Italian Chicken Rotelle W/Broccoli & Cheese.

Good Tuesday everyone! I'm back with a food post. I love cooking, baking, and creating new recipes, but I do also love having breaks from the kitchen. Especially from those nasty dishes. I can pile stacks of dishes in no time....

I still haven't seen Hannah Montana yet due to different complications, but my little sister and older sister got to. They came out raving and raving. I am hoping I can see it this weekend. But Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and X-Men are coming out this Friday and I am being pulled in 3 directions. Not sure what I'll see!

I created this recipe when I saw my Mom had some Rotelle on the shelf. I love pasta....especially when it is cold. I added in some chicken for a more balanced meal. The broccoli and provolane cheese take it up a notch. I was out of the bottled Italian Dressing so made my own. A quick meal for those busy week nights. Chilled or eaten at room temperature, it is good.

Italian Chicken Dressing Rotelle

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) bag of Garden Rotelle

2 cups chicken, cubed, cooked, and cooled

1 cup broccoli, chopped in small pieces

1 1/2 cup provolane cheese, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to directions. Cool. Combine all ingredients together. Set aside. Make dressing and pour all over Rotelle. Refrigerate 4 hours or until chilled or eat room temperature.

Italian Dressing:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. white sugar

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients together in a jar or bowl. Stir very well.

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Andrew has always loved sports. He has loved being outside ever since I can remember. Baseball is what he does best. He's never been a big camera lover....he'd take pictures but would never ask to have a picture taken of himself. A lot of times he'll give a look, which means get that horrid thing out of my face. Or he'll do the craziest things for the camera. He can also break out in the cheeseiest grins. The last picture is one of his many cheesy grins.

Have a good Tuesday, hopefully you are having some beautiful sunny weather. We are having cloudy cool weather. See you next with a dessert!

Greek Salad With Crumbled Feta Cheese.

Good Wednesday everyone! Already half-way thru the week? I used to never believe people when they said: "life gets faster as you get older". I always though yeah, sure it does. But, now that I am getting older I have come to realize that life really does speed up. Weeks really fly by now. Forget about weeks....you blink and your weekends are gone. I feel telling the clock to sloooow down.

I love Greek food. I love Middle Eastern food. I also love Feta Cheese. My sister says it stinks and refuses to eat it. Yes, you do have to get past the smell to be able to eat it. This Greek Salad has Feta Cheese in it and boy, does it taste ever better. The parsley, olives, red onions, tomatoes, and the lemon/oil dressing makes this healthy salad something you won't be able to stop eating. The dressing is made mostly to your taste buds, some people like more oil or more lemon juice than called for. I like mine with that tart taste to it.

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium red onions, sliced

2 cucumbers, cut into chunks

1 1/2 tomatoes, cut into chunks

3 cups parsley, chopped

3 cans olives

2 (4 oz.) pkg. feta cheese, crumbled

DRESSING:

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, olives, and feta cheese. Mix well. Mix dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and mix together until salad is coated in dressing.


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Lisa. The oldest out of us kids. 10 years older than the youngest. The most gentle and calm out of our bunch. Out of us girls, Lisa is the one who would rather stay inside and knit, read, or even bake. My little sister Anna and I have been heavily influenced with 3 outdoor brothers. She's also the one who has lots of clothes and shoes....Anna and I due to being extremely picky about everything lack in that area. When it comes to knitting, she does a fantastic job. I am still trying to figure out how in the world she makes clothing for herself, I also lack in that area.

Have a super rest of your Wednesday and I'll see you with a another fabulous giveaway next!

Chow Mein Chicken Salad.

Good Tuesday morning everyone! I can't believe this is the last week in February. I also can't believe it is going to be March. I am so glad to be leaving the frigid winter behind. Summer sounds so good these days....I can't wait to be swimming in a pool soon. More like a couple months. How I love summer!

I know I have been posting lots of chicken recipes lately and this recipe here so far, tops the others. This was literally gone in 30 minutes. I barely got any, but the bit I got was delicious. Everyone kept saying make this again, please! Without a doubt I will. I love the chow mein noodles in this salad along with the chicken. The dressing is pure yumminess.

Chow Mein Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chow mein noodles
2/3 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
2 green onions, chopped
4 teaspoons sliced almonds, toasted
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions: In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, chow mein noodles, chicken, onions, almonds and sesame seeds. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinaigrette ingredients; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

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Most guys love dogs. Really love them. But, my brother Steven is different. He has never been a huge dog lover. He'd pet them and be friendly with them but he wasn't thrilled about dogs. He'd prefer to be doing outdoor activites. Until Lewis came along. He loves Lewis, we all do....but Steven loves him the most. Lew is always given lots of attention by him. I don't give Lew that much attention because I am usually aggrivated with him (seriously, he is so much work!). Still, we all adore this dog, like none other that we've had....but Steven and Lewis have a special bonding. And even though Lew is mine but likes Steven more, I don't mind. I love seeing how much my brother adores my dog.

Enjoy your Tuesday and I'll see you with an amazing giveaway next!

Finally, Some Food Recipes.

Good Wednesday evening everyone! Sorry to be gone for so long with no recipe posts. I was having loads of fun celebrating my 1 year blogiversary with you guys. And, believe it or not...it isn't over yet. Which means more prizes for my blog readers. But until then, here are 3 recipes to make up for my lack of non-food posts.

BBQ Chicken Salad, the name alone sounds good. And it is delicious. Beyond a yummy recipe. Pair it with the Cheddar Muffins and you've got yourself a winning meal. I love the kidney beans and corn mixed in the salad. The brownies are a must to make. They are thick, chewey, and moist. Who knew Chocolate Graham Crackers would taste good in brownies?

BBQ Ranch Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato, chopped
1/3 cup canned corn

2 tablespoons chopped red onion (optional)
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1-1/2 cups torn romaine

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the chicken, kidney beans, tomato, corn and onion. Combine ranch dressing and barbecue sauce; pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide romaine between two salad plates; top with salad. Yield: 2 servings.

Ham & Cheese Muffins
2 eggs
3 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped ham, sandwich meat

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400°F. Spray bottoms and sides of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. (Spray will work better than greasing or using paper muffin liners.) Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl with fork. Stir in Bisquick mix, milk and oil just until moistened. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese and the ham. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese evenly over tops of muffins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm. Wrap and refrigerate any remaining muffins.
------------------ Coffee Chocolate Graham Cracker Brownies

Ingredients:

16 chocolate graham crackers

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp. instant coffee granules

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch pan. Crush the graham crackers finely. Pour into a bowl and add cocoa and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. beat with an elextric mixer at high speed until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the coffee granules and vanilla. Fold in chips/chunks and the graham cracker crumb mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Make sure to not overbake. Let cool completely in the pan and frost with Ganache.

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Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Microwave cream until bubbly and very hot. Fold in chips. Stir until thickened and smooth. Spread over brownies. Let harden and cut into squares.

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We got to go snowboarding in 50 some degree weather. That is exceptional. Usually the temperature is around 20 some to 30 degrees. I survived without any crashes. But, I now have a big fear of crashing while snowboarding, crashing into Steven was a pretty scary incident. The good thing that came out of that is that I am now a more cautious snowboarder. Yes, you could have called me a wreckless snowboarder. Doesn't sound very good.

See you next with a giveaway you're gonna love!