Recipes

[ChiliPepper]

[ChiliPepper]

So, I made classic macaroni salad yesterday.

Nothing fancy; just plain old old-fashioned mac salad like my Mom used to make.

Elbow macaroni, tuna, celery, green bell peppers, Miracle Whip (my preference), garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper.

I will add some hard boiled eggs & top with paprika of course!

What's your secret mac salad ingredient???

[RespectLife]

@ChiliPepper 

Now I want onion rings...and a charcoal broiled hot dog to go with it!

[RespectLife]

I must say, I never make my mac salads the same way twice!

I lean twds oil/vinegar base....but DH wants Miracle Whip and GOBS of it!  LOL

Lately, I have been adding black beans to my pasta salads....regardless of the base.

I will add the kitchen sink if I have it....cukes, chick peas, artichokes are some of my favorites.

Weg carries a jar of grilled artichokes that are SO good....but have now priced themselves outta my pantry. 

[ChiliPepper]

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@RespectLife wrote:

@ChiliPepper 

Now I want onion rings...and a charcoal broiled hot dog to go with it!

---

@RespectLife 

I know!!! They look delish don't they?!!!

I don't deep fry at home, maybe I'll try some frozen onion rings sometime soon.

I'll bet they could be air fried.

[ChiliPepper]

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@RespectLife wrote:

I must say, I never make my mac salads the same way twice!

I lean twds oil/vinegar base....but DH wants Miracle Whip and GOBS of it!  LOL

Lately, I have been adding black beans to my pasta salads....regardless of the base.

I will add the kitchen sink if I have it....cukes, chick peas, artichokes are some of my favorites.

Weg carries a jar of grilled artichokes that are SO good....but have now priced themselves outta my pantry. 

---

@RespectLife 

Ya, that's how I make my regular pasta salad; any & everything in it.

It's really more of a veggie-pasta salad than a pasta salad.

Maybe I'll make that this weekend when the mac salad is gone.

I finally grabbad a bottle of that 3 cheese salad dressing from Aldi's that you said you sometimes used in yours.

[ChiliPepper]

[ChiliPepper]

4-INGREDIENT PECAN SANDIES

★★★★★

4.9 from 30 reviews

These easy Pecan Sandies are melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies that are bursting with the aroma of real butter and roasted pecans. We keep these pecan cookies deliciously simple with only 4 ingredients.

• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Total Time: 42 minutes

Yield: 30 1x

Ingredients

SCALE1x2x3x

• 1 cup salted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
• 1/2 tightly cup packed light brown sugar (be sure it’s fresh)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (you may not end up using all of it)
• 1/2 cup roasted pecans, finely chopped, plus extra for topping
• Optional: powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Mix: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and brown sugar. Using paddle attachment on medium-high speed, mix until fluffy and light, several minutes. Scrape down sides as needed. Add only 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix on medium-low speed until combined, scraping down sides as needed. 
2. Knead: On a large board, sprinkle 1/3 cup flour to keep dough from sticking to the board. Use rubber spatula to transfer dough to the board. Knead dough by hand for 2 minutes, adding only as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft pliable dough. The dough should end up soft and workable, similar to play-dough. If it’s too sticky, add in one tablespoon of flour at a time just until dough is the right consistency. Do not add so much flour that dough becomes dry (note: you may not end up using all the flour.) Work in pecans.
3. Roll into logs: Divide dough in half and gently roll into logs that are 1 1/2″ diameter. Tip: moisten palms with a bit of water or oil to prevent dough from sticking to palms. If your dough has become too warm, chill dough a few minutes to firm up just enough to allow you to roll it.
4. Chill dough: Wrap logs airtight and chill 30 minutes or until firm enough to slice easily. Preheat oven to 325F with rack on lower middle position. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
5. Slice: Remove one dough log from fridge and slice into 1/2″ thick rounds. Place each cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Place extra chopped pecans on top of cookies, if desired. Bake 12 minutes, or until bottom edges are golden brown. The tops of cookies should remain pale; do no over-bake. Let cookies cool a couple of minutes on baking sheet, before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. 
6. Repeat: Repeat with the remaining dough log (if dough becomes too firm, let rest at room temp a few minutes to soften just enough to slice.)  Cookies keep very when sealed airtight, at room temp.

Notes

These make approximately 30 smaller cookies; they’ll bake up to be about 2-inches diameter. When shortbread cookies are too large, they can break apart easier. To prevent that, we keep them on the smaller side. Perfect bite-sized treats!

Dough logs can be wrapped airtight and frozen for several weeks. Defrost in fridge and slice to bake. Baked cookies can also be wrapped airtight and frozen 1-2 weeks. 

If you enjoyed these cookies, please come back and give them a rating. ? 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 101
• Sugar: 0.2 g
• Sodium: 48.9 mg
• Fat: 7.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
• Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 1.2 g
• Cholesterol: 16.3 mg

© 2022 Chew Out Loud
https://www.chewoutloud.com/4-ingredient-pecan-sandies/

[RespectLife]

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@ChiliPepper wrote:

---

@RespectLife wrote:

I must say, I never make my mac salads the same way twice!

I lean twds oil/vinegar base....but DH wants Miracle Whip and GOBS of it!  LOL

Lately, I have been adding black beans to my pasta salads....regardless of the base.

I will add the kitchen sink if I have it....cukes, chick peas, artichokes are some of my favorites.

Weg carries a jar of grilled artichokes that are SO good....but have now priced themselves outta my pantry. 

---

@RespectLife 

Ya, that's how I make my regular pasta salad; any & everything in it.

It's really more of a veggie-pasta salad than a pasta salad.

Maybe I'll make that this weekend when the mac salad is gone.

I finally grabbad a bottle of that 3 cheese salad dressing from Aldi's that you said you sometimes used in yours.

---

You found that @ChiliPepper  ????

The 3 cheese Vinaigratte? 

Now I need to go look and see if we got it, I am gonna buy 20 bottles if they do!

[RespectLife]

I LOVE pecan sandies!  Thanks for the recipe @ChiliPepper 

I'm def printing that recipe!!