• 1 16 oz. box rotini noodles
• 1 block cheddar cheese (cubed)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1 cup broccoli (chopped)

Cook noodles according to package directions and allow to cool. Mix all other ingredients with noodles together in large bowl. Can be eaten warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

• 1 16 oz. box rotini noodles
• 3 cans tuna
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 block cheddar cheese (cubed)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions. Allow noodles to cool. Add tuna, mayo, cheese, and salt and pepper and mix well. Refrigerate leftovers. Can be eaten warm or cold.

• 1 16 oz. box rotini noodles
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli (chopped)
• 1 block Colby cheese (cubed)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can black olives (sliced)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 carrot (shaved)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup ranch

Cook noodles according to package directions. When noodles are done mix with olive oil and salt. Allow noodles to cool before adding all other ingredients, it melts the cheese when too hot. Mix all other ingredients and place in the fridge to chill. This can be eaten right after bein made or after being chilled, its your choice.

• 1 head lettuce (chopped)
• 2-3 large tomatoes(diced)
• 1 8oz. package shredded cheese
• 1 cup broccoli (chopped)
• 1 cup cauliflower(chopped)
• 1 cucumber (diced)

After chopping/dicing all the vegetables throw them all in a large bowl. Mix all the veggies well. Put your favorite dressing on your salad and eat healthy.

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My Homemade Coleslaw recipe is best made fresh shortly before the meal. Your family will love it!

I like easy, and I like homemade. Coleslaw is very easy to make, and there’s no need to make your own dressing when you can buy Marzetti’s slaw dressing right in the store. Coleslaw in the deli is ok, but you don’t get that same creamy consistency that you get from homemade (or better restaurants). You can shred your own cabbage and carrots too, but there’s an easier way.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 2 bags of already shredded coleslaw mix (16oz each – We use Dole)
• 1 jar Marzetti’s light Coleslaw dressing

Making coleslaw really isn’t an art, but you do need to make it about an hour to two hours before a meal. You only need a little over one cup of dressing for each 16oz bag of slaw mix (which is only shredded cabbage and carrots). One jar of Marzetti’s light slaw dressing is about 2 1/2 cups – which is just right for 2 – one lb bags of mix. Mix well, and refridgerate and you’re done!

Cabbage is really stiff and crispy, and as it sets in the fridge it absorbs the dressing and becomes softer. If you ate it right after mixing – it would be pretty hard to chew. Also, we tend to eat nearly all the coleslaw we make the same day. Cabbage gets stronger as it sits, and the next day it will be much stronger than the day you first made it.

Enjoy – we love homemade slaw with barbeque, burgers, at picnics, when we grill out, and even sometimes at holidays and get togethers!

My Nacho Taco Salad Recipe is quick, tasty, AND filling!

The other day I got a comment on my Easy Tasty Taco Salad Recipe, and “Kerrie” said that she adds the chips to the bottom of the bowl and adds layers of meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. I had seen this done once before, and we created something new that I call my “Nacho Taco Salad Recipe”!

This is pretty easy to make, and could have a million variations – but here are the ingredients (recipe is for about 6 people):

• 2 lbs lean ground beef OR ground chicken (which WE LOVE)
• salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste
• 1/2 large vidalia onion chopped
• 1/2 med-large green pepper chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (if you like hot)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
• about 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cans fat free refried beans
• 1 pack (about 10oz) of shredded taco cheese
• 1lb+ bag of Tortilla chips (baked, fat free, organic, blue corn – all good)
• 1 head chopped lettuce
• 2 large or 4 med diced tomatoes
• 1 small can sliced black olives

I chop the onion and peppers first, and add them to a large skillet on med-high with about 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well, stir every 60 seconds for about 5-6 minutes. Open your cans of refried beans, put in a saucepan and thin a bit by mixing in some water (or sour cream, or milk). They should be thin enough to drip off the spoon, but not thin like soup. Cook on medium while the meat cooks. Add your meat to the other pan, cook on one side for about 5 minutes, flip over, chop, season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder (or a taco seasoning pack), cook 5 minutes, flip with spatula and chop again, and then add the chopped garlic and cilantro, cook 3-4 more minutes and it your meat should be done. Stir the beans every few minutes while the meat cooks. When the beans start to bubble and boil, turn the heat down to low until the meat is done, and then turn them off.

While you meat is cooking, you can be chopping your lettuce and dicing your tomatoes. When the meat is done start to make up the bowls. Place a layer of chips in the bottom, then refried beans, then meat, then cheese, then lettuce, then tomatoes, then black olives! When we serve ours we usually drizzle a bit of lite ranch dressing over the top and that added touch of flavor!

If you want an easy healthy lunch this is the way to go, extra can even serve as a snack later in the day. If you don’t have a lot of time for dinner, it would be quick and taste delicious.  The beauty of salad is that you can make it a zillion different ways.  I tend to buy fresh veggies everytime I go to the store, and then when I make a salad I throw in just about whatever is in my fridge.  Lately I’ve gotten really fond of switching up the types of lettuce I use.  At the store I’ve purchased romaine, red leaf, and green leaf lettuce – and I’ve been mixing that with about a half head of chopped lettuce, and I like that mixture a lot more than just plain old iceberg lettuce.

• 1 head iceberg lettuce or 1/2 head + chopped bunch of red leaf, green leaf, or romaine lettuce
• 3 roma tomatoes (or type you like)
• 2 stalks broccoli (chopped)
• 1 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1/2 cup cucumber (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 sliced red onion
• 1/2 green (or other) pepper sliced
• 1 carrot (shredded)
• extra virgin olive oil and vinegar
• 1/4 cup low fat Feta Cheese
• 2 cups grilled chicken (optional)

Chop the lettuce and tomato and place into a large bowl.  Then I usually splash with extra virgin olive oil and some red wine vinegar and add some fresh ground black pepper and mix well.  Then add all of your other chopped ingredients and crumbled low fat Feta cheese and mix well.   Add your favorite dressing and enjoy.  Some times I eat it as-is, and other times I add some Ranch or other dressing.  Every now and then I like some light croutons or sliced black olives too!

OXO 10-in. Good Grips Pump Action Salad Spinner,
Price: $29.95
The problem is not washing salad greens, the difficulty lies in drying them. A wet spinach leaf, or a damp piece of Boston lettuce will turn limp in the bowl and dilute the dressing. Since oil and water do not mix, the oil will never cling to wet greens, instead it will pool in the bottom of the bowl, leaving your salad naked, rather than properly dressed. There are many ways to leave your greens high and dry and ready for dressing, but the most efficient technique is to use a salad spinner. The method works because of centrifugal force. As the basket spins the greens and the water are forced from the center to the sides, the greens are trapped against the grid, while the water flies out past the greens. The gears on this salad spinner are well-integrated and there is a brake that brings the spinner to a quick halt (no need to wait until the basket stops spinning). It also has a non-skid base that keeps the basket from sliding around on your work surface. Specifically designed for comfort and function, the soft rounded pump fits in your palm and absorbs pressure while you work. The clear base is dishwasher safe and can double as a serving or storage bowl.

Emerilware from Wusthof 6-in. Chef’s Knife
Price: $24.95
A knife no chef should be without! A deep blade means your hand stays clear and a curved cutting edge means it can tackle a variety of cutting tasks. As with all knives from the Emerilware collection by Wusthof-Trident, this knife is made with utmost attention to precision and quality. The high carbon stainless steel blade is laser-cut and the edge is skillfully honed by hand. The non-slip black poly handle is triple riveted for durability and seamlessly fit for total hygiene. The overall balance and heft make it a pleasure to use, and it can be easily resharpened for maximum longevity.

This Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe just screams “summertime” doesn’t it? It’s great anytime, but when you’re going to barbecue, cook outside, have a picnic, go to the lake or the park, or have family and friends over – you almost just have to have a big bowl of pasta salad on hand – don’t you? This recipe is just something I developed over time, and it’s a combination of things I loved. We always enjoyed the macaroni salad from the deli because it had nice big chunks of cheese in it. But we also like broccoli and black olives a lot. That combination of kind of the soft and crunch, tart olive and sweet carrot – it all blends together for an awesome pasta salad with ranch dressing that everyone will want you to make every time!

• 1 16 oz. box rotini noodles
• 1 block colby cheese (cubed)
• 1 cup broccoli (chopped)
• 1 can olives (sliced)
• 1 carrot (shaved)
• 1 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions and allow to cool. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be eaten warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Simply Salads: More than 100 Creative Recipes You Can
Price: $16.48
Long gone are the days when people created their salads by purchasing a head of iceberg lettuce and a head or romaine, cutting up a tomato and a boiled egg and adding some wishbone dressing. Today anyone can create a delicious gourmet salad by picking up one of the hundreds of bagged salad mixes available and adding ingredients to create masterpieces such as: Mandarin Chicken Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette Classic Caesar Salad with Herb Croutons Spinach Salad with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Each salad has dressing recommendations and recipes, menu ideas, and nutritional information. The book contains recipes for more than 100 salads and dressings.

OXO 10-in. Good Grips Pump Action Salad Spinner,
Price: $29.95
The problem is not washing salad greens, the difficulty lies in drying them. A wet spinach leaf, or a damp piece of Boston lettuce will turn limp in the bowl and dilute the dressing. Since oil and water do not mix, the oil will never cling to wet greens, instead it will pool in the bottom of the bowl, leaving your salad naked, rather than properly dressed. There are many ways to leave your greens high and dry and ready for dressing, but the most efficient technique is to use a salad spinner. The method works because of centrifugal force. As the basket spins the greens and the water are forced from the center to the sides, the greens are trapped against the grid, while the water flies out past the greens. The gears on this salad spinner are well-integrated and there is a brake that brings the spinner to a quick halt (no need to wait until the basket stops spinning). It also has a non-skid base that keeps the basket from sliding around on your work surface. Specifically designed for comfort and function, the soft rounded pump fits in your palm and absorbs pressure while you work. The clear base is dishwasher safe and can double as a serving or storage bowl.

Who can’t a good “Waldorf Salad Recipe” in the summertime? Great for picnics and barbeque’s and get together’s! It’s so simple and easy to make, and I’ve always loved the way that the walnuts and raisins go with the crunch of the apple and “sploosh” of the grapes. It’s just bursting with flavor, and you just can’t get the same thing at all in “store bought” as you can your own homemade Waldorf salad. I hope you like this recipe – here’s what you need:

• 4 apples (cut in chunks)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup mayonaise
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup grapes

Put apple chunks in a bowl and cover with lemon juice (this keeps them from browning). Mix all other ingredients together in the bowl and its ready to eat, or you can chill it in the fridge for later. I like it best when it’s been chilling for about 30 minutes before the meal!

For a “Taco Salad Recipe” that is easy to make and tasty enough to make people come back for a second bowl (vegetarian and meat versions) – you have come to the perfect place!

I’ve made Taco Salad for years. The recipe I make now is basic and simple and “it works”. It’s tasty, quick, and fast! Is there room for improvement? I don’t think so – I think if you make this recipe “as-is” without modification you’ll just love it! The only thing you should have a choice over is what kind of meat to use. The choices for meat are ground chuck, chicken, or fake meat (Morningstar ground meat crumbles substitute).

Taco Salad Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 1 lb meat (boneless chicken, ground chuck, or Morningstar Vegetarian ground meat crumbles)
• Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin – to season meat
• 1tbsp minced garlic (preferred from a jar)
• 1 head of lettuce chopped
• 3 large or 5 medium tomatoes diced
• 1 medium sweet or red onion (or one bunch diced green onion)
• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (not dip mix)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 bag Doritos or Restaurant style tortilla chips (crushed)
• 1 packet shredded colby jack or taco cheese (8 oz)

This is so easy to make, just start your meat cooking on the stove, and cook on med-high for 5 minutes. If using chicken or morningstar you may need some oil in the pan first – just a few table spoons. Once it’s cooked 5 minutes add the seasonings which are about 1tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp Cumin, 1 tbsp garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste, cook another 8-10 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked.

The trick to making this Taco Salad Recipe quickly is to get as much done while the meat is cooking as possible. I usually start the meat, and immediately get an extra large mixing bowl (4-6qt) out and all the veggies. While the meat cooks I dice the tomato and lettuce and onion. I toss it all in the bowl with the tbsp of minced garlic and thoroughly mix it up. In a medium bowl mix the cup of milk, cup of mayonnaise and packet of Hidden Valley Ranch – then set aside. Open one end of the tortilla chip bag, and crush the chips up finely (without destroying the bag).

Add the chips and shredded cheese to the bowl with the veggies and mix well again. Add your meat and mix well again. Last add the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and mix well again and you have some easy to make and very tasty Taco Salad!!

I hope you liked this recipe, if you have something to add or a question – please comment now!!