Pizza Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound spiral macaroni, cooked and drained
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced and seeded
• 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 1 to 2 bunches green onions, sliced
• 3 ounces sliced pepperoni
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1/2 diced green bell peppers
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup tomato ranch dressing*
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Croutons, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine macaroni, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, green onions, peppers, ham  and pepperoni. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 tomato sauce, 3/4 cup ranch dressing and Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Pour over macaroni mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Top with croutons just before serving if desired.

Orzo and Meatballs

Everybody loves pasta.
today's recipe is includes "Orzo". it is a rice shaped pasta, and is quite versitle. It can be used in soups and stews, or can be the main dish like todays feature.
Orzo and Meatball salad.

Start by cooking 1/2 a box of orzo pasta
chop 1/2 a cup of celery
1/2 cup of bell peppers, mix the colors, red, green and yellow
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 oz of chicken breast

to the cooked pasta add the veggies, chicken, peas, and about 16 cooked meatballs, about 1 1/2 in diameter.

For the dressing,
1/2 cup mayo
3 Tbls of grain mustard
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup marinara sauce
(for a spicy kick substitute barbque sauce for the marainara.


toss together cover and refrigerate. this makes a lot, so why not take it to your next bar-b-que or pot luck.

Orzo Salad

This is not your ordinary pasta salad. but it is so simple. It can be served hot or cold. Why not do something different for dinner? A Pork and Orzo salad. Simple to put together, and tasty. Why not make a little extra for lunch? Take this to work and your co-workers may be jealous.

Peppered Pork tenderloin, I like buy them already marinated. cut into bite sized pieces.(Turkey and be substitued if you can't/don't eat pork.)
One medium onion, minced
2 cups of bell peppers-mix green, red and yellow, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
Chinese 5 spice.
One box of Orzo pasta.
One cup of sliced mushrooms
½ a bag of frozen pineapple chucks
2 tablespoons of apricot/pineapple jam
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
Bring a big pot of water to boil and salt and a tablespoon of sesame oil.

Chop up green beans. Be sure to remove the tip and strings add to the pork

Add mushrooms

Add pineapple

Heat until the mushrooms and cooked and the pineapple is hot.

To finish the sauce, add a little more teriyaki and soy sauce, the jam and the mustard. Bring to a boil in order to melt the jam and incorporate into the dish

Drain the orzo and Mix it into the pork.

This dish is good hot or cold. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It is good for a about a week.

Peace

Kimberly