Hooray for May! May means kids coming home from college, school's out for summer, Memorial Day weekend with friends and family, and lovely sunny days to plant veggies and flowers.

This May is a little busier than usual for me. We've sold our house and are preparing to move in a few weeks. Plus, my oldest daughter is expecting her first baby in July, so May equals baby showers and nursery decorating! What fun!

As you might imagine, planning and cooking has to take a back seat with so much else going on. But being short on time doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor or satisfying meals.

Instead of the regular Girls Dine In event, this month I asked a few friends over for a Girls Pack it In packing party. These gals were amazing. In under three hours, they dismantled my entire kitchen, breakfast room and family room. They wrapped, they boxed, they labeled.

For this "paper plate" evening, I threw together one of my favorite summertime suppers.
Here's the easy—peazy recipes. I hope you'll try this out on a busy summer night soon.

Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sliders

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup bottled Ranch dressing (any brand will do)
1 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 stick of butter
1 packet HiddenValley Ranch dressing/dip mix
1/2 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Toss everything into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours, or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Stir once during cooking. When you are ready to serve, shred the meat with two forks, stirring into the sauce. Pile onto slider rolls.

I like to serve with celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Strawberry Lime Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade concentrate
1 cup 100% Agave tequila
1/3 cup Triple Sec
1 cup frozen strawberries
Ice cubes

Add the first four ingredients to a blender in the order listed. It's important that your liquid ingredients are at the bottom, not the ice. Fill the rest of the blender with ice cubes, leaving enough room for your lid. It's not necessary to cram the ice in - just add until the blender looks pretty full. Blend on high for a minute or two until you achieve that nice, frozen drink consistency. Serve in margarita glasses with a lime wedge. Store any leftovers in a pitcher in your freezer and enjoy another round later!

April's event theme was Spring Salad Supper

 

We had a great time preparing our meal, but things got a bit hectic and I neglected getting photos of each dish. The recipes are simple and delicious for casual entertaining or family suppers. Enjoy!

Girls Dine In Spring Salad Supper

Tonight’s wine pairing:   appetizers: Ruffino Prosecco Sparkling Wine, Italy

                            salads:     2013 A to Z Rose’, Oregon

Almond Stuffed Dates – makes around 60

1 pkg. Bacon

1 can of pitted dates

1 can smoked almonds

Stuff each date with an almond. Wrap 1/3 to ½ strip of bacon around and secure with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees until bacon is done. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm or room temp.

Berry Delicious Fruit Salsa – makes 10 cups

  

4 medium apples, cored and chopped

2 cups strawberries, chopped

2 kiwifuit, peeled and chopped

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup apple butter

3 TBls. lemon juice

2 TBls. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill. Serve with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon Chips

6 - 8inch flour tortillas

vegetable cooking spray

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ tsps. Cinnamon

cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Spray both sides with cooking spray. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the tortillas. Place on baking shhet. Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes until crisp and slightly golden. Makes 4 dozen.

Red Quinoa and Avacado Salad

1 - 7 oz. box Red Quinoa, cooked and chilled

1 - 12oz. pkg. frozen corn, thawed

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup green onions, thinly sliced on bias

2 plum tomatoes, ¼ inch dice (about 1 cup)

2 avacados, cubed

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2/3 cup Lemon Vinaigrette ( see Below)

Mix all ingeridents in a lrge bow. Fold in the dressing. Chill until ready to serve.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/8 cup Water

½ cup Olive oil

¼ cup White wine vineager

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Mrs. Dash table blend

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

 Whisk all together in a bowl. Toss with salad.

BLT Pasta Salad – serves 8

1 16 oz. box rigatomi, bowtie or other short pasta, cooked and returned to pot.

¾ lb. bacon, (about 12 slices) cooked and drained on paper towels. KEEP BACON DRIPPINGs IN PAN.

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 medium red onion, sliced thin in strips

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 bunch arugula, washed and dried ( about 4 large handfuls)

½ loaf french baguette sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds

1 6 oz. tub feta cheese

Dressing:

½ cup ranch dressing

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup white wine vineager

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

Whisk all together in a bowl. Set aside.

In the bacon drippings, cook onion till soft. Add garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to pasta pot. Ten place the bread rounds in the hot skillet and cook until golden brwon and crisp, turning as necessary. Remove and cut into pieces. Let cool. Then add tomatoes to the skillet and cook, tossing for 1 minute. Add arugula and toss quickly. Add to the pasta pot, along with bacon. Gently toss with the dressing. Add in the feta cheese and croutons. Serve warm or chilled.

Apricot-glazed Salmon over Baby Spinach – serves 6

6 portions of wild salmon filets ( I buy mine at Costco), thawed

½ cup Apricot preserves

¼ cup worchester sauce

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Table Blend

2 Tbls. orange juice

Mix together in food processor or whisk very well.

1 bag baby spinach, washed

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

½ cup craisins

1 small red onion, thnly sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup walnuts

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup Ken’s poppyseed dressing (we are cheating, but it’s still really good!)

Toss walnuts in a mixture of half sugar, half salt in a plastic bag. Arrange on a foil lined baking dish and bake for 3-5 minutes. Do not let them turn brown! Keep your eyes on the oven! Take out and let cool.

Place salmon on foil lined baking sheet. Baste with apricot sauce. Broil 6 inches from heat for just a couple minutes. Keep watch on the fish – it overcooks easily. When sauce is bubbly and fish looks to be cooking part way through, flip over and baste with more sauce. Return to broiler for a couple more minutes. It’s better to undercook than overcook. Also excellent on the grill.

Assemble your salads by first tossing the spinach with the dressing. Arrange on plates and add all of you toppings. Place salmon filet in the center. Garnish with feta cheese if you like.

Strawberry Shortcakes – makes 8

4 cups sliced strawberries

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Place berries in a bowl. Toss with sugar. Add water and refrigerate for one hour.

Then drain off the fruit liquid into a small saucepan. Heat until barely boiling. Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup hot water and stir into the boiling juice. Stir until thickened. Take off heat. * If you don’t end up with much sauce, spoon some seedless strawberry jam into your warm sauce and whisk to melt.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 TBls. baking powder

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. cream of tarter

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup melted butter

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tarter and salt. Stir in melted butter, milk and vanilla until just moistened. Do not beat! Drop batter by spoonfuls onto a large greased baking sheet. Bake until edges and peaks are golden, about 8-12 minutes. Remove from pan.

Whipped cream

1 pint very cold heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Tip: Chill your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes first.

Whip cold cream until soft peaks form, adding in sugar as it whips.

Assemble shortcakes – slice each biscuit in half and place on a plate. Spoon on ½ cup of berries. Drizzle with berry sauce. Top with whipped cream. Heavenly!