Italian Pasta Salad

I forgot how much I love this salad.

I got the recipe from my sister-in-law who got it from a friend.

The key to this salad - the secret is in the sauce!

Ken's Steakhouse Italian with Aged Romano Dressing

Go get some!!

Great things about this salad:

It's not an exact science

Always a hit at gatherings of all sorts

Simple

Easy

Quick

Need I say more?

Ingredients

Tri-Color Rotini

Black Olives

Cherub Grape Tomatoes

String Cheese, sliced in 1/4-1/2 inch pieces

Bell Pepper, chopped

Mini Pepperoni

Ken's Steakhouse Italian with Aged Romano Dressing

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water until pasta is cool to touch.

Toss all ingredients together and toss in a healthy dose of dressing.

Back when I only had one child, I would cut the tomatoes in half and slice the olives. Oh how things change!!!

Miss you Michelle!! Come visit me soon!

Easter Goodies

 Peanut Butter Blossoms - Easter Style (Reese's Pieces Eggs and Easter Egg Whoppers)

Eggs for Devil-ing and Creamy Potato Salad

PW French Breakfast Puffs

So Yummy! That's all I need to say.

Ingredients
3 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
2 eggs
1 c. milk

Coating:
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 t. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside

In another large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add the eggs and mix again. Alternate adding one-third of the flour mixture and one-third the milk to the creamed mixture, betting well after each addition.

Fill lightly greased muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full (I like to fill them less so you get a nicer round top and, dare I say, no "muffin top"). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden in a preheated oven at 350 deg.

While baking, prepare the coating by melting the butter in a bowl. In a separate container, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip the warm muffins in the butter, coating thoroughly. Then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Amen!

Fruit Trifle

Happy Memorial Day! We remember all those who have unselfishly served our country. THANK YOU!!

Fruit Trifle

Westwood Salad

Looking for a main dish salad? Here's one!

Westwood Salad

A few of our alternatives:

- We used rotisserie chicken (it's sooooo much cheaper than buying in the raw).

- We used REAL bacon. In our house, bacon makes EVERYTHING better!

- We like to used baby spring mix for the mixed greens.

- For the dressing, when it's just us, we just halve the recipe.

- Also for the dressing, we've never been able to find a bermuda onion in our local grocery store, so we've used 1/4 to 1/2 of a white or yellow onion. We've also used a shallot. We haven't noticed any difference in flavor.

- And lastly for the dressing, We vary the amount of dry mustard from 1/2 teaspoon (for the halved recipe) to 2 whole teaspoons for the whole recipe. I would add the dry mustard to taste.

- And sometimes we only make the dressing and put it on whatever salad we have at hand. It's delish!

Peel this...

My current toddler distractions in the kitchen:

1. Peel this orange please
2. Peel the garlic cloves please
3. Peel this banand (although I rarely do this b/c I don't like bananas)
4. Don't peel anything, but wipe down the kitchen table with clean washcloth or wipey.

So I think I need a few more distraction techniques in the kitchen because peeling things is going to get pretty boring for her later. Please let me know if you have any ideas!

Potato Chip Clusters

Just made these today and they're just another addition to my sweet and salty collection. It's a recipe from my Taste of Home: Fun Food Magazine.

9 squares (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate

2 c. crushed potato chips

1/2 c. chopped pecans

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate. Sitr in potato chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until set. Makes about 3 dozen.

Cinnamon Stove Top Granola

We had oatmeal for breakfast this morning and thought, mmmmmm....granola. So my Google results returned this recipe:

Cinnamon Stove Top Granola

Best part for me was no baking!! Perfect because our oven has been broken for the last several months. I know...you wonder how we've gone this far through fall and winter without an oven...easy...$30 Black & Decker toaster oven from Walmart.

Popcorn and Junior Mints

Speaking of popcorn, here's another one of our FAVORITES!!


The marriage of hot buttered popcorn and junior mints fits in the same category of peanut butter and chocolate, cookies and cream, and Wendy's fries and Frosty's. My mouth waters just thinking about them.


My friend Jennifer introduced me to this when we were kids. On movie dates, her parents would share a bowl of popcorn and junior mints for a romantic snack. For you men out there, this is THE way to woooo a girl. Go for it!


All you have to do is pop a bag of popcorn, put it in a bowl, and while it's still hot sprinkle some Junior Mints on top. Give the bowl a little jiggle to unleash the mints into the salty butteriness. When you reach in, you'll find ooey-gooey morsels of mint and popcorn.


If you want to get a little more adventurous, try melting the mints in a microwave-safe container until melted. Then pour over the popped popcorn. Now you'll have ribbons of chocolate-minty bliss spread across buttery goodness. YUM!

Creamy Onion Dip

This dip is always yummy and super easy and today I'm bringing this to my monthly group play date since the mommies like to snack lightly. This is from my Better Homes and Gardens Easy Everyday Cooking Cookbook. It's a nice alternative to the usual veggie dip.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. dry onion soup mix (Lipton is what I usually have)
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese (~2 oz.)
Snipped parsley (optional)

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the sour cream and dryy onion soup mix. Stir in the blue cheese. Cover and chill up to 48 hours.

If desired, sprinkle with snipped parsley. Serve with veggies and crackers.

Makes about 1 3/4 c.