Super Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 package your favourite pasta (I used tri-colour pasta shapes)

1 cup of your favourite veggies (I used julienned carrots and diced green peppers)

2 tablespoons oil (I used basil olive oil)

1/2 cup - 1 cup of mayo or Ranch dressing or a mixture of both

1 tsp sugar

milk to thin

Instructions:

Cook pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with oil (this will help the dressing not to absorb into the pasta and keeps the salad creamy. Mix mayo/ranch dressing with sugar and milk (should be a pourable consistency). Pour over salad. Can be refrigerated to blend flavours before serving. 

Club House Croissants

Ingredients:

10 Croissants, cut in half

1/2 cup mayonaise 

shaved deli honey maple ham

shaved deli turkey breast

4 slices swiss or cheddar cheese

lettuce (I used butter lettuce) 

10 slices bacon, cooked in strips until crispy

sliced red onion

tomato if desired

Instructions:

Spread croissants with mayo (and mustard if desired). Stack ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, bacon, onion, and tomato on one half of cut croissant. Top with remaining half and eat!

Crockpot Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used frozen)
2. black pepper, to taste
3. 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
4. 1/4 cup honey
5. 1/4 cup tomato paste
6. 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
7. 2 cloves garlic, minced
8. 1 tsp sesame oil
9. 1 tsp onion powder
10. 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, optional
11. Add at serving time:

1/4 package rice vermicelli, softened in warm water and cut into smaller pieces with kitchen shears

1 can water chestnuts, chopped

1. 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
2. 2 green onions, chopped for garnish
3. Lettuce for lettuce cups (I used butter lettuce)

Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

2-3 tsp red sweet chili sauce

1-2 tsp sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. 1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper.
2. 2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder, and sriracha hot chili sauce if desired. Pour over chicken and cook on high 3-4 hours.
3. 3. Remove chicken, leaving any sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks (or use your Kitchen Aid with the batter attachment); set aside.
4. 4. Add softened noodles and chopped water chestnuts to remaining sauce in crockpot. Then return chicken and mix well.

5. Mix ingredients for Peanut Sauce and serve as a dipping sauce or add to lettuce cups before wrapping.

1. 5. Scoop desired amount of filling from crockpot into large lettuce leaves and top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions for garnish.
2. This could also be served over rice if you prefer that over the lettuce cups.

Broken Glass Jello Cubes

INGREDIENTS:

8 small boxes of jello (3 oz), different colors
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 envelopes unflavored knox gelatin
water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dissolve each box of jello separately, using just 2 cups of boiling water per flavor. Pour into individual containers (I used 9X9 glass pans) and chill overnight.

Once solid, cut the flavors of jello into small blocks and mix together carefully in a glass 9×13 pan.

In a separate bowl, dissolve 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin in 2 cups hot water. Let cool a bit and stir in the condensed milk. Cool to touch and pour cooled milk mixture over jello and chill overnight.

Cut into squares and serve.

Paska

From Mennonite Girls Can Cook (my adaptations in bold)

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a large bowl, put your yeast, sugar and warm water. Let sit 10 minutes. .if it hasn't poofed up . . either your yeast is old, or dead . ..if that happens, start again. There is no point in going on without nice poofy yeast.

• 1 medium lemon
• 1 medium orange

1. Take your citrus and peel it very thin. I use a vegetable peeler. (I use my microplane to shave off or zest as much of the peel as possible) You don't want to use any of the white part of the peel. Put the thinly sliced peel in the blender.
2. Once you have removed and discarded the white pith of the citrus.. .chop your lemon and orange . .removing all the seeds. Add the chopped lemon and orange to the blender.(I add the zest right into the yeast mixture but add the inside pieces to the blender.)

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup of real butter

1. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and milk until the butter melts. .or do it in a saucepan on the stove.
2. Once it is melted .. .add it to the blender. Start the blender .. and begin to puree.

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (I do not add the salt)

1. Start the blender on high and allow the citrus, peel and milk, butter mixture to run for about 2 or 3 minutes.
2. Add the eggs, sugar and salt.
3. Continue to run the blender for another minute or two until very smooth.
4. Measure the milk/citrus and sugar mixture. . it should be about 4 1/2 cups. If you have a bit more or less that is fine. .you will just adjust the flour likewise. (My Kitchen Aid doesn't accommodate this full recipe so I just measure half of the yeast mixture and 2 1/4 cups of the blender mixture into a separate bowl and do the flour part in 2 batches)
5. Pour the mixture, along with the yeast mixture into a large bowl .. or the bowl of your kitchen machine, which has a dough hook.
6. Add flour. . .one cup at a time until you have a smooth soft dough .. .it will be sticky. I think about 7 cups of flour (or 3 1/2 cups if you are making it in the kitchen aid in 2 small batches) should be right. . but it will depend on the size of your eggs and the size of your lemon and orange. With a plastic bowl . .it is easy to tell when the dough has enough flour because it will stop sticking to the side of the bowl ..but with a metal bowl you really do need to stop the mixer often and touch your dough before adding additional flour. It really is best to stop the machine once it is getting close. . and knead the last bit of flour by hand. . .a little at a time until it is smooth. Do not add more than 7 1/2 cups flour. . allow it to remain sticky. If you measured the milk mixture and had 4 1/2 cups. .7 cups of flour will be enough. . .sticky but enough.
7. The amount of flour is a guide. .if your dough is still super sticky add a little more flour a dusting at a time. Look at the picture in the collage of my dough .. .that is how it should look. It should be able to hold its shape. There will be several factors in how your dough could be different than mine. . .the flour you purchase or how you fill your cup of flour. . I scoop and shake to level. Or. . it could be that you have slightly more liquid. Don't despair if you think it is still too sticky. . .go slow. . add a dusting more. .turn the dough on the counter and knead until you are out of flour again. .and then give it another dusting and continue this way until. . .it looks like mine in the picture.
8. After kneading it by hand or with the machine for about 8 - 10 minutes. . .transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, a tea towel and allow to rise until doubled. This should take about an hour. .to an hour and a half.
9. At this point, give it a bit of a punch down and let rest at least 10 minutes or up to another hour.
10. During this time prepare your pans. I spray mine with Pam. Make loaves and let rise until doubled in bulk .. .or about an hour to an hour and a half.
11. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the loaves about 20 minutes. .but again it totally depends on the size of your pans.
12. Allow to cool on cooling racks.  I put them in the freezer unless we are eating them the same day . 

Paska Icing

• 1 cup of soft real butter
• 4 pasteurized egg whites (young children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems should avoid raw egg whites)  I often  use egg white powder  and water.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• enough icing sugar to make a soft icing. It will harden again in the fridge.

1. Beat all together until light and smooth....and spread on each slice .. .and sprinkle with colored sugar.

Blueberry Glazed Pork Medallions

Ingredients

• 2 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Sauce:

• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic. Rub over tenderloin.
2. Pan fry in a large frying pan until outside is browned.
3. Slice pork loin into medallions and cook until barely pink.
4. Serve with blueberry glaze sauce.

Sauce:

 1. In a small pan whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water and soy sauce. Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add blueberries and simmer until warm, about 2 minutes.

Can also be made in a crockpot:

1. After seasoning, pork loin, pour ½ cup of water in the slow cooker and add the tenderloin. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. When tenderloin is done, remove from slow cooker and let rest 5 minutes. Drizzle glaze over tenderloin.
3. Slice and serve.

White Cake and Best Icing Ever

Cake:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
   

Icing:

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 package instant pudding mix
• 1 tsp extract
• food colouring, if desired
• Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

1. Whip whipping cream in a kitchen aid mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. Add in pudding mix and extract of your choice and continue whipping, add a bit of milk if icing becomes too thick to spread.
3. Mix and match pudding flavours and extracts for variety. (examples: vanilla pudding mix and vanilla extract, chocolate pudding mix and peppermint extract, lemon pudding mix and lemon extract, white chocolate pudding mix and vanilla extract. 

 I made this cake in 2 long 9X13 pans and then cut them into pj shapes when my girls' school did "The Pajama Game" as their musical. This was their "cue to cue" treat. I used white chocolate pudding mix, vanilla extract, purple food colouring, and yellow and mint candy melts to decorate. The purple outline was done in purple candy melts-melted and piped in a ziploc bag.