Mushroom Cream Chicken

Another great looking recipe from my new cook book! I can't wait to try this one out!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 Tbsp. flour, divided
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 Tbps sliced green onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Madeira wine OR additional chicken broth
1 Tbsp. fat free half and halr cream

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in. thickness. Dredge in 2 Tbsp. flour. In nonstick skillet, brown chicken in butter and oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until juiced run clear. Remove chicken and set aside.

In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, green onion and garlic for 2 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with remaining flour and stir to blend. Gradually add broth and wine or additional broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add the cream. Return chicken to skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is heated through (do not boil). Yield: 2 servings

Ashlee side note: I'm imagining this to be similar to the Boursin chicken. Probably not nearly as good, but this only has 9 grams of fat per serving. Not too shabby for a cream sauce.

Penne Sausage Bake

My mom got me a great new recipe book for Christmas. It is the Taste of Home Best Light Recipes of 2006. Basically all the yummy comfort foods we like to eat, but made lighter. This is one I'm excited to try. I've made something similar before but this one is much lighter.

1 pkg. (pound) penne pasta
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
3 cups fat free meatless spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, saute green pepper and onion in oil for 6-7 minutes. Add sausage; cook and stir until sausage is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and pasta.

Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

Ashlee side note: I have used ground turkey sausage instead of the links. I prefer it that way. But, it depends on your tastes. And honestly, I have never actually seen fat free spaghetti sauce. The regular stuff isn't too fattening. So, if you can't find it...don't stress. The thing that truly makes this originally fattening was the sausage. And, if you buy the ground turkey sausage, it's only got about 5 g fat per serving. So, you can feel better knowing you've cut that WAY back.

Chocolate Revel Bars

These are some of the yummiest treats I have ever had. You will think you've died and gone to heaven! I promise! I'm taking these to a Christmas party tomorrow. I don't think I'll have to worry about bringing any of them home. ;0)

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 14-ounce can (1-1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a large mixing bowl beat the remaining butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until well mixed. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. In another large bowl stir together flour and baking soda; stir in oats. Gradually stir dry mixture into beaten mixture. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the reserved butter or margarine, the sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pieces. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and the 2 teaspoons vanilla.
3. Press two-thirds (about 3-1/3 cups) of the oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over the chocolate.
4, Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist). Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 2x1-inch bars. Makes about 75 bars.

Ashlee side note: If you don't have a 15x10 baking pan (like me) just bake in a 9x13 and adjust the bake time by a few more minutes. Keep an eye on it as you don't want to over cook it. And, if you are like me...you like your cookies soft and chewy...so this was is better for me. ;0) It obviously won't make as many bars though, so keep that in mind. You can also bake this in a cookie sheet if you'd like. They run about 11x16 or so, so just slightly larger than the requested size for this recipe. Again, just adjst the bake time so you don't overbake.

And, as always....forget the nuts! It will ruin it!

As far as "dotting" the top of the bars with the oatmeal cookie mixture, just make little "patties" with your hands and decorate the top with these. Definitely doesn't need to be perfect as you will cut them up anyway. And thick patties are GOOD patties. Don't make them thicker than your crust though. You also want to make sure that you have chocolate peeking through the patties to LURE your friends into eating them. :0)

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Found this recipe and thought it would be fun to make these with the kids today as they are out of school now. He's already "bored". Sigh. But....red cupcakes! It's Christmastime...so the color is perfect!

You'll need this stuff for the cake:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. red food coloring paste*

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

*I couldn't find "paste" but regular food coloring worked just fine for me.

And you'll need this stuff for the frosting:

1 brick cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

[ DIRECTIONS ]Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. There is a lot of oil in this recipe, so I prefer the foil kind. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with an electric mixer or balloon whisk. The liquids should be emulsified. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Stir gently with a large spoon just until combined. Do not over work the batter or your cupcakes will be tough.Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, about 2/3 filled. Bake at 350 for about 22-25 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Cakes will be a little soft while still hot, but will set once cooled. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. [ MAKING THE FROSTING ]Combine all ingredients until smooth. Chill for at least 30 min. before frosting cupcakes.

Ashlee side note: plain yogurt can be used as a substitute for oil in most recipes. It really makes for a moist cake. This recipe has A LOT of oil....so if you're trying to be "good", give the yogurt a try. I just LOVE red velvet cake and cupcakes are one of my FAVORITE desserts, so I'm excited to try these out!

O Christmas Tree!

This was such an easy appetizer and it was so yummy! It also looks very festive! Yes, this is the one that I made last night for girls night. I was truly impressed with myself. ;0)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take one can of crescent rolls (make sure it's very cold) slice it into 16 rounds. (Do not unroll the dough. Leave in the roll and slice the circles that way) Place on cookie sheet in tree shape. Start with one circle on top for row 1 until you get to a five circle row. Use the final round for the trunk of the tree. Bake for 11 minutes or according to can directions. Remove from oven and let sit for 1 minute. Using a large pancake spatula remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack to cool.

The recipes spread uses cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic. I had unknowingly used the last of my sour cream for my dips, so I improvised and used the very last of my Boursin cheese (5 oz.) and a package of cream cheese and whipped it together. It was so yummy! Anyway, spread this on the top of the tree until each piece is completely covered.

Chop your choice of veggies into very small pieces. Use these as decoration for your tree. I used red pepper, yellow pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green onion. The red pepper I used for the garland and the yellow pepper I also used to make the star on top.

Butterscotch Pull Apart Balls

This with the Quiche for Christmas morning is something I look forward to. It's tradition! Both recipes are so easy, and so yummy!

18 frozen Rhode's rolls
1 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 small pkg. regular butterscotch pudding

About 8 hours before serving, or the night before, spray a bundt pan well and place the frozen rolls in the pan. Sprinkle the dry pudding over the rolls evenly. Mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together and pour over the top of the rolls. Cover rolls in pan with a towel and leave out to rise for the 8 hours, or overnight.
Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Ashlee side note: The rolls in the picture are shown with pecans on top. Do not ruin this recipe! Pecans are yucky! ;0)
You can make your own roll dough rather than using the Rhode's rolls. However, if the dough isn't frozen first, you will not want it to rise overnight!
Once these babies are baked, turn the bundt pan over onto a serving plate and the pudding/sugar mixture that isn't baked into the dough just sticks to the buns. We just tear off chunks...roll by roll. So yummy. We definitely go through two batches of these!

Impossible Quiche

This is a Christmas morning tradition for us. My mom makes a couple of these for all of us to devour. So yummy!

12 slices bacon, fried crisp

1 cup swiss cheese, shredded

1/3 cup onions, finely chopped

2 cups milk

1/2 cup Bisquick mix

4 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Sprinkle broken bacon pieces, cheese, and onions evenly in bottom of lightly greased 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Pour milk, Bisquick, eggs, salt and pepper into blender; blend 1 minute. Pour over ingredients in pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, and a knife inserted comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Ashlee side note: I've made this for dinner before as well. It's quick prep, as you don't have a crust to worry about. The Bisquick in the recipe sets the egg mixture up so you don't need an actual crust. So yummy!

Crescent Wrapped Brie

I was looking for some appetizer recipes for my girls night next week and came across this recipe. It looks so yummy!


1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (8-oz.) round natural Brie cheese
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough; separate crosswise into 2 sections. Pat dough and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares. Place 1 square on ungreased cookie sheet. Place cheese on center of dough.
With small cookie or canapé cutter, cut 1 shape from each corner of remaining square; set cutouts aside.
Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges. Gently stretch dough evenly around cheese; press to seal completely. Brush with beaten egg. Top with cutouts; brush with additional beaten egg.
Bake at 350°F. for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Ashlee side note: How easy is this? For a video that gives you a clearer idea of how to put this together go to this website.

Gooey Butter Cakes

This recipe is one that I got out of Paula Deen's "The Lady and Sons Just Desserts". My house smells so yummy right now, you would not believe it!

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter together and mix well. Pat into a lightly greased glass 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Prepare the filling.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the butter and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over the cake mixture. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not over bake. Top each cake slice with a dollop of whipped cream.

Here's the best part! She has nine variations of this recipe! Here are the best ones...

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
For a Pumpkin Gooey Cake: Follow the original recipe, adding a 15 ouncs can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual.
For a Chippy Gooey Cake: Stir 1 cup of your favorite kind of baking chip (white chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, butterscotch, toffe bits, etc) into the filling. Bake as usual.

Ashlee side note: You can make so many different variations of your own with this recipe. Pick your favorite kind of cake mix, and flavor your cream cheese filling as desired to compliment the flavor of your cake mix base and tah dah! These cake squares are very, very rich and a little will go a long way! So only eat three instead of five! Enjoy!

Boursin Cheese Potatoes

Here's another great recipe to help you use up the rest of your homemade Boursin Cheese!

3 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled
One 5 ounce package Boursin cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 pint heavy cream
fresh chives or parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Toss potatoes with salt and pepper. Heat cream and cheese together, on top of stove until cheese has melted. Stir mixutre until thoroughly blended. Layer half of the potatoes into a 2 quart baking dish (this is best done in a deep dish instead of a long, flat dish). Cover potatoes with half of the cream mixture. Repeat with remaining potatoes and cream mixture. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle top with chives or parsley.

Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars

You can't go wrong with this recipe! Chocolate....Cheesecake.....Mint! Three beautiful things! And this recipe calls for semisweet chocolate, so it's not too sweet! Yum!

Crust:

20 chocolate wafer cookies

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.

For the crust: Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate in a 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, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ashlee side note: I usually crush my candy canes inside of a ziploc bag with a rolling pin to keep them together and tidy. It does take a while for the cheesecake to set up, so do this a day ahead to make sure it's really ready!

You can use this recipe without the candy canes for any other time of year. It's the only mint aspect of the recipe, so it would just be chocolate cheesecake bars...but that still sounds yummy too!

Black Beans

This is a great side dish for any Mexican meal you are making! The cuisine of choice for Jaysen is Mexican so we make it frequently!


1 (16 ounce) can black beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.


Ashlee side note: Though very carb heavy, these beans have less than 1/2 a gram of fat per serving and only 112 calories! Not too shabby! You can use these for really great bean and cheese burritos too. I would suggest adding the cayenne to the beans in the beginning so the flavor really gets into the beans.

Santa Baby!

I made these cookies last year as part of my holiday baking and not only were they easy....they were so fun because they turned out so cute!

2 packages (6 ounces each) white baking chocolate, chopped

1 package (1 pound) Nutter Butter sandwich cookies

Red colored sugar

32 vanilla or white chips

64 miniature semisweet chocolate chips

32 red-hot candies

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate, stirring occasionally. Dip one end of each cookie into melted chocolate. Place on wire racks. For Santa’s hat, sprinkle red sugar on top part of chocolate. Press one vanilla chip off-center on hat for pom-pom; let stand until set.
Dip other end of each cookie into melted chocolate for beard, leaving center of cookie uncovered. Place on wire racks. With a dab of melted chocolate, attach semisweet chips for eyes and a red-hot for nose. Place on waxed paper until chocolate sets.
Yield: 32 cookies

Ashlee side note: I'm not so great at the "dabbing" of melted chocolate to attach pieces so I just bought one of those little tubes of decorator gel and used that to attach the pieces. Much easier for me! You can also use mini M&Ms for the eyes if you'd like. Just don't let the kids turn Santa evil by giving him red eyes! Those turn out scary! ;0)

Mint Capped Brownie Cookie Cups

So excited about this recipe because it uses my new favorite candy! Mint Truffle Hershey Kisses! Chocolate and mint.....such a good combination!

48 Mint Truffle Hershey Kisses

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 48 small muffin cups (1 3/4 in diameter) with paper or foil baking cups. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat butter, sugar, water and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.

3. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place in prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake 11 t o13 minutes or until cookie surface is set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake. Cool about 5 minutes on wire rack. Press chocolate kiss into surface of each cookie cup. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle each cookie with powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Ashlee side note: Did you know they make Hersheys Special Dark cocoa for baking? If you are like me....the darker the chocolate the better! So, give that a try!

Wassail

OK, one more recipe for this holiday! Who doesn't like a hot drink on a cold day?

1 gallon apple cider
1 quart orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 large can pineapple juice
24 whole cloves
1 cup sugar
4 sticks cinnamon

Put all of this in a large crockpot if you've got one big enough. If not, put in a large pot on the stove and let simmer. Your whole house will smell yummy and you get to drink it too!

Ashlee side note: Obviously you don't drink/eat the cloves or cinnamon, but the flavor of these will soak into the liquid making the drink super yummy. This is a nice change from the usual apple cider.

Rainbow Jello

My mom makes this every year for Thanksgiving though she just puts it in a 9x13 pan and only uses colors red through green. But I thought this picture was just beautiful! I might have to try making it in a bundt pan!

1 (6 oz.) package of each color of jello you are using. We like to use cherry, orange, lemon, and lime.

1 cup sour cream for each color of jello

If you are going based off of the picture above, dissolve the grape jello in 2 cups boiling water. Remove 1/2 cup and place in medium sized bowl. To this 1/2 cup, add 1 cup sour cream and stir well. Pour sour cream mixture into your bundt pan and put on a level shelf in refrigerator and chill until set. When firm, pour reserved grape jello liquid over creamy layer; chill until firm. Repeat with remaining colors of Jello -- each with a creamy layer and a clear layer.

Ashlee side note: Be sure that each layer you are pouring on is cool enough so that you don't melt the layer you just chilled! So, the jello liquid you made using boiling water needs to be room temperature before pouring it on the cream layer. And make sure you use cold sour cream, as that should lower the temperature of the liquid you add to it enough to be ok.

I've helped my mom make this, but never actually made it myself. Let me know if you made it so I know how it went! ;0)

Kentucky Derby Pie

Another great pie recipe for Thanksgiving. It's called Kentucky Derby pie because it's so rich, but it's the best version of pecan pie that I've had, and I don't like nuts!

1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cube butter, melted and cooled

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together ingredients and put into an unbaked pastry shell. Bake in 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Ashlee side note: How easy is this? And I promise you....you will love it! You will not be disappointed!

Thrifty Cream Pie

This is another recipe that has been in my family for FOREVER! It makes a quick and easy cream base for any of the cream pies (besides chocolate) that you would make. I figured since Thanksgiving was coming and we would all be gorging ourselves on pie...I'd share a few of my families pie recipes with you!

1 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter

Scald 1 cup milk. Mix sugar, salt, flour, and remaining milk together. Stir into hot milk and cook slowly until thickened, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes. Put egg yolk in bowl and slowly add about 1 cup of mixture to it to temper. Add this back into milk mixture and cook one minute longer. Add butter and vanilla. Cool. Pour into baked pastry shell. Cool until chilled through. Cover with whipped cream.

For a coconut cream pie: Stir 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut into filling.
For banana cream pie: Layer sliced bananas with cream filling ending with bananas on top.
For Raspberry: add one cup raspberries to cooled filling before putting into pie shell.

Ashlee side note: I grew up with this for Thanksgiving. Nothing better than Grandma's banana cream pie!

Pumpkin Cookies

I got this recipe from some friends this last weekend and will be making them on Thursday for my candle party for people to munch on. They are super quick and require few ingredients!

2 boxes spice cake mix
1 large can pumpkin
chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet)

Just mix it all up together. The moistness of the cookie comes from the pumpkin and all the spices are already included in the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done!

Ashlee side note: I'm a cookie bar person. I don't have the patience to wait for 4 or 5 trays of cookies to bake. So, I usually just make cookie bars. Just put all of the batter into a 13x9 dish instead and bake! Quick and easy!
Also...if you are making them "cookie style" keep the batter refrigerated between batches. If you let the dough get warm, you will have flatter cookies. (This is a tip for all types of cookies!)

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

I just came across this recipe. It's a sugar cookie, so you know it's yummy....but how cute are these? Thought I'd share. I'm going to make them to take over to the Burnham's for this Thanksgiving.

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create ' n Bake™ refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

1 . Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2 . Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3 . Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

Ashlee side note: This would be a fun thing to do with the kids while they wait for the Turkey to be done, or even after dinner. Just have the cookies pre-baked and let the kids make their own turkeys.

Beef n Bean Bake

This is what's for dinner tonight at my house. Quick and easy meal you just throw together and bake. My kind of dinner!

1 lb. ground beef
1 can Campbell's® Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup
3/4 cup Pace® Thick & Chunky Salsa
3/4 cup water
8 corn tortillas (6-inch) OR 6 flour tortillas (8-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


COOK beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
ADD soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Cover.
BAKE at 400°F. for 30 min. or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Ashlee side note: You could also make this without the tortillas and serve it over Fritos chips instead. Add a dollup of sour cream on the top and you can't go wrong!

Fazoli's Breadsticks

So, I went out to Fazoli's this last weekend with some girlfriends. I have never been there, but now I'm wishing Twin Falls had one. So good! All I ordered was a Smoked Turkey Panini, but it was so good! Anyway...the best part about this restaurant is everyone gets FREE warm breadsticks. And not just plain old breadsticks...these are garlic breadsticks. You will die when you try them!


Just buy the prepackaged bake and serve breadsticks that you find in the bakery section. Fazoli's doesn't bake their own...you don't need to either! ;0)
They use a liquid butter substitute called whirl. But I assume they do that because they would be constantly melting real butter if they used that instead. So, once breadsticks are baked, slather them GOOD with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic and salt OR garlic salt. And that's it. I know it sounds dumb. We could have thought of that! And I was hoping there was something really SPECIAL about the way they made theirs. But there's not.
These are just so yummy! So, give them a go!

Italian Crockpot Chicken

(Another great recipe from Holly!) This recipe has been around for awhile, but it's one I always forget about and love it every time I have it, and it's sooo easy!

1 jar of italian dressing
chicken or pork chops
potatoes
carrots
mushrooms
onions

Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 6 hours. I don't know amounts, it just depends on your family size. Just make sure you cut your potatoes into wedges so they don't turn into mush! The bigger the better. We made this Sunday with the roasted red pepper italian dressing and it was a nice change from regular italian!!

Black Angus Potato Soup

Black Angus is a steak house...apparently a really good one. And apparently they make amazing potato soup. I'm assuming it's got to be comparable to the loaded potato soup at The Garden Cafe here in Twin. That's some good soup! So, here's a recipe my sister in law, Holly, shared with me for the Black Angus potato soup.

4 large baking potatoes ( I use red since they are supposed to be better)

2/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

4 green onions -- chopped and divided

12 slices bacon -- cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese -- shredded and divided

8 ounces sour cream

Wash, dry and prick potatoes with fork. Bake in 400°F oven for 1 hour or until done. Peel and cube potatoes. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add salt, pepper, green onions and 1 cup of cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if necessary. Serve with remaining green onions, bacon and cheese.

Holly side note:) I also add fresh parsely and I don't use white pepper, and if you don't have bacon on hand bacon bits work just fine. You can even use bacon bits and bacon, we did and it was really good!! I also used about 8 large red potatoes. Goes really really good with homemade rolls!!!

Candy Bar Shortbread

Just got this recipe in a new recipe book and I'm excited to give it a go. Thought I'd share it with all of you! It's from the recipe book 'Passion for Baking' by Marcy Goldman.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

pinch salt

3 (3.52 oz) Toblerone chocolate bars, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Stack 2 baking sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended. Add flour and salt and mix to make a stiff dough that does not quite hold together. Pat dough into a 13 x 9 inch pan lined with parchment paper and set pan on prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, 25 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate on hot uncut shortbread. Let set about 5 minutes and smear chocolate around. Cut into 2 inch squares and remove cooking to fridge or freezer to set up.

Makes 2-3 dozen shortbread.

Ashlee side note: The picture above shows the cookies sprinkled with walnuts, but why would you want to ruin this dessert? ;0)

Anyway...have you ever had a Toblerone? It's been years, but I remember them being soooo good. So, how could this recipe go wrong right?

"Boursin Cheese"

The Boursin Cheese sold in the grocery store is kind of on the pricey side, so just make your own and enjoy the savings. Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen. LOVE HER!

1 pound cream cheese
8 ounces whipped butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, add the seasonings, and process until smoothly blended. Line a medium sized crock or bowl with plastic wrap and fill it with the cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Ashlee side note: This is also really good used as dip for crackers or as a sandwich spread.

Chicken Boursin

4 chicken breasts (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 package garlic Boursin Cheese
1 cup cream
2 Tbsp. sour cream
small onion, chopped
mushrooms, sliced

Saute mushrooms and onions in olive oil until onions are slightly golden. Add the chicken and cook on low until well done. Add the cream and heat slightly, then add sour cream followed by salt and white pepper. Add the Boursin and stir gently until fully dissolved. Bring to a brief boil and serve.

Ashlee side note: My mom has made this in bulk for when the whole family gets together and bakes it in the oven instead of doing it stove top. Still saute the mushrooms and onions. Don't add the chicken. But put in the other ingredients like it says to make the sauce. Then, just put the chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce over it. Bake it until the chicken is done. So yummy!
Also, Boursin Cheese can be a little spendy. Buy it at Costco instead of at a regular grocery store. Much cheaper. If anyone is interested, I also have the recipe for homemade Boursin. Which is cheaper to make it than to buy it. I still just buy it, because I'm lazy. But the homemade tastes the same as the store bought. Anyway...let me know if you want that recipe too!

Blueberry Jello Salad

Another one with no picture...I'm sorry. I can't find one. But trust me....it's insanely good. You will want to make it. Your kids will thank you.

(2) 3 oz. pkgs. cherry jello
2 cups boiling water
20 oz. can crushed pineapple
22 oz. can blueberry pie filling
12 oz. cream cheese
12 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add ice cubes to partially thicken. Cubes should melt, if not, once jello is cool enough, remove the small leftover ice cubes that didn't melt. Mix pineapple and pie filling into jello. Pour into 13x9 inch pan and leave in refrigerator until jello is set. Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. When jello is set, spread with cream cheese mixture.

Ashlee side note: Because she loves us so much, when my mom made this for us a few weeks back, she used 24 oz. of cream cheese (double) instead of just the 12 oz. It was sooooo good and creamy. What makes this jello dessert so different from the others is the use of the pie filling, which gives the jello a creamier texture as well. Sunday dinner here we come!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup caramel topping

12 pecan halves, plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Reserve 3/4 cup of the apple filling; set aside. Spoon the remaining filling into the crust. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour this over the pie filling.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set. Cool to room temperature.
Mix the reserved pie filling and caramel topping in a small saucepan and heat for about 1 minute, or until spreadable. Spoon the apple-caramel mixture over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly. Decorate the edge of the cake with pecan halves and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Ashlee side note: Again with the nuts! Yuck! Not nuts! This is definitely not low fat. You can make it lighter by using a fat free cream cheese, but honestly...live it up! Tis the season!

Jerk Chicken

This is a great low fat dish...does take some prep work, but good!

1 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup bottled jerk sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup bottled jerk sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp hot sauce

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade.
2. Prepare grill.
3. Combine broth, 1/4 cup jerk sauce, ketchup and hot sauce.
4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray. grill 20 minutes or until done, turning and basting frequently with broth mixture.

Ashlee side note: I don't use bone-in meat very often. The kids have a hard time with it and I don't like picking the meat off the bones much myself. So, I just use 2 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders. Makes it like having a bunch of chicken strips instead of those humongous chicken breasts. If you are concerned about it being too hot for the kids, just eliminate the hot sauce in the basting sauce. You can always pour some on your own after plating it. And this chicken is so low fat! Makes it even better! Only 5.4 grams of fat and 6 grams of carbs...and 42 grams of protein! This recipe serves 6...so you figure out how many pieces of chicken you get per serving. Honestly, as low fat as it is....eat up!

Pampered Chef Bean Dip

This is another recipe I got from my sister Crystal. She introduced me to it a couple of months back and I LOVE it! Of course, she got it from a home party, but still.....

1 9 oz can bean dip (or jsut a can of regular refired beans)
4 oz cream cheese1
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tblsp. taco seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 med tomato
2 green onions
1/4 cup sliced olives
1 tblsp. fresh cilantro
additional sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Place bean dip in bottom of dish, combine cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning together. Spread over beans. Press garlic over cream cheese mixture. Grate cheese over top and bake for 15-10 mins. Add tomato, green onion, and olives on top. (Optional: You can add an addtional layer of sour cream before the toamtos if wanted). Serve with chips.

Ashlee side note: This is such a great twist on the usual 7 layer dip. It's nice and warm and gooey. So good! I didn't used minced garlic. I used garlic powder instead. Worked great. And I don't think that it needs an additional layer of sour cream. It's a little bit overkill and blocks the flavors of the other ingredients.

Easy Ham and Noodles

This is one of my quick and easy recipes. You know, when you KNOW their is one of "those" night coming up and you won't have much time to cook. It literally only takes 20 minutes to prepare and better yet, only 10 grams of fat! Much better than fast food!

1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 cup water
3 cups uncooked dumpling egg noodles (5 oz.)
2 boxes (10 0z. each) frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and cheese flavored sauce
2 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked ham

In saucepan, heat broth and water to boiling and add noodles. Cook noodles until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. DO NOT DRAIN.
Meanwhile, cook veggies as directed on box.
Gently stir veggies in cheese sauce and ham into noodle mixture. Cook 3-4 minutes until hot, stirring occasionally.

Ashlee side note: Remember not to over stir, as you will end up with broken noodles and mush. ;0) If you don't have chicken broth, it's ok, just use water, but the broth does add a lot of flavor. I also just buy those packages of pre-diced ham from the supermarket. Already cooked, already chopped. No work involved. That's how this turns into a quick meal. The kids like it too!
happy eating! let me know what you think!

Caramel Crunch Bars

These were so easy to make, and were so ooey gooey yummy too.


4 1/2 Graham Crackers
1 pkg. (11oz.) Kraft Caramel Bits
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup cocktail peanuts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pretzels
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Line 8 inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray. Place graham crackers on bottom of pan, cutting to fit if necessary.
Microwave caramel bits and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until caramel bits are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour over grahams; top with peanuts, marshmallows and pretzels. Drizzle with chocolate.
Refrigerate at least one hour. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into bars to serve.

Ashlee side note: I made these for Super Saturday treats. I changed the recipe a little bit, as I was worried about the graham crackers falling apart. I bought one of those packages of dry cookie mix (or you can buy the refrigerated cookie dough that comes in those rolls) and baked the cookie crust in a 9x13. I used chocolate chip cookie mix, but I think even sugar cookie or peanut butter would be yummy too, depending on the flavor you wanted for your treats. ;0) Anyway...instead of a graham cracker crust, it had a chocolate chip cookie crust. No foil. After baking cookie crust, I let it cool. Then I added the caramel. There was still plenty to cover the surface of the dessert. Just make sure you don't let the caramel go all the way to the edges as you will have a hard time prying it from the pan. ;0)
Even Jaysen, who is not a big sweets fan, liked these. So, eat up! And let me know what you think!

Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

Not sure how she got it, but this recipe is from my sister Crystal. It's literally the Chili's recipe for this soup I guess. It's "souper" yummy too. ;0) This is what I order whenever we go there. The soup and salad and that yummy queso dip. So, eat up!

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken breasts
1/2 cup Diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Masa harina (flour)
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
16 oz. velveeta
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Garnish: shredded cheddar, crumbled tortilla chips, pico de gallo

1. Add oil to large pot over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pot and brown. Set aside.
2. Add onions and garlic to pot and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth.
3. Combine flour with 2 cups of water in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add this mixture to pot with onions, garlic and broth.
4. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese and spices to pot and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Shred chicken into small, bite sized pieces and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick. Garnish.

Baked Ravioli Lasagna

Yay! My sister-in-law, Holly, just shared a recipe that I thought you might want to try out. It looks yummy. It's what's for dinner at my house tonight.

Hey. I have a really easy, good recipe if you want to try it out and see if it's blog worthy. It's called Baked Ravioli Lasagna.

2 pkgs of frozen cheese ravioli
1 lb of hamburger
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup grated mozarella cheese
1 cup of grated monterey jack cheese
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

It's real easy you just cook the meat and add the sauce, spread a little on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, place ravioli on top of mixture and top with 1/2 of mozzarella and monterey jack cheese and repeat one more time. Top off with sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. You can also add chopped onion, garlic powder, basil leaves and italian seasoning if you so desire. Let me know what you think. It's way easy and is a fun spin on lasagna!

Let me know what you think!

No comments means either you don't like my recipes, or no one is paying attention to this blog. :0) Leave me a note if you stop by here and let me know if you've tried the recipe, think it looks good, etc.

I want to hear what you think! I also want to know if I need to bother posting more recipes. ;0)

Pumpkin Dessert

Fall is my favorite time of year. As soon as the weather starts turning, I swear I start craving this dessert. Now, I don't like pumpkin pie. I know, I'm wierd. And though this dessert does contain the pumpkin pie "filling" in it, the cake on the top totally changes the flavor. The best part about this dessert is that you can eat it warm (yum!) or cold the next day (which is what Jaysen prefers). So, eat up! Celebrate fall!
1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup nuts
2 cubes margarine

Blend all ingredients except cake mix, nuts, and margarine. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top. Spread nuts over top and drizzle melted margarine over that. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

Ashlee side note: I hate nuts! They are gross. If you put them in something, it totally ruins the dessert! having said that, you can guess that I don't add nuts to this dessert. it's better that way. Though some of my family prefer it with nuts. Wierdos!

Warm Caramel Apple Cake

This is a new recipe for me, but I couldn't resist trying it out. It's a twist on the Pineapple Upside Down cake. And a perfect twist on a caramel apple dessert. So yummy!
Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 tsp apple pie spice

Topping
2/3 cup white frosting (store bought kind)
1/2 cup Cool Whip
Caramel topping, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, cook butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour this into a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans and then top with sliced apples.

2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and apple pie spice with mixer on low speed until moistened. Carefully spoon batter over apple mixture.

3. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan; carefully turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake about 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan.

4. In small bowl, mix frosting and whipped topping. Serve warm cake with frosting mixture and drizzled with caramel topping.

Ashlee side note: Though I was sure that I had white frosting in my cupboard, it turns out I mostly had chocolate (go figure). I did see that I had a caramel frosting though, so I used that instead, and used 1 cup of Cool whip instead of just a half cup. It turned out yummy. Super rich, but yummy! And, for those of you like me who don't have a large enough serving platter for a cake to be flipped over on, I just used a cookie sheet. It worked just fine. This dessert was super easy to make, too. Let me know what you think!

Pepperoni Pizza Soup

You're going to hate me over this recipe, because there are no exact ingredients. I kind of just put stuff together one day. So, let me know what you think.

2 cans tomato soup

penne pasta, cooked and drained

pepperoni slices

small can of sliced olives

mozzarella cheese

oregano

garlic

Make the tomato soup according to directions in a sauce pan. How much pasta you want in it depends on if you like a thicker soup, or a soupier soup. :0)

Add pepperoni slices...I think I toss in about 20 or so slices, but if you want more go for it!

Stir in oregano and garlic to preferred taste, and then let all of this simmer on the stove to let the flavors meld together. Stir frequently so as not to let the soup burn to the bottom of the pan. ;0)

Add olives at the end and continue cooking until they are warmed through.

Pour into serving bowls and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Serve immediately.

Ashlee side note: Landon ate this like he was starved. ;0) And it was tomato soup! Loved it! You can also make variations and do a meat lovers soup, or vegetable lovers....etc. I probably wouldn't suggest a hawaiian style pizza in this soup (yuck!) but you get the idea. Serve this with a bowl of salad and some garlic bread and your set! One of the easiest dinners to make!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

I found this recipe last year on Pillsbury.com and fell in love with it immediately! I hope you do too!



2 eggs

1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cups diced cooked chicken

2 cups diced cooked ham

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 jar (16 oz.) creamy garlic Alfredo sauce

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese





Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, cottage and parmesan cheeses and parsley. set aside.

In another medium bowl, mix chicken, ham garlic powder and Alfredo sauce. In ungreased 13x9 inch glass baking dish spread about 1/2 cup chicken mixture.

Top chicken mixture with 3 uncooked noodles, half of the cheese mixture and half each of the mozzarella and swiss cheeses. Repeat layers starting with noodles, ending with Swiss cheese. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake 1 hour or until very hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Ashlee side note: I make this into a casserole type dish. Instead of using lasagna noodles, I cook up egg noodles and use them for that layer instead. My kids really love "noodles with white sauce" and so they still get to have that, but with a little twist. Good stuff!

Salsa

I originally got this recipe from my Jaysen's mom, who got it from her sister-in-law (Jaysen's aunt) who is from Mexico. Did you get all that? ;0) But, I tweaked it a little bit, and found that I like the flavor a lot more. Let me know what you think!


4 medium tomatoes
1 jalapeno
minced garlic
handful cilantro
2 limes
1 can Rotel
1 can Mexican Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 onion
salt

In frying pan, pour enough olive oil in to cover bottom. Heat on med/low. Add a spoonful of minced garlic.

Meanwhile, quarter tomatoes and cut jalapeno in half removing seeds from inside. Add these to frying pan. Fry until just heated through to inject the garlic flavor into the tomatoes. Remove from heat and pour all (including oil) into blender. Add handful of cilantro, juice from two limes, Rotel, Stewed Tomatoes, and onion to blender. Blend until all ingredients have been chopped up. This is usually where I do a taste test to see just how much salt I need to add. Sometimes, it's a lot, other times, not so much. So, salt to taste. ;0)

Ashlee side note: Jaysen LOVES this salsa. Which is why I had to have his mom come over and show me how to make it. ;0) He likes his SPICY though. So, here a few tips if you are the same.
There are three different kinds of Rotel you can use in this recipe. Mild, Original, and HOT! So, if you like it hot...I would suggest using that version instead. I usually just buy the original to keep on hand. Not everyone wants to burn up their esophogas! ;0) So, after I'm done making the salsa, I remove half of it for the sane individuals, and then add another jalapeno to the blender and blend it in.
My family loves this stuff! It gets eaten up quickly when we all get together. And I know that the Burnham's love it just as much!

Stuffed Ground Beef

So, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you these are low fat or anything. However, alterations can be made to make them a little less scary for those of us watching our figures. Any way you make them though....YUM!

2 pounds lean ground beef (can use ground turkey for a lighter version)
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups herb Stove Top Stuffing
2 cans cream of chicken soup (can use mushroom or celery if preferred)
1/2 soup can water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, salt and pepper until well blended. Divide into 16 portions. Flatten into thin patties.
Make stuffing mix following package directions. Scoop about 1/4 cup stuffing each on 8 of the patties. Place a second pattie on top, then press around the edges to seal well. Place on oiled shallow cookie sheet. Brown in oven for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix soup with water. When patties are browned, remove from oven and turn temperature down to 350. Pour soup mixture over patties. Bake for 30 minutes longer.
To serve, spoon remaining sauce in cookie sheet over patties.

Ashlee side note: I don't make these very often, but when I do, they get eaten up. For a smaller family like mine, just half the recipe. These have also been called stuffed mini meatloaves by those who have eaten them before...so if that's you..these are it! When you make these with ground turkey and the fat free cream soups, they really aren't bad at all if you are watching calories. So, eat up!

Danish Dumplings

This recipe comes from my Great Grandma Arnold. It's been in our family for awhile as I have Danish ancestors. The recipe is just for the dumplings, not the soup. But, it does make a great chicken soup. Use these instead of noodles and your set!

1 cup cold water

1 cup flour

6 Tbsp. shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

4 eggs

Put water and shortening into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the flour and salt at once. Mix well until blended. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly, while still hot.

Drop by spoonfuls in hot, boiling chicken broth.

Ashlee side note: These are soooo yummy. We always thought they were a special treat growing up and would fight over who got the most. I think my mom had to have made a double batch of them to satisfy all of us!

If you are making a chicken dumpling soup with them, make the vegetable soup in chicken broth first, and when all of that is ready, that's when you add the dumplings by the spoonful. Otherwise, the dumplings can come apart if you stir it too much.

Enjoy one of my families favorite traditional foods!

The BEST Banana Bread!

Here is my ultimate favorite banana bread recipe. Super moist, super sweet...and really easy!

You Will Need

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use Splenda)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 large ripe bananas

3/4 cup melted butter

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (I use Splenda brown sugar)

Okay...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In your mixer, combine flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork. (Make sure the bananas are nice and ripe. They are the sweetest that way and you get better flavor out of them. If your bananas aren't ripe enough, you can speed the process along by keeping them in a brown paper bag with the top closed for a few days.)

Add butter, eggs, milk and brown sugar to bananas and mix well.

Add banana mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Don't over beat!

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for about one hour. I check after about 45 minutes to see how it's doing. Depending on your oven, you may need to adjust time, or temperature slightly. If the top or corners of your bread is browning too quickly, cover it lightly with aluminum foil.

Ashlee side note: If you like pecans or chocolate chips in your banana bread stir 1/2 cup of either into the dry ingredients at the beginning. I've also used this recipe to make banana bread cupcakes. Super good! Especially with chocolate chips in them! :0) Bake these for 25-30 minutes instead using a regular muffin pan. And...even better....stock up on it! You'll want to after you try it! Wrap the bread in plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil and you can freeze it for up to 3 months! It thaws in the refrigerator overnight...easy!

One final thought...you can actually use this bread for a twist on the old banana split recipe. Put a slice of bread on a plate, a scoop of vanilla on top, and pour chocolate syrup over the top. Tah dah! Good stuff.

I hope you enjoy it! My favorite part about this recipe is that I get to indulge, but knowing that didn't use sugar or oil makes me feel better about it. And using part whole wheat flour is even better! (Tried using all wheat...not as good! Bread doesn't work out as well)

Happy eating!

Baking Time!

So.......

I like to cook, bake......eat! Food is good and I love good recipes. I am always on the look out for a new one and I love to try them out on people. So, I'm going to post my favs here....you try them out...and let me know!

Not that I get asked A LOT for my recipes...but when I do actually go somewhere and it requires my cooking skills, I do get asked. So, here they are! And seriously....let me know what you think! I'm interested to know if you tried it, if you liked it, if you'd change it, and if so...what should I change?

Have fun with it! And if you've got a recipe I should try...please let me know!!!