in the jars. I feel more confident sharing the safe way to can the beans and once you open a jar, you can add the proper ingredients for your hummus.  Enjoy! Diane 

Two Pounds Organic Garbanzo Beans, aka Chickpeas
Pink Salt or Canning Salt 
Yield: Seven Pints

This is what I do based off of the Direct Instructions from the NCHFP (safe canning site) 

• An average of 2 pounds of garbanzo beans will yield 7 pints.
• Select mature, dry beans/peas. Sort out and discard impurities. 
• Wash beans under running water. 
• Next, hydrate beans, by covering sorted and washed beans with water in a large pot.
• Boil beans 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour and drain.
• Cover beans after first soak with fresh water and boil again, this time for 30 minutes.
• Prepare your canning jars. 
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with beans and cooking water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
• Pressure Can:  Pints 75 Minutes, Quarts 90 Minutes according to your altitude and canner type. 

NOTE: AQUAFABA: The byproduct of canning garbanzo beans is "aquafaba" which is the somewhat thicker, viscous liquid that you see when you pour out a can of commercially canned garbanzo beans.  It is an Egg Replacer!!  It's great for many uses so, when you go to drain your garbanzos to eat - think about how you can use the liquid "aquafaba" before you wash it down the drain.  ((hint: think 'Airy Meringues'))
           HUMMUS:  I blend all my ingredients together in a food processor until smooth 

• 3/4 cup olive or canola oil
• 1 pint canned chickpeas/garbanzos, rinsed and drained *or save the aquafaba!
• 1/4 cup tahini paste 
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Diane's Kentucky Peach Cobbler
Heat oven to 400f

Let 2 heaping tablespoons butter melt in a 9x13 cake pan in oven,
while oven is heating. Take the pan out of the oven once the butter is melted. 

In a large bowl mix together:
1 Cup Self Rising Flour*
1 Cup Sugar

then and add in and mix well until a batter forms:
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• Place two 15oz cans of peaches in heavy syrup, into the melted butter in cake pan.
• Drizzle your batter over peaches and entire pan.
• Bake 30-35mins until set.
• Remove from oven and lightly sprinkle with Demerara sugar over top of baked cobbler.
• Let cool slightly, serve warm or room temperature with whipped cream and/or ice cream.

     *Making self-rising flour at home is easy. Just use this basic formula: For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt.