Tiramisu Bowl

For Memorial Day we were planning a get together with some friends of ours. Of course I saw this as a PERFECT opportunity to make a tasty dessert to share! After flipping through one of my editions of the Kraft Food and Family magazine I found this great tasting recipe! It looks pretty and tastes wonderful!

What the recipe called for:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

3 cups cold milk

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

48 NILLA Wafers

1/2 cup brewed strong Coffee, cooled, divided (I actually used Chocolate milk instead to make it kid friendly and it worked great!)
1 cup fresh raspberries (Since raspberries are extremely pricey these days, I actually used a banana all cut up.)

BEAT cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Beat in milk and pudding mixes. Stir in 2 cups COOL WHIP.

LINE 2-1/2-qt. bowl with 24 wafers; drizzle with 1/4 cup coffee. Top with 1/2 each pudding mixture and chocolate. Repeat all layers.

TOP with remaining COOL WHIP and raspberries. Refrigerate 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Pesto Sausage Pizza

This recipe comes via my sister in-law who made this pizza for her family and she said it was the best homemade pizza they have ever had! I haven't personally tried this one, but I do know my sis in-law is a great cook so I totally trust her opinion on this matter! Give it a try!

What she used:

1 loaf frozen bread dough

1/2lb. bulk Italian sausage

2c. sliced fresh mushrooms

8oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4c. prepared pesto

1c. roasted garlic Parmesan spaghetti sauce

1 can sliced ripe olives, drained

1/2c. orange pepper, diced

1 1/2c. (6oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Form crust with dough on pizza pan. Build up edges slightly. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and pesto until blended. Spread over dough. Layer with spaghetti sauce, sausage, mushrooms, olives, peppers, and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Bacon Mushroom Chicken

This recipe comes from the magazine Cooking For Two, which is put out by Taste of Home. It certainly is delicious! My husband loved it!! Even though it is for two people, you can obviously adjust the ingredients for your family size. By the way, just a plug for this magazine, it is a GREAT wedding gift/bridal shower gift for those newlyweds you know! It is full of creative and delicious recipes and it is exactly what my mom did for me when my husband and I got married! Helped me to think "outside the box" so to speak. Just food for thought!

What the recipe called for:

• 2 bacon strips, halved
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; set aside. Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness; sprinkle both sides with seasoned salt. Brown in bacon drippings. Transfer to a 1-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, mayonnaise, corn syrup and onion; spread 1/4 cup over chicken. Top with bacon and mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve with remaining honey mixture. Yield: 2 servings.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!


Photo comes from tasteofhome.com

Pasta Salad

With the summer months right at our front door it is the perfect time to bring on the salads! Not just green salads, but all kinds of salads such as this Pasta Salad! I started out following a recipe, but ended up switching a few things around! So you can click here for the original recipe, or you can follow the one I did below!

What I used:
1 cup miracle whip dressing

1/4 cup Light Zesty Italian Dressing

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, drained

1/2 cup of colby and monterey jack cheese, grated very finely

1 cup mixed veggies, cooked and drained

1/2 cup chopped red peppers

Mix your dressings together then add all the other ingredients. Be sure to mix it all up well. Cover and refrigerate 30 min. to an hr. before serving.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

photo comes from Kraftfoods.com

Penne Chicken Bake

Looking for a great meal to serve to company? This is a great tasting and beautiful looking pasta and chicken bake!

What I used:
1 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
3/4 jar Ragu Roasted Garlic spaghetti sauce
1/2 red pepper, cut up
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. cream cheese
1 cup colby and montery jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to package directions. While your pasta is cooking, cook up your chicken in a non-stick skillet. Add your basil, pepper, spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 3 min. or until the chicken is done. Stir in your cream cheese.
Drain your pasta. In a 2qt. casserole dish pour your pasta and your chicken mixture along with 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix well. Bake 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake 3 min. longer.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Cookies and cream Squares

Ok folks, THIS is SO delicious! I made it yesterday and have yet to take a picture of it, but you'll have to take my word for it until I get a picture on here! It is delicious!

What I used:
Many Oreo cookies (crushed)
Mint chocolate chip ice cream, 1 1/2qts. (really you could use any flavor)
One tub of cool whip, 8ounces

Take a 9x13 dish and line it with foil so that the edges are overlapping the sides. Take the numerous amount of crushed cookies and put them into the bottom of the dish. It will be your bottom crust. Next, take your softened ice cream and spread it evenly across the top of the cookies. Next, take your cool whip and spread it across the top of the ice cream. Now, take just several more crushed cookies and sprinkle them across the top of the cool whip. Freeze for 3 hrs. before serving. When ready to serve, you can just take the foil and lift the entire dessert out of the pan, or you can leave it in the pan it makes for a much easier clean up! Now, doesn't that sound SO good?!

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Cookies and cream pudding pops

A PERFECT light snack during those hot summer days and best of all, they are kid friendly! Click here for pictures to show you how to make them, or you can just follow the directions below. Recipe comes from Kraft Food and Family.

What the recipe called for:

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups milk

6 OREO Cookies

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make your pudding according to package directions.

Place cookies in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Use rolling pin to crush cookies. (I actually just crushed them by hand so they were more chunky!)

Add cookies and Cool Whip to pudding; stir just until blended.

Spoon into 9 (3-oz.) paper or plastic cups. Insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon into each for handle. Freeze 5 hours or until firm.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Don't they just look SO yummy?!

photo comes from kraftfoods.com

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

Talk about one easy lasagna recipe! The oven ready noodles make it even more easy! It really doesn't take all that long to make and you can be sitting down to eat with your family within 30 min. or so. This is another Kraft Foods recipe and it is tried and true!

What the recipe called for:

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 green peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1-2/3 cups water

1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters

1 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Actually, I even added cottage cheese to this and it added a little more pizazz!

BROWN meat in large saucepan; drain.

ADD peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.

COOK on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Skillet Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar

These were SUCH good potatoes! My husband made them as a side dish and WOW! They were a hit! It does take a little bit longer to make, but definitely worth the wait! Give 'em a try and let me know what you think! The recipe is from Kraft food and family magazine, but you can also find it online at the link to the right!

What the recipe called for:

4 slices Bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 onion, chopped (we used minced garlic instead)

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), thinly sliced (we used russett)

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 Tbsp. Sour Cream

COOK bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 3 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20 to 25 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

TOP with cheese and bacon; cook, covered, 1 to 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

SERVE topped with sour cream.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies : )

This is another great recipe that I have not made but doesn't it look and sound SOOO good?! I got this recipe from an acquaintance of mine and wow, they look so good! Give it a try and if you try it before I have a chance to, tell me how you like them!! This recipe came from Pillsbury's Best Cookies Cookbook

What the recipe called for:
1/2 c sugar 1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c packed brn sugar 1 3/4 c flour
1/4 c marg or butter, soft 1/2 t baking soda
1/4 c shortening 1/2 t salt
1/2 c nonfat plain yogurt 1/2 c mini choc chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a lg bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, marg, and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add yogurt and vanilla; blend well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-12 min or until light golden brown.

ENJOY!

From our table to yours, bon appetite!

This recipe came from Pillsbury's Best Cookies Cookbook

Smothered Chicken and Green Bean Skillet

Ohhhhh so good and ohhhhh so easy! Talk about one quick meal that can be tossed together in no time! Yet, it looks and tastes like it took forever! This recipe comes from Kraft Food and Family with a little tweaking on my part!

What I used:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4tsp. dried thyme
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat nonstick skillet on med-high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5-7 min. on each side or until chicken is heated through. Remove from skillet. Add your beans, soup, 1/2 cup water, and thyme to skillet; cover. Cook 6 min. stirring often. Return chicken to skillet; cook 1 min. or until hot. Top with cheese.

From our table to yours, bon appetite!