Chicken, Bacon & Cream Cheese Mini Taquitos

1/3 of a 16 oz package bacon (about 6 slices)
- I used jalapeno peppers instead of bacon.
1/2 of an 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
8 flour tortillas (10-inch)
Canola Oil
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and cut up
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 C sour cream
1 T milk
1 1/2 t white vinegar
1/8 t salt
1/8 t dried parsley flakes
1/8 t onion powder
dash dried dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash ground black pepper



1. Cook the bacon however you prefer to cook it. I baked mine for a crisper bacon. Chop cooked bacon.

2. Stir the bacon, cream cheese and chicken in a medium bowl.

3. Cut each tortilla into 3 3-inch circles using a round cutter. Spoon about 2 teaspoons chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla round. Roll the tortillas around the filling and secure with toothpicks.

4. Pour the oil into a heavy 4-quart saucepan (I used an electric skillet) to a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

5. Add the taquitos to the saucepan in batches (do not remove toothpicks) and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove the taquitos from the saucepan and let drain on paper towels. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

6. Avocaco Dip: Mash the avocado in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, vinegar, salt, parsley, onion powder, dill weed, garlic powder and black pepper. Serve with taquitos for dipping.

Seven Layer Salad

1 bag (10 ounces) ready-to-eat mixed salad greens (6 cups)

8 medium radishes, thinly sliced

5 medium green onions, thinly sliced (5 tablespoons)

2 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced (1 cup)

12 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas, thawed

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

Directions: Place salad greens in large salad bowl. Layer radishes, onions, celery, bacon and peas on salad greens. Spread mayonnaise over peas, covering top completely and sealing to edge of bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors but no longer than 12 hours. Just before serving, toss if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Caramel Puff Corn

I love to make this when people come over. They go crazy over it! Yum!!

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag hull-less popcorn, popped (by the potato chips in the grocery store)

Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Pour over popped corn.

Bake in large cookie sheet at 250 degrees F for 30-45 minutes. Cool slightly, break apart, and store in plastic bags.

Baked Lemon Pasta Recipe

Amazing pasta dish with some surprising ingredients. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients

* 1 pound Thin Spaghetti
* 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
* 2 cups Sour Cream
* ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
* Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
* Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
* Extra Lemon Juice

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
2. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.
3. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.
4. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
5. When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
6. Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

I love this soup very much! With a grilled cheese sandwich...nothing is better!

Ingredients

* 4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
* 4 cups tomato juice
* 14 leaves fresh basil
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1/2 cup butter
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Sweet Brown Bread

I came home from work and made this bread within less than a hour. So quick and yummy! It came from my Weight Watchers cookbook so it is healthy with only 80 calories per slice.

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 Degree. Spray an 8x4 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, orange zest, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, molasses, and brown sugar. Pour over the flour mixture, mixing quickly to blend (do not overmix).
3. Transfer to the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Classic Roasted Vegetables

I served these veggies at the dinner party I had at my house last night too. I have to admit I was surprised by how much I liked them. They truly are very tasty!!

CLASSIC ROASTED VEGETABLES

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 4 panels
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium sweet onion cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray, set aside.
2. Add all ingredients into a large bowl. Toss well to evenly coat with seasonings. Divide the vegetables between the 2 baking sheets.
3. Bake the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Have you ever eaten at the TEXAS ROADHOUSE? Do you agree with me that their honey butter is amazing? I found the recipe below and it is delicious. It is great on toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles and dinner rolls.

Cinnamon Honey Butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, honey and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy.

Nutrition: Servings per Recipe 16. Calories: 99, Fat 5.8g, Chol 15mg, Sod 41mg, Carbs 12.8g, Fib 0.1g, Prot 0.1g

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I made this for a dinner party I had last night and served it with pita bread slices. It was a big hit and has only 16 calories and no fat!!

ROASTED RED PEPPER DIP

2 large roasted red bell peppers (see roasting tips below)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

In a food processor, puree the peppers and juice, tomato paste, vinegar garlic, and cayenne until almost smooth.

Nutrition Facts: 1/4 cup is 1 serving. 16 calories, 0 g Fat, 0g Sat Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 0mg Chol, 23mg Sod, 4g Carb, 1g Fib, 1g Prot, 7mg Calc.

ROASTING TIPS: Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the bell peppers on a baking sheet. Broil 3 inches from the heat, turning frequently, until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Place a strainer over a small bowl. Peel the peppers over the stainer, discarding the cores and seeds and allowing the juices to drip in the bowl.

Cafe Rio Style Pork

I found this recipe on my friend Krista's blog. It is super tasty. Almost like the real thing.

1 lb pork roast or loin
2 (15oz) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cups chopped cilantro
1 can coca cola
1-2 cloves minced garlic

Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, coke and garlic. Pour over the pork in a crockmpot. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours. When pork is cooked, remove from crock pot and shred. Put back in the sauce. Serve in burritos, enchiladas, salads, or my favorite nachos!