50+ Lifestyles

Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• A little coarse ground salt
• Lime juice
• Mix together and serve with corn or tortilla chips

Literally, “Pico de Gallo” means “beak of the rooster”.

I learned to make this on an excursion in Mexico. We were told that the salsa should have an explosion of tingling flavor much like the pecking of a rooster. I have also been told that the ingredients should be chopped to about the size of a rooster’s beak. Either way, it is a quick and easy salsa. I was told an easy way to remember the recipe is that it takes equal amounts of the colors of the Mexican Flag. Green – cilantro, White – onion, Red – tomato

Cocktail Sausages in Red Sauce

• 2 packages (12 ounce) beef lit’l smokies
• Red sauce of your liking

Place little smokies in small crockpot. Cover with a red sauce. I used some Baby Ray’s BB-Q sauce. I had about 1/3 of a jar. I also added about 2 Tablespoons of Russian salad dressing. Basically, I used up two partially used jars of red sauce. A full jar of BB-Q sauce would be too much, so make your own red sauce out of things you have and might want to use up. Ketchup with Worcestershire sauce would work. Or Marinara sauce. The sauce just needs to cover the smokies.
Heat on low for three hours.

Swedish Meatballs in White Sauce

• 1 package (24 ounce) frozen
• Swedish meatballs
• 1 jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee

Thaw meatballs in slow cooker on low for about twenty minutes. Add jar of Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle instant coffee. Heat thoroughly through, about 3 hours in slow cooker.

Grown-Up Shirley Temple
(but still non-alcoholic)

• 1 Bottle sparkling white grape juice
• Maraschino cherries and juice

Pour some sparkling juice in a festive glass, one glass per person. Add some maraschino cherry juice and a couple of cherries. Toast your friends