Paige's...

Kristi's Olive Garden Soup

Pizza Casserole

*Note* I used cheddar cheese when I made this Monday. I didn't have Mozzarella and I didn't want to go to the store. It's better when you use mozzarella.

Pizza Casserole
1 package pasta
1 package pepperoni, chopped (I love the Turkey Pepperoni)
1 package mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Cook spaghetti according to directions. Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Greek Salad

Chop up 2 cucumbers, 3 tomatoes, and 1/2 of an onion into squares. Add a can of olives and a can of artichoke hearts. Add a package of feta cheese. Pour Greek salad dressing over the top. Stir and store in the fridge until time to eat. This is also good with avacado and Kalamata olives (if you like the strong olive flavor).

Lil’ Italy by Misty Wells

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated three-cheese tortellini

1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated spinach-cheese tortellini (usually found by the salsa)

1 lb. lean ground beef

Optional for you meat lovers like myself: ½ Italian Sausage

1 red or green pepper, chopped

½ red onion chopped

1 jar (24oz.) Tomato and Basil Sauce combined with diced black/green olives

4 cups of low moisture part-skim mozzarella shredded cheese

1 pkg. (3 ½ oz. sliced pepperoni

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In large saucepan cook tortellini together according to package direction, rinse with cold water, drain and set.

3. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook beef, bell pepper, and onion until beef is brown. Drain fat.

4. In medium bowl, stir together sauce and olives, if using. Spread one-third of the sauce mixture in prepared dish. Top with drained tortellini. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the cheese. Layer pepperoni atop cheese. Top with beef mixture. Top with remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes to 25 minutes or until heated through. Serves 10

ITALIAN CROCK POT CHICKEN

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

Submitted By: Britney Sorensen Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 4-6 hours Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 8

Ingredients:

*4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I prefer using 12-15 chicken tenders) *1 (16 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup *1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, sotened *1 packet good seasons Italian Dressing mix

Directions:

1.	Combine soup, cream cheese and dressing mix. Pour over chicken in crock pot and cook @ 4-6 hrs. on low heat. Serve over rice or noodles.

CHICKEN POT PIE -recipe swap

Chicken Pot Pie IX

Rated: Submitted By: Robbie Rice Photo By: jolebeans Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 8

"A delicious chicken pie made from scratch with carrots, peas and celery. A delicious and heartwarming meal."

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup frozen green peas 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup chopped onion 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup milk 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2.	In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3.	In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4.	Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato, Basil and Cheese Pasta

Super Easy and delicious pasta from Rachael Ray. I love the easy recipes with short-cuts (store-bought pesto). Yumm!

• Cook Time

  25 min

• Yield

  4 to 6 servings

Close

Times:

Prep

15 min

Inactive Prep

--

Cook

25 min

Total:

40 min

Ingredients

• 1 pound small shell pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1/2 small to medium yellow onion
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
• 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.

Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.

Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef's knife tilted slightly away from your body.

Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.

Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and peppe, to your taste.

Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

Bread and Chocolate Mint cake

Best Bread in the World

2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats, (uncooked)
pour boiling water over oats. Let stand until thoroughly softened
2/3 cups warm water
1 T. salt
1/2 cup honey
2 T. oil (or butter, melted and cooled)
add the water, salt, honey and oil or butter to oats when they are lukewarm
2-3 Cups whole wheat flour
add the whole wheat to the oat mixture and mix
1 T. SAF instant yeast
2-3 cups unbleached flour
add the SAF to the mixture. Add flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5 min.

Put dough into lightly oiled bowl, turning it to coat dough on all sides. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down the risen bread dough and cut in half. Knead each half briefly and shape into loaves. Brush the top of each loaf with warm honey and then roll in oats to dress up the loaf. Place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise for 30 min. Bake for 35 min @ 350 degrees. Turn loaves onto a rack and let cool.






French Peasant Bread

1 package dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tb. sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups flour
oil
corn meal
melted butter

Place yeast, water, sugar and salt int warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise and additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 min. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook an additional 15 min. Remove from the oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.





Chocolate Mint Cake

Make a chocolate cake (2 layer) (I usually use two cake mixes) and cut each layer in half, to make 4 layers. Put cool whip between each layer (when totally cooled) then top with the following mint sauce and let it drip over the sides.

2/3 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp peppermint extract (or 1/4 of a tsp peppermint essential oil)

The sauce is good, some like to double the whole thing to make the cake even more minty!

Creamy Pasta Primavera

So, I'm digging these recipes from Kraft.com. As I'm trying to simplify my life due to all the craziness, and looking forward to the madness ahead (I'm due in a month) these are delicious and so stinkin easy. I'm actually excited about cooking again. I printed off the Top 10 recipes of 2008 and have tried 4 so far. These two, the Beef Noodle Bowl and I'm making the Layered Fiesta Casserole. All have been wonderful. Take a look at the website... these are recipes that I can plan for without getting too overwhelmed.

Creamy Pasta Primavera

What You Need!

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 zucchini, cut into chunks

1-1/2 cups cut-up fresh asparagus (1-inch lengths)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and vegetables; cook 10 to 12 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Add broth and Neufchatel cheese; cook 1 min. or until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add Parmesan cheese; mix well.

DRAIN pasta; return to pot. Add chicken and vegetable mixture; toss lightly. Cook 1 min. or until heated through. (Sauce will thicken upon standing.)

__________________________________________________________

Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

What You Need!

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)

1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and basil in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breasts in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Remove from bag; place, top-sides down, on cutting board. Repeat with remaining chicken. Spread chicken with stuffing mixture. Starting at 1 narrow end, tightly roll up each breast. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

Artichoke Dip

This is the one I made for Ashley's little party.

Artichoke Dip

1 cup mayo (I use fat-free)
8 oz. cream cheese
5 oz. parmesan cheese
4 oz. green chilies, mild
14 oz. artichoke hearts

Beat first four ingredients in mixer, then add artichoke hearts. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Vanilla Punch

This drink is soooo yummy and it is clear, so it won't stain carpet!

Vanilla Punch

5 Cups white sugar
2 Cups water
2 Tablespoons clear imitation vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons almond extract
Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Cool, and refrigerate. To serve, mix l cup syrup with 2 liters ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Makes 4 cups syrup (36 servings).

Syrup can be refrigerated for several months.

Homemade Oreos

I had a request for this recipe, so here it is.

Homemade Oreos

Cookie Part:
2 Devils Food Cake Mixes
4 Eggs
1 ¼ c. shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. (Note - I usually only cook for 8 or shorter, they are better if they are a little soft when you are done)

Filling:
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese
2 lb. powdered sugar
1 ½ squares butter
about 1 Tbsp. milk, only to soften to taste

Mix & put between 2 cookies. (Note – I usually only make ½ or ¾ of this filling. It makes a lot.)

I always put these in the fridge or freeze them. If you've cooked them soft it makes them dense and then they are extra yummy.

Penne Rustica (Macaroni Grill)

This makes an absolute ton, so if you aren't feeding an army you can probably cut it by 1/2. Even when I just made this, I think I probably only used 2 bags of penne instead of 3 and it barely fit in the pan and was a little extra saucy. But it is so good!

Penne Rustica (Macaroni Grill)

1 oz. pancetta or bacon
18 shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 oz. chicken, grilled and sliced
4 ½ c. gratinata sauce (see recipe)
48 oz. penne pasta, cooked
3 Tbs. pimentos
6 oz. or 1½ sticks butter
1 Tbs. shallots, chopped
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 c. parmesan cheese
½ tsp. paprika
6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Sauté pancetta or bacon until begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. Cook until shrimp is evenly pink, but still translucent. Add chicken, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add sauce and ½ c. cheese and simmer until thickened. In large bowl, combine chicken mixture with pasta. Place in 9 x 13 casserole dish (or individual baking dishes). Top with remaining cheese and pimentos. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 475° for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.


Gratinata Sauce (Macaroni Grill)

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. rosemary, chopped
1 c. Marsala wine (or diluted cranberry juice or red grape juice)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
8 c. heavy cream

Sauté garlic, butter, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown. Add wine substitute and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume. This sauce goes well with pasta.

Peanut Butter Balls

These are the ones I made for the Finals BBQ a while back. Man, can you tell I'm on a sugar kick!


Peanut Butter Balls

½ c. butter (softened)
2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 ½ c. powder sugar (1 box)
3 c. Rice Krispies cereal
Chocolate chips (divided)
Paraffin wax or 2 Tbs. shortening

Put all ingredients together and mix with hands. Roll into 1- or ½- inch balls. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin wax (or shortening) together. Dip balls into chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. I like to keep these in the freezer to store them so they don't melt quite so fast when serving them.

Oreo Popcorn

Christmas always gets me in the mood for fun new treats! Try this one... YUMMY! A little messy for the kids but so good.


Oreo Popcorn

20 Oreo cookies, finely crumbled
1/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. popcorn kernels
20 Oreo cookies, broken

In a bowl, mix 1st 3 ingredients. Set aside. Place oil & sugar in a large pot & stir until combined. Pour popcorn kernels on top. Place lid on top & cook over medium heat. When kernels begin to pop, shake pot back & forth frequently until popping almost stops. Quickly remove from heat. Sprinkle 1/2 of dry mixture over hot popcorn & stir with wooden spoon. Stir in remaining mixture until popcorn is evenly coated. Add broken cookies & mix lightly. Cool & store in an airtight container. This recipe can also be made in a Whirly Pop.

Corn Pop Treats

So, this defintely is not a healthy snack, but a great munchy treat for the holidays! Beau's Grandma would always make it and I love it!

Corn Pops Treat

½ box Rice Chex cereal
½ box Sugar Pops cereal
2 c. almonds
2 c. shredded coconut
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar

In large bowl combine 1st 4 ingredients. In large pot, melt butters then add sugars. Bring to full boil & continue boiling for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Stir liquid into dry mix & spread out on greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool, then break apart & return to bowl.

Yummy healthy snacks for the kiddies

Ok moms, I know we could all use a little help when it comes to coming up with ideas for food and snacks for the kids. So PLEASE share your ideas.

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE

1 Banana cut into 2 halves

1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (sometimes I add more)

1 Tsp. vanilla

8 ice cubes

1/2 cup milk

Put ingredients into blender and blend. Sometimes I add a tsp. of orange juice to change it up a bit. I also add a little more milk to make the smoothie a little runnier so that it comes out of the sippy cups. My girls love this.

ANTS ON A LOG

Celery

Peanut Butter

Raisins

Spread peanut butter on celery and place raisins on peanut butter. I also sometimes add marshmallows to sweeten it up a bit.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops

Hey Ladies, here is the recipe for the dessert I brought on Halloween. They are pretty easy, but a little time consuming as well. You can also download a printable recipe card here.


Serves:
36 mini squares

Ingredients/Supplies:

36 Wooden pop sticks

Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

Chocolate:
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Break up the brown sugar to remove all lumps. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.

Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into
1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)

Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Frozen pops make a cool summer treat, or can be allowed to temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Upgrade: Coat the pops with chopped nuts or candies for a really decadent finish. To do this let the dipped pops drip over a bowl for 15 seconds before rolling them.

Copyright 2007 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Caldo de Pallo

Caldo de Pallo

(Mexican Soup)

3 chicken breasts boiled

3 serrano peppers or 1 can diced chile’s

1 clove garlic

Onion

Celery

Carrots

Salt/pepper

½ tsp. cumin

1/8 cabbage shredded

1 can diced tomato’s

1 potato diced

1 bunch cilantro

Rice

1 Tbsp. tomato chicken Boullion (in the Mexican aisle)

Boil chicken. Add chicken, boullion, onion, celery, carrots. Cook until tender. Add cabbage, tomato, potato, cilantro, and cook until tender. You might have to add a little extra boullion to get the right flavor.

Rice: Brown 1 cup rice in oil (extra virgin olive oil) and cook until almost burnt looking. Once brown add 2 cups water and simmer. Once cooked add to soup.

-Chelsey