BLT Pasta Salad

This is a yummy pasta salad that also has romaine lettuce in it.  Because of the lettuce it is best when fresh, although it is still good the 2nd day.  If you're making a batch that you'd like to last longer than this, you may choose to leave the lettuce out, and just mix some in when serving it.

Ingredients:

•  6 oz. corkscrew pasta
• 1/4 c. milk
• 6 oz. lean bacon
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (if I don't have this, I use ~ half as much ground thyme)
• 1 clove garlic
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 2 T. mayo
• 2 T. plain yogurt
• 2 T. sour cream
• 2 T. chopped chives (optional)
• 2 1/2 c. chopped romaine lettuce
• 2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Drain and toss with milk in a large bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Set bacon on paper towel to dry and cool, and drain and discard all but about a tablespoon of the drippings.
4. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and garlic to the pan with drippings and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper.
5. Crumble the bacon and set aside some for garnish.  Toss the rest and the tomato mixture with the pasta.
6. Mix the mayo, yogurt, sour cream, and chives with the pasta until evenly combined.  Season with salt and pepper.
7. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat.
8. Garnish with the reserved bacon.
9. Serve at room temperature, or chilled.

Chicken Salad

I've tried multiple chicken salad recipes, and so far this is the tastiest!

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• Instant Chicken Bullion
• 2-3 spoonfuls mayo
• 6 oz. cream cheese softened
• 4-5 sprigs dill (to taste)
• salt to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste (1/2 - 1 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• grapes halved or quartered
• chopped walnuts or pecans (whichever is cheaper)

Preparation
Bring a pot of water to boil with a good shaking of Instant Chicken Bullion in it.  Add chicken breasts, and simmer until cooked through.  Meanwhile stir together mayo, cream cheese, honey, and seasonings in a small bowl.  Cut each chicken breast into 3 - 5 pieces and place a portion of chicken with some of the cream mixture into a food processor and process until mixed.  Remove to a large bowl, and continue this process several times until all chicken and cream mixture has been processed.  Stir it all together in the large bowl and add grapes and chopped nuts.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients:

2/3 c. light sour cream
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
¼ t. salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. fajita seasoning or chili powder
4 c. shredded romaine lettuce
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
½ c. diced peeled avocado
1 15oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 ¾ ounce) can not-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
chopped red onion

Directions:

Mix together the first 5 ingredients and set aside.  Chop of the chicken breasts into bite size pieces, and then cook on the stove top with fajita seasoning or chili powder.  In a large bowl toss together the remaining ingredients (I leave out the onion).  Toss with dressing mixture.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Bacon and Pasta Salad

My husband isn't into pasta salads, but with the Dijon mustard and bacon to give this one a bit of a zip, he loves it, and will eat it as often as I make it!

Ingredients:
8 oz. Sea Shell Pasta
1/2 c. Frozen Peas
4 - 6 slices of bacon
1/4 c. cream cheese, softened
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. sour cream
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar or white wine vinagar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 Red Bell Pepper
4 - 8 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese (depending on how much cheese you like)

Preparation:
Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Add frozen peas during the final 3 minutes pasta is boiling.  Meanwhile cook the bacon on a griddle until crisp enough to break apart easily, then set aside on a paper towel to dry.  Combine the next 8 ingredients to make the dressing.  Dice the Red Pepper and cut the cheese into little cubes.

Drain the Pasta and peas into a colander, and then rinse thoroughly with cold water to cool it completely.  Combine pasta, bell pepper, cheese, and dressing in a large bowl or casserole dish.  Finally, crumble the bacon on top.  Serve immediately, or chill and then serve. Refrigerate left overs.

Serves: 4 - 6

Tip: Sometimes I have left overs when I make this (because I cook for 2), and I tend to like less dressing, so I often reserve some of the dressing to add when I'm going to serve the left overs and the noodles have absorbed much of the dressing.  This makes it just as good the second time around!