You will need:

• 1-1 1/2 pounds of shrimp
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 16 ounces of cheese filled tortellini
• 1 cup of shredded Mozarella
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Easy directions:

Saute the shrimp in olive oil over medium/low heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook tortellini according to package instructions.

In microwave, melt butter and garlic together to blend flavors.

Drain tortellini. Place in a large bowl.

Pour garlic butter on tortellini. Immediately add cheeses, allowing cheeses to melt.

Add shrimp. Stir. Enjoy.

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You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

-Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

-Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.

-Stir in flour mixture. Shape into a log about 15 inches long.

-Wrap in plastic wrap and refriderate for at least 2 hours, but as long as 2 days.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices on ungreased baking sheets.

-Reshape slices into cut outs if desired.

-We sprinkle colored sugar to decorate before we bake.

-Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.

-Let cool on baking sheet for one minute, move to wire racks to cool completely.

-Enjoy!

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At the end of last summer, I was at a friend’s house.  The eggs she made were egg-celent (sorry, I can’t help the witty egg banter!)

Since then, I have been playing with the recipe and technique in order to come up with something I enjoy.

Here’s what I do:

*Break eggs into a bowl.  I typically use 2-4 depending on how many people I am feeding.

*Splash in a few tablespoons of milk. (1 per egg seems to be a good rule)

*Add salt and pepper.

*Whisk until blended and smooth.

*Prepare a small pan with 1 tablespoon of butter (don’t laugh, I just figured out this keeps the egg from sticking to the pan)

*Turn heat to medium low.

*When butter is melted, pour egg mixture into pan.

*DON’T TOUCH for at least 3-4 minutes.  When you see egg starting to harden, swirl around the outside with a spatula, allowing wet egg to reach the bottom of the pan.

*If you like cheese in your eggs – add it now when the eggs are only partially done.

*Continue to turn eggs in large strokes until all egg is cooked.

*Serve alone, on toast, or in the middle of an English Muffin.

Enjoy.

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Ingredients
1 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) package frozen vegetable blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse pork loin and pat dry. Set aside.

Mix water, tomato paste, orange juice concentrate, chili powder, salt, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, and white vinegar in a small mixing bowl.

Place pork loin in a 13X9-inch pan. Cover with half of the glaze.

Bake 15 minutes in preheated 425 degrees F oven.

Remove pork loin from oven. Cover with remaining glaze. Place vegetables around pork loin.

Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the vegetables are hot and the pork loin is completely cooked.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon tahini (pureed sesame seeds)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 48 medium-size asparagus spears, trimmed, peeled and cleaned

Directions

1 In a food processor or blender, combine everything except the asparagus and mix until thoroughly blended. Set aside.
2 Cut the asparagus into two-inch pieces, on the diagonal.
3 Half-fill a large skillet with water, cover and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and simmer just until crisp-tender (approx. 4-5 minutes). Drain well but do not rinse.
4 Transfer to serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot asparagus and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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You will need:

• 1 3-4 pound roast
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2-3 cans of water
• 1 package of Beef/Onion seasoning (Lipton is a great option)
• 3 medium sized potatoes – quartered
• 3 cups of carrots, sliced
• 1/2 an onion sliced

Place roast and vegetables in crock pot. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over roast and vegetables.

Cook 7-8 hours on low.

Enjoy!

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You will need:

• 2 cans of shrimp (4oz each)
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 package of cream cheese (8oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1/2 cup minced celery

In a large saucepan, heat soup to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese. Combine until smooth. Cool.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Serve in a bowl with butter flavored crackers or inside a bread bowl with pieces of bread.

Dip can be served hot or cold – your preference!

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These yummy chicken shredded tacos are no exception.

You will need:

• 4-5 chicken breasts
• 1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Package of fajita or taco seasoning
• 1 Large Ziploc bag
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water.

Here’s what you do:

(You won’t even need to write this down!)

Combine the chicken, soup, and seasoning in Ziploca bag. Squeeze to combine the ingredients. You can freeze, or allow to marinate for a short time.

Add 1/4- 1/2 cup of water to crock pot with ingredients.

You can put the contents of the bag into the crock pot – even while frozen. For frozen: cook on low 6-7 hours. For fresh: cook 5-6 hours.

When done cooking, shred chicken with a fork.

Place in tortillas with your favorite extras: cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Enjoy!

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

You will need:

• 2 10 oz cans of chicken, drained
• 3/4 to 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce
• 3/4 to 1 cup of Ranch Dressing
• 2 cups of shredded cheese
• 2 packages of cream cheese (softened)

In a skillet, mix the drained chicken and buffalo sauce together. Add the Ranch dressing, followed by the cream cheese.

Once all ingredients are blended, add the shredded cheese.

When the cheese melts, transfer to a crock pot or dish.

(Obviously the crock pot will keep it warm longer!)

I like to use ‘Scoops’ tortilla chips with this dish.

Enjoy!

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Feel free to halve the recipe 0r freeze half the dough WITHOUT the chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

2 cups of butter

32 ounces of chocolate chips

4 cups of flour

2 cups of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of sugar

4 1/2 cups of blended oatmeal

4 eggs

2 teaspoons of Baking powder

2 teaspoons of vanilla

(Optional) 3 cups of chopped nuts – your choice.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Pour oatmeal into a blender and blend to a fine powder.  Set aside.

Cream the butter and both sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.

Add chocolate chips and nuts if desired.

Roll into balls, place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. (For softer cookies – bake only 8 minutes)

Enjoy!

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You will need:

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

3/4 to 1 jar of meatless spaghetti sauce

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 cup water

10-12 oz of mostaccioli

1 1/4 cup of Mozzarella cheese

3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook onion and meat in skillet until meat is brown.  Onion will be soft.

Stir in water and spaghetti sauce.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Mix the meat sauce with drained mostaccioli and place in baking dish.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.  Cover with Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Enjoy!

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You will need:

1/4 cup Butter

3 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of Cheerios

1 1/2 cups of Mini pretzels or pretzel sticks-havled

1 1/2 cups of Teddy Grahams

1 1/2 cups of Animal Crackers

Directions:

Heat butter over low heat.

When melted, add brown sugar and cinnamon.

Mix well.

Combine other ingredients in a large bowl (kids can do this easily!)

Add sugar-butter mixture.  Toss to coat.

Place in a greased pan and bake, uncovered at 30 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes.  Do not overcook.

Allow to cool.  Store in an air-tight container.

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I cook every meal. Except BBQ.  That is his domain. So, when we BBQ, I make sure we get a BUNCH of meals out of it.

Here’s what we typically make:

4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 hamburgers
8 hot dogs

I prep all of the food, so all he has to do is cook.  Which means, by the time dinner rolls around, all I have to do is EAT.

For the burgers, I make my own special concoction.  I combine any BBQ sauce (about 1/2 a bottle) with 2 tablespoons of honey, a tsp of minced onion and a few shakes of garlic powder.

Coat the bottom of a pan with the special sauce, place a burger in the pan, cover the burger with the sauce, place the next burger on top, etc. Then the burgers chill until he is ready to get cooking!

For the chicken – I place the breasts in a Ziploc bag with ANY marinade.  My favorites are the Lawrys – the Teriyaki, the Lemon Herb and the Garlic marinades are fantastic.  I dump 3/4 of the bottle in the bag, seal it and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.

Hot dogs – well, I don’t do anything extra special with them.

The food we make typically lasts at least 3 nights and often fills in for a few lunches too. That’s the bonus – multiple nights – no cooking!

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3-4 Tilapia Filets

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Seasoning

Splash of white wine

Combine all ingredients in Ziploc bag for marinating.  Allow to sit for a minimum of 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place filets in a non-stick baking dish/pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

(Yes, I know – corn is not the most suitable vegetable for fish, but I do what my kids will eat !)

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You will need:

4 chicken breasts

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 cup of sour cream (divided)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (divided)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

tortillas

salsa

1) Place chicken, soup, 1/2 of sour cream, and pepper into crock pot.

2) Cook on low for 4-5 hours.  If frozen, cook for 7-8 hours

3) When chicken has about 45 minutes left, shred with a fork and add 3/4 cup of shredded cheese.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

5) Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas, fold over and place in baking dish.

6) Top enchiladas with 1/2-3/4 jar of salsa and remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.

7) Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes

Remove foil and continue baking for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Top with remaining sour cream.

ENJOY!

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You will need:

4 Chicken Breasts

3 Cups Uncooked Bow Tie Pasta

For the sauce:

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/12 cups fresh Parmesan Cheese

1 cup of heavy cream

1/4 cup of butter

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1) Cook pasta according to directions on box

2) Dice chicken, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan.  Cook chicken over medium heat until cooked through

3) For sauce, melt butter over low heat.  Add cream and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes.  Add pepper, garlic and Parmesan Cheese.  Whisk until smooth.

4) Gently combine pasta with chicken.  Slowly pour sauce over top. Stir.  Enjoy.

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12 Large Manicotti shells

4 cups shredded Mozarella cheese, divided

2 cups Ricotta cheese

6 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil

1 – 26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce, divided

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 13 x 9 inch pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Drain.  Rinse with cool water.  Let pasta dry on paper towels.

For filling, combine 3 cups of Mozarella with the ricotta and basil. Using a teaspoon, stuff pasta shells with cheese and basil mixture.

Spoon 2 cups of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish.  Put manicotti in dish.  Use remaining sauce to cover manicotti.

Sprinkle the left over mozarella on top.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with Romano or Parmesan cheese and bake for an extra 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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Combine:

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

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10 oz pretzels – broken

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese
4 skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors.  In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken into the olive oil mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture.  Place chicken in a shallow baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

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For the most tender chicken imaginable, use chicken left over from the Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken.

In addition to the chicken, you will need:

• 1-2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 onion
• 3/4 cup quartered red grapes
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon basil (I use Sweet basil)
• 1/2-1 cup Mayo

For the best results, cut the chicken into very small pieces.

Enjoy!

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You will need:

One box of cake mix (your choice)
1 Pkg of softened cream cheese
1 cup of Softened butter
1 tsp of Vanilla
1 egg

In bowl, whip cream cheese, butter, Vanilla and egg together.

Add cake mix.  Blend.

Mixture is thick and gooey.  Be prepared to lick the batter off your fingers.

Place on cookie sheet with average sized spoon (cookies will not expand much in oven)

Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (until barely browning at the edges)  The less time they bake, the more gooey the results.

If your kids want to help, let them add the cake batter – and lick the beaters.

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My friend Carol gets the credit for sharing this with my family!

• You will need one whole chicken (one that will fit in your crock pot)
• Olive oil or butter
• Spices of your choice: salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
• Aluminum foil
• (That’s it!)

Place 5 or 6 balls of aluminum foil inside your crock pot

Wash and dry chicken (empty inside)

Cover chicken lightly with oil or butter

Sprinkle spices of your choice inside and out

Place chicken UPSIDE down in crock pot (on top of foil balls)

Cook on HIGH for one hour and LOW for the remainder of the day – All of the fat will gather underneath the chicken around the foil

Chicken will be so moist, it will likely fall off the bones as you remove it from the crock pot. It is just like rotisserie at home!

We use some for dinner and save the remainder for chicken salad (don’t worry, I have a FANTASTIC chicken salad recipe coming soon!)

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You need:

Pork Chops (4-6)
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 box of Stovetop Stuffing
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Heat Olive Oil in pan on your stove – Medium Heat

In a separate pot, make Stove Top Stuffing per directions on box, set aside

Place lightly seasoned (with salt and pepper) pork chops in pan and brown lightly on each side.

Cover bottom of baking pan with 1/2 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Place lightly browned pork chops in pan and cover with remaining soup.

Cover pork chops with stuffing.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until no longer pink in the center.

Enjoy!

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This HAS to be one of my very favorite salads in the world. It has, in fact, become so popular in my friendship circles, that people request it. Easy, delicious AND it will make you feel like it is a little warmer outside!

It takes me less than 15 minutes to make and can serve 10-15. (Depending on whether or not you come back for seconds!)

Simply Strawberry Salad

For the dressing:
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic

For the salad
1/2 head of romaine lettuce, in small pieces
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, in small pieces
3/4 to 1 pound sliced, fresh strawberries
Cheese optional – blue cheese, shredded cheddar or feta are all good.

1) Combine honey, mustard, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar, oil and garlic in a bowl. Whisk until blended.

2) In a large bowl, toss lettuce, strawberries and cheese (if desired) together.

3) Add almonds and dressing right before serving.

4) Toss to coat. Enjoy!

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