Italian Pasta Salad

My fiance lived in Italy for two years while he was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. He grew very attached to the people there. He grew to love them, care for them and immersed himself in the culture. On of the biggest parts of the culture in Italy is the food. Meals are very important to Italians. Their Italian food is completely different from American Italian food. It is actually a lot lighter. It may not be authentic Italian food but it is pretty close. You can mix up the ingredients if you want to but it is filling and yummy.

1 lb of pene pasta
1/2 pound of cooked shrimp
1 cup of olives (assorted)
3/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup of artichoke arts
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
4 basil leaves (torn into smaller pieces)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Cook the pasta in water and lots of salt
   
2. Combine all ingredients in in a large bowl
   
3. Coat with olive oil add spices and toss
   

Chicken Enchiladas

Yes these chicken enchiladas are not authentic Mexican food, but they are delicious. They remind me of the day after thanksgiving with my family and our family friends next door. We would make enchiladas and eat a lot. We would laugh and play games. This is a tradition that still continues to this day. We get to together and make enchiladas. Sometimes we substitute turkey for chicken, we love them still. They are so good.

2 lb chicken breasts

½ cup diced onions

1 can mild enchilada sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can diced green chili’s (mild)

12 corn tortillas

1 ¼ cup shredded cheese

1 cup of sour cream (garnish)


Thaw chicken tenders, cut in cubes and saute with diced onion in frying pan until done. (5-8 minutes)

Combine enchilada sauce, soup and green chilies in saucepan, heat over medium heat until bubbly.

Place corn tortillas in large Ziploc bag and microwave for 1 minute to soften.

Grease 9 x 13 in baking dish with PAM. Place 1 -2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce mixture at bottom of pan.

Fill tortillas with 2-3 tablespoons chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold tortilla and place folded side down in pan. All 12 tortillas should fit in pan.

Pour sauce of tortillas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Enchiladas will be bubbly. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Dad's Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of Sunday, when I think of home, I think of my dad's chocolate chip cookies. He taught us all to make these cookies. We memorized the recipe. We would eat most of the dough. We know that when they have lines in the middle that they are ready. We brought them to school. We won over boys with my fathers cookies. My dad brought them to his friends. My mother loves them and jokes that she would be ten pounds lighter without my dad's chocolate chip cookies.

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown
3 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
Lots of chocolate chips

Preheat the to 325 degrees F

Combine all ingredients but chocolate chips
Add chocolate chips and form them into about 1 inch balls
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the top has cracks
Cool and enjoy

Oversized Meatballs in Tomatoe Sauce

I love this meal. it is so yummy. The meat balls are big, filling, healthy, and yummy. I did not grow up with this recipe. My fiance and I created it after trying a similar thing that my roommate had created. The meatballs were so tender. They had so much flavor. I love this recipe

1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water
½ pounds ground beef
1 pound of ground turkey
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups of tomato sauce
4 fresh basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
¼ tsp cinnamon

1. Cook 1 cup of brown rice 1 cup rice to 2 cup water = 2 cups rice
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
3. Add 1 ½ pound of ground beef and spices
4. Form brown rice and meat mixture into meat balls and place into a 9X13 baking dish
5. In a bowl combine tomato sauce, basil, minced garlic, and cinnamon
6. Pour tomato sauce over meatballs
7. Place in oven and bake for an hour or until tomato sauce is at a roaring boil

Healthy Pumkin Muffins

I love muffins. There is nothing better than grabbing a muffin and juice for breakfast. Growing up that was my favorite thing for breakfast. My little brother and I would make muffins at night together. Eat half the batter and some of the muffins that night. We would always save some for the next day. It was the best breakfast.
I also would make muffins for my friends who were lifeguards at the beach. There was nothing better than a pumpkin muffin in the morning and then a run on the beach. You feel like your new day is bright.

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup whole – grain pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• ¼ honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup skim milk

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  
• Coat 12 muffin tins with cooking spray
  
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk the sugar molasses, honey, 1 egg until combined.
  
• Add the other egg and whisk well.
  
• Whisk in pumpkin and vanilla.
• Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with milk. Whisk until well combined.
  
• Pour the batter into prepared muffin pan
  
• Bake for 20 minutes until a wooden toothpick can enter the center.
  
• Let it cool and the enjoy!
  

Chicken Tortilla Soup

In most families when you are sick they say that the cure is chicken noodles soup. In my family the cure to all ailment is Chicken Tortilla Soup. It is the meal that I look forward to in the winter. You can smell it throughout the house, it smells warm and cozy. You take one bite and your body feels better already. It is filling. It is healthy. It is delicious. It makes great leftovers.

2 lb of chicken breasts
2 cups of water
1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth
1 (14oz) can of beef broth
1 can tomatoes cut cup
1/2 cup chopped up
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
snipped cilantro

• Cut Chicken into 1 inch cubes; set aside
• In a large saucepan combine water, beef brother, chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, onion, green pepper. Bring to boil.
  
• Add chicken; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  
• Add corn, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Simmer covered for 10 minutes more.
• To serve, place crushed tortilla chips into each bow. Ladle soup over tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese, avocado cilantro, if desired.
  

My Love of Cooking

Ever since I was a little child I loved food. I was never particularly picky. My parents were both great cooks. They took the time out of their day each and every day to create a lovely meal. I remember growing up and both of my parents coming home from work, we set the table, and they created a delicious meal for dinner. The atmosphere at dinner light, and energetic, it was a time to laugh, eat, and spend time with our family. I still remember the meals my parents created, meals with meaning, family friends recipes, and some of my own.