English Trifle (Alix)

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 (9 inch) angel food cake
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
3 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 pineapple juice

DIRECTIONS
Soak the sliced bananas in pineapple juice for 3 hours. In a medium bowl, prepare pudding mix as directed. Fold in the sour cream and the Cool Whip. Cut the cake into small pieces.
Line a large trifle or other glass serving bowl with kiwi and strawberry slices, reserving two whole strawberries and two kiwi slices. Place one layer of cake in bottom of bowl, top with 1/3 of bananas, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and 1/3 of whipped topping mixture. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Ricotta Cheese PIzza (Stacy)

Pizza Crust
1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. honey
3/4 cup cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey and cold water. Add yeast mixture and knead for 5 minutes. Form into a ball & place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into rectangle. Spray grill with cooking spray. Turn on grill on low. Place directly on grill for about 3 minutes each side. (You will make 2 crusts)

Ricotta Cheese Pizza with Mushrooms, Broccoli & Chicken
1 chicken breast, grilled and cut in bite-size chuncks
1 8 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 pre-baked pizza crust
2 cups fresh sliced mozzarella cheese (you can use the shredded from the grocery store, but not as good)
1/2 cup choppped fresh broccoli (I steamed the broccoli a little to speed up cooking time)
sliced fresh mushrooms

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the ricotta cheese, butter, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper in microwave bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute, stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust. Scatter the cheese evenly over the pizza. Arrange cooked chicken, broccoli and mushrooms evenly on top of the pizza.
Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Avacado Bean Dip (Megs)

3 med. avacados
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 med. red bell pepper
6 green onions
2 Tbsp dired cilantro
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cut up vegetables and add all ingredients. Let chill for 2 hours

Mexican Rice (Ang)

Ingredients:
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 small onion
¾ C uncooked long-grain rice
¾ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp chili powder
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 green pepper
2 C water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and sauté until translucent.
2. Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, salt and water. Cover, bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cook at a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

Stacy's Taco Salad

Lime Cilantro Rice

2 tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 3-4 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic
garlic salt to taste

Heat oil in large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

Café Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. dry hidden valley ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (remove paper)
1/3 c. buttermilk
¼ t. cayenne pepper (less if you don't like spicy)

put all ingredients in a blender—blend until smooth

Ground Turkey Meat

1 lb. ground turkey meat
garlic salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup taco seasoning
3/4 cup water

Brown turkey meat with garlic, salt & pepper (turkey has less flavor, so you need more seasonings). Drain fat. Stir in seasoning mix & water Simmer for 5 minutes.


Taco Salad
Build taco salad with the following:
tortilla chips
meat or pork
cheese
black beans
cilantro lime rice
chopped romaine lettuce
avacados
salsa
tomatoes
corn
black beans
sour cream
cilantro

Shredded Pork

adapted from sisterscafe.blogspot.com

roughly 3 pounds pork roast--any cut, I used loin and removed any excess fat
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel)
2 tsp. chicken base or 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper

Heat 1-2 tsp. oil in a large pot on the stove and put the roast in for a few minutes until browned on both sides.  Add chopped onion, garlic and saute until onion is translucent.  Place the meat & juices in crockpot. Add the  rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until pork is tender enough to be shredded with a fork. 1 hour before serving, pour all of the juices from the crockpot into a pan on the stove.  (Leave the pork in the crockpot to stay warm). On medium heat, let the juices boil and reduce until you have roughly half the liquid you started with. This concentrates the flavors of the juices and thickens the sauce so that your tacos won't be runny, yet still flavored well by the sauce. Mix the thickened sauce into the shredded meat and serve. Serve with warm tortillas and all your favorite Mexican garnishes. Use for meat in enchiladas, with veggies for fajitas, on nachos....enjoy!

Tex-Mex

This is what I would have brought, had I been able to make it this month:

Tex-Mex

Take 4-5 chicken breasts and put in a crock pot with enough water to cover chicken. Add a few chicken bullion cubes and cook until done. (about 4 hrs on high, 6-8 on low.) Take chicken out and shred, drain water, return chicken to crock pot and add:

1 T paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or less, depending on your heat tolerance)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 T salt
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped cilantro
4 c tomatoes, chopped
2 c tomato juice
2 c water
jalapenos ( 1 tsp canned or fresh to taste)

Cook 1-2 more hours until heated through. Serve with lime slices, jack cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, or roll into a tortilla burrito style