Dirt Road Gourmet Dinner Parties To help you with your dinner parties, we have listed some suggested themes with our casseroles as the centerpiece of the meal and recipes for sides. Enjoy these recipes and enjoy your meals there is nothing liking having dinner at home and having friends have dinner with you.
 Recipes Reuben's Favorite Salad - you know Reuben's favorite pound cake now you can try his favorite salad.
This salad is so beautiful place it on your buffet when you don’t have time for flowers. Right before serving, toss with our favorite balsamic dressing. Reuben always presents this dinner when proposing our products to a new customer. The balsamic
dressing is such a hit we are often asked why we do not sell it. The recipe is our gift to you. Not only can you use it for this salad but you can use it for roasted vegetables, for a dressing for cabbage for a new twist on coleslaw or drizzled on beautiful fresh summer tomatoes. Enjoy this beautiful dark brown dressing! Balsamic Dressing Mix 1/3 cup of Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar with 2 tablespoons Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add º teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper and 2 drops of cayenne pepper sauce... enjoy! Steam your favorite green vegetable such as asparagus, okra or green beans. Cooking Vegetables Most Southerners love fresh vegetables but they are often cooked "to death". But if you like your vegetables with a crisp texture, cook them in your microwave using ice instead of water. The ice will steam the vegetables gently and then you can avoid over steaming our favorite ones. This is an especially good way to steam okra with making it stringy. Cook in
3 minute intervals till the veggies are the color and texture you like.
A glass dish with a lid works best. Marinated Asparagus Steam 2 pounds of fresh asparagus till it is green and crisp. Mix together 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1/3
cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup cider vinegar and æ cups of finely chopped pecans.
This is a delicious cold asparagus dish that goes will with anything. A secret weapon for vegetables! You can mix together one cup of mayonnaise, one can of cream of mushroom soup and ‡ teaspoon of dehydrated onion. Spread on top steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, steamed carrots, or steamed green beans. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. You will have a delicious vegetable casserole that the most avowed anti-broccoli eater will enjoy! This is
especially good for a simple meal of grilled steaks or chicken. Congealed Salads are very delicious and remain "old friends" to any cook. They can round out a meal when you just do not know what to make. And they are a wonderful treat to take to a friend who needs a little comfort. Imagine the colors that will be on your guests' plates and choose one of these recipes to help you. You will see a name beside
each of these recipes and it is the name of the friend who gave me the
recipe. Each time I make these salads it is an honor and pleasure to
remember my old friends. It Sure Tastes Like A Tangerine to Me! Mix one box of orange Jell-O per the package and add one can of drained mandarin oranges and one small can of frozen orange juice (do not dilute). Mix well and chill till firm. Given to me by Thelma Quinn. Cranberry Salad Mix one package of strawberry Jell-O with one cup of hot water, add on can of crushed pineapples that has not been drained, one can of whole cranberry sauce, one unpeeled apples that has been diced, one banana that has been diced and one cup of chopped pecans. Mix well and chill till firm. Given to me by Phyllis Lester. Boo berry Salad Drain one 15 ounce can of blueberries and one 8.5
ounce can of crushed pineapple and reserve the liquid from both. Boil
1 cup of water and add 2 small packages of grape Jell-O. Mix blueberry
and pineapple juice with enough water to make 1 æ cups of liquid and add to gelatin. Add blueberries and pineapple and chill till firm. Mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 8 ounces of sour cream and ‡ cup
of sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whip till fluffy; spread over
gelatin and sprinkle with pecans. Taken from the Celebrate San Antonio Cookbook from the San Antonio Junior League. Baked Fruit Open a can of canned peaches, canned pineapple tidbits, and a can of pears and reserve the liquid. Mix one cup of the liquid with one stick of melted butter and one cup of syrup. Place the fruit in a greased casserole dish, pour the sauce over the fruit and sprinkle with crushed gingersnaps. Bake at 350° till hot and bubbly. This is delicious for breakfast with our Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole or for brunch with our Chicken and Grits. Bread and Rolls There are many delicious frozen rolls but our favorite is Sister Schubert's! Of course she is from Alabama so we know she has a delicious product.
We have great affection for Mary B's biscuits because of the founder of that Company, Howard Burris, surprised us a visit after I wrote to him about my idea for a frozen casserole line. He encouraged us from the start and offered us the advice that has become the keystone on our business strategy... feed one community at a time. And that is what we do. Take a bag of Mary B's tea biscuits and place on a greased cookie sheet and thaw.
Desserts Please enjoy our Earthquake Cake warmed with vanilla ice cream. Our Whipped Cream Pound Cake can be served with any fruit. It is also very good toasted with butter for breakfast. Enjoy our casseroles and our suggested sides. We will be adding new idea to our website as time goes on! One of our favorite quotes from the Bible is from the book of Hebrews and hangs on a plaque by our back door for all to see as they enter our home. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby ye may have entertained angels unawares." — Hebrews 13:2. Enjoy your entertaining and your guests... it is our pleasure to help you entertain angels! Jackie and Reuben Thornton
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