Bow Tie Spinach Salad
Recipe courtesy Sue Melnick
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1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
½ pound cooked bow tie pasta
1 container feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 bottle Paul Newman’s Balsamic Vinaigrette, to taste
Combine spinach, pasta and feta in a large salad bowl. Add dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.
Pepperoni Pasta Salad
Recipe courtesy Jenn Halter
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This is one of my family’s favorite recipes!
Pasta:
1 pound curly pasta, cooked
5 ounces Pepperoni, chopped into small bite size pieces
¾ pound cheddar cheese, bite-sized chunks
3 celery stalks, chopped (optional)
Green Onion (optional)
3 tomatoes (optional)
Dressing:
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
Top Raman Cabbage Salad
Recipe courtesy Debra Holmes
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8 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
1 large head cabbage, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
2 packages Top Raman Oriental Soup (Chicken)
Dressing:
1 cup oil
4 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 flavor packet from Top Raman noodles
Toast sesame seeds and almonds in 325 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
Combine cabbage & onion. Break up noodles by hand and add to cabbage mixture.
Dressing: Combine oil, sugar, and vinegar, salt, pepper & flavor packet from noodles in a jar with a lid. Shake well before adding to salad.
At the last minute combine salad in serving dish with dressing. You can add cooked chicken as well!
Gore’s “Very Secret” Salad Recipe
Recipe courtesy Victoria Gore
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Dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dill
¼ teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon oregano
½ cup olive oil
Salad:
Romaine lettuce
Purple onions
Radishes
Green pepper
Tomato
Feta cheese
Black olives
Cucumber
Serve at room temperature. May be refrigerated 3-4 days.
Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread
Recipe courtesy Weight Watchers/Jenn Halter
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This is the bread that was served at the Holiday Progressive in 2006.
3 tablespoons margarine, melted, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (10 oz.) pkg. refrigerated buttermilk flaky biscuits
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush 1 teaspoon of the margarine over the bottom and up the sides of a 7½ x 3½ x 2¼-inch non-stick loaf pan.
Spoon cheese into small bowl; cut each biscuit into quarters. One at a time, dip each biscuit quarter into remaining margarine, then into cheese, turning to lightly coat all sides and using all of the margarine and cheese. In prepared loaf pan, layer coated biscuits and quarters with edges touching; bake until loaf is browned 30-35 minutes. Invert loaf pan onto serving platter; let stand in pan for 1 minute. Carefully remove pan; serve bread warm.
“Red Lobster” Cheese Biscuits
Recipe courtesy Jenn Halter
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These taste just like the amazing biscuits served at Red Lobster!
2 cups Bisquick buttermilk baking mix
2/3 cup milk
½ to 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, to taste
¼ cup margarine or butter, melted
½ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
Mix the baking mix, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes at 450 degrees or until lightly brown. Mix butter, garlic powder and parsley. Brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Note: For perfectly round biscuits, use an ice cream scoop to drop the batter.
Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light/Jenn Halter
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This is one of my all time favorite recipes!
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons dark rum
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.
Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack. 16 servings.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Recipe courtesy Dawn Shetzer
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5 slices bacon
½ cup butter
1 large onion, diced
½ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1½ cups (6-ounces) grated cheddar cheese, divided*
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub potatoes well and prick several times with fork; bake approximately 1½ hours to 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out potato pulp; set aside. Discard skins.
Cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble, and set aside.
In a large soup pot over low heat, add reserved bacon dripping and butter. Add onion and saute approximately 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Stir in flour until well combined; cook for several minutes, but do not let brown. Gradually add milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, crumbled bacon, and 1 cup cheese. Stir and cook until cheese is melted. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness.
NOTE: At this point, soup may be refrigerated until ready to serve. When ready to serve, warm over low heat, stirring until hot. Remove from heat and serve in soup bowls.
To serve, serve in individual soup bowls garnished with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Additional crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, and/or chives may be served to sprinkle onto the top of the soup.
Makes approximately 6 to 8 servings (10 cups).
Turkey & Stuffin’ Soup
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray/Jenn Halter
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I just love this soup…the ultimate comfort food and an excellent way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!
4 to 6 cups prepared stuffing, heated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, chopped, up to 2 cups of leftover baby carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 quarts chicken stock
1½ pounds cooked turkey meat, diced
A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen peas or leftover prepared peas
Heat a pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Work close to the stove and add vegetables as you chop. If you are using fresh carrots, cut them into a small dice or slice thin. If you are using leftover baby carrots, cut carrots into bite-size pieces. Add celery and onion and lightly season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf and stock and bring liquid to a boil by raising heat. Add turkey and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until any raw vegetables are cooked until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and peas, if using.
Using an ice cream scoop, place a healthy scoop of stuffing in the center of a soup bowl. Ladle soup around stuffing ball.
Tortilla Soup
Recipe courtesy Debra Holmes
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1 whole roasted chicken (from Costco)
3 (14.5 ounces each) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes, diced
1 bag of country vegetables
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Add-ins:
Tortilla chips (coarsely crushed)
4 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 avocado peeled, cut into chunks
Snipped cilantro
Lime wedges
Sauté frozen (defrosted) vegetables, green pepper and onion in a little butter. In a large pot combine broth and undrained tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn and spices. Simmer, cover for 10 minutes more. To serve: place chips in a bowl and spoon soup over top. Top with desired add-ins.
Slow Cooker Chili
Recipe courtesy Jenn Halter
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1 pound ground beef
3 cans kidney beans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
2/3 cup bulgur
1 cup chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
3 chopped celery stalks
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
Dash cayenne pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Creamy Wild-Rice Soup with Smoked Turkey
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light/Jenn Halter
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2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon chopped fresh (or ¼ teaspoons dried) rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans chicken broth
1½ cups chopped smoked turkey breast (½ pound)
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2¾ cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot and next 5 ingredients (carrot through garlic). Sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in turkey and rice; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in sherry and salt.
