Shrimp Pasta Alfredo

Craig and I have been making this dish for years, probably because it's easy to put together quickly. I like the alfredo from the packet because it tastes great and is much healthier than the type found in a jar.


Assemble crescent rolls and bake.

Boil pasta (any type) and make alfredo via the instructions on the packet (I use skim milk).

Heat beans.

Defrost and warm shrimp.

Combine pasta, alfredo and a few handfuls of shrimp.

Serve with rolls and beans.

Variation:
Instead of shrimp use chicken and add sundried tomatoes.

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Apple Crumble

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have read that our friend Alice received news that her liver cancer is worse than initially thought. I am saddened beyond words for this wonderful family and am diligently praying for her healing. I feel like I should do something, but sending a card seems so inadequate. Any suggestions?

In honor of Alice, who is the most amazing cook ever, I am posting this new recipe that I tried over the weekend. (And please don't suggest that I bake something for her, I am way too intimidated to do that).


Click here to view the recipe on Kraft's website (I love the Food and Family Magazine). The recipe actually calls for two apples and one pear, but I used four apples instead. Two Granny Smith and two Braeburn. The result was heavenly, the cream cheese and Nilla wafers sealed the deal. I also made fresh whipped cream as an accompaniment (heavy cream mixed with sugar and a touch of vanilla for warmth). Enjoy!

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Monkey Bread

I have adapted this recipe from other recipes over the years, it is so easy to make and everyone loves it! I typically prep the biscuits the night before and make the sauce in the morning. We also usually make eggs with this breakfast to help balance out the carbs.

2 Cans Flaky Layer Biscuits (10 biscuits per can, I use Pillsbury Golden Layers)
Cinnamon and sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
Pecans (optional)

Mix cinnamon and sugar to desired taste and set aside.

Cut biscuits into quarters.

Roll biscuit quarters in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place (squish) in greased 8x8 baking dish.

Heat brown sugar and butter in saucepan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil and appears to increase in volume.

Pour mixture over biscuits, sprinkle with pecans and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350.


I double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan when making a batch for more people. We usually have more than enough for our family with the smaller batch.

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Cherry Dots

My friend Rachel shared this recipe with me years ago when we first started baking together.

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup chopped cherries
2 2/3 cups corn flakes crushed to 1 1/3 cups
cherries for top

Heat oven to 350.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy.
Add eggs, beat well.
Stir in milk and vanilla.
Add flour mixture, beat well.
Stir in nuts and 1/3 cup cherries.

Shape dough into balls (dough will be sticky) and roll in crushed corn flakes.
Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and top with cherry quarter.

Bake 10 minutes.




As with all recipes, and to avoid a cookietastrophe (Ella loves that word), please make sure you read the entire recipe first before proceeding.

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Storing Cookies

Friends have been asking how I keep my cookies fresh for Christmas since I like to start baking in November. I wrap 1-2 dozen in plastic wrap and then again in foil. Ella writes the name of the cookie and the amount on the foil and in the freezer they go!

I double wrap them to make sure that they don't get any type of yucky freezer smell on them. Not that my freezer is yucky, because it most certainly is not, but because sometimes frozen stuff gets a certain smell to it when not properly contained.

I remember one time when my brother and I were at my grandma's house around dinner time and she was disgusted because she couldn't find anything to make for us and, "there is nothing in the freezer but frozen stuff!" LOL She was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, what a hoot. Not that having Alzheimer's is a hoot, but grandma was pretty funny towards the end. I wish I could remember some of the gems that she came up with.

Of course that story doesn't really have anything to do with anything. I just was reminded of it whilst discussing the freezer.


I should note that Oreo Truffles are put into a plastic container (Tupperware or the like) because they are fragile (like me) and I don't wish for them to become damaged since dipping them in chocolate is time consuming.

ps. I hope to be posting more cookie recipes asap, but I'm still disinfecting the house.

pps. Last year we had to get a separate freezer for downstairs because my cookies were taking up too much room. Well, I guess we didn't get it "just" for cookies, we also use it for meat and stuff.

ppps. When I was a child, we always had a big, separate freezer for the meat. And it seemed like it really was just for the meat because my parents would purchase a half of a cow and/or dad would get a deer and freeze all of the meat.

pppps. Dad would also get deer jerky made and man was it good. Haven't had that stuff in years.

ppppps. (Last one, I promise). One year when I was a teenager I saw a deer in our back yard (60 acres, remember?) and I said, hey Dad, look at that deer. I walked away and a few moments later I heard, BAM!!! He freaking shot the deer!!! I was so mad! Not that I'm against hunting (cause I'm not), but I didn't want to be the one responsible for the demise of that poor deer. I should have known better, it was hunting season, after all.

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Cocoa Snowflakes

Found this gem of a recipe in a Penzey's catalog a few years ago. You can click here to view the recipe on their site. These cookies are similar to brownies and they are delicious!

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Oreo Truffles Redux

Ella and I were in Walmart the other day when she spotted these Oreo Cookies. I immediately thought of my Oreo Truffle recipe that I posted last year.

I had to modify the recipe slightly because the limited edition Oreo's only come in a smaller package.

1 pkg. (12 oz.) OREO Old Fashioned Candy Cane Cookies
1/2 pkg. (4 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
2-3 Candy Canes, crushed

CRUSH the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

DIP balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with crushed candy canes (I use two plastic bags and a mallet to crush the candy canes).

REFRIGERATE until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Oh my, dare I say that these are even better than the original? I've tried a few iterations of this recipe (used strawberry milkshake Oreo's once), but this one is a winner and will definitely make it into my cookie rotation this year.

Little insisted that she get her picture taken as well. She is ALWAYS in on the action.

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Comfort Food

I love this recipe from the Kraft Food and Family magazine (head over to their site, a subscription is free), it's fast, easy and everyone loves it.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake



1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 400°F. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.

LAYER chicken, basil, cheese and stuffing in 3-qt. or 13x9-inch baking dish.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy now or cover and refrigerate. To reheat, microwave each serving on HIGH 2 to 3 min.

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Yum

After I finished my lunch the other day I realized I had lots of Coke left in the can. Craig cannot stand it when I waste Coke, so I had to find something to do with what was left. I decided to make a delicious Coke float with Neapolitan ice cream. Now here's the trick... you have to use a small spoon to scoop the ice cream into the glass giving the Coke more surface area to cover. And you have to give the ice cream time to soften. You follow?

And what happens is that it generates this wonderful foam with an amalgamation of flavor.


Oh. my. It is soooo good. But I must confess that typically when I make one of these, I use the biggest, widest glass I can find... I just used the skinny glass for this demonstration so that I wouldn't look like a pig. Which reminds me, when I was little and someone would burp, my grandma (dad's mom) would say, "excuse the pig, the hog is out walking." Huh?

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Macaroon Kiss Cookies

I'm so happy, I felt good enough to make cookies!!


These are one of my Christmas favorites, and you can choose to leave some cookies plain, without the chocolate kiss.

1/3 cup softened butter
3 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk/reserve white
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 cups coconut
1 bag unwrapped Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 350.

BEAT butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl. Add egg yolk, almond extract and beat well.

STIR together flour, baking powder and salt, gradually add to butter mixture, beat well. Stir in 3 cups of coconut.

COVER and refrigerate for one hour. Shape dough into small balls, dip in egg white and roll in remaining coconut. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

BAKE for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven and immediately press in chocolate kiss. Cool one minute and remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Do not overcook, they are done even when they are still shiny.

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Oreo Truffles

It's no secret that I love to bake... mostly cookies and sweets. Anyway, I'm often asked for my recipes so I thought I would start taking pictures and posting the recipes on our blog. You can quickly view all the recipes that I post by clicking the label located at the top right of the blog.

With any recipe that I post, please feel free to post comments about what you liked or didn't like about it. And if you try one of the recipes, please comment as to it's difficult and result.

Below are Oreo Truffles, they are delicious and pretty easy to make... albeit a little time consuming.



1 pkg. (1 lb., 2 oz.) OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

CRUSH 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

DIP balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

I used low fat Oreo's and 1/3 less fat cream cheese and the taste was still great. I try to substitute lower fat products when I can.

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Chewy Caramel Bars

These are pretty good as well, but I'm not so sure I will exactly follow the recipe next time. I didn't seem to have enough batter (maybe put down too much for the crust?), and it was pretty thick. I may try adding a bit more evaporated milk next time.



1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 butter, melted
36 Rolo candies, halved

Combine the cake mix, milk, nuts and butter in large bowl. Spread half into greased 13in x 9in baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until set.

Place candies, cut side down, over crust; top with remaining cake mixture.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Cool on wire rack, cut into bars.

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