Pet Parade

I'm Ree Drummond. I'm a writer, blogger, photographer, mother, and I'm an accidental country girl. I live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, and all my recipes have to be approved by cowboys, hungry kids, and me. Charlie's been invited to a pet parade and picnic by kids from our homeschool co-op, so I'm whipping up food for the spread and taking him to Tulsa. I'm making a big bowl of Mexican macaroni salad which always goes over great with a crowd. Roasted lemon chicken legs, the perfect portable food. Cool, refreshing watermelon pico de gallo and delicious brown sugar oatmeal cookies. Cute kids, adorable pets, and a whole lot of fun in the park. This is one great day out for Charlie and me. Welcome to my frontier. -- Captions by VITAC -- Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC. My best friend Hyacinth organized a pet parade as a reward to kids for their reading accomplishments throughout the school year. Now, I've blogged about my dog Charlie for years, so Hyacinth thought it'd be fun for him to attend the pet parade so the little kids could meet him. Isn't that right, Charlie? Now, after the parade, we're gonna have a big potluck picnic lunch, and one of my contributions is Mexican macaroni salad. It is always a delicious choice. I love macaroni salad in all forms. And for the picnic tomorrow, I thought I'd give it a little bit of a Mexican twist. It will be a lot more festive and fun that way. Now, I cooked some elbow macaroni, drained it, and gave it a good rinse to cool it off. And now I'll get going on adding all the good ingredients. I chopped up about six Roma tomatoes. And I'll just go in with those. Now, I've also been grilling some fresh corn and it's ready to come off of the grill pan. So I'll put it on to a plate and let it cool for a minute or two. Now, I also chopped up some red onion. Put this in. This is a really colorful, beautiful salad. Now, I also like to add some black olives. I'm using Kalamata olives 'cause that what I had in my pantry, but you could also use ripe black olives. They just add a really nice saltiness. Okay. These are looking good so these will go right in. Now, for more color and texture and because this is a Mexican macaroni salad, I'm adding a can of rinsed black beans. I just put them in a colander, rinsed them with cold water, and they're just perfect. Now, for some more flavor, I'm gonna slice up some green onions and add those to the mix. Just gonna slice them pretty thin. I am so excited that Charlie was invited to the pet parade 'cause I'm gonna be his plus-one. The kids that are going to the parade tomorrow have been participating in a reading-incentive program. This pet parade is their ultimate reward, so it should be a lot of fun. I was honored that Charlie was invited. Okay, now the green onions just go right in. Now the corn should be cool enough to slice. Try it out. Oh, yeah, it's fine. Now, I just got a sharp knife, and I'll just slice the kernels right off. You can also just use frozen corn. Just rinse it under water, let it thaw a bit and add it in. This macaroni salad is perfect made the day before. It's really great for picnics 'cause you can get it all done ahead of time. Okay, got all the corn shaved off, and it's gonna go in the bowl. I love salads like this. You just keep adding beautiful ingredients. Usually just whatever you have in your pantry or fridge will make a great macaroni salad. All right, now the salad is ready for the dressing. I love this dressing. It is so delicious. It starts with a cup of salsa. Just salsa right out of the jar is just fine. And then I'll add an equal amount of sour cream. You can use low-fat or even fat-free sour cream. I'm going for the good stuff. That's how I roll. Sorry. All right, and then, just to give it a little extra flavor, I like to add about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. That's good. And then, again, 'cause this is Mexican macaroni salad, about 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. It will give the dressing a really great flavor. And then just a little bit of salt and pepper. And then I'll just stir this around until it's all combined. This turns into a really great sort of pink dressing. It's really delicious. You really taste that salsa in there. Okay. Now, the dressing just gets poured right over everything. Gosh, this salad already smells so good. And then I'll just use a spatula to fold it all together. I have always loved macaroni salad. My basic recipe, of course, just has chopped up pickles, a little bit of a vinegary, mayonnaise dressing. But I love changing up macaroni salad and adding different things. This Mexican one is delicious, but I also make a Greek macaroni salad with feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes. That is delicious, too. Okay, it's all mixed together. So I'll just transfer it into my picnic container. I certainly hope it will all fit. Oh, it looks so great. Okay. Now I'll just grab the lid. And this is just gonna get better and better in the fridge overnight. All right, that's one dish for the picnic all ready to go. Every time I make it, everyone always loves that macaroni salad -- even Charlie. In fact, I'm gonna have to keep my eye on him during the picnic. [ Chuckles ] Up next, irresistible brown sugar oatmeal cookies. Then even more delicious picnic food -- roasted lemon chicken legs and watermelon pico de gallo. Pets, a parade, and a potluck picnic. For Charlie and me, it doesn't get any better than this. Charlie has been invited to a pet parade, so he and I are headed down to Tulsa for the parade and the potluck picnic afterward. Now, the whole point of the parade is it's a reward for students for their reading accomplishments throughout the year. It's gonna be so much fun. And some of the families have been really excited about it. In Pawhuska, the Poes and their dog Bunny Bell have been practicing jumping... GIRL: Up, girl. Bunny Bell. Good girl. ...running... WOMAN: Boy, she's fast. ...and have been trying on costumes. You like that one better? She looks kind of ridiculous. REE: Over in Tulsa, the Wagners and their adorable dogs Coco and Josie have been getting ready, choosing between two dresses for Coco. WOMAN: Do you think it matches her ugliness? They were thinking of entering Josie in the "best behaved" category, but she's still got a little ways to go there. [ Josie barks ] Maybe best vocals. Back to Coco, they had a dress decision to make. What's our vote? What are we gonna do? I said sundress. You said sundress? You want this one? You say the ugly one? Sundress. What is your vote? Sundress. Oh, I think the sundress it is. Okay, Coco. There's your debut. REE: So that's Coco, contender for ugliest dog. And is it rude for me to say that I think she has a pretty good chance? Then, the Elliotts have high hopes for Mocha -- best personality, best behaved, best dressed. Do you think Mocha looks good? You think he's gonna be the star of the show? And even their turtle's getting in on the act. Very glamorous in a bow. I got to tell you. I can't wait to see all those pets. This should be a really fun day. Okay, back to the food. I knew I wanted to take a sweet treat to the picnic. And, of course, cookies are the perfect take-along treat. So I whipped up a big batch yesterday. Oatmeal cookies are always a favorite among kids, so I knew I wanted to make a batch of my brown sugar oatmeal cookies for the kids at the parade. These are so delicious. They're everything that's wonderful about regular oatmeal cookies but with a whole bunch of brown sugar. They bake up really chewy and wonderful. Now, I've got two sticks of softened butter in the mixer and I'm adding 2 packed cups of brown sugar. And I'll just turn on the mixer and let it start to mix together. Now I'll whip up the dry ingredients. And that just starts with a cup and a half of flour. Just even it off with my finger. This is a really easy recipe. All right. A teaspoon of salt. And 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. And then I'll just stir this together so it will be all ready. All right. That's all mixed together. It will be ready when I need it. So now I'll crack in a couple of eggs. The sugar and butter are all mixed together. I use dark brown sugar for these cookies. You can also use light brown. Either one is delicious, but I love that dark color of dark brown sugar. And then 2 teaspoons of vanilla. One, two. And now, with the mixer going, I'll just add the dry ingredients in a couple of batches. Let it mix really gradually. How did anybody make cookies before mixers? It makes it so easy. You just turn it on, add the stuff, and you don't have to expend any energy at all. I love recipes like that. Okay. And now for the oats. 3 cups of just regular, old-fashioned oats. Just sprinkle them in. I love these unusual measuring-cup sizes. This is a cup and a half. It makes it so handy. I used a 2-cup measure for the brown sugar. Okay, This goes right in. Now, a lot of oatmeal cookie recipes have nuts in them. But because I'm unsure about allergies with the kids, it's safer to leave them out. A little bit more. All right, now I'll just grab my scoop and get the dough onto the baking sheets. All right. I got 24 good-size cookies out of this dough. Now I'm gonna put the cookies into a 350-degree oven. They're gonna bake for about 12 minutes or so until they're nice and dark and chewy. When the cookies were all done, I just took them out of the oven, let them cool on the baking sheets, then I packed them into a container so they'd be all ready for the picnic. All right, we're in our hometown of Pawhuska. We've still got over an hour to go, so Charlie and I will see you in Tulsa. Up next, we're finally in the big city for the pet parade and picnic, complete with my roasted lemon chicken legs and delicious watermelon pico de gallo. Charlie and I cannot wait. Come on, Charlie. Well, we made it to the pet parade. It is a gorgeous day. We're so excited. Now, I've got all the food for the potluck picnic. I made a delicious macaroni salad, really yummy cookies, and some really wonderful roasted chicken legs. In fact, I can't wait to have one. I love lemon chicken. And roasted lemon chicken legs are the perfect picnic food. Now, I've got a whole bunch of chicken legs in a big plastic bag. And I've just been squeezing lemons right in. And I'm even dropping the squeezed halves in after I squeeze the juice out. This is a pretty quick marinade and it makes the chicken really delicious. All right, get that squeezed right in. Now, to make it extra good, I'm gonna smash a whole bunch of garlic cloves. Just use the knife. And I love serving chicken legs at picnics because it's a great finger food. You don't have to have any utensils. And they're really delicious cold. All right. The garlic goes in. Now I'll drizzle in some olive oil. Just about 1/4 cup or so. It doesn't need too, too much. And then plenty of salt and pepper. Make the chicken extra good. Okay. Now I'll seal the bag. Gonna make sure it's totally sealed so I don't have a mess on my hands. All right, now I'll just smoosh it all around, mix it together, make sure it's totally coating all the chicken. Okay. Now I'm just gonna stick the chicken in the fridge for a couple of hours. Okay, the chicken's been marinating away. it's been in about two hours. You can let it go even longer if you want to. Just gonna get these on to the sheet pans. I like to use rimmed baking sheets because they catch all the juices while they're roasting in the oven. I smell that garlic. Ohh! This lemon chicken is really delicious on the grill. We like to do that in the summertime. Okay, I'm gonna put these into a really hot oven, 450 degrees. They're gonna roast for about 20 minutes until they're nice and plump and juicy. These are gonna be good. The chicken's ready to come out of the oven. It smells so amazing. Oh, wow. This is just perfect. The skin is nice and crisp, light golden brown. This is going to be delicious. All right. Now I just need to let the chicken cool and then I'll pack it up and keep it in the fridge until tomorrow. Well, Charlie and I have all the food. We're ready for the parade. Charlie's excited. Come on, Charlie. Now, is that one of the parakeets? Oh, my gosh. He's got a loud voice. This is Flash. Oh, I love birds. HYACINTH: Hello. I know. Cookies. Mexican macaroni salad. When does the parade start? Well, just anytime. Are you ready? Let's do this thing. REE: As an animal lover, I am pretty much in heaven right now. We'll get started with our best costume category first. Would you like to promenade by our judges' table? Charlie, look. Look at Bunny Bell. She looks so gorgeous. [ Charlie whines ] And there's Maddie, the star-spangled Yorkie. Look at Romeo and Juliet. I think we might have a winner here. Very good. Congratulations, Romeo. Whoo! REE: Dogs aren't the only animals at the pet parade. Charlie, look. It's a turtle. [ Josie barks ] Here's Josie up for best vocals. Go, Josie! Charlie, I should have entered you in best personality. You're the life of the party, man. Oh, maybe not. And our next category -- Don't be ashamed. It's most ugly pet. Step on up. Now, this is the award Coco wants to win. I think she's got a pretty good chance. And the winner is...Coco. [ Cheers and applause ] Congratulations. Don't worry. We'll enter you in a couple next year, okay? You'll have your time in the sun. Up next, I'm adding some delicious watermelon pico de gallo to the potluck spread. It's picnic time and there's lots more fun to follow. WOMAN: There you go. For recipes from this episode, go to... All right. It's finally time to eat. I think everyone is starving. I've got my Mexican macaroni salad, delicious brown sugar oatmeal cookies. Those are gonna disappear. Roasted chicken legs. I'm hungry for one of these. And then, I also made a watermelon pico de gallo. Pico de gallo is big in our house. I'm serving it with a big bowl of chips. I cannot wait to dig into this. Regular pico de gallo is a condiment around our house. We eat it with chips but we also put it on burgers, on eggs. We absolutely love it. This watermelon version is a little bit different but it is out-of-this-world delicious. And it's perfect for picnics. It just gives a nice little festive feel. I'm using a seedless watermelon. I cut the rind off of half of it and I've just been dicing it up into nice big pieces. And I'm gonna go into the bowl with it. Again, I hope it fits. This is a lot of watermelon. This is such an interesting version of pico de gallo. It's really unexpected to get that sweet watermelon in there with everything else. It is so delicious. Okay, now, watermelon isn't the only thing in here. I'm also adding some really finely diced red onion and then three colors of bell pepper. Red, of course. The yellow, it looks so gorgeous with the pink watermelon. And green. Good old green. Can't forget it. And because this is pico de gallo, I have to add a couple of jalapeños. I seeded them and took out the white membrane so they wouldn't be too spicy. And I just diced them up really fine. Now, pico de gallo has to have cilantro in it, so I'll get a big bunch. And I'll just roll it up and mince it pretty finely. I love coming up with different versions of pico de gallo. I do a mango version that's really fun. You really can't beat the original, though. It's almost overtaken ketchup in our house as the thing we reach for the most. Okay. That's a good amount of cilantro. So I'll sprinkle that in. And then, finally, some lime juice. I'll see how juicy this lime is. Perfect. You can also use lemon juice if that's what you have. Either one works just great. Now, just to offset a little bit of the sweetness of the watermelon, I'll sprinkle in some salt. Okay, now I'll try to stir this together without getting it all over my kitchen. The colors are so beautiful. This is perfect for any party. And it's great to make the day before. It gets better and better as it sits in the fridge. Okay, that just looks gorgeous. Now I'll transfer it into my picnic container. I love these containers because the lids are nice and sturdy and you can stack them up in your bag. All right. Now I'll just get the lid on. And that is all the picnic food all ready to go. And to go with it, I'm just serving good old tortilla chips. Do you want a chicken leg? Charlie, no macaroni salad for you. Oh, what a fun time that was, Charlie. You ready to go back to the ranch? Yeah, me too.