The Best Pasta Salad Ever!

The finished product

I adapted this pasta salad from one my grandma used to make. It is always pretty popular, it even one second place in a contest!


Italian Pasta Salad
1 box whole wheat penne or rigatoni
1-2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup green diced onions
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
Bottle of light Italian Salad Dressing to Taste
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 lb (2-3 cups) diced salami
1 block ( 2-3 cups) of  diced Farmer or Monterey Jack cheese

This is the perfect pasta to ingredient ratio

Boil the pasta. While cooking, dice the tomatoes,peppers, cheese, salami, and green onions. Coat with Italian Dressing. Rinse the cook pasta. Let it cool. Mix with the tomatoes, peppers, cheese, salami, and green onions.  Add Italian dressing to taste. I typically add about 1/2 of the dressing. Add the parmesan cheese. Mix and set in fridge until it is time to serve. Enjoy!


Following this recipe my family of three, who eat this as a main dish, normally get several meals out of it. However, make sure to have extra salad dressing as it can dry out.

This is my personal favorite summer salad. It is excellent to bring to any BBQ, potluck, or other event you may have this summer. Happy cooking!

Ranch Chicken

It turned out better than the picture shows

I keep seeing recipes for Ranch Chicken that require cream of chicken soup. Although I love using cream soups on my meat I have a few issues with it. First, they can add additional categories. Second, during the summer it seems to make meals heavier, which is undesirable in the hot summers. Tonight I tried this recipe in a crockpot. I set the pot to low during the day ( around 8-10 hours). Here is what I put in.

1 lb. Chicken Breast
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth
green onions to taste.

It turned out pretty well. Very moist.

A little help?

I seem to be making a lot of dessert items lately. Although as far as I am concerned dessert is the most important course, not everyone shares my sweet tooth. I am giving you (yes you!) the opportunity to let me know what I should attempt to make next. Please complete this short survey so I can use your feedback to better my foodie adventures!

Follow Up: Low Fat Birthday Cake "Ice Cream"

Low Fat Birthday Cake "Ice Cream"

This was not as successful as I had hoped. It tasted great, but not what I expected. I used two frozen banana's (probably around 1.5 cups) and about 2 tablespoons of the cake mix. Forgive the pink color, that was because of the sprinkles. All and all good texture but definitely tasted like banana's and cake, not birthday cake. Next time, I would either try only one frozen banana or possibly double the amount of cake mix. However, this did create a good base. It may taste better with something mixed in which provides a more robust flavor, maybe coffee or chocolate!! All and all a good first attempt. Happy eating.

My Little Addiction!

I normally do not fall for gimmick appliances. This mini pie maker was a gift from my dad. I make apple pies every fall and he cannot get enough. It was a way to entice me to make more. However, this thing is pretty practical. Besides making some apple pies, I was able to make pot pies for dinner one night. It was pretty easy. Just cook some chicken, frozen veggies on the stove. Then cover with cream of chicken soup and sauté for a few more minutes. Use pre-made pie crust to fill the cups, add about half a cup of the filling top. The pie maker does the rest. It took a few minutes, plus had enough to freeze.

Low Fat Birthday Cake "Ice Cream"!

So I had this idea that I will be testing tonight. Low Fat Birthday Cake "Ice Cream". That is my weakness (and day's worth of calories) whenever I go to cold stone. So I thought why not make my own version that may be better for you. I hope to use frozen banana's, a few tablespoons of Funfetti cake mix, and possibly a small amount of peanut butter to if needed to bind the mixture. Results later.

M.I.A.

Sorry I have been M.I.A. folks. Will get back to posting soon!