I’ve been making this Chicken Pasta Salad for over twenty years. It’s quick, easy, and my family loves it. I realized this week that I had never shared the recipe here.  Enjoy.

 

Chicken Pasta Salad

2 pounds Rotini Pasta, or whatever shape you want to use

3 cups of cooked, diced chicken

2 cups mayo

1 cup milk

1/2 cup parmasean cheese

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

 

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In large bowl, whisk together mayo, milk, & parmesan cheese until smooth. Add chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, and cooked pasta. Stir gently until everything is combined.

Chill in fridge until ready to serve. Serve on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle with more parmesan cheese, if desired.

 

You can use any shape pasta you would like. You can easily adjust the dressing if you like more or less on your pasta salad. You can add any vegetables you like to this. I also like onions and green bell peppers in this. Using leftover chicken and left over salad veggies is a great way to make this a very frugal recipe. Recipe can easily be cut in half, if you don’t need this much. Stores well in fridge, and is great as leftovers.

 

Here’s a printable version of the recipe.

 

 

 

Last week, I tried Crock Pot Mongolian Beef for the first time. It was a big hit! Everyone in the family loved it. It will be on our menu regularly now, as it’s delicious, and so easy. I made it with ground beef and here’s what it looked like.

 

Here’s the Frittata and homemade oven fried potatoes I made on Saturday night:

My family really likes Frittatas. And I like that they are easy. I often use left over meat and vegetables in it to make it a very frugal meal.

 

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:

 

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Frittata made with homemade turkey sausage, homemade oven fried potatoes

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Eggs & toast for lunch, hot dogs, homemade baked beans, cucumbers, carrot sticks

Monday – chicken – Oven Baked Chicken, brown rice, broccoli

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, green beans

Wednesday – beef – Tacos with all the fixings

Thursday – chicken – Chicken Pasta Salad

Friday – Sabbath Dinner – Cookout – Hot dogs, homemade potato salad, homemade baked beans, chips, homemade cookies, marshmallows

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

Nothing major happened in my kitchen this week. Unless you count meals and snacks for everyone! On Saturday I said to hy husband – out loud – that I was so tired of coming up with meals every day. I’m just feeling so burnt out. It’s not easy coming up with all the meals and snacks for a family of 7, then we send my father in law next door supper 6 days a week. Per his request, we don’t send anything on Sundays.

So I am officially declaring Sundays my day off from the kitchen. Everyone is on their own. I will make sure that there is sandwich stuff, including plenty of homemade bread, or leftovers. I know I will have a mess to clean up on Monday. I always have a huge mess to clean up after the family has been in the kitchen. sigh….  I’m hoping a day of rest will relieve this burnt out feeling. And that I will be inspired to cook again.

I found this Free printable oven friendly dinner menu the other day. I’m adding two of the crock pot recipes to my menu this week. They look really good and, most importantly, easy!

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:

 

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Husband cooked! Fish Filets & sticks with homemade oven fries

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Chicken sandwiches, Egg sandwiches, homemade pickles, carrot sticks

Monday – chicken – Oven Baked Chicken, baked potatoes, corn, peas

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pizza with garlic crust, and homemade turkey sausage and onions, carrot sticks

Wednesday – beef – Crock Pot Mongolian Beef -Made with ground beef or if I have time meatballs, rice, broccoli

Thursday – chicken – Cheesy Crunchy Onion Chicken, mashed potatoes (trying to make them in the crockpot), green beans

Friday – Sabbath Dinner – Cookout – Hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade baked beans, carrot sticks, marshmallows

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

In the kitchen last week…..it seems I didn’t do anything major. I did spend a couple of days getting everything ready for the graduation party on Saturday. It certainly does take awhile when you make everything from scratch. But we had a great party, and now we’re moving onto the 4th of July. If your having a cookout, let me help you prepare!

Read my post How to Prepare for a Large Cookout. I offer lots of ideas and help to help you prepare so you can enjoy the cookout, too.

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:

 

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Graduation Party – Hamburgers with all the fixin’s, hot dogs, homemade baked beans, homemade potato salad, homemade macaroni salad, chips, homemade cake, homemade ice cream

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – party leftovers!

Monday – chicken – Oven Baked Chicken, baked potatoes, corn

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, broccoli

Wednesday – beef – Tacos with all the fixings

Thursday – chicken – Cookout with all the same  stuff as Saturday  🙂

Friday – Sabbath Dinner –   Cookout at church, leftovers for my father in law, and anyone who doesn’t go to the cookout

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

My main project this week was getting ready for our double homeschool high school graduation. Details coming in Our Homeschool Week in Review on Friday. Here are a few pictures of the table at graduation

We served sub sandwiches, chips, dip, and cup cakes. That’s what the graduates picked, so that’s what they got.  🙂

 

I absolutely love my Tupperware Chip ‘N Dip Bowl. (Linked to my Tupperware website, if you click and order something, I will receive a commission) The lid to the bowl turns into a divided serving tray. The little dip bowls have lids, so you can make your dip ahead of time and put it in the fridge. The chip bowl is huge, 1 1/2 gallons, I put in two big bags of chips. You can also use it as a punch bowl. I really love it!

Chocolate cup cakes are yummy no matter how you serve them! lol

 

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

 

In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:

 

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Hot dogs, salad with homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Subs, chips, and cup cakes for graduation lunch

Monday – chicken – Oven Baked Chicken, oven fried potatoes, green beans, broccoli

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Pizza, carrot sticks

Wednesday – beef – Tacos with all the fixings

Thursday – chicken – Chicken Pasta Salad

Friday – Sabbath Dinner –   leftovers, I think…… lol

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

I love making homemade salad dressings. Store bought salad dressings are not only expensive, but contain many ingredients that we are trying to avoid. Making salad dressing is really easy, and it only takes a couple of minutes to put together.

So far, I’ve made Italian Salad Dressing Mix and Homemade Ranch Dressing. I recently came up with this recipe for Homemade French Salad Dressing.

French is one of my daughters favorite salad dressing. This recipe passes her taste test.  🙂  In fact, my whole family loves it. All the ingredients are staples in my kitchen, so I can quickly whip up a batch whenever we want salad.

We plan on trying it with honey in place of the sugar. I think that will make the dressing even better.

 

Homemade French Salad Dressing

2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
dash paprika
dash onion powder

Combine all ingredients in jar or blender. Shake or blend until well combined.
Store leftovers in fridge.

 

Here’s a printer friendly version.

 

 

Now, to decide what to make next!

I didn’t do anything major in the kitchen this week. Really, All I did was cook our meals, and wash dishes. A was rather boring in the kitchen with Linda this week. Tomorrow should be a little exciting. I’m making lasagna with homemade meat sauce and homemade ricotta that my daughter is making. I’m having a birthday dinner for my mother tomorrow, so I’m also making chocolate cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcakes are always exciting.  🙂

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….

 

What’s For Dinner?

Dinner Menu:

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Leftovers!

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Chicken sandwiches for lunch, dinner out for Father’s Day

Monday – chicken – BBQ Chicken with homemade barbacue sauce, oven fried potatoes, peas

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Lasagna made with homemade ricotta & homemade meat sauce, broccoli

Wednesday – beef – Tacos with all the fixings

Thursday – chicken – Chicken Pasta Salad

Friday – Sabbath Dinner – Meatloaf, rice, corn

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday