Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

The recipe is from tastykitchen.com and it is by Jen of My Tiny Oven. We all loved it. 

3 tbs butter
1 1/2 cups Orzo
3 cups chicken broth
6 tbs fresh chopped basil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the orzo and saute for a few minutes, until it turns a golden brown. Add the broth and cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until all broth has been absorbed. Removed from heat, add the cheese and basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

I got the original recipe off of The Girl Who Ate Everything and made a some changes.  When Calvin came into the kitchen and asked what was for dinner and I told him Quinoa he asked me what that was.  I said it's seeds that are kind of like rice.  He laughed and told Anna Elise that was I making up words.  When he realized I was serious he got VERY upset and informed me that seeds were not dinner!  I could sense an uprising as the kids all ran for the kitchen.  So I told them it was a salad that we were going to eat as salsa with tortilla chips.  Adding a few tortilla chips to the dinner seemed to make it ok!  Everyone ate it and most of them even liked it!  I thought it was delicious - but then I'd eat almost anything with avacados in it!  This fed my family of 7 (although my kids are young so it's probably more like a family of 5) as a main dish and we had some left over.  The quinoa is very filling.  I loved it!

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 ripe avocado, diced
• 2 small fresh tomatoes, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer. Sometimes it can have a bitter taste on the outside so rinsing gets rid of this.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes or until onion is soft.
3. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth to the pan. Add the cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in lime juice and frozen corn into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is heated through.
5. Finally, mix in the black beans, cilantro, avacado and tomotoes.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

I have had this recipe for years, it is one of my favorite summer time snacks. It is effortless to make and stays deliciously fresh for days! (well minus the avocado) Enjoy the last few days of sunny weather, grab some chips and dig in!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 15oz. cans of black beans
1 avocado, diced
1/3 c. lime juice
1 sm. Red pepper, diced
1/4 c. olive oil
2 med. Tomatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1 hot chili pepper, minced (optional)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ c. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 ½ c. corn

Combine lime juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside

Combine all other ingredients and pour sauce over until well coated.  If making ahead, do not add avocado until ready to serve.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

I made these because I had some leftover cream that I wanted to use up. In my book anything with cream is good. I actually put out the money for the fancy cheese and it was good. I am not a big fan of scalloped potatoes because of a dish that my mom made when I was little but these were great and very easy. I would make them again! I got this recipe from the blog, The Sisters Cafe.

3 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled (red or Yukon gold are great)
1 large garlic clove, halved
1 Tb butter, softened
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese (or cheddar works great)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Put them into a large pot and fill with cold water and a little salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Do not overcook at this stage or the potatoes will begin to break break up. Drain well.
2. Rub the inside of the baking dish (mine was approx 12 inch circle) with the cut garlic and grease with a little of the butter.
3. Preheat oven to 325. Put half the potatoes into the dish, spreading them evenly. Sprinkle with a little of the nutmeg and some seasoning of salt and pepper. Add half the cheese and then another layer of potatoes, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
4. Beat together the cream and milk and pour evenly over the potatoes. Finish by scattering the remaining cheese on top with a few small pieces of butter dotted over the surface.
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes until a deep crisp brown crust forms. Serve immediately from the dish.

Holiday Green Beans

I know that recipe is called Holiday Green Beans but these are so good you can have them anytime.  We had them for Christmas dinner and they were delicious.  I got the recipe from a Taste of Home magazine. 

1 package (16 oz) frozen cut green beans
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup real bacon bits (we had leftover turkey bacon from breakfast and it worked perfect)
2 tablespoons honey

Cook the green beans according to the package directions, adding the orange peel during cooking; drain.  Add the cranberries, bacon and honey; toss to combine.  Yield: 4 servings

Italian Brown Rice Pasta Salad

I was so excited to find brown rice pasta at Trader Joes. I also found a very healthy Braggs Organic Vinagrette made with olive oil at Whole Foods recently. We had friends over for a BBQ I made a pasta salad. It was delicious and you couldn't even tell it was a different pasta. The dressing was lighter tasting but it really brought out the taste of vegetables and cheese. It's gluten free and low in sodium! You could make a main dish by adding diced chicken.

1 lb. package of brown rice spiral pasta
2-3 small cans of sliced olives drained
3 tomatoes diced
1 -2 green or red pepper diced
1 bunch green onion chopped
3/4 cups fresh grated parmesan
1 cup Braggs Organic Italian Vinagrette
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Rinse in cold water. Mix in large bowl with vegetables and dressing. Add cheese right before serving and add more dressing if needed.

Fabulous Green Beans

This is another recipe from Taste of Home and they really are fabulous!!! I tend to get excited about a really good vegetable since I try to eat so many of them.

1 lb. fresh or frozen green beans
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. grated lemon peel

Place beans in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the remaining ingredients until butter is melted. Transfer beans to a serving bowl with butter mixture and toss to coat.

Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

4 cups cooked macaroni or cavatappi
1 T. olive oil or Pam
1/2 finely diced red onion or I use whatever I have
1/2 finely diced red pepper
1 finely diced jalapeno, I take the seeds out
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
However much garlic you want
1 cup cream
1 generous cup grated pepper jack cheese
2 T. butter, I used 1
Salt
Pepper

Boil pasta until al dente. In a large skillet, add olive oil and saute garlic and vegetables over medium heat for a couple of minutes. You still want them to be crunchy. Add in canned chilies and stir around, then turn off heat. Drain pasta and add it to skillet. Pour on cream, add cheese, then add salt and pepper to taste and stir gently. At the end, add 2 tablespoons butter and stir again.
I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/ and it is great as a side dish or even as the main dish. It isn't hot at all, just slightly spicy. We love it!

Rainbow Jell-o

I LOVE  jell-O! When I was a kid my mom would make rainbow jello three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday. As a mother with three jello crazed kids, I make it nearly once a month. (typically I only make two or three colors) YUM!

Rainbow Jello
For each layer you:
1. Dissolve a box of jello in 1C. boiling water
2. Once the jello has dissolved, take out 1/2c. of the liquid and set aside.
3. With the remaining jello, add 1/4C. cold water
4. Pour into pan. (when I make 2-3 layers I use an 8x8, if doing all the rainbow I use a 9x13)
5. While the clear layer sets take the 1/2C. leftover and add 1/3C. plain yogurt or sour cream.
6. Once the clear layer has set, pour the creamy layer on top.
7. Repeat for each color

picture courtesy of: http://adventuresofafoodslut.blogspot.com/  we keep eating it before I have time to take a picture!

Garlic Butter

I made this a week ago and put the leftovers in my fridge. I used the rest of it with our stuffed shells and it was just as good the second time!

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used garlic powder)
  
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
  
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika

Soften your butter a little so you can work with it, add the ingredients, mix well and spread on your bread. It can also be used on meat when BBQing.

Penne Pasta w/ Green Beans & Feta

I made this for the first time when I was pregnant with Lilah and have been addicted ever since. My kids actually love it as well. It's a great summer side dish. I was hoping to make it while at home this July.

1/2 lb penne pasta
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 red bell pepper (I've never added this)
1/4 cup vinegar
2 t lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T parsley
2 t oregeno
2 t salt
1/2 lb feta cheese
1/2 cup olives
black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Blanch beans by placing them in salted boiling water for 3 min then immerse in ice water. Toss pasta and beans with remaining ingredients. You can make ahead a refregerate for a few hours.