It's been so warm, I've been thinking about salads a lot lately. I love the sound of this dressing. GREEK PASTA SALAD (The Perfect Pantry) For the dressing: 1 garlic clove 7 sun-dried or slow-roasted tomato halves, roughly chopped 2 Tbsp plain nonfat yogurt 1 tsp Greek seasoning 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1-1/2 tsp agave nectar (or honey, or sugar substitute) 5-6 tsp water For the salad: 8 oz rotini or other twisty pasta (I use Dreamfields) 1-1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes, any type 1 cup diced cucumber (I use seedless English cucumber) 1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup pitted large black olives, sliced in half 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, or more to taste In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients, and blend on high speed until smooth. If you'd like the dressing thinner, add a bit more water. Set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to the boil in a large pot. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and add to a large mixing bowl. Combine all remaining ingredients in the mixing bowl along with as much of the dressing as you like. Garnish with some extra dill fronds, and serve at room temperature.

Woooo, yum! Does that ever sound good Luckygardner! I'm going to make this tonite, unless our neighbour barbecues. He has generously offered to let us use his barbecue. Chicken Breasts with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce (Food.com) 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 medium shallot , minced (about 1/4 cup) 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook 7 minutes. Turn chicken over. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 7 minutes longer or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with tip of a knife. Transfer chicken to plate. In same skillet, cook shallot 2 minutes, stirring. In a cup, mix broth and cornstarch. Add broth mixture, jam and vinegar to skillet; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cook sauce 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring. Return chicken to skillet; heat through.

These sounds easy and yummy for brunch. Similar to Nodakgal's really good cinnamon rolls. SUPER STICKY BUNS 1 tablespoon butter 1 25-ounce package frozen Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls (or other frozen bread rolls) 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries 1cup toasted, chopped pecans 1 stick butter, melted 1 cup brown sugar, divided 2 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt Coat bottom of 9 x 13 pan with butter, then sprinkle with raisins (or dried cranberries) and pecans. Place package of frozen Bridgford parkerhouse rolls on top of pecans and raisins. Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and milk and mix well. Pour over rolls and cover pan with a damp towel. Place in a cold oven overnight*. Remove towel; preheat oven on to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, until tops are browned and juices are bubbling. 6. Invert onto serving tray, scooping out any remaining glaze and drizzling over top. Serve immediately. *You can start these early in the morning instead of at night and let them sit in a warm place for 3-4 hours. If you're going to do them overnight, put them together right before you go to bed and bake right when you get up. Make sure your house is fairly cool - they can over-rise if they sit too long in a warm spot.

Welcome back Luckygardner!!! You'll have a lot of catching up to do here. Asian "Salisbury Steaks" (Eating Well) 12 ounces extra-lean ground beef 3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper 3/4 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided 4 bunches or 2 4-ounce bags watercress, trimmed (16 cups) 1/2 cup Shao Hsing rice wine, (see Ingredient note) or dry sherry 1. Place rack in upper third of oven; preheat the broiler. Coat a broiler pan and rack with cooking spray. 2. Gently mix beef, bell pepper, scallions, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until just combined. Form the mixture into 4 oblong patties and place on the broiler-pan rack. Brush the tops of the patties with 1 teaspoon oil. Broil, flipping once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. 3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add watercress and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, 1 to 3 minutes. Divide the watercress among 4 plates. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add rice wine (or sherry) and the remaining 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce and stir until smooth, bubbling and slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Top the watercress with the Salisbury steaks and drizzle with the pan sauce. Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets' Asian sections.