Meatball Sub Casserole

Jeremy loves meatball subs so I tried this and it was pretty good, even though I don't love meatball subs.  I also made an extra one and froze it to take to dinner to someone.  Great freezer meal!

Transform a meatball sub sandwich into a casserole that the entire family will enjoy! (recipe adapted from: TasteOfHome.com)

Contributed by Megan Porta from pipandebby.com.

Published Jun 22, 2015

Serves: 8
Total time: 45 min

Meatball Sub Casserole
Ingredients:

8 slices frozen garlic bread
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
24-oz. jar marinara sauce
22-oz. bag frozen meatballs

Instructions:
Bake garlic bread according to package directions. Decrease temperature on oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of the prepared garlic bread slices.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayo and Italian seasoning. Mix well and spread evenly over the tops of the garlic bread slices. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella over the top, followed by the marinara sauce and meatballs (no need to thaw meatballs first).

Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm!

Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas with Avocado Cream Sauce

From: http://www.2teaspoons.com/chicken-black-bean-tostadas-avocado-cream-sauce/

INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
optional: ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
optional: ¼ teaspoon paprika

BEANS
3.5 cups of black beans (2 cans drained)
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE
1 ripe Hass avocado
½ -1 jalapeño, diced and seeded*
½ cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
splash of milk
TOSTADAS
8 corn tortillas
Olive oil for brushing tortillas
1.5-2 cups of shredded cheese
4 medium tomatoes, diced
4-6 leafs of romaine lettuce, chopped
½ red onion, diced
fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
optional: limes for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
Chicken: Mix flour and spices in a bowl and toss with chicken pieces. Heat olive oil in a (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken until fully cooked stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beans: Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Mix beans with spices and add them to the skillet. Stir and mash beans while they are heating in the skillet. Once the beans are heated throughout remove from heat and set aside.

Avocado cream sauce: Blend all ingredients except milk until smooth. Stir in milk until sauce reaches desired consistency (I used just a splash).

Tortillas: Tortillas are best served right from the oven so while tortillas are baking make sure all toppings are ready for assembly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of tortillas with olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and bake for additional 3 minutes. Once tortillas are done baking, sprinkle with salt and begin to assemble tostadas right away.

Assembly: Divide each ingredient equally between the 8 tostadas. Spread a layer of black beans on each tortilla. Sprinkle each with chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cilantro (or parsley). Drizzle with avocado cream sauce and dive in! :-)
NOTES
*for slightly spicy sauce use ½ jalapeño, for a spicier sauce use the whole jalapeño

Lemon Jello Cake

Lemon Jello Cake
Author: Oh, sweet basil
Recipe type: dessert
Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  27 mins Total time:  37 mins
Serves: 12-16 servings

Ingredients
Cake
1 lemon cake mix
4 large eggs
1⅓ cup water
⅔ cup oil
1 regular package lemon jello (small box-3 oz)

Icing
Juice of 2 Lemons (I think I used 1/4 cup of juice)
1½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cake pan with nonstick spray and sprinkle with flour. Tip and tap the edges of the cake pan to coat it with flour.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, mix the cake mix, eggs, water, oil and jello together. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.
3. Bake at 350* for 27-30 minutes. When cake is done, prick with 2 tined fork while still hot. Immediately pour lemon icing over top.

Icing
1.In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth.

{Secret Ingredient} Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Chelsea

Cook time:  12 mins

Total time:  12 mins

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons oat flour (oats that have been blended)
• 1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup M&M's

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and creamy.
3. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks into the sugar and butter mixture. Discard or save one of the egg whites for another recipe and place the remaining egg white in another bowl.
4. Add the cream of tartar in with the egg white and beat for several minutes.
5. Beat the vanilla extract and then the egg white mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar, and egg yolks.
6. In another bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, flour, and oat flour (Measure the oat flour AFTER grinding and not before). Stir until combined.
7. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the regular chocolate chips, and the miniature chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Using high quality chocolate chips makes these cookies the BEST! I recommend guittard or ghirardelli.
8. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out the dough onto a cookie sheet. Strategically place extra chocolate-chips and the M&M's on the tops of the cookies. (I don't mix the M&M's into the dough, but rather place them on the tops to get a pretty bakery-style appearance).
9. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the sides are lightly browned. Remove and allow to "cook" more on the cookie sheet for about 4-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
10. Under-baking your cookies is key to soft and chewy cookies. These cookies have a very soft and chewy center with crisp edges if baked appropriately.

Notes

*Often times cookies are messed up because people measure flour so differently. If you have a kitchen scale, the best results will come from measuring your flour - otherwise spoon and level or you will likely have way too much flour (by scooping into a flour bag it packs in more flour than is needed). **I have lots of trouble-shooting and helpful notes throughout this post. I highly recommend reading the tips before making these cookies for optimal results.

Recipe by Chelsea's Messy Apron at http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/secret-ingredient-bakery-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Soft Pretzel Bites

These were really yummy! We did some with a little salt and some with cinnamon sugar. Such a fun treat! Not very good day two though.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/07/20/soft-pretzel-bites/

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups (300ml) warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)
1 packet Red Star Platinum instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon (8g) packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter, previously melted and not scorching hot
3.75 - 4.25 cups (470- 530g) all-purpose flour + more for the counter surface to knead
1/2 cup baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Kicked-Up Cheddar Cheese Sauce for serving
Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast may remain. Add salt, sugar, and melted butter; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger - if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Place in a large mixing bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm area for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (They stuck to the wax paper even though I sprayed it. I used nonstick aluminum foil sprayed for the second batch and it worked great) or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
3. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 6 sections. Roll the dough into six 20-inch long ropes. Cut the rope into 1.5 inch pieces to make bites.
4. Boil 9 cups of water with the baking soda. Make sure it is rapidly boiling. Drop 8-10 pretzel bites into water and let sit for 20 seconds. Remove with a spatula and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the bites aren't touching.
5. Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake batches for 15 minutes each, or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and serve with cheese sauce or honey mustard. Pretzel bites remain fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container, though they will lose some softness.

Make ahead/Freezing: For freezing, the prepared pretzel dough (or shaped dough) can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for three months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking. Baked pretzel bites freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven at 300°F (149°C) until warm.

© Sally’s Baking Addiction. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This recipe is a composite a few recipes that I looked at and I kind of made it up :) It turned out really yummy! I just did a top crust which is why I called it a casserole.

For the crust:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup light mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
About 1/4 cup cold water

Mix flour, salt, and mayo together in medium mixing bowl.  Add water slowly, working dough with your hands until ball forms.  Don't overwork.  I chilled for about an hour but I don't know if this is necessary. Roll out to the size of your baking dish. Crust will be fairly thick depending on size of baking dish.

For the filling:

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cus chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
Salt
Pepper
You can use a can of cream of chicken soup or use the substitute that I used:

For substitute cream of chicken
1 can fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup flour (more if you want your sauce thicker)
2 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance dairy free)
Half can of light coconut milk (I had some so I used it, Not sure if necessary)
Salt
Pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour to form a roux.  Add chicken broth and simmer until thickens.  Add coconut milk and continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add carrots and celery.  Cover and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add cream of chicken soup or alternate that you have set aside.  Add frozen peas and chicken and allow to simmer for a few minutes.  Pour filling into baking dish and cover with crust. Cut slits in crust and cook at 350-375 degrees for 35 minutes (I started out at 350 for 20 minutes and then turned it up and cooked it for another 15 minutes) or until crust is light brown and filling bubbling.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

·         2 cups salsa verde (I didn't use even close to this!) 

·         2 cups shredded or cubed chicken, cooked

·         2 cooked sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

·         1 can yellow corn kernels, drained and rinsed. 

·         1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup diced red onion

·         3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided

·         1 teaspoon chili powder

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         2 cups mexican blend cheese, divided

·         12 6-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas, warmed

·         1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

·         ½ cup diced tomatoes

·         2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degreesF

2.   Pour 1 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish; set aside.

3.   In a large bowl, combine cooked sweet potatoes, cooked chicken, black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, spices, and salt and pepper, to taste.

4.   To assemble enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon ¼ cup sweet potato mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish.

5.   Repeat with remaining tortillas

6.   Pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas and top with desired amount of cheese.

7.   Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

8.   Garnish with avocado, more tomato, cilantro, and sour cream if desired.

9.   Enjoy!

Applesauce Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP butter or coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In medium bowl stir together oatmeal, applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, butter, and sugar. Set aside. In large bowl whisk baking powder, baking soda, flour, cinnamon and salt (and optional ingredients) Make a well in the center and pour in applesauce mixture. Stir till just combined (don't overmix) Muffin batter will be wetter than most. Distribute among 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-20 min until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake. Freeze or eat :)

Corbin really loves these too!

Jeremy's Rice Pudding

Yummy!!

4 cups milk
1 cup white rice
3/4 cup sugar

Put all  ingredients in medium saucepan on medium heat.  Stir constantly (to prevent boiling over) until it begins to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until most of liquid is absorbed. Continue stirring frequently.
Serve hot or cold. Optional toppings: cinnamon, dulce de leche, nuts, vanilla

Dairy Free Alternative

1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups water or almond milk
1/2 cup rice
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Same instructions as above.

Vegetarian Black Bean Taquitos

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBSP bottled salsa
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TBSP lime juice
1 (10 oz) box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and roughly chopped
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
1 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or cheddar)
8-10 soft taco tortillas

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place 3/4 cup of the beans in a food processor with the salsa, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Process until mostly smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and add remaining ingredients (except tortillas), including rest of beans. Mix together.
3. Place about 1/4 cup of the mixture on each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and spray with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 20-25 min or until edges are golden brown and crisp. Serve with cilantro-lime dressing, salsa, or green salsa.

Credit: Best Bites Cook Book

Breakfast Baby Muffins

Credit: http://www.goldmedalflour.com/ourbakerblog/2013/august%202013/baby%20food%20muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium avocado, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Make a well in the center and add the mashed banana, mashed avocado and applesauce. Stir until well combined.

Divide batter evenly among the 24 mini muffin cups. Bake for 12-14 minutes until set.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Variations: Feel free to use any combination of your baby's favorite mashed foods for a total of 2 cups. I recently replaced the avocado and applesauce with 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin and three shredded apples (squeezed of liquid). The babies LOVED them!

Savory Baby Muffins

Credit: http://feedingolive.tumblr.com/post/33525643032/savoury-mini-muffins

What you need

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup grated cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup milk (cows milk/breastmilk/formula)
• 1 cup veggies (I used grated carrot and peas, but you could use grated zucchini, chopped red pepper (capsicum), chopped broccoli, chopped spinach etc. You could also use ham or tuna for some protein)

How to do it

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. 
2. Sift flour and baking powder together. Give it a quick stir to make sure the baking powder is evenly distributed. Stir through veggies and cheese. 
3. Pour oil and milk into a jug then crack the egg into the jug and whisk it all together. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and pour in the liquid. Mix until just combined, giving you a thick batter.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tray and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 mins, until the muffins are nice and golden on top. Remove tray from oven, and cool muffins in tray for 5 mins, then turn out onto a rack to cool. 

Makes 12 muffins

Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies

YUM! :)

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter-softened
• 4 oz cream cheese-softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoon flour
• 5 oz white chocolate-chopped
• sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line pans with parchment paper.
2. Pour fresh lemon juice over chopped strawberries, drain them after a few minutes.
3. Whisk together 1¼ cup all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.
4. Beat butter with sugar and cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy.
5. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
6. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until it’s well combined.
7. Stir in chopped white chocolate.
8. Sprinkle strawberries with 1-2 tablespoon flour, toss them until all strawberries are coated with thin layer of flour and then stir them really gently in the batter.
9. Drop heaping tablespoon of batter onto pan leaving an inch space between.
10. Set the cookies in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before baking.
11. Sprinkle the cookies with sanding sugar if you want, but do not overdo it because they are sweet enough.
12. Bake for 13-15 minutes( until the edges become golden brown).
13. Let them cool a few minutes in the pan than transfer them to a wire racks to cool completely.

Credit: http://omgchocolatedesserts.com/strawberry-cookies/

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers

Pic source: Cooking Classy

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry brown rice (2 cups cooked)
5 medium red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 lb chicken, diced into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Sour cream
Mexican style hot sauce (such as Tapatio or Cholula, optional)

Directions

Prepare brown rice according to directions listed on package. Halfway through brown rice cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and begin making filling and boiling peppers.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut peppers in half through length (top to bottom), seed and devein peppers, then boil 4 - 5 minutes (fully immersing them in the water), just until tender. Drain well and align in baking pans, set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large and deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer, transfer onion mixture to a plate. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil skillet, and add chicken, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, the paprika and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomatoes, onion mixture, black beans, corn, cooked brown rice, remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin cumin, cilantro, lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until heated through.
Add a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture to each pepper half (and slightly press as filling to fit). Pour enough water into bottom of baking dishes to reach 1/8-inch in height (careful not to pour it in peppers). Cover baking dishes with foil and bake 30 - 35 minutes, until peppers are soft. Remove from oven, sprinkle tops evenly with cheese then return to oven to bake until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes longer.
Serve warm topped with more cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 TBSP olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5 oz) bag baby spinach (I just bought a 10 oz bag of fresh spinach and steamed a little over half myself)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil OR 1 TBSP dried
6 TBSP juice from 2 lemons (I just used 1 large lemon and it was plenty! Lots of delicious lemon flavor)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, red pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 TBSP of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Add 1 TBSP salf and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

Prep time:  4 minutes  Cook time 11

Ingredients:

4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth, divided
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary (in the salad section)
1/2 cup half and half

1.  Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap and pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper  Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side.

3.  Add green onions, 1/4 cup chicken broth, and rosemary and cook    30 seconds.  Stir in rest of broth and cook 2 minutes.  Add half-and-half; cook 2 minutes

Serve with asparagus or fried brussel spouts and rice or hashbrowns.

***The day after I made this, I reheated the chicken along with the leftover brother.  I chopped it and served it over a leafy green salad (Kale medley) using the broth as dressing.  YUMMY!

Frozen Individual Cheesecakes (serves 12)

 

(credit to Gina Alpers:  Women's conference 2015)

1 cup whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pkg (1/2 box) of graham crackers
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip the whipping cream and set aside. In larger bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Fold in whipped cream.

Fill muffin tin with cupcake wrappers. Pour filling into wrappers (about 3/4 full). Crush graham crackers. Melt butter and stir in graham cracker crumbs. Sprinkle on top of cheesecakes and press to make a crust. Freeze.

When serving, turn upside down onto dessert plate, remove wrappers, and top with raspberry sauce. Cheesecakes take about 45 mins to thaw completely.

Raspberry sauce:

1 pkg frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 lemon
1 tsp corn starch

In medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn starch, zest of lemon, and juice of lemon. Add bag of raspberries. Heat over medium heat stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Boil gently for several minutes until sauce thickens. Chill.

 

Breakfast Quiche Cups

 

12 servings

(from Janice Pruess)

12 slices deli ham

8 eggs- beaten

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese, sharp

1/4 parmesan cheese

1/4 c cottage cheese

5 oz. frozen spinach; thawed and drained

1/4 c chopped green onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. tobassco sauce

 Spray muffin tin with PAM.  Line cup with the ham.  (If the ham is really big, trim edges off so they won't burn).  Mix all ingredients together and fill ham cups.  Bake 15-20 minutes @350° or until puffed.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients

 1 cup butter room temperature

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs one at a time then add dry ingredients. Grease cookie sheet and bake @ 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Usually closer to 15 minutes. Wait until it starts to get light brown and then pull them out. (The dough is really sticky, I always spray my hands with non-stick spray and then press dough onto cookie sheet.)

Frosting

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup shortening (I use butter flavored)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
4 TBSP. milk
pinch of salt

Add almond extract (or other favorite flavoring) to taste (I add about 3/4 tsp. but you might want to start with a 1/2 tsp. and taste it to see if you like more or not.)

Add food coloring of your choice

Alternate Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 cups powdered sugar
Colored sugar or sprinkles, optional

 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix until smooth.

Cake Mix Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 Box yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 Small box instant vanilla pudding (just put in the powder!)
1/4 Cup water
3/4 Cup vegetable oil
2 Eggs
1 Cup chocolate chips. I used 1/2 cup holiday mini M&M's and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, pudding, water, vegetable oil, eggs and chips or M&M's in large bowl.

Pour the batter (it's going to be thick) into a greased 10x13 baking dish. I sprayed my dish with nonstick cooking spray which worked well.

Bake your bars for 20-30 minutes (I took mine out at 25.)

It may look sort of raw in the middle but if the edges are just golden and starting to get crispy, it's probably perfect.