My Black Bean & Corn Pasta Salad...I love cold salads for lunch this time of year :) Enjoy!

BLACK BEAN & CORN PASTA SALAD

1 (16-ounce) box rotini tri-colored pasta, cooked

2 cans black beans rinsed and drained well

1 small bag frozen corn, thawed

1 can Rotel

4 green onions, chopped

½ cup bell pepper, chopped

½ cup white onion, chopped

2-3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

¾ of a  large bottle of Zesty Italian dressing

Mix all together and refrigerate at least 2 hours. 

 

My Bacon & Tomato Cups...a wonderful breakfast food or great for a snack :) Enjoy!

Bacon & Tomato Cups

8-10 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

1 medium tomato, chopped

½ bunch green onions, chopped

2/3 cup grated Swiss cheese

½ cup mayo

1 t. basil

1 can flaky layer biscuits (you will not use all of the biscuit dough)

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients except for biscuit dough.  Peel the biscuits in half and place each half into greased muffin pan.  Spoon about a tablespoon of mixture into each biscuit and bake 15-20 minutes.  Makes  12 large cups or you can cut biscuits in half and use mini-muffin tins and make 24.

 

Flourless Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing -- Don't let the fancy title fool you! This cake and icing is SO easy to make in 30 minutes! If you are a chocolate lover, you've got to try this :)

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE ICING

4 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

½ cup real butter

¾ cup sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, beaten

For the icing:

8-ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup half-n-half

In a large sauce pan, melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring often.  Add the remaining ingredients except the eggs, stirring well.  When the mixture has a creamy consistency, remove pan from heat.  Place a ladle full of the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs, and then add the eggs and small amount of chocolate mixture to the rest of the mixture.  (This will keep you from having scrambled eggs).  Wisk until very smooth and pour into a greased 8” cake pan.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  While the cake is baking, melt the chocolate chips and half-n-half in a small sauce pan over low heat.  Stir often with a whisk until it’s glossy.  Making the icing only takes about 5 minutes.  Remove cooked cake carefully from the pan and onto a plate.  Pour all of the icing over the top of cake and let it run down the sides.  This cake and icing is amazing!  Enjoy J

I do a lot of grilling this time of year and wanted to share my Greek Chicken Kabob recipe :) My Greek yogurt dipping sauce makes this a perfect dinner....and healthy, too! Enjoy!

GREEK CHICKEN KABOBS WITH GREEK YOGURT-CUCUMBER DIP

1 (5-ounce) container plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons Greek seasoning

4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

Onion, cut to fit on skewers

Bell Pepper, cut to fit on skewers

Cherry tomatoes, optional

Mix all ingredients except the onion and bell pepper together and toss chicken in it making sure each piece is coated well.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.  Thread chicken, onion and bell pepper pieces onto skewers and grill on high heat for about 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Turn often while on the grill.  Serve with warm pita bread and Greek Dip. 

 

Greek Dip

5-ounces Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon vinegar

½ teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons grated cucumber, squeeze liquid out of cucumber

1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, Greek seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all together and refrigerate and hour or overnight.

Strawberry-Pretzel Salad..an oldy, but, oh, such a goodie! :)

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

2 ½ cups pretzels, crushed (I place them in a Ziplock bag and crush them with a glass)

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

2 (16-ounce) containers of frozen strawberries, thawed

1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened

1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip

1 large box strawberry Jell-O

1 ½ cups boiling water

In a 13x9 oven proof dish, stir together crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter.  Stir well and then press down and up the sides of the pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then let it cool completely.  While crust is baking, stir together cream cheese and sugar and then stir in the Cool Whip until mixed very well.  Spread this mixture over the cooled crust.  Next combine Jell-O, and boiling water until mixed well.  Stir in the strawberries and pour this mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Cover and place in the fridge for about 3 hours or until Jell-O is set.  It’s best the next day J

My Salisbury Steak recipe...so easy, so delicious, so comforting :)

SALISBURY STEAKS

1 ½ pounds ground sirloin

½ cup breadcrumbs

½ cup quick-cooking oats

1 egg

1 to 2 teaspoons each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Cajun seasoning

1 large onion, sliced into thick rings

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 can beefy mushroom soup

½ can beef consommé

Mix first 5 ingredients together and make patties (this will make 6-8 patties).    In a large skillet or electric skillet, brown patties on each side, about 5-7 minutes each.  Place sliced onions over patties and mix 3 soups together well and pour over patties.  Turn down to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes to an hour.