Chicken Taco Pasta Salad

I think it's high time for a recipe!

This is hands-down my most requested recipe.

This recipe is also from my friend, Sharla. She got it from her mother-in-law.

My kids complain that I never make this for our family. I always make it for something else & they get to enjoy the leftovers! :)



Chicken Taco Pasta Salad

by Charlene Butler

1-12 oz pkg. tri-colored Rotini pasta

3-4 chicken breasts

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 can kidney beans-drained

1 can garbanzo beans-drained

1 pkg. frozen petite corn

2 cans sliced olives, drained

1 onion, finely diced

1 green pepper-chopped

tomatoes-chopped

grated cheese

taco chips

Dressing: (Best if made the night before)

2 cups mayonnaise, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Fiesta

Dip Mix (if you can't find this, use regular Ranch dressing mix and

1/2 a package taco seasoning mix).

Mix together and refrigerate until ready to use.

(I prefer the taco seasoning mix/ranch dressing mix combination)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Cut

chicken into bite size pieces. Brown in small amount of oil. When

chicken is cooked, add taco seasoning mix and 1/4 cup water. Simmer

about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Cook corn in small amount of

water. Do not overcook, it should still be slightly crisp. Drain and cool.

In large mixing bowl, combine pasta, chicken, beans, onion, green pepper,

corn, olives and tomatoes.

Mix with dressing.

Place salad in bowl. Arrange chips around edge of

salad. Garnish with grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and olives.

Served Additional chips and grated cheese on the side.

(Tripled serves 50+ as a side)

My notes:
*I just boil the chicken…then simmer in the taco seasoning. Or, you can throw the chicken, taco seasoning and water in the crock pot and cook it that way too.

*I always serve the grated cheese on the side as it has a tendency to get soggy in the salad.

*Sometimes I leave out the tomatoes, or the peppers...you can adjust to your families tastes.

*Please, please, please use frozen petite corn. And don't overcook it!

Mango/Pomegranate Salad

I was so excited when I saw pomegranates in the store again! This is such an awesome salad, and it is so pretty and festive for the holidays.
This was served at our Relief Society Christmas Dinner last year.

Mango/Pomegranate Salad

Spring mix or Romaine lettuce or a mixture of both

Equal parts raspberry vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette, mixed together (1/2 a bottle of each for a small crowd)

Mango, cut and chopped (Go HERE for a great tutorial.)

Pomegranate Seeds (Tutorial HERE )

Sweet onion, very thinly sliced

Whole almonds, roughly chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together. Toss with dressing to coat salad.

*My notes:

There weren't any actual measurements, so I used a large bag of salad, 1 pomegranate, 1 mango, 1 onion, and about a cup of almonds, and not quite a bottle of the dressing (the 1/2 and 1/2 mix). So, you can adjust the measurements the way you like. Add more mango, more pomegranate, whatever you want!

You can buy pomegranate seeds and already cut mango pieces at Costco. Just in case anyone wants that option! :)

Also, this salad doesn't keep well, it gets soggy after you add the dressing. Next time I make it, I'm not going to toss it with the dressing, I'll let everyone add their own dressing to their salad.

(Sorry about the spacing...still having issues with that!)

Mom's Potato Salad

We were in Utah last week, looking for a house. (Yes, we found one).

We spent the 4th of July celebrating with family. It was the kind of weekend full of all the reasons we are looking forward to moving back (family, fun, food to name a few) and all of the reasons we are not. But this is my "happy blog" so I'm not even gonna go there!

I hauled my camera everywhere, but didn't take any pictures. I was in a bit of a funk, so you'll have to forgive me.

The boys had a great time hanging out with aunts, uncles, cousins and grand-parents. There was fishing, and fireworks...(not together). And some funny antics of my sister-in-law!

Shane got covered in mosquito bites...he looks like he has the chicken pox! We rarely worry about mosquitoes here in AZ. I'll have to remember to stock up on bug spray.

My mom makes the best Potato Salad. Ever.
She made it for our barbecue. It was so yummy, I ate 2 big helpings! I've been trying to make it too, but my results are less than perfect. Once I bit into hers, I knew I was still off the mark. But I haven't given up yet, I'll still keep trying!

Mom's Potato Salad

5 1/2 Pounds Red Potatoes

1 Quart Miracle Whip (no substitutions, please)

1/4-1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard

1 Small Onion, diced

1 lb. Bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

Salt and Pepper to taste

Scrub potatoes, boil with skins on until just cooked. (Do not overcook the potatoes). Cool. Peel and dice potatoes. Mix together Miracle Whip, mustard, onions and salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes and stir gently until all potatoes are coated. Stir in bacon pieces. Chill until ready to serve. Best if made a day or two ahead.

*My notes: My last attempt was way too saucy and way too mustardy! So I've cut the mustard back to 1/4 a cup and then will add more if it needs it. Mom's doesn't taste "mustardy" at all! Of course, she doesn't use a recipe, she just throws it together, so the amounts are just her guesstimates. I'll keep tweaking it! You could also add pickles or hard boiled eggs, whatever you like in your potato salad. And a word about the Miracle Whip...I've tried it with Mayo and it just ain't the same (and I hate MW, but for this recipe...mayo just doesn't cut it!).

*EDIT 8/13/2011: I cut the mustard back to a little more than 1/8 of a cup. And on my mom's suggestion, I mixed the Miracle Whip, mustard, salt and pepper together, tasting it as I went along, until the flavor was right. Then I added it to the other ingredients. Perfect!!!

p.s. The picture is of my too saucy, too mustardy version. Just so ya know.