Tag: <span>BBQ recipes</span>

My All Time Favorite Steak Marinade!

My All Time Favorite Steak Marinade!

This is my all time favorite steak marinade for grilled steaks! I’ve shared this recipe with literally EVERYONE I know and now it’s time to share it with you! Now I must confess, I was never really a big steak eater. I was a total […]

Smoky Roasted Cauliflower

Smoky Roasted Cauliflower

I’ll admit it! We jumped on the trend train when it comes to cauliflower. We’ve tried the cauliflower pizza crust, and the breadsticks, and the cauliflower rice. But Smoky Roasted Cauliflower is hands down our favorite way to prepare it! The secret ingredient is smoked […]

Homegrown Cucumber Salad

Homegrown Cucumber Salad

I have a confession to make. Last year my garden was terrible!! I drew up a plan for a 4′ X 12′ raised garden box with removable sides and my hubby built it exactly as I had envisioned it. I found a planting guide on Better Homes and Garden and started seeds months ahead of time in our basement. We planted. We watered. We crossed our fingers. We tried! We really did try, but somehow it was an epic fail! I don’t know if it was the hot, sticky, no rain summer, or if we just started with horrible soil, or what. We had lots of tomatoes on the vine, but they never ripened. Our cucumber plant just kind of gave up on life. Our beans started out promising but then just fizzled out. Granted I’ve never actually grown anything at all, let alone from seed, but I was convinced that just by sheer probability something would have taken off! Nope, not really. Apparently that’s not how gardening works. But I was determined to change my death thumb to a green thumb! So we added compost to the soil, bananas, eggshells, dry milk, our Halloween pumpkins, anything that would give me some glimmer of hope that I wouldn’t be a failure the following year. I googled every single thing that we planted and took notes on how to care for them. We watered WAY less because we had a great summer of rain this year. And then BAM! It was almost magical to see my garden turn into a jungle!! Like plush, healthy, growing out of the garden box! I can’t even tell you how many times I had to cut back the cucumbers and tomatoes (after I googled things like how to cut back cucumbers and should I cut back my tomatoes). It made my heart so happy to grow my own food. What a difference a year makes! And now we’re scrambling to find new ways to use up all this food. That’s where this handy little Homegrown Cucumber Salad comes into play! It’s only 5 ingredients (which you know I love!) AND 3 of those ingredients came from……..MY……GARDEN!!! Happy dance! Happy dance!!

Here’s all you’ll need: Corn, cucumbers, basil, chives, and mayo.

Homegrown Cucumber Salad ingredients listCook corn and slice it off the cob. We made corn on the cob the night before and used the leftovers in this salad. I absolutely loved that it didn’t go to waste because it was just so dang good! Dreaming of the day I have enough room to grow my own corn!!

Corn sliced off the cobb on a cutting board.
Rinse and peel cucumbers. Do you see that cucumber??? I GREW IT!!!

Cucumbers being peeled on a cutting board. Remove seeds. I used a spoon and just scooped them right out.

Seeded cucumbers on a cutting board. Slice into chunks.

Chopped cucumbers on a cutting board.
Chop up the basil. I have SOOOO much basil right now (and I love it!!). I’ve been trying to find new basil recipes every day to use it all up! This salad is a great start! Don’t forget to chop the chives while you’re at it.

Chopped basil on a cutting board.
Add cucumber, corn, basil, chives, mayo, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with a spoon to combine and evenly coat.

Cucumber, corn, basil, chives, mayo, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
OMG!! Doesn’t that look so fresh and delicious!! The cucumbers give it a crisp and juicy feel, and then it’s balanced by the sweetness of the corn, and then the basil and chives give it such an awesome flavor and the mayo just kind of pulls everything together.

Homegrown Cucumber Salad by Happylifeblogspot.com #cucumbersalad #summersalad #cucumberrecipes #cornrecipes

How are you using up your cucumbers this year? I would love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below. If you love cucumbers, then you’ve gotta try our Watermelon Cucumber Salad too!

Homegrown Cucumber Salad

September 4, 2017
: 6-8
: Easy

By:

Ingredients
  • Cooked corn (about 4 medium corn cobs)
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup basil, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chives, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons mayo
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  • Step 1 Remove corn from the cobs. Seed and chop cucumbers. Chop basil and chives.
  • Step 2 In a large bowl, combine corn, cucumber, basil, chives, mayo, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine and evenly coat.
  • Step 3 Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!!

 

Smoky Corn on the Cob

Smoky Corn on the Cob

The joys of summer! It’s the smell of fresh cut grass on a sunny day. It’s the splish splash of a relaxing pool day. It’s the warm sun on your face. It’s the sound of the ice cream truck coming down the street. It’s the […]

Cheesy Grilled Potatoes 

Cheesy Grilled Potatoes 

My hubby was born and raised in the country. He’s a country boy at heart. One day we’re hoping to fulfill our dreams, buy some land, and lead a simpler life out in the country away from the hustle and bustle…but until then, we’re stuck […]

Creamy Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Creamy Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

My husband LOVES himself a good classic macaroni salad! Mayo, onion, celery, tuna….there in lies our problem. I hate the smell of tuna! I can eat it if it’s mixed in, but I really don’t like to be around just straight up tuna if I don’t have to be.  I will cave and make it for him every once in awhile and for all of the other times, I distract him with this creamy, wonderful, bacon, ranch filled, potato salad recipe. And honestly as the years have passed, he seems to request this one more and more! I would even say that he’s a potato salad guy now! We frequently make it for BBQ’s, graduation parties, Father’s Day celebrations, and even week night summer dinners. The leftovers keep so well (if you have any!).

 

Here’s all you’ll need: red potatoes, onion, bacon, parsley (not pictured), mayo, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing, mustard, white vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.

Rinse and cube potatoes.


Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 10-15 or until tender. You don’t want to cook them for too long, otherwise they will start to mash and fall apart when you’re mixing everything together. So be sure to keep an eye on them!


Drain potatoes and set aside. Sometimes I toss them in the refrigerator to start the cooling process.

Finely chop the onions.

In a large bowl, combine mayo, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing, mustard, white vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. So creamy! I’ve tried fat free ranch and “healthier” versions of mayo and no one can tell the difference so feel free to lighten this up if you like!

Add potatoes and onions to the mixture. Toss to coat. You really want to flip the potatoes on the bottom to get everything coated nice and good!

Crumble pre cooked bacon. You can find our easy no mess bacon cooking technique here!
Mince up the parsley. I was about to panic while I was making this recipe. I thought I had forgotten to buy the parsley! Then I remembered we had some planted in our garden!! What a lifesaver! That’s also why it’s not pictured in the ingredients photo. Whoops!

Add parsley and bacon last. Fold into potato salad mixture until everything is covered.

Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until ready to serve! Voila! A summer favorite for sure!! What do you think….are you team potato salad or team macaroni salad???

Creamy Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

June 30, 2017
: 8
: Easy

By:

Ingredients
  • 4 cups cubed red potatoes
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 7 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1-1/3 cups mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons prepared ranch salad dressing
  • 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 4 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
  • Step 1 In a large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling water for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
  • Step 2 In a large bowl, combine mayo, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing, mustard, white vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
  • Step 3 Add potatoes and onions. Toss to coat.
  • Step 4 Add parsley and bacon to the potato salad mixture. Fold until well combined.
  • Step 5 Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour until ready to serve.

Leave us your comments and love down below!