OK, happy Sunday, This one is pretty basic, but its a favorite at our house, so just in case you don't know how, here is the recipe for homemade noodles. Its like the one everyone uses, but for our family it originated may generations ago as good old Italian spaghetti. It has been said that my grandmother could roll the pasta dough out thin, role into a tube, cut the pasta with a sharp knife, very fast, very even to create yummy spaghetti.

Eggs, my mother taught me one per person and one for the pot, unless you are cooking for Casey, then it is 2 per person
A little olive oil, makes the dough nice and smooth as you are rolling it out (I learned that from my brother)
Flour, enough so it is not sticky when you roll

you probably figured out, I really don't have a recipe for this one

Mix the 3 ingredients, cover and let rest for a bit (how it that for an exact science)
Roll out the dough, I use a pasta machine (thanks to my wonderful children)
Lay out to dry, be sure to flour the surface so they don't stick.
Turn over to dry on the other side (if you let them dry too long they will crumble as you cut)
Cut into desired noodles.

If you use the dough for ravolli, put them together before you let them dry.
Cook in Salted Boiling water until they rise to the top and taste yummy when sampled.
The sampling is the best part of cooking homemade pasta.

Eat plain or with your favorite sauce, or add to soup. Good no matter what you do with them.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Its easy and doesn't need too much prep! Here is what you need:

10 oz. Yellow rice
3 Chicken breasts
3-4 cups Mozzarella cheese (depends on how much you like/ don't like)

I always steam green beans as my side dish for this.

1. Boil chicken. Chop up chicken into small squares.
2. Cook rice (at the same time as chicken).
3. Combine rice, chicken and 1/2 the amount of cheese you like. Stir thoroughly and flatten mixture in a 13 X 9 casserole dish.
4. Spread the remaining cheese on top of the casserole and bake for about 20-25 min. @ 350 (just until cheese is melted or golden on top).

** Steam veggies while casserole is baking**

ENJOY!

yummy chicken salad

This is my favorite chicken salad!! It is so yummy, low fat and healthy!!

ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
3T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3T fat free plain yogurt
3T dijion mustard
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup grapes cut in halves
1/3 chopped red apple


Directions
cut cooked chicken into bite size pieces
whisk together yogurt, extra virgin olive oil and dijion mustard
add celery, apples, grapes and chicken
season with salt and pepper
toss gently to combine
serve

One Hour Rolls

These are not the famous "lips" rolls but thay are still pretty good and easier to make, especially with kids. We got this recipe from Laurie and Cade when we went to Houston for Thanksgiving and I've made them at least every week since then. They are easy to make and you can do each step in between whatever else you are making for dinner. Ashlynn loves them!

In a microwave bowl, heat 1 cup milk and 1 cube butter for 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup cold water. Stir it up and touch it with your finger. It should be warm but not hot.

Meanwhile, in your mixer bowl stir together:

3 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp yeast (I have also made them using 2 packets of yeast and it works just fine)

Add the wet ingredients and stir together. With dough hook, knead for 5ish minutes. Add extra flour a little at a time to get a soft but not sticky dough. Oil your hands and another bowl and remove the dough to the oiled bowl. Let rise for 10-15 minutes, covered and in a warm place (I heat the oven to the lowest possible setting and then turn it off and let it rise in there).

Punch down and shape. Place on greased sheet and let rise for another 10ish minutes. Bake at 420 degrees for 10ish minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (just run a cube over the tops--this keeps them nice and soft).

Calzones

Dough:
1cup water
1Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp regular active dry yeast

Fillings:
whatever toppings you like

Lay dough out in a 7 inch circle on lightly floured surface. Put toppings on half the dough. Fold dough over filling and pinch edges securely to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 mintues or until golden brown.

makes 6 calzones

Thai Chicken Wrap with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I have made this about 3 times in the last 2 weeks at the request of my husband. He is kind of particular about food so I was so excited he liked this. It looks disgusting but tastes so good.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (I really use Olive oil)
1 Tablespoon grill seasoning (I like the montreal steak seasoning but I do not use a lot because it is spicy)
**Marinade these ingredients together**

Salad:
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced at an angle
2 Cups bean sprouts (we don't use these because we don't like them)
1 Cup shredded carrots
3 scallions, sliced at an angle
12 basil leaves, chopped or torn (I could only find these chopped in the herbs so I put in about the same amount as the mint)
3 Tablespoons chopped mint
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
salt

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1/4 Cup room temperature chunky peanut butter
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use Olive oil)

4 (12-inch) flour tortillas or lettuce wraps
*you can really use any type of tortillas or wraps you want*

Directions

Brown chicken and set aside
Combine cucumber, sprouts, carrots, scallions, basil, mint, and sesame seeds with a generous sprinkle of sugar and vinegar. Season salad with salt to taste.
Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne together. Stream in vegetable (olive) oil.
Slice cooked chicken on an angle. Toss with veggies and herbs.
Warm tortillas and pile with chicken and veggies. Drizzle with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling.

*The peanut sauce is not essential. If you do not like peanut sauce the salad is still really good in the wrap without it.
*This whole meal probably only takes about min to make and it is so yummy. I also like to call it healthy.

A very NOT Healthy Recipe, The Monte Cristo

Ok so here's the deal. I've really been trying to put up healthy recipes because I'm trying to eat healthy...well, having that said, this recipe is definitely NOT healthy. I will not post nutritional facts so that I don't feel so guilty. I haven't made these for months, but they are to die for.

Background story is this. When Andy and I went to Disneyland the first time together, we ate at this place called Cafe Orleans. I got this sandwich and it was so good that I insisted on going back to Disneyland the next time we were in California JUST to get me another one of these sandwiches. Its not really like me to pick the option that is deep fried, but it was this or a salmon crepe...enough said. I don't do seafood. So here it is, I don't actually deep fry it, although it would be a million times better if I could, I just put a little butter in a pan and flip it like a grilled cheese. But its the batter that makes this thing AWESOME!!!

This recipe makes 16 mini-sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 quart oil for frying, or as needed
2/3 cup water
1 egg
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices white bread
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices turkey
4 slices ham
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

Heat 5 inches of oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). While oil is heating, make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper; whisk into the egg mixture until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Assemble sandwiches by placing one slice of turkey on one slice of bread, a slice of ham on another, then sandwich them with the Swiss cheese in the middle. Cut sandwiches into quarters, and secure with toothpicks.

Dip each sandwich quarter in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove toothpicks and arrange on a serving tray. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

The cafe also served it with fresh fruit and a jam sort of thing that I wouldn't be able to re-create if I tried so try a bunch of different things. Definitely try the powdered sugar though, its great.

OK, good luck and I hope you enjoy it! Have fun clogging up your arteries so that you can run it off the next day!!!

Recipe is courtesy of www.allrecipes.com.