Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. chicken broth

1 small onion, diced

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. butter

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp *

1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese *

2 1/2 to 3 c. chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli **

* When I went to put the cheese in the soup, I realized that I only had a half cup of cheddar left! So, I improvised! I threw in the 1/2 c. of cheddar and then made the other 1 1/2 c. of cheese parts of Provolone (not Swiss, never Swiss!), Parmesan, and mozzarella.

** Totally forgot to chop my broccoli, but it turned out fine.

Recipe:

1. Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft.

2. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes.

3. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then whisk in warmed milk.

4. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Add warmed chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended.

5. Add cheeses and stir until completely melted.

6. Stir in steamed broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

7. Serve immediately in bowls or bread bowls.

Rating: 4 of 5

Since I changed the quota of cheeses, I'm not sure what this is supposed to taste like. But, since this was sooo good with my mix-ups, I can only imagine the real thing is delicious too! That being said, I do love a good broccoli and cheese soup. Anyways, this soup is thick and creamy. But, not so thick that it's like eating mashed potatoes. The base is so good in this soup, that if you don't like broccoli, then I'm thinkin' you could switch it out for your favorite vegetable or any combination of vegetables.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Broccoli Cheese Soup

Baked Oven Fries

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges

5 T. vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided

3/4 t. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.

2. Put 4 T. of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil. Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels.

4. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 T. of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate the pan at 10 minutes into cooking.

6. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, about 5-15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

7. When the fires are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with addition salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Rating: 4 of 5

I actually burned our a little and still thought they were delicious! Love how they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Delicious with ranch. When the wedges were ready to come out of the oven, I sprinkled half with salt and the other half with garlic powder. Yum! Now when Dans gets his french fry craving I can just make them at home!

Source: Annie's Eats, Baked Oven Fries

Ravioli Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 c. water

2 28-oz can crushed tomatoes *

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. minced parsley, fresh **

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 t. dried basil

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. onion salt ***

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. dried thyme

1 9-oz pkg refrigerated cheese ravioli ****

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

additional minced fresh parsley, optional

* I only had diced tomatoes on hand

** I only had dried on hand

*** I didn't have any onion salt, so I used onion powder

****We only had the frozen kind, so I just cooked it before hand according to the directions

Recipe:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the water, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, parsley, garlic, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Add to soup and heat through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This is NOT a soup. The recipe might claim to be a soup, but in reality, it turns out to be a thick and delicious meat sauce. The next time I make this I'll definitely be serving it as the sauce and put it with spaghetti noodles. I'll also cut back on the oregano and thyme. I thought those tastes were a bit too overpowering.

Source: TasteofHome.com, Ravioli Soup

Homemade Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Ingredients:

For bread dough:

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 t. yeast

4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. sugar

1 T. salt

For topping:

1/2 c. butter

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. salt

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Mixture should be frothy.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

3. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer of wooden spoon until fully combined.

4. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do no overknead.

5. Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. (You should have somewhere near a dozen or so.)

6. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.

7. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the ingredients for the topping (butter, garlic powder, salt).

8. After bread sticks have cooked for about 6-7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture.

9. Continue to bake the bread for another 6-7 minutes, or until golden.

10. When done cooking immediately brush the other half of the butter on the sticks. Serve and enjoy!

Rating: 4 of 5

So, these bread sticks are not an exact copy of Olive Garden's bread sticks. But, when served with the right kind of Alfredo sauce they get pretty darn close. One thing that I am going to change is the rise time. I think there should probably be two different chunks of rise time. Like, 1 hour, shape the bread and another 45 minutes. The bread is really soft but compared to Olive Garden's bread sticks they are pretty thick and feel heavy. Other than that, though, they are good!

Source: Full Bellies. Happy Kids., Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Chicken Gyros

Ingredients:

For the tzatziki sauce: *

16 oz. plain yogurt

1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)

1 t. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

squeeze of fresh lemon juice **

extra virgin olive oil

*I halved it.

** not sure exactly how much this means, so I did almost one whole lemon

For the chicken: (didn't halve this)

4 cloves garlic, smashed *

1 lemon, juice of

2 t. red wine vinegar

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping T. plain yogurt

1 T dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed **

*I just used minced garlic

** I used 3 chicken breasts

To assemble:

pita bread

fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

red onion, thinly sliced

Recipe:

1. To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. If using a Greek yogurt, then staining the yogurt like this is unnecessary.*

2. Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible.

3. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

* I actually skipped this step and just took the yogurt from the top of the container. All the moisture was in a pool in the middle anyways.

5. To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken peices to the bowl and mix well to coat.

6. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

7. Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

8. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Rating: 4 of 5

I've only ever had Greek food, or more specifically gyros, a few times in my life. And I love it. The flavors seem so exotic, but a safe exotic. I thought the tzatziki sauce was right on (well, except for maybe there is just a tad bit too much red wine vinegar), the chicken was delicious, and the warm pitas were perfect. I left out the red onions, because I really don't care for raw onions. Ever. If I could find a recipe that replicates Daphne's lamb gyro exactly, then that would be amazing! Overall, a very good dish.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Chicken Gyros

Black and Blue

Ingredients:

3/4 c. blackberries, generous

1 scant c. blueberries

scant 1/2 c. ice cold water

2/3 c. plain yogurt

Recipe:

1. Put the blackberries, blueberries, water, and yogurt into blender and process until smooth.

2. Pour into glasses and serve.

Rating: 3 of 5

Like I've said before, I'm still adjusting to the non-sugar shakes. This one is pretty bitter at first, but after a few swallows it doesn't stick out as much. I love the blackberries. I think it's the blueberries that are so bitter in this. I dunno. I'd made it again, though. And I'll substitute the plain yogurt for vanilla flavored.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies & Juices, pg. 84

Baked Fried Chicken

(the strips turned out so ugly that I COULDN'T take a picture. No joke.)

Ingredients:

chicken breast tenderloin strips *

1/2 t. salt

1 T. Season All

3/4 t. pepper

1 c. flour

2 t. paprika

*I didn't have any on hand, so I just sliced up about 3 chicken breasts

Recipe:

1. Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 minutes.

2. Mix in a gallon size Ziploc or a large bowl the following: slat, Season All, pepper, flour, paprika.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

4. Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

5. Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

6. Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

7. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Rating: 1.75 of 5

I really think this recipe has potential if cooked correctly! I, however, completely botched it! I didn't hit the "defrost" button on the microwave so that was the first set up for failure, and then I cut out all the butter because I thought just the Pam spray would be good enough. Well, in this cooking game, two strikes and you're out! If the chicken isn't defrosted and partially cooked instead than you end up with over cooked chicken in the end. If you don't use the butter, then you end up with floury chicken strips. So, while tonight's meal tasted like leather shoes, I do think this recipe would have been better if I had done it correctly. Hopefully, the next time I make this, it will be better and I'll have a different story to tell under the rating section.

Source: TheWonderTwins, Baked Fried Chicken

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

If you're like me, then you LOVE having an excuse to make something sweet! Well, today provides that excuse. It's National Chocolate Cake Day!!! That's right, January 27th is the day of all days! In honor of this holiday, I decided to try a from-scratch-recipe for chocolate-cake.

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. cooking oil

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

1 recipe Chocolate Glaze

Recipe:

1. Grease and flour a 9x1 1/2-inch round or 8x8x2-inch square baking pan; set pan aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on low speed just until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

4. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

6. Spoon Chocolate Glaze over cooled cake.

Rating: 3 of 5

I really like the ease and taste of this cake, but this recipe makes a very dry cake. Pretty hard to get through one piece without something to drink. If I knew more about cakes, I would try to fix it, but since I really never make cake and I don't know anything about them I'm not going to fret about it.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, pg. 162

Berry Brightener

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. blueberries

2/3 c. cranberry juice

2/3 c. plain yogurt

Recipe:

1. Put the blueberries and cranberry juice into a food processor or blender. Process for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.

2. Add the yogurt and process briefly to combine. Taste and add honey, if you would like. Process briefly again until thoroughly blended.

3. Pour into chilled glasses, add straws and serve.

Rating: 1.5 of 5

The taste of this one isn't terrible, a little tart and cranberry overpowered, yes. The thing that did it in for me is that the yogurt and juice separate pretty quickly after serving and I just couldn't not muscle down the clumpy yogurt on top. I don't think I'll make this one again.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies & Juices, pg. 30

Banana Breakfast Shake

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

3/4 c. yogurt

1/2 c. skim milk*

1/2 t. vanilla extract

* I never have skim milk, so I use what I've got

Recipe:

1. Put the bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla into a food processor or blender.

2. Process until smooth.

3. Serve at once.

Rating: 2.75 of 5

This really isn't a bad shake, I just used to my strawberry shake that is loaded with vanilla ice cream and a ton of sugar. So, I'm sure after I adjust to the lack of sugar then it will be a higher rating. The shake overall is somewhat banana bland...as in all you can taste is banana. And it's pretty warm. So, next time I think I will freeze the banana the night before, use vanilla flavored yogurt instead of plain, and that should increase the taste for me! And, it won't sacrifice the low caloric count too much.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies and Juices, pg. 20

Pita Chicken

(terrible picture...phone camera)

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 T olive oil

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 c. salsa *

2 pita bread rounds

1 c. shredded lettuce

1/2 c. sliced avocado **

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

sour cream, dolloped on top

**we added a little bit of shredded cheese**

*I used Wal-Mart brand Peach Pineapple Chipotle Salsa. Tasty!

** I actually chopped mine

Recipe:

1. Cut chicken into strips. In a skillet, saute chicken in hot oil until almost done. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper over chicken. Add salsa and simmer until chicken in done, about 5 minutes.

2. Split pitas in half, fill with chicken, and top with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and sour cream.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

We loved this! I'm not even sure what made it soooo good, but I wish I would have doubled this recipe! The chicken is divine and all the toppings compliment if perfectly (except the lettuce. Ditched the lettuce. I always ditch lettuce unless I'm making a salad.) Definitely recommend this one!

Source: AllRecipes, Dinner Tonight, pg. 232

Fabulous Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:

1 16-oz. package farfalle (bow tie) pasta

1 bunch fresh cilantro

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. white wine vinegar (substitute with lime, lemon, or Italian dressing if desired)

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 c. walnuts or pecans

salt to taste

1/2 c. olive oil

Recipe:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water ot a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. In a food processor or blender, place cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, nuts, and salt. Add 1/4 c. of the olive oil and blend. Add more olive oil until desired consistency. (Or if you don't have a food processor or a very good blender then just dice the dickens out of everything and whisk together in a bowl.

3. Pour pesto in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cooked pasta and toss.

Rating: 3 of 5

I liked this dish and thought it was very tasty. Loved the cayenne pepper in it. A little kick, but not too much. I loved the pecan flavor as well. And, of course, the cilantro is amazing. I do think it calls for too much olive oil, but that's easily fixed. I wouldn't every serve this as a main dish, but as a side this would work great. I think it would work best along side a chicken or fish recipe. Also, this makes a big batch. Next time I'll half it.

Source: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight, pg. 186

Barbecued Beef

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 T. prepared Dijon-styled mustard

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 4-lb. boneless chuck roast, cut in half

Recipe:

1. In a slow cooker, combine ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Dijon-style mustard, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, and garlic powder; stir well.

2. Place chuck roast halves in slow cooker. Turn meat to coat with ketchup mixture. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 7-8 hours.

3. Remove roast, shred with two forks, and return to slow cooker. Stir meat to evenly coast with sauce. Continue cooking on Low for about 1 hour.

Rating: 4 of 5

I love crock pot recipes for several recipes. One reason that I love them is because I can cut the cook time in half by turning the heat from low to high. Cutting the time worked perfectly today. The meat in this recipe turns out nice and tender. Easy to shred. The flavoring was good, but it wasn't out of this world good. Oh, and just FYI, the meat doesn't taste like barbecued beef until after you've shredded it and put it back into the crock pot. I tasted it while shredding and thought the recipe was a total flop (as in tasted like plain roast beer instead of barbecued) so I made up a batch of mashed potatoes and served the meat on top. It wasn't bad. This would definitely be best in sandwich buns, but I think it would probably make for an interesting taco with a little bit of lime juice, cilantro, cheese, and tortilla strips. Actually, now that I think taco, it did taste similar to Cafe Rio's Pork Barbacoa. Except that's better than this.

Source: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight, pg. 22

Easy Cajun Jambalaya

Ingredients:

2 t. olive oil

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces *

8-oz. kielbasa, diced (aka: Polish sausage. Think U-shaped meat at the market)

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. celery, diced

2 T. chopped garlic **

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. onion powder

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

2 c. uncooked white rice

4 c. chicken broth

3 bay leaves

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. hot pepper sauce

* We went to the beach today and was just feeling WAY too tired to thaw, cook, and cut chicken. So, I just used canned chicken instead.

** Didn't have any garlic on hand, so I just used minced garlic. Actually, I never have garlic on hand. I always use minced garlic.

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes

2. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.

3. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender and translucent.

4. Add rice; stir in chicken broth, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 18 minutes or until rice is tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Loved the kick in this! Not too much, not too little. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. I was also surprised at how big of a batch this makes. For some reason, 2 c. of rise and 4 c. of broth didn't set off the "cut the recipe in half" alarm in my head. So, now we have a witche's kettle sized jambalaya dish. I also like the kielbasa and chicken combo. The veggies were perfect and I couldn't really tell the bell peppers were bell peppers.

Source: AllRecipe Dinner Tonight, pg. 46

Cuban Midnight Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/2 c. mayonnaise *

2 1/2 T. Italian dressing *

4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise and toasted **

1/4 c. prepared mustard

1/2 lb. thinly sliced cooked deli turkey

1/2 lb. thinly sliced cooked deli ham

1/2 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese ***

1 c. dill pickle slices

1/4 c. olive oil

* Since I was only making 2 sandwiches, I obviously cut the mayo and Italian way down. Same thing with the mustard

** I just made my own sandwich bread instead of buying it.

***Swiss is great and all, but Provolone is the way to go. Love that stuff.

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and Italian dressing. Spread mixture on bottom half of toasted hoagie rolls.. Spread each roll with mustard.

2. On each roll, arrange layers of turkey, ham, and cheese. Top each with dill pickle slices. Add tops and brush tops and bottoms with olive oil.

3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place sandwiches in skillet. Cook sandwiches for 2 minutes, pressing down with a foil-covered plate or spatula. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

4. Remove from heat, place on plates, and cut in half diagonally.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

I loved the taste of the olive oil on the bread. The cheese didn't melt at all in the 4 minutes of cooking in the skillet, so next time I think I'll use our Panini maker. LaDon really liked the sandwiches which is great! I've never been a huge sandwich lover though, so for me to say it was pretty good is probably something. Right? Maybe not.

Source: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight, pg. 18

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

**I would have had a picture, but I was making it for someone else and in a hurry. Therefore, I forgot to take the picture :( **

Ingredients:

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach *

1/2 - 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

Poppy Seed dressing, to taste

* I just used a half bunch of spinach

Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

Rating: 3 of 5

This isn't the most amazing salad I've ever had, but that could be because I don't really like onion in it's raw form. I thought it was a good salad, but I was surprised at the lack of taste despite ALL of the ingredients in it. Avocado is essentially flavorless (to me) and I know it's supposed to absorb the flavors around it so I felt like the avocado could have been left out. I love oranges in salads though. Actually, scratch that. I love most fruits in salads. So, despite my many criticism about this salad, I do like it.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

1 c. finely chopped strawberries

1/3 c. orange, peeled and finely chopped

2/3 c. kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 c. finely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8-oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 c. green onion, thinly sliced

1/4 c. yellow or green sweet pepper, finely chopped

1 T. lime or lemon juice

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped, optional

1 recipe Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps

Recipe:

1. In a bowl combine strawberries, orange, kiwifruit, pineapple, green onions, sweet pepper.

2. Cover and chill for 6-24 hours. If you're going to chill for longer than 6 hours, then stir in the strawberries just before serving.

3. Serve with Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps.

Rating: 4 of 5

Well, LaDon did not think this was going to be good at all. But, surprise! It actually was. The green onion is pretty strong among all the fruit, but it off-sets everything well. Also, the sweet pepper is noticeable but is good with the kiwi and strawberry. I will definitely make this again at some point.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, pg. 65

Tortilla Crisps

Ingredients:

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. butter, melted

12 7- or 8-inch flour tortillas

Recipe:

For plain tortilla crisps:

1. Cut each of 12 tortillas into 8 wedges. Spread 1/3 of the wedges in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 5-10 minutes or until dry and crisp; cool.

2. Repeat with remaining wedges. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 weeks.

For Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps:

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush butter over 12 tortillas.

2. Sprinkle tortillas with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

3. Follow steps for Plain Tortilla Crisps and bake as according to directions.

Rating: 3 of 5

These are pretty good. I'm actually not a fan of pre-baked tortillas (have you tried the uncooked tortillas from Costco?), but I liked the way these turned out. Sweet and crunchy. And easy. I found that 7 minutes worked out the best crunchy-ness time for me.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, pg. 64

Easy Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can of refried beans

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of olives, drained and sliced

3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1-2 c. shredded cheese

1/2 - 1 c. chopped cilantro

Sour cream

Recipe:

1. Heat beans. Slice olives, chop tomatoes and cilantro.

2. Layer in a 8x8 pan:

beans

a little cheese

corn

olives

tomatoes

cilantro (or you can just put it on top)

sour cream

remaining cheese

3. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Rating: 3 of 5

I think LaDon would probably give it a higher rating, but I don't think it's that amazing. It's good though. Easy to put together. I think taco flavored meat on top of the beans would be good too.

Source: my own

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed *

1 c. hickory flavored barbecue sauce **

1 T. honey

1 t. molasses ***

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (12 inch) prebaked pizza crust or Breadstick and Pizza Dough recipe

1 c. shredded mozzarella or smoked Gouda cheese

1 c. thinly sliced red onions

* I just bought one of the Rotisserie chickens from Costco and cut it up.

** I used what I had on hand which was 1/2 c. of Original and 1/2 c. of Honey

*** I completely threw this one out the window and used corn syrup in place of the molasses

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar, and cilantro. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.

2. Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust and top with cheese and onions.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

I really liked this pizza. Lots of different flavors play out at different times. The sauce is sweet, but not too sweet. The cilantro is definitely present, which I love and was worried about. I don't like real onions but I like the taste. The red onion was thin enough that I couldn't tell slimy pieces of onion was in there, so I really enjoyed the onion. It's an easy recipe that doesn't take that much time to prepare. If using a homemade pizza crust, then the Breadstick & Pizza Dough cooks at the same temperature and same time as this recipe calls for.

Source: AllRecipes: Dinner Tonight, pg. 14

Breadsticks (and Pizza Dough)

**I used this recipe for pizza**

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1/2 t. salt

3-4 1/2 c. flour

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

3. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

4. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

5. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to separate them evenly, but it's okay if they're close.

6. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt or Garlic Bread Seasoning.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Well, you can't really described flavor for a bread dough. But, this dough is easy, soft, fluffy, and cooks quickly. I'm sold.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Breadsticks and Pizza Dough

Southwest Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bowtie pasta

1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Roma tomatoes, diced or about 3/4 c. of halved cherry tomatoes *

1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. sliced green onions

1/2 c. frozen fresh corn **

zest from 2 limes

8 oz diced cooked chicken, optional

1/2 c Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese or grated jack, cheedar, or pepperjack

* I used 3 tomatoes

** I just used one can of corn

Dressing:

6 T. fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes) *

1/4 c. white wine or rice vinegar

4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander

1/2 t. kosher or sea salt

2 t. sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)

3/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro

* I got enough juice out of 2 limes

Recipe:

1. Place pasta in salted water until cooked. While it's cooking, prepare dressing.

2. Zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

3. To prepare dressing: place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender. Process until smooth. *

4. With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

5. Salad: When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool. Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.

6. Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn, and chicken if desired.

7. Toss with dressing. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

8. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

* My blender blade doesn't reach low enough to do this, so I just whisked it in a bowl and really chopped the cilantro.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This is a good pasta salad. Much better than I expected it to be. I really liked it. The lime taste is pretty strong as is the chili powder/cumin. But, still really good. Be warned though, this makes a HUGE batch. As in it's lasted 2 adults lunch and dinner for 3 days and still have some left. A lot. We alternated shredded cheddar and Parmesan on top. Also, plain cheese quesadillas are an excellent side with this. Oh, and I really don't think you need that extra lime wedge. That would be TOO much lime....and I like lime.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Southwest Pasta Salad