Ham Tetrazinni

I've made Chicken Tetrazinni before, and we really enjoyed it! When I'm menu planning each week, I try to incorporate different kinds of meat than just chicken and beef. I got a good deal on some hams a few weeks ago, so right now I'm really enjoying incorporating ham into our meals. Since the Chicken Tetrazinni was such a big hit, I decided that the Ham Tetrazinni will most likely go over well also. I have to admit that I'm pretty sure we love the Ham version much better than the chicken version! I found this recipe over at Allrecipes - I just love their ingredient search so I can type in what I have and it spits out all kinds of great recipes for me, which is nice when I don't want to make a run to the store just for one recipe. Anyways, here's the recipe, with my changes.

No photo available, sorry!

Ingredients

2 T dried minced onion

1 T butter

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c water

1/2 c shredded mozzerella cheese

1 c diced ham

1/2 box spaghetti

1/2 t dried parsley

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender. Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often. Add ham, cooked and drained pasta, chopped pimento, and chopped parsley to saucepan; stir until heated through. 

Santa Fe Skillet

I love skillet dinners! They are just so easy to whip up, which makes them great for a busy night when cooking isn't your top priority...but giving your family a home cooked meal is. This recipe, which I found over at Put a Lyd on It!, (and changed quite a bit), reminded me a lot of that taco flavored Hamburger Helper. We don't eat much Hamburger Helper in this house. Only about two boxes per year, which I keep on hand for those reaallllllyyy stretched nights when I don't even have time to think. But anyways, it reminded me of that. But tastier. And homecooked.

At first I was worried that we were just going to have a fancified goulash on our hands, which worried me, because we all know about my love for goulash (eh hem). I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out nothing like better tasting than goulash. It had a great Mexican flavor to it while still being family friendly with the noodles and ground beef. I give this recipe two thumbs up...and so did hubs!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat

...1 package (6 or so oz.) pasta

...1 c. salsa

...1 T. chili powder

...1 packet taco seasoning

...1/2 tsp. salt

...1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

...2 tomatoes, diced

...1 c. shredded cheese

...1/2 c. sour cream

Directions...

Cook pasta in a large pot until tender. Drain. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Add cooked pasta, taco seasoning packet, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes longer and serve.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I'm not going to lie and pretend that I've had homemade spaghetti sauce before. I haven't. I'm pretty much a Ragu kind of girl. Just give me a jar of Ragu and I'm golden. I mean, the stuff can be used on anything! Pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, the list is endless! I broke my Ragu from the jar snobbery last week though and made my own spaghetti sauce...from scratch. That's right my squeezies, I made HOMEMADE spaghetti sauce. And....I liked it! Don't tell Ragu, he'll be devastated to know that I'll only be using him for pizza (and maybe lasagna) from now on.

I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe and it is a recipe that she has worked on perfecting for some time now. And then I went and just messed it all up. On purpose though. I made changes that I wanted for my spaghetti sauce...changes that I was going to find incredibly tasty (and. changes that reflected the ingredients that I had on hand). I was incredibly happy with the turnout of this sauce. It was so amazing, the tomato flavor was so real and the texture was so great! Not too thin, not too chunky, not too weak of flavor...it was all just so right on. So just be aware that you will never be able to go back to jarred pasta sauce for your spaghetti again after trying this recipe. Because you might just will fall in love with this recipe!

Ingredients...

...3 T. olive oil

...1 large onion, chopped (not pictured)

...1 lb. ground meat

...1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

... 12 oz. tomato paste

...2 tsp. salt

...1 tsp. black pepper

...3 tsp. oregano

...1 1/2 tsp. basil

...1 1/2 tsp. thyme

...56 oz. diced tomatoes

...28 oz. crushed tomatoes

...1 can mushrooms

...1 beef boullion cube dissolved in 1 c. boiling water

...2 T. brown sugar

...2 bay leaves

Directions...

In a skillet, heat up olive oil and add onions. Saute onions until they are translucent. Add ground meat and cook until it is no longer pink. Stir in garlic powder, tomato paste, thyme, oregeno, basil, pepper and salt. Let cook for about 2 minutes.  In a large (and I mean LARGE) pot stir together crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, boullion/water mixture and brown sugar. Add in meat mixture and stir until well combined. Toss in two bay leaves and let simmer for at least one hour and no longer than three.

To lessen the amount that needs simmered, you can freeze half of the mixture before simmering. I froze in portions equal to a jar of pasta sauce so I can easily pull them out from the freezer for spaghetti or lasagna night! This makes a HUUUGGGEE batch!

Ham & Pasta Skillet Dinner

Once spring rolls around and the weather starts getting nicer I like to start making recipes that are a little "lighter". By lighter I mean not the creamy, comfort food like casseroles that we all like to fall back on during a bitter cold winter night. I find spring to be a great time to start experimenting with these lighter dishes, not only because the temperatures are starting to slowly climb, but also so when the boiler room hot temps hit in summer, I know which recipes I can fall back on for a delicious supper that's not going to heat up my kitchen!

I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe and was wooed by it mostly for the simlicity of preparation but also for the simple ingredients it calls for. I also figured that it's a great recipe to be trying right now, as you can use some of that leftover ham from Easter this past weekend! The real winning factor was that it was a hit at the supper table! Hubs loved it, I loved it...and I'm pretty sure baby loved it judging by the kicks and increase in activity going on in his little cave of my tummy :)

Ingredients...

...4 c. pasta, cooked al dente (I used penne rigate)
...3 T. olive oil
...1 T. butter
...3 c. fully cooked ham, cubed
...1 green pepper, chopped into chunks
...1/2 onion, chopped
...1/4 tsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
...1/2 tsp. basil
...1/2 tsp. oregeno
...1 1/2 c. chicken broth (I made some with a boullion cube)
...1 T. lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled)
...3/4 c. shredded cheese (I have pictured grated parmesan. That is a mistake on my part. It shold be shredded)

Directions...

In a large skillet, heat up olive oil and butter until butter is melted over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and garlic powder and cook for 5 minutes. Add ham basil and oregeno, cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. After simmering is complete, the liquid should be reduced by half, and will continue reducing as you finish the last few steps. Stir in drained pasta to mixture and let cook a few minutes more, until entire mixture is heated through. Toss with cheese. Sprinkle with a little bit of shredded cheese before serving.

Lasagna

I did something the other day that I have never in my life done before. I used a recipe off the back of a box. Honestly. I have never used a back of the box recipe before! I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was because I didn't have all the ingredients for my Mom's Lasagna, but I did for this one. Or maybe it was because I was eager to try something new. Or maybe...it was both.

I can't tell you how this recipe turned out, taste wise, because I gave it to my dad. Much against my husband's will. However, if the smell wafting through my house while this was baking in the oven is any indicator of how good this lasagna is then it is a mighty tasty dish!

Ingredients...

...1 pkg. lasagna noodles
...1 lb. ground meat, browned
...2 eggs, slightly beaten
...2 c. shredded mozzerella cheese
...1 (30) oz. ctr. Cottage Cheese
...1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
...1 tsp. dried basil
...1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
...1 c. water

Directions...

In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1 c. of the Mozzerella cheese, 1/4 c. of the Parmesan cheese, eggs and basil. Mix well. In another medium bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, water and ground beef. Mix well. In a 9x13 pan spread 1 1/2 c. of the meat sauce. Cover with lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over noodles, followed by 1/3 of the meat sauce. Repeat layering once, top with noodles and then remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella and parmesan cheese. Wrap the pan tightly with foil and bake at 375 for 55-60 minutes. Upon removal from oven, let stand, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Healthy Mac & Cheese

We love macaroni and cheese in our house. Correction. HUBS loves macaroni and cheese more than anyone in our house! Serve it with hot dogs and you'll be his best friend for life I tell ya! Typically, macaroni and cheese is my meal to fall back on when I'm not in the mood to cook, because how easy is it to open a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, boil a few hot dogs and take it easy? Don't deem me a bad wife for serving the blue box...hubs loves it!!

I've decided lately though that it's time to start experimenting with homemade macaroni recipes. Mostly because I'm getting really sick of boxed macaroni. There's only so much of it that a person can eat in their lifetime. Unless, of course, you are my husband. I've made homemade mac and cheese before, but never have found a recipe that I truly loved. I had this recipe saved in my recipe box over at Allrecipes and decided to give it a shot since I had everything in my cupboards.

I personally thought that it turned out kind of bland. It needed some more flavor. Hubs, however, loved it! I just sprinkled some salt on my serving and that seemed to do the trick, so next time I think I'm going to add more salt to the cheese mixture. Plus, this cheese is a little healthier than your typical homemade mac and cheese recipe thanks to the reduced amount of cheese and the addition of cottage cheese! Homemade mac and cheese that the family loves, plus it's healthy?!? Sounds like a winner of a recipe to me!!

Ingredients...

...1 c. fat-free milk

...1 1/4 cs shredded cheddar cheese

...2/3 c. cottage cheese

...pepper to taste

...salt to taste

...2 1/2 c. cooked macaroni

...1 T. onion powder

...paprika to taste

 

Directions...

 

In a food processor, blend the milk, cheeses, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy. Pour into an oven safe casserole dish and add macroni, onion powder and paprika, stirring to evenly coat pasta. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

To see more great recipes, be sure to check out Meatless Monday over at My Sweet and Savory!

Pasta Carbonara

I have always been a lover of pasta dishes. Whenever hubs and I go out to eat, I can almost guarantee that I will order off of the pasta menu over a sandwich or cut of meat. So it's pretty safe to say that I love experimenting with new pasta recipes at home as well. So when I found this recipe for Carbonara over at Cooking During Stolen Moments, I knew I had to give it a try. Mostly because I've never had Carbonara before, so I was eager to learn what all the fuss is about!

This was really good! I love bacon, so it was a great addition to this meal, and a much appreciated difference from the typical chicken found in pasta dishes. It adds a whole new dimension of flavor!

Ingredients...

...1/2 lb bacon, diced
...1 onion, diced
...1/2 tsp. garlic powder
...1/2 c. chicken broth
...1/2 c. milk
...1/2 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
...2 eggs, slightly beaten
...1/2 tsp. black pepper
...1/2 lb. fetuccine noodles or spaghetti noodles

Directions...

In a skillet, cook onions and garlic powder in a small amount of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Cook bacon to your liking in microwave or oven until crispy, and then break or cut into piece.s Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook noodles according to package directions. To the onions and garlic powder, add chicken broth and milk and cook until it just starts to boil. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Then, whisking continuously, add in beaten eggs. Remove from heat and add bacon. Pour sauce over cooked noodles, and stir to coat all the noodles well.

To check out more delicious recipes, check out Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum and Food on Fridays over at Ann Kroeker!

Ground Beef Macaroni Casserole

I don't know what it is that draws me to the goulash type recipes. Because I hate goulash. But yet, here I sit once again sharing a recipe with you for a goulash dish.

*sigh* when will I ever learn...

To be fair to this particular goulash recipe, which I found in a hometown church cookbook, was actually was pretty good. I think it was the addition of the cheddar cheese soup... it made it creamier and added some flavor. However, I only liked this recipe the first time around. When it came time to reheat it for leftovers, it was the same as any old goulash recipe I've made, and I didn't like it. So only make enough of this to last for one meal!!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
...1 can tomato soup
...1 can cheddar cheese soup
...1 T. instant chopped onion
...1 c. macaroni, cooked
...1/2 tsp. sugar
...3/4 tsp. salt
...1/2 c. celery, diced
...1/4 tsp. basil
...dash of pepper

Directions...

Combine all ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

To see other great potluck worthy recipes be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

And now for the main dish of the night...Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fettuccine. I thought long and hard about what would make a good main dish recipe for your big night in, and chose this one for a multitude of reasons.

a) For some reason pasta dishes speak "elegance" to me. And after all, elegance is what we're going for on this romantical night.

b) It's in the slow cooker. Which means you don't have to slave over the stove all day to prepare this meal. Instead you can slave away in front of the mirror getting all dolled up for your lovey.

c) Pasta dishes can be paired with a lot of sides very easily. So even if this is the only thing you make off of my "menu" for Valentines Night...then at least you can rest assured it will pair easily with any number of side dishes.

Okay, that's it. I don't quite know if three reasons qualifies as a "multitude" of reasons. But it'll just have to do.

I found this recipe in my trusty copy of Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I originally purchased this cookbook during their annual $5 cookbook sale with the intentions of giving it as a Christmas gift. And then I flipped through it upon recieving it in the mail. Well, let's just say that I gave myself a Christmas gift this year :)

Ingredients...

...1 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into chunks
...1/2 tsp. garlic powder
...1/2 tsp. onion powder
...1/8 tsp. pepper
...1 can cream of chicken soup
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...4 oz. process cheese (I used American cheese slices, but Velveeta works nicely as well)
...1 can olives
...1 pkg. fettuccine or spaghetti noodles

Directions...

Place all ingredients except for the pasta in a slow cooker. Stir until well combined. Cook on low for 3 hours. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain, and serve with sauce.

Beef Gravy over Noodles

Hubs always begs me to make sausage and gravy over biscuits. Except for one thing. I don't like sausage. I know, I know. It can't be natural to not like sausage. But I don't. So when I found this recipe for beef gravy I figured that maybe I was onto something! Hubs gets his gravy to eat over whatever he pleased...and I don't have to eat sausage. If you are a huge sausage gravy fan, then I'm warning you now that this isn't the dish for you. You will be disappointed by the lack of spice in this recipe compared to sausage gravy. I however, thought that this was absolutely fab! The spice was just right for me, it is great served over just about anything, and it's super simple to make, which is great for a busy night!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...1/3 c. flour
...3 1/4 c. milk
...black pepper
....salt
...garlic powder (not pictured)
...minced onion (not pictured)

Directions...

In a skillet, brown the ground meat. Once the meat is done, add the flour and continue cooking until the flour is no longer white. Add the milk and cook over medium high heat until thickened. While the milk is thickening, add salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced onion until it is the desired taste. Serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, biscuits, rice, or anything else that you please!

White Lasagna

I know, I know. This picture looks totally unappetizing. But trust me, this is a really great recipe! It's super simple and super delicious. That just can't be beat, right? I got this recipe from one of my coworkers. I had been thinking about how to make something like this on my own, and then she burst in the door at work one morning excited to tell me about this a-maz-ing recipe her sister had made the night before that I just had to try. I'm glad she told me how her sister did it before I started experimenting, because I was going with a whole lot more complicated recipe in my head. You have two options for the sauce...you can go the super easy route like I did and use a jar of Ragu alfredo sauce. Or you can make your own alfredo sauce. It's totally up to you. Really.

Ingredients...

no picture, sorry! But no worries, there are only 4 ingredients, so it won't be too hard to imagine!

...6 lasagna noodles

...2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or cubed

...1 jar of Ragu alfredo sauce (or your own homemade alfredo sauce.)

...1 bag shredded mozzerella cheese

Directions...

Depending on your noodles, you may need to boil them. If you have the oven ready noodles though, you're set. Layer 3 noodles on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Pour half of the sauce over the noodles and 1 of the shredded or cubed chicken breasts. Place remaining 3 noodles on top of chicken and cover with remaining sauce and chicken. Cover entire dish with bag of cheese and bake in preheated oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes - until bubbly and warmed through.

Chicken Tetrazinni

I have never tried chicken tetrazinni before. I have actually only even heard of it a handful of times before. I am super glad that I tried it though, this was fabulous! Plus, it's semi-healthy with only cheese and cream of mushroom soup being the questionably fattening ingredients. This is such a great wintery comfort food too. It's creamy and warm. Plus it's easy and it would freeze well and be a great make ahead meal to throw in the freezer for those crazy busy nights when cooking is the last thing on your mind.

Ingredients...

...2 c. spaghetti, cooked
...1 chicken breast or hindquarter, cooked and chopped into pieces
...1 can cream of mushroom soup (chicken will work as well)
...1 c. chicken broth
...1/4 onion, chopped
...1/2 c. pepper (you can use any color. I used green and yellow)

...1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

Directions...

Place all ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish and stir well to combine all ingredients. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

To see more great main dish recipes, head on over to Cooking During Stolen Moments for the main dish of the Bloggy Progressive Dinner!

Mom's Lasagna

Lasagna is one of America's favorite Italian dishes! Families all over enjoy a hearty supper together at night over this dish. So it's no surprise that one of my favorite dishes growing up was my mom's lasagna recipe! I've tried various other recipes, but I always come back to this one. I think it's just a comfort food type thing. Not only did my mom make this, but so did my grandma. So when I found the yellowed and well worn recipe card with my grandma's scrolly cursive handwriting recording this recipe, I added it to my "family favorites" recipe box so I can make this very recipe for my own family, and carry on this lasagna through the family.

Ingredients...

no picture, sorry!

...12 oz. container cottage cheese

...2 c. shredded cheese

...2 eggs (beaten)

...1 jar (32 oz.) pasta sauce

...1 lb. ground meat, browned

...lasagna noodles

Directions...

In a medium bowl, mix together cheeses and eggs. In another medium bowl, stir together browned meat and pasta sauce. In a 9x13 pan, spread a small amount of the sauce/meat mixture on the bottom. Cover sauce with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and more sauce. Add another layer of noodles and top that with remaining cheese and sauce mixtures. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and top with shredded cheese. Continue baking an additional 15 minutes (uncovered).

To see more great reipes, check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

so excited to try this recipe out! Boy, was I ever disappointed. It came out tasting like bacon flavored goulash. And I do not like goulash. Hubs loved it, and while I ate it (and thought it was just okay) I'll probably never make it again. If only I didn't have such a distaste for goulash maybe it wouldn't have been so bad...I do have a funny story to go along with this recipe however :) A few weeks back I was at Fareway, and in their mark down cart, there were several cans of veggies, fruits and soups all marked down for 19 cents a can. I grabbed up what was left, and then saw that one of the cans was without label. I shook it and figured that there was either tomato soup or cream of (something) soup in there. So I grabbed it too, figuring that it would be an interesting adventure. And there it sat in my pantry for close to two months. Last night when I went to make this, I realized that I didn't have any tomato soup like I thought I did, so I opened the mystery can, praying the whole time that it would be tomato soup so I could finish this recipe! As fate would have it, it was! I just thought it was kind of humurous :)

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef
...6 slices bacon
...8 oz. pasta
...1 can tomato soup
...1 handful of cheese

Directions...

Brown ground beef in a skillet. At the same time, cook pasta according to package directions until tender in a seperate pot. Cook bacon until crisp, and cut into strips. Drain pasta, and add to ground beef in skillet. Stir in tomato soup and bacon and then top with cheese. Cover and let simmer until warmed through and cheese is melted.

End of Summer Harvest Soup

I was wandering around over at A Year of Slowcooking the other day, and I found that Stephanie had just made this recipe a few weeks back. I had some leftover produce in my refrigerator from various farmers market trips and family members garden overflow, so I figured there was no better way to use it up than by making this recipe. I did change up the recipe from what she had written to fit what I had on hand. So this recipe I am posting is my version. If you want to see the orginial recipe, you can find it here.

Ingredients...

...4 cups chicken broth

...1 cup pasta sauce

...1 cup water

...1 yellow onion, diced

...2 cucumbers, diced

...2(ish) Yellow Summer Squash, cut into rounds

...2 cups tomatoes, diced
...2 cups cooked beans

...1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

...1/2 cup dry pasta

Directions...

Toss all ingredients but pasta into slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. In the last 20 minutes of cooking time, stir in dry pasta and let cook until pasta is tender.

My Thoughts...

This was just okay to me. It came out more goulash-y than soup-y. Which disappointed me tremendously, because we all know how much I like goulash. Hubs liked it, but he (of course) complained right away that there was no meat. He at most of it. I put the rest in the freezer for a chilly winter day. Odds are, I won't make this again. But it was a great way to use up that extra garden produce that was otherwise going to rot, and it's packed to boot with nutrients!

Baked Spaghetti

I never really understood the concept of baked spaghetti. I wasn't really sure how it was all different from regular spaghetti other than it sat in the oven for a half hour, making my electricity bill rise all the more. I'm still not seeing a world of difference other than this was creamier. At any rate, this was good, and baking it for a half hour was well worth it! Especially since I double tasked and baked up another batch of zucchini bread for my freezer at the same time!

Ingredients...

...1 pkg. spaghetti (16 oz.)
...1 lb. ground beef
...1/2 cup chopped green pepper
...1 medium onion, chopped
...1 can cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
...1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
...1 can tomato soup (undiluted)
...1 cup water
...2 tablespoons brown sugar
...1 teaspoon of salt (I omitted this. Feel free to do the same.)
...1 teaspoon dried basil
...1 teaspoon oregeno
...1/2 teaspoon marjoram

Directions...

In a large pot, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Break spaghetti in half before placing in the pot. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the beef with green pepper and onion. When the meat is no longer pink, drain and stir in a bowl with soups, tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, and seasonings. Drain spaghetti and stir into the meat sauce. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

The Verdict...

This was so tasty! It was creamy and saucy all at the same time. Hubs loved this and gave a resounding "yes!" when I asked if he liked it! So despite that I don't understand the whole "baked" concept...this recipe is sticking around. For a long, long, long time! Yum!

Macaroni Salad

This is a crowd pleaser. A tried and true crowd pleaser. Where there is summer and picnics, grill outs and barbecues...there must be this salad. It is also a great little side dish to whip up for those hot days when turning on the oven is just not an option. Plus...it's simple!

The Ingredients...

...16 oz. shell macaroni
...1 large grated carrot
...2 stalks celery, chopped
...2 c. mayonnaise
...1 can sweetened condensed milk
...1/2 c. sugar
...1/4 c. vinegar

Directions...

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, vinegar and sugar. Add to macaroni and stir in celery and carrot. Let marinate in refrigerator for several hours, or overnight.

My Thoughts...

Just like Grandma used to make. This is so tasty and creamy to boot. It's also a crowd pleaser, because let's face it....what kind of a summer eating event doesn't include a salad similar to this?

For more great crowd pleasing recipes, be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life as Mom.