What to do when you can't find Suddenly Salad....

I went to the grocery store yesterday, had a craving for Suddenly Salad (you know- the box pasta salad mix from Betty Crocker?) . But Kroger had none, no- not one. So, i thought I'd improvise & make my own . There's no exact measurements on this- you just have to wing it ;-) But I'll warn you- my version has a couple of add-ons.....
First, i went over to the pasta aisle & grabbed some Kroger brand rainbow colored rotini, grabbed a can of black olives, moseyed over to the produce section for portabella mushrooms & tomatoes . I was thinking of what to use for seasoning....  italian dressing packet mix! (its on the same aisle as condiments- with the Hidden Valley Ranch dip mixes).  So I took all of my ingredients home. First thing I did was cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once i rinsed, drained, & cooled it- i mixed in the mushrooms & black olives. Then i covered the bowl & put it in the fridge. Next I prepared the italian dressing mix (which according to the directions- you'll need to have some oil & vinager on hand). It was shaken & stirred- then it sat in the fridge overnight to "gel" so to speak. This morning , I got up ready to mix it up. Opened up the bowl, poured the dressing over the pasta . Then I added some Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper, parmesan cheese. Stirred all of it up well. Then i sliced a tomato up for the topping. And believe it or not- it was actually pretty good! I took it to work to share with my co-workers - and it was all gone in a few minutes :-)
Yeah! 

Enjoy :-)

Soooooooo Sweet !!!

It's late at night....you get a hankering for something sweet.... but what ? Here's a couple or recipes for some sweetness when ice cream just won't do ...!

MONKEY BREAD- 

YOU'LL NEED :  4 packages canned biscuits, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup margarine, 1/4 cup sugar.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO : Quarter biscuuits into fourths. Roll into balls. Roll in 1/4 cup sugar  and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Put into a greased bundt pan. Melt 1/2 cup margarine and 1/4 cup sugar. Pour over top . Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

BAYOU BROWNIES-

YOU'LL NEED : 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup butter (melted), 3 large eggs, 1 box yellow cake mix, 1- 8oz. brick cream cheese (softened), 1-16 oz. package powdered sugar.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO: Combine pecans, butter, 1 egg, and cake mix- stirring until well blended ; press in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 pan.Set aside.  Combine remaining 2 eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl ; beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over cake mix layer. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is set. Let cool completely, then cut into sqaures.

Enjoy :-)

Three Cheese Macaroni

I LOVE Macaroni & Cheese ! Wheather it be out of a box, or from scratch- LOVE it!  I just found this new recipe, cooked it one night when we had some friends over- soooooo good & very cheeeeeeesy !

Three Cheese Macaroni-

 you'll need : 12 ounces dried elbow macaroni, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt, 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, 8 ounces cubed American cheese, 2 ounces mozzarella  cheese (shredded), 20 Ritz crackers (crushed).

here's what you do : preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain & return to pot. Add milk, melted cheese, pepper & salt. Stir in the cheeses. Transfer to a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake , uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Bake 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy ;-)