Roasting sweet potatoes in the oven or on the grill brings out the natural sugars adding rich flavor. In this recipe they are tossed in warmed vegetable oil and baked, giving them an oven fried taste and texture. Once tender, the potatoes are tossed with a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper and returned to the oven to finish baking.

Summer is the time for picnics. Appetizers work great for picnics because they are prepared beforehand, do not require plates or silverware, and everyone loves them. Cheese cubes are always easy to prepare. You can also roll up deli ham into tubes after spreading them with cream cheese. Chips and dips make excellent choices for picnics, as do shrimp rings with cocktail sauce.

Hummus spread on wedges of pita bread is nice, as are containers of fresh fruit. It is up to you whether you want a sauce for dipping the fruit or not. Bowls of olives are especially fun for the little ones, who like to stick them on their fingertips.

Cold frittatas, mini quiches and other egg dishes are always tasty. Tortillas can be rolled up and sliced into pinwheels after you layer them with spinach, cream cheese, hummus, tomatoes or anything else your family enjoys.

Finger sandwiches are fun. You can put peanut butter and jelly on a slice of bread and roll it up instead of folding it. Small sandwiches with tuna salad or chicken salad are fun to munch. Cut them into quarters to make them closer to bite size.

For a few ideas to please those family members who may be a bit picky, you may have to plan ahead. Try some of the following ideas and see if they do not enjoy them.

Salad on a Stick

Do you have kids who are not fond of salad? Try Salad on a Stick. Everyone likes to eat food on a stick. Gather together the ingredients you want to use, like lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and so on. Chop them up and let everyone make their own salad on a stick by arranging them on a bamboo skewer. Serve dressing on the side so the ingredients can be dipped.

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are simple to make and they are usually one of the first appetizers to disappear. Make some for your next picnic and let everyone enjoy them while the rest of the food is being set up. There are a lot of deviled egg recipes to choose from, ranging from the simple to the elaborate. You can make them savory or spicy. There really are a lot of deviled egg variations you can try.

Recipe for Cheese Straws

This delicious snack is great for all ages.

What You Need

• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

How to Make It

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the cheese and butter together in a bowl. Blend in flour and salt until it forms a dough. Divide the dough into 6 portions and roll each portion into a ball. Roll each ball into a long, slender hose-like shape. Cut each length into 4 pieces. Place the cheese straws on a baking sheet and place in the hot oven for around 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

There are many easy party appetizers that you can make ahead of time. If you are looking for tasty summer appetizer recipes, look for recipes that use seasonal produce to make them extra special. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always a hit when they are served in season when they have the most flavor.

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net – You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious

This is a nice summer salad that is perfect any time, as well as for special occasions like picnics, potlucks, and backyard barbecues. Summer vegetables combined with sweet potatoes are tossed with a zesty vinaigrette. Zucchini, bell pepper, corn, scallions and cilantro highlight this sweet potato salad that can be prepared well in advance.

Image by Alanna Kellogg via Flickr

Steaming is preferable to boiling if you want to keep more of the nutrients intact. Place the potato pieces in a steaming basket and steam above boiling water. Roasting the sweet potato chunks is also a desirable method of cooking. Place the chunks on a baking dish and place in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender.

Additionally, roasting the corn here is a nice touch and adds nice flavor. Strip the corn from several ears of corn and place in a shallow baking dish. Add a tablespoon of your favorite olive or vegetable oil and roast in the oven until the natural sugars begin to caramelize and the corn starts to brown. Drain the corn on paper towels or in a strainer for a few minutes and add to the salad as instructed.

Roasting whole ears on the grill is also a great idea. Roast a few extra ears and save to make potato salad with the following day. Simply cut the roasted kernels from the ear with a sharp knife.

Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Salad with Zucchini, Bell Pepper, and Corn

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pounds Sweet Potatoes, cut in pieces

Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/3 cup Olive or Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1-1/2 teaspoons Coarse Salt
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Vegetables:
2 cups diced Zucchini
1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups Corn
2/3 cup sliced Scallions
1/3 cup chopped Cilantro

Toppers:
6 Bacon Slices, crisped and crumbled

Preparation:

1. Add the sweet potato pieces to large saucepan or stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 20 minutes.
3. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, ground cumin, crushed garlic, coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper to bowl. Whisk to combine.
4. Drain the potatoes in colander. Place hot potatoes in bowl and toss with half the dressing.
5. Cover and refrigerate the potatoes to chill.
6. When ready to serve, add the zucchini, red bell pepper, corn, scallions, and cilantro.
7. Toss with the remaining vinaigrette.
8. Top individual servings with crumbled bacon.

Sweet potatoes are delicious and healthy. Check out our growing collection of sweet potato recipes representing the best the culinary world has to offer. Find the perfect potato salad recipe to serve at your next family get together.

I am always looking for good barbecue chicken recipes. I like to experiment and make my own marinades. A good marinade has 5 basic ingredients:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Acid
• Aromatics
• Oil

Take one ingredient from each of the above categories and mix to make your own custom marinade. Most marinades work best with two parts oil to one part acid, but be careful not to add too much oil or you may get some nasty flare-ups on the grill.

This is one of my favorites chicken marinades. It is easy, but packs a lot of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 C. Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 C Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Clove Garlic – Minced
• 1 Tsp Fresh Oregano – Chopped

Mix all of the ingredients in a plastic zip top bag until well blended. Add the chicken and refrigerate over night. I prefer to use bone in skin on chicken pieces because they tend to hold the moisture in better when grilling. You can use this marinade for as little as two hours, but for full flavor at least twelve hours is recommended.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Prepare your charcoal grill to cook over indirect heat and close the vents, both top and bottom, half way. Put the chicken over indirect heat and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Many people end up with dry chicken with skin that pulls off when you try to bite through it. This is caused by cooking over too high of heat. Cooking over direct high heat doesn’t give the skin time to render the fat out and become crispy. It also makes the meat dry out much more quickly.

For more BBQ Chicken Marinade recipes or for grilling recipes visit the Backyard Grilling Blog

Creole jambalaya is one of the more popular forms of Cajun cuisine. Cajun is a term that applies to the people of Louisiana who are descended from the French-Acadians. Cajun cooking is characterized by the spicy and by the aromatic flavors of red and green bell peppers,celery, and onions mixing with the meat from shrimp, oysters, crawfish, other shellfish, and cured hams from pork, beef, or poultry.

For this best jambalaya recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

two (2) tablespoons of vegetable oil,

one (1) tablespoon of flour,

one fourth (1/4) pound of ham-cubed,

one fourth (1/4) cup chopped green bell pepper,

one half (1/2) cup celery-chopped,

one (1) can of whole skinned tomatoes,

three fourths (3/4) cup cooked shrimp,

one half (1/2) cup California dried raisins,

one (1) medium onion- sliced,

one (1) clove garlic-minced,

one (1) sprig parsley-chopped,

one half (1/2) cup uncooked rice,

one (1) cup of this mixture: ground pepper, dried cayenne pepper, bayleaf, and scallions- to taste.

Set the temperature of your oven to medium heat. Place your skillet pan on the range and heat the two (2) tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Stir in the flour. Add the ham, the chopped celery, and the green bell peppers. Cook while stirring constantly, for five (5) minutes.

Add the tomatoes, the shrimp, the onion, the garlic, the parsley, and the California dried raisins.

Bring to boil on high heat, then add the uncooked rice. Pour in the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Cover and cook on low heat for five minutes.

Cook on simmer mode for twenty to thirty minutes, or until the rice is done. Season with the 1 cup of ground pepper, dried cayenne pepper, bayleaf, and scallions mixture depending on what should suit your tastes.

This recipe is good for four (4) servings.

You can replace the three fourths (3/4) cup of shrimp in this recipe with eight (8) pieces of chicken meat. You can also replace the one fourth (1/4) pound of ham-cubed with one half (1/2) cup of Spanish pork sausage-diced. Also, instead of using all the liquid from the canned tomatoes, you can replace half of this liquid with one half (1/2) cup of sherry to achieve that flavor of an authentic Cajun jambalaya for your home-cooked meal. Lastly, you can add a one third (1/3) cup of brown sugar to this recipe if you would like your Creole jambalaya to taste all of sweet, salty, and spicy, at the same time.

Please click these links if you want to know more about best jambalaya recipe or how to cut a mango in general.

By Ray T. Lewis

Onion rings are found in fast food restaurants, diners and in the bar. They tend to accompany appetizers or a good, cold drink and are the pleasant snack of choice for many. These people may come to wonder how it is such a delicious snack could have been put together. Onion rings are not too difficult to make provided one has the time to go through the process.

For this recipe, the following ingredients will be necessary:

• One large onion for every two servings
• A cup of flour
• A large egg
• A cup of ice water
• Salt
• Pepper

Making the Onion Rings

Before preparing the onions, it is a good idea to begin by setting the cooking fat on the stove. Set either beef tallow, lard, or olive pomace oil on medium heat and allow it to warm up while getting the onions and batter ready.

While this heats up, peel the onions and slice them into wide rings. The best onions to use are the ones that are fatter than they are tall. When this happens, more rings will be available per onion. Stick a paring knife on the end piece to remove the center. Repeat this with all rings that are either not round or are simply too small to be a useful onion ring, removing the center of them.

There may be some onions that hold on strong in between its layers. When this is the case, the layers need to get broken loose before attempting separation or else they will all end up breaking. To break loose the layers, hold the ring in the palms and squeeze just enough to shape the rings oval, rolling it back and forth a few times. This should be enough force to loosen the layers. Remove as normal, starting with the innermost layer.

After it is all separated, one may notice that a single onion can produce quite a number of rings.

Mix up the batter, which is the egg, flour and water, thoroughly, following with salt and pepper to taste. By now, the cooking fat should be ready to go. Place the batter along with the onion rings beside the pan.

Using either metal or high-temperature tongs, take a ring and dip it into the batter, ensuring it is entirely covered. Allow it to drip for a moment since it is a thin batter. Put it into the fat and let it cook. Add in some more but be careful not to crowd the pan, or else they will stick together. Work in batches and it will all come out nice and tasty.

The onion rings may be flipped when they start to show a golden color just above the fat. The second side should cook a bit faster. Do not walk away while cooking as they need to be checked frequently to prevent burning,

Tips

When cutting the onions, the eyes will begin to swell and produce tears. One helpful tip to lessen this problem is to chew gum while slicing the onions.

As for the cooking process, try using two sets of tongs if possible. Use one set of tongs to dip the onion ring into the batter and use the other set to remove it from the pan onto a plate. This will eliminate any cross contamination and keep the cooked onion rings dry and free from fresh batter.

Learn more about how to cook onion rings here, or about how to grow onions here.

The best onion rings Ray T. Lewis ever had were the ones he used to eat at Dairy Queen.

By Linda Carol Wilson

With summer fast approaching, it is time to start thinking of the family reunions and picnics to come. Here are some old fashion recipes for foods that are great for picnics and reunions. Recipes include Virgie’s Mom’s Fried Chicken, Golden Crumb Broccoli Casserole, and Scottish Shortbread Cookies. Dig out the picnic basket and get started!

VERGIE’S MOM’S FRIED CHICKEN
This is another old “church” recipe from the old “Dinner on the Grounds” days.

1 fryer (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs), cut up
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried sage
buttery shortening for frying

Combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a paper or plastic bag. Dip the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs and then place in the bag of flour mixture. Shake to coat well (only do a couple of pieces at a time). Heat the shortening in a big, heavy skillet (cast iron is best) until a drop of water sizzles in the hot oil. Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil and sprinkle with the sage. Brown on both sides (about 15 to 20 minutes). Reduce the heat and cover tightly. Cook until tender; about 30 minutes. Remove lid the last 10 minutes to allow chicken to crisp up.

GOLDEN CRUMB BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

6 cups cut-up fresh broccoli
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 tbsp chopped pimento
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup crushed buttery crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow baking dish; set aside.

Cook the broccoli in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain the broccoli and remove to prepared baking dish. Whisk together the mushroom soup and the mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and the shredded cheese. Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the cracker crumbs. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
This recipe is from an old, old cookie cookbook I found in my late mother’s estate several years ago. I can’t find a date on the book but it has a retail selling price of 15 cents printed on the front cover. I think that should say something about it being vintage!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter

Sift together the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter thoroughly to form a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten into 7-inch circles, about 1/2-inch thick. Flute the edges to form a scallop. Prick lines on the circles by using a fork, outlining 12 wedges on each circle. Bake in a moderate oven of 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. While still warm, cut along the pricked lines but do not cut all the way through. Cool and break into wedges.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies.

It says in the cookbook that this recipe actually came over to America from Scotland.

Enjoy!