World's Best Pasta Sauce

I'm usually pretty skeptical of "world's best" claims, but this pasta sauce really is the best sauce I've ever had. This will work with any kind of pasta--I used orecchiette.

World's Best Pasta Sauce

8 oz ground Italian Sausage, sweet or mild flavored

6 oz ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz can crushed tomatoes

6 oz can tomato paste

8 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine sausage, beef, onion, and garlic in medium frying pan. Cook until meat is no longer pink.

Combine sausage mixture with remaining ingredients in a crock-pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serves 6.

Chinese Green Beans

I've had a package of frozen green beans in the freezer for several months and I finally came up with something to use them for. This is a quick side or main dish. Don't be scared of the garlic! My rating: 5 out of 5.

Chinese Green Beans

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 yellow onion
1 lb frozen green beans
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp spicy oyster sauce

Place frozen green beans in the microwave and cook for 4-5 minutes, until defrosted but not hot. Drain off excess water.

Slice onion into pieces that are roughly the same size as the green beans.

Place a large saucepan on the stove over high heat. Allow to become very hot before adding anything. Keep heat at high while cooking. This goes fast!

Add oil. Allow to heat for 10 seconds.

Add garlic and onion. Stir vigorously and cook for 30-60 seconds.

Add drained green beans, water, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until beans are warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Add oyster sauce. Cook for another 30-60 seconds.

If you want to make this a main dish, simply add 1/2 pound of thinly sliced cooked beef or chicken.

Macaroni & Cheese

This recipe is my variation on what is rumored to be President Reagan's favorite dish. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 oz ham, cubed
1 egg
1 tsp butter, melted
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni as directed on package. Drain.

In a small pan, heat the olive oil and then add ham. Cook until ham is browned on all sides.

In a large bowl, beat egg. Add butter, dry mustard, salt, and milk. Mix well.

Add noodles, ham, and all but 1/3 cup cheese. Stir until well-combined.

Spray a medium-large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in noodle mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned on top.

Let sit for five minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

Asparagus Ham Roll-ups with Cheese Sauce

This is a very quick recipe! You can make it and do the dishes in under 30 minutes. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Asparagus Ham Roll-ups with Cheese Sauce

20 stalks of asparagus
8 thin slices ham

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded swiss or cheddar cheese

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Trim off the bottom inch of each asparagus stalk. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay two slices of ham on top of each other. Place five stalks of asparagus in the middle of the ham. Wrap the ham around the asparagus. Repeat with additional ham and asparagus. Place each roll seam side down on a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Bake for 5 minutes.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Combine flour, salt, and milk in a small cup and stir with a fork until smooth. Add milk mixture to butter. Stir continuously over low heat until it thickens, about 4 minutes. Add cheese and stir until smooth.

Spoon sauce over asparagus and top with pepper. Serves 2.

Golden Cream Soup

This soup is a good example of comfort food. It's cheesy, hearty, and perfect for cold winter evenings. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Golden Cream Soup

1 1/2 cups water
3 cups cubed potatoes
2/3 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced onion
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp flour
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

Add water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bouillon, parsley, salt, and pepper to a large soup pot. Cook on medium for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Measure milk in a glass measuring cup. Add flour to the milk and whisk until flour is well-incorporated. Add to the soup pot and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted.

Serves 3-4.

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

This is a clone of that fabulous Ranch-style dressing they have at places such as Cafe Rio and Bajio. Pair it with tortilla chips, romaine lettuce, canned corn, canned black beans, chopped tomatoes, and chicken for a delicious salad. My rating: 5 out of 5.

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup La Costena green salsa

Put dressing mix, mayonnaise, and buttermilk in the blender. Juice the lime into the blender. Peel the garlic cloves and then grate them using the small end of a cheese grater. Add to the blender. Add cilantro and green salsa.

Blend until everything is well-combined and then refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Pesto Pastry Chicken

This chicken recipe is my own creation, and I'm rather proud of it. It looks (and tastes) like it is a fancy dish, but is actually rather fast and easy to prepare. It can easily be adapted for any size of crowd. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Pesto Pastry Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup pesto
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg
salt
pepper

Get the frozen puff pastry out of the freezer and let it start thawing. It needs to thaw for about 35 minutes before using it.

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Place chicken in melted butter and cook for about 3 minutes per side. The chicken should be browned but does not need to be completely cooked.

Combine pesto and cream cheese in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Set both aside.

Roll out puff pastry sheet to a large rectangle that is big enough to cover all four chicken breasts. No need to be exact--just get it bigger than it is now.

Cut the puff pastry into four equal rectangles.

In the middle of each rectangle, spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture. Leave a 1.5" border on all sides.

Place a chicken breast in the middle of each puff pastry on top of the cream cheese. Brush 1.5" border with beaten egg.

Fold the puff pastry around the chicken. Try to keep the puff pastry at the same thickness all the way around the chicken. Place, seam side down, on a cookie sheet that is lined with foil.

Brush top and sides of each chicken "packet" with beaten egg.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

The Ultimate Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is a simple food that unfortunately gets messed with a lot. I've seen chicken salad with all sorts of unappetizing spices and fruits added in. Blech. Here's a basic chicken salad recipe that is my favorite--it has a perfect flavor and just the right amount of crunch. My rating: 5 out of 5.

Chicken Salad

6 chicken breasts
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Lighthouse ranch dressing
3/4 cup slivered almonds

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add chicken breasts and cook for 30 minutes or until done. Dice or shred chicken into small pieces.

Add drained pineapple, celery, onions, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

Add mayonniase and Lighthouse ranch dressing (yes, Lighthouse really is the best choice here). Stir well.

Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Stir in almonds just before serving.