Strawberry Craze

Deciding which new recipes to try was a daunting task. But I settled on a few. The salad was a simple addition to the meal. BBQ grillers are credited to my friend Donna's potluck favorite dish. I had to see if her claims of a simple dish were true. I am happy to report it is a simple quick potluck dish addition. I used Food Network to round off my meal with a Zucchini Gratin and Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Both lived up to their 5 star reviews. However, the hit of the night was the Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Everyone went Strawberry Crazy and requested a piece to take home with them.

Mixed Greens Salad

Ingredients:

Mixed greens

Tomato

Cucumber

Spicy Mango Salad Dressing

Directions:

Slice tomato and cucumber. Toss greens, tomato, cucumber and dressing in a salad bowl. Serve immediately.

Donna's BBQ Grillers

Ingredients:

Morningstar grillers

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 onion

Kraft's Honey BBQ sauce

Directions:

Cut onion and bell peppers into slices. Saute bell peppers and onion. Add BBQ sauce to skillet. Heat until warm.

Make grillers according to box directions. Place grillers in a serving dish. Top the dish with BBQ sauce mixture.

Serve immediately.

Zucchini Gratin

Courtesy of: Barefoot Contessa (Barefoot in Paris)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping

1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)*

2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup hot milk

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (substituted with Panko Italian bread crumbs)

3/4 cup grated Gruyere (substituted with Asiago cheese)

*Followed reviews and only used half the number of recommended onions.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over the low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish. (Tip: Cook the onions and zucchini in a separate deep skillet. Another saucepan I created the white sauce with some butter, the flour and milk. Add the nutmeg and some pepper in saucepan. Pour the vegetable mix into buttered casserole making sure not to add the juice. Add the creamy milk mixture on top and mix in.)

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen (Food Network Show - Paula's Home Cooking)

Ingredients:

2 cups of crushed pretzels (Rold Gold recommended)

3/4 cup of melted butter

3 tablespoons butter, plus 3/4 cup sugar

1 (8 0z.) package of cream cheese

1 (8 0z.) container of whipped topping

2 (3 oz.) packages of strawberry gelatin dessert mix

2 cups boiling water

2 (1o oz.) packages of frozen strawberries*

1 (8 oz.) can of crushed pineapple, undrained

whipped topping or whipped cream to garnish

*If you choose to use fresh strawberries, add about 10 ice cubes to the gelatin after dissolving the mixture and refrigerate for about 10 min before adding the strawberries.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For crust, mix the pretzels, butter and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13 inch-pan and bake for 7 minutes. (Tip: Spread a little sugar over the pretzels prior to baking to ensure a nice crust is formed.) Set aside and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. (Tip: Spread cream cheese all the way to the edge of the pan.) Refrigerate until well chilled. (Tip: The cream cheese layer should form a tight seal for the pretzel crust. There were several warnings to make sure this layer was compacted to avoid creating a soggy crust. Allow it to refrigerate for several hours even overnight if possible.)

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.