New recipes...including one I created!

Here are my next 3 recipes...2 Dinners and a Dessert!  Tom gives them all 5 stars lol!

Tomato Basil Rigatoni (from Family Circle):  This pasta was made with sun dried tomatoes and a cream sauce, it was delicious!

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 box Rigatoni
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup Italian flavored cooking cream cheese
4 oz shredded provolone
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon of water
basil
Parmesan cheese

1.  Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Take out a cup of boiling water and pour it on the sun-dried tomatoes (let sit for 5 minutes).
2.  Cook the rigatoni as directed on the box.
3.  Heat milk over medium heat until bubbly.  Remove from heat and whisk in cheeses and cream cheese.  Return to heat, add cornstarch mixture, and simmer until smooth.
4.  Drain and chop the tomatoes.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.

This pasta was so good!  It made a ton of dirty dishes, but it was worth it.  And I love grating my own cheese.  The Pioneer Woman never buys the bagged kind and seems to really enjoy grating her own.  I have to say, I felt more like a real cook grating my own too!

Jerk-Rubbed London Broil

I have been intimated to use a broiler, since my dad almost set our kitchen on fire making steaks soon after my mom passed away.  This was my second meal with the broiler, and I have to say it really is great.  The food cooks quickly and I am glad I have re-discovered this part of the oven!

Jerk Rub
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2  teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 pounds top round London broil



Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds of fingerling potatoes
1 green pepper (thinly sliced)
1 yellow pepper (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup mayo
1 red onion (thinly sliced)
1/4 sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix together all the ingredient for the jerk rub.  Press rub evenly into both sides of the broil and place in a plastic Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2.  Heat broiler and coat pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Broil about 6 minutes on each side (for medium-rare) or 8 minutes a side (for medium, I cooked ours this way).
3.  Potato salad: Cover with water in a medium sauce pan and lightly salt the water.  Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.  Drain and cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Place peppers, onion, and potatoes in a large bowl and cool for about 15 to 30 minutes.
5.  Whisk together mayo, sour cream, milk and salt.  Fold into potatoes and refrigerate for 4 hours.


And... my very own recipe creation!  I realized if I want to be a true cook, I can't just make everyone else's recipes.  Family recipes from my mom I consider copy-righted to me, but I also want to be able to come up with my own ideas.  So that is where the idea to make these cookies came from.  I hope to continue to experiment and make my own ideas from time to time.

Sweet & Salty Banana Cookies

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 bananas (ripe and mashed)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (the salty part)
1 cup chocolate chips (the sweet part)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Mix sugar, oil, mashed banana, egg, and vanilla.  Then, slowly beat in all dry ingredients.  Gently mix in Ritz crackers and chocolate chips so they don't get too crushed.
3.  Drop by medium cookie scoop onto baking sheets.  Bake about 10 minutes or until golden.

These cookies came out huge and tasted like yummy banana bread in cookie form!  Let me know if you try to make them, it would make my day!