Chicken & Orzo Dinner

Ingredients

32 oz package of orzo pasta

2 large yellow bell peppers (chopped into bite-sized pieces)

2 large bunches of spinach (chopped into bite-sized pieces)

1 pound chicken breast, cooked and sliced

8 oz olives

3 oz sun-dried tomatoes (chopped into small pieces)

2 oz pine nuts 

Italian dressing

Directions

Cook pasta for 10 minutes and drain

Place hot pasta on top of spinach (will wilt)

Add peppers, olives, tomatoes, and pine nuts to the bowl

Stir to combine

Add dressing and top with sliced chicken breast

Egg Salad

Ingredients

8 hard-boiled eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp green onion

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1/8 tsp paprika

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp sweet pickle relish

Directions

Combine all together and season with salt and pepper

Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients

1 pound angel hair pasta

4 tbsp McCormick's Salad Supreme Seasoning

16 oz Wishbone Italian Robusto dressing

1 red onion (finely chopped)

1 green pepper (finely chopped)

Directions

Cook pasta and let it cool

Add 1/2 of the dressing, pepper, onion, and let marinate overnight

Add the remainder of the dressing and seasoning right before serving

Rosemarie Salad

Ingredients

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

15 oz container of whipped topping

1 can mandarin oranges

1/2 10 oz jar of maraschino cherries (sliced in half)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 large can of pineapple chunks

1/2 pound or orzo

Directions

Cook the orzo and let it cool

Mix flour, egg, sugar, salt, pineapple juice, and 1/2 orange juice together

Cook until thickened and mix with orzo

Cool overnight and then add in the pineapple chunks,oranges and cherries 

Add whipped topping and serve cold

Maple Glazed Baby Carrots

Ingredients

2 pounds baby carrots

1/4 cup Catalina dressing

1/4 cup maple-flavored or pancake syrup

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup pecans (toasted)

Directions

Cover carrots in saucepan with just enough water to cover all of them

Cook carrots for 12-14 minutes or until tender

Drain carrots and set aside

Mix dressing and syrup in saucepan - Cook on medium heat until bubbling

Add carrots and cook until glaze is thickened

Add butter and stir in until melted

Stir in the pecans and serve

Green Bean Saute

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh whole green beans (trimmed)

1/3 cup Italian dressing

2 tbsp spicy dijon mustard

2 tbsp sliced almonds (toasted) 

Directions

Cook beans in half of the dressing in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes

Add remaining dressing and mustard

Cook until heated through

Sprinkle with almonds before serving

Caramel Pecan Apple Slices

Ingredients

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

2 large apples (chopped into slices)

1/4 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook and stir the brown sugar and butter over medium heat

Add apples to brown sugar mixture in skillet

Cook uncovered over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until tender

Stir in pecans and serve warm

Corn Chowder

Ingredients

2 cans of corn 

2 cans cream-style corn

1 can potato (chopped up)

2 cans milk

2 cans water

1 bag frozen chopped onion

1/2 stick of butter

Directions

Saute onion and butter together in a saucepan

Mix remainder of ingredients together and heat

Use flour and water to thicken, as needed

Turkey Chipotle Chili

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pounds ground turkey breast

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 medium onion (chopped)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 chipotles in adobo (chopped)

Salt to season

1 cup Mexican beer

2 cups chicken stock

1 can (28 oz) chopped stewed tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans (drained)

Directions

Heat oil and turkey in a large pot over medium-high heat

Crumble meat as it cooks for about 3 minutes

Add onions, garlic, chili powder, and adobos

Cook for 5 minutes

Season with salt

Add beer and cook for another 1-2 minutes

Add stock, tomatoes and beans

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

Serve with sour cream and cheese

Thunderbird Stew

Ingredients

1 pound ground hamburg

1 pound bacon

1 cup onion (chopped)

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp BBQ sauce

2 cans pork & beans

1 can lima beans

2 cans pinto or navy beans

Directions

Fry the ground hamburg and set aside

Fry the bacon and onion together

Mix all the remaining ingredients together

Put everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-9 hours

Broccoli Cheddar Bake

Ingredients

10 oz can of cheddar cheese soup

1/2 cup milk

4 cups cooked broccoli (chopped)

2.8 oz can French's fried onions

Directions

In a casserole dish, mix soup, milk, broccoli and 1/2 can of onions

Bake for 25 minutes at 250 degrees

Sprinkle the remaining onions on top and bake for 5 more minutes

Asparagus with Prosciutto

Ingredients

1.25 pound of thick asparagus spears (washed and dried)

1 lemon (zested)

Olive oil

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Directions

Place asparagus into 1 inch of boiling water in a saucepan

Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes

Drain and run with cold water

Return to skillet and coat with lemon zest and olive oil

Remove and wrap with prosciutto

Baked Asparagus

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of asparagus

6 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Put asparagus in a saucepan with 1 cup of water

Simmer for 8 minutes

Lay in a buttered baking dish and drizzle with olive oil

Sprinkle with cheese

Bake for 7 minutes 

Hunter's Sauce

Ingredients

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 small shallot, finely minced

2 cups button mushrooms (sliced)

3 tbsp cognac or brandy

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups veal stock

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1-2 tsp chopped tarragon

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan and add shallots

Cook shallots until soft

Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until beginning to brown

Deglaze the pan with cognac or brandy

Add white wine and reduce by 2/3rds

Add veal stock and reduce to sauce consistency (should coat the back of a spoon)

Remove from heat and swirl in 1 tbsp butter into sauce

Add chopped tomatoes and tarragon and gently heat through 

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of potatoes - Peeled and chopped into small chunks

3 tsp salt

6-8 garlic cloves (roasted)

1/2 cup half-n-half

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place potatoes and 2 tsp salt in a saucepan and add cold water to cover

Bring water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer potatoes until tender (30-40 minutes)

Drain water from the potatoes

In a small saucepan, heat the half-n-half and butter

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes and garlic cloves

Add the half-n-half and butter to the potatoes and mix until creamy

Fold in sour cream, cheese and 1 tsp salt and pepper

Shrimp, Avocado & Orange Cocktail Salad

Ingredients

2 navel oranges (sectioned and juices reserved)

1.5 pounds of medium shrimp (shelled & deveined)

2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic (pasted)

1 can hearts of palm, chopped into small segments

2 avocados

FOR THE SAUCE:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp cognac or brandy

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp honey

Zest of 1 orange

Directions

Zest an orange and set aside

Section 2 oranges into supremes by removing all the pith and skin

Cut orange segments from their membranes and squeeze the juice from them

Reserve the segments and the juice

In boiling salted water, poach the shrimp until pink and firm (about 2 minutes)

Drain the shrimp and while still warm, combine with garlic, oil, and 1 tbsp orange juice

Stir to combine and let the shrimp cool to room temperature

Combine all the sauce ingredients and add orange zest to mixture

Transfer the orange segments to the bowl with the shrimp

Add hearts of palm to shrimp

Add 1/2 sauce to the shrimp and orange mixture and coat to combine

Halve the avocados, slice and chop into small segments

Serve the shrimp with the avocado

Serve with the remaining sauce on top (if sauce too thick, can thin with remaining orange juice)

Raisin Crunch Cookies

Ingredients

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Raisin Bran cereal

1 1/4 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oats in a bowl

Beat the butters and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy

Add egg and vanilla and mix well

Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until well-blended

Add cereal, coconut, and raisins

Drop by spoonful onto ungreased baking sheets

Bake 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned

Cool on baking sheet for 4 minutes

Remove onto wire racks

 

**Can substitute Honey Bunches of Oats and dried cranberries for Raisin Bran and raisins