Pasta with a Honey Mustard Dressing

We are not big cold pasta fans but this recipe has changed our minds and will become part of our regular summer dinner rotation.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Your choice of pasta noodles
2 chicken breasts
1 avocado

While the noodles cook, grill or saute the chicken after you've cut it in bite-sized pieces.  Drain the pasta, add the chicken, and the diced avocado.  Chill in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

Dressing:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of mustard
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

In a small bow, whisk together the mayonnaise , mustard, honey, and lemon juice.  Pour over the pasta salad, mix well, and serve.

Vodka Sauce Pasta

I received this recipe from Pamela at Our Love Nest when I asked for some new recipes on Twitter.  We are in a food rut and needed some new ideas.  I made this last night and its an instant hit!  It'll now be part of our regular dinner rotation.  Enjoy!

2 tbsp of butter
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 qt of heavy cream
2 cups of marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese
Shot of Vodka (I was assured that this recipe could be made without it.)
Parsley

Brown the garlic in butter in a sauce pan.  Before the garlic gets too brown, add heavy cream and shot of Vodka.  Stir well, then add 6 tbsp of parmesan cheese and stir.  Then add marinara and a few pinches of parsley, and bring to simmer.  (Pamela's note:  If the sauce is too thin, add more parmesan cheese.  If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.)

Prepare 2 pounds of penne pasta.  Drain pasta and pour into baking dish.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix together.  Top the dish with more parmesan cheese and parsley.  Bake at 300-degrees for 15 minutes.  Serve.

Christmas Dinner: Sweetheart Salad

This is the perfect holiday salad. It's especially perfect for Christmas because it has so much red and green in it. It's beautiful, but also very tasty.

I got the original recipe from Taste of Home, but I also made a several changes.


Taste Of Home's Recipe:

Ingredients
3 cups spring mix salad greens
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
2 tablespoons honey-roasted sliced almonds


Directions
Divide salad greens and cranberries between two salad plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with almonds.

Serves: 2.
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Here is the recipe with the changes we made to it:

Ingredients:
Two bags of spring mix salad greens
Half of a 6 oz. bag of dried cranberries
Balsamic vinaigrette, to taste
1/2 cup of sliced almonds, candied

Directions
To candy almonds, put about 1/4 cup of sugar in skillet and heat over medium to medium high heat. Stir the sugar constantly until it begins to melt. Do NOT try to rush this! The sugar will start to form hard rocks first, then it will slowly begin to melt into a caramel-colored liquid.
When sugar is melted, add the almonds. Stir until all of the nuts are coated with caramelized sugar. Pour almonds onto a cookie sheet, aluminum foil, or waxed paper. Cool 10 minutes and break into small pieces.



Pour both bags of salad greens into a large bowl. Add dried cranberries and candied almonds. Add balsamic vinaigrette to taste. Toss and serve.

Serves: 6





Do share your favorite Christmas dinner dish!

Grammie's Green Bean Casserole

1 cup cracker crumbs
1 lb. can tomatoes
3 tbsp flour
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 can green beans
2 tsp. butter

Sprinkle 1/2 crumbs on bottom of buttered 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Drain juice from tomatoes, blend flour in juice. Stir in soup, sour cream, salt, onion, pepper and bacon. Alternate layers of drained beans, tomatoes and sauce in casserole. Sprinkle with remained crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350-degrees.

Broccoli and Garlic Pasta

1 Package linguine
1 lb. Broccoli
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 Cup chicken broth
1/4 Cup Parsley
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Cook Linguine, rinse broccoli and cut into 2 pieces.
In a large skillet, saute a garlic in oil for one minute.
Add broccoli, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup broth. Bring to Boil.
Reduce heat, cover and cook 3-5 minutes until broccoli is tender.
Drain linguine, add to pan. Stir in parsely and remaining broth. Sprinkle with cheese.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people

Homemade Fettucini Alfredo

This is definitely not the most healthy meal, but it's oh so delicious!

1 Package Fettucini Noodles
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter or Margarine
1 Cup Heavy Cream (May use Half and Half instead)
1 1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. Parsley Flakes

Cook fettucini noodles until tender; Drain.

While noodles are hot, add 1 stick of butter (cut up), cream, parmesan cheese, and parsley flakes. Toss together well; serve.

***To make into a MAIN DISH: Add cooked chicken breasts cut up into bite-size pieces OR cooked shrimp. May also add broccoli for an all-in-one dish meal.

Serves:4-6

Pasta and Crab Salad

1 Package Rainbow Colored Twisted Curl Pasta
1 Package Mock Crab Meat, cut into bite size pieces
1 Can Sliced Black Olives
2-3 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1 Bottle of Caesar Salad Dressing (NOT creamy)
Dill Weed, Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta; Drain. Combine all ingredients.

Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Serves: 8-10

Chinese Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
1/2 cup almonds and sesame seeds, roasted
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, pepper

In large bowl, combine lettuce, green onions, and celery.

Roast sliced almonds and sesame seeds until browned; add to salad.

Combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, salt, and pepper in bowl. Mix well.

Pour over salad. Toss and serve.

Layered Bacon Salad

**Make this salad the night before.**

In a large bowl, layer the following:

1 head of lettuce, torn in bite-size pieces
1 small head of cauliflower, cut in bite-size pieces
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, crisply fried and crumbled
1/2 cup parmesean cheese - sprinkle over bacon

Cover with Best Foods mayonnaise (2 cups or small bottle), spread over bacon and cheese.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over mayonnaise.

Keep in layers in bowl and cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Right before serving, pour 1 lb can of cashews over the top. Toss and serve.

Grammie's Bacon Salad

One of our family's favorite salads. Mom always has to double the recipe to prevent fights at the dinner table. I know that this salad saw me through severe pregnancy cravings.

1-2 heads of green leaf lettuce
1/2 red onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound bacon
Vinegar to taste

Wash lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces into bowl. Add chopped onion, salt, and pepper.

Slice bacon and brown in saucepan; save grease. Add vinegar to saucepan and warm bacon.

Pour over salad while bacon is still warm. Toss and serve.

Cheese Potatoes

A VERY favorite of the family's:

1 Pkg. (24 oz) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 Cup butter, melted
1 Tsp. salt
2 Cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Cups Crushed Corn Flakes
1/4 Cup Butter, Melted

Combine first 7 ingredients, mix well.
Place in a large greased casserole dish (9x13 pan)
Combine corn flake crumbs and the other 1/4 cup melted butter
Top the Potato mixture with the crumbs
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, uncovered, until it bubbles.