BBQ Chicken

This is my mom's recipe and a family favorite.  My husband and son devour this dish.  We usually eat this with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes.  It also makes a great agape meal.

Ingredients:
*1 bag boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
*salt
*ground black pepper
*1 small bottle KC Masterpiece Original (this is the secret to this dish--a dark, sweet sauce)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place chicken in a large baking dish.  Salt and pepper both sides.  Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of BBQ sauce on top of each piece of chicken.  Spread around.  Flip each piece, and squeeze the remainder of the bottle evenly on top of the chicken.  Spread with a spoon.

Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes uncovered.  Remove from the oven and spoon sauce over each piece of chicken to baste.  Do not turn the chicken.

Bake for 20 more minutes.  Remove from the oven and baste.  Let sit on the counter for 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken.

Roasted Veggies

California blend version: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots

French cut green beans and carrot

This is a staple in our house.  I usually make this dish with the frozen California blend vegetables, but I also have made it with just broccoli, just crinkle carrots, just cauliflower, or just green beans. I also saute zucchini & squash in a skillet.

Ingredients:
*2 one-pound bags frozen California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, crinkle carrots)
*olive oil
*1 packet Lipton Garlic and Savory Herb soup mix (I can only find this at Kroger, so when I go, I stock up.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.  Put each bag of frozen vegetables in its own large zip lock bag.  Sprinkle with just a couple tablespoons of olive oil.  Close the bags tightly, and shake to coat all the vegetables.  Add more olive oil as needed.  Divide the packet of soup mix equally between the bags, and pour it in.  (Each box comes with 2 packets.  Only use 1.  Save the other for another time.)  Close the bags tightly and shake to coat.  Place in a large baking dish.  Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes, stirring several times.  I stir at the 30 minute mark, the 50 minute mark, and the 60 minute mark.  When you remove from the oven to serve, stir one more time.

Chicken Enchiladas

My husband and I go on our church's senior high mission trip each summer as the cooks.  This is a dish that the kids,  as well as the staff and adult volunteers request year after year.

Ingredients:
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*a few dashes of salt
*16 oz. sour cream (When making this for my family, I use light)
*2 can cream of chicken soup (When making this for my family, I use 98% fat-free)
*2 cups chicken broth
*2 4-oz. cans green chiles
*2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (When making this for my family, I use 2% cheese)
*2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
*12 flour tortillas (burrito size)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Fill a saucepan with water.  Sprinkle with the dashes of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add chicken, and boil chicken until no longer pink.  You can even throw them in frozen.  Remove from water and place directly into an ice bath--a large bowl full of ice (put some ice on top of the chicken as well) so that the chicken stops cooking.  Let cool.  When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, cream of chicken, green chiles, and chicken broth.  Pour half of the sauce into a bowl with the shredded chicken.  Mix well.  Reserve the rest of the sauce.

Mix the cheddar with the mozzarella in a large bowl.  Dip a flour tortilla in the remaining sauce until the whole thing is covered.  Shake off excess sauce.  Fill with chicken and then 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture.  Roll tightly.  Place seam side down in an ungreased baking dish.  Repeat with all the tortillas.

Pour remaining sauce on top.  Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered on 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Sausage & Potato Kebabs

This is a recipe from the Pampered Chef Casual Cooking cookbook.  The original recipe calls for green onions, but I cook this without the green onions to make it a lot less work.

Ingredients:
*1 lb. petite new potatoes or baby dutch golden potatoes (about 15), halved (I half them using the crinkle cutter from Pampered Chef.  It leaves ridges so that seasonings stick to the potatoes better.  I put 7 halves per skewer)
*2 teaspoons olive oil
*1 garlic clove, pressed
*3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
*dash of salt + 1/8 teaspoon salt
*1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
*1 package bratwurst (5-6 sausages)
*12 cherry tomatoes
*6 cups water
*1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges
*skewers

Directions:
If using wooden skewers, soak in water in a 9x13 dish so that all the skewers are immersed.  Cook bratwurst by placing them in a large skillet with the 6 cups of water and the yellow onion wedges.  Bring to a boil.

 Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from skillet and let cool enough to handle.  Slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes by bringing water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Make sure there is enough water for the potatoes to all be immersed.  Add a dash of salt to the water.  Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil just until fork tender.  Drain.  Drizzle with oil.  Add garlic, salt, pepper, and dill weed.  Mix gently using a rubber spatula so that the potatoes do not mush.

Preheat indoor grill to medium-high heat.  Alternately thread bratwurst, potatoes, and cherry tomatoes onto 6 skewers.  Grill uncovered until bratwurst is browned, turning frequently.  My indoor grill will only fit 4 skewers, so once I cook those, I put them on an oven safe plate and put them in the oven on the "warm" setting (about 170 F) while I cook the remaining 2 skewers.

This goes great with German-style salad.

Germany-Style Salad

 My mother-in-law was born and grew up in Wiesbaden, Germany near the Rhine River.  She moved to the U.S. when she was in her twenties, and she has lived here ever since.  She shares her German culture with our family.  One way she does this is through her amazing cooking.  She has made me a lover of German food.  This is my easier version of how she serves salad at her house.  (She cuts her own lettuce and carrots into shreds.)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
*1 bag shredded iceberg lettuce
*1 small bag shredded carrots
*1 radish, sliced 
*2 packets of Knorr brand Salat Kronung Wurzige Cartenkrauter*
*2 Tablespoons sugar
*8 Tablespoons water (= to 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons)
*8 Tablespoons vegetable oil (= to 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons)

Directions:
In a pourable measuring cup, whisk together the dry salad dressing packets, sugar, water, and vegetable oil.  Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so that the flavors can blend.

When it is time to serve, place lettuce, carrots, and radishes in a large serving bowl.  Mix well.  Whisk the salad dressing again.  Let people pour their own salad dressing on top of their salads.
*Note:  My husband's aunt makes a trip to Germany every winter to visit family, and she brings back the salad dressing packets for us.  You might be able to find this at a specialty food store like Central Market or World Market or online.

Zucchini Fries

This is a healthier substitute for french fries.  I came up with this recipe one night when we were having hamburgers.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
*6 zucchinis, halved lengthwise, halved again, and then halved crosswise
*1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
*Season All seasoned salt
*olive oil flavored cooking spray

Directions:
Place zucchini in a gallon sized zip lock bag.  Pour in olive oil.  Close bag tightly, removing all the air.  Shake the bag so that the olive oil coats all the zucchini.  Open the bag and sprinkle with Season All. Seal tightly and shake so that all the zucchini is coated in the seasoning.  Place in the refrigerator to marinate for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Spray a large cookie sheet with olive oil flavored cooking spray.  Spread zucchini evenly on the cookie sheet in
                                                                                       one layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once
                                                                                       half-way through.
                                                                                  

My Friend's Baked Beans

I got this recipe from my friend, Carrie S.  She made it on a Sunday School retreat, and it was a huge hit.  We also made it on a high school mission trip with her, and everyone gobbled them up.  The original recipe feeds a crowd, so I have scaled down the recipe here to feed my family.

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
*3 normal sized cans pork and beans (from 40-55 ounces total)
*5 slices bacon, sliced
*1/2 of a white onion, chopped
*1/2 of a green bell pepper, chopped
*1/2 cup ketchup
*1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  In a medium bowl, combine beans, ketchup, and brown sugar.  Place in a baking dish.

Add the onion and bell pepper on top.  Add the bacon on top of the onion and bell pepper.

Cover and bake on 325 for 2 hours or until the bacon and veggies are cooked.  Spoon off the bacon before serving.*

*Note:  For our family, I cook this on 350 F instead of 325 F so that the  bacon gets crispy, and I do not have to spoon it off at the end.

Greek Chicken

This is my variation of a recipe I got from Better Homes and Gardens Treasured Recipes cookbook.

Serves 5

Ingredients:
*at least 1 cup dry bread crumbs
*5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
*1 green bell pepper, chopped

*1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced and separated into rings
*2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
*1/8 teaspoon salt
*dash ground black pepper
*2 Roma tomatoes, cut into large cubes
or chunks
*1 small can sliced black olives, drained
*2 Tablespoons white cooking wine
*4 teaspoons lemon juice
*3 cups hot cooked orzo or couscous
(add 1 Tablespoon low-fat margarine
after orzo is drained to prevent sticking)
*1 cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Pat chicken dry on all sides with a paper towel.  Place bread crumbs in a bowl.  Coat chicken with bread crumbs.  Set aside.

In a large skillet heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes until no longer pink, turning once half-way through.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Keep warm.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.  Add zucchini, bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper.  Saute until onion and zucchini are tender.  Add tomato wedges, black olives, white cooking wine, and lemon juice.  Cook for 3-4 more minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup feta cheese.  Cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

To serve, spoon some orzo onto a plate.  Top with some of the vegetable mixture.  Top with chicken.  Sprinkle feta cheese on top of the chicken to desired taste.

*Note:  Even my 2 year old eats this as long as I separate everything out for him.  He'll eat the orzo by itself, the zucchini slices by themselves, the tomatoes by themselves, and the olives by themselves!

Allegro Pork Chops

I had Allegro for the first time at my Aunt Kathy's house when she served fajitas over Thanksgiving weekend.  I thought they were the best fajitas I have ever had.  Her daughter, my cousin Kristen, told me that I could cook pork chops that way as well.  She and I came up with this recipe together one weekend when she was visiting.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:
*4-6 boneless pork chops
*Chop seasoning
*Allegro marinade
*2 yellow onion, sliced into strings

Directions:
Two hours before cooking, sprinkle both sides of all pork chops liberally with seasoning.  Place in a tightly closed zip lock bag, and let sit in the refrigerator for two hours marinating.  Place sliced onions in a seperate zip lock bag.  Pour about 2 Tablespoons Allegro seasoning into the bag.  Let all the air out of the bag, close the bag, and shake so that all the onions are covered in the Allegro liquid marinade.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Two hours later, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Heat an oven safe skillet on high.  Once hot, pour the onions with the marinade into the pan.  Saute until tender, stirring frequently--several minutes.  Push the onions to the sides of the skillet, and pour about 2 more Tablespoons of Allegro into the skillet.  Add the pork chops, browning them on each side about 1 minute on high.

Cover the pork chops with the onions.  Place an oven-safe lid on the skillet.  Bake on 350 F for 20 minutes.

Baked Apples

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
*6 baking apples (Gala is a good one), peeled, and cut into eights
*3 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute
*2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to broil.  Spray a metal cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Arrange apple slices evenly on cookie sheet.  Spray apples with cooking spray.  Turn the apples over.  Spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.  Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the apples.  Turn the apples over, and sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar on the apples.

Place in the oven on broil for 8 minutes, approximately 4 inches from the heat.  Remove from oven, turn the apples over.  Broil for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and tender.  Serve warm.

This is a great side dish for pork.

Southwestern Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe from one of my husband's co-workers, Shelly.

6 Servings

Ingredients:
*2 containers Member's Mark brand Southwestern Tortilla Soup from Sam's Club
* half a bag of frozen chicken fajita meat
*2 cans fat-free chicken broth
*baked tortilla chips
*shredded 2% Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
*water, as needed to get desired thinness of soup

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat containers of soup and chicken broth over medium low heat, stirring often.  Meanwhile, pour frozen chicken into a medium skillet.  Heat on medium heat until the chicken is hot.  Add the chicken to the soup.  Stir frequently.  Add water if you need to make it thinner.

Place a few baked tortilla chips in the bottom of some individual bowls.  Once the soup is hot, ladle into bowls on top of chips, and top with cheese.

This goes great with a green salad on the side.

*Note:  I buy 4 containers at a time and freeze 2 for another time.  You only use half a bag of frozen chicken fajita meat, so use the other half for the remaining 2 containers for another easy week night meal.

Sauted Asparagus

Ingredients:
*2 bunches of fresh asparagus
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*Season All seasoned salt

Directions:
After washing asparagus, take one piece of asparagus and bend it until it naturally snaps.  Discard the bottom part of the asparagus that snapped off (the thicker end).  Place the snapped asparagus next to the rest of the asparagus on a cutting board, lining up the tops of the asparagus.  Cut the rest of the bottoms of the asparagus off evenly with the bottom of the snapped asparagus.  (I learned this trick from watching Melissa d'Arabian on the food network.)

Place the asparagus in a gallon size zip lock bag.  Pour in olive oil.  Close the bag making sure to get all the air out.  Shake the bag so that all the asparagus is evenly coated with the olive oil.  Open the bag and sprinkle with a few dashes of Season All.  Close the bag, getting all the air out.  Shake the bag around until all the asparagus is covered with the seasoning.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add the asparagus and the remaining olive oil that is in the zip lock bag.  Saute for several minutes until the asparagus is at desired tenderness.

This goes great with fish.

Baked Salmon

This is a recipe from Recipezaar.com, which is now food.com.  The original recipe is for two fillets.  I played with some of the measurements here and there to perfect the recipe for four salmon fillets.  Every time I made more than two fillets, the marinade was never strong enough.  I doubled everything but the salt.  When I doubled the salt, it was too salty.  If you would like the recipe for just 2 fillets, go to http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-salmon-28199

Ingredients
*4 salmon fillets, skin removed (about 6 oz. each)
*4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
*12 Tablespoons olive oil (equal to 3/4 cup)
*2 teaspoons dried basil
*1 teaspoon salt
*2 teaspoons black pepper
*2 Tablespoons lemon juice
*1 Tablespoon dried or fresh parsley (chopped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.  In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing all ingredients except the salmon.  Place the salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with marinade.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning occasionally. 

Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal.  Place sealed salmon in a glass baking dish.  Bake 35-45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Quick and Fruity Crescent Waffles

This is a family favorite that we make on an occasional weekend as a special treat.  This recipe is a variation of the recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize-Winning Recipes Collector's Edition, Volume 2 magazine.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
*1/4 cup sliced almonds
*1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls (8 rolls)
*1/2 jar of Smucker's strawberry Simply Fruit (spreadable fruit substitute for jelly)
*1 container (6 oz.) Yoplait Original 99% fat free strawberry yogurt
*1 banana, sliced
*aerosol can whipped cream
*ground cinnamon
*fresh strawberries, sliced
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to "warm" setting or 200 F.  Heat a square or rectangular waffle maker.  Spray with cooking spray.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.  Remove from skillet; set aside.

Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles (this is how they come).  Place 2 triangles at a time on the waffle maker, making sure that the triangles do not touch and stay separated.  Close the lid of the waffle maker.  Cook 2 minutes or until golden brown.  Place cooked waffles on an oven safe plate or a cookie sheet, and keep warm in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining triangles.  Each time, put the plate or cookie sheet back in the oven to keep them warm while you are cooking more waffles.

Meanwhile, in a 1 quart saucepan, heat the spreadable fruit and yogurt over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot.*

To serve, stack 2 crescent waffles on top of each other, slightly overlapping.  Spoon 1/4 of the fruit sauce over each serving of waffles.  Top each serving equally with banana and strawberry slices.  Top evenly with toasted almonds.  Top with a squirt or two of whipped cream.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

*Note--you can also use Smucker's blueberry Spreadable Fruit paired with Yoplait Original 99% fat free mountain blueberry yogurt, or any other flavor of spreadable fruit paired with a similar flavored yogurt.  We usually do the blueberry version, and this was our 1st time with the strawberry version.  We use the bananas no matter what flavor we do, though.

Creamy Spinach and Tortellini

This is a recipe from the Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize-Winning Recipes Collector's Edition, Volume 2 magazine.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
*18-20 oz. refrigerated or frozen cheese-filled tortellini
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
*3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
*1 package (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
*1 cup cubed seeded Roma tomatoes
*1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (MUST be fresh!  I use dry basil all the time, but this recipe specifically needs fresh.)
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*1 cup heavy whipping cream
*1/4 - 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook the tortelinni to desired doneness according to the package directions. Drain.  Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute until tender.  While this is going on, cut a slit (about an inch long) in the top of the spinach package to vent.  Thaw by microwaving it on high for 2-3 minutes.  DO NOT DRAIN THE LIQUID FROM THE SPINACH!

Once the onions are tender, add the spinach with the juices.  Add the tomato, basil, salt, and pepper.  Stir occasionally, and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in cream and parmesan cheese.  Cook just until the mixture comes to a boil.  You may have to gradually increase the heat to bring it to a boil.  Stir frequently to prevent the cream mixture from burning on the bottom.

As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low.  Stir in cooked tortellini.  Cook an additional 4-5 minutes on low heat or until thoroughly heated through.

My Mom's Italian Meatloaf

This is my mom's recipe.  She puts an Italian twist on the traditional ketchup meatloaf, and uses pasta sauce instead.  I grew up eating this comforting down-home recipe.  After cooking this, I usually wrap half in foil and place in a freezer zip lock bag to use for another time.  When you are ready to use it, just warm it up in the oven.

Servings: Makes 4 loaves, cut into 5-6 slices each

Ingredients:
*1 cup water
*1 Tablespoon margarine
*1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
*1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced
*3 lb. lean ground beef
*1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
*1/2 cup low fat milk
*1 jar (14 oz.) Prego pasta sauce (the traditional one)
*1 egg, slightly beaten
*1 cup dry bread crumbs
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper
*1 packet Meatloaf Seasoning
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.  Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray.  Add water to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Saute onion and bell pepper in margarine over medium heat until tender.  Stir in milk, Liquid Smoke, and half of the jar of Prego, and immediately remove from heat.  Set aside.

In another bowl mix dry ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with the raw ground beef using your hands.  Add the milk mixture to the meat.  Stir well.  Add the egg.  Mix thoroughly with a fork.

Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts.  Pack down each part with a spoon or fork, and mold each into an oval.  Transfer to the roasting pan using a flat spatula.  Spread remaining Prego equally over the tops of all 4 loaves.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.  Then cover with foil, and bake 45 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.  Wrap 2 loaves in foil and store in a freezer safe zip lock bag.  Place in the freezer for another meal.  Cut each of the 2 remaining loaves into 5 or 6 slices.

This goes great with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with cheese.

Easy Peach Cobbler

This is actually a version of a dump cake that I make.  You can vary this recipe by making it with 2 cans of cherry pie filling instead of the peaches (and no cinnamon on top), by making it with 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 can of pineapple chunks instead of the peaches (and no cinnamon on top), or by making it with 2 cans of blueberry pie filling instead of the peaches (and no cinnamon on top).  When it's made with peaches and cinnamon, we call it peach cobbler.  I used to make it by slicing the butter up into little pats and placing them all over the top of the cake.  My friend, Carrie S., told us that she makes her version of a dump cake by melting the butter and just pouring it on top.  We have started doing it her way, and it saves a lot of time!

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
*1 large can peaches in heavy syrup (about 29-30 oz.)
*1 normal sized can peaches in heavy syrup (about 11-15 oz.)
*1 box yellow cake mix
*1 stick unsalted butter + 2 Tablespoons of another stick, melted
*ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.  Pour the peaches with their juices into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Spread out evenly.  Top with the cake mix.  Spread out evenly, but do not stir.  Top evenly with the melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Spoon into bowls, and serve with Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream on top.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
*6 carrots, peeled and diced
*1/2 cup diced celery
*1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
*2 teaspoons margarine
*7 cups fat free chicken broth (not reduced sodium) (1 jumbo can + 1 regular size can)
*2 cans chicken breast chunks in water, drained (10-13 oz. each)
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
*1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
*1/8 teaspoon black pepper
*3 dashes of parsley flakes
*2 1/2 cups egg noodles

Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the margarine.  When the pan is hot, saute the carrots over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add the celery, and saute for about 5 more minutes.  Add the onion and saute until onion is tender and transparent.  Be sure that the veggies do not brown.

Stir in the chicken broth, the canned chicken, and all the seasonings.  Increase heat to high.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as it boils, reduce heat to medium-low.

Add noodles, and simmer for about 12 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Turn the heat down to the lowest setting to keep warm until you are ready to serve.

Bacon, Caesar, and Mozzarella Panini

This is a recipe out of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition, Volume 2 magazine, but I changed some things in the ingredient section to better suit our taste.

Servings:  4 sandwiches

Ingredients:
*1 can refrigerated pizza crust (regular or thin crust--it doesn't matter)
*4 teaspoons store bought basil pesto
*about 1/4 cup Cardini's Light Caesar dressing
*8 oz. container of water-packed fresh mozzarella cheese, drained, and sliced (most containers come with 4 hunks--use 1 hunk sliced up per sandwich)
*black pepper
*14 slices bacon
*2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
*16 fresh basil leaves (must be fresh)
*1/4 cup margarine, divided
*cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.  Spray a large metal cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Arrange bacon in a single layer on the cookie sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove bacon from cookie sheet, and place on a plate lined with paper towel.  Cover bacon with paper towel to remove excess grease.  Set aside.  Lower heat of oven to 375 F.

Unroll dough onto a large rectangular stoneware cookie sheet.  If using a metal cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray first.  Press the dough into a 16 x 11-inch rectangle, pulling dough gently as necessary.  Bake 9-16 minutes or until light brown.  Cool about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

Cut the cooled pizza crust in half lengthwise.  Then cut in half crosswise to make 4 rectangles.  Cut each rectangle in half crosswise to total 8 rectangles.

On 4 slices, spread 1 teaspoon of pesto.  Set these aside.  On the remaining 4 slices, spread 3/4 Tablespoon Caesar dressing.  Place 1 hunk worth of mozzarella slices onto each Caesar slice.  Top each with a dash of black pepper and then 3 1/2 slices cooked bacon.  Cover each sandwich with tomato slices and 4 basil leaves.  Top with the pesto slices, pesto sides down.

Heat a grill pan or 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot.  Use a grill pan if you want the grill marks.  Melt 2 Tablespoons of the margarine in the grill pan or skillet.  Place 2 sandwiches in the pan.  Place a smaller skillet or saucepan on the sandwiches while they cook to flatten them slightly.  Cook 1 minute on each side or until the bread is golden brown and crisp and the fillings are heated.  Remove from the pan.  Cover with foil to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of margarine with the other sandwiches.*

*Note--I only cooked 2 sandwiches at a time.  I baked the entire pizza crust, but I stored 4 slices in the refrigerator in a zip lock bag for when we had these sandwiches again later in the week.  I also only cooked half of the bacon because I wanted the bacon to be crisp for the next time.  I cut all the tomatoes and stored them in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator.  I did not cut all 4 hunks of mozzarella cheese.  I only cut 2--enough for 2 sandwiches.  The next time we had these sandwiches later in the week, I just had to cook the other half of the bacon, slice the remaining mozzarella cheese, assemble the sandwiches, and cook.

Serve with baked sweet potato fries (found in the freezer section).

Pizza Bubble Ring

This is a recipe out of Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition, Volume 2 magazine.

Servings: 20

Ingredients:
*6-8 Tablespoons margarine, melted
*1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
*2 cans (12 oz. each) Pillsbury Grands! Jr. Golden Layers refrigerated flaky biscuits
*40 slices pepperoni or turkey pepperoni
(about 3 oz.)
*8 oz. mozzarella cheese slices (not shredded), cut into 20 pieces (I cut the slices into fourths, so I had just a few more than 20 pieces.  The more cheese the merrier.)
*1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*1 1/4 cups pizza sauce, heated
* Ranch salad dressing (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a bunt pan with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, mix the melted margarine, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits.  Hold one biscuit in your hands, and use your fingers to press and stretch it out into about a 3-inch round.  Place 2 pepperoni slices in the center, one on top of the other.  Top each with a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Bring edges of dough up around the filling, and press the edges to seal.  Roll in the butter mixture, and place in the pan.  Repeat with all the rest of the biscuits in that can.  When you are finished with 1 can, it should look like this:

Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese.  Separate the other can of dough into 10 biscuits and repeat the above process.  Place them on top of the 1st layer.  Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.  If there is any butter mixture left over, pour it on top.  When you are done with the 2nd can, it should look like this:

Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.  Gently loosen the bread from the side of the pan.  I used a butter knife.  It should loosen fairly easily.  Place a large plate upside down on top of the pan.  Holding the plate firmly onto the pan, flip the pan so that it is upside down, and the plate is now on the bottom facing up.  Remove the bread from the pan.

Pinch off pieces to serve.  Serve with warmed pizza sauce or cool Ranch salad dressing.  This goes great with a green salad.

Homemade Queso

I have played with this recipe for about 14 years now, adding things here and there and playing with the measurements here and there.

Ingredients:

3 - 4 Tablespoons low fat margarine
6 ribs of celery, finely chopped
5 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 can ro-tel tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 eight oz. block 2% Velveeta cheese, cubed (I try to find the off brand version)
1 wheel of queso fresco cheese, cubed (white Mexican cheese found in the normal cheese isle)
1/2 cup fat free half and half, divided
 low fat milk
tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large saute pan, melt the margarine over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the celery.  Saute for about 5 minutes or until about half way tender.  Add the jalapeno peppers and saute for about 3 minutes.  Add the onion, and saute until the onion is tender and transparent.  Stir in the cilantro and ro-tel.  Once the tomatoes are heated through, turn the burner to the lowest heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, put the queso fresco in a medium microwavable bowl.  I like to use the Pampered Chef classic batter bowl.  Pour in just 1/4 cup of the half and half.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave on power level 4 for five minutes.  Remove, stir well.  Add the Velveeta and the remaining half and half.  Stir.  Re-cover tightly with the plastic wrap and microwave on power level 4  for 3 minutes.  Stir.  Recover, and continue microwaving in 2 minute intervals on power level 4 until the cheese mixture is almost smooth, stirring in between. When the cheese is almost smooth, add milk as needed to thin out the cheese until you get it to a consistency that you like.  The cheese will continue to melt as you stir it.  Remember, you don't want it too think because you will need to stir it together with the vegetable mixture and be able to dip tortilla chips into it.  You also don't want so thin that the cheese won't stick to the chips either.  Once you have gotten your desired thickness, microwave one more time for a couple of minutes on power level 4.  Once all the cheese is melted, pour it into the saute pan with the vegetable mixture.  Stir well.  Scoop the queso into small bowls and dip tortilla chips into the queso!

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

I got this recipe from my best friend, Stef G., but I changed the type of tomatoes that I used.  I served this with homemade queso, tortilla chips, and HEB brand fresh salsa.

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:
*1 package HEB brand boneless skinless seasoned fajita chicken (There are 2 sizes available.  I use the smaller size.)
*1 can HEB brand diced tomatoes Mexican style (with juices--do NOT drain)
*fresh wheat tortillas (I get the ones baked daily from the HEB bakery)
*shredded Mexican blend cheese
*diced grape tomatoes
*shredded lettuce

Directions:
Remove the chicken from the packaging and place in a crock pot.  Pour the can of tomatoes on top.  Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours until the chicken is completely cooked through.  Shred the chicken using two forks.   Leave the lid off the crock pot for about 30 minutes while it continues to cook on low to cook off some excess liquid.  Serve on a wheat tortilla with diced tomatoes, lettuce, and the shredded cheese.