sheperd's pie

We have been to Walt Disney World twice and both times we have gone to Rose & Crown in Epcot....It is AMAZING!! We enjoyed the "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" (a dazzling Fireworks, Music and Laser Light Show, featured over the World Showcase water feature—it's truly an amazing sight) from the patio and the wonderful food. We feel in love with their Shepard's pie...this is truly a meal EVERYONE will LOVE!!!

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk (approximate)
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 medium onions, chopped
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
paprika (optional)

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain potatoes and mash; add 2 tbsp of the butter and enough milk to have a firm but not runny consistency. Season potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tbsp butter in sauté pan; add onion, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add ground beef, and cook until beef is lightly browned; drain off any excess fat. Add carrots and mushrooms to beef and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, adding 1-2 tbsp water to keep beef from drying out, as needed. Add Worcestershire sauce. Stir together and add beef broth and cornstarch; bring all to a boil, stirring constantly.Add nutmeg. Remove from heat. Place meat mixture into oven proof casserole dish; cover with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika if you like. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are light golden.

renee's easy "kung pao" shrimp

when you need a little Kung Pao....

1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1 pound shelled, deveined shrimp
1/4 cup oil
1 small onion, diced
1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 small red pepper, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 ounces cashews

Sauce:
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons rooster chili sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese bean paste, optional
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Combine garlic, ginger, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking soda, sugar, and salt and pepper. Add shrimp, mix, and let stand 20 minutes. Heat oil in a wok. Add the shrimp and stir fry over high heat about 20 seconds, or just until shrimp change color. Remove. Add onion to the same oil and stir fry 1 minute. Add zucchini and red pepper and stir fry about 30 seconds. Mix sauce ingredients together and add to the wok. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and nuts and heat through completely.

naan

I haven't been happy with the indian restaurants here in the central valley so I decided to make some indian food myself. This is a great naan recipe, my dough didn't rise like it was supposed to and it still turned out great!

1 pkg. dry yeast (2 ½ tsp.)
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. white sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
4 ½ c. bread flour
1/4 c. butter, melted

1–Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let rise 1 hour, until dough has doubled in volume.

2–Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel and allow to double in size, about 30 minutes.

3–During second rising, preheat grill (pancake griddle) to high heat.

4–Roll a ball of dough out into a thin circle. Spray grill with Pam. Place dough on grill, cook for 2-3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2-4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue process until all the naan has been prepared.

black bean and corn salad

A friend of mine brought this salad to a party and it was so good!

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

1 lime or 1 tbsp. lime juice

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing, follow dressing instructions

salt and pepper to taste

Combine, cilantro, black beans, corn, tomatoes and mix. Chill for 2 hours. Just before serving, Gently fold in avocado. Squeeze in your lime and add your dressing. Salt and pepper if needed.

Viola!

easy trifle bowl dessert

I made this on Saturday for a barbecue and it was a big hit!

trifle bowl -If you don't have one use a meduim sized glass bowl or a small punch bowl.

1 brownie mix, baked and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lg. chocolate pudding mix, made

1-2 c. whipping cream

fruit -I like to use a mix of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Kiwi also works great! You really can't go wrong with this recipe, you can use just about any fruit.

Add a layer of your baked and cooled brownies, use about half or a third depending on how many layers you want. Carefully, smother the tops of the brownies with your already made chocolate pudding (make sure to smother the layers as evenly as possible). Add your first layer of fruit. Now add the whipping cream, and repeat. You can mix up the order of the layers if you want. Most of the time, I just use a small amount of whipping cream on the top.

Serves 8-10

For my small family of three I only fill it up half way. I use a small pudding package and half the brownies from the batch.

Enjoy!!!!

renee's fabulous peach crockpot cake

Is there anything better than peaches....
...yes an easy and wonderful dessert!

2 cups sliced peaches fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 package of a 2-layer size white cake mix
4 tablespoons melted butter

Lightly grease the crockpot; place peaches in the bottom. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss. Drizzle with vanilla and sprinkle brown sugar over all. Sprinkle with cinnamon then cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream :)

crockpot pineapple chicken

Love this easy and sweet chicken recipe!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Pepper
Paprika
20 oz Pineapple tidbits drained
2 TB Dijon Mustard
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Garlic clove minced

Arrange chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. Mix soy sauce, pineapple and mustard together; pour over chicken. Add minced garlic. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours. Serve over rice...YUMMY!!

skillet lasagna

Mmmm... I love this recipe from Williams-Sonoma!

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup plus

1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp. minced fresh sage

9 dried lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

3 lb. butternut squash, neck portion only, peeled and sliced into wide, thin sheets

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl.

In the fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the sausage on paper towels, then add to the onion mixture.

In the fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese, the 1/4 cup parsley, the sage, salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/3 cup sauce on the bottom of the fry pan and top with a single layer of 3 noodles. Top with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/3 cup sausage and a layer of squash slices. Repeat the layering of sauce, sausage and squash 5 more times, replacing the squash layer with a layer of noodles after every 2 layers of squash. Top with the remaining sauce and the 1/4 cup cheese.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the lasagna is browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. parsley. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 to 10.

indian raita

2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
2 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cucumber, grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Let them sit pretty in the serving dish (preferably glass) getting chilled for half an hour or so. Sprinkle a bit of cumin powder& red chili powered on the top to add a riot of colors to the dish just before serving. Serve with pita chips, naan, or as an accompaniment to Indian dishes.

fruit pizza

A fun twist on a old favorite that your whole family will LOVE!!!

1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, peaches, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etc (any fruit really)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.

renee's crockpot mac & cheese

I am always looking for great crockpot meals to make during football season. Being gone in the evenings until 8:30 PM at practice makes dinner time rough but I have found one favorite that everyone loves and the best part is that it is ready when we get home!!

8 ounces large elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
butter flavor nonstick spray

Place the cooked macaroni in crockpot that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining ingredients, all except 1 cup of the cheese, mix well. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and then cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until it has finished cooking.

poppy seed chicken

This is so easy and yummy!

6-8 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tubes Ritz crackers crushed
1 can of cream of chicken
2 cubes of butter
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Wrap chicken breasts in foil and bake at 350 for 45 min. After chicken is baked cut it in small pieces and place in the bottom of a 9x13in casserole dish. Mix cream of chicken with sour cream and spread over the chicken. Melt butter in a bowl and add poppy seeds and Ritz crackers spread over chicken. Bake for 30 minutes.

italian sodas

Great Family Fun!

Sparkling Strawberry Lemon

1 oz. Lemon syrup

1/2 oz. Strawberry syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Citrus Twist

1 oz. Pink Grapefruit syrup

1/2 oz. Mandarin Orange syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Watermelon-Kiwi

1 oz. Watermelon syrup

1/2 oz. Kiwi syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Cranberry Breeze

3/4 oz. Cranberry syrup

1/4 oz. Lime syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Tangy Blush

1-2 oz. Pomegranate syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Cherry Cream

1/2 oz. Cherry syrup

1/2 oz. Vanilla syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Watermelon

1-2 oz. Watermelon syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Simply Strawberry

1-2 oz. Strawberry syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

This Torani flavoring is the best kind I've found so far! Bottles can add up so just start out with your favorite flavor.

renee's rice pudding

Nothing says fall like rice pudding....true "fall" comfort food!!

1/2 cup long grain rice
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 small can evaporated milk
regular milk
cinnamon

Place rice in saucepan, add salt. Cover with water; cook covered on low for 20 minutes; stirring occasionally. Test rice to be sure it is done, then set aside. DO NOT DRAIN RICE. In a casserole, place egg, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Beat all together. Pour small can of the evaporated milk into a cup, add enough regular milk to make 1 cup total. Then add 1-3/4 cups additional milk to the casserole. Add rice last. Stir all slightly. Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake at 325º for 40 minutes. Pudding will look somewhat rummy, but will thicken as it cools. I like to serve it with a spoon full of whipped cream...YUMMY!!!

indian naan

Indian naan is one of my favorite things, it is even better made at home!!

1 cup water, warmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1 tsp granulated fructose or 1 tsp sugar
1 package dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose (or bread) flour

This dough is very easy to make. Drop the 2 tablespoons of butter into the water and stir until it is melted. This should take about a minute at the most. The water/butter mixture should be lukewarm, around 1000F (380C). At that temperature, add the salt, fructose (or sugar), and the entire package of yeast. Stir to dissolve the yeast, and then allow the yeast to bloom (approximately 10 minutes).

Add the first 2 cups of the flour to a large plastic bowl, making a pit in the center and piling the flour toward the edge of the bowl. Pour half of the yeast mixture into the pit and use a spatula to begin folding flour from the edge of the pit into the liquid at the center. When all of the liquid has been absorbed, add the remaining yeast mixture and continue folding. Add the remaining cup of flour until the dough forms a ball. The dough should not be wet, and should barely stick to your clean, unfloured hands when enough flour has been worked into it. Drizzle some olive oil over the dough ball to coat, place in a covered bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen. Allow to rise at least one hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and kneed briefly. If the dough feels sticky, sprinkle a little flour onto its surface before kneeding. Put the dough back in the covered bowl and allow to rise a second time, this time for half of the original rise (30-45 minutes).

Baking the Bread
Bring a teflon-coated frying pan up to medium heat on top of your stove. With floured hands, divide the dough into smaller "balls" which are about the size of a kiwi fruit; you should get between 8 and 12. Shape each ball into a round, flattened loaf (like a pita). The easiest way to do this is to let gravity help you; the dough is pliable enough that as you hold a portion of the ball it will begin to streatch. Go around the circumference of your small dough ball, pinching the dough and holding it briely for gravity to do its thing. This is a variation on the pizza-shop theme of tossing the dough, we're just substituting gravity for the centripetal force. Allow each of your flat dough "patties" to rise briefly (10-15 minutes).

Place a dough "patty" in the frying pan. When the upside of the bread begins to look solid and no longer moist/sticky, flip the "patty" and wait about two minutes before removing the bread. At this point, it you want the smokey flavor of real nan, place the bread on one of your stove burners set to low heat. Don't burn the bread, merely toast until char marks begin to develop. Do this for both sides of the bread. Enjoy with your favorite Indian dishes!!

homemade smores

Graham crackers


4 T (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
T sugar
T honey (Some graham crackers use half honey and half molasses. You might consider trying that as a variation.)
1/2 t baking soda
2 t water
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 C graham flour (If you can't get a hold of graham flour, there are plenty of graham cracker recipes that use regular whole wheat flour)
3/4 C all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the butter, egg and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in the honey and blend. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the butter mixture. Add the salt, graham flour, and all-purpose flour to the mixture and blend thoroughly. The dough should hold together and be manageable. If it is too "tacky" add a little more graham flour. Liberally dust a surface with graham flour and roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. For convenience in handling, cut the rolled dough into three or four sections that will fit on your cookie sheet. To make my life easier, I lined my cookie sheets with parchment paper and rolled the dough directly on the cookie sheets. That way I didn't need to worry about the dough breaking when I lifted it onto a cookie sheet. With a knife, score the dough, without cutting through, into 2 1/2 inch squares. Since your graham crackers are not store-bought, they don't have to be square. Use your cookie cutters to make them any shape you want. Prick each square a few times with the tines of a fork. Using a spatula, place the sections of scored cracker dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. I didn't have to do this since I rolled right on the cookie sheet:) Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on racks. They weren't quite crispy when I removed them. However, they hardened up as soon as they cooled.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 envelopes of Knox gelatin unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Line 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 mnutes. Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, add in the vanilla extract beat to incorporate. Scrape marshmallow into the prepared pan and spread evenly (Lightly greasing your hands and the spatula helps a lot here). Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set. In a shallow dish, combine equal parts cornstarch and confectioners' sugar. Remove marshmallow from pan and cut into equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 large marshmallows, depending on the size you choose to cut them.

Melt 2 10 ounce packages of semi sweet chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave until smooth.

spaghetti with meatballs

Got meatballs?

1 ½ pounds of lean beef or pork (or use a mixture of both)
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 large slightly beaten egg
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of salt (can use less)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
½ cup of milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons of dried parsley

Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Shape the mixture into small-medium sized meatballs. At this point if you don’t want to cook these right now you could put them in the freezer for later. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and place the meatballs on a baking sheet. Put your meatballs in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Another cooking method is to simmer the meatballs in pasta sauce for about 40 minutes. This will give them great flavor and texture.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water as box directs. Warm marinara sauce in medium saucepan; add meatballs. Drain pasta and serve with meatballs and sauce.

jellin' melon dessert

They call it Mellow Jell-O...

quite rightly!

Cut two melons (like honeydew or cantaloupe) in half and scoop out the seeds. Place halves in bowls for support, then, using your favorite flavor of jell-O, follow the package directions for jigglers and pour into melon halves. Refrigerate a few hours until set.

Cut into slices and watch your kids scarf them down!

football bites

In honor of football season. This is a fun and easy dessert...the kids can help too!!

4 cups cocoa Rice Crispy's cereal
6 squares baker's semisweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
White decorating gel

Place cereal in large bowl. Microwave chocolate, corn syrup and butter in large microwavable bowl on high 2-1/2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal; mix well. Shape into 3-inch long football shapes, using slightly moistened hands. Place on waxed paper; cool completely. Use decorating gel to add lacings to footballs.

french toast breakfast sandwhich

I am sure this isn't a new recipe but I just improvised with breakfast and it was a big hit in our house this morning so I thought I would share.

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 teaspoons butter
4 slices bread (I like white for this sandwich)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup diced honey ham
1/4 cup cooked maple sausage
4 slices maple bacon
grape jelly (optional)
maple syrup (optional)

Cook bacon until crispy, set aside on paper towels to drain. Make french toast by whisking 3 eggs into 1/4 cup milk. Dip bread slices into egg bath and grill over medium heat in a nonstick skillet in 1 tsp of butter till golden brown, about 3 minutes each side. While french toast is grilling, in a nonstick skillet scramble 4 eggs in 2 tsp butter with diced ham and sausage. When done to your liking top with Swiss cheese and removed from heat, set eggs aside. Assemble the sandwiches with one slice of bacon sliced in half and scrambled eggs. Serve with warmed grape jelly or maple butter on the side. This makes 4 sandwiches :)

pina colada dip

1/2 c. sour cream

3 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. coconut flakes

1/2 c. pineapple, crushed

1 tsp. sugar

your favorite fruit, for dipping

Mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving!

harvest "fall" vegetable soup

the cooler weather has me craving my fall recipes :)

6 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 cup sliced celery hearts (tender innermost stalks)
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup seeded and diced green and yellow zucchini
1 sprig fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup red kidney beans, precooked or canned
1 cup sliced leeks, including part of the green
1 cup squash or pumpkin diced into half-inch cubes
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Grated cheese of your choice for garnish
Salt and pepper

In a stockpot over medium heat, sauté the garlic in olive oil. Before the garlic browns, add onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, thyme, bay leaves and vegetable stock. Simmer for a half-hour, or until the vegetables are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add kidney beans, leeks, squash or pumpkin and cabbage. Simmer for 15 minutes. To serve top with parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of grated cheese of your choice.

peach cobbler

Heaven Sent!

Cobbler filling:
4 peeled and sliced fresh peaches (boiling them in water for 30 seconds to remove the skins)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour

Cobbler crust:

1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. brown sugar, for topping
Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Place the sliced peaches in the dish and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour. Mix gently and spread evenly again. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile combine all dry ingredients for cobbler crust in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers, to make the texture like coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough. Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on top. Sprinkle with last tablespoon of brown sugar and return to oven. Bake until fruit is bubbly and crust topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

heriloom tomato salad

I saw this recipe this morning on GTU and it looked so yummy I thought I would share!!

2-3 varieties of heirloom tomatoes
Julienne cut red onion
Fresh basil
Buffalo mozzarella
Kalamata olives
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Seasoning blend consisting of salt, pepper, garlic, sugar, and dried thyme

Place on an attractive plate or in a serving bowl and gently coat tomatoes, onion, mozzarella and olives in oil, vinegar and seasonings.

antipasta salad with tortellini

My boys love pasta and pepperoni so this is a favorite on hot summer nights!!

2 packages (9 ounces each) of refrigerated cheese tortellini (cooked, drained and rinsed)
1 package Mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup cubed mild or spicy pepperoni
1/2 cup cubed salami
1 cup Italian dressing


Combine all ingredients except Italian dressing in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate several hours or until chilled.