Recipe(tried): Cool and Light Supper Tonight! Tortellini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Salad, Chicken-Pecan Quiche a la Debbie D./Alabama, Summer Lemon Torte

Hello Everyone,

It has been unbearably and unseasonaly hot lately here in central Florida. So much so, that one just is not in the mood to be in the kitchen making anything elaborate or planning on eating anything too warm...so I thought a nice cool salad and a quiche would fit the bill. I finally decided on a cool tortellini and sun-dried tomato salad and one of Debbie D's famous quiches.

Yesterday I noticed a quirky sound coming from the garage door, everytime I opened or closed it. Upon further investigation, on a ladder no less...I discovered the horizontal bar that helps pull the door open, the one on the ceiling...well it had come disconnected from the bar that is screwed onto a wood board on the stucco wall. Yikes!!

Thank goodness I had mentioned it to a good neighbor of mine, Terry. She promptly told me that her DH could fix anything, a very handy man indeed! She sent him right over to inspect and he told me he was very confident he could fix it. Boy was he ever right! This morning he arrived, spent an hour on it and got it right back on track!! What a wonderful neighbor!!

I will also be posting my Mother's Day menu as I will be having Mama over on that day. Hopefully a breeze will allow us to sit outdoors in the shade later on in the day. I am planning a special menu just for her....

Here are the recipes for tonight's meal!

Happy Cooking!! Gina

Tortellini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Salad
Cool and refreshing salad....

8 oz. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, undrained
1 large fresh tomato, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
8 oz. marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
4 oz. whole cashews
1 lb. dried cheese-filled tortellini, cooked, drained and cooled

Drain tomatoes, reserving 1 T. of its oil. Chop and set aside. Combine reserved 1 T. of sun-dried oil, olive oil and next 4 ingred. Stir in chopped tomato, artichokes and cashews. Add tortellini and toss lightly. Let salad stand at room temp. for 1 hour for flavors to blend or chill overnight. Great with grilled chicken.

CHICKEN-PECAN QUICHE a la Debbie D/Alabama

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream (I used no-fat)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 large eggs, lightly beaten--egg substitute can be used instead
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup pecan halves
3 drops of hot sauce (I left this out!)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. Add oil; stir well. Firmly press mixture in bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool completely.

Combine sour cream and next three ingredients; stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Stir in chicken, 1/2 cup cheese, onion, and hot sauce(optional). Pour chicken mixture over prepared crust. Arrange pecan halves over chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.NOTES****A deep-dish pie crust can be substituted for the cheese/pecan crust. Just sprinkle the bottom of the pie crust with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Add the cup of cheese and the pecans to the chicken/sour cream mixture. Prebake the pie crust for about 10 minutes.

Summer Lemon Torte

1 angel food cake
l can Comstock Lemon Filling
1 large container cool whip
zest from 1 lemonSplit angel food cake 4 times horizontally. Fold in a 3 heaping tablespoons of cool whip into the lemon filling and blend well.
Fill the layers with the filling, frost with the cool whip and decorate with fresh lemon zest. Refrigerate and serve cold.