Vanna White’s Layered Pea Salad

In a 9x13x2” casserole dish, layer the following: 

1 head chopped lettuce 

1 cup diced celery 

½ cup green peppers diced 

6 sliced hard-boiled eggs 

1 medium onion diced 

1 pkg. frozen peas, thawed 

8 to 10 cooked bacon strips, crumbled 

Mix 2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing with 2 Tablespoons sugar. Spread on top of layers in dish. Sprinkle one package of shredded cheddar cheese on top of that. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Really Red Chili

I posted my chili recipe yet I decided vamp it up a bit. Instead of sautéing the onions-beef and then put that and vegetables and seasonings in the crock-pot, I decided to do the classic one-pot meal using my dutch oven for about an hour on medium heat and the final half hour to low heat. I also omitted some veggies and kept it less by simply peppers and beans along with the sauce

I thought it would be cool to use red everything: 

-red onion

-8 red jalapeño peppers, seeded and ribs taken out

-2 red bell peppers, seeded and ribs taken out

-1 medium can of red beans, drained

-tomato paste

-1 medium can of tomato sauce (add water if it gets too thick)

The only things that weren't red was the garlic, butter, EVOO, dried Italian herbs and fresh cilantro (stirred in at the end).

Like my original chili recipe, I used McCormick's chili seasoning as well as my own with chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon (yes, you read that right- cinnamon. But a small palm full)

First Time Ever: Chicken Pot Pies

Believe it or not, until today, I never made chicken pot pies. I've eaten them but they were made by someone else. The closest thing of a chicken pot pie I made was this Rachael Ray recipe. Finally I decided to go for it after doing some Internet research and trying to figure out what to do with the remaining puff pastry dough. I decided to make them mini so that my household could have their own cups with the crust and veggies.

My filling was chicken, onion, potato, carrots, celery, corn, peas, dried tarragon, chicken broth, milk, flour, dijon mustard, and butter

Asian Style Salad

Salad- daikon, carrots, red pepper, snap peas and peanuts

Dressing- a dollop of peanut butter, rice vinegar, honey, ground ginger, Chinese 5-spice, soy sauce, a squirt of lime juice, pepper and vegetable oil

Sweety Grilled Chicken Pasta

I apologize for no picture, I honestly didn't think of it until later but the pasta was already gone. I was food experimenting so knowing that the dish was gobbled up afterwards, then it was successful

Ingredients  
-2 boneless chicken breasts
-McCormick's Garlic & Herb
-a little bit of EVOO

-2 handfuls of carrots, store bought matchsticks
-1 medium bag of julienne cut sundried tomatoes
-about a palm full of dried tarragon
-about 4 tablespoons of butter
-1/2 cup of chicken broth

-1 lb of spaghetti

Method
Marinade the chicken breasts with McCormick's garlic & herb and EVOO for about 30 minutes. Heat the grill (I have an indoor plug-in) for a few minutes before putting the chicken on for about 7 minutes on each side. Take off the grill for a few minutes to rest before slicing.

Boil water, salt, cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

In a saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and same amount of EVOO until melted before adding the dried tarragon, sundried tomatoes and carrots. Saute for about 5-7 minutes over medium high heat until the carrots soften before adding in the 1/2 cup of chicken broth to help hydrate the sundried tomatoes and dried tarragon. The broth will reduce and evaporate about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cooked slice chicken, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and spaghetti, tossing and mix well before serving.

Optional
Chopped up a small handful of (salted) roasted almonds as a garnish with parmesan cheese