MealsWithMarge

What a busy week this has been. I’m trying to organize a yard sale.

I’ll never learn my lesson. Each time I’ve had a sale, I always say I’ll never do that again and then forget a couple years later just how much work it was, how little money I made, and the frustration of not knowing what to do with the things I didn’t sell.

Maybe this will be the last one.

In addition to the sale, I try to help my daughter a couple times a week (the best part of that is holding the baby).

However, the highlight of this busy week was the spectacular parade we watched for one and a half hours. No, I’m not talking about a parade in Milwaukee, but about the New Holstein Fireman’s parade. The time went quickly as they did a fantastic job of entertaining the crowd. People lined chairs up along Highway 57 the night before to get the best seats – although we had a front row seat just walking to our usual place 20 minutes before the parade started. Of course, the parade included fire departments from many towns in Wisconsin, many bands, baton twirlers, politicians and every business imaginable – all of them throwing candy, necklaces, t-shirts, etc., to the crowd. This is a tradition we’ll be back for next year!

I decided I needed to find a new summer salad to add to my favorites. I was starting to feel like I make the same salads over and over again. I tried something new and we liked it – and it was easy to prepare.

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Greek Isles Pasta Salad

makes about 8 servings

Ingredients: 3 cups bow-tie pasta, uncooked 2 cups baby spinach leaves (I used bib lettuce leaves from my garden cut up into small pieces) 1 cup Mediterranean style cheese crumbles (I couldn’t find this, so used Feta cheese crumbles) 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 3/4 cup drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed 1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette dressing

Directions: Cook pasta as directed on package, drain. Place in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

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Why not make an old-time favorite casserole to go with the salad? The last time I made this casserole, instead of layering the ingredients, I mixed all the ingredients, except for the Tater Tots, which I spread on top. I thought the casserole turned moister than usual.

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Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients: 1-1/2 lbs. ground chuck 1 onion, chopped 1 can French-style green beans 1 can cream of celery soup 1 package Tater Tots

Directions: In a skillet, brown chuck and onion. Place in 2-quart casserole. Drain French style green beans; spread them on top of meat and onion. Pour cream of Celery soup over beans. Dot with package of Tater Tots

Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour, uncovered. You can add some of the juice from the beans to make it moister.

Note: Using 1 pound of ground chuck will make enough for four servings. To increase the recipe, add another can of beans and soup.

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The following recipe is from Genevieve Beenen of The Review staff. This is a good high protein, nonmeat recipe.

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Brown Rice and Lentils Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (use more, if desired) 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed 1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked 1 14-ounce can chicken broth 1/4 cup water 1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce 1 medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until onion is tender.

Stir in lentils, rice, broth, water and pepper sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 50 minutes, adding water if necessary, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in bell pepper. Sprinkle with cheese.

Note: Genevieve says she likes onion and garlic, but doesn’t care for the peppers, so feel free to adjust to your taste as she does.

• • • Send your favorite summertime recipes to The Review, P.O. Box 317, Plymouth, WI 53073. E-mail at: reply@plymouth-review.com. I can be reached at (920) 980-3885.