To stay away from high fructose corn syrup making salad dressing has become a habit.  Greek, ranch, honey mustard, Italian, whatever, we prefer home made ingredients to the selection on grocery store shelves.

This is one from years ago and lately decided to dig this out...a refreshing change from the norm:

Celery Seed Dressing

2/3 c granulated sugar
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 t onion juice or grated onion
5 T white vinegar
1 c vegetable oil
1/1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 T celery seed

Mix all and store refrigerated in a jar.  Add salt as a personal option.

Try your favorite peach cobbler recipe and add a quart of blueberries for some extra favor, as if peaches ever needed extra anything!

I love making an apple crisp in the fall and adding cranraisins and assorted other dried berries which seem to enhance the favor of the apples. 

Try smoking a turket breast for a unique favor on this holiday of traditional grilling meats.  The key is keeping plenty of water in the water container to keep the moisture in the breast.  Also a little seasoning with
celery and onion in the water is another add-in. 

Enjoy the 4th and be grateful for our men and women who serve our country.  They deserve our support and respect.

With the current heat wave I'm having a difficult time with dinner menus.  Who wants to stand around a grill with temperatures in the high nineties?...alas we're cooking inside to cope with lack of motivation for the usual summer menu.   Tonight is pork tenderloin with fresh peach salsa, fresh creamed peas and sweet potato casserole.

Rubbing garlic on the tenderloin prior to cooking with a healthy coat of peach preserves sounds like an interesting twist.

Food and family are interesting dynamics...good food with traditions especially around the holidays and it does not matter which holiday we all have those traditions we cling to through out our lives.  With the 4th of July coming up I'm thinking smoked pork, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, baked beans and maybe some garlic bread to polish the meal off in style.

Having recently been on a family reunion the dynamics of relationships is always an interesting phenomenon.
People watching is a great way to analysis communication, gestures and body language of those we know and love...

Strawberry cake actually has jello in it?  So reading the recipe I read 1 (3 oz) package of strawberry jello and transposing in my mind (that's another reason I couldn't be an accountant) I saw 3 - 3 oz packages of jello...so I go by jello! 

Hope this tastes as good as it sounds!

Well it was not that great!  In fact I threw about 3/4 of the cake away...some recipes just do not give up the delightful taste we're looking for...!

Not sure where this recipe came from but it is delicious and my sister gave it to me

Chop NAPA cabbage
Chop 3 to 6 green onion (depending on servings)

Toast stove top small package of almonds, sunflower seeds and one package of ramen noodle in 1/2 stick of butter.

Mix one cup of oil, one cup of vinegar and 1 cup of sugar (I heat the vinegar so the sugar dissolves.

Toss together and enjoy!

Greek Salad and yes a local restaurant makes this but I want veggies cut small, no big hunks so I tried making a duplicate and it works beautifully...

1 Tomato
2 " of green pepper
1 cucumber
4 or 5 thin slices of red onion
feta cheese to taste
Kalamata olives (I use about 1/4 cup)

Buy some Cavendar's Greek seasoning...use 1/2 oil and 1/2 vinegar (you favorite brands, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning for 2/3 liquid) and a teaspoon sugar, shake well and pour over chopped vegetables, olives and feta.

If weight is not a concern slop the dressing with your favorite bread!

Yummy for summer dining.