Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS:
48 oz Cottage cheese
1 small package strawberry jello
1 tub (16oz) whipped cream
Strawberries, cut into slices

Add the cottage cheese and strawberry jello into a bowl, mix well.  Fold the whipped cream into your mix, and add strawberries.  Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Mexican Tuna Salad (Ensalada de Atun)

This salad is super fast and easy! Perfect to eat on a tostada, toast, or just scoop it with chips.

INGREDIENTS:
2 small cans of tuna
2 romaine hearts (iceburg lettuce is fine too), finely shredded
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2-3 tomatoes, finely diced
2-4 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
1 can of corn, drained
mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Start off by draining the liquid from the tuna and place tuna in a bowl.  Separate tuna chunks with a fork.  Add the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn, salt and pepper.  Add enough mayonnaise to your liking.  Enjoy!

Garlic Herb Potato Wedges with Copy Cat Chick Fil A sauce

I found this recipe a couple of years ago on Pinterest and gave it a try.  Since that very first day, it has become one of our favorite ways to bake potatoes.  Recipe courtesy of "About Food."  

Don't forget to pair it with this amazing copy cat chick fil a sauce (one of our favorite places to eat when on the road).  The recipe is easy, fast and delicious!

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATOES:

• 4-6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed fine
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cut each potato into 4 equally sized long wedges.  Place in a bowl and incorporate the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well to make sure all potato wedges are covered.

Place potatoes (skin side down) on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Bake for 35 minutes at  425 degrees farenheit.  Enjoy!

Copy Cat Chick Fil A Sauce

2 tbsp bbq sauce
4 tbsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp mustard, prepared

Whisk all ingredients together and enjoy!

Granola

Here is another delicious recipe from our family cookbook, homemade granola. I've been enjoying this over a bowl of fruit and yogurt and it's so yummy. My husband is really bad at eating breakfast and he also hates cereal, yet he's been eating this granola with milk a few mornings in a row. I'm telling you is good!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey
5 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c dry milk
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 c coconut

Mix sugar, oil, and honey in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Combine dry ingredients in a large cake pan. Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture and mix well. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes. Let cool in pan. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!!!

Crunchy Asian Pasta Salad

1	box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix (We have liked the Greek flavor the best, if you can find it... I have also used off brands)
1	package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
3	tablespoons sugar
3	tablespoons vegetable oil
2	tablespoons white vinegar
2	tablespoons water
1	tablespoon soy sauce
3	cups coleslaw mix
1	cup snow pea pods, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2	cup sliced almonds, toasted
1	can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained (I leave these out & add sliced black olives) Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta mix and soup mix, sugar, oil, vinegar, water and soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from soup mix; stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Spinach Salad

Delicious salad!

Sorry about the picture but I remembered to take it when the salad was almost gone.

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INGREDIENTS:

1/2 gallon chopped spinach

1 c sliced fresh mushrooms

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 c grated cheese (Swiss, Mozzarella, or Monterrey Jack)

2 small cans of mandarin orange slices

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Sugared Almonds:

1/2 c sliced almonds

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

Blend sugar and melted butter well. Coat almonds and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. When lightly browned remove from oven, loosen with a metal spatula and let cool completely.

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Place salad greens in a serving bowl and top with mushrooms, bacon, cheese, mandarin oranges and nuts. Serve with poppy seed dressing. Enjoy!

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Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/2 c white vinegar

2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c sugar

1 tbsp grated onion

1 tbsp prepared mustard

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Blend all ingredients but oil until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add oil, whisking it into dressing.

Guacamole

INGREDIENTS:

5 avocados

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, finely diced

fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 limes, juiced

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

salt

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Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds (place the seeds in the bowl you'll use). Using a knife cut the inside of the avocados in squares and then scoop out using a spoon and place in bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Perfect side for many Mexican dishes or serve with chips as an appetizer. Enjoy!

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Note: My mom always taught me to keep the seeds from the avocados in the guacamole because along with the lime juice, it will help it from going brown too quick. Also, it really is up to you how much onion, tomato, cilantro, and jalapeno you want to use. Make it to your liking.

Twice Baked Potatoes

A favorite family side dish!

INGREDIENTS:

Large russet potatoes

bacon, cooked and crumbled

Sausage, cooked

Green onions, sliced/chopped

Mild cheddar cheese

Milk

Butter

Sour cream

Salt

Pepper

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Note: I didn't specify amounts because it really depends on your taste. You decide how much you want of each ingredient (if it was up to my husband they would have a TON of sausage and bacon).

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Wash potatoes, cover them with aluminum foil and bake. When potatoes are ready, remove the foil and cut an opening on each potato. You then take a spoon and scoop out as much baked potato as possible, place the potato filling in a bowl. Make sure you leave some close to the skin or the skin will collapse. You want the potatos to keep their shape, like in the picture below.

You can also just cut the potatoes in half (easier) and remove the filling, again, leave some along the skin. Once you have scooped all the potato filling and it's ready in a bowl, proceed to add butter, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix well, you want the potatoes to be creamy. When the potatoes are ready, add the sausage, bacon and green onions and mix well.

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Stuff the potato shells with the filling you just made. Be generous, because you will have a lot of filling. Top with cheese and return back to the oven. Bake at 350 degrees farenheit for about 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Also, if you'd rather just put the potatoes on a baking dish, you can do that as well, that's what I did with all the extra.

Mushroom Risotto

This recipe is adapted from my Kitchen Aid Cookbook. Even if you don't like mushrooms, it will still be good if you omit the mushrooms. (I can't imaging why ANYONE wouldn't want mushrooms, but just throwing it out there...)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (use a variety of mushrooms, portabello, white, shiitake, which ever ones are available in your local store)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup risotto (Risotto is an Italian rice, I made it twice, once with Risotto and once with white rice and both were good)
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
Opional: Cut Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Saute onion and mushroom in 1 Tbsp oil and 2 Tbsp butter in saucepan. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil to saucepan and add rice. Toss rice to completely coat with butter/oil mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the edges of rice become translucent. Add broth and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 min. Rice should be soft. Add mushrooms and onion. Add Parmesan cheese and cream, mixing well until cheese is melted and absorbed. Toss in a few tablespoons of fresh parsley if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Arroz Blanco Mexicano (Mom's White Rice)

There have been a lot of requests for this rice and I finally remembered to post it.

My mom is an AMAZING cook, so just with that...you've got to try this rice...it's delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1 c uncooked white rice

1/4 c chopped onion

3-4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 c water

1/4 c milk

salt to taste

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1/2 chopped poblano pepper or green pepper (optional)

shredded mozzarella/Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

In a saucepan saute onions and garlic with butter. Add rice and continue stirring to toast the rice. Note: When you first add the rice to the sauteed butter, you will notice that the rice will look somewhat clear. You will know the rice is ready for the rest of the ingredients when it gets solid white or cream color, about 3-5 minutes depending on the heat. You do not want to brown the rice.

When rice is toasted, add the water, milk, salt, and chicken bouillon, mix well and cover. Cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes. About five minutes before rice is cooked, add the chopped pepper and cheese on top.

Note: This time I added Colby Jack cheese on the top and it turned out just as good.

Chicken Tenders w/ Wanna-be Winger's Amazing Sauce

For those of you who have never been to Winger's Restaurant, let me tell you that you are missing out. Their Amazing sauce is delicious! Specially on chicken fingers. My husband and I were just there last week and I told him that I really wanted to learn how to make the sauce and I was going to figure it out. Lucky for me, I didn't have to experiment much as someone had already come up with the perfect copy-cat recipe! Anyway, I found the sauce recipe on a site called "Favorite Family Recipes" (I'll put a link on the side of this blog), and it really tastes just like the sauce from the restaurant! Amazing!!!!

I believe the chicken fingers from the restaurant are fried so I wanted to do a healthier version and decided to find a recipe that is baked. After much searching, I found a perfect, and super easy recipe from Rachael Ray's Show.

I made this for dinner last night and it turned out delicious, hope you enjoy it!

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp Franks RedHot Original Sauce

2 Tbsp water

3/4 c brown sugar

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Heat all of the ingredients in a saucepan until all the sugar is dissolved, it will have the consistency of syrup. Anyway, I actually doubled the recipe because I didn't think it would make enough. I'm glad I did, and ended up with about a cup of sauce. We had enough to coat the chicken and also some more for dipping.

Chicken Tenders:

1 1/2 lbs chicken

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c milk

1 c flour

2 c bread crumbs (mine were Italian-seasoned, but they don't have to be seasoned)
Salt and pepper

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You can buy the chicken tenders or just use boneless chicken breasts cut into thin strips (this is what I did). You will need three shallow dishes. In one you will mix the eggs and milk, in another place the bread crumbs and in the third the flour with some salt and pepper to season.

You need to season the chicken with some salt and pepper, then coat the chicken with the flour (remove any excess), then dip in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Place the chicken tenders on a baking pan or cookie sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil (See picture below). Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

When chicken tenders are done, dip them in the amazing sauce until they are completely covered. I accompanied this meal with some steamed rice, steamed broccoli, and a baked potato. You could just make the chicken tenders or wings as an appetizer on their own.

p.s. The rice tastes super good with a little bit of sauce over it.

Homemade Scallop Potatoes

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

4 Cups Sliced Potatoes
2 Tbs Flour
1 Tsp Salt
1/8 Tsp Pepper
3 Tbs Butter
2 Cups Milk (warm)
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese

Butter a 2 quart dish.

In a bowl combine flour, salt and pepper.

Place 1/3 potatoes into dish. Sprinkle 1/2 flour mixture over potatoes, repeat with another layer of potatoes and flour mix and top with remaining potatoes.

Dot with butter then pour warm milk over potatoes. Cover and bake 45 minutes.

Uncover sprinkle cheese over top, return to oven and bake, for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and cheese has melted.

Sweet Potato (Yam) Casserole

Filling:
4 Beauregard Sweet Potatoes
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt.
2 eggs

Topping:
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour


Cooking instructions:

Peal sweet potatoes, steam or bake until soft. Mash potatoes and mix in remaining filling ingredients. Place in casserole dish.

Meaure topping ingredients in Ziploc bag (butter must be melted). Shake well to combine.
Add to casserole top and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

4-5 lbs broccoli
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
6 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Optional: 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1 Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks.
2 Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets.
3 Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
4 Toss the garlic over the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
5 Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
6 Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 11/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Roasted Summer Veggies

Ingredients:

2 medium-large potatoes
yellow squash
zuchinni
2 c peppers (you can use a variety or just green if you don't have red and yellow peppers),
1 c tomatoes, cut in long thin pieces like the peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter, cut into tiny pieces
Ground black pepper to taste

Prick the potatoes (unpeeled) and cook them in the microwave for 3 minutes on high. Cut them into thin slices when done. Cut the yellow squash and zuchinni into thin slices as well.

Grease your baking dish and layer your veggies beginning with the potatoes. Then add slices of yellow squash, zuchini, peppers, and tomatoes. add some of the oregano, salt, black pepper and cheese. Repeat the layers and top with the small pieces of butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes (until veggies are tender). Bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered to brown them a bit.

This is what your dish will look like before baking.

Roasted Potatoes

This is my simple way of roasting potatoes and they turn out pretty tasty.

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Ingredients:

red potatoes

ranch salad dressing

olive oil

salt

pepper

dry parsley flakes

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Cut potatoes in large chunks (I cut mine in 4-6 pieces depending on the size of the potato) and place in baking dish. Add ranch dressing, very little olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley flakes and coat potatoes well. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 385 for about 20 minutes or until they are starting to get tender. Bake an additional 10 minutes without the foil to brown.

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