Friday, November 1, 2013

Baked Ravioli

Baked Ravioli
1 25-ounce bag frozen ravioli
4 cups bolognese sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 9×13 rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta

Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta
1 box fettucine or linguine
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian seasoning to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion (2 if the onions are small), sliced
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in olive oil in a skillet until juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and let rest.  In a medium saucepan, cook onions over medium heat until they just begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Place peppers in a food processor or blender (the Magic Bullet works perfectly for this!) and pulse until peppers form a puree.  Add Alfredo sauce to onions, then add milk and mozzarella cheese to desired consistency. Stir in the red pepper puree and heat through.  Once chicken has rested, slice at an angle and mix with pasta, reserving some strips for presentation. Add sauce to pasta and chicken. Top with additional mozzarella or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders
12 dinner rolls, cut in half
24 slices Honey Ham
16 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 400°.  In a 9x13 glass baking dish, place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese. You want the rolls to be snug together.  In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls. You will not need all the sauce. Cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 20 minutes.  Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is melted. Serve hot or warm.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Quesadillas

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Quesadillas
4 strips bacon
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
4 flour tortillas
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to the same skillet you used for the bacon and cook until both sides are browned and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes, then dice it into small pieces.  Mix together the cream cheese and the jalapenos. Spread the mixture evenly over the flour tortillas. Top half of each tortilla with a strip of bacon, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, and some of the chicken. Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling and press together gently.  Cook the quesadillas in batches in a skillet coated with cooking spray until both sides are browned. Cut into slices and serve.

Bacon Pierogi Bake

Bacon Pierogi Bake
1 16-ounce package frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
4 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange the pierogies in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.  Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top with reserved bacon, green onions, tomato, and a sprinkling of black pepper if desired.

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup dill pickle relish (depending on how pickle-y you like it)
Paprika
Cook pasta according to directions on box; drain. Rinse in cold water and drain again.  While pasta is cooking, whisk together Miracle Whip, mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper.  Gently fold pasta, eggs, and relish into the sauce. Taste for seasoning; re-season as necessary.  Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate until serving (it’s best the next day).

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Candy Shop Truffle

Candy Shop Truffle
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 boxes of low fat chocolate jello instant pudding
4 cups of milk (as per the pudding directions)
1/4 cup peanut butter (plus 2 tbsp for drizzling)
1 large container of low fat cool whip
1 bag of mini Reese peanut butter cups (chopped into pieces)
1 large bag of Reese's pieces
Bake the cake as per the directions on the box. Let cool completely.  Let cool whip thaw out until it's easier to spread.  Make the pudding as per the directions on the box, at the very end before you let it set stir in the 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Let set.  Crumble the cake into a trifle dish (or bowl), top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture, then add a layer of cool whip (1/2 the container), and then sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped Reese peanut butter cups and 1/2 the bag of Reese's pieces.  Do another layer exactly the same: cake, pudding, cool whip, candy.  Put the 2 tbsp of peanut butter into the microwave for about 45 seconds to melt, then drizzle over top of the trifle.