Mom’s Frog-Eye Salad

There are lots of different variations of this salad. But this is by far my favorite.
My kids inhale this stuff. It’s super tasty, super easy, and can be
made ahead of time for any occasion.

• 6 oz. Acini de Pepe (found in the pasta aisle)
• 2 (15 oz.) cans Tropical Fruit, reserve 1 cup of juice
• 3-1/2 oz. Flaked Coconut
• 1 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
• 1/2 bag Mini-Marshmallows

Cook the acini as directed. Rinse and allow to cool completely. Add each of the remaining ingredients, except juice and marshmallows. Add 1/2 cup of the juice first. Mix together well. Add more juice if needed. Add the marshmallows right before serving. Enjoy!

Italian Angel Chicken

• 4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 can (10.75oz) Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade (from the bottle)
• 1-1/2 lbs. Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite size pieces (you could also use chicken breast if you preferred)
• 1/2 lb. Angel Hair Pasta, uncooked
• 2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley

Beat cream cheese, soup and salad dressing with a whisk until blended; pour over chicken in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.

Cook pasta as directed on package about 15 minutes before chicken is done; drain. Serve topped with chicken mixture and fresh parsley.

Creamy Chicken with Bacon & Penne

I got this recipe from a friend (Thanks, Sheena!) and finally tried it out.  Everyone loved it!  The flavors all blend together really well.  I will definitely make this one again!

4 slices of bacon

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved

2 cups penne pasta

1 cup chive and onion cream cheese spread

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup grape/cherry tomatoes, halved

2 green onions, chopped

Wrap 1 bacon slice around each chicken breast.  Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat.  (I also lightly coated the bottom of skillet with olive oil.)  Add chicken; cover.  Cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.  Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.  Discard any drippings remaining in skillet.

Cook pasta according to directions.  Cook cream cheese and broth in skillet until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened and well blended, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Stir in tomatoes and onions.  Cook 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta; return to pan.  Add sauce; mix lightly.  Serve topped with chicken.

* Sheena's recipe called for only 1/2 cup chive and onion cream cheese, and 3/4 cup chicken broth, but I added more since we like it saucy!

* Very tasty with a tossed spinach salad.  Yum!

Spinach, Artichoke and Chicken Penne

• 1 lb. Penne Pasta
• 2 chicken breasts, cut to bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, separated
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1 cup chicken stock {if you don’t want to use the cooking wine, you can just do 1-1/2 cups chicken stock}
• 1 cup cream or whole milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 box (10 oz) frozen spinach, defrosted wrung dry and separated
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained well and chopped
• 1 cup Italian style cheese blend
• freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. ev-olive oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until no longer pink inside. Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

In the same pan you cooked the chicken in, melt the butter into the ev-olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and garlic and stir for 1 minute, then whisk in the white wine. Add the stock and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the cream and season with nutmeg. Thicken the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat, then stir in the spinach and artichokes and heat through. Melt the Italian cheese blend into the sauce and turn off the heat.
Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and chicken to combine, adjusting the salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

If you like spinach and artichoke dip, you’ll love this. It’s so yummy!

Sausage with Peppers and Pasta

• 1 pkg rigatoni pasta (or any large tubular pasta)
• 1 lb. italian sausage, sliced
• 1 each: red, green and yellow pepper, coarsely chopped (i don’t care for green peppers, so i used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange pepper)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook sausage in large skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add peppers with sausage; cook and stir 7;  minutes or until sausage is done and peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, cook 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture, and then stir in Italian cheese; mix well. Top with Parmesan cheese.

*This recipe is so simple, and has a delish flavor. It’s pretty quick to prepare as well, the whole recipe comes together in about 30 minutes or less.

PW’s Macaroni and Cheese

• 4 cups dried macaroni
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp (heaping) dry mustard (I only used 1 and it was plenty for me)
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 1 pound shredded cheese (we used sharp cheddar and that was delish!)
• 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika or thyme
Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
(link to original recipe)

Homemade Chicken Alfredo

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• a dash or two of garlic salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 pkg fettuccini noodles
• 1 lb. chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 pkg. frozen veggies (we love broccoli and cauliflower) (steam these in the microwave to cook through)

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a separate saucepan, melt butter and add milk, cream cheese, garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Cook on medium heat stirring often, until smooth. Combine cooked chicken, veggies, pasta and sauce and toss together. Serve.

Grilled Steak w/PW's Simple Sesame Noodles

1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbsps. sugar
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsps. Rice Vinegar
3 Tbsps. Pure Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp. Hot Chili Oil
4 Tbsps. Canola Oil
2 Tbsps. Hot Water
4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin
12 oz. Thin Noodles, cooked and drained

In a small bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Pour sauce over cooked, warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and toss again.

{to view original recipe posted by the pioneer woman, click here.}

Delicious Asian-Style Steak...Combine steak (we used 3 petite sirloins) with 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce and a few shakes of garlic salt in a gallon size ziploc baggie. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Grill to desired done-ness. Slice and Serve!