Tortellini Salad

I doubled the recipe (given to me by my friend Jolisa) and made this pasta salad for my New Year's party last night. It's pretty simple and only took about 10 minutes to prepare. You can serve it immediately while its warm or put it in the fridge and serve it cold. It's a great compliment to any main dish; I served it along with pizza, buffalo wings, and breadsticks. Yes, the diet starts today!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (1 inch balls/cubes)

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained)

1 can 6 ounces pitted ripe olives, drained

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup prepared pesto

3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

2. Drain tortellini; add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.Makes 9 servings.

Chicken Fajitas

I had leftover peppers and onions from Christmas morning omelets, so I whipped these fajitas up for dinner last night and they were a hit with the hubby and kids! The best thing about this dish is that you can do all the hard work (dicing, chopping, slicing, mixing, etc.) ahead of time so when dinner time comes and the kids are antsy, all you have to do is throw everything on the stove and it's ready in minutes!

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or steak (I used chicken tenders because they cook up so quickly and I always keep a big bag in my freezer)
• 2-3 bell peppers (I used green, red, and yellow), stem and membranes removed and peppers quartered
• 1 large onion sliced into 1/2" slices

Marinade:

• 1/3 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 3 teaspoons vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayanne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

• Pleace meat in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Place vegetables in another. In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well. Reserve 3-4 tablespoons of marinade for later use. With remaining marinade, add a splash to the vegetables and the remaining to the meat. Marinate for 4-6 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat bbq grill, indoor grill, or large skillet. If you're using a grill, place everything on at the same time. If using a skillet, slice peppers and onions first. Cook chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add vegetables and cook until crisp tender.
• Remove vegetables from cooking surface and slice. Slice meat. Toss with reserved marinade and serve along side any or all of the following:
• Flour tortillas
• Black beans
• Rice
• Pico de gallo or salsa
• Diced avacado or guacamole
• Sour cream

*recipe from Our Best Bites

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

My husband has a serious obsession with Ruth's Chris and every time we eat there, we order their sweet potatoes. They are amazing! Even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you will love them at that restaurant. For Thanksgiving last year, I was assigned to make the sweet potatoes, so my mother-in-law and I searched around for Ruth's Chris' recipe and found it! They were so good and suprisingly so easy to make!

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients for the Crust:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
• 1 stick butter, (1/2 cup, melted)

Ingredients for the sweet potato mixture:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs-well beaten
• 1/3 stick butter

Method:

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts, and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Three Grain Muffins

My grandparents came and stayed with me for a week over Thanksgiving and every time they visit, my grandpa calls to make sure I have a box of All-Bran in my pantry waiting for him. I didn't want the box to go to waste after they left last week, so I found this recipe for bran muffins and it made enough to feed an army! If you make these, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and just bake a dozen or so every morning and you can have hot muffins for breakfast every day!Three Grain Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 2 cups crushed shredded wheat
• 2 cups All-Bran
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine the oats, Shredded Wheat, and bran. Add the buttermilk, water, oil, and eggs; stir for 1 minute. Stir in the brown sugar. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the oat mixture and stir well.
• Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Peanut Butter Bars

I have 2 apologies to make. First, I apologize for the delay in recipe posts. It's just been a crazy busy couple of weeks. Second, I apologize for the crummy picture of these fabulous tasting bars. I had just enough time to snap this photo before my husband whisked them away to a church meeting. If you ever need a recipe on hand that serves a crowd, tastes great, and is easy to throw together last-minute, then this is it!

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy butter
• 1 & 1/4 cups peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. rich vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups old fasioned oats
• topping: 1 & 1/2 cups peanut butter and 1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in baking soda, salt, and flour. Blend well. Fold in oats. Press a thin layer of dough into a jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Drop tablespoons of peanut butter over hot cookie. Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips over top of hot cookie and let melt. With a spatula, spread peanut butter and melted chocolate chips over the entire pan like frosting. Let cool so chocolate and peanut butter firm up. Cut in squares and serve.

Carrot Cake Cookies

My dad's favorite dessert is carrot cake, so when he came over for dinner last Sunday I tried out these cookies and he loved them! Everytime I make something new, I ask my dad for his opinion and if he gives me his approval and tells me he likes it, that's the biggest compliment I could get. He is definitely difficult to please since he grew up with my grandma making him homemade everything and she is absolutely amazing in the kitchen. His opinion means a lot to me....and believe me, he's brutally honest at times and will tell me if he doesn't like something I make. Luckily, these cookies got the stamp of approval! Give them a try! (and don't forget to add a little dollop of cream cheese frosting on top).Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried pineapple
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (I use Silpats). Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
2. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer (I use my Kitchenaid) until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Stir in flour mixture; mix well. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
*makes about 3 dozen cookies

Maple Bars

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts for a crowd (also given to me by my friend Katie and made for the same baby shower as the mint brownies). It has since become a favorite recipe among the ladies in my ward, so we have them at almost every church gathering. If you like maple donuts, you'll love these maple bars!! They would be the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving if you plan on hosting a big crowd. Enjoy!Maple Bars

Yellow cake:

• Make a yellow cake (sometimes I use a box mix, other times I make it from scratch) and put it in a jelly roll pan that's been sprayed with Pam and dusted with flour. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, just until the top is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the midle comes out clean. Let cool.

Frosting:

1 cup butter

4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 & 1/2- to 4 cups powdered sugar

• Melt butter in medium saucepan on stove. Add sugar and milk. Turn up to med/high heat and continue stirring until it starts to boil. Cook for one minute. Remove from stove and add powdered sugar. Mix and Mix until all the lumps are gone. ( At this point, I suggest pouring the hot mixture into your kitchenaid, then add the powdered sugar, so you can start your mixer as soon as possible and let it do all the work because mixing by hand doesn't work as well. It hardens pretty quickly). . Immediately pour onto cooled cake and spread evenly.