MIA for a bit...

Hello All! I have been a little MIA & will continue to be for another 2 weeks!! I have been cooking I promise! I don't have any pictures of the latest culinary adventures though :-(. My husband has been hogging the camera. He is taking an underwater photography class for our trip to Maui. We leave on Thursday, thus the absence on the blog.

Wednesday we had some friends over for dinner, I made BBQ Chicken, potato salad, ramen noodle slaw & corn on the cob.
Potato Salad:
About 10-12 potatoes, peeled, boiled & chilled.
A few cups of mayo
Some splashes of mustard, sometimes I mix in a little dijon for some spice
Chopped celery & onions
Hard Boiled Eggs
And the secret ingredient: Hidden Valley Ranch
Mix mayo, mustard, ranch together. Add to potatoes, eggs, celery, onions. Top with paprika & some more eggs.

Ramen Noodle Salad
1 bag of cole slaw
sliced almonds
sunflower seeds
chopped green onions
1/3 cup of vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 package Ramen Beef Noodles
Mix slaw, onions, almonds & sunflower seeds together. Mix vinegar, oil, sugar & flavor pack from Ramen Noodles together. Add to slaw mixture, crush ramen noodles & add to slaw & dressing.
This is best if you mix the dressing & let it sit for about an hour. Do not mix dressing, noodles, slaw until you are ready to eat or they will get soggy

Thursday was a potluck luncheon at work for our co-worker & friend Scottie. I made enchilada dip & hash brown casserole. Good Luck Scottie!
Enchilada Dip
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened * I used one package reg. cream cheese & one package light cream cheese*
4 green onions, chopped
1 can Rotel with green chiles
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
In a mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, & all spices. Mix until well blended. I do this so the mixture doesn't have chunks of cream cheese. It makes the consistency much better. Mix in chicken, onions & Rotel by hand. Cover & refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips. We like the lime ones the best
(Thanks Drewie!)

Hash Brown Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 container sour cream (8 oz)
1/2 butter, melted
1 bag hash-brown potatoes (32 oz)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix everything in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Saturday we spent the day with my family. I assisted in making marinated veggie kabobs & shrimp kabobs. And attempted the grilled corn cob. They turned out great! Oh and we had Portillo's Italian Beef. I love it when my brother visits from Chi-town & brings back some of the goods!
Veggie Kabobs
Pick your veggies. I used whole mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, squash. Whatever will stay on a kabob pretty well. Marinate in olive oil & Italian seasoning. I think I used Good Seasons Italian Dressing.
Skewer onto kabob & grill until complete.
Grill Corn on the Cob
pull husks back from corn on the cob, remove all silk on the inside. Pull husk back over the corn. Place on grill until cooked. I melted some butter & basted the corn as it was cooking.

So its now clean out all leftovers before we take off. We will be diving, deep sea fishing, snorkeling & relaxing in Maui for the next 9 days. I am most excited for the Food and Wine festival in Kapalua at the Ritz-Carlton. http://www.kapalua.com/recreation/events/kwff/
I promise to take pictures of the wonderful seafood & Hawaiian Eats!
Take Care!!!