Ranch Chicken

So I liked this.

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.

Scalloped Potatoes

It seems lately I have been making a lot of comfort foods. Must be the Fall. I have been cooking more too because I got a job cooking for my Dad. It is a pretty sweet arrangement. The other night I made him a beef roast cooked in BBQ sauce and then we served it like sandwiches with some wheat rolls. It was delicious. I served it will scallop potatoes. It was a great combo.

6 large potatoes
2 cans evaporated milk
4 tbsp flour
shredded cheese
chopped onion
LOTS of pepper, salt, and garlic powder to season

Peel and cut potatoes in half. Boil in salted water until soft, but still a little firm.
After the Potatoes are cooked, slice them into smaller pieces.
Put a layer down of potatoes and a handful of the diced onions in a 9 by 13 pan.
Pour some evaporated milk on them, season with pepper, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle some flour over the top and make sure it is absorbed into the milk (the flour is what will thicken the milk).
Add cheese on top of the layer if you like a lot of cheese, or you can just wait until the end to sprinkle it on top.
Repeat this process of layering until you run out of potatoes.
Make sure the milk is up to the same level as the potatoes.
End with a layer of cheese on the top.
Bake at 375 degrees until it is bubbly and the onions are soft.
Let it stand for a few minutes to cool off and to let the sauce thicken some more.

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

Dinner in a Pumpkin

It was cold today and boy was I in the mood for some autumnal goodness. Enter pumpkin. My friend told me about this (thanks Rachelle). And it was a smashing success. And come on, how fun is it to eat out of a pumpkin!

1 small to medium pumpkin (pumpkin pie pumpkin)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 chopped green bell pepper

Cut open your pumpkin from the top and scoop out all the icky stuff.

Brown your meat with the onions and bell pepper.

Add all the other stuff.

Put it in your pumpkin and replace the pumpkin lid and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.