fiesta chicken pasta salad*

Happy 4th of July everyone! I am absolutely convinced that holidays are just no fun unless you have kids. Even the 4th of July. Landon and I contemplated buying fireworks, but then came to the conclusion that it really didn't sound that fun. However, I am sure if we had a little one that I would buy them for sure because we would just love the see the awe on their face as the fireworks did their thing.

Instead we are sitting here watching True Grit. If there are two kinds of movies I don't like it is Sci-Fi and westerns. I am not a big fan of most action movies either, but never ever have I wanted to watch a Sci-Fi or western. And yet here I am...which is why I am blogging :). Landon is sure lucky I love him! Anyway, the point of this story is that someday holidays, like the 4th of July, will be more exciting if and when we decide to have kids. Now don't get it twisted, we are not planning on having kids until I am 30. This is no exaggeration. I simply don't have the time, and I refuse to have my child be raised in a day care. That is a subject all it's own, so let's get to this yummy pasta salad!

I found this recipe yesterday on BettyCrocker.com. Gotta love that Betty Crocker! I wanted something yummy to make for our 4th of July dinner, and decided this sounded amazing! Before I get to the recipe though, I have a confession to make. Last night I wanted to make a big cookie for Landon and I to enjoy, and started in on the ingredients. I then realized that I didn't have a single egg. I decided to give up and finish making it the next day, because where it was Sunday all of the nearby grocery stores are closed and I did not want to drive all the way to Wal Mart. Then, I had a revelation. I bet my renter downstairs had an egg! She's been out of town all week, plus I have to do my laundry down there every Sunday anyway. Yes - I did. I raided her fridge and stole an egg. I really do feel awful about it. First thing this morning I ran to the store to buy some ingredients for this pasta salad, and also bought some eggs. The second I came home I ran downstairs and replaced the stolen egg. Good as new. I still feel guilty...but I figure had she been home and I asked her for an egg she would have without a doubt let me borrow one with the promise of an egg in return. That was how I have lived with myself thus far. So, thanks Effie for the egg!

Fiesta Chicken Pasta Salad
from Betty Crocker

1

  package Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix

1/3 

cup sour cream

3 

tablespoons water

1/2 

teaspoon chili powder

1 

cup cherry tomato halves

1/2

  cup julienne strips green bell pepper (I left these out)

2

  green onions, chopped

1

  cup cubed cooked chicken or roast beef

Tortilla chips

1/2

  cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

Old El Paso® salsa (any variety) 

  

Empty pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta; rinse in cold water. Shake to drain.

Stir together Seasoning mix, sour cream, water and chili powder in large bowl.

Stir in pasta-vegetable mixture, tomatoes, bell pepper and onion. Stir in chicken.

Line serving plate with tortilla chips. Mound salad onto chips; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Serve with salsa. Refrigerate any remaining salad.

Makes 4 servings 

This salad is very good! It has a little tang to it and is very flavorful. The next time I make it I think I am going to add some Cholula so that it has a little spice. It is really a meal all its own, but it went very well with our BBQ hamburgers, potato chips and a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert! Happy 4th of July!

-alyssa*

fusilli with herbed ricotta and grape tomatoes*

67 degrees people!! My car told me that it was 67 degrees when I left work tonight! SPRING IS...coming?? Or here? I don't really know but I am stoked (I think this is the first time I have actually said the word "stoked"..).

I have officially decided the yummy treats we are going to be making for our big St. Patty's day celebration! We are doing smoothies for all of the employees that day and I am going to be making a treat to serve with the smoothies, and then we are going to make another treat for all of the kids! I was going to do the same for both, but that would be no fun - plus I couldn't pick only one. Also, it would just make my day that much easier - and I always seem to choose the more difficult route and I wouldn't want to break that streak now.

Also, this weekend the husband, puppy and I are going to my brother-in-laws cabin in the Uintahs (ok, I just googled the word "Uintah" because I don't know if there is an H in there, and it shows up both ways so there you have it...no one knows!) and I get to cook a couple of meals and bring some snacking items! So next week will surely be full of some delicious goodies. I still have to catch up with lots of recipes we have already made. Man, there is just not enough time in the day.

This recipe I served with blackened chicken and garlic bread for dinner tonight. I had to add some salt and pepper because it didn't have enough taste for my liking, but it was pretty good. I think you can serve it either hot or cold. For dinner we served it cold, but it would be yummy topped with some chicken strips and served hot as a main dish.

Fusilli with Herbed Ricotta and Grape Tomatoes
from Good Housekeeping

Salt
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1/4 cup (plus additional for serving) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
12 oz. fusilli or corkscrew pasta (I used ragiotorri)
1 pint grape tomatoes

Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling on high. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine ricotta, oregano, 1/4 cup Romano, and half of basil.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook as label directs, adding tomatoes when 3 minutes of cooking time remains.

Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and tomatoes; return to pot. Add reserved cooking water to ricotta mixture; stir into pasta and tomatoes. Toss with remaining basil. Serve with additional cheese if you like.

This salad would be very good with more vegetables, too. Especially if served cold. Olives maybe? I LOVE olives, if you haven't noticed yet. Well, only black olives. I don't get adventurous and try all those other strange random olives. But every picture I have of a salad or a side salad there are olives in it, I am pretty sure. Those things are just so stinking good! When in doubt, add an olive. That is my philosophy :)

-alyssa*

dorito salad*

This recipe came from one of the students and it was a HUGE hit! I am sure this will be a menu item for years to come. Normally we would just do a taco salad with a tortilla shell bowl, but I think Doritos are the perfect substitution!

Dorito Salad
from a Heritage Student

Yield:  4-6 servings

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 - 5 oz. package of lettuce (we used spring mix)
1 can kidney beans
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup sliced olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups crushed Doritos
2 cups shredded cheese
cilantro ranch
salsa
sour cream

In a pan over medium-high heat put 2 tbsp. of oil, then add the ground beef. Cook until brown. Add taco seasoning and stir until evenly coated over ground beef.

In a large bowl add the lettuce, kidney beans, diced red onions, olives, cherry tomatoes and crushed Doritos. Toss until all ingredients are well distributed.

On your serving plate put 1 cup of  the Dorito salad mixture. Put 1/2 cup of taco meat on top of salad. Top with 1/4 cup shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream and finished with some delicious cilantro ranch. ENJOY!

How do you make cilantro ranch, you ask?? Well, I don't know the technical way, but I will tell you what I do. I make my buttermilk ranch dressing, but I put all of the ingredients in a blender and add one bundle (my grocer sells cilantro in "bundles" - at least that's what I'm calling them haha) of cilantro in the blender with the ranch and blend away! Keep blending until the cilantro is blended evenly into the ranch, and the ranch turns a lovely color of green! I know there are lots of recipes with green salsa, green chiles, limes, etc. etc., but I have been just keeping it simple. It's still very delicious, but I will be on the search for a good "cafe rio" type dressing in the future! If you have any cilantro ranch dressing that you use and love, please share it with me! THANKS!

-alyssa*

pesto pasta salad*

I have been so busy that I haven't been blogging for a couple of days, so I have a ton of recipes I need to catch up on! I am going to start with this amazing pesto pasta salad! I had never made pesto before a couple of months ago, and now I'm hooked! The sad part is, I don't own a food processor at home (I know, crazy) so I have just been making it at work. The kids actually like it, too! Well, mostly the girls. The boys don't really like anything that is anything out of the norm. I'm working on it :).

I am cooking for a ton of people, so I am going to try and make my recipe normal. Also, if anyone ever wants my recipes for a big group, just let me know because I have them on hand in huge quantities also.

Pesto Pasta Salad
by Cundy's Culinary Creations

1 lb. cooked pasta (any kind you would like would work, but I used Barilla shell pasta)
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 medium yellow pepper, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1/2 cup basil pesto (recipe below)

Cook pasta according to directions. Strain and let cool for a half hour, or until room temperature. Add the fresh mozzarella cubes, cherry tomatoes, green, red and yellow peppers. Then add the basil pesto and toss until evenly coated. Let chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.


Basil Pesto

1 cup basil leaves
1 cloves garlic
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt

Add basil leaves, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and kosher salt into a food processor. Process ingredients to the desired consistency.

I actually added some sundried tomatoes in my pesto. It gives it a little extra color. I love the pesto in this recipe because it adds so much freshness and it's something different than what you normally would see on a pasta salad. It would be perfect for a summer party, too! Of course you can add whatever veggies you would like to the pasta salad. I love olives in my pasta salad, but you can add cucumbers, peas, shredded carrots, green onions, etc. Use your imagination!

-alyssa*

tortellini pasta salad w/ ground mustard & garlic vinaigrette

Today for lunch I wanted to make a pasta salad with tortellini and a basil pesto sauce, but we didn't have enough basil and the store didn't have any. So I did what I do best and looked up some blogs for some ideas. I decided to use this recipe from Our Best Bites for a ground mustard and garlic vinaigrette. I did red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, dijon mustard instead of course grain mustard, and extra virgin olive oil instead of canola oil. It turned out pretty good, but I did think it was a little too citrusy. Oh, and I also added some sundried tomatoes. I got some pretty good feedback on it, but again - not my very favorite.

Now for the recipe. I used tri-colored tortellini. I am cooking for a big crowd, so I used about 20 pounds of pasta. Cook the pasta by the directions on the package, then let it cool down. Then I added some grape tomatoes and olives. Of course you can add any veggies you have on hand and they would taste just as great! Then the dressing (which I quadrupled)..

Ground Mustard and Garlic Vinaigrette

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar; try to avoid plain white vinegar because it's too strong here

2 green onions, firm parts only, trimmed of the white "furry" ends

4-5 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. sugar or honey

2 Tbsp. coarse grain mustard (or Dijon, but Dijon has a very distinct, mustard-y aftertaste that some of my tasters weren't crazy about)
1 c. canola oil

In the jar of your blender, combine all the ingredients except for the oil. Blend on high. While the blender is running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. Serve over mixed greens, sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced red onions, or stay tuned for next Monday's recipe! If possible, refrigerate the dressing for a few hours before serving.

Pour dressing over your pasta and veggies and then toss all the ingredients together and that's it!! Enjoy!

-alyssa*