Bowtie pasta salad with peas

I got this recipe from my neighbor after I had eaten it a few times at our neighborhood BBQs.  It is a keeper.  Even my brother, Chad, loved it so it is a 2 thumbs up!

Bow-tie pasta (I like the mini bow-tie pasta)
1/2 purple onion chopped
toasted almonds
peas
shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive Garden dressing (or your favorite creamy Italian salad dressing)
Mayonnaise

This recipe is one that you just combine how much you like...so there are no EXACT measurements!

Boil 1/2 box of pasta (unless it is for a party, then cook it all!).  After pasta is cooked, add peas, chopped onions and toasted almonds.  Mix 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of dressing.  Stir it into the pasta.  Add some Parmesan cheese to the salad and stir in also.  Put the salad in the fridge and let it chill for a couple of hours before eating.  YUMMY!

Chili Mix

Here is another mix that I received from Luanne.  I haven't tried it yet, but Olivia made up 10 mixes (in baggies) of this today!  I made my mixes for half a recipe.

PAINTED DESERT CHILI MIX IN A JAR

       (This makes a BIG pot of soup. I usually cut it in half)

6 T. dried parsley

4 T. granulated garlic

2 T. taco seasoning

2 t. dried onion flakes

2 T. taco seasoning

2 T. cumin

2 T. paprika

2 T. white cornmeal

2 T. taco seasoning

2 T. chili powder

1 c. small dried white beans

¼ c. small black beans

1 c. small red beans

Layer the ingredients like sand art. Don’t worry about getting the layers even as the effect of the desert sand comes from the rippled appearance of the spices. One tip is to carefully add each seasoning along the edges of the jar , then fill in the middle of the layer. This way, all of the colors show along the edges.

Attach these instructions to the jar:

Pour contents into a 12 quart pot.

Add:

1 medium diced onion

4 cans diced tomatoes

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

49 ounces tomato juice ( large can)

2 pounds ground beef or turkey, browned.

Fill the remainder of the pot with water. Bring to a boil, let simmer for 2 ½ hours to 3 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Great in a crock pot.

Chicken Noodle Soup Mix

Here is another soup mix recipe that I received from Luanne.  I'm adding this to my food storage (I package my soup mixes in baggies)!

Chicken Noodle Soup Mix in a Jar

Place the following ingredients in an airtight jar:

1 cup uncooked fine egg noodles

1 ½ T. chicken flavored bouillon

½ t ground black pepper

¼ t. dried thyme

1/8 t. celery seeds

1/8 t. garlic powder

1 bay leaf

(Note: I used dried ¼ c. dried carrots, ¼ c. dried celery, and 2 T. dried minced onion instead of the fresh veggies for a more complete soup mix. If desired, may add a cup or so of water to compensate for the dehydrated vegetables.)

Attach this recipe to the jar:

Entire contents of the soup mix from the jar +

8 cups water

(2 carrots, diced)

(¼ cup minced onion)

(2 stalks celery, diced)

3 cups cooked diced chicken

Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf, stir in the chicken and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Tortilla Soup Mix

Luanne has made this soup for my family and they enjoyed it, especially Olivia.  So I hounded her until she tracked down the recipe from a person that moved out of her ward (thank you Luanne!).  They put the soups together in mixes (in baggies instead of jars).  We had a simple meal of this soup (made by Olivia) and a loaf of bread of out the breadmaker (made by Vivian)!  Easy and delicious.  

Tomorrow Olivia is going to package up a bunch of mixes so it's ready to go next time.

TORTILLA SOUP MIX IN A JAR

1 cup converted long grain rice

2 to 2 ½ cups slightly crushed tortilla chips

(substitute  ½ cup dried corn instead of chips for longer shelf life + corn flavor and add chips when served if desired)

1 5 oz. can chicken

1 (10) ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles

          (or add  your own bottled tomatoes and add chiles)

Seasonings:

2 T. chicken bouillon granules

2 t. lemon flavored sugar

          ( I added 1/8 tsp lemon powder to sugar)

1 t. lemon pepper

1 t. cilantro leaves, if desired

1 t. ground cumin

½ t, garlic granules

½ t. salt

¼ c. dried minced onion

1 wide-mouth quart jar, lid and square of fabric with ribbon if giving as a gift.

Place seasonings in the jar in this order. Add the rice first. Add the seasonings packet into the jar. Fill with tortilla chips. Add the lid to the jar.

To use:

In a 1 gallon pot, add the rice and 10 cups of water. Add the tomatoes and chiles, can of chicken (broken up) and the seasoning packet from the jar. Bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheese as desired.