Caprese Pasta Salad

Make this salad the night before and bring to a potluck or BBQ the next day. I made this when we were grilling spicy Italian sausages.

Pasta:
1 package (1 lb) bow tie pasta
12 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup sliced Kalamata olives
4 oz pine nuts, toasted
1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
3-4 green onion sprigs, sliced

Dressing:
1 cup EVOO
½ cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of one fresh lemon
Freshly cracked sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Boil pasta in salted water for about 7-9 minutes until tender. Drain, set aside and let cool.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dressing and whisk together.

In a large bowl, combine pasta with the rest of the ingredients for the pasta. Toss with dressing. Add additional EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Garnish with fresh basil.

Fruit Trifle

A perfect dessert for a summer BBQ!

2 large bananas, sliced
1 package of strawberries, sliced
1 cup green grapes, sliced in half
Angel food cake, cut into cubes
8 oz. Cool Whip
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 tsp vanilla flavoring

In a small bowl, combine Cool Whip, pineapple and vanilla; set aside.

In trifle bowl, start with a layer of cake cubes, top with a layer of sliced bananas, layer of Cool Whip mixture, layer of strawberries, another layer of cake, layer of grapes, layer of Cool Whip mixture and top layer of strawberries.

Mexican Chili

People often say to me, “But I don’t have all the ingredients in my kitchen” or “I don’t want to buy one jar of spice just for one dinner.” I found a great solution for a dish I wanted to make but didn't want to buy a jar of cumin or chili powder. I found these Recipe Inspirations by McCormick in the spice section of the grocery store, which contain pre-measured spices for different recipes. I just happened to find one that worked  perfectly with my recipe.

2 Tbsp EVOO
1 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, minced (save 1 Tbsp for topping)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
1 can chicken broth
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt

In a medium pan over med-high heat, add EVOO and brown all sides of the pork. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onions to pan and sauté until tender. Add seasonings, cook and stir for 1-2 more minutes. Add pork, beans and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine avocado, cilantro, ½ Tbsp minced onion, lime juice and salt.

Top chili with avocado mixture and warm corn tortillas.

Grilled Swordfish with Vegetables and Quinoa

2 swordfish filets
Fish seasoning: salt and lemon pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small yellow squash, julienned
5 thin asparagus spears, halved
Salt
Freshly crushed black pepper

Grill seasoned swordfish over med-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side.

In a medium pot, bring broth and quinoa to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and cook for about 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

In a medium sauce pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté vegetables for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate with quinoa, add vegetables and top with fish.

Grilled Salmon and Pesto Gnocchi

2 salmon filets, skin on
Salmon seasoning (salt and lemon pepper)
1 package of potato gnocchi (found near pasta in the grocery store)
1 jar of pesto
½ red bell pepper, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
EVOO
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp freshly minced parsley

Preheat grill to high. Cook seasoned salmon, skin side down over high heat for about 6-7 minutes.

Flip filets over, remove skin, and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes. When fish is ready, it should easily flake.

Boil water in a large pot for the gnocchi. Cook according to the directions on the package by boiling for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top. Drain. Toss with pesto.

In a small sauce pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté bell peppers and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until tender.

Serve by plating pesto gnocchi, add salmon and top with bell pepper mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.

Roasted Chicken with Spicy Beet Greens

Chicken:
½ roasting chicken
Seasoning: garlic salt, lemon pepper, paprika

Greens:
beet greens, chopped
¼ cup chopped hard salami
½ small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup of cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a 9x9 glass casserole dish, drizzle with EVOO. Place seasoned chicken, breast side down, cover with aluminum foil and bake. Bake for 20 minutes per pound. Uncover, flip chicken over and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Make sure internal temperature reaches 170˚.

Wash the greens thoroughly, chop and set aside.

In a large skillet over med-high heat, cook salami for about 3 minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic. Add water, sugar and red pepper to pan. Bring mixture to a boil.

Mix in beet greens and chickpeas. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar.

Chicken Taco Salad

This salad is so tasty it doesn’t even need dressing. So easy to put together and you can modify the ingredients to your liking.

3 chicken boneless breasts
1 can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos
Lettuce mix
Corn tortilla chips
1 can of black beans, drained
Shredded cheddar cheese
Jarred jalapenos slices, chopped
Green onions, sliced
Salsa

Before you go to work in the morning, add the chicken and canned tomatoes in the crock pot. Turn to low and let cook for 6+ hours, or until you get home from work. Then take two forks and shred the chicken, mixing in the juice from the tomatoes. Set aside.

To assemble salad, start with lettuce, top with crushed tortilla chips, add beans (cold), top with shredded chicken, add cheese and finish off with jalapenos, green onions and a dollop of salsa. (I would have also added sliced avocado and sour cream, but I didn’t have any. Sliced olives would have also been a nice topping.)

Husband's inquiry, “So, it’s like we’re having nachos for dinner, but on a bed of lettuce?”

Cute.

BBQ Pork Loin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I debated on what to name this dish - "BBQ Pork..." or "Bringing Sexy Back"??? This is one good looking...and tasting dish!

2 2" boneless pork loin
BBQ sauce to marinate and brush when grilling
2 large red skinned potatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 green onion stalks, minced

In a pot with a steamer, steam potatoes until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove steamer with potatoes from pot, drain water from pot. Add garlic, butter and milk to pot and return to stove top over low heat; stirring until butter melts, allowing garlic to cook. Add potatoes back into pot and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in green onions and set aside.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Depending on thickness of meat, cook until center of pork is pink or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Brush pork with BBQ sauce throughout grilling process and once removed from grill.

Serve grilled pork and mashed potatoes with a side salad or a serving of steamed veggies.

Note: Steaming, instead of boiling, potatoes keeps a nice potato flavor and you're not boiling all the nutrients out.

Grilled Chicken with Rice Pilaf

2 chicken boneless chicken breasts, seasoned
1 cup of long grain basmati rice

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small zucchini, diced
10 asparagus stalks, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 chopped pecans, toasted
2 tsp EVOO

In a rice cooker, cook rice and broth until done. In a sauce pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and asparagus; saute for a few minutes until tender. Set aside. When rice is cooked, mix in veggies and toasted pecans.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the middle.

Serve chicken with pilaf.

Chorizo Chili Rellenos Casserole

2 large Poblano peppers

1 chorizo sausage link

¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 beaten eggs
¼ cup milk
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp salt
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp salsa
¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Cup lids off of peppers, remove seeds and veins. Boil water in a large pot and cook peppers for about 3 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

Remove sausage from casing and into a frying pan. Over med-high heat, cook sausage for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk. Add flour, baking powder, red pepper and salt. Whisk until smooth.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small greased casserole dish, lay chorizo filled peppers. Split Monterey Jack between two peppers. Cover with egg mixture and extra cheese. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until you insert a toothpick into the egg and it comes out clean.

Remove from oven, spoon salsa over peppers and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for a few more minutes until cheese melts.

Serve with sliced cucumbers and radishes.

Mexican Casserole (Arroz Verde al Poblano)

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 10 oz can of fire roasted chilies
12 sprigs cilantro, plus extra for garnish
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 cup rice
1 small onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of corn
1 cup of shredded chicken, from a rotisserie chicken
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a blender, blend broth, chilies, cilantro and salt; set aside.

In a fry pan over med-high heat, heat EVOO. Add rice and onion, sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

In rice cooker, or you could cook in the frying pan with a lid, add broth mixture and cook until rice is done. Stir in rice and chicken.

Set oven to broil. Add rice mixture to a casserole dish and top with cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Serve with avocado slices and garnish with cilantro.

Orange Balsamic Pork Chops with Zucchini Cakes

4 1” pork chops
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup white wine
1 ½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp orange zest
½ Tbsp orange juice
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
Orange slices

Zucchini Cakes:
1 cup left over mashed potatoes
1 large zucchini, shredded & liquid squeezed out
1 large carrot, shredded
1 large garlic, minced
1 egg
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

In a small sauce pan, combine EVOO, cornstarch, wine, vinegar, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, pepper and salt. Whisk together. In a small bowl or bag, marinate the pork in half of the mixture for at least 1 hour. Grill pork over med-high heat until centers are no longer pink.

Bring remaining mixture in sauce pan to a boil; turn to low heat and whisk for about 2 minutes. Set aside.

To make zucchini cakes:
In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, zucchini, carrots, garlic, egg, pepper and salt. In a large frying pan, heat a few drizzles of EVOO to med-high heat. Make patties from mixture, drop into pan and fry until both sides are golden brown.

Serve pork with zucchini cakes, drizzle with orange balsamic sauce and garnish with orange slices.

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes

Betty Crocker Decadent Supreme Chocolate Mousse cake mix
¼ cup Betty Crocker milk chocolate frosting
M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, make cake mix following directions on box. Fill each paper bake cup half way with cake batter. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

In a small bowl, make mousse following directions on box. Using electric mixer, mix in milk chocolate frosting and whip together.

Decorate with M&Ms. Enjoy immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies

1 stick of butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
½ cup dried cranberries
½ chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add egg and mix together. Mix in oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in cranberries and pecans.

Spoon tablespoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown. Let rest on baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

Makes about 20-25 cookies.

Baked Parmesan Dijon Chicken

2 chicken breast, sliced in half, length wise and pounded 1/2” thin
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp water
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare two bowls for coating chicken. In one bowl mix Panko and cheese; drizzle with EVOO and mix with your fingers. In the other bowl, combine mustard, EVOO, water, salt and pepper; whisk together.

Dip chicken in mustard mixture. Then coat chicken in Panko and cheese mixture. Press breadcrumbs into chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and sliced veggies.

Spicy Sausage Zucchini Boats

1 zucchini, cut into 1” slices
Spicy Italian sausage

Marinara sauce

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, sauté sausage until cooked through and is no longer pink. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out shallow holes in zucchinis, creating little boats. Spoon sauce into boats, then sausage and top with cheese.

Place stuffed zucchini boats in a casserole dish. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and broil for the last 2-3 minutes to brown cheese.

Spicy Sausage Flatbread with Basil Cream Sauce

Ambretta Tuscan Sweet Tomato flatbread (I decided to try this and it was great), found in the bread isle of the grocery store
Hot Italian sausage (I love this stuff!)
Goat cheese
½ red bell pepper, sliced
1 garlic, minced
1-2 fresh Basil leaves, sliced in thin ribbons

Basil Cream Sauce:
¼ cup milk
1 Tbsp powdered Alfredo sauce
2 tsp Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend, found in the produce section of the grocery store next to the fresh herbs (these herb blends are great to have on hand, and to easily add extra flavor to any dish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small sauce pan over med-high heat, combine milk and Alfredo sauce; bring to a boil while whisking. Turn heat to low and whisk in basil herb blend; set aside and allow to thicken.

In a small frying pan cook a few bite sized balls of sausage; cook at least half way through since the rest will be cooked in the oven.

Place flatbread on a baking sheet. Spoon and spread basil cream sauce on flatbread. Top with chunks of goat cheese, sliced bell pepper, cooked sausage and sprinkle with garlic. Top with fresh basil.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until bread is crispy and cheese is melted.

Serve with another type of flatbread pizza for a variety or with your favorite side salad.

Short Rib Grilled Cheese

Dinner 3 of 3 using the short ribs. All totally different and each very tasty.

Makes 3 sandwiches

Rustic bread, cut into slices

1 cup chopped short ribs (from this recipe)
3 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
3 slices of American cheese
½ onion, sliced
Margarine

In a small sauce pan over med-high heat, sauté onions in a little EVOO. Set aside.

To make sandwiches layer sandwiches with cheeses, onion and short rib meat. Butter outside slices of bread.

Cook in a Panini press or grill in a frying pan until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite soup or side salad.

BBQ Short Rib Flatbread

Dinner 2 of 3 using the short ribs.

Ambretta Tuscan Sweet Tomato flatbread (I decided to try this and it was great), found in the bread isle of the grocery store
BBQ Sauce
½ - 1 cup shredded short ribs (using leftovers from this recipe)
Blue cheese crumbs
1 garlic, minced

Caramelized onions:
½ small onion, sliced
A dash freshly cracked pepper
A dash of salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp EVOO

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onion slices and seasoning; sauté until onions are soft.

Place flatbread on a baking sheet. Spoon and spread BBQ on flatbread. Top with short rib meat, caramelized onions, blue cheese and sprinkle with garlic.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until bread is crispy and cheese is melted.

Serve with another type of flatbread pizza for a variety or with your favorite side salad.

Short Ribs

This is one of three dinners that I used with these short ribs. For this dish, they are tasty over rice or egg noodles.

3 lbs short ribs
Few Tbsp of flour
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Parsley seasoning
Red wine
Beef broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season ribs with salt, pepper and garlic parsley seasoning. Coat in flour.

In a large pan, which you are able to transfer to the oven, heat oil over med-high heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Add half wine and half beef broth to cover about half way up the ribs. Bring to a boil then turn off heat. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and roast for 2 1/2 hours.

Serve ribs with rice and steamed asparagus.