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