Dee-licious!

 

This has to be one of my most favorite white chicken chili recipes I have ever found. This is really flavorful. Use tamed bottled jalapeno slices if you want less heat.

Green Chile Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (14 ounces each)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 cup pickled jalapeno slices
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 jars (16 ounces each0 salsa verde
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
Optional toppings: shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

Place the chicken, onions, peppers, jalapenos and chilies in a 5- or 6- qt. slow cooker. Pour salsa over top. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred chicken with two forks, discarding skin and bones; return meat to slow cooker. stir in the beans, sour cream, and cilatnro; heat through. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Yield: 10 servings (3 1/2 quarts).

Nutrition facts: 1 1/3 cups equals 320 calories.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: I wouldn't change a thing. If you want it spicy, use untamed bottled jalapenos. If you want it a little more mellow, use tamed bottled jalapenos. Yummy! Good stuff!

Bake Fresh or Freeze Ahead

This is a good meal to double. You can bake one to eat that day and then freeze the other for another day.

Easy Ziti Bake

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
2 pounds ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped basil or parsley to garnish, optional

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook one minute longer. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, and the Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and stir until blended.

Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stnd for 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil or parsley, if desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 serving equals 630 calories, 30 g fat, 164 mg cholesterol, 878 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 45 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: I did fewer layers. I did half the meat sauce, all of the pasta, and then topped it with the other half of the meat sauce. I also used a full pound of pasta.

When I made this, I doubled the pasta (using two full pounds of pasta) and tripled the sauce and got enough for three 9x13-inch aluminum pans, which I popped in my freezer. This is really good.

To reheat after freezing, you can either allow it to thaw in your refrigerator overnight and then bake as directed, or you can bake from frozen, allowing for a longer baking time since some of the baking time will be thawing time. Plan for at least double the baking time, but it can take longer than that. Bake it, covered, for at least 30 minutes to thaw, and then uncover and bake until hot and bubbling.

Warm Up With a Bowl of Soup

This was such an easy soup to throw together. It makes a great dinner, and the leftovers make a wonderful lunch.

Weight Watchers Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 medium uncooked onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlice, minced
45 oz. canned black beans, undrained, divided (three 15 oz cans)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
14 1/2 oz. fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth
10 oz. canned tomatoes with green chilis
11 oz. canned yellow corn, drained

Directions:

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add sauteed onion mixture, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Place second can of beans and broth in blender and puree until smooth; add to stockpot.

Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), tomatoes and green chilies, and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of soup per serving.

Source: Weight Watchers. You can find it here.

Notes: I didn't blend the sauteed onion mixture with the can of beans. I figured I would just have a slightly chunkier soup and save myself a step. This was really flavorful and satisfying. Also, as mentioned above, it was beyond easy, which is always a good thing.

Convincing the Kids

This was one of those recipes that I thought my boys would absolutely love. I mean, they love chicken, they love spaghetti...so, putting chicken and spaghetti together would be a hit, right? Well, they both took one look and turned their noses up at it. Once they figured out that they couldn't eat anything else that night until they at least tried the chicken, they finally ate a few pieces. They put up such a fight! However, then my youngest son proceeded to keep sneaking back and eating a few more pieces until he ate all of his chicken on his own. Hopefully, you can eat this without having to hide the fact that you actually like it!

Herbed Chicken and Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
3 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, drained (I used two cans)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fat free half-and-half

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain well. Meanwhile, mix seasonings in shallow dish. Reserve 2 teaspoons. Stir 2 tablespoons of the flour into remaining seasoning mixture in dish. Coat chicken in seasoned flour. Discard any remaining seasoned flour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken in batches; cook 2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Add additional 1 tablespoon oil as needed. remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Add tomatoes, stock and reserved seasoning mixture; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in half-and-half. Return chicken to skillet; cook until heated through. Season to taste, as desired. Serve with pasta.

Source: McCormick. You can find it here.

Notes: Well, I enjoyed this without having to hide that fact. :) I thought this was really good and the leftovers were good too.

Going Back for Seconds

 

If you can only have one serving of these potatoes, you are superhuman.

Herbed Greek Roasted Potatoes with Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

5 pounds potatoes, cut into wedges
6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Sea salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 (8 ounce) package crumbed feta cheese

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a large baking dish.

Stir the potatoes, garlic, olive oil, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until the potatoes are evenly coated; pour into the prepared baking dish.

Roast in the preheated oven until the potatoes begin to brown, about 40 minutes. Season the potatoes with the oregano and mint. If the dish appears dry, pour another 1/2 cup water into the dish. Return to the oven and bake about 40 minutes more. Top with the crumbled feta cheese to serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Cat Lady Cyndi. You can find it here. By the way, don't you get a kick out of some of the user names on Allrecipes? I sure do!

Notes: Holy cow, these were so delicious. Good, good stuff.

A Refreshing Taste of Summer

 

Don't you love summery recipes that you can still make whether it is actually summer or not? These two drinks recipes fit into that category.

Easy Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 1/2 cups water
1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Directions:

In a large pitcher, mix together lemonade concentrate and water. Stir in strawberries.

Source: Allrecipes, submitted by SUNAMITA. You can find it here.

Notes: Strawberry lemonade doesn't get any easier than this, folks!

Cucumber Punch

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers
3 cups water
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 liters diet ginger ale, chilled
4 1/2 cups diet grapefruit or citrus soda, chilled

Directions:

With a zester or fork, score cucumbers lengthwise; cut widthwise into thin slices. In a large pitcher, combine water and lemonade concentrate; add cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, transfer cucumber mixture to a punch bowl; stir in ginger ale and grapefruit soda.

Yield: 25 servings (4-3/4 quarts).

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: This is so good. You wouldn't think that cucumber and lemon would go together that well, but it really does.

I'll Have a Side Of...

Side dishes just round out a meal, don't they? Here is a yummy way to spice up your side of corn.

Rich Mexican Corn

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the cream cheese and butter, and mix with the milk until smooth and bubbly.

In a medium casserole dish, mix the frozen corn, red bell pepper, and jalepeno peppers. Pour in the cream cheese mixture, and toss to coat.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and light brown.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by FITZGIBJ. You can find it here.

Notes: We only used 4 jalapeno peppers, and felt it was plenty. This was really flavorful, and a nice way to mix things up.

 

2016 Update: This is so good, you will make it again and again!

The Easy Way

So, one of these days I plan to make an authentic, from scratch version of chili verde. I have found a lot of great looking recipes. However, the authentic recipes also seem very labor intensive. As a result, for now I have chosen to go the easier route.

Here is a super easy slow cooker version of pork chile verde for you to try.

Pork Chili Verde

Ingredients:

1 boneless pork sirloin roast (3 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 can (28 ounces) green enchilada sauce
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot cooked rice
Flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute the pork, carrots, onion, and garlic in oil in batches until pork is browned. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the enchilada sauce, jalapenos, and cilantro. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pork mixture. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rice and tortillas.

Yield: 8 servings.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: I just couldn't bring myself to use the carrots. They just seemed out of place. So, I skipped them. I loved this. It was really flavorful, and super easy. I bought the pork already cut into cubes to save me some time.

Happy Halloween!

 

I love Halloween. It is such a fun holiday. I love dressing up in costumes, and especially seeing all of the kids in their costumes. I love the fall weather. Oh, and I love getting creative with my food.

 

Above: String cheese witch's fingers. All you need is string cheese, spreadable cream cheese, and sliced almonds. Make some little slices in your cheese with a knife (you won't be simply making cut marks. You will have to take out tiny slits, otherwise the marks won't be visible). Then put a small dab of cream cheese on the end and place a sliced almond on top. We found this on Our Best Bites here.

 

Above: Our skeleton veggie man (thanks for the idea, Facebook!).

Skeleton Veggie Man with Dip

Ingredients:

Favorite dip (we used a packet of Ranch dressing mixed in with a container of sour cream)

Kale or lettuce for the hair

Sliced olives for the eyes

Celery for bones

Sliced cucumber for the backbone

Baby carrots for bones

Sliced red bell pepper for ribs

Sliced mushrooms for pelvis

Cauliflower florets for hands and joints

Broccoli florets for feet

Cherry tomatoes for feet (I forgot to use these)

Sugar snap peas for bones (we didn't use these, but they were used on the Facebook skeleton in place of the second piece of celery for the leg bones)

Directions:

Make dip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Form skeleton body as shown in the picture. Create a second veggie plate with all of the extra/leftover veggies that you don't use in the skeleton.

Place dip in a round bowl and place kale/lettuce in the dip to resemble hair. Place olives in dip to resemble eyes. Loosely cover and refrigerate separately, until ready to serve.

Refrigerate vegetables until ready to serve. Just before serving, position dip and serve.

Source: We found this on Facebook. It came from a blog called Feeding Four Little Monkeys. You can find the original post here.

 

Above: I saw this in a Kraft recipe book years ago (they served the octopus on top of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese). You simply cut the bottom of the hot dog to form 8 tentacles, and then you pop it in a pot of boiling water. Cook it for a few minutes; until the tentacles begin to curl.

 

Above: Worms. Similar to the octopus above, slice your hot dogs into thin strips, pop them into some boiling water for a few minutes; until they curl. You can even stir in some heated barbecue sauce to turn these into slimy worms. We decided not to because we didn't want the kids to get super messy.

 

  

Mummy Dogs

Ingredients:

Hot dogs

Crescent dough (the refrigerated tubes of seamless crescent dough sheets worked really well)

Mustard

Condiments, for serving

Directions:

You can cut the hot dogs in half or leave them whole. I cut mine in half. Cut crescent dough sheets into strips (about 1/4" wide). Wrap the tops and bottoms of the hot dogs. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until crescent dough is nicely browned; 15-25 minutes.

Using a small bowl of mustard and a toothpick, place two dabs of mustard on each hot dog to resemble eyes.

Serve with additional mustard and ketchup, if desired.

Source: We found this on Our Best Bites here.

Notes: These were a hit with both the kids and the adults.

 

Black Halloween Punch

Ingredients:

1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened grape soft drink mix

1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened orange soft drink mix

2 cups white sugar

3 quarts cold water

1 liter ginger ale

Directions:

To make a frozen hand, wash a disposable glove, fill with water, seal with a rubber band, and freeze.

Stir together grape soft drink mix, orange soft drink mix, sugar and water until solids are dissolved. Combine with chilled ginger ale just before serving. Dip the frozen hand briefly in warm water, then peel off the glove. Float the prepared hand in the punch bowl for a ghastly effect.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Kathleen. You can find it here.

Notes: This was really good. Just be sure to add the water, because otherwise, it will be way too sweet!

 

Above: Chili topped with cheese slices that we cut into pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter. We also served our chili with cornbread. We originally posted this chili recipe here, but it is also below, for your convenience.

Natalie Holbrook's Slow-Burn Chipotle Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle-flavored Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
Salt, to taste
Brown sugar, to taste
Water, optional

Favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

Directions:

Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage together. Drain.

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Adjust seasoning, sweetness, and thickness as desired with salt, brown sugar, and water.

Source: This came from my friend, Natalie Holbrook, who lives in my ward and neighborhood. She submitted this to our ward chili cook-off. She and her friends also have a food blog of their own. You should check it out! You can find more of her yummy recipes on her blog: Cookbook Junkies.

Notes: This is good stuff! Definitely crave-worthy! Probably one of the best chili recipes I have ever, ever tried. Oh, I could go for a bowl of this right now. I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar. You can add up to 1 cup of water; just add water until you reach your desired thickness (or skip the water altogether if you want your chili on the thick side).

 

 

Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Food color, if desired

Candy sprinkles, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 9-inch square pan with cooking parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In large bowl, beat cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter, and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until a soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the whipping cream and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in food color, if using, until well blended. Spread frosting over baked cookie bars. Top with candy sprinkles. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Sources: Betty Crocker website. You can find it here.

Notes: I would suggest using the parchment paper, because these were really hard to get out of the pan. Once we got them out though, they were fantastic! Be careful not to overcook them. You want these to be soft and chewy, not crunchy.

No Bake Cookies and Cream Bars

Ingredients:

One 16 oz package Oreo Cookies

5 cups large marshmallows

4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Butter an 8x8-inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan, and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process Oreos into fine crumbs; set aside.

In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of waxed paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Cool. Cut into squares. Best if served the same day.

Source: Picky Palate. You can find it here. Also found on Sweet Pea's Kitchen here.

Dirt 'n' Worms Chex Mix

Ingredients:

4 cups Chocolate Chex cereal

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

8 chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped

2 cups gummy worm candies

Directions:

In large microwavable bowl, place cereal.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir in pudding mix. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes. Stir in sandwich cookies and candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Makes 12 servings (1/2 cup each)

Source: Betty Crocker. You can find it here.

A Little Slab'll Do Ya

Anyone out there have home grown apples that they need to use up? Well, my mom and sister-in-law did. I picked a few and here is one of the things I made with them.

Apple Slab Pie

Ingredients:

Pie:

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
9 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (9 medium)

Streusel:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pie crusts from pouches. On lightly floured surface, unroll and stack crusts one on top of the other. Roll to 17x12-inch rectangle.

Fit crust into ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold extra crust even with edges of pan.

In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and apple pie spice. Stir in apples to coat. Spoon apple mixture into crust-lined pan.

In medium bowl, mix Streusel ingredients, cutting in butter with fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until crust is golden brown, filling is bubbling, and streusel is browned. Cool on cooling rack 45 minutes before serving.

Source: Pillsbury website. You can find it here.

Notes: This was really good. It was just as much work as making an apple pie (because, let's face it, it takes a long time to peel and slice apples), but much easier to control the portion size this way. Really tasty stuff! Plus, this is great to make for a crowd.

More Pasta Salad

Pasta is my favorite comfort food. I will take it in any form. Pasta salad is always a good form to go with!

Chef John's BLT Pasta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2/3 cup creme fraiche
2 cups ditalini pasta
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste (optional)

Directions:

Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.

Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir creme fraiche into bacon mixture.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in 2 cups of ditalini. Cook till tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and creme fraiche mixture.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.

Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Chef John. You can find it here.

Notes: We didn't use ditalini pasta. We used penne. This was really good. A great summery side dish.

Not Your Same Old Pasta Salad

 

This pasta is very summery, and definitely on the sweet side, but it is a very nice side dish, and a different way to use your garden fresh cucumbers.

Kim's Summer Cucumber Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the bow tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse several times with cold water until pasta is cool.

Stir pasta, cucumber, onion, and dill in a salad bowl. Whisk vinegar, sugar, water, vegetable oil, mustard, salt, and black pepper in a separate bowl until sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour dressing over the pasta mixture and toss lightly to coat with dressing. Let chill for 2 hours before serving.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by mmihlbachler. You can find it here.

Notes: I liked this. I personally would have cut down the sugar a little, but you can do that to your own taste. Very refreshing and summery!

Strawberry Shortcake Makeover

Don't you just love strawberry shortcake? It is so summery. So, why not re-imagine things and put the flavors into a different form? Well, here you go.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 package Pillsbury Ready To Bake refrigerated sugar cookies
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1 tablespoon)
4 oz frozen (thawed) whipped topping (half 8-oz container)
1 3/4 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.

Remove cookies from package; place cookies on cookie sheet. bake 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool completely. (To speed up process, refrigerate cookies about 1 hour).

Meanwhile, line 11x7-inch pan with cooking parchment paper.

Once cookies are cool, place in food processor. Cover; pulse a few times until all cookies are crumbled. Reserve 1 cup of the cookie crumble. Pour remaining cookie crumbs into pan; press in bottom of pan to form crust.

In mixer bowl with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add gelatin; stir to combine.

With rubber spatula, fold whipped topping and 1 cup of the chopped strawberries into cream cheese mixture. Spread over cookie crust. Top with remaining chopped strawberries.

Sprinkle reserved 1 cup cookie crumbs evenly over dessert; gently press with fingers. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

To serve, cut into 5 rows by 3 rows to make 15 bars, or 6 rows by 3 rows to make 18 bars.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: You could use any package of refrigerated sugar cookies. Just slice them and bake them according to package instructions. Also, this isn't a cookie bar that you are going to be able to pick up and walk around with as you nibble on it. These were pretty fragile for us and crumbled easily, but holy cow, they were tasty. Serve it in bowls or on small plates and plan to eat these with a fork or spoon, and you will be set.