Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Buttermilk ranch Dressing mix
2/3 buttermilk
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tomatillos (remove husk, cut quarters)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
juice from 1 lime
1 jalapeño pepper ( no seeds)
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend well. Refrigerate

Cafe Rio Style Rice

5 Cups water
4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
4 teaspoon garlic minced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green Chiles
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 onion
21/2 cup rice

Blend cilantro green Chiles, and onion together in food processor.
Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer cover 30
minutes.

Best pizza I ever made

Have you seen the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate? Well, if you have then imagine this is my episode of the best pizza I ever made. And maybe even the best pizza I ever ate, which is saying a lot considering the amazingness of Pizzeria 712. The crust alone is to die for, so don't cheat and make a different crust or buy something pre-made - it's worth the time (oh, did I mention you need to start it about 6 hours before you want to serve it?) And without further ado, I give you:

Pizza Bianca with Goat Cheese and Greens

Crust

• 3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (from 1 envelope)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour

Seasoned oil

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Topping

• 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 ounces), white ribs cut away
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• Yellow cornmeal
• 8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
• 4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

For crust:
Pour 3/4 cup water into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand 10 minutes to dissolve yeast. Add oil and salt, then 1 1/2 cups flour. Stir until well blended (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, about 5 minutes (dough will be soft). Shape dough into ball; place in large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel. Let dough rise at cool room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down; form into ball. Return to bowl; cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare seasoned oil:
Mix oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Let stand 1 hour.

For topping:
Cook chard in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Squeeze dry, then coarsely chop. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chard and stir 1 minute. Season to taste with salt.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Punch down dough. Form into ball; place on floured work surface. Cover with kitchen towel; let rest 30 minutes.

Sprinkle rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella over dough, leaving 1-inch border. Scatter chard over mozzarella. Top with goat cheese. Brush crust edge with some of seasoned oil. Set aside 2 teaspoons seasoned oil; drizzle remaining oil over pizza.

Bake pizza until crust is brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven; brush edge with seasoned oil and serve.

Recipe found HERE

Jessie's variations:

I also added some fingerling potatoes on top. Just boil the potatoes until tender (about 10 minutes), slice thin and arrange on top of the chard. I also sprinkle a little bit of garlic salt with the cornmeal on the bottom.

Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

So tonight I made this as a side dish to our dinner. Oh. So. Yummy ...

2 c. white or Jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Handful of chopped green onions, plus chopped green onion tops for garnish (we're using the whole animal here...)
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add green onions, black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.

recipe found here

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, spinach and feta

I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO good. So very good. And easy. Walmart (yuck) was out of spinach (what!? I know) so I added a cup of frozen peas instead. It was amazing.

1 cup orzo
Salt-about 1/2 tsp. for boiling water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup packed fresh spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the salt. Stir in orzo. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain orzo and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add in asparagus pieces. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook until asparagus is tender and the spinach shrinks down.

3. Put the orzo in a medium bowl and add in the vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the orzo and vegetables. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Taste-add more lemon juice if you wish. The lemon I used was huge, so I only needed to use one lemon. If you need more juice, go ahead.

4. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower Puree

My baby doesn't like to eat her veggies, so I have to get creative. Sometimes I hide peas in her apple sauce, and sometimes I make this mac and cheese with cauliflower. Both work, but this tastes better.

1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 package shredded cheddar/jack
1 16 oz. package of elbow macaroni ( I used the multigrain Barilla Plus with protein and Omega-3)
salt and nutmeg to taste
bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cook the macaroni in salted water till al dente (err on the undercooked side as the pasta will cook some more in the oven).

Melt the butter over medium low in a deep skillet or shallow pot. Add cauliflower and onion and stew, covered, for 15 minutes (stir occasionally but do not let it brown). Barely cover with water and simmer for about 20 minutes, till vegetables are tender. Puree vegetables in a blender or food processor (you may need to drain off some of the water). Pour puree back into the pot, and add most of the package of cheese, reserving some to sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Season with salt and nutmeg.

(At this point, you could serve the "sauce" as soup. Think about that for another meal.)

Mix sauce with pasta, pour into a baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese. A sprinkle of bread crumbs would be nice as well. Cover with foil and bake till heated through. I didn't time mine, but I think it took at least 30 minutes. Finish in the broiler if you like crunchy goodness on top. YUM.

ALFREDO VARIATION: Instead of the cheddar/jack mixture, use parmesan, and add a bit of fresh garlic to the cauliflower/onion saute. Mix with cooked fettuccine and garnish with chopped parsley.

Next: I intend to throw cauliflower in with the potatoes for mashing. No one will suspect a thing.

With all my heart

I endorse the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook.

Some of you may have advanced beyond this level; I have not. I love the "prep time" and "cook time" notes; the calorie counts and low fat suggestions; the slow cooker instructions; the underdone, well done, overdone pictures; and the non-snotty approach to "Know nothing about cooking? Here you go, step-by-step!"

Seriously my favorite.