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Do you like seafood? If you do, do you like pasta salads? If you don’t like seafood but like pasta salads or if you dislike salads but like seafoods – I think it does not matter. Give this recipe the chance to turn you around. Actually, let us rephrase that – give experimentation the chance to turn you around.

What do I mean by this? I mean that, there are – literally, without an ounce of exaggeration – endless opportunities of variation when it comes to food. You can use any ingredient you want to use – and not only that, but you can use any amount of any ingredient, and you can use any amount of that ingredient with any amount of another and another and another. In other words – there are a billion possible ways of cooking something. Yes, you might have to develop your tastebuds to really notice the difference but if you want to that is entirely possible.

Let us go into a simple seafood pasta salad. Actually, let us begin with the ingredients for the salad:
8 Oz. pasta
Sliced olives – 1 small can
Clove of garlic – 1 small
Fresh ginger root
Parmesan cheese
1 340 gram (or similar bags; in case there are none simply measure that amount). bag of frozen mixed seafood

For the dressing you will need: If you have, sesame oil (and if you don’t, don’t worry).
Lemon juice
if you want, mayonnaise
Olive oil (if you lack it, use other salad oil)

This is how to do this dish:
Cook pasta, al dente – meaning not very soft; more firm than soft. The time needed depends, on the pasta, but – a rule of thumb is – look at the package and subtract one minute or two from what is specified on it as a good time to cook the pasta. Now do what you usually do with pasta (letting it cool etc).

Chop, then put into a large bowl, the vegetables. The garlic you peel and mince on a grater. Mince a little ginger root, too. Add both to bowl.

Drain olives of water and add to bowl. Add pasta to bowl – mixing it in. Remove seafood from freezer, put in a colander – then rinse with cold water (really cold water).

Take a large pan. Pour, into it, oil – olive, or other – enough that the cooking surface is covered.
If you have it, add some sesame oil – and an equal amount of wine/sushi vinegar.

Put a cover on the pan – put heat on medium temp. until the oil has been heated.

When oil is hot, put into the pan seafood – then cover it. Raise the temperature a little.

While the seafood is cooking, every once in a while stir it. This should not take more than 5 minutes.

Use a spatula to set the seafood on top of the salad. Now, let cool and mix into the salad.

Add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, salt and pepper and parmesan to taste off.

Cover, refrigerate, then eat your salad!

Have you tried eating ramen noodles? If not, do you know what it is..? It is a thinner version of regular noodles (as far as I know; there more be more differences between ramen and “usual”). I went to japan, and tried ramen noodles, and fell in love with them. It is, simply put, very cheap and very tasty and very simple-to-make food. What more could you ask for..? In my opinion, not much.

I thought, in this article, I would present a slightly different – at least I think it is – way of making a ramen noodles dish. This way of doing it involves cooking the noodles for 1 to 1.5 minutes less than usually; in other words 1.5 or 2 minutes rather than the usual three.

I do this because I like my noodles to be a little al dente; meaning not too soft. The taste might not change too much but when it comes to something you have in your salad it is good to have it not being too soft.

It is a good idea to break the noodles up into smaller pieces before you add them to the boiling water.

The ingredients for this recipe are as follows:
one package, with the size of 8oz, coleslaw mix
2 chopped green onions
1 sliced celery stick
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 chopped ell pepper
1 grated carrot
1 package ramen noodles

For the dressing, these are the ingredients:
Vinegar – 1/4 cup
salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
Salad oil – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 teaspoon
Ramen noodle flavouring from the package, which is optional – 1-2 pinches

You do the ramen noodles salad the following way: Mix together everything but the dressing and noodles into a large bowl. After that, add all dressing ingredients into another bowl and whisk enough to make them blended. Put the dressing into the salad.

Last, but definitely not least, it is time to cook the noodles. You crumble the dry noodles and put them into water for 2 minutes or so. When done, put them in a colander to be drained – and then rinse with cold water. Last, but not least, mix everything together – then cover and refrigerate.

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Gammon Cooked in Cider and Sage

3 lb gammon
2 pints cider
6-8 cloves, plus extra for decoration
bouquet garni (A bundle of parsley stems, dried thyme and a large bay leaf, tied
together and left to float freely in broth, stock or sauce)
1 tbsp sage, dried
2 tbsp brown sugar

Soak the gammon overnight to reduce its saltiness. Place the gammon in a large saucepan, add the cider to cover, plus the cloves, sage and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 1 1/4 hours, turning the meat occasionally. When the gammon is cooked, strip off the skin but leave a layer of fat. Place the joint in a roasting pan, score a diamond pattern over it and decorate with brown sugar and more cloves. Bake in a hot oven 425ºF for 15-20 minutes until the outside is brown and crispy.

Chicken with Mango and Mint

1 large 3-4 lb roasting chicken
handful of fresh mint
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp mango puree
1 tbsp mango chutney
1 tbsp whipped cream
1 tbsp fresh mint

Place the cleaned chicken in a roasting pan and add 1-1 1/2 inch of water around the bird. Place some fresh mint in the water and in the cavity of the chicken. Roast in a hot oven 425ºF for about one hour or until a skewer pushed into the flesh leaves a trail of clear liquid. Leave to cool, then cut the flesh from the bones and chop roughly. Mix all the other ingredients in a food processor and, once the chicken is cool, mix into the mango mayonnaise. Pack into a shallow dish and garnish with pieces of mango or sprigs of mint.

Tarragon Fish with Avocado

1 1/2 lb cod or haddock fillets
1 large ripe avocado
lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
melted butter
tarragon for garnish
24 sheets filo pastry

Remove all the skin and bones from the fillets and cut into 12 strips. Cut the avocado into 12 wedges and sprinkle both the fish and avocado with lemon juice before placing on separate plates. Brush one sheet of filo pastry with melted butter and place a second on top. Fold them in half and butter the top, then place two strips of fish and two of avocado in the corner, sprinkle with a little tarragon and fold the pastry over, fold in the sides and brush with butter. Finish wrapping the parcel and place it on a greased baking sheet with the join side down. Wrap the other five parcels in the same way and cook at 325ºF for 18-20 minutes.

Scotch Eggs with Sage

5 eggs
1 oz plain flour
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz pork sausage meat
2 oz wholemeal breadcrumbs, toasted
1/2 tsp dried sage

Hard-boil four of the eggs and leave to cool in cold water. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Work the dried sage into the sausagemeat, then divide into four. Using a floured board, work each piece into a circle large enough to cover an egg. Lightly dust the eggs with the seasoned flour, then place one egg in the center of each piece of sausagemeat. Mold the sausagemeat around the eggs and then pinch the edges to seal them firmly together.

Beat the remaining egg and use it to coat the Scotch eggs, then roll them in breadcrumbs. Deep-fry the Scotch eggs for about eight minutes until crisp and brown. Leave to cool.

Packing the Picnic Hamper

There are many other possibilities that you could include in a presentation hamper. Apart from the meat suggestions here, you could add jars of pickles and jellies. Giving a mixture of goodies that the recipient will like best is the main aim. You could also add some non-food herbal ideas, such as a small tussie-mussie or some herbal teas.

Really beautiful hampers can be hard to find, so a large basket could be used instead or even a big cardboard box covered in an attractive paper or some cotton fabric. Add plenty of ribbon and large labels for a really extravagant effect and what will be a very memorable present.

Do you want to make your outdoor picnic a healthy one? Listen to Mandel Smith and Beth Trapani as they discuss healthy alternatives to the traditional fried chicken, full-fat mayonnaise dressings, greasy hot dogs and sweets.

There is still plenty of time to savor the summer weather, so why not grab a picnic basket and try out these delicious summer recipe ideas? ©2009 Hormel Foods Corporation

bit.ly Great Picnic Food Ideas: Picnic Sandwich and Side Recipes It’s gorgeous outside. Time to plan a picnic! Adrien Sharp for the Kraft Kitchens shares some great ideas for what to serve and how to pack up a great meal that travels. Transcript: Are you looking for new ways to spend quality time with your family? One of my favorite things to do on a nice summer day to go on a picnic. Bring a football maybe a kite and everyone gets a chance to enjoy the outdoors and each other for an afternoon. Hi I’m Adrien Sharp for the Kraft Kitchens here with some great ideas for what to serve and how to pack your next picnic. Let’s start with the food. Sandwiches are the original here when it comes to food that travels but just because they’re portable does not mean they have to be predictable. With just a few simple steps you can create your own masterpiece. This is the Kickn’ Chicken Wrap. Perfect for eating outdoors. The kick comes from the chipotle flavored mayo and the jalapeño American cheese. All you need to do is spread your mayo on the bottom, add the cheese, next with the chicken, the lettuce and then the celery. That’s all there is to it! This ones the the Tuscan Club on a ciabatta roll. It’s made with shaved oven turkey breast bacon lettuce tomato and here comes the Tuscan part: sun dried tomato and basil cream cheese on the top half of the ciabatta and some Italian dressing on the bottom half. And to go with these great sandwiches I’ve made some terrific side salads …

To get more ideas for easy pizza crust recipe visit: www.easy-recipes-with-twist.com To get more ideas for easy picnic recipes visit: www.easy-recipes-with-twist.com Recipe: 1 roll of butter puff pastry ½ pound (250gr), usually it comes in 2-roll package. If not and you have 1 pound (454gr) roll of pastry use half of the roll (most of the time, I tend to use whole package of pastry). 2 ounces (50gr) blue cheese or any sharp goat cheese, even feta cheese will do the work. 1 large tomato or ½ cup cherry, grape, or yellow small tomatoes. To add extra flavorful Twist: add a splash of rosemary infused oil or sprinkle ½ teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary before putting the pizza into oven.

Taking your grilled veggies off the grill and preparing them for your picnic meal an a trick for removing skins from peppers;learn this and more in this free online cooking video about French food taught by a culinary expert. Expert: Marieve Herington Contact: www.marieve.ca Bio: Marieve Herington has had a passion for the culinary arts and entertaining since she was very young, opening her first freelance event coordinating and catering company when she was only 16. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan

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!