Oh, I Just Love Brownies!

 

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite desserts ever is a warm brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Simple, but soooo delicious. I love how easy brownies are to make, but how gooey and delicious they are. Besides the brownies I am posting today, be sure to check out these other wonderful brownies we have posted in the past: S'more Brownies, Speedy Brownies (one of my tried and true, go-to favorites that I have posted in this post as well), Baker's One Bowl Brownies (also posted in this post), Mexican Brownies, Zucchini Brownies, Guilt-Free Brownies (with a secret ingredient--okay, here's the secret, it's prune baby food), Brownies+Oreos+Blondies, Cookie Dough Brownies, and Triple Fudge Brownies (with only 3 ingredients!).

Oh, and does your recipe call for unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate when you only have cocoa powder on hand? Well, then THIS is the recipe for you. You can turn your cocoa powder into unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate. Yay!

Oh, and while I am a brunette, I haven't left out the blondies.

 

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (4 oz) Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, optional

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and pecans, if using. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake) Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift brownies from pan before cutting to serve.

Kraft Kitchens Tip:

Cake-Like Brownies: Prepare as directed, stirring in 1/2 cup milk along with the eggs and vanilla, and increasing the flour to 1 1/2 cups.

Source: Kraft recipe. You can find it here.

Notes: These are so good and fudgy. I always skip the nuts because of my son's tree nut allergy.

Baker's One Bowl Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (4 oz) Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
1 pkg. (16 oz) powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Microwave chocolate in large microwaveable bowl on high 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Add sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add milk, beating constantly with mixer on low speed until blended.

Kraft Kitchens Tips: Recipe makes enough to frost tops and sides of 2 (8- or 9-inch) cake layers, top and sides of 13x9-inch cake, tops of 3 (8- or 9-inch) cake layers or tops of 2 cupcakes.

If frosting becomes too thick, beat in additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until frosting is of desired spreading consistency.

Source: Kraft recipe. You can find it here.

Notes: I don't have a picture of this because I don't usually frost my brownies, but this is a good, tasty, and reliable chocolate frosting recipe.

 

Speedy Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the first seven ingredients. Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Yield: about 3 dozen.

Nutrition information: 1 serving equals 155 calories.

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

Notes: I always laugh when recipes like this give you a yield of 3 dozen. Seriously? How small do they think I cut my brownies?

 

 Above: Sometimes I use mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, sometimes I use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, and sometimes I use milk chocolate chips for these brownies. They are fantastic no matter what. (The picture at the top of this recipe is with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and this one is with milk chocolate chips).

Best Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

To make frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Stir until smooth. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

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

Notes: I didn't frost mine, but these were really delicious. 

 

So Good Brownies

Ingredients:

4 (1-oz) unsweetened chocolate baking squared

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.

Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on high 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in flour, vanilla, and salt.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 44 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles. Gently remove foil, and cut brownies into 16 squares.

Source: Southern Living, found on MyRecipes. You can find it here.

Notes: You will notice the similarities to the Baker's One Bowl Brownies, with a few slight differences as well as some stir-in and topping suggestions (which I did not include here, as I did not use them). So, be sure to check out the link to see if any of the stir-ins or topping ideas are something you would like to try. The recipe says, "Our users rave over this fudgy brownie recipe. This is our adaptation of a recipe many of our foodies use from Baker's Chocolate. Bonus? All the variations, like Peanut Butter Streusel Brownies, Candy-and-Pretzel Brownies, and Toasted Coconut-Cashew Brownies, mean you can make these time after time and create something new and delicious with each pan."

Our Family Loves Pork

 

I am waaaay behind on blogging (though I am catching up). A new baby and moving to a new house will do that to you! I thought about doing separate posts for each of these recipes, but decides to just group them together instead. We have a lot of family dinners and pork is a great way to feed such a large group. Here are some great pork tenderloin and pork roast recipes we have found over the past year.

By the way, in case you are curious, the pork in the picture above is Grilled Pork Tenderloin (recipe below), served with some corn on the cob (in the foil), Minty Watermelon-Cucumber Salad,  Layered Buffalo Chicken Salad, and Warm Dijon Potato Salad.

 

Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coarse-grain or Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, rosemary, or tarragon, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 1/2 teaspoons Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub
2 pork tenderloins, each 12 to 14 ounces, silver skin trimmed

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, parsley, and Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub; stir to mix. Lay the pork tenderloins in a flat baking dish. Pour the mustard-honey mixture over the tenderloins, turning to coat all sides. (If not cooking immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 325 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Lift the tenderloins out of the mustard-honey mixture and arrange on a diagonal on the grill grate. (Discard the remaining mustard-honey mixture.) Grill for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pork reaches 160 degrees F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes. Slice into 3/4-inch slices and serve.

Source: Traeger recipe. You can find it here.

Notes: As I mentioned in another post, my brother now has a Traeger grill. I don't think there is any way to duplicate this amazing smoked meat without a Traeger grill, but I'm sharing this recipe for those of you out there who have one.

 

Above: You'll get a wonderful pinkish smoke ring on your meat when you cook with the Traeger grill. It is nothing to be afraid of. The meat is not underdone. Just use a meat thermometer to check the meat.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
1 lime, zest finely grated
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin.

Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic powder in a small, lidded jar, and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a 1-gallon resealable bag, add the chipotle pepper, and move around to combine. Add the pork tenderloin to the bag and seal, removing as much air as possible, and place in a container to catch any leaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, rotating the bag halfway through the time. Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the tenderloin from the bag and allow to sit at room temperature while preparing the grill. Remove the reserved marinade from the refrigerator.

Fill a large chimney starter with natural lump charcoal and light. Once the charcoal is ashy and white, approximately 30 minutes, dump the hot charcoal onto the lowest grate of the grill and spread into an even layer using extra-long tongs. Place the cooking grate back on the grill and cover with the lid; heat the grate to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of grate. Discard bag with marinade. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning ever 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloin from the grill and place on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil folded at the edges to create a basket, and pour on the reserved marinade. Wrap tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Source: Food Network, recipe by Alton Brown. You can find it here.

Notes: This was good stuff! We let people top it with cilantro on their own according to their preference.

 

Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Pork Roast

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. oil
1 flat boneless pork loin roast (4 lb.)
1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup Kraft Classic Catalina Dressing
1 tbsp. less-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. zest and 1/4 cup juice from 1 orange

Directions:

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat; cook 4 to 5 minutes. on each side or until browned on both sides. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

Mix cranberry sauce, dressing, and soy sauce; pour over meat. Cover with lid.

Cook on low 4 to 5 hours. Remove meat from slow cooker, reserving liquid in slow cooker. Cover meat to keep warm. Whisk remaining ingredients in small bowl until blended; stir into liquid in slow cooker. Cook, covered, on high 10 minutes or until thickened.

Slice meat; place on platter. Drizzle lightly with sauce. Serve with remaining sauce.

 

Source: Kraft recipe. You can find it here.

Notes: Tasty and so easy! The sauce was really nice with the pork.

 

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

Directions:

Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade on top. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 1 hour. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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

Notes: This is one of our family favorites. We have posted it before, and you can find the original post here. We like to save the drippings as a sauce to serve over our pork. Delicious!

Summer Treats for Kids

Here's a treat that is cute, fun for the kids, and tasty to boot!

Watermelon Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, divided

3 tbsp. watermelon flavored gelatin (about 1/2 of a 3-oz pkg.)

1 pkg. (10 oz.) miniature marshmallows, divided

6 cups rice krispies cereal, divided

8 to 10 drops green food coloring 

Red or pink food coloring, if desired

1 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

Microwave 3 tbsp. butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 25 seconds or until melted. Stir in dry gelatin mix. Microwave 15 seconds; mix well. Add 3 cups marshmallows; toss to evenly coat. Microwave 1-1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds. (Bowl might be hot.) Add red or pink food coloring, if desired. Add 3 cups cereal; mix well.

Press cereal mixture into 6-inch circle in center of 8-inch round pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Microwave remaining butter in separate large microwaveable bowl 25 seconds or until melted. Add remaining marshmallows; toss to coat. Microwave 1-1/2 minutes, or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir in food coloring. Add remaining cereal; mix well. Press to form rim around cereal mixture in pan.

Press chocolate morsels into cereal mixture in center as shown in photo. Cool completely before cutting into wedges.

Recipe note: How to use remaining gelatin: Add 1/2 cup boiling water to remaining dry gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water. Refrigerate several hours or until firm.

Source: Kraft website. You can find it here.

Notes: The watermelon gelatin made these particularly tasty. I used pink food coloring to give a little oomph to the pink color provided by the gelatin mix. I started with the green rice krispies portion because I figured it would be easier to start with the "rind" and then add the "melon" in the middle later. These were quick, easy, cute, and delicious.

 

 

Breakfast for...Dessert?!

Well, now this was unexpected. How could we not try it? A breakfast themed dessert! It had to be done!

We had tried another breakfast-themed trifle years ago, but hadn't liked it quite as much as this one. However, if you would like to try that one out, it is Betty Crocker's recipe for Strawberry Cream Cheese Trifle, and you can find it here. That trifle was made with pancakes. It was good, but I would suggest making your favorite "from scratch" pancake recipe rather than making Bisquick pancakes, and I would have cut the pancakes into smaller pieces for the trifle (though this wouldn't have looked as pretty, it would have tasted better, made it easier to eat, and melded the flavors better).

Donut Trifle

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (3.4 oz each) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
3 cups cold milk
1 cup sour cream
8 glazed donuts with sprinkles, each cut into 8 pieces (see notes)
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed
1 tablespoon multi-colored sprinkles

Directions:

Beat pudding mixes and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream.

Layer half of the donut pieces followed by half of the pudding and then half of the Cool Whip in a large bowl; repeat layers.

Top with sprinkles.

Source: Kraft Recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: I have no idea what store Kraft goes shopping at, but I have never seen glazed donuts with sprinkles on them...at least, not regularly. I have seen cake donuts with frosting and sprinkles on top. So, here's my suggestion: if you want it a little lighter, get simple glazed donuts (no sprinkles necessary), or if you want it richer, get cake donuts with or without frosting and sprinkles. My mom got an assortment of cake donuts (different flavored cake donuts...blueberry, strawberry, regular, etc.) with frosting and sprinkles. It was good, but heads up, it was also super sweet and rich.

It's Getting Thick Real Quick

 

Above: Look at how thick that is! This smoothie really holds up under pressure.

So, my husband LOVES The Fast and the Furious...me...not so much. However, "It's getting thick real quick" is a quote from one of the many Fast and Furious movies that we like to quote a lot. Here's a thick smoothie that will keep you full for breakfast.

 

Above: This is a great on-the-go breakfast. 

Strawberry-Orange Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups orange juice
1 pkg. (16 oz) frozen whole strawberries
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

Directions:

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Recipe variations:

Strawberry-Orange Sherbet: Prepare as directed; freeze until firm. Scoop into dessert dishes to serve.

Creamy: For a creamier smoothie, substitute milk for the orange juice. (I tried this, and personally, it wasn't my favorite combination. Without the orange juice, the pudding has a different aftertaste in the smoothie)

Not as thick: If you don't like things so thick, change it from a three ingredient recipe to a two ingredient recipe and omit the pudding. Frozen strawberries simply mixed with some orange juice makes for a super tasty breakfast too!

Source: Kraft. You can find it here.

Notes: The pudding really thickened this smoothie up nicely. In fact, it thickened it to the point of being spoon worthy. I would suggest adding additional orange juice in order to be able to drink it through a straw! I loved the flavor of the strawberries and orange juice together. I also loved simply blending strawberries and orange juice. I haven't tried the sherbet variation yet, but it would be delicious!

 

Above: Two ingredient smoothie version. Honestly, this was my favorite. Omit the pudding and just blend frozen strawberries and orange juice together. 

Shortcut

 

I've always liked meringue, but it look me a really long time to figure out how to succeed at meringue when it was used as a pie topper. If you still can't succeed at meringue on pies, this recipe is for you.

Easy Lemon "Meringue" Pie

Ingredients:

1 deep dish frozen pie crust (9 inch pie crust)
1 box (4.3 oz) Jell-O Cook and Serve Lemon Pudding and Pie Filling (as well as the sugar, water, and egg yolks called for on the package)
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup milk
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Directions:

Bake pie crust according to package instructions. Let cool.

Prepare lemon pudding and pie filling according to package directions. Once pudding and pie filling is set, spread into the bottom of the pie crust. Place in the refrigerator while preparing the "meringue."

Microwave marshmallows and milk in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted, stirring after 1 min.; stir until blended. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Whisk in Cool Whip; spread over pie. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Source: This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the Kraft website. I made quite a few changes. You can find it here.

Notes: The original recipe called for a crumb crust made from Nilla wafers and a filling that used Jell-O (not the pudding, the gelatin). I was worried about the Jell-O filling and that it might be too much like Jell-O. Well, I was right. I made the recipe found on the Kraft website and was disappointed. It was jarring to have an almost Jell-O layer in a pie. Plus, the crumb crust was all wrong. The "meringue," however, was spot on. It is an amazing stand-in for meringue. It is a little sweeter than real meringue, but it is very similar...and much easier and faster to make than real meringue. I felt that this had potential, so I made it again the week after Thanksgiving and substituted a regular frozen pie crust for the crumb crust. The combination of the lemon and the meringue just needed a flaky pastry crust instead of a crumb crust. I also missed the more traditional lemon filling, so I substituted the package of lemon pudding and pie filling for the Jell-O concoction that was called for in the original recipe. I really loved how it turned out. It was refreshing, light, and delicious. Good stuff!

Lasagna Overload! Dinner Edition

 

A couple of weeks back, my mom informed me that we were having lasagna for our family dinner...but not just one kind of lasagna. Oh no, that is not how my mom does it. She told me we would be having three kinds of lasagna for dinner and three kinds of sweet lasagna for dessert. I told her it would probably be a good idea to skip the rolls.

In addition to the two lasagna recipes I am including here, my mom made one of our old favorites, which you can find here.

So, loosen your belts, dig in, and get ready to work off the pounds the next day!

American Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
12 dry lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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

Notes: This was good. Just your classic lasagna. Tasty stuff.

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 pkg. (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided
12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until blended; stir in 2 tbsp. basil. Reserve half; mix remaining half with the chicken mixture.

Spread half of the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture, and mozzarella; cover.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Appetizers: Dippy

You can't have an appetizer night without some kind of dip! We have many different dips for you to choose from.

Creamy Cobb Salad Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup reduced fat or light sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 vocado, chopped
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp. chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients in medium bowl until blended.

Stir in all remaining ingredients except tomatoes.

Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with tomatoes before serving.

Recipe notes: Serve with celery sticks and your favorite crackers.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: Yum...avocados and bacon...

Pineapple Lush Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 can (20 oz) Dole crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Directions:

Add dry pudding mix to pineapple in medium bowl; whisk 2 minutes.

Stir in Cool Whip.

Recipe Notes: Layer remaining dip with cut-up fresh fruit in a parfait glass. Or serve spooned over slices of pound cake.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: This is a tasty and easy fruit dip.

Philly Shrimp Cocktail Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 lb. cooked cleaned shrimp, chopped (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup cocktail sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Spread cream cheese onto bottom of shallow bowl.

Toss shrimp with cocktail sauce; spoon over cream cheese.

Top with remaining ingredients. Serve with crackers.

Recipe Notes: You can substitute 1 pkg. (8 oz.) imitation crabmeat, coarsely chopped, for the shrimp.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: We used mini shrimp rather than larger chopped shrimp. Good stuff!

Raspberry-Mint Marshmallow Creme Dip

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese (from 8-oz package), softened
1 cup marshmallow creme
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait Original Lemon Burst Yogurt
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
15 fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut lengthwise in half
3 kiwifruit, each cut into 10 wedges
30 pieces (2-inch) fresh pineapple

Directions:

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, marshmallow creme, yogurt, and raspberries with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Stir in mint.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but no longer than 12 hours. Serve dip with strawberries, kiwifruit, and pineapple.

Recipe Notes: This dip is also delicious with cut-up cantaloupe or watermelon, sliced peaches or grapes.

Source: Betty Crocker. You can find it here.

Notes: You can really serve this with any fruit that you would like. We also served this with cinnamon pita chips and it was fantastic. Be sure to soften the cream cheese first and then beat it until smooth before adding the marshmallow creme, yogurt, and raspberries in order to avoid lumps. This was so, so good.

World's Best Bacon Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 buttery round crackers, crushed

Directions:

Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese, onions, and bacon. Place bowl in microwave and cook 2 minutes. Remove and stir well. Return to microwave, and cook 2 to 4 minutes more. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top. Serve warm with crackers.

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

Notes: Yummy bacon dip...mmmm.

Sun-dried Tomato and Cannellini Bean Dip

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups canned cannellini beans, drained
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped rosemary leaves
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place beans, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, oil, vinegar, and water in a food processor or blender; pulse to smooth puree.

If necessary, adjust the consistency by gradually adding more water, 1 tbsp. at a time.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve chilled.

Recipe Notes: Make dip up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Cannellini are slender, ivory white Italian beans. Their creamy texture and their ability to absorb strong, aromatic flavors makes them ideal for dips. If you cannot find a source for cannellini beans, any canned white bean will make an excellent substitute.

Source: MSN. You can find it here.

Notes: This makes a lot, but it refrigerates well and leftovers are always great. This is very similar to hummus.

Chili Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15 ounce) can chili without beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained

Directions:

In a medium, microwave safe bowl, mix cream cheese, chili without beans, and diced tomatoes with green chili peppers.

Microwave cream cheese mixture on high 1 minute. Remove from microwave, stir, and repeat until the mixture is hot and thoroughly blended.

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

Notes: Not the prettiest dip in the whole world, but very tasty nonetheless. You could always sprinkle it with some chopped cilantro for a prettier presentation.

Bacon-Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz.) package crumbled blue cheese
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons diced onion
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Garnishes: chopped fresh parlsey, blue cheese crumbles
Assorted crackers

Directions:

Process first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir in half of bacon. Cover and chill 2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Garnish, if desired. Serve with crackers.

Source: Southern Living. You can find it here.

Notes: Yum! Lots of great bacon dips to choose from here!

Fluffy Caramel Apple Dip

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup marshmallow creme
3 medium tart apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, caramel topping, and vanilla until smooth; fold in marshmallow creme. Cut apples vertically into thin slices.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and water; toss apples in lemon juice mixture. Drain.

Serve apple slices and cutouts with dip.

Yield: 2 cups.

Recipe Notes: If making for Halloween, use Halloween cookie cutters and cut out the center of each slice.

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

Notes: This was really good and very easy.

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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

Notes: Nice fluffy, and light pumpkin dip. Also, sorry, I don't have a picture of this one!

Mini Zucchini and Hummus

Ingredients:

Mini zucchini
Store bought hummus
Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Spoon hummus on top. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Source: I think my mom just came up with this on her own...but I could be wrong.

Notes: I took some of the extra ones home with me and had them for lunch the next day. Really good!

Appetizers: Jiggly and Wiggly

We made these ones for the kids, but they were very pretty...and anyone who is young at heart will love them. I am not the biggest fan of Jell-O, but even I thought these were pretty good.

Sparkling Raspberry Jigglers

Ingredients:

2 env. (1/4 oz. each) Knox Unflavored Gelatine
2 tbsp. sugar
2 cups carbonated lemon-lime soda
1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) Jell-O Raspberry Flavor gelating
1/4 cup cold water
36 fresh raspberries (about 1 1/3 cups), optional

Directions:

Mix unflavored gelatine and sugar in medium microwaveable bowl until blended. Stir in soda. Let stand 3 minutes or until gelatine is softened. Microwave on high 3 minutes or until gelatine and sugar are dissolved, stirring after each minute. Pour into 8-inch square dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Refrigerate 25-30 minutes or until set, but not firm. Meanwhile, add boiling water to raspberry gelatin mixes in separate medium bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Cool 15 minutes.

Pour raspberry gelatin gently over clear gelatine layer in dish. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into 36 squares; top with raspberries just before serving, if desired.

Recipe Notes: You can save calories and sugar per serving by preparing with diet carbonated lemon-lime soda and 2 pkg. (0.3 oz each) Jell-O Raspberry Flavor Sugar Free Gelatin and substituting 1 tbsp. granulated sugar substitute for the 2 tbsp. granulated sugar.

You can also prepare using any flavor of Jell-O Gelatin.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: These were very pretty...and as I said, while I am not a huge fan of Jell-O, these were good and gobbled up by the masses quickly.

Appetizers: Meaty

 

You can't have appetizers for dinner without having meat appetizers! You need your protein, right?

Glazed Kielbasa

Ingredients:

3 pounds Johnsonville Polish Kielbasa Sausage or Polish sausage, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups ginger ale

Directions:

Place sausage in a 3-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with brown sugar. Pour ginger ale over the top. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Yield: 12 servings.

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

Notes: Yum. You can't go wrong with this simple recipe.

Pineapple-Glazed Cocktail Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup undrained canned crushed pineapple in juice
30 frozen fully-cooked meatballs (15-oz. pkg.)

Directions:

Mix first 2 ingredients in large nonstick skillet.

Stir in meatballs until evenly coated.

Bring to boil on medium-high heat; simmer on medium-low heat 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: Easy peasy, nice and easy!

  
Baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot)

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

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

Notes: Easy way to prepare buffalo wings, and very tasty.

Classic Cocktail Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 jar (12 oz) grape jelly
1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, and eggs until blended. Shape into 50 (1 1/2 inch) meatballs; place in 2 foil-lined 15x10x1-inch pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 16 minutes or until done. Meanwhile, bring jelly and chili sauce to boil in large saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add meatballs to sauce; stir to evenly coat.

Recipe notes: Meatballs in sauce can also be served in a slow cooker to keep warm.

You can freeze the meatballs by loosely packing cooled cooked meatballs in freezer-weight resealable plastic bags. Lay bags flat in freezer so meatballs will freeze individually. Store in freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator several hours or overnight before cooking with the sauce until heated through, stirring frequently.

Source: Kraft recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: I was taking these to a party and at the very last minute, I decided to double them...but I didn't have the ingredients to double the sauce. I wouldn't recommend this. It needs the amount of sauce called for in the recipe. They were still good...but they needed more sauce. So, if you double the meatballs, double the sauce too! These were very easy and tasty though. I put them in a slow cooker to keep them warm...and again, I think I would just serve them in a foil covered baking dish instead because they can lose their shape and start to fall apart if they are in a slow cooker for too long. However, I thought these were great and I will definitely be making these again.

Enjoying a Hot Bowl of Soup

Every soup season brings in new soup discoveries. Here is a soup recipe that will warm you up and hit the spot.

Santa Fe Chicken Enchilada Stew

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into strips (I used more than 4 tortillas, see notes)
1 tsp. oil (see notes)
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese (see notes)
1 cup, plus 2 tbsp. milk, divided
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) corn with red and green bell peppers, drained
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
Splash of lime juice

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss tortilla strips with oil; spread into single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until crisp, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, 2 tbsp. milk, and taco seasoning until blended. Cook chicken in large saucepan sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, or until done, stirring frequently. Stir in cream cheese mixture, remaining milk, beans, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro; simmer on medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Add a splash of lime juice, to your taste.

Serve topped with tortilla strips and additional cilantro.

Source: Kraft website. You can find it here.

Notes: I used more corn tortillas (I didn't keep track of how many though) because we like to add a lot of corn tortilla strips to our soup. Besides, this was a lot of soup and that way, we had enough tortilla strips for our leftover soup as well. Also, rather than tossing them with a teaspoon of oil, I simply sprayed them with cooking spray.

I added salt and pepper, to taste, and I added an extra can of diced tomatoes. I increased the cilantro and stirred some of it into the soup. I also added a little lime juice. This was really good soup.