Brittany's Sesame Noodle Salad

This may seriously be THE BEST salad I have ever had.  My awesome neighbor Brittany brought me some one day, and I almost fell off my chair, it was so good.  She is very nice and shared the recipe with me, and then she gave me permission to post it on the blog.  I love you Brittany!

You cook your pasta.

You make your dressing in a jar.

 

You stir everything together, chill for a few hours and then serve it up!  
Brittany says this salad is even better the next day, but I may never know...it's just too good (it IS even better the next day but I rarely have any left).

Add fresh baby spinach when making the salad.  It's even more divine, if that's possible!

SESAME NOODLE SALAD
Dressing:

1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. ginger, fresh minced or ground

1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a large jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all of the ingredients.  Seal the jar and shake well until everything is incorporated.  Chill until ready to mix with the salad ingredients.

Salad:

1 (16 oz.) pkg. rotini pasta

3 c. chicken, cooked and cubed

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c. chopped green onion

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente (I like to leave my pasta just slightly less than al dente so that when the salad is ready to serve the noodles are still firm).  Rinse pasta under cold water until cooled.  Drain well.  In a large mixing bowl place the cooked pasta, chicken, cilantro and green onion (add spinach, if using).  Shake the dressing again until well mixed, pour over the pasta and stir very well.  Chill 4-5 hours before serving.

Note:  there will be quite a bit of dressing in the bottom of the bowl, just stir the salad every hour or so during the chilling time and the dressing will be absorbed in.

This is an updated re-post from Feb. 2013.

Colleen's Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes

I have a great friend who has THE BEST recipes, and she has been willing to share some of them with me. In fact, I've gotten so many good recipes from her that I have to set up her only section of recipe deliciousness here in the blog!  This is a recipe she brought to a party and I definitely fell in love with it. I've made it several times now and it's always a hit!

Thank you Colleen for making me happy!

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD 

1 ( 16 oz.) box bow tie pasta

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped 

(or 1 (10 oz.)can chicken, drained and chopped)

4 celery stocks, and chopped

1 ½ Tbsp. sweet onion, finely diced

1-2 bunches red grapes, sliced in 1/2 

1 (8 oz.)can sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut in half

1 ( 8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained

2 Fuji apples, peeled and chopped

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, until just al dente.  Rinse under cold water until pasta has cooled to room temp.

In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients, mix salad dressing, pour over salad and stir well.  

Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

Dressing

1 (16oz.)bottle coleslaw dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

Whisk together until well incorporated.

Note:  The first time I made this recipe, I used the Kraft Coleslaw dressing and I really didn't care for it at all.  Since then I've been using Hidden Valley Ranch coleslaw and I love it.

As you can see in the photo's, I sliced my grapes into quarters because they were huge!

Glazed Fruit Pie Bars

I got this recipe from my girlfriend Kylee (and she in turn found it at The Recipe Critic via Pinterest). She mentioned them one day so of course I had to try them.  She gave me the recipe and I got right to work.  The original recipe uses cherry pie filling but my son doesn't love cherries so I doubled the recipe and made the bars with apple pie filling and blackberry pie filling (for my husband). 

They got an A+ from my family!

GLAZED FRUIT PIE BARS

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling (2 cans may be used if you're a fruit lover)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light yellow in color.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add the vanilla and almond extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture, 1 cup at a time.

Lightly spray a 15 x 10-inch pan with non-stick spray.  

Spread 3 c. dough evenly  on the pan. 

Spread the cherry pie filling over the top.

Drop remaining dough in little dollops over the top of the fruit.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool.

GLAZE

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 Tbsp. milk

Combine well and drizzle over the cooled bars.

THANK YOU KYLEE!

Katie's Garden Fresh Vegetable Soup

Note:  I originally posted this recipe in 2010, but it's the perfect dish for this time of year-still plenty of garden veggies and cooler weather...

This  oh-so-yummy recipe is from my friend Katie  http://princesskddesign.blogspot.com
Besides be an extremely talented cook, she does some fantastic crafting as well!
Visit her blog to see some of her projects...

.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

• 3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tbsp. fresh basil chopped)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 c. frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. 
Add the flour, salt and pepper and saute for one additional minute. 
Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly. 
Add the lemon juice; mix well. 
Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it.
Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. 
Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. 
Stir in the cheese just before serving.

Serve with corn bread...yum!

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS WITH US KATIE!

January is Slow Cooker Month!

JANUARY IS FOR CELEBRATING CROCK-POT COOKING!

I love the idea of celebrating slow cooker's (I still call them crock-pot's, I'm from THAT generation) all month long.

So far I've used my crock-pot 3 times this month, and today is January 6th...
I've been wondering for quite a while what the correct spelling for the term crockpot, and it turns out I've been mis-spelling it forever according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the correct spelling is Crock-pot (with the hyphen).  Sheeesh.  Another new thing to remember... 

With all of that rambling being said, I wanted to create a post linking back to  some of my personal favorite crock-pot recipes, as well as other popular recipes found via my Crock-pot Crazy Pinterest Board.
You will definitely want to create a link to this post, you'll want to come back often!

Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff

(This is our family favorite!)

Crock-pot Refried Beans

(from our blog)

Amber's Chili

(from our blog)

Six Sisters' Stuff~ Crock-pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken


Paula Deen's~ Crock-pot Macaroni and Cheese


Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen's~ Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Better Home's and Garden's~ Creamy Tortellini Soup

The Little Kitchen's~ French Onion Pot Roast

Bubble Crumb's~ Rootbeer Pulled Pork

Creating Through Life's~ Crock-pot Lasagna

Family Fresh Meals'~ Slow cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Plain Chicken's~ Slow cooker Ham and White Beans

Six Sister's Stuff~ Parmesan Honey Pork Roast



Inspired Housewife's~ Gluten Free Bread in the Crock-pot

Crockpot Ladies'~ Carrot Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Six Sister's Stuff~ Crock-pot Apple Cobbler

Life As A Lofthouse's~ Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

Plain Chicken's~ Crock-pot Creme Brulee French Toast

The Gingerbread Blog's~ Sugared Pecans

Ur Bakin' Me Crazy! A Spotlight and New Guest Post

I love blog hopping. Sometimes I dream about it. It can consume hours of my time yet I feel as if only a few moments have gone by.  I mean I REALLY love blog hopping. There is an endless universe of information, creativity, tutorials, inspirations and idea's.  And then I get to the food blogs...I'm obsessed.  Seriously.
I read cookbooks like they are novels, so I knew I was in serious trouble when I discovered FOOD BLOGS!  OMG!  I am in love!  I may need an intervention just to pull me away from licking my computer screen with all the awesome food pictures in blogger recipe world!

Enough about me (at least for the next 5 minutes)!

There are so many wonderful recipe blogs out in the blogosphere, that it's easy to miss some of the fabulous, quirky, cute, sweet, innovative, gourmet, and the simple food treasures, and I can't have that!!!
So I have a fun series that I am going to kick off today by "spotlighting" some of these blogs!
I have been following Urbakinmecrazyy.blogspot.com for a couple of weeks now, and I really think you should get to know Megan a little more!
She is a 15 year old (truly adorable) girl living in Darke County Ohio. Her blog is fairly new, but she has some fun posts to read, and more than 20 great recipes already posted!  I love the fact that this talented 15 year old young lady is inspiring others, including me, to be in charge of your own future, enjoy what you do, and create something you are passionate about! 
I've asked Megan to answer a few simple questions about herself so that we can all get better acquainted...

MEET MEGAN!

Where do you live?

Where do I live you ask? Well, I live outside of a dinky little “cornfield” town in Ohio. You know, one of those towns where everyone knows everyone. I absolutely love life in a small town. I enjoy life in the country, put me in the city and I’d feel out of place. 

What are your 2 favorite hobbies?
Well the most apparent hobby of mine would be baking, and cooking. Aside from that, that’s a really difficult thing for me to answer, I enjoy doing lots of things. Though, if I were to choose another hobby of mine I would have to say sports. I used to play volleyball and softball; however I began online schooling this year and am no longer able to play.

At what age did you start cooking?
I honestly don’t remember exactly when I began cooking although I’m sure I was just a tiny little squirt. My Mom and Grandmother have always had me in the kitchen helping them make something.

Are you the main cook in your family?
At this point in time, I do cook dinner most nights. Not because I have to, but because I want to. The nights I don’t cook, my mom does!
Tell us a little bit about your daily routine.
On a typical day, the first thing I do is make breakfast. While eating breakfast I check my emails, Facebook, and Blogger. Then comes school work, just like any other high schooler I too find school BORING!! Therefore, I cannot wait to get it done and over with. Around noon I eat lunch, then I try and find something to do with the rest of my day, this typically involves cooking or baking! Twice a week, typically Thursdays Fridays or Saturdays, I work from 5-9 at a local restaurant (Farmer Brown’s) making sandwiches, pizza, and ice-cream. I LOVE it! I love working, and being able to make my OWN! 

What is your favorite thing to cook, and your favorite thing to bake….
Yet another difficult question this is for me to answer, as I love making all sorts of things. My most favorite thing to cook would have to be Lasagna. I love assembling all the yummy layers of cheese, noodles, and meat sauce! As for baking, I love to bake cakes! SUPER tall layer cakes to be exact… I don’t get the opportunity to make cakes very often, but when I do I go all out.

When did you start blogging about your cooking?
I first started blogging about my cooking in November of 2010. Why...Probably because I have this obsession with reading food blogs and I wanted to have one of my own.
If you could only have 1 food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? 
If I could have only one food for the rest of my life, it would be chicken. I love chicken, it’s so versatile. My favorite way to eat chicken is grilled with Weber’s Kickin’ Chicken Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
This is something that I have never really thought about. In ten years I hope to see myself married, with children living on a small farm with horses, cows, pigs and chickens. I see myself having graduated college with a degree in Social work, specializing in Child and Family Services. My dream would be to own my own bakery. 

What is your favorite food ever?
My favorite food ever would have to be, chicken! Like I said before chicken is just delicious and there are so many different ways to prepare it. 

Here is a recipe Megan has made especially for Aunt Peg's follower's.  Does this look divine, or what?!

Pecan Gooey Butter Cake    

Makes Approx. 16 bars

For the base:

2 cup plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons butter, softened

2 egg

2 egg yolk

2 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoon vanilla

12 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup crushed pecans

1. Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 11x7-inch pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar until well blended. 

3. Add in the butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. Turn the batter out into the pan and press it evenly into the pan. It will be quite thick.
5. In the same bowl beat together the cream cheese, corn syrup, vanilla, butter, brown sugar, salt, egg, and flour until smooth and lighter in color. Fold in the pecans.

6. Carefully spread the topping over the base and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is puffed and the edges are set, but the center is just a little wobbly. Cool completely in the pan. Slice, and enjoy.

Visit Megan's blog and become one of her followers. I promise you will never be sorry!

Thank you Meggs for sharing your corner of the world with us, we've really loved getting to know you!

Cheesy Bacon Crescents

Hoosier Homemade is one blog I follow almost religiously! Liz is at the top of the blogging world with her hard work, drive, creativity, and organization! I basically worship the ground she blogs on! This is just one of the 1000+ recipes she has shared with me, and they were divine.

 And really, who doesn't LOVE a recipe with only 4 ingredients? 

Seriously! 

Yippee!

Cheesy Bacon Crescents

Cheesy Bacon Crescent Recipe…

• 1-2 tubes of Crescent Rolls (depending on how many you need to serve)
• 10-15 slices of bacon (I cook bacon in the oven)
• 1 cup cheese, grated (any kind)
• 3-5 tablespoons Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise

Directions:
Cook bacon, cool and crumble into small pieces. Mix with cheese and Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise. Open crescent rolls and place on greased cookie sheet. Spoon a heaping teaspoonful of bacon mixture onto large end of crescent roll, and roll up.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Check out Hoosier Homemade-she is the ultimate CUPCAKE LADY!

Pumpkin Latte-No Coffee!

Another reason I love blogland!

Ava at The Retro Housewife Remix (don't you just love the name of her blog?) has given us permission to repost her awesome recipe. This fits in perfectly with my Pumpkin Spice addiction, and provides a fabulous drink for our non-coffee drinking friends!  I have made this recipe, and we all (me, the 2 adult kids, the brother, and the husband) all loved it!
The perfect drink to warm up all the frozen Halloween Trick or Treater's!
No Coffee Pumpkin Latte

• 4 cups of milk
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients on stove top and heat until desired temp.
(do not boil).
We added homemade whipped cream to ours
(beat whipping cream and powdered sugar).
This is great for kids since it has no coffee, and if you want coffee in yours go ahead and add some!