Butterfinger Pie

Butterfinger Pie
6 (2 1/8 ounce) Butterfinger candy bars, crushed *
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (12 ounce) cartons Cool Whip **
1 graham cracker crust
Mix first three ingredients together.  Put it in pie crust.  Chill.

Dill Pickle Potato Soup

Dill Pickle Potato Soup
olive oil, for sauteing
1 small onion, diced
coarse salt and fresh black pepper
3 fat cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup kosher dill pickle juice
4 - 5 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 + 1/2 pounds)
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup kosher dill pickles, diced small, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded, plus more for garnish
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or soup pot heat 2 tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat. Saute onion with a dash of salt and pepper until translucent, stirring often. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.  Stir in the broth, pickle juice, potatoes, carrots, pickles and dill. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer 20 - 25 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Remove 1 cup of the soup and puree with a stick blender or in a stand blender and return back to the soup pot. Turn heat down to low.  Stir in sour cream and Swiss cheese, keep stirring until cheese melts.  Serve garnished with chopped pickles and a sprinkle of cheese.

Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1 jar marinara sauce
1/4 cup roasted red pepper Italian dressing
3ish oz cream cheese
1 lb pasta (I used farfalle)
Cook the onions and garlic in the oil for a few minutes over medium heat, until the onions begin to soften and get translucent.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.  Add the marinara sauce and red pepper dressing. Stir to combine. Add the cream cheese and let it melt for a few minutes. Once the cream cheese is soft, stir to combine until the cream cheese is mixed through.  Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna Rolls
8 uncooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb ground beef (or ground turkey), browned, optional
Marinara sauce (about 2 cups), store-bought or homemade
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large pot of lightly salted water, cook noodles. Drain & set aside.  Mix together cheeses, garlic, and ground meat (if using). Divide into 8 parts. Spread mixture on the lasagna noodles. Roll up. Repeat with each lasagna noodle.  Place a thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Place each lasagna roll, seam side down, in the pan. Cover with marinara sauce.  Bake, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Serve, preferably with homemade garlic bread.

Chicken Rice-a-Roni Casserole

Chicken Rice-a-Roni Casserole
1 box chicken flavor Rice-A-Roni
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat-free)
1 cup sour cream (can use low fat)
3-4 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or 1 whole Rotisserie Chicken)
1 (6 oz) can French fried onions
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions. Add soup, sour cream and chicken.  Stir to combine.   Spread rice mixture in a lightly sprayed 9x13 pan.  Top rice with fried onions.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Creamy Dill Chicken Pasta

Creamy Dill Chicken Pasta 
6oz. dried linguine pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
5 to 6 chicken tenderloins or 2 breast halves of 1 large breast
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 c milk (I used 2%)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to the directions on the packaging. Drain, keep warm.  Cut the chicken tenderloins into 2" cubes.  Mix salt, pepper and flour in a small bowl.  Coat the chicken with flour mixture.  In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken in batches, to cook through and brown on all sides.  Transfer to a plate. Set aside.  Add more oil to the pan if needed.  Add garlic to the saucepan and sautee for 30 seconds.  Mix milk and cornstarch together in a mixing bowl.  Gradually, add milk mixture to the saucepan, whisking constantly. Let the sauce thicken up before adding more milk. Repeat until you used all of the milk.  Return chicken to the sauce. Add dill and Parmesan and stir it all in to coat.  Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add pasta and toss to coat.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Tortellini Casserole

Baked Tortellini Casserole
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of lean ground beef 97/3
Small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 24 oz package of fresh cheese tortellini
3 cups of freshly grated mozzarella cheese
Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil, until soft.  Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  Once beef is cooked through, stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Stir in uncooked, fresh tortellini and 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese.  Transfer to casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.  Cover tightly with foil and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.