Ham and Spinach Pasta Salad

I like pasta, but I don't like mayonnaise. This has proved to be quite the conundrum for many years. I've done my fair share of smiling and making small talk while trying to choke down someone's vile, mayonnaise-drenched macaroni salad. In my opinion, the mild flavor of mayonnaise does not mesh well with the mild flavor of pasta. Traditional pasta salad is little more than flavorless texture. Who wants to eat that? Not me. 

Fortunately, flavorless things lend themselves well to modification. While pasta salad does require some mayonnaise to keep its texture, there's no rule that says you actually have to taste the stuff. No sir. Out with the mayo and in with the Ranch. I never use measurements for pasta salad, so add as much or as little of the ingredients as you want. What I provide here is just a rough estimate. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dry macaroni (or any pasta noodle)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing
• 3 slices ham, chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesean
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 tsp water
• handful of fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped

Directions:

Boil the macaroni to your liking. Drain it and set it aside. Put the peas in a microwave-safe dish with the tsp of water. Cook the peas for about 3 minutes, or until soft. If your peas are wrinkly, you cooked them too long. Toss 'em in the trash and try again. We don't want wrinkly, dry, old-man peas in our pasta salad, capiche? Good thing frozen peas are cheap. 

Mix the mayonnaise and the Ranch into the pasta salad until you get the right consistency of liquid to noodles. This varies for everyone depending on preference. Mix in the ham, spinach, peas, tomato and parmesean cheese. Cover the pasta salad and put it into the refrigerator to chill. If you like it warm, by all means, eat it warm, but I want my pasta salad chilled so that I don't have to think about the fact that I'm eating warm mayonnaise. Ick. 

If you're pressed for time, let it chill for a little while in the freezer. Just don't forget its in there. It won't explode like a Coke will, but ice crystals in your pasta salad is almost as bad as tons of mayo. 

Peanut Butter Pie

I've been working on this peanut butter pie for a while. In total, I think I've made 6 or 7 peanut butter pies this week, just trying to hit perfection. I finally got it. Here is the finished version. If you like peanut butter, you absolutely have to make this pie. 

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. cream cheese (half a block)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz. whipped topping 
• chocolate graham cracker crust
• 2 tbsp Magic Shell ice cream coating
• Plastic sandwich bag
• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts

Directions:

Cut the cream cheese into cubes and microwave it for 20 seconds to soften. You can always leave cream cheese out on the counter to soften, but even at room temperature it doesn't hit that perfect consistency of solid, yet creamy that makes mixing easier. Trust me, stick it in the microwave. As long as it isn't melted, it will be fine. 

Put the softened cream cheese cubes and the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix the two ingredients together with a hand mixer until they are fully combined and look like cake batter. Add the peanut butter and milk. Mix until both are filling incorporated. Add the cream and do the same. At this point you should have a thick, creamy, peanut buttery ball of yum in your bowl. 

Unplug the mixer. Take the beater out of the mixer and put it in your mouth (yes, this is a requirement). Enjoy the pie batter while folding the whipped cream into the batter. You can use a spoon, but I find that a frosting spatula works much better for this part. 

Scrape the mixture into the chocolate pie crust. A chocolate graham cracker crust works perfectly for this, but if you can find an Oreo pie crust it would probably be just as delicious. I would have made my own Oreo crust for this pie, but Oreos do not survive longer than an afternoon in this house, so any attempts at that would be futile. 

Now, force yourself to put down the beater (hard, isn't it?) because you'll need both hands for this part. Smooth out the pie filling with the frosting spatula. Pour the Magic Shell into the plastic sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and make swirly designs all over the pie. Sprinkle it with the crushed peanuts. Let the pie sit, uncovered (covering it will destroy your pretty topping and its hard as heck to remove  saran wrap that has frozen solid to the top of a pie) for a couple hours until the filling sets. You can then dig in. 

If there's any pie left when you're finished, you can cover it with saran wrap before putting it back in the freezer. The pie will have frozen enough by this point that the saran wrap won't stick to it. I keep mine in the freezer but you can move the pie to the fridge after it sets for a softer filling. 

Pumpkin Frosting

Ingredients: 

1/2 can pumpkin 

1 stick butter

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tsp vanilla 

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Put the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. If the icing comes out too thick (it really shouldn't, but in the event it does) add a tbsp of milk and mix again. Continue adding a tbsp of milk and mixing until the frosting is the consistency you want.

Starbucks Frappuccino Recipe

If you're anything like me, you love Starbucks' frappucinos but have trouble justifying the price tag. A few weeks ago, I started researching how to make frappucinos at home. I keep seeing the same frappucino recipe floating around the internet. While that recipe certainly tastes close to a Starbucks frappuccino, close doesn't cut it.

After a lot of research and experimentation, I have created what I believe to be the closest approximation to a caramel frappuccino from Starbucks as possible without just breaking down and buying one. If you want to make that caramel frappuccino at home for free, here's what you'll need.









Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup double-brewed coffee or espresso – icy cold
• 2/3 cup Bailey's caramel liquid coffee creamer
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp fruit pectin 
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Canned whipped cream

Directions:

You can't skimp on the coffee. If you don't have an espresso machine, brewing a pot of coffee and then running the coffee back through the machine using the same coffee grounds gives you the extra-strong coffee you need to make a frappuccino at home. Put the coffee in a plastic container (cools down faster than a coffee pot) and put the plastic container in the freezer until the coffee is very cold. If you skimp on any of the coffee preparations (using hot coffee, using weak coffee, etc.) your frappuccino will not taste right or will have a runny consistency.

Also, flavored coffees are a no no for this dish since they affect the taste. The flavored coffee may be tasty, but it won't be a frappuccino.

Ok, add the crushed ice, the coffee, the caramel creamer, the milk and the fruit pectin to the blender. Blend on "ice crush" for 10-15 seconds or until the coffee has that wonderful slushy consistency. Add the sugar. Blend the drink for an additional 5-10 seconds. Pour it into a glass and top with whipped cream out of a spray can, since that is the type Starbucks uses.

I cheated and topped mine off with Butterfinger ice cream mix-ins because I didn't have any caramel syrup handy. If you happen to have some, drizzle it over the whipped cream for a truly authentic Starbucks frappuccino.

Parmesan Herb Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 12-15 new potatoes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
•  2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp basil 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 2 tsp California-style garlic powder (with parsley)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Melt the butter in a small container. Add the lemon juice and stir until the butter and lemon juice are well blended. 

Add the cheese, thyme, basil, oregano and garlic powder to a plastic ziploc bag. I prefer to ues gallon bags for this but I was out so I had to use a small bag. Larger bags work better since you can fit more potato slices into a large bag. Shake the bag to make sure the cheese and spices are well blended. 

Start dipping potato quarters into the butter/lemon juice mixture. Put the wet potatoes into the bag. Shake the bag to coat the potato quarters with the cheese and herbs. 

Place your already coated potato wedges into a microwave-safe casserole dish. Once all of your potatoes are coated, sprinkle any remaining cheese mixture into the dish. Microwave the potatoes, uncovered, for 15 minutes and serve. 

Slow Cooker Sweet Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 rack of beef ribs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• Barbeque sauce 

Directions:

Cut the rack of ribs into sections so that they'll fit into the slow cooker. If you're using frozen ribs, make sure to thaw them ahead of time. Toss the ribs into the slow cooker. Drizzle the honey over them. Sprinkle them with the brown sugar. Top with 1/2 of the barbeque sauce. 

Cook the ribs on a low setting for 4 hours. Add the remainder of the barbeque sauce to the slow cooker 30  minutes before the ribs finish cooking. 

Note: I prefer beef bone-in ribs for this recipe, but pork ribs work just as well and fit into the slow cooker better than beef ribs. 

Spinach Casserole

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. frozen spinach
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Swiss cheese
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• Crumbled bacon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the spinach. Drain it in a colander. Soak up as much of the excess water as you can with a paper towel. Chop the eggs. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and half of the milk. Stir the mixture until it starts to bubble. Add the rest of the milk. 

Continue stirring the sauce until it thickens. Remove it from the heat. Grease a relatively small casserole dish. Lay 1/2 of the breadcrumbs in the dish. Top that with 1/2 of the spinach, then 1/2 of the chopped eggs and 1/2 of the Swiss cheese. Make second layers of spinach, eggs and cheese. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and the bacon crumbles. 

Bake for 25 mins. 

Kick-In-the-Face Chipotle Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. mild ground sausage
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tsp adobo sauce

Directions:

Thaw the ground pork and ground sausage in the refrigerator. Don't wait till the last minute and try to thaw them in the microwave. Your meat needs to be the same consistency and temperature throughout. Trust me. 

Preheat your oven to 400. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Blend the ingredients together with your hands. Form the meat into golf ball-sized meatballs. 

The meat will feel very soft, this is normal. I promise they will harden up as they cook. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with gravy or on top of noodles with spaghetti sauce. 

Deep Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 8 slices honey ham
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1 bottle of beer
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp salt
• vegetable oil 

Directions:

Pound the chicken breasts flat with a hammer. Lay a slice of Swiss cheese and two piece of ham on top of each chicken breast. Roll them up. Secure with toothpicks.

Mix the egg yolk and 2 cups flour together. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Mix together the egg whites, beer, butter and salt. Add to the flour/egg yolk mixture. Place 1 cup flour in a bowl to the side. Heat a pan of hot oil on the stove (a wok is better if you have one). Your oil should be at least 1 inch deep.

When the oil is sizzling hot, pick up one of the cordon bleu chicken rolls. Remove the toothpicks. Hold the roll together while you dredge it in flour and cover it VERY WELL with the beer batter. Lay the chicken roll gently in the pan of hot oil. Place two chicken rolls in the pan at a time. Cook the chicken rolls for roughly 3 1/2 minutes before flipping them over and cooking another 3 1/2 minutes.

Take the deep fried chicken roll out of the hot oil and put it on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the grease. Provided you coated the chicken roll well with the batter, the cheese will melt inside of the thick crust. When you cut into the roll, you should see this:

Serve and enjoy!

Note: I'm partial to a wok for frying. It gives you more of a depression to sufficiently fry things while also having the high sides that protect you from splatter. If you fry things often, consider getting one. Personally, I'd always choose a wok over a deep fryer, given the option. 

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. melted, cooled butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 mashed bananas
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup granola
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Mix the flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Sift into a large bowl. If you don't have a sifter, fluff the dry ingredients with a fork for 2 mins or until they are fine and aerated. Add the melted butter and mix well. 

In a separate bowl, mix the mashed banana, the eggs, the milk and the vanilla together. Once combined, pour the mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix together only until combined. Fold in the granola. 

Pour the batter into a muffin tin. Mix together the brown sugar and nuts. Place a pinch of the sugar and nut mixture on top of each muffin. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. potato gnocchi
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 3 tbsp crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water on the stove to boil. Pour the gnocchi into the boiling water. Boil them for about 3 minutes or until they float. Drain.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, parsley and oregano. Saute for 2 mins on med/low heat. 

3. Add the crushed tomatoes and parmesean cheese. Mix together until well combined. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Saute over medium/low heat for 5 minutes or until hot. 

4. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Fried Pies

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups baking mix

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, butter and 1/2 of the milk in a saucepan. Blend the ingredients together well. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken (usually after a minute or two), remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. At this point the chocolate filling should be the consistency of cake frosting. Set filling aside.

2. Combine the baking mix and the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Knead the mixture into dough. Roll out the dough as flat as possible. Cut it into medium-sized circles. The best way to do this is to place a cereal bowl upside-down on the dough and trace the edges with a knife. This leaves you with a perfect circle. 

3. Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in the bottom of a frying pan. 

4. Add 1-2 tbsps of the chocolate filling mix in the center of each dough circle. Wet your fingers and pinch each circle shut around the edges. 

5. Fry the pies in the oil, two at a time for 1 min to 1 1/2 mins per side. Remove from the hot oil and place on a paper towel to drain. Top with powdered sugar if you wish. 

Spicy Turkey Wraps With Southwestern Dip

Ingredients:

4 thin sun-dried tomato tortilla wraps

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 chipotle peppers

8 slices Monterey jack cheese

2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves

Sliced turkey (amount varies depending on your preference)

1 ripe avocado, sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup Southwestern salad dressing, any brand

Directions:

1. Chop up the chipotle peppers. Stir them into the mayonnaise. Spread an even amount of chipotle mayonnaise inside each tortilla wrap.

2. Layer each wrap with 2 slices of cheese, tomato slices, turkey, avocado slices and plenty of spinach. 

3. Fold the wrap like a burrito. Cut it diagonally down the center. Serve with Southwestern salad dressing for dipping. 

Rosemary Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 1/2 cups prepared beef gravy

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup cooking sherry

2 tbsp dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Pull the onion into separate little strips. Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until the onion is translucent. 

2. Add the gravy, the rosemary and 1/2 cup of the sherry. Mix together with a whisk until well blended. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly.

3. Add the remaining sherry and simmer for another minute or so. Remove from heat and serve. 

Honey Ginger Pork Chops

I know I'm a terrible photographer, and the picture doesn't do these pork chops justice. They were quite possibly the best pork chops I've ever made, and I never expected to say that about a pork chop that wasn't fried!

Ingredients:

• Honey
• Soy Sauce
• Powdered ginger
• Pork chops

Note: I'm not putting exact amounts here because I didn't measure out exact amounts when I was making the pork chops and I don't want to steer you wrong by guessing. Don't worry, I'll walk you through it. 

Directions:

1. Mix three parts honey to one part soy sauce. Give the mixture two hearty shakes of the powdered ginger. The amount you'll need depends on how many pork chops you have, so adjust it accordingly. 

2. Put the pork chops into a glass casserole dish. Top with the marinade. Put them into the fridge and let them marinate for 2 - 4 hours. 

3. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the pork chops for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness. The thicker your pork chops, the longer they'll need to cook. 

4. Mix up another batch of honey ginger marinade. Drizzle it over the pork chops when they come out of the oven or offer it up as a dipping sauce. 

Creamy Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

• About 1/2 a box of wheat penne noodles
• 1.5 cups cream
• 1/2 cup parmesean cheese
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Pesto (you can make this yourself or buy it in a jar already prepared)

Directions

1. Boil penne noodles until soft. Drain. Set aside. 

2. Put the butter and garlic powder in a skillet. Melt over medium heat. 

3. Add the cream. Whisk the cream together with the butter. Bring the sauce to a low boil. Allow to boil for about three minutes or until the sauce thickens. 

4. Reduce heat to low. Add the parmesean cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together well. 

5. Add the noodles. Stir the noodles until they are well saturated. Add the pesto and mix throughout the noodles. Everyone's pesto preference differs, so feel free to add as much or as little pesto as you want. Feel free to top it off with more parmesean.

Note: Garlic powder works better than fresh garlic cloves in this recipe. You will rarely ever hear me say that, but in this case its true. 

No Bake Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 cup powdered milk
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Directions

1. Mix the peanut butter dry milk and honey together in a large bowl until the ingredients form a thick, brown paste. Form the paste into approximately 1.5 inch balls. 

2. Pour the shredded coconut, cocoa powder and graham cracker crumbs in three separate paper plates. Roll each ball first in the cocoa powder then the coconut and finally the graham cracker crumbs. 

3. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve. 

Olive Oil, Herb and Cheese Bread Dip

Ingredients:

• Olive oil (about a cup)
• Feta cheese crumbles
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped (no, you cannot substitute the powder)
• Rosemary
• Dried basil

Directions

Add the olive oil to a shallow dish. Add a handful of feta cheese crumbles and a heavy sprinkling of your favorite herbs. For this batch I used rosemary and basil, but I almost always just throw in what I have on hand. Thyme, Oregano, whatever. Unless you're tossing in pumpkin pie spice and dry mustard or something crazy like that you'll be fine. 

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 large ripe tomato (Not icebox. Icebox tomatoes don't jive with this dish)
• 1 block soft mozzarella
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil

Directions:

Slice the tomato and mozzarella. Layer them in a small casserole dish with the basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil.  Boom! You're done. Now, wasn't that easy? 

Note: If you're feeling squirrley, add a splash of balsamic vinegar. It's divine. 

Whole Lemon Herb Fryer Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 1.5-2.5 lb. whole fryer chicken
• 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 stick butter, softened 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Rinse off the chicken and pat dry. You have no idea what nasty surprises are lurking on the chicken's skin or whose dirty factory hands have been all over it. Sure, cooking gets rid of germs but who can afford to take chances? You? No? Okay then, rinse the chicken. 

3. Put the salt and paprika together into a small bowl. Rub down the outside and inside of the chicken with the seasonings. Don't worry, this isn't going to be a salty chicken. The salt merely keeps the chicken's juices inside. 

3. Lay the chicken in the casserole dish breast side up. Lift up the chicken skin and put the butter underneath. 

4. Cut one lemon into 4 wedges. Squeeze the juice out over the chicken's skin. Stuff the squeezes lemon quarters inside the chicken cavity. 

5. Slice the remaining lemon. Place the slices on top of the chicken. Secure them with toothpicks if they don't stay put. 

6. Bake the chicken at 350 for approximately 1.5 hours. Your cooking time may vary slightly depending on the weight of the chicken. 

Note: If you have any small cuts or scrapes on your hands, wear gloves to rub the salt/paprika mixture onto your fryer chicken. If you're like me and have a cut you don't know about, that salt in the wound (literally, ha!) will remind you with a quickness. 

Baked Chicken in White Cheddar and Broccoli Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 cups cream
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped and cooked.

Directions:

Put the chicken into a shallow dish and bake it in the oven. The length of time you bake your chicken depends on how thick the chicken pieces are. Thin chicken pieces work best for this dish, so consider slicing thick chicken breasts in half horizontally or flatting them with a mallet. 

Chop the garlic. Put the butter and garlic in a frying pan on medium low heat until the butter is melted.

Add the cream. Whisk until the ingredients are well blended. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Let boil for about three minutes, then turn the heat to low. 

Add the cheese and the salt and pepper. Stir the sauce periodically while the cheese melts. Chop the broccoli into very small pieces and add to the sauce. Take the chicken out of the oven. Remove each piece of chicken separately from the pan, blot off any excess liquid with a paper towel and add the chicken to the sauce. Serve. 

Note: There's a good reason we aren't cooking the chicken in the white cheddar sauce. Chicken naturally gives off liquid while it cooks. We want a moderately thick sauce. Not only would that chicken juice thin out our sauce, it's just plain gross. 

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 yellow squash
• 1 large sweet onion
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• cooking spray
• 1 8 oz. block of cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Wash your squash and slice it up. Slice the onion into half rings. Add the butter, squash and onion to a pan on the stove. Set the pan to medium. Cook the squash and onion for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. When the mixture is done, the squash will be very soft to the touch, almost falling apart, and the onion will be translucent. 

Drain the squash and onion mixture. Put it into a bowl and smash it up with a fork or potato masher. 

 Add the 2/3 of the cheese, the salt and the sour cream. Mix it in well. 

Set aside the remaining third of the cheddar cheese with the parmesan. You need this for your topping. 

Spray the bottom of a 13x9 glass dish with cooking spray. Pour the squash/onion/cheese mix into the dish. Top with the remaining cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbling. 

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

1 1 lb. bag dried black beans

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large tomatos, chopped

4 tbsp cumin

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

5 cups water

1 tbsp salt

Rice

Directions:

1. Add everything but the rice to your slow cooker. Mix it together well. 

2. Set the slow cooker on high. Cook the beans for 8 hours or until soft. Stir periodically. 

3. Make the rice right before dinner. I use the boil in a bag white rice. I don't expect that brown or yellow rice would taste very good with the beans, but I could be wrong. 

4. Pour beans over the rice and serve.

Note: These aren't very spicy because I have children who balk at spicy food, but feel free to add red pepper flakes or chopped jalapenos if you prefer your black beans with a little kick. 

Balsamic Pork Loin

Ingredients:

• 1 3lb. pork loin
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp steak seasoning
• 1 gallon size freezer bag

Directions

1. Add the olive oil. balsamic vinegar and steak seasoning to the freezer bag. Add the pork loin to the freezer bag. Place the pork loin in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350.

3. Put the seasoned pork loin in a meatloaf pan. Drizzle with the excess marinade from the bag. Cook the pork loin for 1.5 hours. 

Greek Chicken and Vegetable Tzatziki Wraps

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Sandwich wraps (I used spinach, you can use any kind)
• 4 tablespoons Greek salad dressing
• Spring mix
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• feta cheese crumbles

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients

• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder

Directions:

1. Bake the chicken. Cut into long, thin strips

2. Chop up the garlic. Cut the onion in half and chop into crescents. Put the olive oil, garlic and onion into a frying pan. Cook the onion over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until it caramelizes. 

3. Put the sour cream into a bowl with the garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well. Add the tomato and cucumber and stir until the vegetables are well coated. 

4. Add a handful of chicken pieces, some onion, 1 tbsp of Greek salad dressing, a handful of spring mix, a sprinking of feta cheese crumbles and some of the vegetable tzatziki to each wrap. 

5. Fold up the wraps, slice diagonally and eat! 

Veggie and Cheese Topped Ribeye

Ingredients

2 steaks (I'm partial to ribeye, but this will work on any cut)

1 vidalia onion (this recipe does NOT work with other onions!)

2 cloves garlic

2 roma tomatoes

6 tbsp Olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean or romano cheese

Blue cheese dressing (full fat)

Directions

1. Chop garlic into small pieces. Chop onion and pull apart into rings and half-rings. You don't want your onion chopped too small.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small fryer. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook 5-10 mins or until the onion is translucent.

3. While the onions and garlic are cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Heat a separate 2 tbsp of olive oil in a second fryer over med heat. 

4. Put the ribeye in the hot pan for 1 min per each side. This should blacken the outside slightly, searing in the juices. Move the steaks to the second pan for 4-5 mins per side, depending on how done you want them. Just for reference, the more you cook them, the less flavor they have. 

5. While the steaks are cooking, slice the Roma tomatos into thin, lengthwise slices. 

3. Remove steaks from the pan. Lay Roma tomato slices on top of steaks. Split the onion/garlic mixture and top each steak with onions and garlic pieces. Sprinkle each steak with 1/4 cup cheese. 

7. Drizzle with Blue Cheese dressing and serve. 

Note: The reason I noted that this recipe will only work with vidalia onions is because vidalias have a different flavor than any other onion. They're mild and not too crunchy. Regular white or red onions have a strong, powerful flavor that will easily overpower the subtle taste of the steak. The flavors should compliment each other – not be in competition for your taste buds. 

No Bake Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

Ingredients

3.5 cups oats

1 cup peanut butter

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 tsp vanilla flavoring

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Melt the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Let the mixture boil for approximately 1 minute. This boils off some of the excess liquid. Stir the mixture constantly during this process to prevent the sugar from burning. 

2. Turn down the heat to low. Add the peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter is fully mixed in and smooth. 

3. Add the oats. Mix well. 

4. Butter a casserole dish. Pour oatmeal mixture into the casserole dish. 

5. Pour the butterscotch pieces on top. Mix them in. Don't think you're going to cut corners and add the butterscotch pieces when you add the oats. That will cause your butterscotch to melt and you don't want them to melt entirely. 

6. Place dish in the refrigerator uncovered for two hours. 

7. Remove the dish of oatmeal bars from the refridgerator and cover them with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Remember, you don't want food just sitting out uncovered in your fridge. These bars, however, need a little while to harden without the risk of sweating.

8. Slice into bars and enjoy! 

Tomato and Spinach Farfalle Salad

Ingredients

1/2 box farfalle pasta 

1 package cherry tomatoes

Fresh spinach 

1 small block feta (you can also buy this pre-crumbled)

Greek dressing or the light vinaigrette of your choice. 

Note: I'm not including exact amounts here because there really aren't any. Its solely your preference how much of each ingredient you add. You really can't ruin this salad.

Directions

1. Wash the cherry tomatoes. Chop them lengthwise and sit them aside. Wash the spinach. Do not chop.

3. Boil the pasta. Roughly 2 minutes before the pasta is finished boiling add spinach leaves to the water. Spinach leaves shrink considerably when they wilt, so don't be afraid to add too much. You can add as much as you like. 

4. Put the chopped cherry tomatoes into a colander. Drain the pasta/spinach mixture by pouring it through the colander on top of the cherry tomatoes. This blanches the tomatoes and warms them – ensuring that you aren't mixing hot and cold temperatures. While doing that works with some dishes, you don't want to pull that stunt with a pasta salad, got it? 

5. Move the pasta/spinach/tomato mixture from the colander to a mixing bowl. Crumble the feta on top of the salad. Add 1/3 cup of the salad dressing. Mix the dressing and cheese into the pasta salad. The amount of salad dressing you use depends upon how much spinach and noodles you're using. Taste the pasta salad first to make sure it has enough kick before serving. You can always add more dressing.