Sweet Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any picnic or meal. It's one of my mom's best. Happy birthday, Mom! I love you.

Sweet Pasta Salad

2 12 oz. packages rainbow Rotini
4 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 cups mayo/salad dressing
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar

Boil rotini till barely tender (don't overcook!) Drain. Whisk together mayo, sugar, and rice vinegar. Add veggies to pasta, stir in sauce. Chill.

Best served chilled. Make sure you don't overcook the pasta or the entire salad will get mushy.

Kyoto Salad Dressing

This salad dressing is amazing! It's a personal favorite as it looks classy, goes on anything from chicken to fruit salad, and has a bit of ethnic flair.

Kyoto Salad Dressing

1/2 c. rice vinegar (sold on the Ethnic aisle--NOT white vinegar!)
1/3 c. yellow mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar (scant)
1 c. canola oil
1 tsp. black pepper

Blend rice vinegar, mustard, salt, and sugar until well mixed. Add canola oil and blend again. Stir in freshly ground coarse black pepper. Pour into glass bottle or salad dressing bottle. Refrigerate.

Takes less than 5 minutes in a blender, chills quickly. Try it with anything!

Menu-planning Monday! (+ Cacciatore recipe)

Ok, I've been menu-planning off and on for a year, and I've decided to get back into it. In fact, I found a great site that has an official "Menu Plan Monday" and links to everyone's menu's for the week, so if you don't find something interesting here, go to the Organizing Junkie and check out more links.

I try to plan my weekly menu with some variety, but using similar ingredients and incorporating leftovers into new dishes. I cook with my crock-pot at least once a week because it's so easy and makes my house smell great!

Week Menu

Monday - Chicken Salsa Fajitas served in tortillas with cheese and lettuce. YUM!

Tuesday - busy day, so I'm sticking with a simple veggie stir fry served over rice (make extra to use later in the week)

Wednesday - Mexican leftovers. We call these "burrangos" in our house. Essentially, any of the leftover fajitas in addition to some extra corn, spanish rice, and green peppers, or whatever we have handy! You can crisp them in a frying pan, similar to a chimichanga. The perfect sauce for these is a half and half mix of salsa and ranch dressing--trust me!

Thursday - Take a break from ethnic and make a simple pasta dish, such as spaghetti, or this amazing Fettucine Cacciatore (see recipe below!)

Friday - go for something easy, like crockpot chili--and throw in any mexican leftovers from earlier in the week! or, try this crockpot chicken teriyaki and serve it over leftover rice.

Saturday - BBQ honey mustard chicken with stuffing and baked potatoes. I use the easy box stuffing :o) Mix sauces with a few tablespoons of margarine, whisk together, and pour over chicken. Bake at 325, basting every 15 minutes until cooked through. Also works great in the crockpot, but I like to cook my potatoes in the crockpot and I only have one... You can also try this homemade BBQ sauce!

Sunday - homemade meatloaf! and of course, no-bake cookies for dessert.



Fettuccine Cacciatore

1/2 lb fettuccine, uncooked
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c. Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 c. shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, etc.)
extras:
1 c. green pepper strips
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta as directed. Saute peppers and mushrooms in oil for 3 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and dressing. Reduce heat to med, simmer 5 minutes. Drain pasta, toss with veggies and dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

If you like a LOT of cheese, it's easiest to dish each serving first and then top with cheese and basil. Makes four 2 c. servings.

Guest Recipes!

This week I'm featuring recipes submitted by the rest of you :o) Thanks for the help!

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken

Ingredients:
1/3-1/2 bottle Kraft's Sun-dried Tomato salad dressing
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Marinate the chicken in the dressing for 2-3 hours. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes.

Great with baked potatoes and salad!

Crockpot Dip Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese, soft
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
one packet zesty italian salad dressing mix.

put chicken in crockpot, cover with cream cheese mixture
cover and let cook 6-8 hours.
serve over rice or noodles.

you can use almost any dip mix! (use about 1 1/2-4 Tbsp)