Mmm-Mmm Monday: Fiesta Pasta Salad

Meet Jessica from one of my new favorite blogs "Or So She Says".  She made this FABULOUS pasta salad that not only looks festive, it's a party in your mouth! 

It's on my menu for dinner tonight.... care to join us?

 

Fabulous Fiesta Pasta Salad

The ingredients for the salad: bow tie pasta,cherry tomatoes, olives, shoe peg corn, black beans, green onion and green pepper. (This is great with chicken too!)

The ingredients for the dressing: white vinegar, vegetable oil, taco seasoning and ranch dressing.

While the pasta is cooking, chop up all your pretty vegetables.

When the pasta has cooked, let it cool for about 20 minutes, then add all the vegetables,

and the corn and black beans.

Mix together the white vinegar, vegetable oil and taco seasoning.

Then add the ranch dressing. (However much you'd like)

Mix together and add to the pasta salad.

Fiesta Pasta Salad

Ingredients
10 oz bow tie pasta

1 can black beans

1 can corn ( I prefer shoe peg)

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

green onion

green pepper

(4 ck breasts)

Dressing

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup white vinegar

1pkg. taco seasoning

ranch dressing (about 1/4 cup)

Directions

Cook the pasta until al dente. Chop up all the veggies. Mix together the dressing. Add as much ranch dressing as you like to the dressing- I did about 1/4 cup. Add the veggies, corn and beans to the pasta. Add the dressing and mix everything together. It's even better the next day!

Mmm-Mmm-Monday: Butterflies and Caterpillars for Dinner??

 No, we're not eating this for dinner! 

Does this look more appetizing?!

One of my kids' favorite meals is a combination of Rotini (caterpillars) and Farfalle (butterflies). Just cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. 

  

 We eat our meal pasta-bar style, with several different toppings 

( I use 3 sauces, chopped ham or chicken, peas, broccoli, cheese and butter).  

Kids love using their imaginations to make their own pasta creation. If you know any picky eaters this is a fun and easy meal they are sure to enjoy!




Oh, by the way......

Today I'm announcing a fabulous ShadowCase Giveaway with Kelsey over at Vanilla Joy.  If you have always wanted one, this is your chance--it's so easy to enter.  Just head over HERE to learn how to enter and see what they've created with their ShadowCases.   
Good luck to all my awesome readers!

Phil the CrockPot with Cowboy Stew!

Doesn't he look dashing in his Western attire?  He tells me he used to be in movies back in the day, but for now he'll be happy just making a weekly appearance on my little blog.  This week he's showing us how to make Easy Cowboy Stew.  Only 3 ingredients. Again. Yee-haw!!!

Easy Cowboy Beef Stew

2-3 lbs. beef stew meat

1 can French onion soup

1 can golden mushroom soup

Mix ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or biscuits. Lots of sauce for a yummy gravy, too!

Hearty meal the whole family can enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Sandwiches

Hi everyone!

Phil the Crockpot is decked out and ready for the 4th of July with another easy recipe to feed a large group or even just a small family.  It's easy to adjust the quantity and you can always freeze the leftovers for up to 6 months. 

Italian Chicken

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. fat free Italian Salad Dressing

8 oz. low-fat cream cheese

14 oz. chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. thyme

Put chicken in the crockpot and pour Italian dressing over it. Cook on low 8-10 hrs or high 4-5 hrs.  Remove chicken from crockpot and shred, discard remaining Italian dressing.  Melt cream cheese, broth, soup, and spices in together in saucepan.  Mix sauce with chicken in crockpot and cook 1 hour.  Spoon onto rolls, top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese whatever you like.

To freeze:  Allow chicken to cool, spoon into ziploc freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months.

p.s. This recipe is also great served over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes!

This meal is always a big hit with kids and adults!

Mmm-Mmm Mondays: Phil the Crockpot with Delicious Turkey

Summer is officially here, which means I start avoiding heat like the plague--this includes a hot kitchen from baking in my oven.  So my two favorite ways to keep my family fed between June and September are
 1.  Grilling outside (which my husband or son usually take the reins on)  OR

 2.  Pulling out my trusty cooking side-kick, "Phil" the Crockpot.  He's such a part of our family, my kids actually named him!

One of our favorite recipes Phil the CP helps us make for dinner is a Cranberry Turkey Roast, yummy for Thanksgiving, even tastier for a Father's Day feast, but absolutely to die for when my 9-yr-old makes it without any help from me!  Seriously, with only 3 ingredients it is pretty hard to mess this one up.

Cranberry Turkey Roast

1 16 oz. can cranberry sauce

1 envelope onion soup mix

3-4 lb. boneless turkey breast

Mix cranberry sauce and onion soup mix together in slow cooker, place turkey roast on top.  Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  

It is hard to believe that something so simple can 

taste so delicious!

Mmm-mmm Monday: Honey Pork Chops on the BBQ

These are not your average pork chops!  One of the reasons we love this recipe is because it is also a great freezer meal.  So triple the recipe, put 2/3 of it into freezer zip-loc bags, and you'll have a couple nights off later in the month!

Honey Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce
Dash of pepper



Place all ingredients except pork chops in blender and mix thoroughly. Place pork chops into sauce, let marinade in refrigerator until ready to grill.  This recipe can also be put into a baking dish and baked at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. 

To Freeze:  Place remaining pork chops and sauce into zip-loc freezer bags and seal securely.  Can be frozen up to 3 months.


recipe courtesy of one of our favorite cookbooks "Don't Panic-- Dinner's in the Freezer"