Regan’s Orange Goop Salad

• This is a common dessert that I think I found long ago on a Cool Whip container. It’s one of my favorites. The only problem is that I could eat the whole thing by myself.

Ingredients:

1 Large Box of Orange Jello

1 cup of mini marshmallows

1 Large Box of Vanilla (instant) Pudding

1 Large can of Mandarin Oranges

1 Large container of Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Follow the directions according to the box of orange jello.
2. Chill the jello for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Whisk in the vanilla pudding mix until it’s smooth.
4. Chill it again for about 10-15 minutes (until it looks thick)
5. Fold in the mandarin oranges, marshmallows and cool whip...Use your judgement as far as how many oranges and marshmallows you want to use.
6. Chill it once again until it sets! (Might take a few hours)
7. Add some oranges and marshmallows on the top for presentation.

    Regan’s Chicken

**To be cooked after finishing Dan’s slow cooked carrots**

Ingredients:

Leftover liquid from the slow cooked carrots

4 thin cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts

½ of a large onion, chopped

2 tsp. Garlic paste

2 tsp. Basil paste

Zest of 1 small lemon

Juice of 1 small lemon

1tsp. Flour

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. In the skillet that the slow cooked carrots were made, sear the chicken breasts on both sides...about 2 minutes on each side.
2. Remove the chicken and let it rest on a wire rack...be sure to have a plate underneath to catch the drippings.
3. In the meantime, add the onion, garlic paste, basil paste and lemon zest to the skillet. Stir and cook until the onions become caramelized.
4. Stir in the chicken broth and lemon juice.
5. Add the chicken back to the skillet, along with any juice from the plate...and mix together.
6. Cover and simmer on low until the chicken is fully cooked...at 165 degrees.
7. Remove the chicken and add flour to the skillet. Mix it in...it’ll thicken the sauce/glaze.
8. Plate your chicken and pour some thickened sauce/glaze over it….Done!

Regan’s Artichoke/Mozzarella Salad

My family loves artichokes! This salad can’t be any easier to make.

I buy artichokes that are in a jar...I found a jar that has artichokes, red peppers and green olives in an olive oil dressing. It’s delicious. If you can’t find this particular jar of artichokes, then just buy the ingredients separately.

Ingredients:

Artichokes in a jar...2 of them!

Can of green olives

Can of black olives

Sweet red peppers in a jar

Mozzarella Cheese...fresh (to be sliced) or buy the pre-cut mozzarella cubes.

Directions:

1. We like to slice the green and black olives in half, as well as the artichokes. (Note: Save any juice from the jar of artichokes...don’t drain!)
2. We usually buy a fresh piece of mozzarella cheese and slice it ourselves.
3. Add everything to a bowl, including the juice from the jar of artichokes.
4. Taste test it! Does it need a little more olive oil? Salt? Pepper?
5. Mix everything together until the dressing is throughout.

*This is a simple salad that can certainly be changed by adding your favorites to the salad. I’ve made a bigger batch of this salad and added it to small pasta shells or rotini pasta. Some people may like diced onions, green peppers, or carrots. It’s completely up to you! Enjoy!  

Dan’s Carrots...Slow Cooked

If you want to add some delicious carrots to any meal, this is the way to go.

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

6-12 whole fresh carrots, peeled

3 tbs. Butter

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a 12 inch skillet, heat your water, butter and salt. Bring it to a simmer.
2. Have your carrots peeled and ready!  Add the carrots to the skillet, placing them side by side.... (Turn off the burner).
3. Take a piece of parchment paper and cut a small hole in the middle. Place it over the carrots. Cover your skillet and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
4. After 15-20 minutes, remove the lid (don’t remove the parchment paper) and bring the carrots to a simmer again. Let it simmer for about 40-45 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the water has almost evaporated.
5. Remove the parchment paper...cook the carrots on medium...shake the pan frequently...the carrots will glaze and the water will be fully evaporated. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
6. Add this delicious vegetable to any dish….you’ll love it!

                              

Chicken and Vegetable Soup
(In a Crock pot)

Ingredients:

2 (48oz.) Chicken Broth

3-6 oz. of tomato paste

Seasonings: ½ Tbs. Of poultry seasoning

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Baby Cut Carrots

6 Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes (cut in half)

1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables

3 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (whole)

1 lb. of your favorite soup noodles/pasta

Directions:

1. Simply add all the ingredients into the crock pot. Set on High and cook for 2-4 hours. (Check on your soup. All crock pots are different. Some like to cook their soup on High while others may cook their soup on Low.)
2. After about 2 hours of cooking, remove the chicken breasts and shred. They should be tender enough and will probably fall apart. Add the shredded chicken back to the crockpot and continue to cook for another hour.
3. Most importantly, taste your soup! You might need more salt or seasonings. Everyone has different taste buds. About halfway through cooking, we do a taste test and decide if it needs more tomato paste or other seasonings.
4. With our soups, we like to cook a different type of pasta or noodle each time. We have eaten this soup with Ditalini, Pastina, Rice, Soup Noodles and Tortellini. Cook what you prefer. ** Don’t add the pasta to the crock pot...the pasta will get soggy...instead, put some pasta in a bowl and then add your desired amount of soup.
5. To top off your already delicious bowl of soup...add some Grated Romano Cheese….yummy!

Strawberry Granita

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

2 tbs. Lemon juice (use fresh, squeezed)

1 pound of strawberries (sliced thin..hull it!)

1 cup of HOT water...don’t burn yourself!

Directions:

1. Stir together the sugar, lemon juice and HOT water. Let it all dissolve together. Set aside.
2. Blend the strawberries until they are as smooth as possible.
3. Then add your sugar mixture into the blender. Blend it up!
4. Pour the mixture into a nonstick 13x9 pan...place it in the freezer.
5. Now, here comes the fun part...I don’t necessarily like this part because it bothers my teeth...so I make my husband do it. After the mixture has been in the freezer (about 25-30 minutes), use a fork to stir the icy edges to the middle of the pan. Return it back to the freezer. Repeat this process every 30 minutes for about 2 hours. It should be ready...use your best judgement...it may need to freeze a while longer. Just make sure you keep scraping the icy parts to the middle of the pan. Once the mixture looks completely flaky, cover it and freeze overnight.
6. The next day, scrape the granita into bowls and Enjoy!

• We made this recipe last summer, so I don’t have an original photo. This is a photo from the internet. I wanted you to see what it should look like. We will be making this over the summer...I’ll post it again when we make it.

Pasta alla Russa     

A wonderful recipe from Chef Nick Stellino. Dad loves watching his show each week, he enjoys when Nick speaks to his food in Italian. Now, Dad loves to speak to his food….in English. Photo courtesy of Vincent Maltese. We hope Nick Stellino would be proud!

Ingredients

• 3 quarts water (salt optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 6 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vodka
• 4 tablespoons whipping cream
• 3/4 cup clam juice
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 5 tablespoons frozen peas, thawed
• I pound dried pasta—penne rigate

or farfalle (bow tie)

• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

Directions

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil with or without the optional salt.

Place the butter in a large skillet set on medium-high heat and cook until it sizzles,

about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, salmon and salt, and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Pour in the vodka carefully, as it may ignite. Add the whipping cream, clam juice and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Add the peas. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions until just tender.

Drain, and place it back in the pot. Add the sauce and cook over medium heat,

tossing until the pasta is completely coated and most of the sauce is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, if you wish.

OUR PERSONAL NOTES

• Be extra careful pouring in vodka sauce
• Serves 3-4 people
• Total time for us was around 25 minutes
• We had cooked the sauce a little too long, and it started to evaporate. Keep some wet ingredients incase you need to add more at the end.  
• 10-15 Minutes of prep, make sure to have everything prepared before, because the process becomes quick.
• Drain pasta, then keep in pot, and pour the sauce in and stir together.
• We used hot pepper to serve
• Try sprinkling goat cheese on the pasta to serve