Grilled Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz) package bow tie (farfalle) pasta, uncooked
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2-3 grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (or you could use a rotisserie chicken or any kind of cooked chicken you have available)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes OR 1 large tomato cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into small pieces 
1/2 of a 16 oz bottle of Italian salad dressing (we love Wishbone Robusto Italian)
4 oz of Colby Jack cheese, cut into tiny bite size pieces
1 small can of sliced black olives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

(You could also add any other fresh vegetables that you have on hand. Anything goes!) 

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the cooking water to the last 2 minutes. Drain water. Toss chicken, tomatoes, pepper, cheese, dressing, and olives together in a large bowl. Add pasta and broccoli, toss lightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

I found this on http://www.sixsistersstuff.com they have great recipes:)

Beef and Broccoli (Crock Pot)

Ingredients
1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
1 cup beef consumme
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.


I found this online I am going to be trying it this week:)

Chicken Salad with Grapes

• 2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup halved green grapes
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons finely minced onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• Combine chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery and grapes in large bowl; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; add to salad and toss to coat. Chill until serving I found this on allrecipes.com I haven't tried it yet but when I do I will let you know how it goes.

Baked Falafel

• I found this on all recipes and I want to know how it tastes:) 4 pts on weight watchers I thought this had good flavor but I didn't like the consistency. I am going to try to not process the food together as much and see if that makes a difference. 
• 
  
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Wrap onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion together in a bowl. Stir in the flour and egg. Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.  

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 tsp Italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven 425. Lay chicken on a lined baking sheet. Mix mayo and cheese then spread it on top of all the chicken. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the chicken. Cook for 20 min or until its cooked thoroughly and juices run clear.

Found on pinterest.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

• 16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp panko
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• olive oil spray (I used my Misto)

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken. Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.

My sister-in-law made this similar recipe for us and it was sooo good!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS
recipe from: Pennies on a Platter

Yield: 12 taquitos

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
• small flour or corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).

Enjoy!
Makes 12 ( 3 taquitos- 4 points plus)

Crock pot Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
• 1/3 cup flour
• olive oil
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 T ketchup
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds)
• 4 T brown sugar

Cut up chicken flour them and fry them. Add the last five ingredients and mix together then put it in the crock pot with the fried chicken cook on low 5-6 hrs or high 2-3 hrs.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with sweet onion in it)
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper (I used red, which is my favorite pepper)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces)
2 chicken breasts

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.

I found this on pinterest. I just made this today! SOOOOOOOOO GOOD! I am so excited because this was so easy and so yummy and it has good replay value.

Crock pot Teriyaki Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend. Serve with chicken and rice.

I found this on pinterest

I made this this week and it is really good!

Peanut Blossom Cookies

1/2 cup crisco

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoon milk

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

sugar (for rolling)

Chocolate candy kisses

Cream Crisco, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk. Blend in the flour, salt, and baking soda.

Shape a teaspoonful of dough in a ball and roll in granulated sugar. Bake in 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Immediately top with chocolate candy kiss.

Peppermint Bark

2 bags nestle white chocolate

1 pkg of candy canes

peppermint syrup (optional)

Grind the candy canes until it's powder

Sift the candy canes until the powder and the bigger pieces are separated

Melt chocolate in the microwave 30 sec and stir repeat the process until the chocolate is smooth

Combine the powder and chocolate and stir

Thinly spread it out on parchment paper and then add the bigger pieces on top for decoration

Wait until it hardens and then break apart and enjoy

Butterscotch Haystacks

Ingredients

• 1 (11 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 (5 ounce) cans chow mein noodles
• 3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

1. LINE baking sheets or trays with waxed paper.
2. MICROWAVE morsels in large, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70 percent) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until well-blended. Add chow mein noodles and marshmallows; toss until coated. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. DOUBLE BOILER METHOD: MELT morsels over hot (not boiling) water; stir until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter. Transfer to large bowl. Add chow mein noodles and marshmallows; proceed as above.

Recipes?

If any of you have recipes I WOULD LOVE to receive them. Please leave the recipe on the comment and then I can add it to the blog and enjoy new food with my family! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and if any of you have great recipes for Thanksgiving or Christmas I would love that too!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Trevor made this and it was amazing, he found the recipe online.

· 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)

· 4 tablespoons brown sugar

· 1 tablespoon ketchup

· 1 teaspoon soy sauce

· 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

(If desired, you can add 1 green pepper, cut into chunks, and pineapple chunks as desired after adding the cornstarch. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 4 teaspoons while keeping the water constant.)

Banana Bread

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup butter, melted

· 1 cup white sugar

· 2 eggs

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 cup sour cream

· 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

· 2 medium bananas, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I found this on the internet also I made it and it is delicious!

Orange Julius

• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 cubes ice

Directions

1. In a blender, combine orange juice concentrate, milk, water, sugar and vanilla. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Found this online LOVE IT!

Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup chili powder

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Haven't tried it yet but looks good and I am sure it will save me a lot of money:)

Strawberry Jam

8 cups small strawberries

4 cups sugar

juice of 2 lemons (6 Tablespoons of lemon squeeze)

1. Layer strawberries and sugar in a large bowl. (Make sure not to mix it just layer one after another you should layer it probably three to four times). Cover and leave overnight. (NOT in the fridge)

2. The next day, scrape the strawberries and their juice into a large, heavy pan. Add the lemon juice. Gradually bring to a boil over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. (Yes it said low heat it took FOREVER for my strawberries to get to boil it will take prob 30 min to get to that point this is where my patience got a little thin).

3. Boil steadily for 10-15 minutes, or until the jam registers 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a sugar thermometer. (I suggest to use the thermometer because it took a lot longer for my jam to get to 220 it took about another 10-15 min.)

4. Alternately test for setting by spooning a small amount of jam onto a chilled saucer. Chill for 3 minutes, then push the jam with your finger; if wrinkles form on the surface, it is ready. Cool for 10 minutes.

5. Pour the strawberry jam into warm sterilized jars, filling them right to the top. Cover and seal while the jam is still hot and label when the jars are cool. Serve with whatever you like. This jam can be stored in a cool dark place and should keep for up to one year.