Monday, August 16, 2010

Fruit and Nut Salad


***** 5 Stars
This salad looks beautiful and tastes even better!!

adapted slightly from Amy Bench (from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

1 bunch green leaf lettuce, chopped (I used two bags of prechopped Romaine lettuce)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 cups red grapes, halved
2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 of a white onion
1 bag Dried Cherry, Cranberry and Pecan Salad Pizazz (I found mine at Super Target by the bagged salad)
1 bottle Brianna’s Poppy seed or Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (sometimes we do half of each)
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta (optional)
salt and pepper

Boil chicken with salt, pepper, and onion. Once cooled, cube chicken. Put everything in a large bowl. Toss with dressing right before serving. Serves 15-20 people.

Recipe Notes:
1) You may not need the whole bottle of dressing.
2) If you can't find the Salad Pizzaz you can use 1/2 cup of cranberrries and a half cup of pecans.
3) If you want to carmelize your own pecans do the following: In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup sugar until melted. It will eventually melt if you just turn up the heat and wait. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and then toss in the pecans and keep stirring until they are coated. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.

Italian Mac & Cheese


***** 5 STARS

originally produced by Rachael Ray

Ian found this recipe on line and requested it for his b-day dinner. EVERYONE loved it! I will definitely put this on our list of dinners to make OFTEN!

Ingredients
1 pound ziti rigate, penne rigate or cavatappi (ribbed, hollow corkscrews)
1 pound Italian bulk sweet sausage
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
12 crimini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 (10-ounce) sack, 2 1/2 cups, shredded Italian 4 cheese blend, available on dairy aisle
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco), optional
1/2 cup Parmesan, a couple of handfuls
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and cook pasta to a chewy al dente, about 8 minutes.

In a nonstick skillet, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain cooked crumbles on paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, butter, garlic and mushrooms. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Saute 3 to 5 minutes, until mushrooms are lightly golden.

Preheat broiler to high.

To mushrooms, add flour and stir, cooking 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, then stir in cream. Bring cream to a bubble, then stir in 2 cups of 4 cheese blend. When cheese has melted into sauce, add tomatoes. When sauce comes to a bubble, remove from heat and adjust seasonings, adding hot sauce if desired.

Combine cheese sauce with sausage and pasta, transfer to baking dish, casserole or oven safe serving platter. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of 4 cheese blend and the grated Parmesan over the top and brown under hot broiler.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Fiesta Chicken


Vanessa's Rating on this recipe (out of 5 stars)
Taste *****
Visually Pleasing ** (kind of hard to get past the pink color)
Ease of Recipe *****

The color of the Fiesta Chicken is strange because of the combination of red salsa and white cream cheese, but if you can get past that -- the taste is FABULOUS!! Great for a busy night.

Fiesta Chicken
found on RecipeZaar


4 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Take 4 frozen, yes, frozen (or thawed), boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained. Keep in crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Once it is cooked, take it out and shred it. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot.

Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. It may look at little strange at this point. Don't worry. Stir in the cream cheese.

Serve over rice or in warm flour tortillas.

Sugar Cookie Bars


Vanessa's Rating on this recipe (out of 5 stars)
Visually Pleasing ****
Taste *****
Ease of Recipe *****

This is going to be my new "go to" recipe for sugar cookies! The frosting is DIVINE! I used 1/2 tsp. almond extract and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. FABULOUS!!
Sugar Cookie Bars
Source: BreeAnn Fankhauser

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean (they won't look done so do the toothpick test). Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened
1 tsp vanilla (I used almond extract for half of the frosting)
¼ tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. You may not need all the milk! Spread over cooled cookie bars.