Cheesy Bacon Pasta Salad

This is a recipe I made up for a contest.
The contest is for the best pasta salad recipe.

This one is really flavourful!



It makes about 6 servings

2 cups Catelli Healthy Harvest Rotini
1 cup cooked, diced chicken
1/3 cup jullienned or diced carrots
1/3 cup frozen or canned corn
1/4 cup real bacon bits
4 wedges Light Laughing Cow Cheese
1/4 cup light Caesar salad dressing
fresh parsley


1. Cook chicken in frying pan (or use leftover chicken); dice
2. Cook Corn, Carrots and Pasta (according to package directions) until tender
3. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.
4. Mix together salad dressing and laughing cow cheese until well blended
5. Mix in a medium sized mixing bowl; pasta, chicken, bacon bits, dressing mixture until well coated.
6. Top with parsley and either serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Orchard Chicken Sandwich

K, I saw the ad for the Orchard Chicken Sub at Subway and thought it looked delicious so I had to buy it (I totally fall for commercials!)

It was delicious! So I looked up the recipe for the filling so we could make it at home.

(I stole this picture from the subway website because I forgot to take my own picture of the sandwiches we made.)



makes 6 large sandwiches

3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced celery
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

toppings:
lettuce
pickles
honey mustard

Preparation:

- Combine the chicken, cranberries, celery, onion, apple, (and walnuts)
- In a small bowl combine 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
- Stir into the chicken, adding more mayonnaise as needed and for taste. - Line bread or rolls with toppings and spread chicken salad on the bread or serve the chicken salad on lettuce-lined plates.

Pasta

This is a new recipe Steve and I discovered today. It was YUMMY!!! Ravioli is my favourite pasta and Steve loves all pasta but ravioli is his least favourite. He suggested trying to fry them. I looked up fried ravioli and found the recipe for T-Rav's (stands for toasted ravioli)



- Fresh ravioli (found in refrigerator section of grocery store) or frozen ravioli, cooked and slightly cooled

Combine in one bowl:
- 2 eggs
- Splash of milk

In another bowl, combine:
- Bread crumbs (Italian or regular)
- fresh, chopped basil
- Handful shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Dip ravioli in egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture until evenly coated.
Fry in skillet filled with olive oil.
Let cook on each side a few minutes, until golden brown.
Serve with pasta sauce of your choice.

Shrimp Caesar Salad!

Steve and I both love Caesar salad. This version is a very easy meal!

Shrimp Caesar Salad



3/4 cup Caesar Dressing, divided
1 lb. cleaned large shrimp
1 bag butter lettuce
1/2 cup croutons

Fry shrimp in 1/4 cup of the dressing

TOSS salad with the remaining 1/2 cup dressing; divide evenly among 4 salad plates. Top with the shrimp; sprinkle with croutons.

Birthday Cake!

Ashley Campbell's birthday was May 5th so I made her my most favourite cake ever!

Creamy Easy Chocolate Torte



1 chocolate cake mix
4 skor bars (crushed)
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Prepare cake mis in 2 9'' round cake pans according to package
Cool
Cut each layer in half

Combine whipping cream, sugar and cocoa.
Chill 15 minutes
Whip until stiff
Fold in 3 crushed skor bars
Spread cream mixture between layers and on top of cake.
Sprinkle remaining skor bar on top.
Chill until served.

Fruit Salsa!

It seems as though everything I make is either cheesy or creamy. Here is a healthier dessert.

Fruit Salsa
with cinnamon sugar chips


Cinnamon Tortillas
Spritz small tortillas with water
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Cut into triangles
Bake at 400 degrees F until crispy (8 - 10 mins)

Fruit Salsa
makes enough for about 40 chips
2 Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries
1 kiwi
1 small orange
1 cup raspberries
2 tbsp fruit jam (any fruit)

Cut up the fruit into small pieces
Mix together with the jam.

Spinach!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a large bag of spinach. I quickly realized that under normal usage, it would go bad before i could use it all. So, I made a whole bunch of spinach-based meals!
Luckily, I love spinach and Steve loves whatever I make :)

Hot Spinach Dip
this is one of our favourites
serves 14


3 cups chopped spinach
1 cup Miracle Whip Calorie-Wise Dressing
1/2 cup Parmesan Grated Cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped roasted red peppers (I used bacon bits because we didn't have red peppers)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix spinach, dressing, cheese and garlic until well blended.

SPOON into 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with peppers. Serve with crackers or chips.

Cover and refrigerate any leftover dip. Stir into hot mashed potatoes for a delicious boost of flavour.



Crispy-topped Creamy Spinach
This is Steve's favourite way to eat spinach.
serves 12


6 cups chopped spinach
1 tub (250 g) Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Product
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheese, divided
1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers (or bread crumbs), divided

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix spinach, cream cheese spread, dressing, eggs and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese in large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup of the crushed crackers.

SPOON spinach mixture evenly into greased 2-L ovenproof casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup crushed crackers and remaining 3/4 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until heated through and cheese on top is melted.


Shrimp & Spinach Pasta
This was very yummy!
makes 4 servings


Pasta (any kind)
Pasta Sauce (either make your own, or use your favourite store bought sauce)
1/4 cup Roasted Red Pepper with Parmesan Dressing (or any type of oily dressing)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 lb. (340 g) cooked cleaned medium shrimp
1 pkg. (283 g) baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Light Grated Cheese

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package.
Heat dressing in saucepan on medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 1 min. Add shrimp; mix well. cook until the shrimp "close". Stir in pasta sauce and spinach; cover. Simmer 1 to 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.

SERVE on pasta topped with cheese.