Monday, August 24, 2009

Bowtie Grilled Chicken Spinich Salad to Feed Your Next Crowd

This here is a favorite! For some reason this is what we always make for bridal showers and baby showers, but rarely for our weeknight dinner. It is so popular, and so many people have asked for the recipe, so here we are posting it to the blog in hopes that we can get more people to our blog when we say...

"you can get the recipe at www.mysisterscucina.blogspot.com!"

So now you can do the same when you whip this up for your next shower, party, dinner, whatever ... lead them to our blog! This salad is so versatile. You can mix and match this with whatever you want. However you dress it, it is delicious! The chicken is so tender and juicy when you marinate it the night before. The noodles are also marinated in a special sauce that makes them so flavorful. The only problem is that you HAVE to have GrillMates Teriyaki Sauce for this. I have had trouble finding it, but I know you can always get it at Target. This recipe takes planning. You want to cook the noodles the night before and have it marinating in the dressing over night. You also need to marinate your chicken over night. It is well worth it! this recipe will feed about 24 people as the main dish served with other sides.

Bowtie Grilled Chicken Spinich Salad
6-7 Chicken Breasts marinated in Italian Dressing the night before & grilled and cut into 1-inch pieces a few hours before serving.
3-4 boxes or bags of bowtie pasta cooked & marinated in the following dressing the night before
Dressing:
1 cup oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup GrillMates Teriyaki Sauce
6 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Mix all ingredients in blender and combine with pasta in an air-tight container and refridgerate over night.
Mix-In:
2 bags baby spinich leaves
red or green onions
craisins
mandarin oranges
sliced mushrooms
slivered almonds
cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions:
When assembling the salad, always add the spinich at the end, and only make the amount needed as to keep the spinich from going limp. You want to have the same amount of spinich to noodles. Add grilled chicken as needed. Add your mix-ins to your liking and serve!
***My very favorite combo is mandarin oranges, craisins and slivered almonds. Experiment and see what you like! I love the spinich mixed with the noodles. It really is delicious! Enjoy!!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Best Ever... Baked Oatmeal

We are back!!! Sorry for the month long break we took from blogging. I had a healthy, beautiful baby girl in mid July, and my sister is back on her feet after another awful first trimester of pregnancy for #4. Hopefully we will get back on schedule with the blogging. I have been taking pictures...just not posting. Life is getting back to normal...at least I hope we are heading that way.

This recipe is absolutely delish! I am already deciding when I am going to make it this week. We love it so much. I make the whole batch and store the rest in the fridge for our breakfast for 2 more days. I even eat it for a mid-morning, or mid-afternoon snack. I'm hooked! It is amazing with fresh cut strawberries and milk. I can't wait to try other fruits on top. I bet it will be fantastic with peaches on top. I found this recipe at www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com . I have loved this blog. She has got awesome pictures, and wonderful recipes. She got this recipe from a friend. I just can't get enough of this breakfast. We call it our Breakfast cake. It seems to make my kids excited to eat it. They love it! I don't think I will buy Instant Oatmeal ever again. It just will never compare to this tasty baked oatmeal.
Baked Oatmeal
From: My Kitchen Cafe
6 cups oatmeal (you can use quick or rolled - quick gives it a smoother texture)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups milk
4 beaten eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with milk and fruit... or not.
I have halved the recipe and it works great, but I do suggest making the whole pan...it is great for days!
Enjoy!