Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

This is the pasta salad we had at the family gathering on June 26, 2010.  I happened to really like it, don't know about everyone else...  :)
(Recipe found on Pioneer Woman.)

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad


DRESSING:
     1 jar sundried tomatoes (7 oz.)
     4 cloves garlic
     3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
     1 c. extra virgin olive oil
     salt & pepper, to taste

SALAD:
     16 oz. corkscrew pasta (rotini/spiral)
     1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives
     1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
     10 leaves fresh basil (10-15 leaves), chopped or julienne
     1.5 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preparation Instructions

DRESSING:

In a blender combine sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Continue blending while drizzling in olive oil, until all mixed together.  (Ingredients might still separate a bit.)

PASTA:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.

Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta; add olives and toss together.
Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.

Serve chilled on a big platter or in a big bowl, with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Kristen's Mexican Lasagna

I made this the other night even though I didn't have zucchini. My adjustments are typed in BLUE. I want to try it again with zucchini, but if you don't have any, then this recipe is still really yummy. Oh and I didn't have an onion so I just used a little onion flakes. If you don't use produce (haha!) then this is a recipe you can make almost exclusively from things you can store in the pantry - minus the tortillas, cheese, and sour cream. Let me know what you think!
(As seen in Woman's Day.)

Kristen's Mexican Lasagna

Prep Time:  15 minutes
Total Time:  1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp. olive oil
1.5 c. chopped onion
1 lb. zucchini, diced (about 3 c.)
2.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with chiles
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 can (11 oz.) corn niblets, drained
1 can (10 oz.) mild enchilada sauce
0.5 c. chopped cilantro
5 (8-in.) whole-wheat flour tortillas
1.25 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar

Garnish: reduced-fat sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Coat a 3-qt round baking dish with nonstick spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and sauté 5 minutes.
Add zucchini and cumin, and sauté 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender.
Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn and enchilada sauce; bring to a simmer.  (So I jumped to this step, added the cumin (1 tsp.) and let it simmer.)
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Put 1 tortilla in baking dish.
Top with 1.5 c. zucchini mixture; sprinkle with 0.25 c. cheese.
Repeat layers 4 times.
(My dish was a round ceramic dish about 8" in diameter, and I had to trim my tortillas. With the trimmed pieces I tossed them with a little EVOO and salt, and baked them - if yours don't burn like mine did, then these might be a nice garnish!)

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted.
Cool 5 minutes.
Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, if desired.  (I'm not much of a sour cream person, but I'm becoming converted. It is a nice combo with the mild spice that is in this.)

We also ate this with tortilla chips, since a lot doesn't make it on your fork. This is almost like nachos or a burrito or something, just in a different form.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Previously, I had made a version of this recipe, called "Chicken Packets".  Then I saw Chicken Roll-Ups on Somewhat Simple, and I'm a new convert.  This is how I want to have this meal from now on!  (The recipe below is how I modified things for our dinner.)

Chicken Roll-Ups

2 breasts of boneless, skinless chicken
2 tubes of crescent rolls
3 green onions, chopped
1 box of cream cheese
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. milk
bread crumbs

Place chicken in pot with plenty of water; heat to a boil, and then cook 15 minutes more until chicken is cooked through.
Shred chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix chicken, onions, and cream cheese together.

Roll out crescent rolls, and place a spoonful of the chicken mixture on top.
Roll up each roll, and coat with bread crumbs.
Bake on a cookie sheet (all 16 should fit on one sheet) for 13 minutes, or whatever the crescent roll package recommends.

For the sauce, heat up soup, cheese, and milk on the stove.
Drizzle sauce over the top of the cooked crescent rolls.

Serves 4-5.

Note:  I added Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute to both my boiling water and the cream cheese mixture.

Granny's Fruit Cobbler

This recipe comes from my mom's mom. We tend to make peach because it is our favorite, but you could use any fruit.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 cup Flour
3/4 cup Milk
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Butter
dash salt
1 can or 1 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit (no juice if using canned)

Mix dry ingredients, add milk and mix. Melt butter in a round baking dish. Pour the batter into the dish over the butter. Pour fruit into the center of the dish over the batter. Do not mix. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Soft Sugar Cookies

This recipe was given to me by my sister. Haven't tried it yet, but she says it's good.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees


1 c. Butter
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
2 3/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
5 Tbl Butter Milk

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the sugar mixture. Roll the dough into 1-1 1/2 inch balls, roll in sugar and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. do not press down. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.