southwest pasta salad with grilled chicken

another great recipe from mary e ross in salt lake city, utah.

2 cups fusilli, rotelle or other salad pasta

1/2 lb skilness boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders with tendons removed and lightly seasoned with oregano, garlic powder and lemon pepper or salt and pepper and grilled or baked

1/2 cup ripe olives, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced or chopped
1/2 medium orange, yellow or green bell pepper, thinly sliced or chopped
1/2 cup shredded jicama
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2/3 cup chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup fresh or frozen and thawed yellow or white corn
2/3 cup cooked or canned firm black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red or white onion thinly sliced in rings and quartered
1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups lime chili cheese ranch dressing

*cook pasta without salt and oil.  pasta should be al dente.  drain and rinse with cold water. 
*mix all spices together and season both sides of chicken.  place chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until juices run clear; or wrap seasoned chicken in a tight foil package and cook on grill for 15-20 minutes. 
*in a large bowl, add cooled pasta together with chicken, olives, peppers, jicama, carrot, tomatoes, corn, beans, onion and cilantro.  gently toss 3/4 of dressing with pasta mixture.  refrigerate salad and remaining dressing until chilled, 2-3 hours.  just before serving, toss salad with remaining dressing and fresh ground pepper to taste.

lime chili cheese ranch dressing
1/2 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 green jalapeno, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tbs seasoned rice vinegar
2 oz low fat feta cheese
up to 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk or skim milk
salt and pepper to taste

*in a blender, food processor or in a small bowl using a wire whisk, combine mayo together with sour cream, peppers, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar and feta cheese.  thin to a desired consistency with buttermilk or skim milk and season to taste with salt and white pepper. 
1 1/2 cups lime chili cheese ranch dressing

banana bread

this is my version of banana bread, which is really the better homes & garden cookbook version, but with a few changes.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce

combine egg, bananas, sugar and applesauce.  add to flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  combine gently.
bake in 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes in a loaf pan.

chocolate shake?

i can't remember where i found this, but it is awesome!

1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 cup fat free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups ice cubs

blend.

annie's favorite pasta

this is from sarah moulton's cookbook, sara's secrets for weeknight meals. it is fast and easy and one of our favorite dinners.

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
8 oz frozen breakfast sausage, slice 1/4 inch thick (do not defrost sausages before cutting them)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp rinsed, dried, and chopped fresh sage or 1/4 tsp rubbed
1 tsp rinsed and dried fresh thyme or 1/3 tsp dried
two 14 1/2 oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 pound rotelle (cartwheel) or other shaped pasta
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, finely grated

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium, add the sausage, and saute, stirring occasionally, until it is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. (don't discard the fat released by the sausage.) add the garlic, sage, and thyme; cook 1 minute. add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.
during the last 10 minutes, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. add the cream to the sauce and simmer just until the sauce has thickened slightly. add salt and pepper to taste. drain the pasta, reserving 2/3 cup of the cooking liquid. stir the pasta cooking liquid into the sauce and toss with the drained pasta. top each portion with some of the parmigiano-reggiano.

homemade mac and cheese

this is the recipe we love. from recipes.com

1 8oz pkg macaroni pasta
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2-3 tbs all-purpose flour
2 tbs butter or margarine
1/2 cup bread crumbs
paprika

cook macaroni according to the package directions. drain.
in a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. stir in enough flour to make a roux. add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly.
stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and he sauce is a little thick. put macaroni in a large casserole dish and pour sauce over macaroni. stir well.
melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. add breadcrumbs and brown. spread over macaroni and cheese to cover. sprinkle with a little paprika.
bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. serve.

we omit the breadcrumb portion and just go for the saucy stuff!

ganache-filled brown sugar bars

from food & wine may 1995.

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

boil the cream over moderate heat. in a food processor, finely grind the chocolate. with the machine on, add the hot cream and process until smooth. scrape the ganache into a bowl and let stand until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. lightly butter a 10 by 15 inch baking pan. line the pan with wax paper; butter and flour the paper.

whisk the flour with the salt. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes. beat in the eggs 1 at a time. beat in the vanilla. at low speed, beat in the flour in 3 additions; the batter will be fairly stiff.

spread the batter in the pan. bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. transfer to a rack to cool completely.

cover the baking pan with a large wire rack and invert. remove the pan and peel off the wax paper. invert the cake onto a large cutting board. using a long serrated knife, halve the cake crosswise.

spread the ganache evenly over one of the cake halves, leaving a 1/8 inch border. top with the other cake half.

cover and refrigerate until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours.

trim the edges of the cake. cut the cake lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 8 bars. serve chilled or at room temperature.

fruit terrine

this is so refreshing! i love to make this on hot summer days. my mom shared this with me after she went to a cooking class at a fun store by her house, where they demo-ed this recipe.

4 cups fresh fruit (i like grapes, blueberries and strawberries. you want to have fewer, bigger pieces of fruit)
2 cups white grape juice or white cranberry juice or martinelli's
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 pkg unflavored gelatin

pour 1/4 cup juice into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over it. let sit.
combine 1 cup juice and sugar in a small pan. boil until sugar dissolves.
take from heat and mix gelatin mixture in.
stir in 3/4 cup juice and lemon juice.
put fruit in a loaf pan and pour juice/gelatin mixture over it.
put in refrigerator to chill for several hours.