Sample Menu

Brown ground beef and garlic in deep stock-pot. Add onion powder, corn, diced tomatoes, steak seasoning, chili powder, cumin, and Tabasco. Bring to a bubble and simmer 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve on top of tortilla chips with optional toppings.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Place in large serving bowl.

To pasta, add shrimp, peppers, olives, and peas.

In a bowl, whisk together dressings and olive oil. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to combine. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Stir again before serving.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

While pasta cooks, remove skin and remove chicken from bone. Shred chicken and put into a large serving bowl. Drain corn and add to bowl. Half tomatoes and add to bowl. Dice pepper and add to bowl. Pour bacon pieces into bowl. Add drained pasta.

In a small bowl, whisk together dressing mix and olive oil. Pour over all ingredients and toss to combine well.


***This is great to have on a busy night. As soon as the pasta cooks, you're ready to eat! It is also good at room temperature. So, you can make it before you go out for the evening's activities and have it when you get home.

Preheat oven to 450º.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

Lightly spray rack of broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place tenderloins on broiler pan rack, and put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the broiler pan. Rub each tenderloin all over with margarine. Then, rub the chili powder mixture on each tenderloin, to cover the entire tenderloin.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.

If chicken breasts are very thick, pound them slightly to thin a little. Season chicken with 1 T. seasoned salt.

In a small saucepan, melt together sugar, salt, butter, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.

Grill chicken breasts over medium high heat 5 - 7 minutes per side, OR broil in the oven for 7 - 10 minutes per side until cooked through. Brush sauce on at the very end. Pass the extra sauce at the table for added flavor.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Cook sausage in a large skillet, crumbling as it cooks. Dice pepperoni and add to sausage, just to warm. Drain meat on a paper towel. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Return meat to skillet on medium heat. Add pizza sauce and seasonings. Heat thoroughly.

Pour meat mixture over pasta. Toss and serve.


NOTE: This dish reheats nicely!

Place pesto sauce in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine cornflake crumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Dip chicken breasts in pesto sauce, coating well. Then, dip chicken in cornflake crumb mixture, again coating well. Place chicken on a baking sheet, sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

To serve, top with Creamy Pesto Sauce and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Whisk together pesto sauce and half & half in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until warmed thoroughly. Keep warm until ready to serve. Spoon over baked chicken.

Wash chicken and pat dry. For my family, I remove most of the skin on the chicken before cooking. It is still plenty moist, and we don't really like the skin. But, you can cook as you desire, either with or without the skin following the directions below.

In a small bowl, mix together applesauce and Worcestershire sauce. Lightly spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Hold chicken over pan and pour applesauce mixture over chicken, allowing excess to drip into pan.

In another small bowl, mixt together brown sugar, paprika, pepper, garlic, kosher salt, celery seed, cumin, and coriander. Sprinkle over chicken. Place chicken breast side up in pan.

Heat grill to 300 - 350 degrees. Place chicken in aluminum pan over indirect heat (for gas grill, I turn off one side of the burners). Close grill lid and cook for about 2 hours, until juices run clear.

To serve, thinly slice and drizzle extra warm applesauce liquid over sliced chicken.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in large serving bowl.

Cut steak into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle steak with steak seasoning, tossing to coat all pieces.

Cut the corn off the cob.

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 T. olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Heat 2 T. olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add steak pieces and cook for about 3 minutes. Add corn, green pepper, and garlic. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Add halved tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Cook just until tomatoes soften. Add meat and vegetable mixture to pasta, along with chopped basil and shredded cheese. Pour dressing over all and toss to combine.


NOTES:
1. This dish is perfect served right off the stove, at room temperature, or even for lunch straight out of the fridge!
2. For those looking for a non-meat dish, simply omit the steak and add the entire green pepper and some fresh mushrooms instead.

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, feta, dressing, and garlic. Spread into an 8-inch pie plate or tart pan. Sprinkle with olives and diced tomato.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with pita chips.

Beat together egg whites, vanilla, and sugar until glossy (not stiff peaks). Fold in cereal and cinnamon chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on the pan before removing. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Place tilipia on a broiler pan sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

In a small bowl, mix together diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, lime juice, and minced garlic. Spoon mixture over tilapia fillets. Sprinkle tilapia with parmesan cheese. Top with panko crumbs, and drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until fish flakes easily. Serve immediately.


NOTE: Tilapia fillets can sometimes be large. The last time I made this, I actually only bought 2 flllets and cut them in half to feed 4 people. It was more than enough!

Cut yellow squash & zucchini into chunks and place in large mixing bowl.

Whisk together olive oil, marinade mix, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar. Pour over vegetables. Toss until all pieces are well coated.

Pour onto either a baking stone or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from sheet into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

NOTES:
1. If you are not a fan of goat cheese, you may substitute feta cheese. OR, you may omit the cheese altogether for equally delicious flavor.
2. If you prefer, you can use all yellow squash or all zucchini rather than mixing the two.