Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

8 oz frozen corn
1 can black eyed peas (drain MOST of juice)
2-3 large tomatoes (or large can diced)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onions, finely chopped
1 pk dry Italian dressing
2 Haas avocados, cubed
Juice of 1-2 limes

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients except for dressing and avocados
2. Mix dressing according to package directions
3. Stir dressing and vegetable mixture together. Chill
4. Add avocados just before serving

White Chili

4 cans Great Northern White Beans (rinsed)
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped

Simmer 1 hour

4 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 can diced green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic

Simmer 1 hour

Serve with sour cream and Monterrey Jack Cheese

Taco Salad Meat Sauce

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c green (or red) pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
1 16 oz can re-fried beans
1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes

Instructions
Brown ground beef with onions in a large frying pan. Add green pepper and saute. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, simmer, serve.

Amish White Bread

From: allrecipes.com

Ingredients
2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tbs active dry yeast (approx. 4 packets)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs gluten or dough inhancer
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups BREAD flour

Instructions
1. In a large bowl dissolve the sugar in warm water then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix oil, gluten and salt into yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into 2 well oiled 9 x 5 loaf pans. (those are Large Loaf pans, 3 if you have Medium size pans) Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara

This one is for Greg.  I made it once for him, because I knew it is his FAVORITE thing to eat!!  By no means is this a diet food.....or even one that could even be considered a little bit nutritious, but man is it good!  Just ask Greg!!

Chicken Carbonara

By:  Giada DeLaurentiis

Taken from:  Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped (I used bacon.)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

8 large egg yolks

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Salt

1 pound spaghetti

4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I left these out...sounded weird to me.)

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta (or bacon) and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the saucecoats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.

I have only made this recipe once, but it was delish!  A little labor intensive, but worth it.  This probably wouldn't be a week night meal, but one you might want to save for special occasions.  There was no picture of it on Foodnetwork.com either.  I bet by now you can figure out who my favorite Food Network personality/chef is.......since this isn't the first, or the last recipe of her's I will share.

Chicken Tetrazzini

By:  Giada DeLaurentiis

Taken from:  Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstickfrying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

This is probably my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It's easy, and doesn't make a zillion cookies like so many recipes do.  This picture doesn't do the cookies justice, I promise!!  These are not your average run of the mill cookies!  I added a few of my own tweeks to the recipe in italics.

My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

By:  Tyler Florence

Taken from:  Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use Kosher salt, which adds a little salty bite to the cookies that is delish!)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I always triple the vanilla in any chocolate chip cookie recipe I make.)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I add 1/2 of a bag of Chocolate Chips instead.)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or use a silicone mat). Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside (I skip this step, and my cookies always turn out just fine).

Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula.

To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.