Thursday, July 30, 2009

Kit-Kat-Bars



81 Keebler club crackers
1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup peanut butter
Directions
Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Line with 27 crackers. In a sauce pan, melt margarine and add both sugars, milk and graham cracker crumbs. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. This makes 3 cups of filling.
In microwave melt chocolate morsels and peanut butter. Pour half (1 1/2 cups) of filling on top of first row of crackers. Line another layer of 27 crackers on top of this filling. Pour remaining half of filling on top of these crackers and top with remaining 27 crackers for third layer. Pour chocolate and peanut butter mixture on top of this third layer of crackers and spread evenly.
Refrigerate until the chocolate-peanut butter layer is set. Cut into squares and serve. Makes about two dozen cookies.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Sopapilla Cheesecake


Ingredients:

2 cans crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
2 t. vanilla
1 stick butter
2 t. cinnamon

Directions:

Lay out one can of crescent rolls into bottom of 9X13 pan.
Blend together cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture across crescent rolls.
Cover with second can of crescent rolls. Melt 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 STICK – I never said this was healthy : ) and mix in 1 cup sugar and 2 tbsp. cinnamon.
Pour butter, sugar, and cinnamon mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Another Version I want to try...

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Banana Pudding Squares


Ingredients:
35 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided
3 bananas
3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1/2 square Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, grated (optional)
COMBINE wafer crumbs and margarine; press firmly onto bottom of 9×13-inch dish. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
**I have to double the crust ingredients to get it to cover the bottom of a 9X13 pan
MIX cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping; spread carefully onto crust. Set aside. Slice bananas and arrange over cream cheese mixture.
POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. Spoon over bananas. Spread with remaining whipped topping; sprinkle with chocolate (optional.
**I haven’t put the chocolate on yet….I like to put a layer of Nilla Wafers on top or just leave the cool whip as the topping
Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator (if there are any : )

Poppy Seed Chicken



Ingredients:
2 or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut in small pieces
1 8oz sour cream
1 cans cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp. of poppy seeds
Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cut up chicken, sour cream, cream of chicken soup and poppyseeds together in a bowl and pour in a 9X13 baking dish. Cover with crushed up ritz crackers. Melt a stick of butter and pour on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes

Baked Saucy Chicken



Ingredients:
• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 TBSP all purpose flour
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Pour oil into a casserole dish. Add chicken, onion and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil. Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables. Bake an additional 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth. Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring well.

When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Heat broiler. Turn chicken over. Place dish 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes. (You may want to watch this pretty closely….3-5 minutes under a broiler sounds like a long time) Serve immediately

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Monkey Bread


3 Cans Buttermilk Biscuits (not the flaky kind)
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
2 Sticks Butter
2-3 Tsp. cinnamon
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Pecans, if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open each can of bisuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a 1 gallon size zip-loc bag. For a stronger cinnamon taste, use all 3 tsp. For a not so strong cinnamon taste, only use 2.
Drop all of the biscuit quarters into the zip-loc back and shake until all biscuit pieces are well coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Evenly place pecans in the bottom of lightly greased bundt pan, if desired. Spread the biscuit pieces evenly over pecans (If you do not want to use pecans, just place biscuit pieces directly in to greased pan).
Melt 2 sticks of butter with 1/2 cup light brown sugar over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Once the butter/sugar melt and blend together, pour over bisuit pieces in the bundt pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until the crust is deep brown on top. Allow to cool 15-20 minutes and then turn upside down on to plate and serve.

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole



1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
burger seasoning to taste
a few shakes of Worchestire sauce
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
3/4 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake french fries on baking sheet for 10 minutes while preparing beef.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until beef is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease, and add seasonings and Worchestire sauce.
Return to the heat, and stir in the mushroom and cheese soups until well blended. Heat through, and remove from stove. Transfer the mixture to a 8×8 inch baking dish. Cover the ground beef mixture with a layer of partially cooked French fries.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. When the fries are golden brown, remove the casserole from the oven, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to the oven, and bake just until cheese has melted.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers



• Fresh Jalapenos (around 2 inches in size)
• Cream Cheese, softened
• Regular Bacon, sliced into thirds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise and remove all of the seeds. Fill each jalapeno half with cream cheese.
2. Wrap each jalapeno with a slice of bacon (1/3 regular slice). Secure bacon by sticking a toothpick through the middle of each jalapeno.
3. Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. (You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the filling out of the jalapeno) If after 25 minutes the bacon does not look cooked, turn your broiler on for a couple of minutes to cook the bacon (keep a close eye while you’re using the broiler!)
The taste best when served hot, but also taste good served at room temperature.

Baked Artichoke Squares



2 (8 oz) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 (9 0z) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Directions
Heat oven to 375. Unroll dough into 4 long rectangles. Place crosswise in ungreased 9X13 baking pan; press over bottom and 1 inch up sides to form crust. Press perforations to seal.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients; mix well. Spread mixture evenly over partially baked crust.
Bake at 375 for an additional 8-10 minutes or until topping is thoroughly heated. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Serve Warm.

“Guac” That Rocks



• 3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
• 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 med onion = about 3/4 cup), optional
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Tortilla chips, optional
Directions
Mix avocados, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice and salt in medium bowl until well blended. Season with pepper to taste.
Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Seven Layer Dip


• 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
• 1 package taco season mix
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (4.5 oz) green chiles (I like to use Ro-Tel)
• guacamole
• 1 cup salsa (any kind)
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I like to use Mexi-blend)
• 1 can (2.5 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 medium tomato, diced
Directions:
In medium bowl, stir together refried beans and taco seasoning mix. Spread mixture on large platter (you can also use a baking dish).
In another medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and chiles. Carefully spread over bean mixture.
Top with guacamole, salsa, lettuce,cheese, olive and tomatoes. Refrigerate until serving time.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Fiesta Pinwheels



• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted ripe olives
• 2 tbsp sliced green onions
• 4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheese
• 1 (2 0z) jar diced pimento, well drained
• 1 tbsp chopped mild green chiles, well drained
• 3 large (10 inch) spinach flavored flour tortillas
Directions:
Combine sour cream and cream cheese in a small bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping sides often, until smooth. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for tortillas and salsa.
Place about 2/3 cup of cream cheese mixture on to each tortilla. Spread mixture evenly to within 1/8 in. from the edge of the tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly, then wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, cut each tortilla in 1 inch pieces. Serve with salsa, if desired