Here is yet another fantastic Chinese pasta dish- Sesame noodles. I usually serve this as a side dish as it calls for no meat at all, although you could add cooked chicken if you wanted. This recipe is very simple and the only work is preparing the sauce and cooking the noodles. You can use a variety of different pastas, spaghetti, linguini, vermicelli, ect. If you enjoy cooking Asian dishes chances are you already have quite a few of these ingredients on hand already. This recipe calls for safflower oil, if you cannot find it (or if you just prefer) you can use vegetable oil instead. This makes a perfect side dish for any Asian meal. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package pasta noodles (linguini, spaghetti, ect)
6 garlic cloves (minced)
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons safflower oil (or vegetable oil)
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili sauce
6 green onions (sliced)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cook pasta noodles according to package directions. When pasta has finished cooking, drain and put into a large serving dish.
Step 2: While pasta noodles are cooking. Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add safflower oil, garlic, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Many of you have probably had chicken enchiladas before and another great way to make enchiladas is with beef.  These enchiladas are packed with seasoned ground beef, rice, cheese and refried beans. The real highlight of this recipe lies within the enchilada sauce. A lot of different recipes call for the white sauce, I don’t prefer this. I enjoy the red enchilada sauce instead. For this recipe, we are making our own. The sauce is basically a salsa/tomato sauce mixture with various seasoning. It is very easy to make and requires only combining ingredients and simmering. As you can see the ingredient list is pretty lengthy but it shouldn’t be too expensive if you have most of the seasonings on hand for the sauce. If you want to save time and money you could just buy enchilada sauce from the store. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
Enchiladas-
1lb ground beef
1 (1.25 once) package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 cups rice (cooked)
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Red Sauce-
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon onion (minced)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¼ cup salsa
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make enchilada sauce- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the onion, chili powder, oregano, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, tomato sauce and salsa. Mix well and then stir in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice. Cook and stir until the liquid is evaporated. Spread 2 tablespoon refried beans, ¼ cup ground beef mixture, and 1 tablespoon of cheese down the center of each flour tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13×9” baking dishes. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.  Top enchiladas with red sauce and with the remaining cheese.

Step 3: Place into the oven and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Apple Crisp, which is also known as apple crumble in the United Kingdom makes a great dessert. Chances are you have probably enjoyed apple crisp on a few different occasions. If you have not, or you’re just looking for a really good recipe, I highly recommend trying this one.  This is a great way to make good use of your apples at this time of year. Apple crisp is basically sliced apples topped with an oat/flour mixture that is baked in the oven. You can either choose to leave the apple skins on or peel them. I have tried this both ways and the dish turned out fantastic. To save time I used an apple feeler/slicer device rather then doing it by hand with a knife. This dessert dish is great served warm or cold. Personally I prefer the dish to be a little warm when I eat it. It also goes great with vanilla ice cream! Great for the holidays or just as a dessert, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 medium apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter (softened)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put sliced apples into the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch lightly greased baking dish.
Step 2: In a bowl combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. Mix until well combined. Spread the oat/brown sugar mixture over the sliced apples.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
(Makes 4 Servings)

When chicken Alfredo and pizza come together, the combination couldn’t get much better. This pizza is a great combination of Italian flavors. If you are looking for something different from your normal pizza this should do the trick. The chicken is well seasoned with seasonings such as rosemary, thyme, garlic power and poultry seasoning. If you are using already cooked chicken you can just toss it with these seasonings. If the chicken is not already cooked I would recommend rubbing it with this seasoning mixture before cooking. In my opinion grilled chicken goes best on this pizza. If you want to save time you can just use store bought Alfredo sauce. I used a store bought crust but you could make your own if you want. The broccoli give this pizza and nice crunch and the mushrooms only add to this fantastic pizza. Even give this one a try for game day! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 (16 inch) pre-made pizza crust (or box mix or homemade)
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 (8 oz) bag mozzarella cheese
Alfredo Sauce-
4 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 dash ground black pepper
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
¾ cup grated Romano cheese
Garlic Butter-
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 pinch dried rosemary
1 pinch salt
Chicken-
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small bowl combine all chicken seasoning ingredients and mix well. Season chicken breasts well on both sides with seasoning mixture. Cook chicken in a grill pan or outdoor grill (or cook it any way you choose). Cook chicken until its fully cooked and cut into small pieces. Set aside.

Step 2: To make Alfredo Sauce-  In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Blend in salt, pepper and flour. Stir in milk and Romano cheese. Simmer stirring constantly until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside.
Step 3: To make garlic butter- In another small sauce pan melt butter. Blend in garlic, salt and rosemary. Cook while stirring constantly until garlic is tender. Remove from heat and set aside for cooling.
Step 4: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees (or according to box pizza crust instructions). To assemble pizza- lay out pizza crust on a 16” pizza pan. Spread cooled garlic butter over the entire crust except the edges. Spread on the Alfredo sauce. Top with chicken, mushrooms and broccoli florets. Top with cheese. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (or according to box mix directions) or until the crust is browned.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Peanut butter and pasta, the combination might seem odd to you but its delicious. Peanut butter noodles are a quick and easy meal. Some of you might remember my recipe for Thai peanut chicken, well; this is very similar only with pasta added. The original recipe didn’t call for chicken but I require meat in my pasta dishes. The chicken of course is totally optional. Another thing that is optional is the hot Chile paste, if you like a little spice in your dishes, I would highly recommend adding it. You can add extra vegetables as well. This recipe is all about the sauce; the sauce is sweet, salty and has just the right amount of kick. For the noodles, you can really use whatever type of pasta you prefer (spaghetti, linguini, vermicelli, ect.). If you are looking for a different take on your typical pasta dish, be sure to give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced or shredded, optional)
8 ounces pasta (such a spaghetti, linguini, or vermicelli)
¼ cup peanuts
¼ cup green onions (chopped)
Sauce-
½ cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons ginger root (minced)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons hot Chile paste (optional)
3 garlic cloves (minced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain.
Step 2: While noodles are cooking in a medium saucepan combine chicken broth, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, and Chile paste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until the peanut butter melts and mixture is smooth and well blended.
Step 3: Add noodles into a large serving bowl, add chicken, pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Outside of stuffed shells, I have not tried a lot of different baked pasted dishes. I decided to give baked ziti a try and it was a huge success. There are so many recipes for baked ziti out there but this one is so simple and delicious, I see no need to try any other! The greatest flavors of this dish come from parmesan cheese and garlic. You can use any type of spaghetti sauce you want, store bought or even some of your own homemade. I love garlic so I added a few more cloves than the recipe called for. If you cannot find ziti pasta, rigatoni will work as well. Serving with garlic bread is a must. If you are looking for a fantastic Italian recipe, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 cup onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 (16 oz) package ziti pasta (cooked and drained)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook over medium high heat stirring frequently until the beef is browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Stir in 1 cup of sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon ½ of the ziti mixture into a 13×9” baking dish. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and ½ cup parmesan cheese over the top of the ziti mixture. Top with 2 cups of the sauce, then add remaining ziti mixture and top that with the remaining sauce.
Step 3: Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return to over and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Its football season and serving wings for game time is a must. These lime chicken wings are perfect for a football party. These are a great change up from buffalo wings or teriyaki wings.  I would consider these wings to be some sort of a sweet and sour; with the sweetness coming from the honey and the sour from the lime. These wings are tangy, sweet and absolutely delicious. They will be gone in no time! I used a deep fryer to fry the wings but a large skillet with about 1” of oil will work as well. Best of all, they are too easy to make. You can even save time by getting pre-cut chicken wing pieces. The pre-cut wings might be a little more expensive but it can be worth it. If you are looking for a fantastic appetizer for game day, you can’t go wrong with these wings. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
18 whole chicken wings (cut into pieces)
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest (grated)
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup all purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat a deep fryer to 360 degrees. In a large bowl combine lime juice, honey, lime zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
Step 2: Put flour in a plastic bag, add wings and shake until evenly coated.
Step 3: Add wings to the deep fryer and deep fry in batches until wings are fully cooked. Drain on paper towels. If you do not have a deep fry this is also very easy in a pan. Just heat about 1” of oil in a large skillet and fry wings until fully cooked.
Step 4: Toss wings with honey/lime mixture until well coated and serve.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Looking for a fantastic lunch or snack? If so, try this roast beef sandwich. This sandwich is roast beef topped with provolone cheese, lettuce and avocados. The real highlight of this recipe is the spicy mayo, it has just the right amount of kick and adds great flavor to this sandwich. The spicy mayo is a combination of mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce and chopped cilantro. It is important to dip the avocados in lemon juice or else they will turn brown. You might want to hollow out the bread a little to help everything stay in the sandwich (this sandwich is stacked!). This sandwich is so easy to make and so delicious, everyone will love it.  It might be even perfect for a football party. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb sliced deli roast beef
½ lb sliced provolone cheese
1 long French bread (cut in half horizontally and hollowed out a little bit)
1 large avocado (peeled, pitted, thinly sliced and dipped in lemon juice)
romaine lettuce (or iceberg will work too)
salt (to taste)
Spicy mayo-
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or to your taste)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make spicy mayo- in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce and cilantro. Mix until smooth. Spread mayo on the bottom of both halves of the French bread.
Step 2: On the bottom half layer roast beef, provolone cheese, lettuce and avocado. Season lightly with salt. Lightly spread on the top layer of the bread.
(Makes 4 Servings)

One of my favorite lettuce salads is Chinese chicken salad. Chinese chicken salad is a crunchy and delicious dish that makes great use of grilled or left over chicken.  The best part about this salad is the dressing. The dressing, which is sweet and sour, is a combination of rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, salad oil and soy sauce. The sesame oil is optional but I love the unique flavor it gives the dressing. For the chicken, I grilled whole chicken breasts fresh but you could use rotisserie or other left over chicken as well. It is important to make the dressing about a half hour ahead of time. The salad gets a nice crunch of fried rice noodles. I also had to add some canned mandarins into the salad as well, it was delicious. If you are looking for an amazing Asian salad recipe, give this one a try.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
Dressing-
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 (8ounce) package  rice noodles
1 head iceberg lettuce (rinsed and chopped)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (cooked and shredded)
1 small can mandarin orange slices (drained)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make the dressing- In a salad dressing carafe or container combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and rice vinegar. Shake and mix well (dressing should be prepared a half hour before making the salad)
Step 2: To cook rice noodles- Heat a wok with a few tablespoons of oil. Break off a little bit of the rice noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them (they will puff up so only add a few at a time). As the rice noodles begin to puff up, remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.  Be sure to cook them longer enough because undercooked rice noodles will be very hard to eat.
Step 3: In a large bowl combine iceberg lettuce, cooked chicken, mandarin oranges, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Just before serving add the rice noodles. Pour dressing on the salad or allow everyone to put the dressing on their own plates of salad.
(Makes 6 Servings)

This recipe for crab salad makes a fantastic dish for summer or any warm day. I have had my share of pasta salads but this was really good. Could it be even better than BLT Pasta Salad? I will let you decide. The dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, creamy Italian and parmesan cheese. The vegetables give the salad a nice little crunch. Some of the vegetables that go into this recipe include green pepper, green onions and tomatoes. You could add other items as well such as broccoli florets or block olives. It is important to refrigerate this salad to allow the flavors to blend. I recommend 2-4 hours. This recipe is very simple and if you are looking for a delicious cold salad, this is perfect. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta (or macaroni)
1 ½ cups imitation crab meat (chopped)
½ cup green pepper (diced)
½ cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)
¼ cup green onions (chopped)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Dressing-
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup creamy Italian salad dressing
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

 Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large pot cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl. Stir in crab, green onion, cherry tomatoes, and green pepper. Add shredded cheddar cheese if desired.
Step 2: To make the dressing- in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, creamy Italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended and smooth. Pour over salad and toss gently to coat.
Step 3: Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.
(Makes 4 Servings)