20 Minunte Cherry Tomato Pasta

1/2 pound angel hair

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup loosely packed basil, roughly chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add in a good handful of salt. Add pasta. Cook aldente or until pasta is slightly undercooked.
• Using tongs remove pasta from water into a colander. Reserve cooking liquid.
• While pasta is cooking, add garlic and olive oil to a very large skillet. Turn the heat on medium and cook until garlic becomes soft, about two minutes.
• Turn the heat to a medium-high and add tomatoes and salt. Cook two minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of starchy cooking liquid leftover from pasta. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer for five minutes — the tomatoes should be starting to burst. If they haven’t gently push on them using the back of a wooden spoon. You only want about half to burst.
• Add pasta, cook another two minutes.
• Turn the heat off, add basil and parmesan cheese. Toss to coat. If needed add more starchy pasta water.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese.

Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup water
1 tablespon olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

• Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker.
• Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over chicken breasts.
• Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.
• Shred chicken and serve with pocketless pita bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, humus and Tzatziki sauce

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

24 OREO Cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)

2 Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted

1-1/2 pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S White Chocolate (6 oz.), divided

4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened, divided

1 cup  sugar, divided

1/2 tsp.  vanilla

3  eggs

3 oz.  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

• Heat oven to 325 degrees
• Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
• Melt 5 oz. white chocolate as directed on package; cool slightly.     
• Beat 3 pkg. cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. 
• Add melted white chocolate; mix well.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.     
• Bake 50 to 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate; cool.
• Beat remaining cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended.
• Add melted semi-sweet chocolate; mix well.
• Whisk in COOL WHIP; spread over cheesecake.
• Refrigerate 4 hours. Garnish with chocolate curls from remaining white and semi-sweet chocolate.     

Chicken and Avacado Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded into large pieces
2 medium avocados, diced
1 T + 1 T fresh squeezed lime juice
salt, to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T mayo

• Shred the chicken apart until you have 2 cups of chicken shredded into fairly large chunks.
• Dice the avocados into medium-sized pieces
• Mix with 1 T of the lime juice, and season avocado with salt to taste. 
• Finely chop the cilantro. 
• Mix mayo and 1 T lime juice to make the dressing.
• Put the chicken into a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. 
• Add the dressing and toss until all the chicken is coated. 
• Add the avocado and any lime juice in the bottom of the bowl and gently combine with the chicken. 
• Add the chopped cilantro and gently mix into the salad, just until it is barely combined.
• Serve right away or chill for a while before serving. 
• This could also be served inside pita bread or croissant, or inside crisp lettuce cups.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing Mix
8 oz. jar Salsa Verde
Generous Shake of garlic powder
¾ cup Mayo
¾ cup sour cream
¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce
About 1 Tbsp lime juice
A handful of cilantro

• Throw everything into a blender. Best if made a few hours in advance. Refrigerate.

Sweet Pork Quesadillas or Tacos

5 lbs of pork loin (This is half of a pork loin from Costco. I freeze the rest for later.)
24 oz of salsa
2-4 cups of brown sugar

• put your pork in the crock pot on low with the fat part of the pork on top. Pour your salsa and 2-3 cups of brown sugar on top.
• Let it cook for about 8 hours or so. Remove the pork from the crock pot and discard the layer of fat on top.
• With two forks shred the pork. It should easily fall apart at this point. Once it is shredded put it back in the crock pot and let it continue to cook for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Serve with Cilantro Lime Dressing (Recipe Below)

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing Mix
8 oz. jar Salsa Verde
Generous Shake of garlic powder
¾ cup Mayo
¾ cup sour cream
¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce
About 1 Tbsp lime juice
A handful of cilantro

• Throw it all in a blender and mix till smooth. It’s best if made a few hours before.

Death by Chocolate Cheesecake

crust:
9 ounces chocolate cookies (I used chocolate cat cookies from Trader Joe's but you could use graham crackers or teddy grahams as well)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
filling:
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet chocolate chips)
4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (I used Neufchatel cheese)
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 4 large eggs
topping:
3/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Crush the chocolate cookies in a food processor (or by pounding them flat in a plastic bag). Put them in a small bowl and mix with sugar and melted butter, then press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake 5 minutes, then let cool while preparing the filling.

Melt the 10 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth. Mix in the eggs one at a time, blending until smooth. Fold in melted chocolate and mix until blended. Pour over crust and smooth (I used an offset spatula). Bake about one hour, or until the center is set and appears dry. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Run a plastic knife or spatula around the edges of the springform pan to release the cheesecake. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To make the topping, melt the whipping cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat, until smooth. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and spread so it covers smoothly. Chill until the topping is set, about one hour.

Chex Scotcharoos

6 cups Chex cereal

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 cups butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter a large bowl, and measure out 6 cups of Chex cereal. Set aside. Butter a 9x13 dish, OR line a baking sheet with wax paper if you would like freeform scotcharoo's.
In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup and sugar over medium heat. Once boiling, immediately remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter. Pour over cereal and fold together. Pour cereal into the 9x13 dish, or use a large cookie scoop to drop cereal onto wax paper, and use your hands to press together and form them.
Using a microwave safe dish or a double boiler, melt together chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, 1/2 cup of peanut butter and vanilla. If microwaving, heat in 10 second intervals, stirring in between to prevent the chocolate from burning.
Once smooth, pour over cereal, or scoop onto the piles you have created.
Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Pesto Ranch Chicken Thighs

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
6 ounce jar of pesto
1 package Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth

• dump everything into the crock pot & stir
• cook on High 3-4 hours or Low 6-8 hours