A Great Recipe

1 trusworthy babysitter
1 wonderful husband/friend (probably hanging out in your pantry) with some eat out dough on them
1 empty tummy (optional)

Locate the closest Macaroni Grill. Proceed there and order as an appetizer the Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Cakes. Munch on that with their yummy yummy bread. Order anything you care for as an entree but I could eat my weight in Marsala Chicken Ravioli..oh my. Then try out their Lemon Passion...a little lemony for me but still anything sitting in sweet cream is marvelous. Ask for them to come box early. I am full before my plate arrives and if it's sitting there I will eat it.

Here's a locator link to make it easier for ya...Enjoy!
http://www.macaronigrill.com/Menu/LocationSearch.aspx

Delicious Ham & Potato Soup

I totally put myself through college working at Benningan's Grill & Tavern. Sadly, the entire restaurant chain went out of business last year. The only reason this is sad is because there are a few choice items from their menu that we will truly miss. Jacob will miss the Kilkenny's Country Chicken Salad (dressing on the side, no eggs), potato skins, and I thought I would forever miss their Ultimate Baked Potato Soup. Well, not any more! Due to these ridiculous cold spells, I've had a hankering for soup lately. I went on allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe site) and found this AWESOME recipe. I have made it twice so far and I plan on keeping it in the family for the rest of my days. I mean, it had been rated 5 stars by over 2,000 people! It will definitely be worth your while to make this recipe, and you most likely have all the items you will need already in your pantry.

The only thing I did differently from the recipe, was use Chicken Broth (98% fat free low sodium) instead of water and add shredded cheese on top. It is the perfect soup to warm you up!

Mock Olive Garden Salad

It's high time we got a new recipe on here.

Olive Garden is my all time favorite place to eat and I could eat their salad all day long. Here is a pretty darn close version of it. You can adjust the veggies to your liking.

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
small can whole black olives
small jar marinated artichoke hearts
salad peppers - to taste
red onion, sliced - to taste
red pepper, chunked - to tasted
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
diced tomatoes
croutons
1 pkg. Good Seasons Garlic Parmesan or Italian Parmesan Dressing made with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Toss everything together, saving tomatoes, croutons and salad dressing until right before serving.