My weird salad concoction that is surprisingly good.

Last night I had an accidental food success.

You see I made pesto pasta with a side of spinach salad.

Miss Chloe slept through dinner and when she awoke, the pasta was cold.

So I put the pasta and the spinach salad in a bowl, and by nature of bowl behavior, the two things mixed, and I said, by golly! That is a terrific salad!

You know, I had never thought of putting pasta in a spinach salad before. But then my friend (Heather) told me about this Asian salad recipe that had...pasta!...in it.

And whoa. Last night I realized spinach and pasta is a stellar combo. That is a a duh statement (hello spinach ravioli) but I never thought about them being served cold!

I think I might start making this as a side salad for family get togethers.

Anyway.
Make some pasta. I used whole wheat linguine.
And then add some pesto sauce.
You can make your own, but I bought some in a jar at Wal Mart and...that is easier than buying your own basil leaves and pine nuts. In my opinion.
Perhaps you could go search the forest for pine nuts. I am assuming that is where they are.
Perhaps you will run into Little Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks, or Hansel and Gretal.
Sorry, I just had those mental images as I pictured you all with a little basket picking up pine nuts and berries in the forest.
.....
Anyway, let the pasta cool off, cause this is a cold salad.

Then make your spinach salad.
you need:
spinach
dried cranberries
mozzarella cheese
bacon

and dressing (see recipe for basic sweet salad dressing)

Then smash those babies together.
I am telling you, it is good.

Excuse me.
I am calling "Souper Salad."
They might want to trademark this, and I will soon be very, VERY rich.

Balsamic Chicken

Have I mentioned I love Balsamic vinegar?

Well here is some really easy chicken.
I do give myself props for this one, because I made it up myself.
Not that it is that impressive.
I couldn't win "Top Chef" or anything.
But I am a star in my own mind.

You need:
frozen chicken
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Dried onions
Garlic (fresh or powder)
Butter

Put your chicken in a baking dish and basically put the other stuff on it. I can't tell you the measurements because I just poured it on. But make sure you have a good amount of honey. It makes a really sweet and carmely (not a word, I know) sauce.

Bake at 375 degrees until chicken is done.

Orange Beef Stir Fry

12 ounces stir fry meat
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp beef bouillon granules
4 green onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic
Broccoli heads (I like to use fresh)

For sauce stir together in bowl the juice, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, and bouillon. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbs of oil in a pan. Add green onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute.
Take the onions out of the pan and set aside, and then cook your meat in the same pan.
Add your broccoli and let that get soft, but not too soft. You might need to add some more oil.

Add the sauce you set aside to the meat and broccoli mixture and cook until it thickens. Add the green onions.

Serve over rice.

Cafe Rio Salad

I am too lazy to write this one down so I will just give you the link. It is my favorite recipe right now. I have yet to meet someone who is not crazy about it.


I adjust the recipe a little bit, but you can follow it ver batum if you are so inclined.

*I use a beef roast instead of pork
*I don't dump out the juices after the meat is cooked like the recipe says. It is perfectly good juice! I just add a can of enchilada sauce while it is cooking, instead of dumping out all the stuff and putting it in at the end.
*The dressing is divine but if you are lazy, buy some ranch dressing and dress it up with the other add ins that make it a not so typical ranch.

You will find some other great recipes on this site as well!
www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Cabbage Rolls (Or lettuce wraps)

I got this from my friend Robyn.

1/2 head cabbage
1 pound ground beef (you can substitute whatever meat you would like)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked rice

2 tsp worchester sauce
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 stp. salt
dash of pepper

Steam cabbage until tender.
Brown beef and onion, add bell pepper, carrots, cook a little longer, then add rice and worchester sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix soy sauce and sugar and then pour over beef mixture.
Serve in cabbage leaves (or lettuce)

Spaghetti With a Twist

Spaghetti used to be my all time favorite food. I remember getting Spaghetti at IHOP once. Bad idea. I still love spaghetti because it is so easy, but I have realized there is a lot of delicious food out there to be tried! This recipe mixes the same old spaghetti up just a little bit. It's really fast and easy as well.

1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP cream cheese
12 ounce spaghetti

Cook onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Add meat, cook until browned. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream cheese until well blended
Serve with cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.

Honey-Lime Chicken Smothered Burritos

Cook some chicken. I baked mine, then I cut it up.

Then marinate for like a half hour if you've got the time, in this little diddy:
6 TB Honey
4.5 TB lime juice
1 TB chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Then, take your flour tortillas, put some chicken and some cheese (jack or colby) in the middle, roll them up and put them in a pan.Bake them at 375 for a few minutes, make sure you watch them so they don't burn, and make sure the cheese melts.
THEN, add the Green Enchilada sauce (I used and liked Las Palmas brand) on top. I warmed the sauce up and added after I got enchiladas sort of crispy and the cheese melted because if you cook the enchiladas with the sauce, the flour tortillas get all mushy and nasty. And thus, this is why I call them a burrito instead of an enchilada. If you like mushy flour tortillas feel free to cook the enchiladas in the sauce. Garnish with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese for the full on burrito-enchilada style effect.

Lasagna Rolls

These look really pretty and are a different version of the usual lasagna. I got the recipe from Giada Laurentiis, the chef from "Everyday Italian." She's the really pretty/skinny lady, which I am always wondering how a pasta ched is so darn skinny.

6 Servings

Sauce:
2 TBSP butter
4 tsp. flour
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15 ounce) container of whole milk ricotta cheese (which I am not a huge fan, you could sub. cottage cheese)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 Cup plus 2 TBSP grated parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (fancy ham), chopped
1 egg, beaten
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite brand)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Fajitas

This is one of my no brainers, but I have found an especially helpful tip in making these.

Did you know you can buy frozen, already cut up bell peppers and onions?
You can. And it is pretty cheap! Red, yellow, and green bell peppers, and onions already sliced and ready to go! Dinner is halfway done!

-sautee your peppers and onions in olive oil until they are starting to get caramelized
-cook your chicken (or beef) any which way you like. Season with salt and pepper and cumin and seasoning salt. Sometimes I like to cook my chicken in the oven and then cut it up if I am not feeling like dealing with raw meat. Or you can take your uncooked, diced chicken and cook it on the stovetop in some olive oil.
-Add your chicken and veggies together and you are done! Make sure it is well salted and well seasoned. Lots of pepper and cumin will give it that Mexican flavor.

serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, cheese, and salsa.

Cracker's Spinach-Apple Salad

There is a popular little breakfast/lunch joint down here called "Crackers."
I had this salad there and it is really easy to copy.

-Chicken, seasoned and cooked, but into strips
-package of fresh spinach
-2-3 Granny Smith Apples cut in small slices, make sure you sprinkle them with lemon juice to keep them from getting brown
-about 3/4 cup of cumbled feta cheese (be careful not to put too much feta in it, feta has a really strong taste and can overpower the salad)
-crumbled bacon
-sliced almonds ( I usually leave the nuts out because I am cheap)

Poppyseed Dressing:
1 C sugar
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1 C salad oil
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp dry mustard
1 garlic clove

Blend all ingredients together.

Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese

I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine awhile back. Since then I have seen it on other blogs, so apparantly this recipe gets around.
It is THE BEST, hands down macaroni and cheese in the entire world. I say that with complete confidence. Try it at least once in your life, it is a little work, but the outcome is worth it.

Ingredients
Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces) (you find this in the specialty cheese section in the grocery store)
1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

Yaki Tacos

"The Islands" is a restaurant that serves these tacos. They sound strange, but they are my favorite menu item. I realized they are also really easy to make.

-About a pound of cut up chicken
-Bottled Terryaki sauce (it should have a sweet flavor and be on the thicker side, if you happen to buy one that is not sweet and really salty, add some brown sugar to sweeten it up, and cornstarch to thicken it up)
-shredded Jack cheese
-green, leafy lettuce, cut up in small pieces
-pineapple tidbits
-diced roma tomatoes
-green onions, chopped
-soft taco sized tortillas

1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and then cook the chicken until it is nice and golden brown.
2. Add the sauce to the chicken.
3. Warm your tortillas by stovetop (I never learned the proper way to heat tortillas until watching Don's mom. My mom always warmed them up in the microwave. They are much better on the stovetop)
4. Assemble your tacos:
Chicken, lettuce, cheese, pineapple, green onions, tomatoes
5. Eat.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwhiches

I stole this from my friends, the Mumfords. They made these sandwiches and I thought, what a fantastic idea!

-About a pound of Chopped stir fry meat (you want a beef that is meant to be cooked fast, so as not to be tough as a cowboys leather leg things)
-2 Green Bell Peppers cut in strips
-one onion cut in strips
-bread made for subs, you can find this in the bread section
-cream cheese
-provolone

Sautee the Bell Peppers and the onion in olive oil until the onion gets nice and sort of caramelized. Make sure you salt and pepper the veggies while they are cooking.
Remove the veggies, and add the meat.
Cook the meat, then add the veggies back in.
Flavor the meat with some worchestire (uh how do you spell that) sauce, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, lots of salt and pepper, and a little bit of beef broth so that there is some juice with the meat. You don't want the meat mixture to be dry.

To assemble your sandwiches, Split your bread and place the cheese on the bread. Broil it in the oven for just a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is just sort of crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside.
Once you get the bread out, spread cream cheese on the bread and then add the meat. If you want to keep the sandwiches warm, wrap them in foil and put them back in the oven until you are ready to eat.

PF Changs Orange Chicken

I lllllloooooovvve Pf Changs infamous orange chicken. I have actually never tried this recipe before, but I am going to-I will let you know. It looks like it has the right ingredients. I think the key is the chili garlic sauce which I am assuming is somewhat pricey and located in the ethnic isle in the grocery store.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water (I actually would replace the water with orange juice)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (into 1/8″ thick strips)

1. Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil; add garlic and onions; do not let the garlic burn; add tomato sauce; bring to boil.
2. Add sugar, chili sauce and soy sauce; bring to boil; simmer five to six minutes or until sauce thickens; remove from heat.
3. Prepare chicken: In wok or large skillet, heat oil. Meanwhilecut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
4. In medium bowl combine egg and milk; mix well. Place flour inshallow dish.
5. Coat chicken pieces - first in the flour, then the egg wash andback into the flour. Cook in 2 or 3 batches until all chicken is cooked.
6. When chicken is done, remove oil and rinse out wok or pan with water;reheat pan. When hot, add orange peel and chicken; heat through -about a minute - stirring gently. Add sauce.

Low Fat Fettucini Alfredo

I make this all the time because it is so easy and I love pasta. And it is even a low fat version of a favorite American comfort food.

16 ounce fettuccine
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
6 taplespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (key ingredient)
(I also add just a little chicken bouillon flavoring to give it more taste)

Cook pasta and drain. Add sour cream and then everything else and cook until it gets thick.

Chicken Broccoli Ring

I learned how to make this at a Pampered Chef Party. It looks pretty fancy. Cook it on a circular pan if you have one.

2 cups cooked chicken (canned is okay)

1 cup broccoli (frozen okay)

1/2 cup red bell pepper

1 garlic clove (fresh garlic makes all the difference in the world)

4 ounces sharp chedder cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp. Dill seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

Combine all the filling ingredients. Then assemble your ring. Okay so how do I explain this.

Your cresents come in triangles. you want to take the base of the triangles and arrange them in a circle, overlapping eachother on the side. This should leave the one point, or top of the triangle facing outwards. Then take the filling and spoon closer to the base of the triangle. Then take the top of the triange and fold it over.

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until crescents are completely cooked.

Olive Garden's 5 Cheese Ziti

The 5 Cheese Ziti is my all time favorite Olive Garden dish. I discovered that the sauce listed below makes a fabulous base. I would double it if you are planning on making it in a 9 by 13 pan. To make it 5 cheese, you basically have to add cheese!

Let me tell you how.
So make the pasta and sauce as described below.
Or if you are lazy, you can just do 2 parts alfredo sauce, 1 part spaghetti sauce for the sauce. I have never tried it that way, but I am sure it would work. I think finding a good bottled alfredo sauce is hard. Anyway...

To the sauce, add some:
ricotta, mozzarella, and fontini cheese (look in the specialty cheese section for this cheese)
You decide how cheesy you want it to be.
I would say about 1/2 c. ricotta, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 3 tbsp. of fontini cheese.

The topping:
3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

To assemble, put the pasta and sauce in a 9 by 13 pan, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then add the topping. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 until it gets bubbly and the top looks glorious and sort of toasty with cheesy goodness.

And you probably should wait a couple days to weigh yourself after you eat this. But it is so worth it.

Penne with Tomato Cream

This makes a nice low fat pink sauce for pasta.

So this sauce is also a good base for my imitation of Olive Garden's 5 Cheese Ziti. I will post that too.

Serves 4
6 oz. uncooked penne
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (newsflash, I love red peppers)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove pressed
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid (14.5) (you can even get the can of tomatoes listed as Italian Style)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. flour
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Cook pasta.

Make Sauce:
1. saute onion and red pepper in olive oil. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
2. whisk flour into milk until smooth.
3Add to tomato mixture.
4.Cook and stir until sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Add pasta.

Welcome and Tropical Chicken with Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice

So I started a food blog. Just for kicks. It is named "Mottsy's Kitchen" because this is the name of the restaurant I started when I was a kid. It was open once a year. On Mother's Day. I made a menu and gave it to my mom to pick something off of. Of course I had only one real option to choose from- I think I called it the Mother's Day Special. My mom was smart. She always picked the Mother's Day Special. I think one year I made her a BLT and one year was French toast. That's all I can remember. I told Don this story and he started calling me Mottsy while we were dating. If I ever start a restaurant, it will be named "Mottsy's." Catchy, don't you think?

I have to apologize in advance, I don't know if you have noticed, I am wordy. Too wordy. But I figure I will share with you what I have learned through trial and error with these recipes. Then maybe you won't make the same mistakes. And sometimes I am not good with exact measurements, because with recipes I have noticed sometimes they are off. Sometimes you have to adjust to make it work. I think that is what cooking is all about.

So for my first entree, and entry (little play on words there) I bring you:

Tropical Chicken with Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice
Background: I took a cooking class over at the community college almost 4 years ago. I was hoping to learn how to be a fancy chef, but basically I learned variations on the basics. I learned some things, but overall, I was a little disappointed to tell you the truth. I know how to make a white sauce, and just because I learned it's french name did not fool me into thinking I was learning something revolutionary.
Anyway, the last class we had to cook something that could use up all the ingredients the kitchen already had. And so my little group made this. It was awesome and seriously is one of my favorite things to eat.

To live up to its awesomeness, these must be obtained
*The main tip is to get good mangos. You HAVE to wait for them to ripen and be soft otherwise it will be he** trying to get the fruit from them, and it will taste blah as well. You have no idea how many times I have learned this lesson.
*Rice must be moist and have a good amount of coconut milk in it.
*Plenty of extra marinade to spoon over rice and chicken.
*Mango salsa must be juicy.

Chicken:
1 lb. chicken
Marinate the chicken in 1/4c. soy sauce and some ginger. It is best with fresh ginger, I squeeze the juice out with a garlic press. You can also add some terryaki sauce for extra flavor. If you are really lazy, just get a bottle of terryaki marinade, there are a ton to chose from. Give it 30 min. to 2 hrs.

Cook the meat. If you really want to impress, grill it so it gets those nice grill marks. Did you know you can even by a frying pan will grilling ridges to give you the same look? When cooking chicken, it is best to sear the outside to lock in the juices. For example, heat some olive oil in a pan, and just brown both sides of the meat, and then let it cook in the oven for the rest of the time.
Make sure you save some of the marinade to spoon over the chicken and rice when it is finished.

Rice:
So depending on how much rice you want to make...
Basically you want to cook the rice according to the directions on the box, but substitute half of the water with coconut milk. Watch the rice and make sure it has enough water. Actually the best it ever turned out was when I used a coconut milk that was more like a goopy consistency. Then I just added some after the rice was cooked and it made the rice really moist and all around delectable.

Mango Salsa (did you hear a chorus of heavenly angels singing when you read that? Because I did.)
3-4 ripe mangos
1/2 chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime juice to taste
minced fresh ginger to taste
salt to taste