Carol's Puteneska

1 box angel hair pasta
5-7 tomatoes diced- any variety will work
3-4 tbls olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 pack of feta
10 basil leaves chiffonade
balsamic vinegar- to taste

heat olive oil and garlic in a pan until garlic browns lightly. Add 3/4 of your diced tomatoes to the browned garlic and let it cook down. Meanwhile, cook your angel hair pasta. When the pasta is done add it to the tomatoes and garlic. Turn off heat, and add the remaining tomatoes. Toss with feta and basil in a bowl. Add balsamic to taste.

Guaranteed Juicy Chicken Breast

I found this recipe on Yahoo Answers of all places! Sketchy, I know, but I've tried this several times with my $5 pan in my apartment and it turns out amazing every time. Super juicy and delicious!

1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness with the handle or flat of a knife.

2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts.

3. Mix about a half teaspoon of salt in with the flour along with a little pepper. Chop the herbs finely, if using, and mix in as well.

4. Quickly dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, so that they are just lightly dusted with flour.

5. Heat the sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the olive oil and butter. Let them melt, and swirl the pan.

6. Turn the heat to medium. Add the chicken breasts. Cook for just about 1 minute to help them get a little golden on one side (you are not actually searing or browning them). Then flip each chicken breast over.

7. Turn the heat to low. Put the lid on the pan. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and walk away. Do not lift the lid; do not peek.

8. After 10 minutes have elapsed, turn off the heat. Reset the timer for 10 minutes and leave the chicken breasts in the pan. Again, do not lift the lid; do not peek.

9. After the 10 minutes are up, take the lid off, and tada! Soft, tender, juicy chicken breasts that aren't dried out in the least. Doublecheck them to make sure there is no pink in the middle. Slice and eat.

Taco Soup

Serves 10-12 (or serve half and then freeze the other half for later)
From Kerri
Prep 15 min

Combine in a large pot the following:

2 lbs ground beef, browned with chopped onion
1 C water
1 packet Taco Seasoning (or make your own taco seasoning-see below), dissolved into water
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomatoes (can be diced, or whatever consistency you would like)
(nothing needs to be pre-drained, just pour it into the pot)

Heat it up.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and grated cheese.

Taco Seasoning Recipe
(This makes quite a bit so you can make it and store what is left in a ziploc bag with your other spices. About 2-3 Tbs does the trick for this recipe)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons chili powder (regular chili powder, not cayene unless you like a lot of heat)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
3 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch

1 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 packet ranch dressing mix (not buttermilk or dip, the dressing kind)
2 tomatillos
1/2 jalepeno
2-3 limes
3/4 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

Cafe Rio Pork

Okay, I made this tonight and WOW!!! I finally made it taste like the real deal!!! Here's what I did:

6lbs pork loin (I've heard shoulder is better for shredding)
1 2 liter bottle of coke (NOT diet)
1 can green chilies
1 jar pace salsa
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
2 cloves garlic

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Cover with coke (about 1/2 bottle) and cook on high in crock pot for 2-3 hours. Drain off all liquid and dump it. Blend up chilies, salsa garlic and brown sugar. Pour over pork and let cook another 2 hours. Shred the pork. Drain off the liquid into a pot, add the rest of the coke and reduce the liquid by about half by boiling 5-10 minutes or so. Pour that liquid back onto the pork and let cook about another hour.

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

UPDATE: I cooked the pork shoulder like it says above, but after I shredded it, I drained it and then boiled 2 cups of coke, 1/4 cup brown sugar, garlic power, onion salt, cumin and chili powder until it reduced by about 1/2. Then I poured it over the shredded pork and let it sit in the crock pot for about 30 min before we ate. NAILED IT. I read that people use red enchilada sauce too but I didn't have any.