Elizabeth's Pasta Salad

Elizabeth brought this to small group last week, and it was really good. It was filling enough to be a main dish if you had a salad or something to go with it.

4 diced cooked chicken breasts

1 lb of rotini cooked and cooled

1 red pepper diced

2.5 cups of diced celery

1 red onion

mix together

Dressing

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

3/4 c mayo

1/3 c dijon mustard

1.5 t salt

1 t coarse pepper

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c dillweed

~Mix together. 

Banana Crisp

Here it is, ladies. The delicious dessert from last night! Enjoy!

BANANA CRISP

3 med. bananas, cut in 1/2" slices

2 Eggs

½ cup half and half

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

3 tablespoons butter

⅓ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup flour

⅓ cup rolled oats

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cut bananas into ½” coins and place equal amounts into ramekins (4) and set aside.   Beat eggs and when color turns pale add sugar, half&half, vanilla and blen until smooth.   Pour the custard through a strainer into the ramekins until bananas are covered.

Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon into a bowl and mix by hand.   Take butter and cut into the until mixture has a texture of wet sand and set aside.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until custard is set and then remove from oven and sprinkle crumb topping on top.   Place in oven set on broiler and until top is browned.

Serve warm topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 4.

Trudy's Pasta e Fagioli

(This is not the Trudy that we buy our meat from, but I picked up this recipe at our Farmer's Market last summer)

1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 (15 oz) can chicken stock
2 Tblsp beef bouillon
64 oz tomato sauce/juice (We liked it best using 64 oz of a simple, traditional spaghetti sauce)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil (I used a couple handfuls of fresh basil because I had some to use up, and it was delicious!)
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp garlic (I used garlic powder, but fresh would probably be even better)
3/4 c. julienne carrots
3/4 c. celery, sliced
2 (15 oz) cans of beans (any kinds: kidney, red, cannelloni, etc.)
1/2 lb. Ditalini pasta (I couldn't find this, so I used rotini)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage or beef in a large stock pot. Drain and but back into the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients while warming on the stove. Once you have added the pasta, let cook for at least 30  minutes (longer for a thicker soup). STIR OFTEN to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom.

Vegetarian Chili

My neighbor brought some of this over to us the other night, and it is really yummy! Looks easy, though I've never made it. We ate it with homemade rolls and veggie sticks with dip. It was a filling meal.


1TBSP Olive Oil

2 onions, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
1 TBSP chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 28oz stewed tomatoes
1 can chopped green chili's
4 cups Vegetarian Broth
1 cup corn
15oz Kidney Beans
15oz Black Beans
salt and pepper  

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, and cook and stir for about 5 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and cook 1 minute.  Add broth, tomotoes, corn chili's and both beans.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes.  Season w/ salt and pepper, if needed.

Chicken Pot Pie

(1 batch makes 2 pies)

Ingredients:
-A total of four crusts. You can buy two boxes of roll-out crusts found in the refrigerated section near the rolls/cinnamon rolls. OR you can buy one box of crusts and then two frozen crusts that are found in the freezer section near the whipped cream. The frozen ones come in pans, so they are good to use if you are bringing a meal to someone.
-3-4 Chicken Breasts, cooked (approx 2 c. or more)
-1 can Cream of Potato soup
-1 can Cream of Chicken soup
-1 lg. can (30 oz) or canned veggies - I use mixed, but you can use any kind
-3/4 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all ingredients except crusts in a large bowl.
3. Line 2 pie pans with crusts if you didn't buy the frozen kinds.
4. Divide the mixture between the two pans. Roll out the remaining crusts over the tops of the pies. Trim excess crust and pinch crusts together. Vent tops.
5. Bake for 30 - 40 min (ours always takes a lot longer... closer to 60 min.)
*You can freeze these uncooked. Just cover with saran wrap and then foil.

Buttery Rolls

These are the rolls I made for Christmas. They're super easy if you have a bread machine, and quite a crowd pleaser. It's originally from AllRecipes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 24 portions; shape into balls. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Crockpot Black Bean & Chicken Soup

Place all of the following ingredients in a 4.5 quart crockpot and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours:

• 4 cans of black beans (or 2 cans of black beans and 2 cans of dark red kidney beans)
• 2 cups of chicken bouillon (take 2 cups of water and add 4 chicken bouillon cubes and microwave on high for 3 minutes)
• 1 cup each of the following (microwave these veggies on high for 3 minutes): Chopped carrots, chopped celery, and chopped onions
• 1 bell pepper, chopped and microwave for 1 minute
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 (5-7 oz.) cans of white chicken (97%-98% fat free): flake chicken
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 jar green chilies (4.5 oz)
• 28 oz. can of Italian tomatoes, chopped. Include juice

Cover with lid and cook as directed. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa.