Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad

2 (12-oz.) boxes of bowtie pasta (do not overcook)
1 large can pineapple tidbits
1 large can mandarin oranges (arranged around outside of bowl)
1 package Craisins
red grapes cut in 1/2 (optional)
4 stems chopped green onions
1 to 2 cups celery, cut in chips
4 to 5 cooked chicken breasts
1 1/2 to 2 cups cashews
2 to 2 1/2 cups of dressing (3/4 jar of Kraft coleslaw dressing and 1 cup mayo) or make your own with mayo, sugar, salt and vinegar

Mexican Tacos (American Taquitos)

I am excited to post my first recipe on the Foodee's blog! I've been gazing over all the great recipes and haven't tried any yet, but I have BIG plans to! I am constantly looking for something new and relatively simple.

I've made this for dinner guests several times recently and get rave reviews. I made this for dinner tonight, and my children love it every time and ask for it often! That tends to be a rarety, so I thought this was a good one to share. A few months ago, I asked my friend from Mexico to teach me how to make an authentic Mexican meal, little did I know how simple it would be and how much I'd love it (and my kids).

Now, I LOVE those frozen Taquitos that can be purchased at the grocery store, and this is 10 times better! Fresh yumminess! I don't have an actual recipe, so I'm going a little off the cuff here. Sorry if it is confusing:)

Ingredients:

-30 Corn Tortilla's

-shredded chicken or beef (cooked)

-can of refried beans (optional)

-fresh avocados

-fresh tomatoes

-grated cheese

-sour cream

-box mix of spanish rice on the side

Directions:

*My friend just rolled shredded beef into a corn tortilla and cooked that, but the meat kept falling out when I cooked it and I thought it needed a little something more, and to hold it together, so I mixed my meat with refried beans and it worked great!

Vegetable oil in skillet dish on med-high (not sure if there is a better oil for that)

*If it is too high, you'll get a lot of splashing bounce back onto you of the hot oil

Heat the tortilla's for 10 sec or so and they roll better. Put meat/bean mixture in and roll it and drop with tongs (to avoid splashing) into hot oil mixture. The first set takes longer and don't get as crispy. I have meat falling out sometimes, so do it carefully. Watch it and flip it and then hold it vertical to let some of the oil drop out before putting it onto a paper towel lined tray (pulls more oil out).

Serve with yummy homemade guacamole and sour cream and spanish rice.

Guacemole:

2 small avocados mashed

1 small cut up tomatoe

little lime juice

little salt

Here is my messy skillet after all are cooked and my side dishes with the meal!

Back to School Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake is our traditional first day of school dessert. Something about the carrots being a healthy start to the new year (smile). The kids love it!

The recipe comes from the book The Cake Doctor

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

2/3 cup orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 lg. eggs

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins (I don't add these)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (we don't add these either)

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, oil, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape sides of bowl and increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. The batter should be thick and well blended. Gently fold in carrots, raisins, and nuts with spatula. Divide batter among 2 prepared pans, smoothing the top. Bake until golden brown about 30 minutes. Cool completely and frost with Cream Cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick (8Tbsp) butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice

1 Tbsp orange zest

Combine cream cheese and butter in mixer until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar, a bit at a time, until well combined. Add orange juice and zest to the mixture. Beat until frosting lightens and is fluffy. (Sometimes I need to add a little more confectioners' sugar if the frosting is too thin. It is a little thin for me in the picture above, and it was hard to keep the frosting on the sides of the cake.)

Crepes

1 1/4 c. milk

1 c. flour

2 eggs

3 T. sugar

3 T. melted butter

1 T. lemon zest

1 t. vanilla

Put everything in a blender and blend for 3 minutes. Chill for at least one hour - can be chilled as long as overnight. If you have a crepe-maker, use that. If not, heat a skillet and cook like a pancake - although make these much thinner. You don't necessarily have to turn them over to cook since they are thinner than a pancake. You just might have to practice until you get it right.

Put toppings in, roll up, and eat. Toppings we like: any fresh fruit, yogurt, powdered sugar, etc.

I got this recipe from erin - and she might have gotten it from her friend gretchen. it's good stuff.

Dixie's Famous Kalua Pork

1/2 c. soy sauce

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed (I use minced because it's already like that in the jar)

2 T. chopped ginger (again, I'm lazy and I'm sure it's just crushed ginger)

Liquid smoke to taste

3-5 lbs. Boston butt or country ribs

Put meat in oven bag and cook at 350 degrees until over done. Drain the fat. Pull apart and toss with sauce. That's it.

Note: Notice that this is "Dixie's" kalua. That's why the directions are slightly vague (years of doing this help my mom, but not me). So here's what Chuck and I did tonight. We had about 6.5 lbs of fresh Boston Butt (bought at Sam's Club for $1.50/lb). Cook in oven bag at 350 degrees for about four hours. What my mom means by "over done" is that the meat should fall off the bone. It should NOT be tough at all. The meat at this point will be tasteless. And regarding the liquid smoke...it's a very very very small amount, like 1/4 of a capful. I add it to the sauce very last and will dip the meat in the sauce until I like the taste. This stuff is GREAT. Ask emily. And it easily serves a lot of people. General rule for how much to purchase: if bone-in, about 2/3 lb. per person. If boneless, then only 1/2 lb. per person.

Grape Salad

2 lbs. grapes (1/2 red, 1/2 green)
4 ounces sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar (best to use a little less than 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
sliced almonds (desired amount)
brown sugar (sprinkle on top)

1. Using an electric mixer mix the sour cream, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until smooth.
2. Add the almonds and stir until just mixed in.
3. Stir half the topping mixture through the grapes. Then repeat with the other half of the topping mixture.
4. Sprinkle the top with almonds and a hint of brown sugar.

Serves 4-6 people

Homemade Salsa (canned)

1/2 bushel tomatoes (about 24 lbs. or 45 large tomatoes)
20 Anaheim peppers
5 black jalapeno peppers
7 yellow banana peppers
5 green bell peppers
6 cloves garlic, pressed
3 Tbsp. oregano powder
2 cups sugar
6 large onions
1/2 cup salt
3 Tbsp. cumin

Scald tomatoes and peel. Cut up fine and place in large canning stock pot (or you can pulse quickly in a blender or food processor before adding to pot). Use food processor to chop all peppers until a nice, almost mashed, consistency (cut stem off and use the whole pepper, seeds and all). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil for 2-3 hours on stovetop, stirring often. Pour into pint jars, filling to within 1/4" from top. Process in steamer for 35 minutes. Makes about 18-21 pints.

NOTES: I don't currently have a canning steamer, so you can just pour the hot salsa into hot pint jars and turn them over after you have added the hot lids and rims. After they have sat for several hours or overnight, turn over and the lids should have sealed. The salsa has a shorter shelf-life this way, however, and is only recommended to last one year - so just be mindful of that (we're lucky to have this recipe last even half a year around here anyway!).

I should also note that right after you make this salsa, it is more of a medium hotness at first, but the longer it sits, the more mild it becomes. Even after we open a jar and refrigerate it, it becomes milder. So after the jars have sat for several months in the jars, they become "mild". This is our favorite salsa and we plan on growing a salsa garden every year just so we can make multiple batches of this each season!

Sweet Sausage Sauce & Pasta

Here's a recipe that we LOVE from my friend Heidi:

Sweet Sausage Suace & Pasta:
2 lbs. Italian sausage
2 medium sweet onions, chopped
2 medium sweet red peppers, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (29-oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5-oz.) cans Italian stewed tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (opt.)
1 1/2 lbs. bowtie pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, saute onions, peppers, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, brown sugar, and seasonings. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, process tomato mixture in batches until smooth. Return to pan. Add sausage and heat through. Gradually stir in cream. Cook and stir over low heat until ready to serve. Be mindful of cream in sauce - don't heat too high or for too long or it will curdle. Top pasta with sauce and sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

NOTES: This makes a very huge batch, so you can definitely half it if you don't want that much. I love that it makes so much and I just take about half of the sauce and freeze it for later (no noodles) and the rest lasts a couple meals for us to have right away. Todd loves that this sauce has a little kick to it. The other great part about it is that if you have kids that won't eat chunks of veggies in their sauce, they don't even know that this recipe has so much good stuff in it since it all gets blended together.

Pizza Rustica

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed (or breakfast sausage)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (10- ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped (I use ham)
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
Pastry Dough, recipe follows
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and sauté until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.

Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.

Roll out larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch spring form pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, and then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pastry Dough:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Food Network

Chicken Chilaquiles

2 c. shredded skinless chicken breast

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (with peppers, if desired), divided

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. chili powder

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

12 6-inch corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 c. Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk and next three ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Pour 1/3 c. tomatillo mixture into bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 corn tortillas in dish, and top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, ending with tortillas.

Pour remaining 1 1/2 c. tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining Jack cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Notes: I don't have an 11x7 dish, so I used an 8x8 and it worked fine. Because of that, I don't think 12 tortillas were necessary; I think I used 10, but could probably get away with 9. The tomatillas were found at a local Hispanic grocery store, but the green chiles were just at regular store. Everything else as stated.

Crepe Quiche Lorraine

2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
8 eggs
12 ounces milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
6 ounces cheddar, shredded
6 savory crepes, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small saute pan, melt the butter and sweat the onions until translucent. In a small bowl, mix the onions and crumbled bacon together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, and season with salt and pepper.

In a large, non-stick, 6-cup muffin tin, place one crepe into each cup. Make sure that the edges of the crepes are slightly pleated and overlap the edge of the tin slightly. Spoon the bacon and onion mixture into each cup. Distribute the cheese evenly into the cups. Pour the egg mixture into each cup so that all of the quiches are the same size. Place into a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the egg mixture is completely set.

Savory Crepes:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped herbs, spinach, or sun-dried tomatoes
Butter, for coating the pan

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients (excepting the butter for coating the pan) and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Erin's Famous Snickerdoodles

(I have to admit that I didn't invent this recipe, but everyone I know LOVES these cookies and I'm pretty much remembered by them. So I will now claim them for me.)

1 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cream of tartar

Cream shortening, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg. Add dry ingredients into cream mixture. Mix well and roll into balls. Roll in sugar (and cinnamon, if desired). Put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Yield: about 5 dozen "erin-sized" cookies (translation: SMALL cookies).

Sausage and Pepper Calzones

(Please don't judge this recipe by the picture. I know it's horrible.)

Dough:

2 3/4 c. flour, divided

1 c. warm water

1 package yeast (about 2 1/4 t.)

Dash of sugar

1 T. olive oil

3/4 t. kosher salt

Filling:

1 t. olive oil

2 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 2)

1 c. chopped onion (about 1)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. chicken apple sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3/4 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. no-salt-added tomato sauce

1/4 c. 2% low-fat cottage cheese

2 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

To prepare dough, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

To prepare filling, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cool slightly. Add mozzarella and remaining ingredients to sausage mixture; stir well.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup sausage mixture onto half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over filling; crimp edges of dough with fingers to seal. Place calzones on a large baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Pierce the tops of the dough once with a fork. Lightly coat the calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 14 or 40 minutes or until browned. (WHY the discrepancy? The magazine said 40, but online says 14. Ours were pretty tough, so maybe check them at 15 minutes, but don't hesitate to keep going.) Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Place 1 calzone on coated side of foil; seal. Repeat procedure with remaining calzones and cooking spray. Place calzones in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze.

To reheat, place foil-wrapped, frozen calzones on a large baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Notes from me: These were really good. Chuck and I both enjoyed them. Again, please ignore how not-so-appetizing the picture makes them appear, but what can you do? About the recipe, I have no idea what apple sausage is, but I used our regular Turkey sausage found at Giant. We used only one (because I didn't read) green (because I'm cheap) pepper. The whole process takes a bit of time, but again, they tasted great and now we have five calzones waiting for us in the freezer. I really love that!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Mix together first 4 ingredients and set aside.
Prepare fruit (measure fruit all the way to the top of a 4 cup measuring cup) and set aside.
In a small bowl mix remaining flour, sugar and butter. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter. Set aside.

Make crust or buy a pre-bought crust, For grandma's crust, mix 3 cups flour and 3/4 tsp. salt together. Cut in with a pastry blender 1 cup Crisco. Add 1/2 cup warm water and mix
only until pieces come together. Roll out and place in a deep dish pyrex pie pan.

Add fruit to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into pie crust and top with crumb topping.
Cut 3 pieces of foil and carefully cover edge of crust.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 35-40 minutes.
Cool about 20-30 minutes before serving.
TOTALLY YUMMY!!!!

Turkey Wraps With Herbed White Bean Spread

1 can (15 oz) white beans (such as navy or cannellini) rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp. dried
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 large (10-12 inch) flour tortillas
3/4 # thinly sliced roast turkey breast
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 oz. shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup arugula or baby spinach leaves
Chips (optional)

Combine beans, oil, juice, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides, for bean spread. (Can be made ahead. Cover and chill up to 2 days.)

Spread bean spread on one side of each tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Arrange turkey down center of each tortilla; layer with tomato, onion, cheese and arugula. Starting at one end, tightly roll each tortillas and place, seam side down, on a serving plate. Cut crosswise in half and serve with chips, if desired.

*We had this last night and it was sooooo easy and yummy. Enjoy!!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Line a broiling pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.
4. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Shoepeg Salsa

2 chopped tomatoes

1 chopped zucchini

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1/2 c. picante salsa

1 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

3/4 t. garlic

1/2 t. cumin

Mix everything together and chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge.

Note: I love this so much that I can eat it like it's gazpacho! Yum, yum.

Turkey Mini Meat Loaves

1 c. chopped onion
6 T. dry breadcrumbs
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. black pepper
1 lb. turkey breast
2 egg whites
6 T. ketchup, divided
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Combine onion, breadcrumbs, and next 7 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl. Stir in 4 tablespoons ketchup. Spoon about 1 cup meat mixture into each of 6 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl. Brush ketchup mixture over meat loaf tops. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.

Chuck and I really liked these! I had never before made meat loaf and Chuck had never before eaten it! We fed these to the missionaries and they seemed to like them as well. I'm sure you could easily substitute ground beef for the ground turkey. Nutritional info: 142 calories and 1.5g of fat per meat loaf.

Potato Chip Chicken

I am posting this recipe at the request of NCKuhn! What an honor to have a recipe requested!

There are really no exact measurements for this recipe, but it is sooo easy and always a crowd pleaser. It's easy to make as chicken strips too.

Chicken Breasts (as many for those eating)
Crushed potato chips (I use plain, but I am sure any flavor would be tasty, just omit the garlic powder)
Melted butter
Garlic Powder (not garlic salt because it is way way way too salty with the chips)

Place each chicken breast in the bowl of chips and generously coat on both sides. Place chicken in casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until chips are golden brown.

Easiest Alfredo Ever - and it's light!

1 8oz. Block of light Cream Cheese
1 Can of light Chicken Broth
1 Cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Powder to taste

Bring Chicken broth to medium heat (not boiling.)
Add Parmesan and let it melt.
Add cream cheese
Stir until all is dissolved and texture is smooth and consistent.
Add Garlic powder to taste.

Note. Take your time melting the Parmesan into the broth before adding other ingredients. Otherwise it can turn out kind of gritty. Still tastes great, but just not as smooth.
Also, we never make it light, but you could. Maybe one day we will.

Thai Chicken Pizza

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about two small-ish breasts)
1/2 c. Simply Enjoy ginger sesame salad dressing
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
pizza crust (we always use this recipe, but can use store-bought stuff as well)
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Brush each piece of chicken with one teaspoon dressing. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Grill until cooked thoroughly. (We use the Foreman, of course, but you could do on outdoor grill or on grill pan.) Cut into 1/2-inch strips. In medium saucepan set over low heat, combine remaining ginger dressing, onions, carrots, pepper flakes, and chicken. Once warmed, top on pizza and then sprinkle with desired amount of cheese (we didn't use much). Bake in pre-heated oven (on pizza stone if you have one) for 7 minutes.

I included the picture of the dressing so you know what you're looking for. We used about half of the bottle, so will have more when we do this again! This was available at our local Giant, but I'm sure there are substitutes that could easily be made.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Brownie Crust:

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/8 tsp. baking powder

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" springform pan. Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave; cool. Blend flour and baking powder in bowl. In mixer, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy (about 4 min.) Scrape sides and add in melted chocolate, vanilla, and chopped chocolate. Add dry ingredients until just blended. Spread 1 cup brownie batter over bottom of pan. Bake 17-19 minutes, until firm. Cool in freezer for 15 minutes.

Filling:

1 1/2 pkg. (12-oz.) cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Blend cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and sour cream; mix until smooth. Add peanut butter until smooth. Using a small knife, spread remaining brownie batter around sides of pan, sealing to baked crust. Pour in filling - it won't be as high as brownie batter. Bake for 30 minutes, until center is set and sides have fallen to form 1" ring around filling.

Topping:

3/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

Blend together and spread to 3/4" of edge. Bake for 1 more minute. While hot, set on a rack and with small sharp knife, go around edge of top only to loosen. Cool. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides and decorate with peanut butter piped through pastry bag; drizzle semisweet chocolate, as desired.

Invitation

It has recently come to my attention that some people I know DO NOT read this blog. That is the bad news. BUT it has also recently come to my attention that some people I don't even know DO read this blog. That is the very good news! For those of you who just stumbled upon us through other blogs or just word of mouth (we're very hot in Japan right now), if you want to join our little recipe-sharing community, let me know and I will hook you up. We always welcome new contributors. Simply email me at erinmalia at gmail dot com. Blogging is quite easy and no serious commitment is necessary. We won't put your name on any crazy distribution list (you probably have enough Viagra anyway, although, can you really have enough of that stuff?!) and you don't have to disclose anything that you don't want. Nor do you have to have your own blog to do this. You simply need an invite from me and a user name.

Or if you'd rather not be a blog author, that's fine too. Just come back and read and drool. We certainly do!

Chicken Lasagna Alfredo

A couple of things: If you want it like traditional lasagna, use lasagna noodles. I just really like the bow tie. It makes a lot of food. If you are a smaller family, you might want to prepare it in two pans and freeze one before cooking.

This meal is seriously one of our favorites. Tons of flavor!

16 oz bow tie pasta
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce (or buy the dry packet and prepare it-it makes 8 oz, I just add another cup of milk)
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts in water (don't get the ones in a marinade), drained and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 cups shredded mozz. cheese
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves, about 4 oz. (I don't really measure this, I just use the whole bag)
oven 375

Cook pasta using shortest cook time; drain and set aside.

Combine Alfredo sauce, additional milk, and oregano. whisk until blended and set aside.

Chop artichokes, and combine with chicken, onion, garlic, and both cheeses. Mix well.
Spread 2/3 cup Alfredo sauce over bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with half of the noodles, layer half the spinach over the noodles; top with half the chicken mixture. Repeat the layers starting with half of the remaining sauce. After layering, pour remaining sauce over top of casserole.

Cover pan with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more.
Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Shrimp and King Crab Fettuccine with Olives and Artichokes

4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion
1 pound raw headless shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup chicken broth
8 ounces king crab meat, chopped
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup sliced green olives (optional)
1 2 1/4-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add garlic, shallot, shrimp, oregano and garlic powder. Sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in crab, artichokes and olives and heat through.
3. Toss with fettuccine. Garnish with parmesan and parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings.

A New Label - Tips

So I haven't posted any recipes lately because I've been busy trying all the new ones from the site. I seriously love this and am so glad so many people post all sorts of different recipes - it's great!

But I thought we could have another label of "tips." Random tips that anybody has for anything. So I'll go first:

Tip #1 - For a lot of my bakings that include chocolate (cookies, cakes, even icing) I like to substitute almond flavoring for vanilla. Of course some things this wouldn't work, but I really like the flavor of chocolate and almond. YUM.

Tip #2 - When making more than 1 loaf of bread, I keep one loaf out to eat in the next couple of days. If I have any more than that, I slice up the loaf/loaves and stick it in the freezer - that way it is ready to go for toast, sandwiches, etc., without having to get a whole loaf out. Also, I really like ot make mini-loaves for the kids. The slices are the perfect sizes for toast and sandwiches.

There ya go!

Blueberries with Muffin

Muffins:
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. skim milk
2 egg whites
1 1/2 c. blueberries (if frozen, don't thaw)

Topping:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. skim milk
2 T. flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, egg whites, and milk. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet in two additions until well moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter between 6 jumbo muffin tins (that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray). Fill each tin about 2/3 full.

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients and mix well with a fork. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins and very gently press down with your fingertips (just enough to get the topping to adhere to the batter). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them the tin. (I don't have jumbo muffin tins, so I just did regular. I got 15 muffins.)

Note from erin: I posted these here not because they're the greatest muffins out there, but because they are super low-calorie and no-fat (0 grams of fat and 90 calories per muffin, to be specific). But given those (usually taste-restricting) qualities, they're actually pretty good! You can see from the picture that I didn't do the topping. This is simply because I am HORRIBLE at crumb toppings. Just horrible. But I'm sure they would be really great with it. And I named them "blueberries with muffin" because Chuck and I really thought there was a LOT of blueberries in here. So if you like blueberries, then great! If not, reduce blueberries to probably 1 cup.

Indian Chicken Curry

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
cloves to taste
salt to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - bite-size pieces
3-4 small red potatoes - small cubes so they will cook through
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt
1-2 cans coconut milk (depends on how spicy you like it and the consistency you prefer)
1/2 lemon, juiced
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (depends on how spicy you like it)
Mango or Pinapple chuncks (desired amount, I just eyeball it)
Jasmine or Basmati rice

DIRECTIONS: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar, cloves and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, potato cubes, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice, mangos or pineapple and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice. Can also be served with Naan bread. YUMMY!

Chicken and Black Bean Taquitos

Makes 20 taquitos

Taquitos:
1/2 pound diced skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 or 1 1/2 breasts)
1 c. (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I use half of a can, not half cup)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, undrained
10 8-inch flour tortillas

Adobo sour cream:
1 c. reduced-fat sour cream (or fat-free)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 t. minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

Cook the chicken (can do on the Foreman or just boil it) and then dice it. Place chicken in a food processor. Add cheese, beans, and green chiles; pulse 15-20 times or until beans are coarsely chopped.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons chicken mixture across the lower third of each tortilla; roll up. Cut each tortilla in half; secure with toothpick. Place taquitos in a large zip-loc bag; freeze up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen taquitos on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes; turn taquitos, and coat with cooking spray. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden.

To prepare adobo sour cream, combine sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle chile. Stir well.

Per taquito: 125 calories and 4 grams of fat. Takes about 40 minutes to prepare. Chuck and I love these! They're so nice to have on hand because they're already done and just need to be baked. I don't make the adobo sour cream, but just dip them in plain sour cream, although I'm sure it would be great with the chiles added.

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

1 c. plus 2 T. ketchup

1 c. water

1/3 c. cider vinegar

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 T. onion powder

1 T. chili powder

1 T. ground black pepper

1 1/2 T. molasses

3/4 t. ground celery seed

1/2 t. smoked salt

teeny bit liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Chuck and I used this recipe for two meals. For the first meal, we simply grilled two chicken breasts, smothered in the sauce, on the Foreman grill. For the second meal, we cooked two chicken breasts (without sauce) on the Foreman grill, shredded the chicken, and then took the chicken and put it into the sauce, and then ate on buns. The sauce is really good! We didn't use the smoked salt (cuz what the heck is it!?), but instead used regular salt and the TINIEST bit (like one drop) of liquid smoke.