Southwest Pasta Salad

Dear Blog,

I am sorry that I have neglected you for the past 12 days. I realize that you must have missed me terribly and that our time apart was as hard for you as it was for me. I wish that I could tell you a witty reason for my absence, but all I can say is shit life happens. However, in attempts to right my wrong, here is a delicious, colorful and flavor-packed pasta salad.

Love,

Sabrina

Hi friends! Did you miss me? Better yet, do you like pasta salad? I sure do. Pasta salad is a staple for summer in my world. There is just something about chilled pasta mixed with creamy sauce and endless colorful, crisp veggies! When I found a recipe for this Southwest Pasta Salad, I couldn't resist. I tweaked it a bit, just to give it a touch of Sabrina-ness. Trust me when I say that this stuff was well liked. I think Ryan ate over 20 bowls of it. Not so much by choice, I doubled the recipe and ended up with enough pasta salad to feed the Chinese army. But hey, who's complainin' here?

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

Adapted from You Made That?

3 cups uncooked shell pasta
1/2 cup of frozen corn rinses and thawed
1/2 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
green onions or red onions chopped (I used both)

2 jalapenos diced
8 slices of cooked bacon chopped
2 chicken breasts grilled and chopped bite size (I used rotisserie chicken)
1/4 BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipolte BBQ Sauce)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 Ranch Dressing (I used Marie's)

Wash and prepare all the vegetables. Cook and chop bacon, chop grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. Measure out 3 cups of dry uncooked medium shell pasta. Fill a large stock pot with water about 8 cups, add some salt and boil water. When water is boiling add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking mix the sauce together by combining the mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing in a small bowl. In a medium size bowl mix all the veggies together.

In a medium large bowl put cooked and cooled pasta, chicken and bacon in, then add the veggies and sauce. Stir the salad salad well and regrigerate for a few hours.

Creamiest Alfredo Sauce and Red Lobster Biscuits

Let me just say that I love Alfredo sauce and the creamier, the better. I have tried making about a hundred different Alfredo recipes. I figured the hardest and most difficult recipe had to be the best, right? Wrong! This recipe is so simple and quick, but you wouldn't know it based on taste. I will probably never eat Alfredo out of a jar again. This stuff is rich, creamy, and cheap to make. In fact, I actually found this recipe trying to find something to make with the few ingredients I had in my refrigerator. The best part is that this recipe is limitless. You can add different ingredients to change it up any way you'd like. I have added jalapenos and Sriracha sauce to kick it up a bit! And let's be honest here - Red Lobster biscuits are impossible not to love. If you don't enjoy Red Lobster biscuits, you don't have a soul. Yes, I said it.

Ladies, with the men you can't go wrong here. I am giving you a simple, quick and cheap dinner option that males assume took all day to perfect. Their bellies will approve and your brownie points will increase. If you are wanting a home cooked meal on a limited time frame, this is the meal for you. I promise people will lick their fingers clean after tasting these biscuits (I have seen it). Ryan can't get enough of them.

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

8 ounces dry pasta

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can use shredded cheese as well)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pinch ground nutmeg

Flavored sausage (optional, I used an italian sausage for added flavor)

• 
  
• 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 medium saucepan, combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter, milk, garlic powder and stir over low heat until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Toss sauce with pasta and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve.

Now for my favorite part....

If you don't eat Alfredo sauce, at least make these biscuits. Seriously, do your mouth a favor and make them! I could sit and eat an entire batch by myself, no lie. Granted my back-side would grow about 3 sizes, but you get my point. They take maybe 10 minutes to make, and they are best served right out of the oven.

Red Lobster Biscuits

2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (Bisquick)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use more)

2/3 cup milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese and garlic powder.  Add in milk, and stir until well mixed.  (Heads up – the dough will get very sticky!)

With a spoon or with your fingers, shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.

While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, oregano and garlic salt in a small bowl.  As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated. Serve warm.

Recipes courtesy of Allrecipes.com.