Sweet and Salty Salad Wrap

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites, and ate it ALL the time last summer!

baby spinach

cooked/shredded chicken (I use leftover rotisserie)

craisins

crumbled bacon (I use the crumbled Kirkland bacon from Costco)

feta cheese

poppyseed dressing (homemade or Brianna's)

Toss together the above ingredients, then wrap in a tortilla, pita, or flatbread wrap.

Perfect Baked Potato

1 Large Russett Potato

Oil (vegetable or canola)

Kosher salt (I use coarse sea salt)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and place racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with cold water. Dry well, then poke 8 to 12 deep holes oll over it with a fork. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with salt and place potato directly on the rack in the middle of the oven. Place a cookie sheet on lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake one hour or until skin feels crisp, but skin underneath feels soft.

If you are cooking more than four potatoes, you may need to extend the cooking time by up to 15 minutes.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which I love!

7-8 ears of corn, husked and silky threads removed

2 Tblsp. white sugar

2 Tblsp. white vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the sugar and vinegar and bring to a full boil again. Add the husked corn, submerging all the ears in the water the best that you can. Bring the water to a full boil again. This is important! It may take a few minutes for the water to come back to boiling temperature once the corn is added but let it come to a full boil before moving on. Once the water is at a full boil, cover the pot, remove from the heat and let the corn sit in the hot, steaming water for 10 minutes. (The corn can stay in the water for up to 20 minutes without becoming pithy and dry.)

Elise's Homemade Vanilla Granola

I got this recipe from favorite family recipes, and took it to a ward Christmas Party...I can't even remember now how many people asked for the recipe!

8 cups oats

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

craisins or raisins, to taste (optional)

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup honey

3 Tblsp. vanilla (the real stuff!!)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine first 8 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute then pour over oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are moistened. Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes (I did it the full 30). Remove from oven and leave on pans until the granola hardens (it will be a little chewy when it comes out of the oven...if you don't like it chewy at all then let it dry on the cookie sheets completely before storing it...that's what I did because I like it pretty crunchy). Break up granola and store in large Ziploc bags or containers. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.

Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal

1/2 cup regular rolled oats or steel-ground oats (steel-ground will make it gluten free)

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk (it won't be as creamy with milk, but still yummy)

6 cups water

1 Tblsp. pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup ripe raspberries

1 cup ripe strawberries, quartered

OR

1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and lightly drained

In a rice cooker or large pot add all the ingredients, except the fruit. Cook until done in rice cooker. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a quick boil and lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the raspberries and stir to combine. If using fresh fruit, stir in the strawberries and continue to stir until the berries have turned the risotto pink, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. If you are planning on saving leftovers and heating up in the morning, only add berries to each individual serving and not to the whole batch.

Copycat Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I got this from Favorite Family Recipes, it is a GREAT winter soup!

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

2 cups whipping cream (last time I made it, I didn't have quite enough whipping cream, so I used a little French Vanilla Creamer and we liked it just as much, maybe better!)

red pepper flakes (to taste)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1 small onion, diced and sauteed

1/2 pkg. bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just use the real bacon bits from Costco)

4-5 cups chopped Kale

3-4 potatoes, cleaned and chopped (do NOT remove skins)

1 lb. pork sausage (or mild Italian sausage) shaped into small rounds, browned, and put on paper towels to de-grease

Put everything except potatoes in crock pot on high 3-4 hours. Add potatoes the last 40-60 minutes(so they don't get soggy). Serve with rolls or breadsticks.

Ham and Beans

1 lb. navy beans (or red beans)

1 meaty ham hock

a couple of handfuls of baby carrots (or 2 large carrots peeled and cut)

2 Tblsp. dried minced onions

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. coriander

Quick soak the beans by placing them in a pot covered with water, and bringing them to a boil for 4-5 minutes. Turn heat off, place tight fitting lid on the pot, and let them sit for one hour.

Drain the beans and add them to a large pot with the ham bone and all other ingredients. Add enough water to cover the beans by and inch or so (it doesn't need to cover the ham bone). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until ham is falling off the bone and carrots are tender, 3-4 hours. Remove lid to boil off any excess water, and remove the ham bone and any unwanted pieces.