RECIPES #4: STIR-FRY SPINACH ORZO PASTA SALAD

Need to get your spinach in? Here is how!

Make the Spinach Stir-Fry and eat it by itself or combine the stir-fry with Orzo pasta and fresh salad ingredients to make a fantastic pasta salad that your friends will rave about.

Spinach Stir-Fry:

1 bag (6 oz) washed ready to use fresh spinach (chopped in strips) set aside

1Tbs Olive Oil

1 Clove crushed garlic

1/8 C. red onion chopped small

1 pint grape tomato cut in halves

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Pasta:

1 cup Orzo (about 2.5 cups cooked)

Fresh Salad Mix:

1 6-inch piece of celery chopped in small pieces

1 green onion cut in slivers

2 Tbs fresh dill chopped fine

2 Tbs favorite Italian dressing

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Spinach Stir-Fry:

Heat oil on medium high. Add garlic saute for 30 sec.

add red onion and saute for 90 sec

Add cut tomatoes and seer each side stirring frequently ( about 3 min)

Add cut spinach saute until spinach just wilts.

Add sea salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and cracked pepper. Stir and remove from heat and set aside.

Pasta:

Cook Orzo pasta al dente (about 6 minutes) in boiling water with 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp olive oil.

Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Salad Mix:

Combine celery, green onion, dill, Italian dressing, pine nuts, and feta. Set aside.

Combine Spinach Stir-Fry with Orzo pasta. Toss in the fresh salad mix ingredients.

Refrigerate and Serve when you are ready to eat.

RECIPES #3: PARTY IN YOUR MOUTH NACHOS (Super Bowl Party Perfect)

PARTY -N- YOUR MOUTH NACHOS
This is one everyone loves and you never get tired of. I've been making this for 10 years. My kids even love it. After eating these, they never just want chips with just melted cheese anymore. I do take the jalapenos out for them and I use a little extra cheese. The cheese acts as a carrier for all those vegetables.

1 (14 oz) can of great northern beans (drained and rinsed and patted dry)

1 (14 oz) can of black beans (drained and rinsed and patted dry)
1 (14 oz) can of corn (drained and patted dry but NOT RINSED)- I like the white shoe-peg corn
1 medium yellow bell pepper chopped small
1 medium red bell pepper chopped small

1 medium green bell pepper chopped small (3rd pepper optional)
1 full cup chopped fine fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 jar jalapeno peppers chopped or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper minced FOR GARNISH
2 fresh squeezed lime (4 Tbs)
6cups of Colby and Jack cheese (I use an extra cup if my kids are eating it or if I am serving it at a party)

Combine all ingredients (refrigerate for up to 4 days)
Spoon in 1 tsp of mixture into Tostito Tortilla Scoop Chips.
Microwave until cheese melts (usually 1 full min for a plate full).
Serve with Salsa and Sour Cream. It's definitely a party in your mouth.
We eat this as a meal. I top each scoop with a 1/4 of a pickled jalapeno.
De-li-cious!

Servings:12

Suggestions: Use an extra cup of cheese if young kids are eating. They like it better and they get their vegetables in this way. If you are serving this at a party, put a little cheese on the chips before the party in your mouth nacho mixture. This will prevent the chips from getting soggy from the vegetables.

Other Variations:

Party N Your Mouth Hot Cheese Dip- scoop 2 cups of PNYM into a microwaveable dish and heat on Hi until mixture is melted and hot.

Party N Your Mouth Quesadillas-scoop 4 Tbs of mixture on a flour tortilla, fold in half and warm on a flat pan until cheese is melted.

Party N Your Mouth Southwestern Egg rolls- decrease cheese by half, scoop 2 Tbs of mixture into a won ton wrap and roll like an egg roll sealing edges with water. Fry for 2 minutes.

Party N Your Mouth Bean Salad- recipe with out cheese, add grape tomatoes chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar. Serve as a side for any Mexican dinner or top your green salad with this mixture for added color, protein and fiber.

Gavin's Tail Twister #4 The Quivering Face

Mommyhood is sooo stressful that sometimes circumstance makes you do things you would not normally do. Last Monday, both Sam and Gavin had football games at about the same time but in two different locations. I dropped off Sam(9) and my sister Lauren(21) at Tatnall. I then took Gavin to his football game at Stratford. Upon the completion of Gavin's game, a scary, gigantic bolt of lightening lit up the sky and looked to be directly above the Tatnall area where Sam's football game was taking place. I grabbed Gavin, shoved him in the car and raced toward Tatnall School. I had no cell phone (I left it on the table at home). I had no way to check on Sam and my baby sister, who by the way looks like a 12 year old and knows no one in Macon. Worried that they were stuck outside in a lightning storm had me in a panic. As I frantically drove, Gavin was talking at me as usual. Imagine that! He was telling me he thought we were driving fast. In fact faster than he had ever gone before he said. He continued to yap about my driving. I finally said..."Gavin, I love you but Mommy is very stressed out because Sam and Lauren may be stuck outside in a lightening storm and I do not have a phone to call them. I need you to NOT talk to me for a few minutes because we need to get there ASAP. Just like that: Gavin responded " OK Mommy I'll be quiet but I have to tell you my face is ...qui...ve..r..r..innng and my head is (say the following in slow motion)
a..b...ou...ut
t...oo..o
g..g..ge.....t
st...t..u..c......k...k.
t..o..o..o
t..h..e
b...a..a..c...k
w.in...d.......ow.
I just laughed and said "OK Gavin I am driving too fast. You are right and I will slow down."
Leave it to a 6 year old to get his point across one way or the other. Oh...we got to Tatnall before the storm landed. The game had cancelled and Sam and Lauren were finally safe inside the car.

Recipes #2: Melt In Your Mouth Jalapeno Corn Bread

Makes 70 Mini Corn Bread
(Serves 10)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes at 350 degrees

3 C.
corn bread mix
2.5 C whole milk
14 oz can yellow cream corn
6 oz cream cheese sofened to room temp
3 C grated Cheddar cheese (medium)
1 large onion chopped to 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 C vegetable oil
6 Tbs butter melted
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 12oz jar of jalapenios chopped

Blend Ingredients
pour 1 Tbs into each mini muffin and bake 350 degrees at for 30 min or until bronzed on top.