Supreme Pasta Salad.

I first had this pasta salad about five years ago when a co-worker brought it to a pot luck. See, I told you in my last post that pot lucks are THE BEST for new recipes! The best part of this recipe - it's perfect every time no matter which vegetables are in season or you have on hand. The magic ingredient - McCormick's Salad Supreme.

Supreme Pasta Salad

(adapted from McCormick)

1 box of your favorite pasta (about 12 ounces) (cooked according to package directions)

4 cups of fresh chopped vegetables (think broccoli, pepper, carrot, cauliflower, zucchini, tomato, cucumber, radish, onion - anything!)

1/2 package mini pepperoni

1.5 cups of italian salad dressing

4 teaspoons McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning

Toss all ingredients together. Store in the refrigerator.

This dish can double as a side dish or main dish. All those vegetables make it more than filling. And it can be made vegetarian by eliminating the pepperoni without losing any deliciousness. It comes together quick and is the perfect way to use of the bits of vegetables you have sitting around.

Broccoli, Potato, & Cheese Pie.

I was excited about this recipe from the moment I spotted it over at Veggie Belly. I sent the link to my sister-in-law right away since I get excited about vegetarian recipes that appear appealing to the masses. And this is one of them!

Broccoli, Potato, & Cheese Pie

(adapted from Veggie Belly)

2 medium potatoes (cut into quarter-inch slices)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 1/2 cup gruyere and asiago cheese (cut into small pieces)

you could also use a mixture of parmesan and mozzarella cheese

1 cup broccoli florets (chopped)

2 tablespoons parsley

1 tablespoon dried onion

1 teaspoon pepper

1 sleeve saltine crackers

4 tablespoons butter (melted)

1/2 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap potatoes in a towel and microwave for about 2 minutes or until half cooked. Allow to cook and cut into slices. In a bowl, combine milk, flour, and mustard. Add cheese, broccoli, potatoes, parsley, onion, and pepper. Make the crust by crushing the saltine crackers into powder (best accomplished with a food processor). Combine the cracker powder with melted butter and hot water; stir until it combines like dough. Press onto the bottom and sides of a pie plate. Place broccoli/potato/cheese mixture over the crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

I loved the flavor of the asiago and gruyere with the vegetables. The left overs did not last which says something!! And this was easy to put together! Give it a try!

Barley Asparagus "Not Really Risotto" Risotto.

I have had an interest in risotto recipes for some time now, but my husband dislikes rice. And since I had not eaten risotto before I hated to be stuck with something that only I would eat.

Then I came upon a "risotto" recipe that uses barley rather than rice. I knew I was in luck! Andlucky I was! The flavor of the "risotto" blended perfectly with the asparagus that is in season. AND I got use some of the chives from my garden. First garden product of the year!!

Barley Asparagus "Not Really Risotto" Risotto.

(Adapted from Weight Watchers)

2 tablespoons dried onion

1 cup uncooked barley (quick-cooking pearl variety)

2 cups chicken broth

1 bunch asparagus (trimmed and cut into pieces)

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated asiago cheese

Place onion, barley, and broth in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cut for about 15 minutes. Add asparagus and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in chives and vinegar. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm.

Pretty easy and pretty tasty!! This dish would make a light lunch or a great side dish to add to your supper table.

Since I changed up the recipe (thus altering the points) I do not want to lead people astray. BUT, if you are interested in the WW version (including points) - please contact me.

Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli Lasagna.

Last week Gary created a homemade version of Applebee's Veggie Patch Pizza. When making it he did not realize that if you follow the recipe you end up with a bunch of extra spinach and artichoke dip. Don't get me wrong - the dip is amazing but we just couldn't sit and eat chips and dip for the rest of the week.

As I dreamed about what to do with this leftover spinach and artichoke dip my mind wandered to lasagna. After reviewing some different recipes I opted to trust my instinct and go with what I had been thinking about.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

(Recipe from "Recipe Gold Mine")

1 (10 ounce) box of frozen spinach (thawed and chopped)

1 (14 ounce) can of artichoke hearts (drained & chopped)

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

10 ounces prepared alfredo sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 ounces cream cheese (softened)

Combine all ingredients and set aside for use in lasagna.

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Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli Lasagna

(Recipe by Me)

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

2 packages frozen spinach stuffed ravioli (prepared according to package directions)

1 tomato (chopped)

2 cups sliced baby portabella mushrooms

1 cup mozzarella

Italian Seasoning

Spread a thin layer of spinach & artichoke dip on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Next place a layer of ravioli. Top with a layer of spinach & artichoke dip, half the tomatoes, and about 1/3 of the mushrooms. Repeat with another layer of ravioli, dip, the rest of the tomatoes, and another 1/3 of mushrooms. Place a final layer of ravioli. Top with the remaining mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with italian seasoning.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until heated through and the cheese begins to brown. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini.

I found a new food blogger For the Love of Cooking who has some amazing looking recipes. Below is my take on one of the many I plan to try!

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup with Cheese Tortellini

(adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

To Roast the Tomatoes:

2 – 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes

4 tablespoons wild tree roasted garlic grape seed oil (or olive oil)

Salt & pepper to taste

2 teaspoons dried basil

Dried garlic to equivalent 4-6 cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Strain tomatoes from juice, reserving juice. Line baking sheet with foil and cover with cooking spray. Place tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with grape seed oil. Sprinkle with basil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes – do not over roast or tomatoes will become dry.

To Make the Soup:

2 tablespoons roasted garlic grape seed oil (or olive oil)

1 yellow onion (diced)

3 carrots (diced)

4 stalks of celery (diced)

Dried garlic to equivalent 4 cloves

4 cups chicken broth

Bay leaf

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1.5 cup milk

20 oz. package of cheese tortellini

Grated romano cheese

Heat grape seed oil, onion, carrot, and celery in large soup pan. Cook until tender. Add garlic and stir. Add broth, reserved tomato juice, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, and roasted tomatoes. Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 hours.

Place milk in a separate blow. Slowly add a little bit of soup mixture into milk. Do NOT pour cold milk into the soup because it will curdle. Once the milk is warm, add it to the soup and stir until mixed. Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

Add tortellini and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve in a soup bowl topped with romano!

Really, this is not difficult or time consuming to make. Most of your time is spent smelling the soup cook and resisting the urge to try it before it’s complete! The end result is tasty!

And, if you do not have an immersion blender, you will want to buy or borrow one (thanks mom!) - trying to pour or strain and use a regular blender will make more dirty dishes and make you more work than you need to!

Partridge In A Pear Tree

First of all, thanks Holly and Heidi for letting me share a recipe on your cooking blog. I feel so famous now. :)

No, my recipe does not have anything to do with a partridge, but you will need a pear off a tree for this wonderful Winter Salad!

This dish is a great salad to make in the Winter or for the holidays. I usually make it for my family Christmas get together but have decided to try it for Thanksgiving this year, as if for either holiday we need more food. But it's salad, so it's healthy right, there's always extra room for healthy?!

No picture yet, but I will try and get some shots when I make this Thursday. But, believe me it's delicious. Make it and you will not disagree.

Winter Salad

* 1 large bag of romaine lettuce (chop into bite size if needed)
* 4 oz shredded Swiss cheese
* 1/4 cup Craisins (but I like to sprinkle extra in)
* 1 cup chopped cashews
* 1 apple cubed
* 1 pear cubed

You should mix all these ingredients together and refrigerate.

Dressing:

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup lemon juice
* 2 tsp finely chopped onion (optional)
* 1 tsp Dijon honey mustard
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2/3 cup oil (canola of veg.)
1 Tbsp poppy seed

Mix and add the dressing just before you serve the salad.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Creamy Cucumbers.

Let's step back to summer for a moment. Back to when cucumbers are in abundance. My favorite cucumber dish? Creamy cucumbers. Everyone makes them. And they always taste good. The problem - no one measures anything. So when I try to make them they don't turn out.

A while back Gary and I went to a dinner party at Robyn's and she served creamy cucumbers AND she had a recipe!!

Creamy Cucumbers

[adapted from Robyn]

5-6 medium cucumbers (peeled and sliced)

1/2 onion (I like to cut into circles)

salt, pepper & dill to taste

1 cup mayo

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup sugar

Because my grandma always does this - I had to too. Once you slice the cucumber and onion - put it in a bowl with salt. Let sit for several hours. Rinse and drain several times. Then combine everything and enjoy!!

Thanks Robyn!!

Triple Cheese Bake.

After canning tomatoes with my friend Robyn on Saturday - and her looking through my recipe box and finding this recipe I have been thinking about comfort food.

With darkness falling upon us early and several cool nights I have been thinking about chili, hot dish, stew, and this - triple cheese bake. Comfort food at its finest. This "grown up" version of mac 'n' cheese is sure to please!

Triple Cheese Bake

1 package pasta

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 1/2 cups milk

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, basil, salt, and pepper. Gradually stir in milk over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheddar and all the parmesan cheese. Mix well. Stir in pasta. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with swiss cheese and then remaining pasta mixture. Cover. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Uncover, top with remaining cheddar cheese, and return to oven until cheese is melted.

My pictures do not do this dish justice; you must try it to reveal in the goodness.

Happy Fall!

Black Bean, Corn, & Avocado Salsa.

It's salsa season!! Time to eat salsa and time to make salsa!

I did both this weekend! Right now my first batch of the season (recipe to be shared soon) is in processing in a hot water bath. My kitchen smells good, but it's hot in here!

I always wonder what I am going to do with all that salsa. Gary doesn't eat it and I can only eat so much. Well, it's mostly that I only allow myself to eat so much. If only those corn chips didn't have to have fat and calories!!

My Aunt Janet first introduced me to this tasty way to put a twist on plain salsa.

Black Bean - Corn - and - Avocado Salsa

2 pints of your favorite homemade or store-bought salsa

2 avocados (peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

2 cups frozen corn

you could also add cilantro and/or garlic

Combine ingredients, cover, and refridgerate several hours. Serve with chips!

Zucchini Appetizers.

Last week we had a potluck at work. Talk about a tasty spread! One of our appointment coordinators made these zucchini appetizers - and they were delicious!

Zucchini Appetizers.

(from Linda)

3 cups grated (unpeeled) zucchini

1 cup pancake mix

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon minced garlilc

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4-1/2 cup oil (originally recipe calls for 1/2 cup, I tried to reduce the fat by using 1/4

cup...they turned out fine, but were a little dry....I think I'd add closer the 1/2 cup when making again)

1/4 cup parmasean cheese

3 eggs

Combine all ingredients until mixed well. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

You can serve as an appetizer, or probably as a main meal. It does seem kind of "breakfast-y" but tasty no matter what!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.

Every time I have lasagna I am reminded of this story from Gary's childhood:

As part of learning about out cultures each student was supposed to bring in an ethnic food. Gary helped his mom make vegetable lasagna. His motive? No one would eat it because it was full of vegetables. BUT he was wrong. I tell him that's what you get for being selfish. :)

I brought out my "fall" stuff since it's been cold and rainy the last couple days. I found a Martha Stewart magazine I had kept because of some decorating ideas. I flipped through the recipes and found one that used zucchini AND eggplant. It was a hearty recipe - comfort food - perfect for this cold and rainy day!

As you all know by now, I have an abundance of zucchini, but have not given up on using it yet! And, I have one eggplant plant. The eggplant was just for fun annd because they are pretty. Turns out you have to eat them too! It tasted good on my garden fresh pizza.

Back to the recipe. The lasagna recipe....

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.

(adapted from Oct 08 issue of Martha Stewart Living)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

1 Eggplant (medium sized, sliced)

1 Zucchini (medium sized, sliced)

3 Red Onions (medium sized, sliced)

1 carton cottage cheese

1 package shredded swiss cheese

1 large jar tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce

Lasagna Noodles

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt over eggplant slices and allow to drain for 45 minutes.

Place zucchini in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and just starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Let cool slightly, then transfer to a dish.

Place onion rings in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and browned (about 12 minutes). Let cool slightly, then chop into smaller pieces. Set aside.

Press eggplant slices between paper towels to remove liquid. Place eggplant in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with pepper. Bake until tender and golden (about 7 minutes).

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Combine onions, cottage cheese, and swiss cheese.

Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce. Layer eggplant on top of the noodles. Spread half of the cheese mixture over eggplant. Spread about a cup of marina over the cheese layer. Repeat layering once, replacing eggplant with zucchini (noodles, zucchini, cheese, sauce). Place a layer of noodles on top. Spread remaining sauce on top of noodles. Spinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

The time it took to put this together was totally worth it! And, keep in mind, you can make this in steps. I roasted the veggies this morning. Put the lasagna together mid-afternoon and baked it just in time for supper. Along with some bread. All of it = SO GOOD.

Cucumber Pasta Salad.

Made this for a dinner party at Robyn's. It was a good evening of visiting with two of my college buddies and their hubbies (and child). Great seeing you Robyn (and Ryan) and Gretchen (and Lance and Elsie).

Anyway, this is a simple pasta salad that gave me an opportunity to use of some of the cucumbers from my garden.

Cucumber Pasta Salad

1 box of noodles

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 cups of chopped cucumbers (I left the skins on)

Cook, drain and rinse noodles as package directs. Add 1/3 cup olive oil and let stand for 30

minutes. Combine the rest of the ingredients (minus the cucumbers). Pour over noodles. Mix in cucumbers. Chill 1 hour before serving.

It's nice and light - a hint of sweet and a hint of sour. Perfect for your end of summer celebrations.

Garden Fresh Pizza.

A girl I went to high school with (hi Beth!) was telling me about how she made a pizza with pumpkin blossoms. I've been seeing a lot of blossoms on tastespotting and wondered what the hype was. A little fearful of "not liking" I decided to follow Beth's advice and incorporate them into a pizza.

Do you make your own dough when making pizza? I usually do. But, really, the reason I ask is because I want you to add a teaspoon of italian herbs next time you are preparing your dough. This may or may not require the addition of a little more water. Use your judgement. The italian herbs - they give the crust a great look and a little added taste.

Garden Fresh Pizza

Pizza Crust

Pizza Sauce

Everything and anything from the garden.

My list included:

Green Peppers

Onions

Squash/Pumpkin/Zucchini Blossoms

Eggplant

Zucchini

Mushrooms

Mozzarella Cheese

Sprinkling of Oregano

Bake until cheese is melted/preferred darkness and enjoy!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes are probably the best I have ever made... they are VERY tasty and you should probably try them out tonight with fresh potatoes from your garden or tomorrow if you have to run to your nearest farmer's market or grocery store to get some baby red and yellow potatoes.

I served these with Jamaican Jerk beef strips (a sirloin roast, sliced into strips and marinated), corn on the cob and garlic bread.

I will warn you in advance that I did absolutely no measuring, so I encourage you to do the same, as my measurements are only approximations anyway... make them to your liking and use this as a guide. :)


Garlic Smashed Potatoes

10-12 baby red and yellow potatoes, rinsed and halved -- leave skins on!
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 - 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon season salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork is easily inserted into potato. Drain water and return to pot. Add remaining ingredients and mash with spoon, leaving some lumps. Enjoy! :)

Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta

This pasta salad is absolutely amazing. It tastes equally delicious hot or cold and is very easy and relatively quick to toss together, but you do need an hour to roast the tomatoes. Trust me... it's definitely worth it! It went perfectly well with the pizza bites (recipe shared below) but could easily be the main entry. Enjoy!


Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta

4-6 tomatoes, cut in bite size wedges
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teasoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Oregano
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (I used a McCormick Grinder)
2-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 box penne noodles
1 container Tomato and Basil Feta cheese


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Cut tomatoes in bite size wedges and place on a single layer in pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Create a spice mixture by combining the garlic, minced onion, salt, sugar, oregano and Italian Seasoning. Sprinkle all of mixture on the tomatoes. Place in oven uncovered for one hour. Meanwhile, boil water and cook noodles according to package. When tomatoes are done, toss them with pasta and add the Feta cheese.

Zucchini Patties.

Run. Don't walk. Where? To your garden or a farmers market or even your neightbors garden. Get yourself some zucchini. Seriously. Stop reading. Go now.

Are you back? Did you get a medium sized zucchini? Great! Now try this amazing recipe that I have been waiting to make for over a month now. In fact, I took two small zucchini from my garden because I couldn't wait any longer. And, let me tell you, I am glad I stopped waiting!

Zucchini Patties

(adapted from Gooseberry Patch)

1 medium zucchini, grated (about 3.5 cups)

1 small onion, grated

2 tablespoons parsley

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, gratedf

2 slices of bread, torn into small pieces

1 teaspoon season salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs, beaten

dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

Remove as much liquid from zucchini as possible. Combine zucchini, onion, parsley, cheese, bread, salt, pepper, and eggs. Press into patties; cover each side with dry bread crumbs. Place onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Drizzle the patties with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes - flipping half way through. Patties are done when they turn golden.

Did you make them yet? Aren't you glad you went to the neighbor's garden and took a zucchini? Maybe you should take them this recipe to make up for it. Hopefully they still have some zucchini left!!

Baked Bow Tie Pasta

Another wonderful dish made for our dinner group. :)

This one is SUPER easy and pretty quick! I came up with this one all on my own and I don't think I would change anything. If you prefer dishes with meat (like my dad and boyfriend...) you could easily add pork sausage, chicken or beef - but, it is definitely equally as delicious without!


Baked Bow Tie Pasta

1 1/2 boxes of Bow Tie Noodles
2 jars pasta sauce (I used two different kinds - 4 cheese and Super Chunky Mushroom)
4 cups of mozzarella cheese (approximately)
1 container Ricotta Cheese
Italian Seasoning (McCormick Grinder) - to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Coat glass 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Boil noodles according to box. Place half of noodles in dish, add one jar of pasta sauce. Top with 2 cups mozzarella cheese and then all of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle on some Italian Seasoning. Add remaining noodles and second jar of pasta sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Be sure the top is completely covered. :) Sprinkle more Italian Seasoning on top. Cover with tin foil and allow to bake 20 - 30 minutes. After that time, remove tin foil and replace in oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! :)

I served this dish with corn, Caesar salad (made with Holly's fresh garden lettuce), bread sticks, snicker salad (recipe coming soon) and dessert(Better than Sex Cake -- recipe also coming soon!).

Homemade Egg Rolls

Last week Lucas and I made Homemade Egg Rolls for our dinner group. I was a little apprehensive at first because they seemed like a lot of work but, it turns out they really weren't much more work than any other dinner and, we decided it totally paid off because they were VERY delicious! If you like egg rolls, you absolutely have to try these! I made the recipe up on my own, I just looked at several recipes to decide how exactly I should go about make them.

I made a portion of the egg rolls vegetarian for our non-carnivorous friends (I added the meat after rolling up theirs and made sure to fry theirs first).


Homemade Egg Rolls

1 head cabbage
1/2 onion
2-3 green onions
bean sprouts (I was planning on using a package of fresh bean sprouts but the grocery store was out so I settled for a can of them)
3-4 carrots
1 can water chestnuts
pork sausage
a splash of olive oil, soy sauce and hot sauce
2 packages of egg roll wrappers
canola oil for deep frying

Chop/slice all vegetables and add to olive oil, soy sauce and hot sauce. Cook on medium heat until cabbage is tender. Add cooked pork sausage. Half way through cooking vegetables, begin heating the oil in a deep pan for deep frying. Allow vegetable mix to cool a bit so you are able to work with mix to prepare egg rolls. Prepare egg rolls as demonstrated on egg roll wrapper package and deep fry. Serve with sweet and sour sauce if desired.


This recipe made more than plenty egg rolls for our dinner group of 9 people. I served the egg rolls with fried rice and sugar snap peas and our dessert was the trifle that can be found a few recipes below. :) Happy egg roll rolling!

Alfredo Recipes

Wednesday night for our dinner group, I made two different alfredos. I cheated a little bit in the fact that I bought jars of alfredo sauce rather than making my own, but in my defense, I was cooking for 10 people, some of which are vegetarians and others of which are picky. :) Everyone told me it was very good, but they've said that about most everything I made so I'm beginning to wonder if they are just being polite. :) So, without further ado, here they are:

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

5 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground pepper (I use the McCormick Peppercorn Grinders)
Italian Seasoning (McCormick Grinder, again)
1 bag frozen broccoli (fresh would be even better)
1 box fettuccine noodles
1 1/2 jar alfredo sauce
a splash of milk (helped to rinse out alfredo jar)

Cook chicken in olive oil. Add pepper and italian seasoning. Once chicken is fully cooked, add broccoli. After broccoli is no longer frozen, stir in alfredo sauce. To clean out jar, add a little milk and shake and add to chicken also. Prepare noodles and toss the two together. Serve immediately.
Vegetable Alfredo

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
5-10 mushrooms, sliced
1 - 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
Freshly ground pepper
Italian Seasoning
1 /2 jar alfredo sauce (1 jar was a mushroom alfredo)
splash of milk (to rinse jar)
1 box fettuccine noodles


Saute vegetables in olive oil with pepper and italian seasoning until tender. Add sauce and let simmer. Cook noodles according to box. Combine with sauce and serve immediately. Enjoy! :)

Strawberry Spinach Salad.

I've began picking spinach from my garden! The strawberries have not rippened yet, but I see that one of the local strawberry farms has some ready for picking. In our household that means it is time for some strawberry spinach salad!

Strawberry Spinach Salad.

1 large bowl of fresh, cleaned spinach

1 pint fresh strawberries (sliced)

1 small can mandarin oranged (drained)

Mix together and toss with dressing.

Dressing.

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon poppy seed

1/2 cup sugar

Mix well and pour over salad.

This is soooo tasty and simple and doesn't require an oven. That is a beautiful thing in our hot and humid climate!!