Chicken Ferocious

Chicken Ferocious
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup SPLENDA
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons garlic powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen green peas
3 green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add chicken pieces, and fry, stirring, until browned. Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce, and SPLENDA; stirring until sweetener is dissolved. Season with red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce at this point and adjust seasoning to taste. The sauce should be very sweet. If it is too tart, add more SPLENDA; if it is too sweet, add more vinegar.  Once the sauce is to your liking, add the mushrooms, peas, and green onions. Simmer gently over low heat for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms shrink a bit. Stir together the cornstarch and water, and stir it into the sauce. Continue to simmer until it reaches the desired thickness.

Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1-2 teaspoons celery seed (I use 2)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups sliced cucumber
3 small onions, thinly sliced
Place sliced cucumber and onions in a large container or bowl. In a separate bowl, stir vinegar, sugar, water and salt together until dissolved. Add celery seed. Pour mixture over cucumber and onions and refrigerate.

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells
1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
4 cups large curd cottage cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.  Mix together cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and garlic powder. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells.  Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15 x 10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan. Spread remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Caramel Banana Nut Poke Cake

Caramel Banana Nut Poke Cake 
Cake:
1 (16.5 ounce) box yellow cake mix, prepared according to directions
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) jar caramel sauce
Topping:
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant banana pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip
Nut topping
Make yellow cake according to the box directions for a 9x13 cake.  Let cool.  Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.  Pour sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce over the top of the cake, letting them soak into the cake.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together banana pudding mix and milk for two minutes, until it begins to thicken.  Fold in Cool Whip until completely combined.  Spread Cool Whip/pudding mixture over the top of the cake.  Sprinkle on nut topping and drizzle with any leftover caramel.  Store in the refrigerator until time to serve.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
18 regular oreos, finely crushed (in a food processor or with a rolling pin)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup sugar
1 8-oz container cool whip
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
Mix together oreos and butter. Press firmly into the bottom of an 8x8” pan.  In medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in cool whip.  Spoon mixture into the 8x8 pan.  In a separate bowl, mix together peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk.
Place mixture in dollops on top of the cream cheese, and swirl with a knife. If you want to set it up so it cuts a little better, you can refrigerate it for 2-3 hours.

Easy Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Easy Chicken and Noodle Casserole
2 Cups of shredded Rotisserie Chicken (you can also use 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken breast)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup of frozen peas
Salt and Pepper to Taste
16 ounces egg noodles, cooked  (follow the cooking directions on the package)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place your noodles and chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine soup, sour cream, and veggies . Pour mixture over chicken and noodles. Add garlic salt, salt and pepper and mix well in your pan.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes (or freeze for baking at another time).

German Potato Salad

German Potato Salad
8 white potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar, divided
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes; drain.  Put potatoes into a large bowl; add onion and stir.  Mix sugar, mustard, and salt together in a bowl. Stir just enough vinegar into the sugar mixture to form a paste; season with black pepper.  Whisk remaining vinegar and vegetable oil together in a separate bowl until smooth; stream into bowl with the paste, whisking continually to incorporate. Pour the dressing over the potato and onion mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let salad cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini
3 zucchini
1 pound pork sausage
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in bowl. Mix seeds with sausage, garlic, bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Stuff squash with sausage mixture and place in 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour sauce over squash and cover pan with foil.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until sausage is cooked. Remove foil and cover with mozzarella cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.

Party Punch

Party Punch
4 (0.13 ounce) packages unsweetened strawberry-flavored drink mix powder
2 (46 fluid ounce) cans pineapple juice
3 cups SPLENDA
4 quarts water
2 liters ginger ale
In a large punch bowl combine drink mix, pineapple juice, SPLENDA, and water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in the ginger ale.

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil; 1/2 ounce), patted dry and coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning once, about 6 minutes total. (Chicken will not be cooked through.) Transfer with tongs to a plate.  Add garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, covered.  Add chicken to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Stir cream and 2 tablespoons basil into sauce in skillet and bring just to a simmer.  Transfer sauce to a deep heatproof bowl or 1-quart glass measure and purée with an immersion blender until almost smooth. (Alternatively, blend sauce in a standing blender. Use caution when blending hot liquids.) If necessary, add water to thin to desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper.  Serve sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
1 cup butter, melted
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom of 9 x 13″ pan.  Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour mixture into greased pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.  Drizzle melted butter over pecans.  Bake 50-55 minutes.

Fluffernutter Cookies

Fluffernutter Cookies
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅔ cup small marshmallows, not the jumbo campfire size
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for 2 more minutes.  Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until all combined and well-incorporated.  Using a spatula, fold in the marshmallows. They won't fold in completely into all the dough, but that's ok.  Take a scoop of cookie dough, roll it into a ball, push the marshmallows back into the dough if they pop out, then place on cookie sheet & repeat until all dough has been used up.  Bake for 13-15 minutes. Until marshmallow has melted and the edges of the cookie are getting slightly brown.  Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.