Chicken Ceasar Salad with Bowtie Pasta

As with any salad the amounts below are not exact. Play with it until you get it right according to your taste. You don't have to toast the almonds.

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 bag of bow tie pasta
2-3 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
4 TBS shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 bag of croutons
Ceasar Dressing to taste

Marinate Chicken in Italian dressing for at least 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through, let it rest and then slice in lengthwise.
While you are Grilling Chicken, boil pasta in water then drain. Toast the Almonds in broiler until light brown and fragrant. Toss together all the ingredients except chicken.
Plate the salad and place the sliced chicken on top.

Crockpot Pasta Fagioli Soup

2 cans beef broth
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 tsp mined garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup tubetti, ditilini or small shell pasta, uncooked

Put all but the pasta into the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours. Add pasta and continue on low for another hour or until pasta is tender.

Serve with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and fresh chopped basil.

Mexican Chicken & Black Bean Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 TBSP butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15oz. can corn, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
2 15oz. cans stewed or diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
1 cup salsa
1 TBSP ground cumin
2-3 TBSP cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in a soup pot. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and brown into butter until not pink. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add corn, broth, tomatoes, black beans, salsa, cumin, and cilantro. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over tortilla chips and garnish with cheese and sour cream if desired.

*NOTE: Go vegetarian and omit the chicken and use veggie broth instead.

Cheesy Ham Breakfast Casserole

5 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chive-and-onion-cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 cups refrigerated shredded hash browns from a 20 oz bag (I used Simply Potatoes)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
2/3 cup of ham
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter, melted


Spray a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese while slowly adding in the milk.  Then beat in the eggs, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the hash browns, cheddar cheese, roasted pepper, and ham.

Pour the mixture into the prepared square baking dish.  Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover the casserole and bake for 40 minutes.  While it bakes, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter together in a small bowl.

Remove casserole from the oven and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture even over the top of the casserole.  Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more until the bread crumbs are golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

Quick Italian Spinach Pie

1 (16 oz.) Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained, chopped
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix ingredients until blended.  Pour into 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake 40 min. or until center is set.

*NOTE: You could add sauteed mushroom for added flavor. Or if you want meat added, diced ham or Italian sausage would do nicely.

From Kraft Foods

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Yes, Brussels sprouts. They really have a bad wrap because of the worst way to cook them. Boiling them is just an awful way to torture kids. Roasted them however brings out a completely different flavor to them, a flavor that is unexpectedly not Brussels-sprouty. Be adventurous and try it out.

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil1
 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

*NOTE: I like to halve them. They roast quicker.