Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad and was tired of getting the boxed kind at the store, or getting the pre-made kind in the deli (which is usually to oily anyway). So, I finally got the chance to experiment and make up my own salad which has less oil. You could add more ingredients to your liking such as bell peppers, broccoli or mushrooms, but this is a good base.

Ingredients:
1 box tri-colored pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
3 oz can of sliced black olives
1/3 c feta cheese
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Usually about 8-9 minutes for al dente, stir often.
2) Drain pasta in strainer, then run cold water on it.
3) Place pasta in a large bowl and add all ingredients. Mix together then set in the fridge to cool even more, serve after being in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Ideas:
Have this as a side to your sandwich instead of potato chips, or add some barbecue chicken to it.

Black Bean & Feta Wrap

This is a tasty wrap for lunch instead of having a sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 Spinach Tortilla Wrap (or Tomato)
1/2 can black beans
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
1 tbsp ranch dressing
3 tbsp feta cheese
1/4 c sliced olives

Directions:
1. Take 1 tbsp ranch dressing and spread over the tortilla wrap.
2. Drain the black beans and cut bell peppers into thin strips.
3. Add all the rest of the ingridents to the wrap. Fold the top and bottom over, then roll it up to eat.

RRRRRRRRum Balls

These are soooo easy to make and a great gift for a friend or a potluck at work during the holidays.

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp spiced rum
toppings of choice
parchment or wax paper

Directions
1. Cook cake mix as directed on the back of the box, I usually use Duncan Hines brand it's always so moist and easy to make.
2. After this cooks, usually about 20 minutes or so, wait for it too cool and then crumble the cake into a large bowl.
3. Mix in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and spiced rum.
4. Next, take a spoonfuls of this mix, take it in your hand and roll it into a ball (make sure your hands are clean!)
5. Roll the ball into a bowl or your favorite topping an then place it on a piece of parchment paper. Some topping suggestions are: sprinkles, nuts (chopped), mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar... or keep them plain.

Turkey Day

This was my first Thanksgiving in my first home and it went wonderful. We had my parents, my mother and father in-law and my sister and brother in-law and my niece. It was my job to make the turkey, and I also made a few desserts and some corn bread mini-muffins. Josh, my husband made his always wonderful garlic mashed potatoes. My mom made her famous stuffing that is filled with mini sausages, apples, walnuts and celery among other things. My mother in-law made her extremely yummy yams. And my sis-in-law made some brussel sprouts drizzled with olive oil, wow they tasted great!

For dessert I prepared red velvet cupcakes and also a loaf of pumpkin bread which went perfect with french vanilla ice cream. We were all so stuffed afterwards.

For the turkey I used an oven bag, which you coat the inside with 1 tbsp of flour so the bag won't explode while it's cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Clean the turkey inside and out, remove insides and pat dry. Brush olive oil on the turkey skin and sprinkle some dried rosemary and parsley all over it. Inside I placed a whole onion cut in quarters and 2 celery sticks each cut in half. Put this in the bag, slit the top of the bag with six 1/2 inch slits, close it and place in a roasting pan. I placed a temp gauge into the turkey breast to keep an eye on the temperature of the turkey. Cook in the oven for about 3 hours. Make sure the temperature is at 185 degrees in the center of the breast before you eat it. If it's not, just cook it longer. Ours took about 3 and 1/2 hours.

Sweet Potato Fries

I've been wanting to make these for a while, and thought today was the perfect time for a nice warm snack. In this recipe I just used one medium yam, which was enough for about 15-20 fries. You could definitely multiply this recipe as a side dish for the entire family.

Ingredients:
1 yam (sweet potato)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place a baking sheet lined with foil in the oven.
2) Cut the yam in half long wise and width wise so you have 4 equal parts. Then slice these into about 6-7 equal pieces long wise.
3) Add these slices to a bowl and mix together with olive oil and desired about of salt and pepper to taste.
4) Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place the yam slices on the foil, but put this back in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip all the slices and bake for another 15 minutes.
5) When they are done they should be a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes. Eat with some ketchup or plain. Either way it's so yummy.

The Baking Essentials

There you are on a Sunday, it's 12pm you still haven't showered and you're in your pajamas and you're desperate for a chocolate chip cookie! There is no way in hell you're going to the store, it's a lazy day and it's chilly outside. You know those kind of days right??!?

Well, for those particular days I always find it a good idea to keep a steady supply of some baking essentials to at least whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, brownies or even muffins.

My Essentials List:
1 bag of all-purpose flour
1 bag gradulated sugar
1 bag brown sugar
1 bag powdered sugar
baking soda
vanilla extract
cocoa powder
1 bag chocolate chips
at least 4 eggs
cup cake wrappers
milk
cinnamon
3 sticks of butter
peanut butter
1 box instant cake mix
1 box instant brownie mix
vegetable oil

BBQ Chicken & Bell Pepper Pizza

So I went to this place near my home called Tom's Farms. They have a few little country stores with all sorts of yummy things like produce, nuts, candies, sauces. Anyway, it's a fun place to go and I saw some bread that looked like pre-made pizza dough called Schiacciata. I thought this would be perfect for the left over grilled bbq chicken we made the other night.

As recommended by the lady at the store, I baked the dough for about 3 minutes to get it a little crispy (she said that the dough will soak up the pizza sauce and be too moist with this bread). Then I topped the dough with tomato garlic sauce, 4 sliced medium mushrooms, 1 small can of black olives, shredded bbq chicken, 1 whole red bell pepper slices, and a cup or two of shredded cheese.

The pizza allotted for about 6 slices, and with all the ingredients piled high it was so filling. We ate this with a side caesar salad. I love homemade pizza! Yumm!

Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

Slow cooked is definitely the way to go for a hot savory meal. I picked up a 3 lb brisket put it in the slow cooker on low for 9 hours. On the 9th hour I took off the lid used a fork to pull apart and shred the brisket up, then I added our favorite homemade Barbados BBQ sauce (any BBQ sauce of your choice will suffice). An hour later, I sloped a few spoonfuls of brisket onto a panini roll and served it with mashed potatoes and zucchini. It was as good as eating out at Lucilles, but better since it was home cooked. My husband really enjoyed it too!

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread

One would think this is the Trader Joe's blog since I reference it so much, but they seriously have good stuff. Ok, so my latest find was some Pumpkin Bread Mix. I was going to make some homemade pumpkin bread over the weekend, but I saw this mix at TJ's for about $2.50. It's so delicious, serves about 12 people per loaf and it's really easy to make! You just have to add water, oil and 2 eggs.

You're supposed to cook it about 55-60 minutes, but mine wasn't ready in the middle at that time so I added some foil lightly around the edges so the middle would cook thoroughly and let it sit in the oven another 5 minutes. I didn't have any vanilla ice cream or whip cream (probably good in the end tho), but it would have tasted even better paired with that. Yummmmmm! Can't wait to make more, and this time I'm going to put them in cupcake cups and possibly draw cute little pumpkins on the top....hehehehe, what a fun treat for Halloween!

These are a few of my Trader Joe's things...

Corn Tortilla Flat Bread
This goes great with a little bit of Rondell cheese for a pre-dinner snack.

Cracked Sourdough Wheat Bread
I love making garlic bread with this sourdough, and it's nice with turkey sandwiches.

Pineapple Salsa
It's nice to have a different type of salsa every once and a while. This one has a great flavor to it, but it not chunky pineapple, it's blended nicely.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter
Nutty, creamy and delicious! You have to refrigerate this after opening. This tastes great with strawberry jam on an everything bagel for breakfast.

Charles Shaw White Zinfandel
2 Buck Chuck is always good in a pinch. I like to drink this when I have salmon or shrimp for dinner. It's light and pairs well with it.

Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This is the best tomato soup ever. It's wonderful with half of sandwich for lunch...especially on a cold day to warm you up.

Wild & Basmati Rice Pilaf
My favorite rice ever. I always cook this up with salmon and zucchini. It heats up well for left overs too.