Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad

Juicy, warm chicken breasts baked in a crunchy pecan and garlic flavored coating sit on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce. Dried cranberries and mandarin oranges add a sweetness that is balanced by the tanginess of crumbled blue cheese. Ranch dressing ties the dish together to make a wonderfully light, filling salad.

You and your family or guests will absolutely love the flavor of this salad. It is a sensational hit at the dinner table. Being easy to prepare, this salad only takes 15 min of preparation time and in 25 minutes to cook the salad is ready to eat after you toss it together.

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy garlic salad dressing
1 cup finely chopped pecans
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 head romaine lettuce leaves, torn into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Ranch dressing


DIRECTIONS
1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2-Place the creamy garlic dressing and pecans in separate bowls. Dip each chicken breast in the dressing then in the pecans to coat. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet.
3-Bake chicken 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until juices run clear.
4-Cool slightly, and cut into strips.
5-On serving plates, arrange equal amounts of the lettuce, mandarin oranges, cranberries, and blue cheese. Top with equal amounts chicken, and serve with Ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This salad will make your taste buds explode. It is so delicious. In my family we like to have this dish along with our hot off the barbecue grilled chicken. This salad is the perfect mixture of sweet, salt and flavor. Just thinking about how good strawberries taste, will start to make your mouth water. What I especially like about this recipe is that the dressing is light. It is light in texture and taste.

When you make this salad, you should know that there is quite a bit of dressing made. There is enough dressing that if you used twice the amount of salad mix the taste and texture of the dressing doesn't change.

If you are taking this salad to a party, I suggest that you not put the dressing on till you get there. If the dressing sits on the spinach leaves too long then the leaves lose their crunch.

Also, if you want to try a different fruit, I would suggest raspberries, peaches, blueberries and other varieties of softer fruit.


Salad
1 bunch spinach, rinsed
10 large strawberries, sliced

Dressing
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

In a large bowl, mix the spinach and strawberries.
In a blender, place the sugar, salt, vinegar, and oil, and blend until smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Fruit Pizza

Crust :
1 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
Cream all of these together in a bowl with you beater then add....
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Press into a lightly greased pizza pan and cook at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes ( until it is golden brown on the top) - I make mine in a cookie sheet which you totally can do, but you will have to double this recipe, however you won't want to use all of the dough because it will be too much. So still double it, but just use half of the double if that makes sense! Your best just to do it in a pizza pan!

Topping :
16 oz softened cream cheese
1 7 oz cool whip
1/2 - 1 cup of powdered sugar ( just to taste, as sweet as you want it!)
whip the cream cheese until it is completely soft, then fold in the cool whip. After that pour the powdered sugar in and whip it all together! For the fruit on top you can put whatever your heart desires! (kiwi is really yummy!!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every time I bake these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, my family goes wild! (especially my dad) These cookies are simple and delicious. It takes about 10-15 minutes to mix all the ingredients and then about 15 minutes to bake. I know that the next time you need to make a batch of cookies, you'll be the talk of the party.

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets
2-In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree
3-Once mixed together well start adding the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg
4-After everything is combined, add in chocolate chip
5-Drop teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets
6-Bake 12-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown

Enjoy!

Guacamole!

This is one of my favorite things to make. It is also a family favorite. Anytime someone buys avacados we know that someone is going to make guacamole. The great thing about guacamole is that it is a side dish for any time of year. You can eat this during the winter and have it feel like your at a summer barbeque. Depending on how much you make sometimes there is enough to save for the next day. Though sometimes its just too good so it gets eaten.

Ingredients:
Avacados
Tomatos
Mayonase
Lemon juice
Onion salt/ other seasonings
Salsa


Directions:
As you make this there is no actual measurement for each ingredient. Everything is based off of taste and texture

1. Cut open avacados and take the pit out then place into a bowl
2. Cut tomatos into chunks and place with avacados
3. Add mayonaise
4. A squirt of lemon juice
5. A few shakes of onion salt and other seasonings you like
6. A couple spoonfulls of salsa
7. Mix everything together and taste, add anything else for taste.
8. Get some tortia chips

Enjoy!

Spaghetti!!!

This is always a family favorite. Between my mom and I we cook this meal about 3 times a month. Spaghetti is great fresh off the stove and make great leftovers. This recipe take about 30 minutes to make and it is easy clean up.

One thing that I love about cooking is smelling the flavor of the food as you walk into the room. The aroma sets your stomach up for good eating's. Anytime anyone cooks spaghetti, it always reminds me of home. For some reason the smells, noises and tastes continually take me back to my home and cooking in the kitchen. Home is where the heart is, especially when it comes to food. There is nothing that tastes so good as a home cooked meal. I think that is why, as college students look forward to going home on occasions.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey burger (less fat)
1 package of noodles, your choice
1 jar Chunky Mushroom Ragu Sauce

Directions:
1- Defrost meat if frozen, if not place in pan and begin cooking. You want to chop the meat up into small chunks and cook till brown all the way through.
2- Cook your noodles (as meat is cooking) Boil till soft.
3- When the meat is done place into a strainer and rinse (this takes off the extra grease) then place back in pan
4- When noodles are done, strain and rinse and combine with meat
5- Add sauce and mix
6- Heat everything till hot
7- Serve

Great sides:
Green Salad
French Bread (buttered)
Parmesan Cheese

Enjoy!

Summer Time Chicken

I know that summer is not here yet, but I couldn't wait to share how I cook chicken in the summer. This is one of my favorite dishes to have. Mainly because you don't have many dishes to clean up when you are done eating. This is definitely a family favorite. The chicken turns out so juicy and full of flavor. Your mouth will water.

With this dish I like to also cook squash, corn and green beans. Or some nights I like to make pasta salad, strawberry spinach salad, green salad, or fruit salad.


You'll need:
Frozen chicken breasts-as many as needed
Zesty Italian Dressing

Directions:
Turn on the grill to high (this gets all the gunk off, don't forget to scrape the grill)
Move temperature on grill to medium
Defrost the chicken breasts (about 10 minutes on defrost cycle)
Place chicken in a cooking pan and pour dressing all over
Let the chicken marinade for at least 15-30 minutes
Place the chicken on the grill, be sure to sear both side of the meat (this keeps the juices inside)
Turn frequently as the chicken cooks

The grilling time takes about 10 minutes

Enjoy!