Orzo Salad

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved (I used grape tomatoes)
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.

Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups (Like it says up above, only use about 3/4 cup of this on the salad)
This recipe serves six.

Conference Breakfast Casserole

Potato Breakfast Casserole

24 oz. pkg. Hash browns
1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. heaping monterey jack cheese

1 c. heaping cubed ham

1 c. heaping cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1 c. evaporated milk

1/2 t. seasoned salt

In 9x13 pan spread potatoes on bottom and up sides. Pour melted butter over potatoes. Bake crust at 425 for 25 minutes. Layer jack cheese, ham, and cheddar. Beat eggs and add milk and salt. Pour over potatoes and egg/cheese layers. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

I got this from another blog-I'm think I'm going to make it Sunday morning for conference:) It sounds good, so I wanted to share:)

Chicken Scallopini

This tastes very close to Macaroni Grill version, which I love! I actually halved the recipe and it was plenty. Rob and I both had good sized helpings for dinner and Luke ate a ton of the pasta and there was still enough left over for me for lunch. I made quite a few changes and it still turned out really well.

4 oz. lemon juice
2 oz. white wine (I substituted chicken broth)
4 oz. heavy cream (I substituted half and half)
1 lb. butter (I couldn't bring myself to use this much butter, I used about 3/4 the amt it called for)
6-8 chicken breasts, pounded thin (I used chicken tenders)
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1/2 c.-3/4 c. flour for dredging chicken
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. pancetta (My store didn't have it, so I used regular bacon)
12 oz. mushrooms
12 oz. artichoke hearts
1 TBS capers (I did add these, but my capers didn't taste anything like capers I have had at restaurants, so I wouldn't add them next time)
1 lb. angel hair pasta

For chicken:
Heat 2 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS butter in pan. Dredge chicken in flour and saute until done. Remove chicken from pan and add bacon (I had cooked mine separately), mushrooms, artichoke hearts and capers. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add chicken back to the pan. (I kept the chicken in tender sized pieces, but next time I might cut it up to make it easier to mix it all together.)

For sauce:
Heat lemon juice and wine (broth) in saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce by 1/3. Add cream, simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Slowly add butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta and chicken mixture.

Strawberry Pie

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 container cool whip

1 container cream cheese

1 bag of the strawberry jelly stuff for pies

Fresh strawberries

2 Graham cracker crust shells

Mix together the sugar, cool whip and cream cheese. Divide the mixture into the 2 pie shells (if you don't like graham cracker crust, you could use a regular one too). Mix the jelly stuff with the sliced fresh strawberries. Top both pies with the berries. Chill and enjoy!

Butter Pecan Cake

1 box Betty Crocker Pecan Cake Mix
4 Eggs
3/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Oil
1 tub Betty Crocker Cocnut Pecan Icing
1/2 cup Crushed Pecans
Confectioners sugar

Mix cake mix, eggs, water and oil together really good. Add icing last, just fold it into the batter-yes, the icing is IN the batter, sounds crazy eh, but it makes it so moist and good! Note: Be carefule here-don't overmix it or all the coconut and nuts will sink to the bottom of the cake. Spray a bunt or a pound cake pan with Pam. Sprinkle confectioners sugar all over as if you were flouring the pan. Add 1/2 cup crushed pecans to the bottom of pan-don't press them in, just place them. Pour mixture over the pecans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy this delightful treat:)

Lemon Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cup lemon juice
yellow food coloring
a couple TBS powdered sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 9x13 pan

2. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Pour this lemon mixture over the crust.

4. Return to the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with powdered sugar.

Yummy Yummy

I invented this little meal the other day and I looooove it!! You just make some brown rice, then when its done you put in cheese(fat free to be healthy),chicken(I used the frozen grilled kind), stolen but not really packets of Taco Bell sauce, and fat free sour cream with a ranch packet mixed into that prior. Seriously, it is really good, and It seems kinda healthy? Its good cause I crave Taco Bell A lot, so when you use their sauce on your own stuff, it taste like somethin they would make!! You could add black beans too, I'll do that next time!!!