Our Family Favorites

Strawberry stuffed french toast

2011-04-07T22:01:00.000-04:00

Approx. 16 inches of hoagie roll bread

2 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese (softened at room temperature)

2 oz. plain fat free greek yogurt

3 TBSP. strawberry jam

3 egg whites

1/2 C skim milk

1 TBSP. ground cinnamon

1/4 C strawberries (diced)

1 TBSP sugar

Slice your bread into 1 1/2-2 inch slices. Then using a paring knife, cut a deep slit across the top in the middle of each slice. This will form your pocket. (don't cut all the way through!) Set bread aside.

Chop and rinse strawberries and put them in a bowl with sugar--set them aside.

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, greek yogurt, and strawberry jam together. MIX WELL.

Preheat skillet or griddle to about 350 degrees. (I use a big griddle, but you could use a pan over the stove as well)

Now it's time to get your egg dip ready. In a bowl, beat egg whites, milk, and cinnamon together. Take your strawberry filling and stuff a generous Tablespoon of it into your bread slice. Fill in with fresh strawberries. (you can also mix the strawberries in with the filling and save a step!) Soak your bread for about 15-20 seconds on each side in the egg mixture, and place on the griddle. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with powdered sugar and/or sliced almonds.

Could also serve with a light syrup, but we all thought it was delicious without!

Serves approx. 8 slices (4 pt+)

Baked Beans

2011-03-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

My dad always has made the best baked beans--

Unfortunately the recipe is really just an add a little here, put some more there...all in his head.

So I have spent the past couple months tweaking and testing and writing down what tastes the most like his. I think I'm there! :)

I've made some alterations to lighten the fat and take out some calories, but I think they're just as yummy!

3 cans Campbell's pork and beans (honestly, the store brand are just not nearly as good!)

4 strips of turkey bacon (or 1/4 C hormel real bacon pieces)

1/4 C Ketchup

2 TBSP. minced onion

1/2 TBSP Mustard

1/3 C brown sugar

Cut bacon into small pieces and cook in a medium saucepan on medium low until crispy. Remove bacon, but leave the renderings in the pan (if I am using turkey bacon, I usually add a teaspoon of olive oil, since the turkey bacon doesn't have much fat in it)

Remove pan from heat for just a few minutes so it can cool (otherwise you will have FRIED beans). Pour in beans, and then add all other ingredients. Cook on medium until it starts to simmer.

Then, pour the beans into a 9x13 dish (or dish of a similar size) and sprinkle with cooked bacon. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Stir in bacon at the end and ENJOY.

Serves approx 9 (1/3 C serving) 4 pt+

potato pancakes

2011-03-19T21:40:00.000-04:00

SOFT and yummy!! A favorite from my childhood...

Potato Pancakes

1 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C mashed potatoes (leftovers are great for this, or you can whip up some potato flakes)

1 1/4 cup skim or 1% milk

3 large egg whites

2 tsp oil

1 tsp vanilla

butter flavor cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white and mashed potatoes in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Serves 6 (2 pancakes each) 3 pt+

Mashed potatoes

2011-03-18T14:24:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to have a basic mashed potato recipe on hand--and this was it for me!

1 lb red potatoes

1 TBSP. butter

1/3 C skim milk

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp (or more to taste) salt

Fill a medium size pot with water and turn to high heat. Meanwhile, wash potatoes and chop into quarters (no need to peel!) Once water is boiling,reduce heat to medium, add potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes, checking to see when potatoes are fork-tender. (meaning, you can stick a fork in and have it slide out easily). DO NOT overcook!!

Drain potatoes and put back into the pot--add milk and butter, and start mashing. It might seem like too much milk it first, but keep mashing and stirring and it will become the right consistency! Add salt and pepper - to taste.

Makes 4-5 (1/2 C) servings 3 pt+

Beef & Broccoli

2011-03-17T14:15:00.002-04:00

1 pound boneless round steak, cut into thin strips
2 TBSP cornstarch
2 C water
2 Beef bullion cubes
2-3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 bag frozen cut broccoli (or fresh)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small onion diced
salt and pepper to taste

optional add-in's that I love:

1 C shredded carrots

8 oz. can water chestnuts

Directions

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, water, bullion, and soy sauce.

In a large skillet or wok over high heat, cook and stir beef in a little bit of olive oil 2 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Add salt and onions and cook until translucent. Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

Serves approx 7 (1 C) servings 4 pt+ each serving

Homemade pita bread

2011-03-16T14:11:00.002-04:00

Inspired by this recipe...

You can buy cardboard circles from the store...

or you can make delicious soft, puffy pockets...

But trust me...you will want to make the delicious, soft puffy pockets we call, the pita. :)

Homemade Pita bread

1 1/8 cups Warm Water (you may have to add a little more)

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

3 cups All-purpose Flour (I did half white, half whole wheat)

1 tsp. Olive Oil, plus more for coating bowl

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

In a bowl stir sugar into warm water. Sprinkle the active yeast over top and let sit to proof for 10 minutes. Next, stir in flour, salt and olive oil. Knead until soft and barely sticky. Coat a bowl with olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a warm damp towel. Move to a warm place to rise and double in size.

Once raised, remove dough and preheat oven to 500 degrees. I used my pizza stone for cooking these, so it went in the oven when I preheated it. You could use a cookie sheet as well-- On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a 12 inch rope. Cut into eight pieces. Roll into balls and cover with a damp towel while rolling one dough ball at time to approximately six-seven inches in diameter.

Place 1 to 2 pitas on baking sheet or pizza stone . Bake for 4-5 minutes or until puffed in center and golden around the edges. Remove and place under a damp towel to soften and cool. Let them cool before stacking!

(I learned the hard way!!)

Repeat with remaining pitas.

Once cool store in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a couple days or freeze up to two months or cut in half and fill! Enjoy!

Makes 8 whole pitas or 16 halves.

4 pt+ per whole pita

Banana pancakes

2011-03-03T14:07:00.001-05:00

We love the banana nut pancakes from skinnytaste and they are a regular now in our breakfast menu!

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe, mashed
1 cup skim or 1% milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
butter flavor cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white and mashed bananas in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

SERVES: 12 pancakes (2 pancakes each serving) 3 pt+

Corn Chowder

2011-03-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

Corn Chowder

5 slices of turkey bacon (cut in pieces) (or 1/3 C Hormel real bacon pieces)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium potatoes, cubed
2 C reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 C frozen corn (or 1 can)
1 can fat free evaporated milk
2 TBSP corn starch mixed with a couple tablespoons of cold water (to thicken the soup)
3/4 C reduced fat cheddar

Cook turkey bacon in oil until crisp (I've found that a little bit of oil helps crisp the turkey bacon since it is low in fat). Add onion and cook until soft. Add potatoes and 2 C broth, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until potatoes are just starting to get tender. Add corn and evap milk. Bring to a boil and add the rue (water and corn starch thickener). Stir until thickened. add in cheese till melted. (or you could keep it out and top the soup with the cheese equally divided)

Serves 6 (just over 1 C serving) 7 pt+ (and VERY filling!)

Mini Root Beer Float cupcakes

2011-02-26T21:07:00.001-05:00

I randomly came across this recipe on Gourmet mom on the go a while back--and it's been starred on my toolbar waiting to be made...until today. :)

We had homemade pizza for dinner, and I thought this would be a fun dessert to go with! :)

I love several things about this recipe.
1. It's rootbeer. And while I don't drink pop much at all, I do love a good rootbeer now and then.
2. It's INCREDIBLY easy. Like, really, really easy.

Ingredients: CUPCAKES

1 pkg. Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Tbsp. Root Beer Extract (in the spice aisle w/ the other extracts)

(I used McCormicks root beer concentrate and it was just right!)

1 can Root Beer (I used diet root beer to cut back on the sugar)

Pirouettes or Creme Roulee wafer cookies

Red Mini Gumballs (or other small red candy)

Clean votive candle holders or shot glasses (I used votive holders I picked up for .25 each at my local craft store. Just be sure to wash them well first!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 Tbsp. root beer extract in 2 C. measuring cup. Fill cup with Root Beer until it reaches 1 1/2 C. Be sure to let the foam fizzle down first so you can gauge accurately! (you'll have just a little bit of root beer left in your can when you're done). Add to cake mix and stir well. No eggs, no oil, easy!!

Place shot glasses/votive holders on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Fill 1/2 full with cake batter and bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes until done. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cut round wafers in half. Put frosting in canvas bag w/ star tip (or you can just put it in a ziploc baggie and snip off one end). Pipe a dollop of icing onto each cupcake, top with a gumball and half of a wafer cookie. Serve or refrigerate until needed.

***The original recipe suggests using your favorite homemade or canned frosting, so I want to share my own recipe. I loved the light texture--felt it was perfect for root beer floats!

FROSTING:

1 small box vanilla or white chocolate pudding (I used fat free/sugar free white chocolate)

1 C milk

1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip free

In a bowl, mix milk and pudding together till thickened. Gently fold in cool whip till thoroughly combined. Put frosting in canvas bag w/ star tip (or you can just put it in a ziploc baggie and snip off one end). Pipe a dollop of icing onto each cupcake, top with a gumball and half of a wafer cookie. Serve or refrigerate until needed.

SERVING:

The original recipe called for 36 mini cupcakes. I only bought 10 votive holders, and did the rest in cupcake liners. (got 12 cupcakes and 10 mini cupcakes.) I am figuring the cupcakes were about double what I put in the votive holders, and am assuming that I got 34 cupcakes out of mine.

So for my WW friends who are counting...

34 mini cupcakes, it would be only 2 pt+ each!

18 regular cupcakes in wrappers would be 3 pt+ each.

The frosting is really low points as well...

I frosted all my cupcakes and still had quite a bit leftover! If you frost more than 27 cupcakes with it, it's ZERO pt+!!

Anything less comes to 1 pt+

(which I think it still fantastic considering what most frosting comes to!)

And 1/2 a Pirouette is 1 pt+

SO, total points for a mini cupcake with frosting and yummy round wafer: 3 pt+

Chunky Monkey pancakes with peanut butter syrup

2011-02-23T20:34:00.001-05:00

I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites and was hooked! I HAD to find a way to make it more point friendly...and in the end, I'd it was a smashing success! :) (and a very filling one at that!)

1 C white flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 Tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 C fat free buttermilk ***

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs canola oil

1 large egg

1 small-med ripe banana

1/8 C mini chocolate chips (or reg. chips roughly chopped) tossed with 1 tsp flour

Cooking Spray or butter for pan

3/4 C Cary's sugar free maple syrup

1/4 C peanut butter

(You could add up to 1 C of syrup without altering the pt+ value, if you want to get more out of it!)

*I made this up by mixing 1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 1/2 C measuring cup and then fill the remainder with milk.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened and combined. Place bananas in a bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Fold into batter. Add the chocolate chips that have been tossed with flour and stir.

For syrup, heat peanut butter and syrup in a bowl in the microwave for 30 second. Stir, and continue heating for another 15-30 seconds.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray and using a 1/4 C scoop, ladle batter onto hot grill. Wait until bubbles form and edges are set and then flip.

Reheat syrup if necessary and pour over warm pancakes.

Yield:

14- 4-6" pancakes (using 1/4 C batter measure) 5 pt+

peanut butter syrup (per 2 TBSP) 2 pt+

(note: mini chocolate chips on my pancake are for photo sake only! :) If you do the same, be sure to count the pts for it!)

Oven Fries

2011-02-23T19:55:00.001-05:00

I LOVE french fries. LOVE them. :) And I LOVE that there is a healthier way to make homemade fries without a big pan of grease--that actually taste DELICIOUS!

2 pounds red potatoes (sliced into steak fry size bites)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Cut each potato into 1/2 inch fry-size pieces. Rinse well and pat dry. In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, paprika and pepper; add potato wedges and toss to coat. (or you can also do this in a gallon ziplock bag to coat them)
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and add fries in a single layer. Bake on lowest oven rack at 475° for 20 minutes. (your oven may vary, so just watch them the first time you make these to make sure). Turn potatoes; bake 15 minutes longer or until golden brown.

makes approx. 14 ounces total.

Serves 7 (2 oz. servings)

2 pt+

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2011-02-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

Another fave from skinnytaste.com with the alterations we used...the kids LOVED this--gobbled it right up! Even though it has mushrooms...which we are all still learning to love! :) Mushrooms and all, it was a big hit!

6 oz no yolk noodles (you can use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, or brown rice pasta for gluten free)
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced fine
3 tbsp flour (gluten free use rice flour)
1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
5 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (she used more, but we felt 5 oz. was plenty!)
1 cup frozen petite peas (thawed)
2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
1C reduced fat cheddar
butter flavored cooking spray
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp whole wheat (or white) seasoned breadcrumbs

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling add mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes).Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.

Remove from heat and add 1 cup reduced fat cheese and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

Serves 6 large portions 8 pt+

Baked Oatmeal

2011-02-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest. I'm not an oatmeal fan. But as I've been on my weight loss journey, I've tried to like it more, because I know it has loads of health benefits! I found this recipe recently, and was determined to give it a try and make it a little healthier than originally posted. LOVE AT FIRST BITE. YUM. I served mine with about 1/4 C warm milk, and it was almost like a soft granola. VERY good and warm...and filling! :)

Adapted from Our best bites

3 c. oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. Craisins, raisins, dried cherries, or other dried fruit

1 c. milk

2TBSP butter
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs (or instead, I used 2 TBSP ground flaxseed with 6 TBSP water)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and Craisins. In a smaller bowl, mis together the milk, butter, vanilla, and eggs (or flaxseed mixture). Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into a deep 9" pie plate or an 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately with a splash of warmed milk.

Serves 8 - 7 pt+ (served with additional milk is extra pt+)

Bacon cheeseburger rollup

2011-02-16T15:01:00.001-05:00

I like to think of this as our wintertime burger--it's fast, easy, no grill needed...and it fits the bill when you're wanting the burger taste, but not the burger calories!

1 pillsbury classic pizza crust

8 oz uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat)

1/2 C hormel bacon pieces (or 7 pieces of turkey bacon cooked crisp and crumbled)

1 C reduced fat cheddar cheese

1/2 small onion, diced

In nonstick pan, cook ground beef with onion--let cool.

Meanwhile, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and roll out pizza crust. Gently flatten dough with your fingers (the goal is to make it a little thinner, but not TOO thin).

Once the meat has cooled, sprinkle it over the dough, leaving approx 1/2-1 inch around the edges. Sprinkle bacon and cheese over meat.

Starting from one edge, roll up horizontally like you would when making cinnamon rolls (you want to have a long roll, not a shorter one), Pinch the seam together and place underneath the rollup on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes, and then slice to serve! We usually cut into 9 slices--1 slice per serving. Dip in whatever sauce you like. Perfect for little fingers! :)

SERVING: 1 slice 5 pt+

Guiltless Alfredo sauce

2011-02-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

courtesy of Our Best Bites

2 C low-fat or skim milk

1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese

2 T flour

1 t salt

1 T butter

3 garlic cloves

1 C fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Put the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

MAKES approx 2 C of alfredo sauce.

I found that 1/4 C was a pretty good serving, so I am basing my serving size off of that.

SERVES 8 - 1/4 C servings 3 pt+

Italian Meatballs

2011-02-06T21:38:00.001-05:00

(adapted from this recipe)

1.3 lb. lean ground beef (I used 7% fat)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using your (clean) hands, mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined. Form small meatballs, about the size of a ping ping ball (1/8th cup each).

Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil on medium high in a large saute pan. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (Don't worry about cooking all the way through at this point.) When brown, place on a paper towel to soak excess oil, then add the meatballs to your sauce and cook about 20 minutes. (I just used a jarred Ragu sauce).

This is delicious on with Spaghetti or on a sub sandwich!

make 27 meatballs (makes 9 servings of 3 meatballs each) 3 pt+

Strawberry Swirl Easy Cheesecake

2011-02-06T21:14:00.000-05:00

While this IS a higher point dessert, it's super tasty and a great way to get your cheesecake fix without going completely overboard! :)

8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 C lemon juice

1 egg

1 ready crust (25% less fat graham cracker crust)

1/2 C strawberry preserves

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add egg, beating until just combined.
Pour half of cream cheese mixure into crust. In small bowl combine preserves and remaining lemon juice. Spoon half of preserves mixture over cream cheese mixture in crust.
Top with remaining cream cheese mixture and remaining preserves mixture. Use knife or narrow spatula to swirl preserves into cream cheese mixture.
Bake at 300°F for 50 to 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Serves 8 pieces - 10 pt+ each

Hash brown casserole

2010-12-18T15:51:00.001-05:00

	6 slice(s) uncooked turkey bacon, sliced crosswise into 1⁄4-inch strips
	3 cup(s) frozen hash brown potatoes, 12 ounces
	1/2 medium onion, diced
	3 large eggs
	3 large egg whites 1/2 diced red pepper * (optional)
	3/4 cup(s) 1% low-fat cottage cheese, small-curd
	2/3 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
	3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
	3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	3/4 tsp poultry seasoning, or ground sage
	1/2 tsp baking powder
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground Place the oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 1 1⁄2-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until nearly crisp, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook for another minute or two until lightly browned, then add the potatoes; continue cooking and stirring until tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Beat together the eggs and egg whites in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the cottage cheese, 1⁄3 cup of the cheddar cheese, the Parmesan cheese, flour, poultry seasoning or sage, baking powder, salt, and pepper until combined. Stir in the cooled potato mixture and spread evenly into the baking dish. Bake until golden and set in the center, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1⁄3 cup cheddar cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, and serve hot or warm. Serves 6 (6 pt+)

Cheesy Scalloped potatoes and ham

2010-12-17T15:16:00.004-05:00

This is a delicious comfort food that feeds a crowd and is perfect for using leftover ham.
(you may omit the ham if you prefer)

Cheesy Scalloped potatoes and ham

1 TBSP Butter

2 TBSP flour

2 C milk

1 tsp salt (reduce salt if you are using ham)
1/2 medium onion (finely diced)
1/4 tsp pepper

1 TBSP. Parsley flakes

1 C reduced fat cheddar cheese (grated)

2 pounds red potatoes (thinly sliced)
6 oz ham, cubed

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions are translucent. Mix in the flour , and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Add salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook until mixture has thickened (will be several minutes). Stir in cheese and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.

Add potatoes and stir to mix thoroughly. Then pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Cover with foil and cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove tinfoil and continue cooking another 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves:

6 servings - 7 pt+ (without ham 5 pt+)

8 servings 5 pt+ (without ham, 4 pt+)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION....my little blog remodel

2010-12-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted--for good reasons, really. (if anyone out there reads this blog anymore!!)

For those of you who don't know me personally or read my family blog, I can tell you it's been a BUSY few months! I had my baby in July, my appendix out in August, school starting in September, my husband gone the whole month of October, and obviously holidays and such in November...lots has been going on.

And on top of that, I've been working like a madwoman to lose some weight that I have been carrying around for WAY too many years! I joined weight watchers at the end of July, and since then have lost 43 pounds to date! I FEEL SO GOOD.

I have a lot of people asking me what I have been eating to lose weight--and the simple truth is, I eat what I already was making...I just know the correct portion size now and have found some ways to make certain dishes with less fat and unhealthy stuff. I personally love food too much to abandon it for salad. :) But finding a happy medium has been JUST what I needed to be healthier. The weight loss journey I have been on isn't just to shed the pounds...it's been for my whole family to become healthier overall, so that we can hopefully raise our children embracing a lifestyle of health and wellness--tasty food AND dessert included! :)

While I can't promise each recipe can be remade in a healthier way (sometimes you've just got to splurge!), I DO plan on going back through each of my posts and making each dish according to the recipe I have written and updating them as I make changes (because sometimes I tend to do that without thinking, and the new way is really the easier or better way! :)

Am hoping to be able to put nutrition facts with my meals, as well as portion size--but I will be adding the new WW points plus values to each my my recipes--if for no other reason than my own reference, because we as a family plan on eating healthy for life! If you know people who are doing WW or plan on joining, send them over! I hope to help prove that you don't need a bunch of frozen diet meals and salad to lose the weight and be healthy--

:) Anyway, please excuse the virtual dust as I make over these recipes (and pictures!!) so it will be a more user friendly (and healthy) place...

Chicken stir-fry and rice

2010-10-05T20:33:00.005-04:00

I adapted this recipe from my beef and broccoli recipe, but when I only had chicken on hand. WE LOVED this dish and will definitely make it like this on a regular basis!

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 1/2 C Hot water

2 chicken boullion cubes

3 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced sodium

8 oz. chicken breast, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 pound frozen cut broccoli (or fresh)

1 C shredded carrots

1 can water chestnuts

1 red pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 small onion diced

1/2 tsp salt (more if desired)

1 TBSP olive oil

Directions

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, hot water, bullion, and soy sauce. Stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

In a large skillet or wok over high heat, cook and stir chicken 2 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add salt and onions and cook until translucent. Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

ENJOY! :)

Serves 7-8 one cup servings (depending on how many veggies you put in)

1 Cup of Chicken and veggie dish is 3 +points
1 Cup of Chicken and veggie dish served with 1/2 C brown rice is 6 +points

Our PERFECT pizza crust

2010-09-03T17:25:00.003-04:00

We make homemade pizza almost every week--and so we have gone through our share of recipes in search of the PERFECT recipe. I think we are to the point of discovering what OUR favorite is--and this would be it! I especially like this because weighing the amount of flour called for, is ALWAYS the perfect amount. I never have too much or too little when I weigh it instead of using a measuring cup. (if you don't have a kitchen scale, get one! They are SO worth it!!) This is SUCH an easy throw together dough! And it tastes and BAKES fabulous!

I originally got this recipe from Annies Eats. But I felt like the directions were way more complex than they needed to be. So we simplified, and changed it up a little, it and it has worked wonderful EVERY time!

I have left out the oil and it's been just fine. So if you're counting calories or don't have EVOO on hand, you'll be fine. :) And I have found this dough actually rises faster than expected--so keep an eye on it.

And ENJOY! :)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant dry yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt

2-3 TBSP Italian seasonings

2 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions:

In a bowl, weigh your flour. After weighing the appropriate amount, add your yeast, salt, and seasonings to the flour and mix well. In a mixer add your warm water and slowly add your flour mixture. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Our "no Jack Daniels" Grill Glaze

2010-04-18T11:25:00.008-04:00

While browsing the internet a few months ago, I came across this copycat recipe for Jack Daniels glaze, like you would order at TGIFridays. While I don't know if it's identical, per se, it's really a great glaze! Not being alcohol drinkers, we omit the actual Jack Daniels....

We love this on burgers, chicken...ALL meat really. Be sure to add sauce liberally. It's delicious! :)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2/3 cup water

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup Kikkoman's teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar

3 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tsp roasted garlic (I just used minced)

3 teaspoons minced white onions

1 teaspoon crushed pineapple

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils, then reduce heat to simmer.Add garlic and remaining ingredients to pan and stir. Let simmer for 35-45 minutes or until sauce has reduced by 1/2 and is thick and syrupy.
To use, grill meat until almost done, then use the glaze otherwise it will burn.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2010-04-18T11:22:00.003-04:00

Recipe found here.

Chocolate Chp Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Printer-Friendly Version

Yield:24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Enchiladas

2010-04-18T11:20:00.004-04:00

originally found here. Shared here with my adjustments.

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the onion and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. (though in my opinion, you don't really need to add any because there are so many great spices already going on)

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, 2 oz. of the shredded cheese, and the cilantro. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable. Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 enchiladas

Serves 6 = (2 enchiladas per serving) 8 pt+

Pizza Dough

2010-04-11T13:46:00.004-04:00

2 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (or 5 tsp. if you are using bagged yeast)
2 teaspoon white sugar
2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5-6 cups bread flour (though I used All purpose and had no problems)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix oil with italian seasonings and garlic powder (this will aid in equal distribution)
Stir in flour, salt and oil mixture (a mixer works great for this, but you can do by hand if you don't have one. Just be sure to knead your dough long enough). Beat until smooth (I let mine knead for about 4-5 minutes in the mixer). Let rest for 10-15 minutes--the original recipe stated you could just let it sit for 5...I left mine a few minutes longer, and loved it. (flour amounts will vary---start with 5 and keep adding small amounts until it's smooth and not too sticky.)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round ball. Divide into equal parts (you can make 2-3 medium pizzas with this recipe, so divide according to how many you would like) Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or a wooden paddle dusted with cornmeal (and then transfer to your pizza stone). Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

***substitution for italian seasonings...1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp onion powder.

Be sure to cook long enough. The first pizza I made I cooked a little longer than the 2nd pizza, yet the first was PERFECT. Slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy (NOT DOUGHY...) on the inside.

Bread bowl

2010-04-10T14:45:00.000-04:00

This isn't really a recipe, per se, but a method I love and use every Easter for our rolls.

I made our favorite potato rolls to put inside, and while you can definitely use your roll dough for the bread bowl, I knew we wouldn't eat that part and decided to keep all the yummy rolls for us to eat, and make the bread bowl out of a quick pizza crust recipe. I used my friens Mindy's, which can be found here. (I halved this recipe because I knew I didn't need bigger than that for my size of bowl)

Take a smaller glass bowl (Pyrex or another oven safe bowl) and place upside down on a cookie sheet. Spray bowl with non-stick spray, and then press your dough around the bowl, making sure it's pressed evenly around.

Bake according to recipe--(mine I baked for about 13 minutes at 450) Remove from oven and let cool. (while cooling, I suggest rubbing butter out the dough, because it will give it a nice golden tone)

Flip bowl back the right way, and use a knife to gently loosen the bread from the glass bowl. Slowly take the glass bowl out, and voila! You have yourself a bread bowl!

I love the look of green rim, because it looks springy! To achieve this, I dabbed corn syrup along the entire rim, and then sprinkled it with parsley.

Such a fun centerpiece!!

Resurrection Rolls

2010-04-10T14:43:00.002-04:00

This is one of our favorite Easter recipes--and also is a great teaching method for helping kids understand the religious side to Easter...HOWEVER, these are also SUPER tasty and would be great any time of the year.

But for the sake of Easter and teaching, here's how we do it in our house.

INGREDIENTS:

-cinnamon/sugar mixture

- 1/2 c melted butter

- refrigerator rolls (or crescents) or homemade dough

-large marshmallows

(the amount of the marshmallows and dough will depend on how many you are making--)

We always let the kids help with this part...

Dip your marshmallows in the butter and then in the cinn/sug mix. This represents Christ's body after he died, and when his disciples put oil and spices on his body.

If you are using refrig rolls, make sure they are flattened out to 4-5 inches wide--and then place your marshmallow in the center and pull the dough all the way around it, sealing tightly. If using crescents, roll up your marshmallow and tuck in the sides tightly. This represents Christ being placed in the tomb.

Bake as directed on the package (we talk about the 3 days during this time). Remove from oven and let cool briefly, then open. Your marshmallow will be melted, or as kids see it--GONE. This is where we talk about how the tomb was empty, and how Christ had risen!

Southwest Eggrolls

2010-04-10T14:24:00.003-04:00

1 chicken breast fillet

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1/3 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 dash cayenne pepper

3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

5 7-inch flour tortillas

Preheat barbecue grill (or skillet) to high heat. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue (or in the skillet) for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks. Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.

Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, black beans, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.Cook for another 4 minutes.

. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

COOKING:

Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE:

1/4 cup smashed fresh avocados (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped onions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and garnish.

--A HUGE thanks to my sister-in-law Jenny for making these and introducing us to them! They are SUPER tasty!!!

French bread rolls

2010-02-28T17:46:00.003-05:00

French Bread Rolls

adapted from allrecipes.com and found at http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2007/12/french-bread-rolls.html

*Makes about one dozen rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

*Can freeze the rolls after baking - microwave on high for 2 minutes before serving.

***If you want to make them crusty instead of soft, spray some water into the oven three times in the first five to six minutes of baking and brush them with an egg white/water mixture prior to baking. I personally love a soft roll, so I baked without doing the extra steps and then covered them in delicious butter after they were cooked. SO delicious!!!

Penne Rustica

2010-02-23T20:31:00.004-05:00

You can find the original to this recipe on home based mom. I came across her blog this week and have fallen in love with so many of her recipes! We tried this tonight and it was SO good. MAKES LOTS, so it's a perfect meal to make one for our family and still have a whole dinner to take someone else too. If you want to see the HUGE batch (this doubled) you can find it here.

Here's the recipe with my alterations...

PENNE RUSTICA

Ingredients:
1/2 pound grilled chicken breast

7-8 slices of thick cut bacon
24 oz (1 1/2 boxes) penne pasta
1 large red bell pepper- diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR (if you don't cook with wine, you can use this as a substitute:

3 TBSP apple juice + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + enough chicken broth to equal 1/2 cup
1/2 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chopped rosemary
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Chop bacon and cook in large pan. Once it's cooked, remove bacon and drain all but about 1 tsp of grease. Saute garlic in bacon grease briefly. Add marsala wine (or your substitute), mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in 2 - 9x13 pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. (doesn't need long since it's everything is already cooked)

If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.

"healthified" chocolate cheesecakes

2010-02-22T15:04:00.001-05:00

I recently came across this recipe in the Eating Better America newsletter and had to try it out when we had company tonight. YUM. :) It was rich and creamy, and just the right portion size for a post-dinner sweet treat. And best of all, it was easy to make! For the original recipe, click here. Cheesecakes
12	foil baking cups
12	thin chocolate wafer cookies (from 9-oz package), crushed (2/3 cup)
12	oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
2/3	cup sugar
2	teaspoons vanilla
1/4	cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1	whole egg
1	egg white
1	oz bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, melted
Topping
1/3	cup fat-free hot fudge topping
	Fresh raspberries, if desired (I used strawberries)

1.	Heat oven to 325°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. With back of spoon, firmly press slightly less than 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs in bottom of each foil cup.
2.	In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in whole egg and egg white until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide cheese mixture evenly among crumb-lined foil cups.
3.	Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool 15 minutes longer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.
4.	To serve, carefully remove foil baking cups. Spread fudge topping on cheesecakes. Garnish with raspberries. Store cheesecakes covered in refrigerator.

Quick cheese bread

2010-02-21T20:01:00.006-05:00

(this picture is courtesy of homebasedmom.com)

Want a quick, foolproof cheesy bread?? This is for you! I really wanted to make rolls for dinner last night, but didn't want the whole rise and roll mess. I stumbled across this on yourhomebasedmom.com, and DANG was it good! :) SO cheesy and EASY! Click here to see the original recipe.

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
3 C (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4-5 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 C milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg lightly beaten
3/4 C sour cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese evenly in bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in cheddar cheese cubes, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

****my notes to this...I put too much parm. cheese on mine, so it was a little hard to cut. Now I know, more cheese is not necessarily a better thing. :) I also didn't have cubed cheese, so I had to use the shredded I had on hand. It was still delicious, but I can't wait to make this again with yummy big pockets of cheese. I am sure it will top the charts with this!

Funeral Potatoes (cheesy potato casserole)

2010-01-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

I have had several recipes that I make OFTEN and have realized lately that they are not on here yet! While I love to put a picture up right when I post, I want to get these on and post pics as I make them, so I can stop hunting for the recipe when I need it!

I am finally to the point in this pregnancy that cooking sounds GOOD again! I have some yummy things to share and hope I can get back on the meal bandwagon!

I have heard this dish called a million other things, but being from back West, this always showed up at funerals and my family (along with many others) have always called it funeral potatoes. :) We love to eat it with ham--but it works as a meatless main dish when we need.(and my kids GOBBLE this up every time)

2 cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (or one of each)
2 C sour cream
1 1/2 C Grated cheddar cheese
1/3 C Onions (or you can use onion salt--just use a bit less than 1/3 C)
1/2 C Milk

Mix all these ingredients together (I actually just mix them right in the 9x13 pan to save myself from cleaning another dish) and then add:

1 package of frozen has browns***

Stir well.

Melt:

6 TBSP butter

and add to:

2 C crushed cornflakes

(sometimes I like to add extra crunch so I will adjust accordingly)

Sprinkle over potato mixture and bake at 350 for 30 min.

***the original recipe calls for 6 potatoes, peeled, cooked and grated...but I have to go for time-saving simple shortcuts, so I just use the frozen potatoes now. :)

Orange Julius

2009-08-16T20:07:00.003-04:00

This is a DEFINITE family favorite for breakfast! We have also taken the leftovers (when there actually are some) and put them in little cups with popsicle sticks to have orange julius popsicles. :)

ORANGE JULIUS

1 C water

1 C milk

1/3 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 carton of orange juice concentrate

12-18 ice cubes

In a blender, put all ingredients. Mix well for a few minutes until all the ice is crushed and the drink is thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Bajio Sweet Rice

2009-08-11T16:12:00.002-04:00

Original recipe found here

BAJIO SWEET RICE

*1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
*1/2 of a white onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste)
*1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
*1 1/3 cups white rice
*3 cups chicken broth
*1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon).

Saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the chopped cilantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more.

Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn).

Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar dissolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil.

Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

*****NOTES:

I actually wish I had added a little bit of onion powder to this to help ground the sweetness. However, it was REALLY tasty either way. I threw in some chopped red pepper, and we love that.

VERY TASTY...VERY EASY...especially if you are missing good ol' Bajio. :)

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

2009-08-11T16:09:00.003-04:00

First off, I have to give credit to where I actually found this recipe. Click here for the original.

A lot of the recipes I found online for the Cafe Rio sweet pork used more expensive cuts of meat than I was willing to buy. :) So I bought a cheap boneless pork roast to make mine with. Because of this, I was afraid to use one of the recipes that had a shorter cook time since I wanted to make sure my roast was really good and tender.

Turns out it wouldn't have mattered anyway because my meat was ready to shred at a shorter time than I thought. But my point is, that's what peaked my interest in this recipe.

(I am going to write this recipe with my own variations)

3 1/2 pounds Boneless pork roast
3 cans Coke (NOT diet) (though I have heard Dr. Pepper works too)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. (I marinated overnight for ease in cooking)

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

(I cooked mine for 4 hours on high. Basically started the crockpot first thing in the morning and left it until lunch time.)

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

---THIS WAS SOOO YUMMY! Worth the wait! Also, in regards to the coke, chilies, enchilada saic and brown sugar mixture that you blend together, I did that in the morning, so the evening prep was SO MINIMAL.

Served with Bajio Sweet rice and tortillas, and red pepper corn. YUM!

Scrumdidlyumptious chocolate chip cookies...

2009-05-20T16:51:00.002-04:00

The is a recipe passed down through the grapevine...from my sister who got it from here sister-in-law who got it from her famlily. :) And it is SOOOOO good. THE BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever had.

And because it's hers, I am passing it on as she wrote it. PICTURES to come!

1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 c flour
2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the two sugars and the shortening together until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients except flour and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes.

Notes from the source: Experiment with the amount of flour you use. I prefer to use 2 1/4 cups, because I like my cookies a little chewier. 2 1/2 cups will make them a little thicker. At high altitude in Colorado (where my dad put together this recipe), we bake the cookies for exactly 11 1/2 minutes, and they come out perfect. I usually have to cook them for several minutes longer in California. And they won't look quite done when you take them out - if the tops begin to look brown, they've cooked too long. We take them out and let them harden up on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then cool them on a cookie rack, so the bottoms don't burn on the hot pan. I know it's a lot of detailed instructions, but my family is kind of obsessive about cookies, and we've spent a lot of time trying to get it right. The recipe allows for a lot of playing, though - I will often throw in some oatmeal, or some toffee chips, or other things.

YUMMMMMMMY!

Yogurt sundaes

2009-02-26T07:09:00.002-05:00

I don't know that I can really call this a "RECIPE", but I put it here because it's something my kids LOVE. :)

Yogurt for breakfast is okay...but yogurt sundaes are gobbled right up. I have to admit, I think they are pretty tasty too. You could add any kind of toppings you like, but for us we use:

-About half a cup of Danon Light and Fit yogurt (you could choose any you want, but this is pretty much the only kind I can get at my grocery store)

-banana (cut how you like)

-Cool Whip

-fun sprinkles

-cherry on top

Tasty, tasty...the kids go wild!

Better than sex cake

2009-02-13T09:25:00.003-05:00

WOW! 3 whole months since my last post. I can't believe it...I have been busy with a move, the holidays, family coming to visit, and the winter blahs...anyone else feeling that way?? I have so many recipes to post! I took pictures over the past few months, and now I just need t get myself motivated to put it all on here.

I have been thinking about the big Valentine's day dinner tomorrow. I can't decide what to do! I would love to hear what you are planning--if anyone is willing to give some ideas! Last year we did our own tour of Italy with a sampling of chicken Parmesan, baked ravioli, and fettuccine Alfredo. Salad and breadsticks made the meal complete and we finished it off with some better than sex cake. (though, we had the missionaries from our church over for dinner, so we called it better than baptism cake! :)

That reminded me I never posted the recipe for it! So, here goes~

1 German chocolate or other chocolate cake, baked, 13x9x2-inch
3/4 cup fudge topping
3/4 cup caramel or butterscotch topping
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of toffee pieces
1 tub of whipped topping

To make this in a regular 9x13 pan:
Bake cake as directed on box. After the cake has cooled, Pour (one at a time) fudge, butterscotch, and condensed milk over the top of the cake and let each flavor soak in before adding the next. Put desired amount of toffee on the top. Frost the cake with the whipped topping and remaining toffee pieces to decorate the top.

To make this in a trifle dish (like I did):

Bake cake as directed. After the cake has cooled, cut into small pieces and divide into 3 parts. Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the cake pieces. Drizzle 1/4 C of the chocolate fudge, 1/4 C of the Carmel, and 1/4 C Of the sweetened condensed milk. Top with desired amount of toffee pieces and put a layer of cool whip. Repeat layers 2 more times ad top with cool whip and toffee pieces.

This dessert is really good if you let it sit for a bit before serving. Let chill in the fridge for a couple hours or even sit overnight. It's so yummy letting all the flavors mix together.

Enjoy your Valentine's day everyone!

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

2008-11-08T21:46:00.004-05:00

Just the other day I was thinking I have too many dessert recipes on here...is that really possible?? Well, aparently not. Here's one more! :)

TURTLE PUMPKIN PIE

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 Graham Pie Crust
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Pecan Pieces, divided
1 cup cold milk
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

POUR 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.
BEAT milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP. Spread into crust.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, caramel topping and pecans just before serving.

*** OH MY GOSH! THIS IS AMAZING! I just got my Kraft foods magazine this week and saw this recipe. I was anxious to try it because we were having company and I needed a dessert. This was SO quick--but it ended up the PERFECT combo. I actually don't care for straight pumpkin pie...But this recipe won me over! We will make this again and again!

see original recipe here

Turkey Sandwiches - just an idea...

2008-10-08T15:07:00.003-04:00

I use this blog to give me ideas when I can't quite figure out what I want for dinner. So, I figured it fitting to put my picture of my tasty turkey sandwich, baked lays, and fresh fruit. Yes, we ate this for dinner. And it was DELICIOUS!

Nothing groundbreaking about my sandwich...just the basics--turkey, lettuce, cheese, bacon. But I definitely crave this kind of fresh food many times!

So, consider this just an idea...maybe browsing through the recipes and seeing their pics will help you decide what to make for dinner too! :)

Swiss Steak

2008-10-08T15:04:00.004-04:00

Warm and tasty...a great comfort food. And sorry about the picture. Some things taste great and look terrible! :)

Swiss Steak:
1 lb. round steak, cut into 4 pieces.
1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic herb seasoning
2 T vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 C water
2 beef boullion cubes

Combine flour and seasonings in a flat dish. Dredge steak pieces in seasoned flour mixture and pound with meat mallet until steaks are about 3/8 inch thick and flour is pounded into the meat.

Heat 2 T oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add meat. Brown well on both sides.

Once browned, add onions, add water and boullion cubes. Cover with tight lid and turn to medium low heat, cooking for an additional 1-2 hours, adding water as needed.
****Keep an eye and check every 20 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't dry up. You can also do this in the oven instead, placing it in a casserole dish and adding an additional 2-3 cups in advance, covering with foil while cooking.

Use drippings for gravy! Yum...

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

2008-10-08T14:49:00.002-04:00

This recipe is SO easy and SO impressive. Who ever would have thought that marrying canned cinnamon rolls and apple pie filling would be SO GOOD???

-2 cans of refrigerator cinnamon rolls (whatever brand you like) The ones that come in a tube

- 1 can of apple pie filling

Spray muffin tins and put one slice of cinnamon roll dough in each muffin spot. Press gently up the sides of the tin, forming a little cup. Fill with apple pie filling. Continue until your tin is full. Bake as per directions on roll dough. Remove from tin to cool and drizzle the frosting from the cinnamon rolls package on your apple cinnamon rolls.

EASY Chicken Rice Soup

2008-10-08T14:48:00.000-04:00

Got this recipe from a gal over at Apron Girl's. I am going to post her original recipe and then the variations I made. :)

Chicken Rice Soup

1 boneless skinless chicken breast,cut into cubes
1 large can of chicken broth
1/2 a box of Uncle Ben's Long grain wild rice (Use half the rice mixture and half the seasonings mixture and save the rest for another time)
cut up some carrots

Put it all in a pot and cook on medium heat for 1 hour.

OKAY, My variation:
-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (already cooked--I cook them ahead and freeze them) Cut into cubes.
-1 large can of Chicken broth (plus a little more water added at the end of cooking--you can decide how much to add as per how much rice you decide to use.
-1 whole box of uncooked Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice, using all seasonings as well.
-half a bag of frozen cut carrots.

This was seriously 20 minutes. Hardly any prep. Done. :) And it was SO delicious. Because I used the whole box of rice, I did add a little bit of water with a bullion cube at the end and let it dissolve before serving, just so my soup wasn't too thick with the rice. But I thought it was PERFECT.

A blog award and a little stage fright...

2008-09-07T20:37:00.003-04:00

I have been passed on a couple of blog awards...

This one from Steph at http://baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com/ (and someone else...but to be honest, I can't remember who because it has been a while. How terrible am I??)
and...

This one from http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/

How fun and exciting!? And the following are SO lucky to be getting a double dose today...yes, my friends...a double bloggy award giveaway.

So, these will be passed to:

Laura at http://reciperesource.blogspot.com/

Calista at http://ourfavfoods.blogspot.com/

Michelle at http://gourmet-eats.blogspot.com/

Stephanie http://baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com/

Katie http://ourfavoritefoods.blogspot.com/

Amber http://ambosrecipes.blogspot.com/

It was with these little awards that came a lot of traffic. Now, I am kind of embarrassed about this. I really just started this blog as my place to keep my family favorites to I wasn't hunting through the kitchen...and I started it also so that when people called asking me for a recipe for the 13th time, I could just tell them where to go (hehehe). :)

This blog is boring...no fun widgets. No fun header. No blogroll. Nada.

I wasn't worried...my family blog is all about the bling and fun stuff. This blog was just for me...plain and simple.

But with the cute little blog awards came a deer-in-the-headlights feeling. WHAT?! People are actually looking at this blog?!

Kind of embarrassing...really.

But kind of good too. It has made me really get excited about fall and cooking, baking, and creating.

And I am kind of excited you are all out there checking in and maybe trying out a recipe or two...I hope you'll leave a comment and tell me if you have a food blog too so we can exchange. :)

This blog is way overdue for a makeover...

Thanks for the little reminder and push in the right direction. Thanks for the cute awards and dropping me a note! That has really made my day! :)

Pizzadillas

2008-09-05T14:35:00.002-04:00

I was totally unhappy with how the picture of this meal turned out, so I will add it later. I am sure we will eat it again VERY soon!

Perhaps someone out there has heard of this, read the recipe somewhere, or even made it. But I sure hadn't...it was my little stroke of genius *that probably wasn't genius after all) in the middle of dinner one night when my 3 small children were trying to eat pizza.

I realized it would be SO much easier to eat if the sauce were Off the pizza instead of ON the pizza. And so, pizzadillas were created. A perfect blend between pizza and quesadillas.

SO SIMPLE...perfect lunch in a hurry. All you need are:

-tortillas
-cheese
-pizza toppings
-pizza sauce for dipping (I like to buy this in the squirt bottle so I am not wasting anything)

Preheat pan to low-medium heat. Take one tortilla and put cheese and toppings on on half. Fold over and place in pan. Because cooking heat varies so much, just keep an eye until your tortilla is golden brown, then flip it over and cook the other side.

Remove from pan and let cool, for a minute. Cut into wedges with pizza cutter. Serve your tasty pizzadillas with a little mound of pizza sauce for dipping.

DELICIOUS! :)

Stuffed Pancakes (cream cheese filling)

2008-08-21T15:18:00.002-04:00

What I REALLY wanted to eat was stuffed french toast...but with no bread on hand, my dream was not realistic. And so stuffed pancakes was born...

I know IHOP and other breakfast places do the same type of thing but I couldn't find the recipe online for how to make the DIVINE cream that goes in between the layers.

So I made my own--and I was quite impressed. :)

If you alter this, I would love to know what you do so I can try it out. This was a one time try but I loved the difference it made for my pancakes! :) PLEASE leave a comment if you have something to add or change.

4 oz cream cheese

1 small box of french vanilla pudding (though, I imagine regular vanilla would be fine too--I just had the french vanilla on hand)

1 1/2 C Milk

1/4 C powdered sugar

cinnamon to taste

Mix the pudding and milk together until smooth, add cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Mix through.

Add on your pancakes or french toast while warm and serve with fresh fruit and whipped topping. Store covered in fridge.

***One thing I might change for next time I make this, is to add some whipped topping to make it a tad bit lighter while mixing. So, if you try that let me know!! :)

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

2008-08-21T15:09:00.003-04:00

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (12 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (8 oz) package whipped topping
2 (9 inch) prepared oreo crusts

Chopped Reeces Peanut butter cups--as many as desired

DIRECTIONS
Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in 12 oz. whipped topping.
Spoon into two 9 inch crusts; cover, top with additional whipped topping and chopped peanut butter cups and freeze until firm.

***side note: This is DELICIOUS. Sigh....I could eat this daily, no joke. And the best part is that you can substitute ALL the ingredients for a lower fat/calorie/sugar substitute and it STILL turns out so good. I LOVE that this dessert makes two in one shot. We always eat one the same night and save another for a different night or when we need a last minute dessert. And as untraditional as this may sound, one of these ALWAYS makes it's way to our Thanksgiving feast. :)

Berry Muffins

2008-08-21T15:01:00.003-04:00

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 25 Min
READY IN 40 Min

Original recipe yield 8 large muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (or other berries) I used fresh raspberries for this pic.
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

***I TRIPLED this recipe and ended up with about 16 BIG muffins and a large pan on mini muffins--I wish I could say we froze them all, but they were so good we gobbled several up right there on the spot, fresh out of the oven. However, the remainder of them went in ziplock baggies and were stored for future breakfasts. These are super easy to heat and eat--15-30 seconds in the micro and they are ready to go!

PB Candy cake

2008-08-03T21:03:00.003-04:00

PB Candy cake...

chocolate + peanut butter = pure bliss

I got this from the Kraft foods magazine...gosh, I love that magazine! :) It was originally called Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Dessert...but really, that sounds totally lame. So, I made up my own name for it. :) This is SO easy--whipped it up in a few minutes and all I had to do was let it sit in the fridge while we went about out day...

12 OREO Cookies, crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
2 Tbsp. hot fudge ice cream topping
1/4 cup candy-coated peanut butter pieces

MIX crushed cookies and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 8-inch square pan.

PLACE peanut butter in large bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat 2 min. or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread onto prepared crust; top evenly with remaining 1 cup whipped topping.

REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until set. When ready to serve, microwave fudge topping as directed on package; drizzle over dessert. Sprinkle with candies. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Original recipe from Kraft.com

Snickers Salad

2008-08-02T20:52:00.002-04:00

I know, I know...risen from the dead. I am sorry to have gone M.I.A. for most of the summer...we haven't done a whole lotta cookin'. That's a real confession right there. :) A true confession.

But I am back on track--my meals are planned for the month and I have some exciting things to post here in the next few weeks.

I thought I would start with a barbecue favorite...snickers salad. The perfect blend of the good stuff (fruit) and the good stuff (chocolate). I don't know if this is classified as a fruit salad (side dish) or a tasty dessert...so, we eat it as a side salad (gives us a reason to eat something different for dessert...are we horrible or what?!)

EASY, EASY, EASY...Kind of reminds us of carmel apples because as the snickers sit and soften in the creamy mixture, the carmel starts to "melt" and mix with the apples...yummm...

1 small box of vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cup milk
12 oz. whipped cream
1 bag of snickers miniatures (unwrapped and chopped)
2 granny smith apples and 2 red delicious apples (I know some people only use the granny smith, but I love red delicious...so that's my variation)

In a bowl, mix the pudding mix and milk together beating until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Add the chopped snickers and chopped apples pieces and mix together. Let sit in fridge for about 2 hours.

Serve...if you are really okay to share. :)

oh, and side note...make sure to clarify with people that this is not potato salad. It kind of looks like it if you are just glancing at the dishes. :) That's why I add shaved chocolate on top!

Flank Steak with Corn and Red Pepper Quesadillas

2008-04-21T22:10:00.004-04:00

I originally got this recipe from the Good Housekeeping magazine. You can check it out here. We've made a few changes here and there...and we love this on a Spring/Summer night. It makes a great alternative to the normal barbecue!

1 lime
4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoonbrown sugar
Salt
1 (about 1 1/4 pounds) beef flank steak
3 ears corn, husks and silks removed (or we use a few small frozen ones sometimes)
1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 cup(s)(3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat (2%) Mexican-style cheese (and yes, the Mexican style DOES make a difference)
2 green onions, thinly sliced (we omit these)
Plain fat-free Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream (optional)

Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat.

From lime, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1 teaspoon juice. In small bowl, combine lime peel and juice, chili powder, cumin, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub steak with chili powder mixture to season both sides.

Place steak, corn, and pepper on hot grill rack. Cover grill and cook steak and vegetables 12 to 15 minutes or until corn is browned in spots, pepper is lightly charred and tender (turning vegetables occasionally), and steak is medium-rare or desired doneness (turning steak over once).

As vegetables are done, transfer to cutting board. Transfer steak to another cutting board; let stand 10 minutes to allow juices to set for easier slicing.

When vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs and coarsely chop pepper. Place tortillas on work surface. Evenly divide cheese, green onions, corn, and peppers on half of each tortilla. Fold each tortilla over filling to make 4 quesadillas. Grill quesadillas about 2 minutes or until browned on both sides, carefully turning over once. Return quesadillas to same cutting board; cut each in half.

Thinly slice steak and serve with quesadillas and yogurt if using.

Serves 4

***My kids love these quesadillas. They are full of good stuff and are easy to handle!

Chewy Popcorn Balls

2008-03-26T08:45:00.002-04:00

3/4 C brown sugar

1 stick of butter or margarine

10 Large marshmallows

1-2 bags unbuttered popcorn (though, I just used 9 cups of regular popper-popped corn)

Melt brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows in a saucepan until all blended and melted. Pour of popped corn. Still well. Then shape into ball and let sit on wax paper. I would say we got about 12 medium sized popcorn balls--though your amount could vary depending on how big or small you make them.

ENJOY! These are soft and chewy but no super sticky. YUM!

Creamy Tortellini Alfredo

2008-03-22T21:57:00.002-04:00

Makes:6 servings, 1 cup each

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend
6 slices Bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

POUR broth and water into large saucepan; stir. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 8 to 9 min. or until tortellini is tender. (Do not drain.)
ADD cream cheese and peas; stir. Heat 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring occasionally.
STIR in shredded cheese and bacon.

See the original recipe HERE at Kraft foods.

Potato Rolls

2008-03-17T06:25:00.005-04:00

These are soft and delicious!

1 C hot water

1 C instant potatoes

Combine above and let sit

1 T yeast in 1 ½ C warm water, let sit until yeast activates

In a mixer cream on low:
1/2 C sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2/3 C butter
2 eggs

Then add:
3 C flour
Yeast mixture
Add: another 2-3 C flour, mix 6 minutes on low with dough hook. Rise (covered) 1 hour
Punch down.
Roll out and shape as you would like (I found a GREAT article for how to make many different roll shapes, You can see that here. I did mine in the crescent shape)

Bake at 375° 10-12 minutes

SERVING: 36 soft and delicious dinner rolls - 3 pt+ each

For an extra yummy treat:

Orange roll filling
¼ C butter
½ C sugar
1 T orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. McCormick orange peel

Orange glaze
1 C powdered sugar
3 T orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Molten Chocolate Surprise

2008-02-27T13:07:00.004-05:00

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE SURPRISE--

This came from the Kraft foods magazine--you can check it out online as well at http://www.kraftfoods.com/

Makes:1 doz. or 12 servings, one cake each

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
12 CHIPS AHOY! Chocolate Chip Cookies (or you can use oreos) ***
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Beat whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar and flour with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add to chocolate mixture, beating constantly until well blended.
LINE 12 medium muffin cups with paper liners; spray with cooking spray. Place 1 cookie, upside-down, on bottom of each cup; cover evenly with batter.
BAKE 8 min. or until cakes are firm around edges but still soft in centers. Let stand 1 min. Carefully remove cakes from muffin pan. Invert onto dessert dishes; remove paper liners. Serve with whipped topping.

***A lot of the reviews said that Chewy Chips ahoy fit the bottom of the muffin tin better. Or you can use oreos--either way, the cookie part is GOOD!!

Warm Winter Lemon Cake

2008-02-26T14:18:00.002-05:00

1 package yellow cake mix

2 C cold milk

1 1/4 C water

2 pkg. (4 serving size) LEMON instant pudding

1/3 C granulated sugar

2 TBSP. Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Cake Batter as directed on package. Pour into greased 9x13 pan, set aside.

Pour milk and water into a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and sugar. Beat with a wire wisk 2 minutes or until blended. Pour over batter. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that may bubble over as dessert bakes.

Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Spoon into serving dishes to serve warm.

Makes 16 servings.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Delights

2008-02-26T14:11:00.003-05:00

First off, I MUST credit my wonderful friend Stephanie for this amazing recipe. You can check out the original post here. These are her pictures--isn't she amazing??

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Delights (because they are delightful)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional but totally recommended)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional but also totally recommended)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powdered, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and cloves (but totally recommended- by the way). Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats. (As you continue to stir in flour you may begin to think that "Okay, this is too much flour! I still have to add OATS!" I think that every time! Just keep stirring :) At the last minute it comes together for me and is like the perfect cookie dough from heaven ... angels start to sing, harps begin to play, your kitchen fills with light... it's great). Once cookie dough from heaven is combined I make it even more heavenly by adding my choc-o-late chips (or whatever I'm in the mood for).

2. Drop dough by rounded spoon 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. (Then I would add: ENJOY! Recipes never include that step!) - One thing I really love about this recipe is how beautifully consistent it is. The dough always looks and feels the same - and the finished product is the same every time. I really appreciate the dependability :)

***I will add my personal note that I have tried these and they are DELICIOUS!

Parker House Rolls

2008-02-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

1/2 C shortening, melted in 1 C boiling water
1 C cold milk
1 C warm water (in addition to the other water)
2 eggs
2 rounded TBSP yeast
3/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
8 C flour (more or less)

Mix all ingredients in order given in large mixer. Let rise once (dough is rather sticky). Roll out on flat floured surface and cut into circles. (if it is too sticky, I add a little more flour and knead it for a few minutes by hand) Brush with melted butter and fold in half. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise again. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

***I use the instant yeast and so I don't proof mine, I just put it in with the flour. If you are using a different type of yeast, proof in the additional 1 C warm water***

Biscuits & Gravy

2008-01-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

1 pound sausage (crumbled)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 prepared biscuits

DIRECTIONS
Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Easy Baked Ravioli

2008-01-31T21:42:00.001-05:00

2 tsp. Italian dressing
1 medium red pepper
1 small onion (finely chopped)
15 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 pkg. (9 oz) Ravioli cooked and drained
1/2 C Shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat dressing in a large skillet on medium heat. Add peppers and onions. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in sauce and crushed red pepper.

Spread 1/2 C of the sauce in the bottom of a shallow 11x7 baking dish.

Cover with layers of half each of the ravioli, remaining sauce mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 3-4 servings.

--SIDE NOTE: This is from the Kraft magazine and is typed as their instructions. When I made it, I made more Ravioli than called for (almost a full 16 oz. bag) and added a little extra sauce and cooked it in a smaller but DEEPER dish. I liked it this way better--and it gave us leftovers.

No-Bake cookies

2008-01-30T20:42:00.002-05:00

1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Mix butter or margarine, cocoa, sugar, milk, and salt together in saucepan. Once sauce comes to a rolling boil, let boil for 1 1/2 minute.

Stir in oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cook and harden.

Makes 42 cookies 2 pt+

Fruit Dip

2008-01-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

Fruit Dip

1 - 8 oz Cream cheese (softened)
1/3 C powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) flavored yogurt
1 1/2 C whipped cream (or more, depending on how thin you prefer it)

Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in yogurt and whipped cream. Serve with fresh fruit!

***I made these little fruit cups with fresh lettuce leaves in my old fashioned ice cream dishes (I bought them at a dollar store a few years ago) and then fill the glasses with fresh fruit--

Breakfast casserole

2008-01-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

8 bacon strips, diced
1/4 cup crushed cornflakes
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 C parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings. Stir reserved drippings into cornflakes; set aside.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, parm cheese, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in hash browns. Pour into a greased 9-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with bacon and the cornflake mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

***I like to use the precooked bacon too and just mix a small amount of melted butter with the cornflakes--just for ease of making.

Chili Cheese Bean dip

2008-01-26T20:04:00.001-05:00

This is a dip I made up on the spot because we were having company and I wanted it for our Mexican food feast! We loved it and decided it would be a permanent recipe in our family.

1 (small) can of chili con carne
1 can of refried beans
1/2 C sour cream
a few dashes of red pepper flakes
4 oz velveeta cheese

Mix beans and chili together in a blender or with a handblender (milkshake kind--I can't think of the exact name right this second)--even a small food chopped would work. You want the beans and chili to be well blended and smooth. (Though, I suppose you don't have to--this was just the look I was going for) Add your sour cream, red pepper flakes and cheese. Heat in the microwave until heated through and the cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Breakfast Pizza

2008-01-26T20:01:00.000-05:00

1 pound sausage or bacon
1 C frozen hash browns
1 C cheese
2 TBSP parm cheese

EGG MIXTURE:
5 eggs
1/4 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Cook bacon and drain grease. Spoon onto crust. Sprinkle with hash browns and cheese. Beat egg mixture together and pour carefully over all other ingredients on the crust. Top with parm cheese and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

***this is also wonderful with other veggies that you might put in an omlet***

Pizza Crust

2008-01-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

German Pancakes

2008-01-20T21:04:00.001-05:00

A favorite warm breakfast in our house!

Original recipe:

6 eggs
1 C Flour
1 C fat free Milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. butter (I used brummel and brown)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 4 TBSP butter in 1 1/2 qt casserole dish in oven(***side note: the original recipe calls for a 9x13 pan, but I love mine thick and choose to do it in a smaller pan so it is more substantial.) Meanwhile, in a BLENDER or with a hand mixer, mix all ingredients VERY WELL. Pour into preheated pan and bake at 450 for 25 minutes. Serve with 1 tsp powdered sugar (0 pt+) and lite or sugar free syrup.
Yum!

Each recipe makes 6 (1 piece) servings - 5 pt+

Steak Soup

2008-01-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

If you try no other recipe from my blog, you MUST try this one! We love this soup in our house. It is hearty and delicious--a real crowd pleaser!

1 pound ROUND STEAK trimmed of fat
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 C chopped celery
1 C onion (finely chopped)
1 C tomato (diced)
3 tsp. season salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 C water
4 beef boullion cubes
1-2 tsp kitchen bouquet
flour/water mix (make a rue)

***if you are wondering about the carrots in my picture, it is because I always add them. They are not part of the original recipe, but we love them--just add with everything else and simmer.

In a large pot, brown your meat and the saute onion and celery in the drippings (I just leave all the meat in as well) Add seasonings, boullion, tomatoes and water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours (you can also do this as a crockpot soup if desired). Make a rue to thicken the soup and cook for a few more minutes. Then remove from heat and add 1-2 tsp kitchen bouquet. Enjoy!!!

Serving size: 1 CUP
Servings: approx. 7

4 points+

In case you don't know what kitchen bouquet is, you can find it in the marinade aisle. If you haven't used it before, you will love it! This is a staple in our house--we love it for gravies and marinades, and beef-based soups/stews. Here is a pic in case you need some guidance.

Grasshopper Cookie Parfait

2008-01-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, after we made our yummy parfaits the other day, I got thinking of all the other ways we could make it. I had planned on making grasshopper pie for dessert, but shortly before our company arrived, I realized that I hadn't made it yet...

And thus we have Grasshopper Cookie Parfait. This recipe is still in the works because I used leftover cream cheese topping from our fruit pizzas with extra whipped cream. So, I need to figure out the right measurements for that part. But for the rest, here goes:

1 package of chocolate pudding (4 servings) prepared
15 grasshopper cookies (finely crushed)

Cream cheese mixture:
check back in a day or two!

Mix crushed up cookies in pudding and layer chocolate mint/cream cheese/chocolate mint.
Top with whipped cream.

Refrig. for 30 minutes

If you have leftovers, I found these great little take-along containers that would be perfect for a sack lunch. PERFECT size and you still get the whole parfait effect! :)

Baked Ziti

2008-01-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Kathy brought us this recipe and we have loved it for MANY years! It is easy to put together and the kids LOVE it! A great lasagna alternative.

16 oz package of rigatoni noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese (cottage cheese is okay as a substitute)
32 oz of spaghetti sauce
12-16 oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles. In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients. Once noodles are cooked, mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9x13 pan (though, for our family I always cook half of this in a disposable tin and half of it in a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish and freeze half immediately). Pour a little bit more sauce on the top and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

***Most cans of sauce don't come in 32 ounces, so I buy the cheap brand (Hunts??) and always keep some sauce in an old ketchup bottle in the fridge. That way I can use the entire can of the cheap sauce and then squirt sauce on the top from my bottle in the fridge. I also use it for things like mini-pizzas, dipping sauce, and to squirt over plates of spaghetti for the kids. Works wonders--and it is nice to have sauce on hand!

Homemade french bread

2008-01-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

This is a delicious recipe--makes 2 LARGE loaves. Yes, you CAN make french bread from scratch!

2 tbsp dry active yeast
4 C hot water
6 cups flour
1 1/4 tablespoon salt
1 /2 C white sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Put water, sugar, oil, and salt in a bowl. Add 6 C flour (your yeast should be included with the flour if you are using dry active yeast) and mix together until it makes a thick batter. Cover with a dish towel and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir down, and repeat this 4 more times. (every ten minutes)

WILL FINISH THIS ONE TOMORROW!

Mini Fruit Pizzas

2008-01-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

The following recipe is to make one large round pizza. You can make mini ones by using a large cookie cutter to make individual sized ones.

1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2 squares (1 ounce each) white chocolate baking squares
2 Tbsp. milk
1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 C thawed, whipped topping
1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape cookie dough into a ball and place in the center of a large pizza stone or baking sheet. Use lightly floured rolling pin and roll dough to a 12-inch circle (about 1/4 inch). Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are set. (cookie will be soft--don't overbake) Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cookie from baking stone using serrated knife. Cool completely on pan.

Place white chocolate and milk in small bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Microwave an additional 10-20 seconds if necessary. Combine with cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture evenly over cookie.

Arrange fruits over cream cheese mixture. We love to put mandarine oranges, strawberries, kiwi, and bananas. Place chocolate morsels and vegetable oil in small bowl in microwave, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds or until chocolate is smooth. Drizzle over chocolate and fruit. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

***originally from Pampered Chef cookbook--altered to our liking.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2008-01-16T21:38:00.000-05:00

I made this recipe up after trying a million recipes. I love it because it is so incredible easy and it isn't too spicy for my kids, but has just the right kick! :)

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Southwestern Style Pepperjack soup (or Nacho Cheese soup--both are from Campbells)
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C soup cream
1/4 C salsa
2 C cheddar cheese (divided)
1 can chicken - drained
8 tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup, milk, sour cream, salsa, and 1 C cheese together. Put about 1 C of this mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. (a little more if necessary to lightly cover the bottom) Add chicken to the mixture in the bowl. Put about 1/4-1/2 C filling in the center of each torilla and roll up. Place tightly together in pan. Pour remaining soupy mixture over the enchiladas and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken & Bows

2008-01-15T21:56:00.001-05:00

I was trying to think of a more exciting name than Chicken and Bows...but I just couldn't. So, straight from the Simple & Delicious magazine, I present to you Chicken and bows...

I love this recipe for a variety of reasons. While my kids love peppers, most kids don't. This recipe presents a great way to put a veggie they might not normally eat in without it being overpowering. The second reason I love it it because it makes a TON of food and is VERY FREEZER FRIENDLY! So, without planning to or making special arrangements, you have another night's meal ready to freeze and reheat for a quick dinner another night. The meal on a whole was not very expensive at all--and divided by 12 would make it a very budget friendly meal. VERY tasty, very easy--the kids gobbled it right up!

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (I used pre-cubed chicken that I got as a manager special at the store, so mine is cubed)

1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups frozen peas
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a seperate pan, cook chicken and red pepper in butter over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Stir in the soup, peas, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat. Serve half of the mixture immediately.

Cool remaining mixture; transfer to a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait

2008-01-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Here is the recipe, in all it's glory. Sorry it took me a few days to get this done! I have been running!! :) This is a super easy recipe, especially to make with the kids! We had so much fun making it for a family night treat!

3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

ADD milk gradually to peanut butter in medium bowl, stirring with wire whisk until well blended. Add whipped topping; stir until well blended. Set aside.

PREPARE pudding as directed on package. Spoon half of the pudding evenly into six parfait glasses; top with peanut butter mixture. Cover with remaining pudding.

REFRIGERATE at least 30 min. or until ready to serve. Store any leftover desserts in refrigerator.

We topped ours with whipped cream and toffee bits, because that was what we had on hand. It was delicious! Next time I am going to have some crumbled peanut butter cup to put on top though!! :)

Fiesta Chicken Corn Chowder

2008-01-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

Apple Crisp (topping)

2008-01-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is always a great backup dessert recipe if we have last minute company come or just want a delicious, warm treat. Made from staple food items (at least in my house), we always have the ingredients on hand!

Apple crisp topping:

2/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
1/2 C oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 C Butter (slightly softened)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients EXCEPT butter all together. Mix butter in with a pastry cutter until crumbly texture. Sprinkle over apple pie filling. I say this because I only ever use home-canned apple pie filling--and my mom has the recipe for that one. It is SUPER delicious...nothing like it! :)

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until browned.
Serve warm with ice cream (drizzled with caramel for extra yum!)

Wrapped Meatballs

2008-01-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

16 precooked meatballs

1 package of refrig. crescents

Marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw meatballs in microwave--set aside. Cut each crescent in half and place one meatball on each half. Roll the crescent around each meatball and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and dip in marinara sauce.

This makes a great appetizer or party food, but we also eat it for a kid-friendly dinner. They are the perfect size for little hands! :)

Chicken Green Bean Casserole

2008-01-10T14:44:00.001-05:00

No, this isn't a side dish--a delicious combo of wild rice, chicken, and the good ol' Thanksgiving favorite sidedish, this is a true family favorite in our house!

Chicken Green Bean Casserole

1/2 C Miracle Whip (or Mayo)
1 can chicken
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1 pkg Uncle Ben's Long grain & Wild rice
1 Can of Durkee french fried onions
1 Can french cut green beans

Cook Rice according to package directions. In a large bowl mix green beans with half of the juice, soup, miracle whip, and chicken. Blend well. Once the rice is finished, add it to the bowl mix. Put in an 8x8 pan and sprinkle fried onions all over the top (we LOVE these!) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.(this is great for turkey leftovers and also freezes well--just don't freeze with onions!)

If you are questioning my math skills because this technically has 6 ingredients but I put it in the less than 5 category, it is SOOOO easy that it might as well have 5-- :) And WORTH IT! Yum! The kids gobble this up every time!