Bell Pepper Chicken

Ingredients: they're all approximate as I was just throwing things in as I went along

2 chicken breasts, thawed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-2 t. chicken bouillon

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

5-6 shakes of hot sauce

up to 1/4 c. sour cream

1/2 to 1 c. water

1/2 each red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers, sliced

rice

Recipe: 

1. Mix soup, sour cream, garlic, water, bouillon, hot sauce and garlic together. Add chicken and bring to a boil.

2. Boil for a 5-10 minutes. Simmer chicken until cooked through. The mixture should be somewhat runny, so add more water if needed.

3. With 5-10 minutes left, add pepper slices to chicken mixture until tender.

4. Serve over hot rice.

Rating: 4 of 5

So, for a throw-in dinner, this turned out really well. It reminded me a little bit of jambalaya. It has great flavor, but very little heat. It's great over rice, but I think it'd be good over quinoa, too. I'd definitely make this one again.

Source: my own

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2-3 lb. pot roast

10 oz. can of diced tomato with green chilies

8 oz. can Ro Tel enchilada sauce

7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. oregano

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 -1 c. heavy cream

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 c. cream cheese, somewhere between softened and melted

6 large tortillas

shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese

sour cream

cilantro, chopped

Recipe:

1. In a medium bowl, mix diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and garlic.

2. Place roast in crock pot and cover with tomato-chipotle mixture. Cook on high for 4ish hours.

3. Remove roast from crock pot and shred meat.

4. Using a fine strainer, pour juices from crock pot into a medium bowl. Reserve juices. Remove chipotle peppers from strainer. 

5. Replace tomatoes and green chilies (in strainer) in the crockpot. Pour about 2-4 cups of reserved juices into crockpot. Pour in heavy cream and stir together. Replace meat. Add black beans and corn. Continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. (The key thing here is to have enough juice/sauce to coat the meat. It's not going to cook that long so it shouldn't dry out.)

6. Mix tomato sauce and cream cheese together in a small bowl.

7. Grease 9x12 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8. Lay out a tortilla and scoop meat mixture on to 1/2 of the torilla. Place a handful of shredded cheese on top and then roll the torilla. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until dish is full. (I actually ended up with extra meat so there would be enough to almost make 2 full baking dishes of enchiladas.)

9. Cover enchiliadas with tomato/cream cheese mixture. Top with cheese.

10. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheeses are melted.

11. Serve and top with sour cream and cilantro.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was one of those meals that I used whatever I had on hand. It actually turned out really well. I didn't measure anything so the measurements are all my best guess. The chipotle peppers add a pretty good kick, so I used the cream and cream cheese as a way to tone it down a bit. If looking to cut out some of that then you could just remove the chipotle peppers from the adobo sauce before the initial cook time. I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again!

Source: my own

Won-ton Taco Cups

Ingredients:

won-ton wrappers

1 lb. ground beef

taco seasoning

large tomato, chopped

cilantro, chopped

cheese, shredded

sour cream

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

2. Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning. Let simmer for a few minutes.

3. Press 2-3 won-ton wrappers into cupcake tin or mini cupcake tin. Where the separate won-tons met, I lightly brushed with water. Place in oven and cook for 5-8 minutes (the tops with be golden brown and the bottom should be bubbly.

4. Chop tomato and cilantro.

5. Place beef, cheese, tomato, cilantro, and sour cream in won-ton cup. Serve!

Rating: 4 of 5

I was on a cooking strike tonight. But after LaDon repeatedly stated that he wanted to eat some good food I felt bad letting the 27-year old man starve! We were out of tortillas so I mixed this little guys up. Quick and delicious. I think next time I might brush the won-tons with some olive oil before cooking. While eating these we decided you could make the cutest little taco shells with the round won-ton wraps for little kids, or as a taco appetizer of some sort.

Source: it's a Jamie creation

Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Ingredients:

Meat:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. lime juice

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. carne asada beef or flank steak *

1/2 c. finely chopped white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

4 soft tortilla breads or tortillas

Guacamole:

2 avocados, peeled and seeded

1 T. lime juice

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. blacker pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (I'm throwing this one in there)

Toppings:

3/4 c. corn

1/2 c. finely diced red bell pepper

cilantro, chopped

cheese, shredded

sour cream

salsa

* We had some Wal-Mart ribeyes that we had purchased a long time ago (a mistake, because they are not good as a steak), but thought I'd give them a try in a taco. Besides, I had to use that meat)

Recipe:

1. Mix the corn and red bell pepper together. Set aside.

Meat:

1. Place oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl, whisking to combine.

2. Place beef, onions, and garlic into a large Ziploc bag and pour lime mixture inside bag. Close bag and with hands, massage beef with marinade to coat evenly.

3. Place in refrigerator and marinade for 1 hour.

4. Heat 2 T. olive oil in grill pan over medium heat. Grill beef until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

5. Cut thin slices against the grain or on the bias.

6. Serve in warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Guacamole:

1. Place avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper (and garlic) into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined.

Rating: 5 of 5

Despite the cheap-o steak meat, these turned out fantastic! The meat tasted just like carne asada in a restaurant. So good. The guacamole, I've got to give a good score to as well. Simple. Tasty. Easy. The meat is super easy to prepare and cook as is everything in this recipe! I will definitely be making this one again!

Source: Picky Palate, Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Navajo Tacos

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

3/4 c. water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 15-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 16-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

up to 1 T. chili powder, optional

Fry bread:

3 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 1/2 c. warm water

2 c. vegetable oil, for frying

Toppings:

lettuce

tomato

sour cream

salsa

refried beans

shredded cheese

avocado

cilantro

Recipe:

For meat:

1. Crumble together onion and ground beef. Cook over medium-high heat until meat it cooked through.

2. Add 3/4 c. water, taco seasoning, corn, and black beans. Allow the mixture to simmer while you make the fry bread.

3. Add additional chili powder, if desired.

For fry bread:

1. In a medium size bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

2. Add water and stir together. Dough may be slightly sticky.

3. Pour the vegetable oil into a medium size saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat.

4. Divide dough into 6 pieces. On a generously floured surface, pat the dough pieces into a flat round shape about 5-6 inches across.

5. When oil is hot, carefully place dough round into the hot oil until the bottom side is golden brown. With a metal set of tongs, flip the round, and cook the other side until puffy and golden brown. Remove the bread and place onto a paper towel lined plate.

6. Pile meat and toppings on the fry bread and enjoy!

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Ok, first off, I thought the fry bread was really good. Definitely hit the spot for me. But, the meat sauce is not what I normally have for Navajo Tacos. When I think Navajo tacos, I think a bean and meat chili type topping. So, the fry bread, great. Meat, not so much and need to hunt for the perfect recipe.

Source: Recipe Shoebox, Navajo Tacos

Chicken Ranch Tacos

Ingredients:*

3 c. cooked chicken, cut up

1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)

1/2 c. Ranch dressing

taco shells **

To Garnish:

lettuce, finely shredded

cheese

Ranch dressing

tomatoes, chopped

avocado, chopped

cilantro, chopped

sour cream

salsa

* I went the crockpot way for this recipe. Here's what I did as mentioned by those who commented on this gal's blog. I used a pkg. of taco seasoning, a pkt. of dry ranch dressing mix, and about 3/4 c. chicken broth, 4 chicken breasts(defrosted).

** I went with corn tortillas and soft fried them (aka: fried them in oil but didn't let them get crispy and kept them pliable.)

Recipe:*

1. Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and warm it for a few minutes.

2. Sprinkle on the dry taco seasoning. Do NOT add any water.

3. Heat for 5-7 minutes until all heated through and powder is stuck to the chicken.

4. Add Ranch dressing, heat an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.

5. Serve in taco shells with all the fixings you love - plus an extra squirt of Ranch.

*Crockpot version: put the chicken breasts in the pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning and ranch mix on top. Pour chicken breasts on top of that. The water is just barely enough to cover the chicken breasts so I rolled mine in the mixture a few times. I turned mine on high(I was in a bit of a time crunch), for 2 hours. At 2 hours I took the chicken out and shredded it. I then put the chicken back in for another hour. When it came time to serve the chicken I drained it of all the juices that collected at the bottom and served it in a new bowl. That amount of chicken fed LaDon, two missionaries, and myself about 16 tacos.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

In all honesty, I couldn't separate the chicken taste from the whole taco. So.....the chicken, plus the shells and everything I put on it was so delicious. I didn't put any ranch on my taco, though. Too much Ranch reminds me of my morning sickness with Ally and then all those sick-y feelings come rushing back. Anyways....I think the boys each averaged about 5 tacos, so it made a pretty good amount. The only thing I would have added is a lime wedge for a few squirts of lime juice. Yum! There is something absolutely delicious about cilantro and lime together. Oh, I'm sure that the way this recipe is supposed to be prepared is great, but it sure is nice being able to do everything in the crockpot. Especially when company is coming over.

Source: Do You Smell That!!?, Chicken Ranch Tacos

Bird's Nest Cupcakes (i.e. Vanilla cupcakes)

There is a lot more to this recipe than I put here. I was only after the vanilla cupcakes part. But, I love the whole bird nest look. So cute and perfect for a spring or Easter party!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened and diced into pieces

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. sour cream

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. Add in butter, egg, egg yolks, vanilla and sour cream then beat ingredients together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds until mixture is smooth (don't over-mix, if necessary, using a rubber spatula stir the batter until the flour is fully incorporated after the allotted 30 seconds).

4. Divide mixture evenly between 12 paper lined muffin cups (they should each be about 2/3 full).

5. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

6. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Seriously, the best vanilla cupcakes I've ever had. I don't know if it's the kind of vanilla I used for these or if this recipe is just really that good! The vanilla presence is perfect! Not too strong, not to weak. I like the texture of the cupcake, too. Not sponge-y like the store bought king. Much more like a cornbread muffin. Honestly, these are so good by themselves that they don't need frosting. The only downside to this recipe is that it only makes 12!

Source: CookingClassy.blogspot.com, Bird's Nest Cupcakes

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

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

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. flour

4 1/2 c. milk

1 14-oz can chicken broth *

4 medium baking potatoes, baked

2 c. grated cheese, divided

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 1/2 c. sour cream, divided

1/2 c. chopped green onions, divided

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

*I actually just added 1 cup water and a few scoops of chicken bullion instead.

Recipe:

1. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.

3. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

4. Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low.

5. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.

6. Add 1 1/2 c. grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.

7. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. green onions, and 4 strips of crumbled bacon.

8. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

We liked this soup much better than the other Baked Potato Soup. Today's soup is pretty darn thick so make sure you have an appetite. Otherwise, you'll only be eating a few bites and calling it quits. Also, it makes a huge pot! Definitely not a one-meal kind of recipe for a family of four. More like a family of 8. Anyways, creamy, love the bacon on top, the green onions are a nice subtle taste, and the potato clumps are just right. I'd make this recipe again.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Baked Potato Soup

Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 c. salsa*

2 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. sour cream

* I used the generic Wal-Mart brand medium salsa

Recipe:

1. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Top with the salsa.

2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. *

3. When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. Place about 2 T. cornstarch in a small amount of water and stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa sauce. **

4. Stir in a 1/4 c. sour cream. Serve over chicken.

* As with most crockpot recipes, you can speed this up by cooking on High for 3-4 hours.

** You can substitute cornstarch with Minute Tapioca(says on the box how much you will need) or all-purpose flour (double the amount of cornstarch you would use).

*** So, I followed the recipe until it came time to remove the chicken. I let it cook for 7ish hours, took the chicken out and shredded it, then put it back in the crockpot for a half hour. After 30 minutes I stirred in the 1/4 c. sour cream. So rather than ending up with chicken and salsa, I just made a creamy/spicy chicken spread. ***

Rating: 4 of 5

We really liked this recipe they way I cooked it. We had it in tortillas and called it a taco night. This is super good with the Texas Caviar/Bean Dip in a tortilla. You can definitely taste the taco seasoning and salsa in this chicken. So...make sure you like taco seasoning and that you put in a salsa that you like! Daniel loved it...of course. I also loved it because it's super easy. Crockpots are my favorite.

Source: Slowandsimple.com, Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

4 c. chopped Romaine Lettuce

2 c. chopped grilled chicken

1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, washed

1/3 c. vertically-sliced red onions

1 avocado, cubed

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained

Dressing:

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

2/3 c. light sour cream

1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies

1 tsp. chili powder

4 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. salt

Tortilla Strips, optional

Recipe:

1.Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been.

2. Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands. Set aside.

3. Mix dressing ingredients. I say to start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. If you’re serving this for a crowd, it’s probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy, but if you’re just making it for your family and you have taste buds of steel, have at it. You could even chop up one of the chilies and toss it in there if you’re feeling super-brave. Then taste the dressing and you’ll know what heaven tastes like. Set dressing aside.

4. If you’re making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now.

5. When you’re ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine and serve.

Rating: TBD

So, Lindsay actually wasn't able to make it to salad night, which meant her salad wasn't there! But, looking at the recipe and knowing that it came from Our Best Bites, the odds are pretty high that I would like it!

Source: Lindsay Bauman, from Our Best Bites

Beef Chimichangas

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t. taco seasoning mix, or more to taste *

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 c. sour cream

1 4-oz can chopped green chilies

2 T. distilled white vinegar

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 c. margarine

6 7-in corn tortillas

* I didn't have any taco seasoning on hand, so I just substituted it with ground cumin and a little ground red pepper

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, and oregano in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes.

3. Drain off excess fat. Stir in sour cream, chilies, and vinegar until well mixed. Remove from heat, and mix in the cheese.

4. Melt margarine in a small skillet over low heat. When melted, dip each tortilla into the margarine for about 30 seconds, or until soft. Place the softened tortilla onto a baking sheet, and fill with about 1/3 c. of the meat mixture.

5. Fold the right and left sides of the tortillas over the filling, then the top and bottom, making an envelope that completely encloses the filling. Flip the tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.*

6. Bake in the preheated oven until the tortilla is crisp, about 15 minutes.

* I think the next time I make these I will either get bigger corn tortillas, or not fill them as full, or just use large flour tortillas. The 7-inch ones are so small that I could hardly wrap around the prescribed 1/3 c. filling. Also, rather than dipping it in butter next time, I think I will just spray the chimichangas with cooking spray before they go in the oven.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I thought the taste was "authentic" enough. We didn't do any garnishing like tomatoes or guacamole, but we will next time. I didn't really think to get any toppings when I went shopping. Daniel loved the chimi which is great since all the beef cooking I do is to raise his iron levels. Dipping the tortillas in the butter did make them turn out nice and crispy, which is why I love chimichangas in the first place. I love that I was able to get the crispy aspect without having to fry anything.

Source: AllRecipes, Dinner Spinner iPhone app

Orange Chicken Salad

I didn't take a picture of this one either. We had it the same night at the Recipe A Wings.

Ingredients:

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 T. frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 t. poppy seeds, optional

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, fully cooked, cut into julienne strips *

1 11-oz. can mandarin orange sections, drained OR one 15.5-oz can pineapple chunks, drained

3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 green onions, sliced

salt and pepper totaste

4 lettuce leaves **

* I actually cut out the chicken in this recipe because we were having chicken as the main dish.

** Definitely used more than 4 leaves of lettuce. I used a whole head of iceberg.

Recipe:

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, orange juice concentrate, and, if desired, poppy seeds.

2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together chicken strips, orange sections, celery and green onions.

3. Pour dressing over chicken mixture; toss lightly to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Rating: 3 of 5

This is a fairly refreshing salad. Although it's technically a side dish, we think with chicken (which we did not include this time) would be a good enough main dish. The orange flavor wasn't super powerful but not lacking. A good balance. Also, I didn't use nearly as much of the sour cream/mayo mixture as it called for.

Source: Speed Scratch, p. 22

Jamie's Breakfast Bagel Sandwiches

Ingredients: (for 1 bagel) for more than one bagel just double everything

1 Asiago-cheese bagel, or any kind of cheese bagel

1 1/2 eggs, scrambled *

2-4 slices of bacon, cooked **

a handful of cheddar cheese

a dollop of sour cream (optional, but we love it)

* Make the scrambled eggs the way you like them. For us, it's a little bit of milk and cheese, seasoned salt, and a half pinch of pepper. Occasionally I'll throw in some garlic salt.

** Bacon can be replaced with sausage or ham. Sausage is our other favorite.

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350-ish.

2.Scramble the eggs. Cook the bacon. When done, begin the layering.

3. Cut the bagel in half. Starting with the bottom half layer up: scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, top half of bagel.

4. Wrap bagel sandwich in foil and place in oven long enough for bagel to be warm and cheese to melt. Probably about 5-10 minutes.

5. Take bagel out and open up. Place dollop of sour cream on top of bacon. Replace the bagel top and enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 of 5

We love this breakfast food for dinner. And because it's so NOT healthy, we only have it every few months. I'm not really sure what makes it so good other than we just really like everything that goes into it. Seriously, who doesn't like cheese and bacon?

Source: my head, but inspired by BYU's breakfast bagel found in the Wilk.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing ~ Cafe Rio Style: Take 2

A few months back we tried to make Cafe Rio's famous "house" dressing. It was pretty good, but not quite there. So, here is a different recipe attempting to catch the same flavor as Rio's. Also, this version is was less labor intensive....not that there is that much to do when making a dressing, though.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry Ranch Dressing

3 T. salsa verde

1/8 t. Tabasco

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 c. mayonnaise

3/4 c. sour cream

1/2 grated lime peel and juice, to taste

Recipe:

1. Blend above ingredients in blender. Thin with milk if needed.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

I actually think this comes pretty darn close. I think it probably would have been spot on if I hadn't added as much lime juice as I did. I haven't had it on the salad yet, so it might taste more like it when all is added together. Either way, it's good. This one looks more like Rio's than the other recipe.

Source: Our ward's RS. I don't know where they got it from though.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce *

6 oz provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 c. sour cream

6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

* I say use your favorite kind of sauce. Tonight we had meat flavored.

Recipe:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat.

3. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

5. Layer as follows: half of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, half of the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce mixture. Top with Pramesan cheese. *

6. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheesees are melted.

* Haha....as if I did that. I just started throwing things in and mixing it around. It turned out great. Actually the mozzarella and Parmesan ended up as the top layer and was really good.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was basically a ziti version of lasagna. We like noodles and we love cheese in this family. So, that basically hit the spot.

Source: Allrecipes.com