Cook Tortellini according to directions
Drain and cool
In a bowl add tortellini
Mayo and Ranch dressing about 1/4 as much as mayo just enough to coat the pasta. Add season salt, celery, chives, green onions, regular onions etc. to taste preferences.
Earthquake Cake
Any chocolate cake mix – mix according to package directions
FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese
sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Mix cake mix according to package directions.
In a separate bowl mix up cream cheese so it is softened. Then add sweetened condensed milk and blend together. Then add egg, vanilla, and cornstarch. Mix well. In a greased 9X13 pan pour in cake mix and then gently spoon in cream cheese mixture on top.
Bake 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes
It’s done when the cake doesn’t wobble, toothpick test will not work – cake is gooey in nature.
Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cups brown sugar
1 cup water
about 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on medium or low till sugar dissolves. Don’t boil.
Olive Garden Alfredo
1/4 pound butter (This is what the recipe calls for we use 4 Tablespoons)
Flour
1 teaspoon garlic puree
2 cups heavy cream (if you don’t want it as bad for you you can use milk. We usually do that, but the cream is much better)
1/4 whole milk (you can use 1% or 2% to save on calories too)
1/2 parmesan cheese (much better with fresh, but we usually just use the dried stuff)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Melt butter with garlic puree. Don’t burn the garlic. Add flour to make a roux. Add heavy cream and milk (Or just 2 1/4 cups milk) and cheese. Stir with a whisk till thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste
Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 Tablespoons water
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
Combine water and egg and mix a little. Combine all the rest of the ingredients. Form into balls and bake at 350 till done. Time depends on size of balls.
You can fry in a dry pan instead, but baking them is so fast and easy and less messy.
Pork Roast – Uncle Rob
In a large pot or crock pot place:
Pork
2 teaspoons thyme
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
6 cloves garlic
2 onions
4 stocks of celery
water to cover
If boiling on stove boil for 3-4 hours till forks apart
If in a crock pot 6-8 hours till forks apart.
Break meat in chunks and serve on rolls. The juice makes a great gravy for mashed potatoes. Take out the bay leaves first.
Another step we never do is
Break meat into chunks. Add 1 cup milk and bake in oven for 1 hour.
Boil juice down to about 1 cup. Pour over meat and bake another 30 minutes.
We think it is great without the extra steps.
Dutch Oven Chicken
1-2 Chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/3 cups uncooked rice
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cans water
Mix all ingredients in a dutch oven or oven safe pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until rice is done. May take longer.
We use two cans of cream of chicken soup instead since some don’t like mushrooms and some don’t like celery in our house.
Winger’s Sticky Fingers Copycat Recipe
1 package frozen breaded chicken strips
6 Tablespoons Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce, no other sauce will taste the same)
4 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
Prepare chicken strip as directed on package. You can bake for less calories, but they taste more authentic fried.
Heat hot sauce, water, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved.
Pour over chicken, and enjoy! Can serve with ranch dressing for dipping or on a salad which is great with dried cranberries like at Winger’s.
Parmesan-Baked Salmon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 salmon filets (1 lb. each)
10 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup crumbs)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix mayo, cheese, and pepper until well blended; set aside.
Place salmon on foil-lined shallow baking pan. Top with cheese mixture; spread to evenly cover salmon. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork.
We like to grill instead. Wrap in foil and place on grill till flakes easily.
Chocolate Trifle
You need to prepare ahead:
- A chocolate cake in a 9X13 pan. A cake mix is fine. Andrew used brownies.
- 3 boxes of instant chocolate pudding. The small 4 serving size.
- 2 large containers of Cool Whip, thawed. You won’t need all of this, but you need 3 or 4 small ones or 2 large ones. You don’t want to run out of this part.
- Hershey’s Heath, English Toffee Bits. Usually in the baking section. But if you can’t find them you could buy Heath Bars and break them apart.
When you have everything ready you cut the cake into small pieces. Usually I cut in about 1 inch squares, but it doesn’t have to be exact.
Put the cake in one layer in the bottom of Trifle bowl. Squeeze it in so the whole bottom is covered. If you make three layers you have plenty of cake.
Then add the pudding in a generous layer, but not quite as thick at the cake. As the trifle sits overnight in the fridge the pudding and cake merge.
Then cover with cool whip and sprinkle with Heath bits.
Repeat until bowl is full. You may have some ingredients left.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least overnight. It looks so impressive and is so easy to make and so delicious.