Parmesan Pasta With Chicken and Rosemary

Steph & I made this one in Texas. It was good! Even my picky little brother loved it & has asked me to make it again!

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 15m
Ingredients
12 ounces (3 cups) orecchiette pasta (i always use whole wheat pasta so it's healthier)
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
kosher salt and pepper
Directions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Shred the chicken, using a fork or your fingers, while the pasta cooks. Discard the skin and bones.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the water. Return the pasta to the pot.
Add the reserved pasta water, chicken, rosemary, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pot. Stir over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Rainbow Cake

To make this, I used gel food coloring instead of liquid to make the colors brighter. You can even use neon colors! We ended up buying two boxed cake mixes and seperated the batter into five bowls. Originally we wanted to do all the colors in the rainbow, but the cake was getting a little too tall, so we stuck with five.

Between each cake we used a tiny bit of lemon icing just to get it to stick. We iced the cakes right out of the oven so you wouldn't be able to tell there was icing (and it made the cakes moist).
On top of the cake, we used vanilla icing & made a rainbow out of skittles & marshmallows.

Boy was it sweet! By the time we finished the cake, we were already sugared out from picking at it. Good thing we had boys there to eat it for us. I won't be making this one again until Saint Patricks Day!

new uses for old things

The New Uses for Old Things section in Real Simple Magazine is genius! These are a few smart tips!

Reviving stale bread. Rub an ice cube (or drizzle water) across unsliced bread until the crust is damp, then bake at 370° F for 12 minutes.

Ketchup Bottle as Pancake Batter Dispenser

Use Cookie Cutters to Decorate Cakes
Grate Away Charred Muffin Bottoms

Green Goddess Rice

I love Claire Robinson's show on Food Network, "5 Ingredient Fix." Haven't made this yet, but it looked so good! And why not try it? It's so easy & only calls for 5 ingredients!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups rice
salt
1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Make rice according to directions. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the avocado, basil, lemon juice, oil, and 1/4 cup water in the jar of a blender and puree; season generously with salt and pepper. Add more water and puree until the mixture is the consistency of sour cream.
Fluff the rice with a fork and gently fold the green dressing into the warm rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately

Chicken Salad With Green Beans, Potatoes, and Peppers

this is yum & so easy.

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 20m Total Time: 20m
Ingredients
1 pound small new potatoes, halved
8 ounces green beans
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
kosher salt and black pepper
1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
Directions
Cook the potatoes in a steamer basket set over simmering water, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the green beans and cook, covered, until the potatoes and green beans are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Run under cold water to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, mustard, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Divide the chicken, watercress, bell pepper, potatoes, and beans among bowls. Drizzle with the dressing.