No Name Summer Pasta

I have no Idea what to call this- Maybe someone can give a suggestion! But it's supper yummy.

Ingredients:

1 Pkg. Radiatore' pasta- or whatever twirly pasta you want

1 link of Kielbasa, sliced

Baby tomatoes, sliced

Fresh Spinach

1/2 C Cream Mushroom

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

pine nuts

Directions:

Cook pasta al dente'

Slice Kielbasa, tomatoes, and chop up the spinach. Place Kielbasa in skillet with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cook another 3 min or so, then add spinach.

Once spinach is wilted pour over pasta. Mix in cream of mushroom, if you want to add more to your liking go for it.

You can top with parm cheese and pine nuts if you want- I didn't this time.

Summer Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients


1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1/3 pound green bell peppers
1/3 pound red bell peppers
1/3 pound yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
6 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


Directions

In a large pot cook penne pasta in boiling salted water until al dente;drain.
While pasta is cooking, wash the bell peppers and cut them into 1/4-inch strips.
For sauce, in a large skillet over medium heat saute peppers in olive oil until soft. Do not allow peppers to brown. To the skillet, add the sliced zucchini and yellow squash and saute for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chopped tomatoes and remove from heat.
Spoon pasta onto warm plates; top with sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I tended to add a little more olive oil over it to get more of a "sauce"- I am also thinking a light pesto would taste good- I'll try that next time.

Soy ginger chicken salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
salt and pepper
1 C. thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup snow peas
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced


DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small airtight container; set aside.

Combine chicken, bell pepper, snow peas, and carrotr in a separate airtight container.

Regrigerate chicken salad and dressing separately until ready to serve, up to overnight. Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.

*1 serving

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Picture coming!


INGREDIENTS:


2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided


DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
2. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Cornflake Chicken

I like to use this recipe for chicken strips.

6 boneless skinless chicken pieces
1/2 evaporated milk
1 cup cornflakes crushed
garlic salt, pepper, any seasoning you like here is good
butter

Spray baking sheet with non stick spray. Place 6 pats of butter on baking sheet. Dip chicken pieces first in evaporated milk, then in corn flake crumbs mixed with seasonings. Place each on a butter pat. Place another pat of butter on top of each peice. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Enjoy! Dip into your favorite sauce.

Taco Plate

Yummy, easy layered bean dip

Layer #1
1 can refried beans (or reconstituted dried refried beans)
Place in the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan.

Layer #2
3 mashed avocados
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Mix together and place over layer #1

Layer #3
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup taco seasoning
Mix together and spread over layer #2.

Layer #4
chopped olives
chopped green onions
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese
Spread over layer #3.

Chill and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Jello Cake

Jello Cake- One of our favorites!



1 yellow or white cake mix
1 small Jello (any flavor)-I like strawberry
1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup water
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Make cake and let it cool. Make Jello using only 3/4 cup of water to dissolve and 3/4 cup cold water. Poke holes in the cake using a straw or fork (about every 2 inches). Pour Jello on cake and refrigerate for 2 hours. Mix pudding with water and refrigerate 1/2 hour. Mix Cool Whip into pudding and spread on top of cake. Serve or store in fridge in covered container until ready to serve.

*you can also make this without the pudding mix and just top with cool whip and strawberries. It's good both ways

Cream Cheese Chicken

This is one of our family faves!

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 stick of butter or margarine (1/2cup)
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 ounce cream cheese

Turn crock pot on High. Place melted butter in bottom of crock pot and add Italian salad dressing mix. Stir together. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch strips or bite size pieces. Place chicken in crock pot and stir to coat with the butter mix. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours. Remove chicken to plate to cool. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup and the cream cheese. Stir to met together till creamy. Put chicken back in pot and serve over rice or hot buttered noodles!

Great freezer meal too. Just cool and place in Freezer bag and its all ready to go!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

OK, this is New ! I have found a better Banana Bread Recipe and LOVE IT

Banana Bread

1 C. All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Baking Powder

~ Sift Together

1 Stick unsalted Butter

1 C.  Water Sugar

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

~Cream Together

2 Eggs

1T. Vanilla

4T. Sour Cream

~Mix just a bit

~add flour mixture

~4 Large Bananas, smashed until creamy

~Pour into sprayed bunt pan

~Bake 350 1hr

~Cool 20 min then flip onto serving platter

Whole Wheat Chololate Chip Cookies

Cream Together:

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. Crisco
1 C. White Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
Add 2 eggs 

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix into above:

2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2-2 C. Oatmeal, pulverized in blender
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder
24 oz. Chocolate Chips

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (Make sure you take them out of the oven before they look done or they will be too crispy.)

Creamy Chicken and Biscuits

Another winner in the Cotton home!

Ingredients:

1/2 Med. Onion (dehydrated Onion)

1 1/2 tsp. Butter

4 C Chopped cooked chicken (can chicken)

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream chicken soup (or make your own)here

1 C sour Cream (just omit if using for straight food storage recipe)

1/2 C Milk

1/2 C chopped pimiento (optional) I substituted this with peas

1 C Shredded cheese

6 frozen biscuits, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Grease bottom and sides of 11x7 baking dish

Chop the onion. Heat butter in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in Onion, saute until tender.

Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, milk and pimiento in med bowl. Mix well then pour into prepared baking dish. Bake 15 min. Remove form oven. Sprinkle baked layer with 3/4 cup of the cheese. Arrange biscuits in single layer over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and he sauce is bubbly, about 20 min. Serve immediately.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is from the Book Dinners Ready. It is quick and easy and a great freezer meal. It is delicious!

4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Cup sugar
3T. red wine vinegar
2 tsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 TBS cornstarch

Cut chicken into bite size peices. Combine remaining ing in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook and stir until thick and glossy. Pour over chicken in baking dish. bak uncovered for 1 hour at 350. Remove from oven and serve over rice with steamed vegetables, or allow to cool and freeze for a meal later.
(To serve: thaw and heat until hot a bubbly)

Cafe Rio! Yummy!

Delicious! This recipe makes so much, I freeze the chicken after shredding and cooling, then use it for burritos, salads, quesadilla's, or soups the rest of the week!
Food Storage Ideas: If you are stocking up on meet in your freezer, this recipe will work. You might now be able to get all the ingredients for the dressing but thats ok- still works well enough

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa-Amie's Fav

6lb Pork Loin
21oz Dr Pepper- can use coke but I think the DR Pep works best in this recipe- do NOT use diet

1 C Brown Sugar

2 Cloves of Garlic

7oz can chipotle sauce- remove chilies unless you want to burn the house down with your tounge!

6oz red taco sauce

1t. Dry mustard

1t. Cumin

1/2 t. Salt & Pepper

START THIS IN THE MORNING (or night before)

Cook the pork for about 8 hours then Place ingredients in the blender and then pour over pork loin in crock pot. Cook low additional 3 hours hours and then shred- cook another hour.

Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Café Rio Rice
3 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 c rice (see note)

Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

Now Put it together

• 
  
  Tortilla – you can make your own, mine came from a package.
• 
  
  Cheese -it is a good idea to warm these two up so the cheese is a little melty.
• 
  
  Beans – black or pinto (mine came straight out of the can, warmed in the microwave with a little garlic powder and green Tabasco sauce).
• 
  
  Rice – don’t be stingy now!
• 
  
  Pork - I am actually salivating while writing this post…
• 
  
  Lettuce – Shredded Romaine, you want small enough pieces to get a little of everything on your fork
• 
  
  Pico de Gallo – I like extra pico, so I give myself an extra scoop.
• 
  
  Tortilla Strips – slice a corn tortilla into strips, brush with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake on a foil-covered sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350-ish.
• 
  
  Creamy Tomatillo Dressing – I like to keep mine on the side so my lettuce doesn’t get too slobbery.
• 
  
  This is really best served with a cold Dr. Pepper with a few slices of lime squeezed into it, but if that seems like Dr. Pepper overload, your beverage of choice will probably be fine.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These are quick and easy to get done in a hurry before kids come home from school.

I will say however that they are best right out of the oven, since made with a cake mix these tend to get, well good just not as grest as the day of baking. But oh so good when warm :)

Ingredients:

1 PKG Devils Food Mix

½ C. Butter or Margarine, Softened

1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs (2 T. dehydrated eggs + 1/4 C. Water)
1 C. Peanut Butter Chips (or chip of your choice)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat half of the dry mix, the butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl on medium speed until smooth. Stir in remaining cake mix, the nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (about 2 inches apart) onto cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes.

Chocolate Layer Cake

This cake is so light in taste. Which only means it's not hard to eat 3 pieces. Yes, I did, quiet. 

Thanks Teri Huckvale!!!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. of Devils Food Cake Mix

make 3 cake rounds(if you have a scale weigh 12 oz of batter for each pan to get even cakes)

Frosting:

1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese

2/3 C. Brown Sugar

1t. Vanilla

1t. Salt

Mix this together, set aside

16oz Heavy Whipping Cream- beat to medium peak

Fold in Whipping Cream to above mixture

This will give plenty of frosting so don't skimp in between layers! 

Drizzle Hershey Chocolate Syrup over each slice of cake!