Ranch Potatoes

This recipe would be a nice one to have the children help with. These potatoes are similar to oven fries and so they are a really good side with grilled meals and the kids will love them. You don't even need to tell them that they are healthy.

Ingredients
1 Ranch Dressing (dry packet)
1 large Ziploc bag
5 medium potatoes
Pam cooking spray

Recipe
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. cut potatoes into bite size
3. place potatoes in a large Ziplock bag with the Ranch Dressing packet. Seal the bag and shake the contents. Make sure all the potatoes get dressing on them.
4. Spray a cooking sheet with Pam. Place the potatoes on the cooking sheet in a single layer.
5. Cook the potatoes for approximately 45 minutes, until lightly browned

Ranch Chicken

My husband just adores this recipe, secretly I think that this is one of the reasons why he married me.

Ingredients
2 chicken legs with thighs
1 packet of dry ranch dressing
1 large plastic sealed bag

Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the content of the dry packet of ranch dressing into the large plastic bag
3. Place both chicken legs in the bag with the dressing, seal the bag well
4. Shake the bag well making sure that each piece of chicken is covered
5. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for approximately 45 min-1 hour.
6. The chicken is done when there is no pink and the juices are running clear

Grilled Italian Chicken

This recipe is a very nice one for a summer day, it's tasty but not too heavy on the stomach. Every one that has had this meal with me, has absolutely loved it, I hope you do too.

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing (I really like using Wegman's Parmesan Italian Salad Dressing)

Recipe
1. Rinse off the chicken breasts
2. Pock holes into the chicken breasts with a fork
3. Place chicken and salad dressing into a large storage bag. Swish the chicken and dressing around making sure that all the chicken has been covered.
4. Place the bag in a medium bowl. Place the bowl into the refrigerator---this will allow the chicken to marinate. You can marinate the chicken as little as one hour, but the longer you marinate it the moister the chicken will be. You may want to marinate it over night.
5. After the chicken has marinated cook the chicken on the grill. Cook the chicken until no pink is showing and all juices are clear running.
6. Serve immediately after done cooking.

Suggested side: My Italian Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad

This salad is really great served with my Grilled Italian Chicken.

This pasta salad is a great salad to bring to picnics because it doesn't have any mayonnaise products in it.

Ingredients
1 cup of broccoli
1 cup of carrots
1 cup of celery
3/4 cup of onion
1 cup of cheese (I like to use jalapeno cheese, but cheddar is really nice also)
3/4 peperoni
1 box of multi color pasta
1 1/2 cup of Italian Dressing
salt and black pepper to taste

Recipe
1. Cook pasta according to boxes directions
2. After pasta is cooked, drain well.
3. Cut all vegetables, cheese, and peperoni bite size and set a side to use later
4. Place pasta in a mixing bowl.
5. Combine all vegetables, cheese, peperoni and dressing with the pasta and mix well. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Place pasta salad in the refrigerator and let chill for approximately 1 hour before serving.

Note: If the salad has been in the refrigerator for a while the pasta may soak up the dressing. You may want to add some dressing just before serving the salad. Be careful not to put too much dressing in.

Pumkin Cake

Moist cake that tastes great. This recipe came to me during a Weight Watchers meeting. You would never know it's low fat if no body told you. I never tell people when I serve it that it's low fat, that's our little secret :)

Ingredients
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 spice cake mix
small container of whipped cream
powdered sugar for garnishing

Recipe
1. Pre heat your oven to what the cake mix directions say
2. Combine ingredients canned pumpkin and cake mix and mix well
3. Place the cake mix in a pan (same as the directions on the box say)
4. Cook as long as the box says
4. Allow to cool for 1 hour
5. Serve the cake with a dollop of whip cream on it and sprinkle with powdered sugar

Personal Note: my family really loves this recipe, it's so nice and moist and so yummy!!!

Lime Pie or OrangeCicle Pie

My mom and uncle just love this pie. I usually make two when my uncle is visiting. The lime pie would make a perfect St. Patrick's Day dessert and you can have your children help you make it.

Ingredients
1 lime jello packet (or orange)
1 cup of lime juice (I usually get Tropicana--if you are using orange jello, use orange juice)
1 cup of vanilla ice cream (more if desired)
1 small prepared graham cracker crust
raspberry preserves for garnishing

Recipe
1. Boil one cup of Lime juice (if you are making orange jello boil the orange juice instead)
2. Place boiling water in a bowl
3. Place your jello in the boiling water and stir until all jello is dissolved
4. Place dissolved jello into blender (this should be very warm still)
5. Put 1 cup of vanilla ice cream (more if desired) into the blender with the jello and blend until every thing is a liquid and blended well
6. Pour liquid into the prepared graham cracker crust
7. Place pie into the freezer and let freeze for at least 2 hours (this step may depend on how high your freezer is set)--make sure that you place the pie on a flat surface so that it will not spill
8. After the pie is completely frozen you can cut it
9. Before you serve the pie, warm the raspberry preserves in the microwave so that it is runny (looks kind of like juice)
10. Place a spoonful of warm (runny) preserves onto each individual plate that you will be serving the pie on
11. Place a piece of frozen pie on top of the preserves and serve immediately.

Personal Note: The orange pie tastes just like an OrangeCicle

Greeny Garlic Bread

This could be a great part of a Saint Patrick's Day Meal---your children will get a kick out of it!!! :)

Whenever a new missionary (someone straight from the MTC) has been assigned to our ward our family has created a tradition to invite them over to have a surprise "greeny" dinner. This dinner is a celebration to recognize the new missionary to the area and mission.


Ingredients
1 stick of butter
Green food coloring
1 loaf of sliced Italian bread
Garlic powder
Dried Oregano
Dried Basil
Aluminum foil

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1. Soften butter, make sure you don't melt it
2. Add 2-3 drops of green food coloring to the soften butter and mix well, so that the color is well blended
3. Spread the butter onto all the pieces of bread
4. Sprinkle the bread with garlic powder
5. Wrap the prepared bread in aluminum foil so that there is no open spaces
6. Place the bread in the oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until it is brown
7. Unwrap the bread carefully and serve immediately

Personal note: the bread looks really green but it's so fun to see the missionaries faces and if you have children they will really love it.