LIKE FOOD CITY'S PASTA SALAD

1 Can Sliced Mushrooms, drained
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, or more to your liking
1 Medium Tomato, chopped medium, deseeded
1 Cucumber with hull, chopped medium, deseeded
1 Box Tri-Colored Spiral Pasta, cooked and drained
Italian Dressing, bottled kind

In a medium saucepan cook the past and drain and let cool. Cut up the vegs. Put the pasta in a medium bowl and add all the vegs. Pour just enough italian dressing over this to get it wet. May add more if you like. Stir good and ref. before serving for the flavors to blend.

LIKE FOOD CITY'S CORN SALAD

1 Bag Frozen Corn, unthawed or 1/2 bag
1 Cucumber, deseeded and diced, medium
1 Tomato, deseeded and diced small
1 Small Onion, chopped small
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, diced small
Salt and Pepper
Mayo to your taste

Unthaw the corn and use 1/2 bag or 1 bag according to how much you are making. Dice the cucumber and leave the hull on. Chop the onion and tomato. Put in the corn in a medium bowl. Salt and pepper to your taste. Last add the mayo to your taste. Start out by using a little. Just use enough to make it wet. Stir good and keep ref. This is very good.

BROCCOLI CHICKEN CREAM CHEESE CASSEROLE

2 Tablespoons Butter or Marg.
2 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups Chicken Broth

8 Oz. Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Minced Onion
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Minced Garlic
2-3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 Box Rotini Noodles
1/2 Bag Frozen Broccoli, steamed

Cook the pasta until it is slightly firm. In a medium skillet using medium heat put the butter in and melt it and then add the flour and wisk it and make a rue. Then slowly add the chicken broth and keep wisking it. Bring to a gentle boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the cream cheese and mix well. Next add the seasonings. Mix again. Taste to see if you need to add any more seasonings. Let this simmer for around 5 mintues. Spray a 13 x 9 pan. In a medium bowl pour the cubed chicken and pasta. Next add the broccoli. Then pour the seasoning mixture over all this and stir. Pour this into the pan and bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

HOW TO KEEP LETTUCE LONGER

Store lettuce and celery in the crisper in the ref. in paper bags instead of plastic. They will keep longer.

PASTA TIPS

For best taste and texture, look for pasta, either Italian or American, made from durum wheat flour or semolia flour.
Cook pasta that has been packaged in carboard boxes. The carboard keeps the light out of the packs which can destroy riboflavin, an inportant nutrient found in pasta.
Do not put pasta in a clear container.

When cooking past always add salt to the water before adding the pasta as it takes the water longer to come to a boil with salt in it. The salt helps season the pasta while cooking.
Do not add oil to pasta when cooking as the sauce will not stick to the pasta when you add sauce to it.
Do not rinse pasta unless the recipe says to. It removes the starch which lets the sauce cling to it.
When using pasta in a dish that calls for baking let the pasta be a little undercooked.

Do not over cook pasta. Let it be a little firm.
Just stir the pasta to keep it from sticking.

GARLIC TIP

When mincing garlic sprinkle a little salt on it and it will not stick to your knife or cutting board.

FRYING BACON

Did you know that if you will dip bacon in cold water before frying it the bacon will not curl up.