#3930 - Garlic Steak Marinade

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh sqeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
3 TBSP dried basil
1 1/2 TBSP parsley flakes

In a blender add soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dried basil and parsley flakes--blend for 1 minute. Place steaks in a glass dish, drizzle with the marinade, cover the dish and refrigerate for a few hours before cooking/grilling the steaks. Discard leftover marinade.

#3913 - Bacon Wrapped Meatballs

(by Shirley McNevich)

3lbs. ground chuck
3 eggs
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup 4C Italian bread crumbs
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onions (more or less to your taste)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
other spices (to your taste)
1lb. good quality bacon
marinara sauce OR BBQ sauce

Cover a jelly roll pan (flat pan with a lip) with foil and spray the foil with Pam. In a bowl add ground chuck, eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, bread crumbs, minced garlic, chopped onions, salt, pepper, oregano and basil--mix with your hands until combined. Form the meat mixture into 12 - 2" meatballs. Open the bacon--find the middle point of the slab of bacon. Using a sharp knife start at the top/middle of the bacon and slice all the way to the bottom (vertically) to make half slices of bacon. Wrap one meatball with one half slice of bacon, then turn the meatball 1/4 and wrap with a second half slice of bacon. Place the bacon wrapped meatball (bacon seams down) on to the foil lined jelly roll pan. Repeat with all meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meatballs are done and bacon is crispy. Carefully pour off extra grease. Serve with marinara sauce or BBQ sauce.

#3910 - Watermelon Tomato Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

5 large tomatoes (cut into bite sized cubes)
1 small seedless watermelon (cut into bite sized cubes)
1 tsp. salt + extra
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP cider vinegar
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
dried basil (for sprinkling)

In a large plastic bowl add the cubed tomatoes and cubed watermelon--toss carefully to combine. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt over the top. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. In a small bowl add the olive oil and cider vinegar--whisk to mix. Add salt, pepper and dried basil to your taste--mix well. Drain off all of the liquid from the watermelon mixture and discard the liquid. Add the feta cheese to the watermelon mixture--toss to combine. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the whole thing--toss to coat. Serve immediately.

#3909 - Greek Salad Dressing

(by Shirley McNevich)

3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

In a blender add olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, dried basil, pepper, salt, onion powder and Dijon mustard--beat well. Pour the mixture into a glass bottle with a lid and add the red wine vinegar--screw on the lid and shake well before using.

#3859 - Parmesan Garlic Chicken

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP canola oil
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 TBSP flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)

In a bowl add oregano, basil, salt and pepper--stir to mix. Season both sides of each chicken breast with the oregano mixture. Cook or grill chicken breasts. While chicken breasts are cooking, in a saucepan over medium heat add the butter and canola oil--stir until melted. Add the chopped garlic--cook/stir for 2 minutes. Add the flour--whisk to mix. Add the heavy whipping cream and the chicken broth--cook/stir until thickened. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and the softened cream cheese--cook/stir until all cheese is melted. When chicken breasts are no longer pink inside, place chicken breasts on plates and drizzle the sauce over the chicken breasts.

#3706 - Hot Pizza Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce
pepperoni slices (chopped)--as much as you wish
2 TBSP sliced black olives (optional)

In a bowl add cream cheese, oregano, parsley flakes and basil--mix well. Spread the mixture on the bottom of a 9" glass pie plate. Sprinkle HALF of the shredded mozzarella cheese and HALF of the grated Parmesan cheese over the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the pizza sauce all over the cheeses. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the top. Bake at 350 degrees 15-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let it stand a few minutes. Serve warm with good quality crackers.

#3272 - Quick Pasta Sauce

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 - 14oz. cans Italian style crushed tomatoes (do NOT drain)
1 tsp. dried basil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 TBSP olive oil
salt
pepper
oregano

In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil and minced garlic--cook/stir until garlic is tender. Add both cans crushed tomatoes--stir. Add basil--stir. Taste--add salt, pepper and oregano to your taste. Once you have the flavor you like, cook/stir until hot, then turn heat back to simmer. Tilt a lid on the skillet and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve over pasta.

#1434 - Pizza Burgers

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
pizza sauce
sliced mozzarella cheese
pepperoni slices

In a bowl add ground chuck, salt, pepper, dried basil, garlic powder, oregano--mix with your hands until well mixed. Shape the meat mixture into hamburger patties. Grill the burger patties (or make them on the top of the stove in a skillet). Microwave the pizza sauce until hot. Place cooked burger patties on buns, add some pizza sauce, add pepperoni slices, and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Optional: add chopped onions to the meat mixture before cooking if you wish.

#893 - Italian Chicken Chowder

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/2 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 - 14.5oz. can stewed tomatoes (or use homemade)
1 cup chicken broth
1 medium chopped onion (optional)
1 medium zucchini (cut into bite sized pieces--do not peel before cutting)
1/2 cup uncooked pasta (your choice of shape)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 cup Sargento's shredded mozzarella cheese
saltine crackers

In a saucepan over medium heat add Italian dressing, chopped onion and chicken pieces--stir and cook until chicken pieces are tender. Add stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, zucchini pieces, uncooked pasta, salt, pepper and basil--stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer and keep cooking until pasta is done to your taste. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle the top of the soups with shredded mozzarella cheese. Serve with crackers.

#863 - Italian Chicken Nuggets

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" square pieces)
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to your taste
3/4 tsp. dried basil

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts (to your taste). Cut the chicken into 1" cubes and place them in a bowl--pour the Italian dressing over the top and stir gently until coated--set aside. Let the chicken marinate in the Italian dressing for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and basil--stir. Drop a few of the coated chicken pieces into the bread crumb mixture at a time--toss to coat. Place coated pieces in a baking dish (sprayed with Pam)--do not stack them--must be a single layer. Continue with all chicken pieces. Sprinkle any leftover bread crumb mixture over the top of the chicken pieces. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done.

#498 - Italian Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1 - 16oz. can Hunt's tomato sauce
1 - 4oz. can chopped mushrooms (drained)
1 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
8 slices provolone cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, brown beef, chopped onion, salt, pepper and minced garlic--drain and return to skillet. Add tomato sauce, mushrooms, sugar, oregano and basil to the browned beef--stir and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. In a bowl, add egg and beat, then add milk and Bisquick--stir to form dough. Spread 1/2 of the dough in a greased square baking dish, then add a layer of 4 cheese slices. Spoon beef mixture over the top of the cheese, add remaining cheese slices on top of the beef mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top of the cheese slices. Drop remaining dough by spoonsful on top of the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until slightly browned.

#405 - Tasty Pasta Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/4 cups uncooked three color spiral pasta
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 TBSP canola oil
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp. white sugar (you may add more to your taste)
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes (each sliced in half)
1 large chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions and rinse under cold water--drain. In a large bowl, whisk together the broth, vinegar, oil, garlic, sugar, basil and salt. Add pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, pepper and Parmesan--toss to coat. Refrigerate until chilled.