Copycat Boston Market Tortellini Salad

Copycat Boston Market Tortellini Salad
Source: Taste of Home Forum

1 large pkg. (about 40-48 oz) cheese tortellini
16 oz. creamy Caesar dressing
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3-6 tbsp. water
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mix
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash original seasoning
1 red pepper, diced

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Mix remaining ingredients together. Stir in the tortellini. Chill overnight for best flavors.

*****

My husband worked at Boston Market as a teenager - almost 20-ish years ago. He all of a sudden remembered that he LOVED their tortellini salad, and off to Google he ran. We cooked up this recipe really quick and threw it in the fridge to let the flavors meld overnight. This turned out great. My husband declared it to be just like he remembered and said to add it to our rotation of recipes. I thought that it was pretty good too. I'm not big on pasta salads of any kind, but overall, I thought it was really good.

*We buy frozen tricolor tortellini in 48 ounce bags.

Taco Joe aka Taco Chili

Taco Joe aka Taco Chili
Source: GroceryBudget101.com

1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can Fire Roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced onion (I left this out)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
*For chili add 1 (29 oz) can diced tomatoes

Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat until flavors combine. Can also be cooked on low in a slow cooker.

Serve over brown rice, in whole wheat tortillas, with tortilla chips or corn bread.

*****

Everyone declared this recipe a keeper. I honestly expected my oldest daughter to take one bite and turn up her nose, but she did the opposite. She took one bite and declared that she loved it. She and I ate ours like a dip with tortilla chips. My husband ate his on whole wheat tortillas, and my three year old son at his with a spoon (with cornbread and tortilla chips as a side).

The only thing I might do differently next time is just to use a can of petite diced tomatoes instead of the fire roasted tomatoes. No real reason for the possible swap other than to see how it turns out.


Please excuse the almost empty looking pot. I forgot to take a picture until after we ate dinner. The picture is also deceiving because there was a lot more leftover than it looks like.

Oven Hot Dogs

Oven Hot Dogs
Inspiration: In the Wabe

Ingredients:
Hot dogs
Hot dog buns
Toppings (ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, onions, etc)
Chili (I used Hormel canned chili)
Shredded cheese

Directions:
Line a 9x13-inch casserole dish with aluminum foil. (This step isn't necessary, but it does help with getting the hot dogs out later.)

Fill buns with toppings, such as ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish, whatever you like. Top with a hot dog. Line them up in your pan. You can fit 8 hot dogs in the buns, in your dish.

Top generously with chili, cheese and things like onions if you're using them. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Carefully remove from the pan and eat. If you lined the pan with aluminum foil, you may be able to lift it out of the pan and onto the counter to dish. If you didn't, be careful dishing out the first couple of hot dogs because they will be hot and it's really easy to drop one. Eat like a normal hot dog on a bun, or if too messy with a knife and fork. Either way it's very yummy!