Our Fabulous Bites

 This was a hit in our house.  When Isla cooks, she leaves out the tomatoes, but I think it is better with the cooked tomatoes. Serves 6 Ingredients Pesto (or use a recipe you already like, or store bought) 2.5 cups fresh basil 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts (or other nuts. I'm often cheap and use a less expensive nut like almonds) 3/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oil salt and black pepper to taste Pasta Ingredients 24 cherry tomatoes 6 T olive oil salt and black pepper to taste 14-18 ounces linguine (preferably from the dairy section, not the dry aisle) 3 minced garlic cloves, minced 30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined Directions 1. Make the pesto by blending all the ingredients in a food processor.  Cover and set aside until ready to use. 2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Drizzle 1 T olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in oven for about 8 minutes. Set aside. 3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine accor

 I have no idea if this tastes like cafe rio chicken, but I know it is an easy recipe when I'm cooking for a group.  I often use it for taco salad.  I'm happy with beans for my protein but I others seem to really like having some meat.   Ingredients : 2 lbs chicken breasts 8 oz zesty Italian dressing 1/2 T minced or crushed garlic 1 packet ranch dressing 1/2 T chili powder 1/2 T ground cumin 1/2 cup water Directions Add chicken to crockpot.  Pour the Italian dressing on top.  Mix the garlic, ranch dressing powder, chili powder, and ground cumin into 1/2 cup water.  Add to the crock pot.  Cook on low for 5 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked. Shred chicken with a fork and you can serve with salad, or as a taco/burrito filling.  

 Another recipe based on a Curtis Stone recipe, but with some adjustments.  This was a yummy breakfast and a change from what we normally do.  You can do smaller tortillas and only 1 egg per tortilla per person if someone isn't super hungry.  With my pregnant stomach space, I needed a smaller portion. Serves 4 Ingredients : 4 10-inch flour tortillas 3 T butter or olive oil 1 small jalapeño, finely chopped 6-8 cups spinach leaves, chopped salt 8 eggs 1 1/3 cups cheddar cheese, or another kind of cheese (also optional) hot sauce / salsa 8 slices ham /cooked bacon/ Canadian bacon, optional - my kids like with the meat, me not so much Directions : Preheat oven to warm, but not hot.  Cook tortillas 1 at a time, until hot and barely crisp, on a griddle or in a sauce pan.  Set tortillas on baking sheet, if using ham, place that on tortillas, and place in oven to stay warm.   Melt 1 T of butter in sauce pan, over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped jalapeño and stir to coat with the butter.

This is based on a Curtis Stone recipe but with some adjustments.  We thought caramelized peaches was great with French toast.  You can use any French toast recipe and just add the caramelized peaches to the recipe of your choice, which is what I think I did.  I made it with frozen peaches once and it was still good, but I'll admit, it was better when I used delicious fresh peaches.  I like doing extra peaches and if we have leftovers, it is good with yogurt, granola, waffles.... Serves 4   Caramelized Peaches 1/2 cup sugar 4 peaches (about 1.25 pounds), pitted and cut into 8 slices 3 T unsalted butter French Toast 6 large eggs 4 1/2 inch slices of bread (brioche is good) 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 T unsalted butter Optional: top with creme fraiche (we tried it once and it was good, but for us we think it is good enough without) DIRECTIONS To prepare the peaches: Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a preferably heavy sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar d