Sweet Pasta Salad

If you like pasta and sweetness, this is the perfect combination for you! It is delicious! The first time I made this was for Easter dinner last year and everyone loved it! It makes a lot of pasta, so be sure to invite family and friends to help you devour it.


INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb rotini pasta
• 4 carrots, shredded (I sometimes use chopped baby carrots)
• 1 green/red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1- 2 cups mayo
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain excess water. 
2. In large bowl, combine pasta, carrots, green/red pepper, and onions. 
3. In medium bowl, combine vinegar, condensed milk, mayo, salt, and pepper. 
4. Toss salad with dressing. Chill for 4 hours in refrigerator before serving. 

Serves 10.

Adapted from All Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm a sucker for chocolate! This is one of the best recipes I have found AND liked for chocolate chip cookies!!! It's really simple and delicious. Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 package of chocolate chips (semi-sweet) 
• 1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. (Adding nuts is optional. Personally, I don't like nuts in my cookies but feel free to add them if you like it)
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets. 
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (They may be a little gooey when you take them out, but they will harden) Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 30-40 cookies.

Adapted from All Recipes

Chocolate Pretzel Rings

I love chocolate. My husband (Logan) loves pretzels. Put those two things together and you get Chocolate Pretzel Rings! These are so yummy and they get eaten VERY quickly in our house. It's a great combination of sweet and salty.....the perfect snack! They also make really easy, sweet gifts for friends.

INGREDIENTS

• 48 pretzel rings or mini-twists
• 1 (8 ounce) package milk chocolate Hershey kisses (feel free to use different flavors, white chocolate is also very good)
• 1/4 cup M&M's (the more the merrier) 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 275 F.
2. Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Place a chocolate Hershey kiss in the center of each pretzel ring.
3. Bake for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is softened. Remove from the oven.
4. Place an M&M on each pretzel ring, pressing down slightly so chocolate fills the ring. 
5. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Store at room temperature. 

Serves 24.


Adapted from All Recipes

Chicken Scampi

When I first came across this recipe, I thought to myself....it sounds so difficult and I bet it takes a long time to make! Boy, was I wrong! It's probably one of the easiest, quickest recipes to follow and it tastes delicious. This is one of Logan's favorites. It's our go-to recipe when we can't think of anything else to make for dinner and Logan loves to make it simply because it's quick, easy, and yummy! I love it when my husband cooks =)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breast halves (boneless)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mushrooms (chopped) and/or 1 can of chopped mushrooms, optional
• 1/4 cup red bell peppers (sliced), optional
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste 
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet heat the butter/margarine and oil over medium high until the butter/margarine melt. 
2.  Add the parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic. Mix together in the skillet. Stir in lemon juice.
3. Add the chicken and saute for about 3 minutes or until each side is white. Add the mushrooms and red bell peppers (this is optional, but I would HIGHLY recommend it).
4. Lower the heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve over rice or spaghetti noodles, topped with grated Parmesan cheese. (I served this with bow-tie noodles and garlic bread).  

Serves 4.


Adapted from All Recipes

Dr. Pepper Chicken

My husband (Logan) and I love Cafe Rio. So much so, that it's become my lifetime goal to eat at Cafe Rio 100 times before we leave Utah. Pathetic, I know (but, seriously it is sooooo yummy)! My favorite thing to get is their Sweet Pork Barbacoa. It's so sweet, juicy, and incredible. We found out that they actually marinate their pork in Dr. Pepper.....so one day Logan and I decided to try it out for ourselves, but with chicken. It was amazing! We loved it!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 chicken breast halves
• 2 cups of ketchup, preferably Heinz ketchup
• 2 liters of Dr. Pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breast halves into a 2 quart or slightly larger pot. (Crock Pot works well too). 
2. Pour ketchup and Dr. Pepper into the large pot or Crock Pot. Add onion and garlic powder. 
3. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick/sticky and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 hours. Eat the chicken plain, or shred and serve on buns (we ate it with rice and cooked broccoli). 

Serves 6. 


Adapted from All Recipes