Laura's Pasta Salad

My mother is my hero. Both in life and in cooking:)  She taught me everything I know!

My mother makes this pasta salad, its not complicated or out of the ordinary, its just good. Maybe some of you have had pasta salads like this but if you haven't.. try it. Because it is delicious!!

one of her secrets is to put a little bit of mayo on it to help the dressing stick. (pretty sure this is the only time my mother uses real mayo and not the fat free stuff)

Laura's Pasta Salad

12-14 oz package of Penne or Twirly pasta

1 package of Tortellini (doesn't really matter how big, just add as much as you like... I like a lot :) )

1 cup sugar snap peas cut into small pieces

1/3 cup chopped olives

1/4 of a red onion chopped

1/4 cup mayo 

Zesty Italian dressing (to taste)

1. Cook the pasta and rinse it in cold water (Tortellini and Penne)

2. mix the veggies and pasta together

3. Add mayo and mix it until everything is coated. (you can use more or less mayo depending on preference)

4. dump in the dressing and mix. Use as much as you need to. I really like dressing so I'm not shy about putting it on. 

Enjoy!!

Barbie Cake

My niece just turned 4. I adore this little girl. She is oldest grandchild so naturally she was doted on by her grandparents and aunties and uncles a lot. More than is probably healthy...

For her birthday, she wanted a Barbie Cake.

Now,  making things look cool has never been my forte. I will cook you something that tastes amazing but if you want it to look pretty and perfect... I'm not  your girl...I don't have the "pretty gene"

No one in my family really does, so when my sister created a barbie cake for my niece.. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so gorgeous.

This isn't even the finished version:)

You can make them a couple different ways but the one that consists of the least cutting and smoothing is to cook one round pan of batter and cook the remaining batter in a round oven safe dish. Once they are baked and cooled, put the rounded cake on top of the flat one, stick a barbie in the middle (seriously, just shove her in there) and then frost!

The flat cake may be a little too big. So you can 1) leave it and let it add a little flare to the skirt 2) cut it off or 3) fill in the space with frosting

Its up to you:)

RiceKrispy Banana Pops

My sister is always looking for new and fun things to feed her kids (and herself) that are healthier than most sweets but still taste yummy. One of the solutions she found was to take a banana, cover it in a thin layer of peanut butter and then roll it in rice krispies. Freeze the bananas so they all stick together and become a 'Banana Pop'.

  Pretty simple and the majority of the snack is the banana, so her kids are eating more fruit but its more fun.

Do you guys have any fun and healthy snacks? Sound off in the comments.

Buffalo Wing Cornbread

So, I really don't like spicy things. I think spice covers the taste rather than enhances it. I think I have mutant taste buds... or something. However, there are exceptions to that rule. Some funky dishes are really good and have an element of spice to them.   For this recipe, you can use all the buffalo sauce or half or a quarter. It just depends on how much you like buffalo sauce. 

Try this out:)

Buffalo Wing Cornbread

Ingredients:

• Blue Cheese Mayo Dipping Sauce (see recipe below)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken
• 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce, more or less to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Celery sticks
• Green onion slices, for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces; add buffalo wing sauce and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Over medium heat, melt butter in 9-10 inch fry pan with straight sides (I like #8 cast iron); add chicken and the sauce. Saute until chicken is cooked through and most of the sauce is reduced. Keep chicken and pan warm while preparing cornbread mix. (NOTE: may cook chicken then transfer to a 9x9 square baking pan if needed)

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a small bowl whisk together milk and egg; stir milk and cheese into flour. Pour batter over chicken. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cornbread is cooked through. Serve with celery sticks and Blue Cheese Mayo Dipping Sauce. Excellent with a tossed salad as an entrée, wonderful as a side bread. Serves 6-8, depending on how it is served.

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

So, I really don't like to post recipes that I have not made and enjoy.... however... this looked so good that I wanted to share with you all:) Special thanks to Clean Murphy for sharing this recipe!

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 T cream cheese

1 T green onion, chopped

2 pieces bacon, partially cooked

Directions:

Pound out chicken breast so it is about 1/4 inch thick

Mic together cream cheese and green onions and spread cheese mixture over 1 side of chicken breast

Roll chicken up to conceal cream cheese

Wrap partially cooked bacon around chicken and secure with toothpick

place on baking sheet and bake for about 30 mins at 375 degrees

Broil for about 5 minutes to crisp bacon

You can sub turkey bacon and low fat cream cheese to make it healthier:)

Cheese Ball Appetizer

These are a staple at my house for holidays and any special occasion.  I am the one who always makes them and I also really like them.

We have two different recipes, one for the most of my family and one for me and the rest of my family who are trying to cut calories.

Like most of my favorite recipes, this one can be altered depending on what you like:)  So don't be afraid to throw different things in and get creative.

Calorie-full Cheese Ball

1 8oz block of cream cheese

1 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1-2 t garlic salt

1/2t onion powder

1 t parsley flakes

Mix this all together in a bowl with a wooden spoon and then roll into a ball and serve on a plate with crackers.

Calorie-light Cheese Ball

1 8oz block of cream cheese

1/2 bunch green onions sliced

1/2 t turmeric

1t garlic powder

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix together everything but the almonds. Roll into a ball and then roll in the almonds  to create an outer layer of almond slices. I really like this recipe- the turmeric is essential!  

Enjoy guys!

  

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The weather is warming up so soups become less and less popular as BBQs start to take over meal times.

But I live in Utah. Utah's only seasons are Winter and Construction. So there will be one more cold patch before summer really hits and when that time hits I am going to pull out this recipe and eat some delicious soup.

The great thing about this particular recipe is that I can eat it in the summer if I want. Just eat it with tortilla chips and its basically a taco without the tortilla:)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

In a crock pot dump the following ingredients:

3 cans black beans…undrained

3 cans diced tomatoes with chiles….undrained

2 cups frozen corn..16 ounces

1-2 packages of taco seasoning….(Schilling, McCormack envelopes)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts…can be frozen, I use 5-6 chicken tenders

Stir to mix ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours….pull out chicken breasts and shred.  Place back in crock pot and keep warm until served.  Can be served with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese, and/or guacamole.  About 10 cups.  

Enjoy!