Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

• 8 ounces medium shell pasta
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/3 cup diced mozzarella cubes
• Fried egg, for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
• Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste; gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast for 8-12 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Let cool before cutting into 1-inch pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine pasta, asparagus, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella. 

Found via Pintrest Here

Loaded Chicken or Tuna Salad

Oh, my goodness! This brought Chicken Salad to a whole new level for me. Things I did differently: I baked 2 boneless-skinless chicken breast in the oven at 400 for about 20 min.  along with the whole red pepper. When you remove the pepper from the oven it skin easily peels away. I served it on

Ingredients:

2 to 3 cups shredded chicken or 4 cans of white albacore tuna, drained
2 green onions, both the light and dark green parts, sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small carrot peeled and grated or shredded (steam carrots about 1 to 2 minutes, for more flavor)
2 large stalks of celery, peeled (this is the best way to add it to salads, no strings), thick white end cut off, split vertically three or four times, finely diced, LIKE THIS

1 to 3 avocados, depending on how many sandwiches, each half slightly mashed
Garlic Greek Yogurt Ranch Mayo (recipe follows)
 kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, if needed.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix in as much of the Greek Yogurt ranch mayo as you desire.

2.  The Secret – Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

3. Serve as sandwiches, slightly mashing an avocado on top or spreading the avocado on one or both slices of bread then layering boston or butter lettuce and tomato.

Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch “Mayo” (Double or add add another half of this recipe for more ‘mayo’)
Adapted from this recipe
Makes about 1 cup
2/3 cup Greek Yogurt (Use all mayonnaise instead of yogurt, if desired)
2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (if using all mayonnaise, just 2)
1/4 cup chopped. fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill weed
1 garlic clove chopped and smashed into a paste with a pinch of kosher salt, LIKE THIS
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup buttermilk (more or less, taste as you drizzle it in and stir, or 2 teaspoons buttermilk powder*) You can omit all the buttermilk, if you like. It’s great without it too, since yogurt is already tangy.  If using all mayo, you need to use it.
salt and pepper to taste
* You can usually find buttermilk powder in the baking or dried milk aisle in supermarkets.  If not, you can order it online.

DIRECTIONS:

 In a medium bowl, stir together strained Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, chives, dill, garlic paste,, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir in buttermilk. Add more or less buttermilk for desired taste and consistency.  I like it thick, like, well..mayo.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Wrap  and refrigerate for several hours before adding it to salad, if you have the time.  Even more flavor!

Found via Pintrest Here

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

Loved this one! It was so good and fun to make and serve in a cast iron skillet, although not necessary. 

Ingredients:

for the caramel sauce- (I cheated and bought canned caramel sauce.)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the crumble-
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the apples-
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

For the caramel sauce- heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt sugar. Continue cooking and swirling sugar until it turns amber in color. Whisk in sea salt and heavy cream. Mixture will bubble up violently briefly. Continue whisking until sauce is smooth in consistency. Stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.
For the crumble- combine all ingredients together using a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbly, but stay together when squeezed. Set aside.
Prepare apples and toss in lemon juice. Cook apples in a large cast iron skillet over medium low heat in butter to draw out moisture. Sprinkle with salt to draw out all the moisture possible. Drain apples and place back into skillet. This process should take about 5-7 minutes of cooking.
Pour 3/4 of prepared caramel sauce into the apples and stir gently. Top with the crumble topping. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve with remaining caramel sauce.

Found via Pintrest @ Here

Flavored Creamer

Have you ever looked at the ingredients list of flavored creamer? It is quite frightening. This is an excellent alternative. JT couldn't even tell that I had switched up his store bought hazelnut creamer for this homemade recipe!


1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups milk
1/3 cup Torani Flavored Syrup

Combine all ingredients and store in the refrigerator.

Found via Pintrest http://www.pinterest.com/pin/24980972907881830/

Bacon and White Cheddar Scones

What a savory treat. I actually skipped freezing the scones and I used yellow cheddar cheese.  

Yield: Makes 12 scones

Ingredients

• 12 oz. applewood smoked bacon, cooked, drained and cut into ¼ inch pieces, drippings reserved
• ¾ cup + 1 teaspoon all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 ½ cups + ½ teaspoon cake flour, spooned and leveled, and sifted if it is clumpy (you can make your own )
• 1 ½ teaspoons + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons + ¾ teaspoon sugar
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4.7 ounces (1 stick plus 1 ½ tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• ¼ cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated
• ¼ cup chives, minced
To top scones:
• 3 tablespoons bacon drippings
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• ½ cup white cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. First make your bacon. In your largest skillet, add all the bacon and turn the heat to medium. Cook until crispy, but don't overdo it. You still want them to be slightly flexible. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate, let cool, and then cut each piece lengthwise. Then chop into small pieces. Reserve the drippings and store in a tupperware in the fridge.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Use the paddle to gently stir it together.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it all at once to the mixer. Turn it on to the lowest setting for about 30 seconds. Continue to mix on low in short increments until the flour has mixed in but there are still butter pieces very visible. Use a knife to cut any large pieces of butter. Do not over mix. You want chunks of butter about the size of peas, give or take.
4. With the mixer running, add the cream. Add the Greek yogurt and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together around the paddle. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and paddle and pulse again to combine. Add the bacon, the 2 cups of cheese, and the chives. Pulse to incorporate.
5. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Mound the dough onto the sheet, pushing it together with your hands. Then use your hand to push it into a 7-by-9-inch rectangle. Smooth the top. Press the sides of your hands against the sides of the dough to straighten them.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm.
7. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Cut the block of dough in half lengthwise, and then cut each half crosswise into 6 rectangles (to make 12 scones total). Arrange them on the prepared pan, leaving one inch between them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until frozen solid, at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. (The scones can remain in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. Put the tupperware of bacon drippings in the microwave and heat until melted. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each scone with bacon drippings. You don't need to use all of it, a little goes a long way. Sprinkle black pepper over each scone. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar over the whole pan. Then add cheese to each scone.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 27-29 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
11. The scones are best the day they are baked, but they can be stored in a covered container for 1 day.

Notes

You don't need a stand mixer to make this. Use a bowl and a spoon to mix the dry ingredients, then use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut in the butter. Switch back to a spoon to add in the cream, etc. 

Found via Pintrest @ http://thefoodcharlatan.com/2013/12/04/bacon-and-white-cheddar-scones/

Strawberry Triffle

 A new family summertime favorite! I made the angel food cake from a box mix to cut down on cost. No matter what, don't skip the orange peel. It gave this dessert a wonderful flavor.

Ingredients

1 cup cold milk

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

8 cups cubed angel food cake

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the milk, sour cream, pudding mix and orange peel on low speed until thickened. Fold in whipped cream.
2. Place half of the cake cubes in a 3-qt. glass bowl. Arrange a third of the strawberries around sides of bowl and over cake; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining berries. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Yield: 8-10 servings. 

Found via Pintrest @  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-trifle?keycode=ZPIN0314

Chick-fil-A Sauce

• For the sauce:
• ½ cup mayo
• 2 tbsp. mustard (regular prepared yellow mustard)
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 tbsp. honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve.


found via Pintrest: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com