Antipasto Pasta Salad

I made this for a Christmas luncheon we had at work and it turned out really good. I've been looking for a go-to pasta salad recipe and this is it. I made the salad and dressing the night before and mixed in the dressing about an hour before serving after reading some reviews. It kept the salad moist.

Antipasta Pasta Salad

Source: Allrecipes.com

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Ingredients:
1 pound seashell pasta
1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Cheesey Bacon Dip

If I could choose a sixth food group, it would be dip. I could eat dip everyday, through sickness and health, til death do us part. diiiippppp.

This is one of my favorite dip recipes maninly because it combines two of the wonders of the food world. Cheese and bacon. It makes me tear up, its so beautiful.

Cheesey Bacon Dip
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Ingredients:

1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 bag of shredded cheese, mild or sharp
1 16 oz. jar of sour cream
3 oz jar of bacon pieces (recommended: Hormel)
1 cup of chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and place in oven safe dish.

2. Cover in foil and cook for 35-45 minutes.

SERVES: 1.

Pumpkin Puppers

This is my three year old lab named Roxy. She enjoys long walks, humping t-shirts, destroying remotes, and playing frisbee. Her favorite snacks are dog treats, dog treats, dog treats, and occasionally her own feces. I bet you're hungry now!

I decided to make my pretty girl some homemade dog treats after my mom recommended this recipe. She had purchased some of these at a bake sale and her picky dogs gobbled them right up so she asked for the recipe. (In case you are wondering, we asked a vet whether pumpkin was okay for dogs and he confirmed that its good for them!)

Pumpkin Puppers

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Ingredients:

4 Cups (500g) whole wheat flour
2 Cups (200g) wheat germ
1 15 Ounce can of pumpkin
1 Cup water
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions:
1. place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.

2. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes.

3. Place cookies on an ungreased foil-lined baking sheet. and bake in a pre heated oven 325 degrees, for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

She loved them so much after I gave her one she followed me around for an hour.

Let there be Cake Balls

This is part two of my Thanksgiving-I'm-not-just-bringing-chips throwdown. These are super easy but a bit on the sweet side. Anything that requires a box cake is a friend of mine. To make them less sweet, cut back on the amount of icing you put in.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Source: Bakerella.com

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Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.) (I used 3/4 can)

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate
white chocolate (optional)
food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting.

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.

4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)

5. Melt chocolate in a saucepan on med-low, constantly stirring so chocolate doesn't burn.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Optional: Melt white choclate in a saucepan until completely melted. Add food coloring and drizzle across balls while they are still wet.

I seriously thought my husband was going to cry when he saw me destroy the freshly made red velvet cake (his favorite).

Do the Oreo Truffle Shuffle

I made these truffles for the first time last year when the recipe was circulating the internet cooking world and I've never looked back. They are so simple to make and taste like they took hours! This year when I asked what I should bring to my husband's grandmother's house for Thanksgiving I was told potato chips for the evening leftover turkey sandwich meal. Chips? Thats it? I was very disappointed because it would have given me a reason to bake since I've been trying to cut back on my random baking sessions that has left my waist in expanding proportions.

So I decided to be a rebel and make some truffles and cake balls (post to follow). They could munch on these before and after the meal, plus they are a favorite of my husbands!

Oreo Truffles

Source: KraftFoods.com

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Ingredients:

1 package (3 sleeves) Oreos
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
16 oz semi-sheet chocolate

For decorating: (optional)
sprinkles
white chocolate
cookie crumbs

Directions:

1. Crush Oreos either using a food processor or a freezer bag and a meat tenderizer (my preferred method). Mix cookie crumbs and cream cheese until when blended using a mixer or wooden spoon.

2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Shape cookie mixture into one inch balls and place on sheet. Put baking sheet in freezer for 10-15 minutes so truffles can firm up.

3. Melt chocolate in saucepan on low, continuously stirring so chocolate doesn't burn. Once completely melted, dip balls into melted chocolate and place back on wax papered covered cookie sheet. I found that the easiest way is to use a fork in a spoonlike form. Not stabbing but ladling and allowing excess chocolate to drip back into pan through the prongs.

4. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs, sprinkles, or drip white chocolate onto the truffles to decorate. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Store in a tightly covered container or can be frozen.

Turkey Chimichangas

You know when your trying on your favorite jeans and you discover that they now resemble painted on denim? Yea, its about that time. I went a little crazy on the baked goods on here lately and my pants are cursing me for it. So I'm working some healthy recipes back into the rotation and cutting back on baked goods. I'll miss you, friend.

This recipe is originally from Weight Watchers but it used refried beans. um...no. Just the sound of it brings me back to to the old days of Chi-chi's restaurants and the rumors that they would scrape the leftover beans onto the next guest's plate. Gives me nightmares, so the beans were out.

The best part of this recipe is that they are incredibly filling and very good! So good I made them twice in one week! AND my anti-healthy food husband also enjoyed them!

Turkey Chimichangas
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Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 small red onion
1 green pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 can diced chilies, drained
8 oz of salsa plus additional for dipping
1 cup lowfat cheddar or taco cheese
1 serving cooking spray (5 1-second sprays)
low or non-fat sour cream for dipping
6 burrito sized tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Wrap tortillas in foil and heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add turkey, onion, and green pepper to skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and add salsa, chilies, and chili powder. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in cheese until starts to melt.

3. Assemble chimichangas by evenly distributing mixture among tortillas. Fold in sides and roll up. Place in prepared baking dish and cook for 20 minutes, until tortilla are crisp. Optional: Place under broil for a minute to brown. Serve with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream

The Best Oatmeal Cookies

This month I participated in an online recipe exchange and the theme was Fall Favorites. I was lucky enough to not get some crazy chicken pumpkin ice cream or something.

This recipe came with the name Best Oatmeal Cookie and while I can say that they don't beat my mother's neighbor's oatmeal cookies (I swear he slips a bit of crack in those babies) these came pretty damn close!

They are more cakey than cookie...y? cookiey, is that a word? Whatever, you catch my drift! I'll definitely make these again until I can break into that cookie crack dealer's house and steal his secret recipe.

I subsituted dried cranberries for the pecans because, less face it, I'm too cheap to pay 5.99 for a bag of nuts that I could live without. It's a recession, people! I also ditched the vanilla because I forgot to grab some at the store. Oh, and I have no clue what rolled oats are so I just grabbed some regular Quaker Oats. Readers, help?

Best Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Allrecipes.com

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Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans (I subsituted 1 cup dried cranberries)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, raisins, and vanilla. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Next, stir in the egg and raisin mixture, then stir in the rolled oats and pecans. Dough will be stiff. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.