Italian Chicken Marinade

So simple and so good!

• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a shallow baking dish, mix the salad dressing, garlic powder, and salt. Place the chicken in the bowl, and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours. (For best results, marinate overnight.)

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.
2. Lightly oil grate. Discard marinade, and grill chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.

Chocolate Carmel Topping

1 Can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Jar (12 oz) Caramel Ice Cream Topping
3 Squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate.
In a saucepan, combine the milk, caramel topping and chocolate. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted.

Serve with fruit, pretzels, angel food cake or ice cream. Makes about 2 ½ cups.
If you want the topping to stay warm for a long period of time for a party or bbq pour it in a small crock pot after it's melted. Store left overs in the fridge.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk (not skim)
1/3 C (3 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.
Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker.

When it's nice and thick (it should look as thick as a normal alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

I use this sauce for so many things. Here's a few ideas:

-Over pasta (obviously)
-As a dip for breadsticks
-As a sauce on pizza (or dip these in it)
-Mix it with pesto for a creamy pesto sauce (so good)
-Mix it with marinara for a creamy marinara sauce

Honey Butter

Honey Butter

2 cubes real butter, (close to room temp- works best when slightly chilled still.)
2/3 cup honey
¾ cup powdered sugar

(If your butter is too soft, you'll end up with a gooey mess, so I just leave it out on the counter for about 20 minutes or so before beating and it turns out nice and fluffy)

Just place it all in a bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer for about 30 seconds. Serve at room temp.

Taco Soup

1 lb. hamburger
1 cup chopped onion
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans corn
2 cans stewed tomatoes (Mexican style)
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
hot sauce

In large pot brown hamburger. Add onions and cook until they are clear.
Add taco seasoning and a little bit of water, let simmer for a few minutes until flavors are combined.
Open all cans and dump in pot, don't drain any of them.
Turn pot to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until at a soup like consistency.

Optional ingredients:

green onions, bell peppers, or any other favorite Mexican ingredient

Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and hot sauce.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves

Romaine leaves

Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)

Red onion, sliced thinly

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

The Dressing:

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

*This makes a lot of dressing! If you need a really big salad for a party then start with a large bunch of spinach, large head of romaine, 4 chicken breasts, 1 lb bacon, etc. I rarely make a salad that big so that is why there are no "amounts". So have fun with it - you're going to love it!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)
marinara/pizza sauce
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust. I used thin crust.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after) Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.
When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter (I've used both and there's not much difference in result) and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Classic Pasta Salad

You're in luck Am....I just made this for tonight's dinner. I think it is the best Pasta Salad around.

2 bags frozen mixed pasta and veggies (I use Bird's Eye)
2 small zucchini, halved and sliced
1 small carton grape tomates, washed
1 can olives (I like 'em whole, but you could do a couple small cans of sliced olives), drained
1 package of pepperoni, halved
1 small red onion, halved and vertically sliced or diced
About 6-8 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 large bottle Italian dressing (preferably Bernstein's, possibly Newman's, I made my own...recipe below.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add frozen pasta and veggies. Bear in mind that these have already been partially cooked, so they do not need to cook very long--maybe 3-4 minutes. The ONLY way to ruin this salad is to cook the pasta too long. Drain and rinse. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, grape tomatoes, olives, pepperoni, red onion, and mushroom slices. Add pasta and veggies. Toss to combine. Add Italian dressing and combine thoroughly. Chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3-4 days. Serves 10-12.


HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING
1 c. canola oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (add more if needed)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (either fresh or from a can)

In a blender, combine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Blend. While blender is running, slowly add oil in a steady stream. Turn off blender and add Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Pulse blender 2-3 times and that's it!

In need of salad recipes

Hey all I am in need of some good summer salad recipes. If anyone has some good ones I would love the recipes. Thanks!

Enchilada Casserole

What you'll need:

10 corn tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 oz) can green chiles
1 lb. cheese
1 pt. sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 can olives

What to do:

Brown hamburger. Add onion and simmer 5 minutes. Drain Grease; add enchilada sauce, chiles, soup and milk. Simmer 5 minutes; tear tortillas in pieces. Put thin layer of meat sauce on bottom of 9x13 dish, then add layer of tortilla pieces, more meat sauce, then cheese. Repeat; at the end, add cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from over and spread sour cream. Garnish with lettuce, tomato and olive if so desired!

"Healthified" Salsa-Beef Chili

This was super easy to make and tasted wonderful! With only 260 calories per serving (about 2 cups), you won't feel bad going back for seconds!

What you'll need:

1 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen® organic no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 jar (16 oz) Muir Glen® organic mild or medium salsa

1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen® organic tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz) Progresso® dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Reduced-fat sour cream, if desired

Chopped green onions, if desired

1. In 4-quart nonstick Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Return to Dutch oven. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute.

2. Stir in all remaining ingredients except sour cream and green onions. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. To serve, top individual servings with sour cream and green onions.

Luscious Slush Punch

2 ½ Cup White Sugar
6 Cup Water
2 (3 oz) pkg Strawberry Gelatin Mix
1 (46 oz) Pineapple juice
2/3 Cup Lemon Juice
1 qt Orange Juice
2 (2 liter) Bottles Sprite
In a large sauce pan combine sugar, water and gelatin mix. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, freeze in 2 separate containers. When ready to serve place frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl and stir in 1 bottle of sprite until slushy.

Swiss cheese fondue

This is seriously SO yummy... my new favorite fondue recipe!!!

What you'll need:

1 lb. swiss cheese, grated
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups whipping cream or buttermilk
1 clove garlic, minced

What to do:

Toss swiss cheese with cornstarch, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In a saucepan or chafing dish, heat cream/buttermilk with garlic clove over low heat. When hot, add swiss cheese mixture. Sitr constantly until cheese is melted. Serve over a warmer.

Dip with french bread, crackers, steamed veggies, kielbasa sausage chunks, apples or whatever else you desire!