Best veggie dip ever

YUM!!! My friend Leslie snagged this from a teacher appreciation event and it's yummy!! Makes a lot, you could easily half it (I'd still use the whole seasoning packet and let it be extra yummy!)


INGREDIENTS

2 cups sour cream
2 cups mayo
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 packet buttermilk ranch seasoning
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped


DIRECTIONS

Combine and chill at least 24 hours before serving. Serve with your favorite veggies.

Fabulous baked beans

My mother-in-law gave me her 'sort of' recipe for baked beans and they're pretty awesome. As I do with most things, I messed with it a little. Here's my 'sort of' recipe that's pretty close to hers, with just a few changes.

INGREDIENTS

2 large cans Bush's Baked Beans, Original flavor
1/2 large onion (see note)
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled


DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients. Pour into 9x13 glass dish.

Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes, till thickened.


**NOTE: My MIL purees the onion in her beans because my FIL doesn't do chunks of onions. While I like them that way, I'm too lazy to pull out the food processor. :) So I've done a few different things. Last time, I chopped the onion as fine as possible, then sauteed it in a little olive oil before adding to the beans. Softened them up and gave them a yummy flavor. I've also used a few tablespoons of dried minced onion that I soaked for about 20 minutes in a little water. (I love dried onion - so easy...). Or you can just chop up the onion and go with it - whatever suits your taste!!

Sarah's California Club pasta salad

Tonight was our Relief Society activity - my first one as Enrichment leader. It was a great night, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. We had dinner - salads and desserts. I chose to take a pasta salad and went to one of my new favorite food bloggers for ideas. I'd made one of her yummy pasta salads before, for a Christmas activity at church. It got rave reviews, so I knew she was a trusted source. :) I wanted to change it up a bit for this activity and this recipe caught my eye. I loooove avocados, so I knew it was a good start. I'm not crazy about sprouts and was almost out of Italian seasoning. So, here's my version of this salad - as close as I can get, anyway. (I'm terrible about following recipes for things like this)


INGREDIENTS

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (or a bit more) Ranch dressing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I used Italian seasoning on mine when I grilled it)
1/2 lb grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lb pasta, cooked, rinsed in cold water and drained
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used closer to 1 lb...can't have too much bacon)
1-2 avocados, peeled and diced


DIRECTIONS

Combine mayo, sour cream, ranch, salt and pepper.

Put chicken, tomatoes, and pasta in large bowl. Toss with mayo mixture to coat. Refrigerate until serving, at least two hours to let flavors mingle. :)

Just before serving, stir in bacon and avocado.

Enjoy!! Yuuummmmy.......

Roasted asparagus

If you're looking for a new veggie, I have a recipe for you. I don't like soggy, boiled vegetables. I prefer steamed, grilled or sauteed veggies that have flavor and a little texture. When I planned our special Valentine's family dinner, I decided to serve asparagus on the side. Super easy, yummy recipe!


INGREDIENTS

Fresh asparagus
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Salt
Pepper


DIRECTIONS

Rinse and trim asparagus. (See note) Toss with olive oil and seasonings, to taste. Spread on baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!


NOTE: The bottoms of asparagus are tough and yucky. You only want the tops. An easy way to decide where to trim? Take on stalk and, holding both ends, snap it in two. Use that stalk as a guide to cut the remaining stalks. Group them together and chop off the ends. Easy!

Ranch Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad

Holy cow, yumminess. I made this last night for our ward Christmas party at church - first time making it. I almost didn't need to clean the bowl, it had been scraped so empty! :) So apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it was wonderful!! Not to brag on my cooking - I'm not the one that came up with the recipe. I found it on one of my new favorite food blogs; she has tons of yummy recipes! You should definitely try this one out!!


INGREDIENTS

1 c. mayonnaise (I used light)
1 c. Ranch salad dressing
2 c. frozen sweet peas, thawed and drained (You could use other veggies, but the peas were good!)
1/2 lb. chicken breast, cooked and cubed/shredded (I cook mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
1/2 lb. diced and cooked bacon
1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked and rinsed with cold water
1 c. shredded cheese (I used Mozzarella and Swiss)
Salt and pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS

Combine the mayo and Ranch. Pour over the other ingredients and stir to combine.

I say refrigerate it for a few hours before serving to let the flavors blend. Mmmmm.....

Aunt Donna's layered salad

I made this for a friend's BBQ yesterday and the recipe was requested - I love it when that happens! :) I first had this when Zac's Aunt Donna made it for Christmas and I personally think it's pretty darn yummy!!


INGREDIENTS
1 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned/dried and chopped/torn into bite size pieces
1 can water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
Frozen sweet peas
Chopped onion (optional - I don't use them)
2 cups mayonaisse
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg bacon, cooked and crumbled


DIRECTIONS

In a 9x13 pan, layer:
Lettuce (may not use entire head)
Water chestnuts
Onions (if using)
Frozen sweet peas

In a bowl, combine the mayo, mozzarella and sugar. Spread over the layered ingredients. Top with crumbled bacon.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours before serving. YUMMY!!!!