June 20, 2008

Banana split cake

1-1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter, melted 2 pkg.
(8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
6 medium bananas, divided
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans MIX crumbs,

1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter; press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Freeze 10 min.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread carefully over crust; top with pineapple. Slice 4 of the bananas; arrange over pineapple.

POUR milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping; spread over banana layer in pan. Top with remaining 1 cup whipped topping; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate 5 hours. Slice remaining 2 bananas just before serving; arrange over dessert. Store any leftover dessert in refrigerator

June 19, 2008

Meat filled baked beans

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 can (16 oz.) pork and beans
1 can (15-1/2 oz.) mild chili beans
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 pkg hot dogs, sliced

brown meat in nonstick skillet on medium heat; drain.
Add onions; cook until tender, stirring occasionally.

Place in crockpot
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Crock pot high 4 hours or low overnight

June 18, 2008

Layered pasta salad

3 cups medium shell pasta, cooked, drained
1 large red onion, sliced
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas, thawed, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped
1/2 cup KRAFT Mayonnaise
1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing
1 cup KRAFT Three Cheese Crumbles
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
LAYER pasta, onions, peas and ham in 3-qt. clear serving bowl; set aside.

MIX mayo and dressing; spread over salad to seal. Top with cheese and tomatoes; cover.

REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled. Toss gently before serving.

June 17, 2008

Grilled chicken, monzzarella & shells

Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
8 ounces medium pasta shells
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.
Meanwhile, heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove from grill, and cut into thin strips, halving if long.
Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.
Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
Add chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, and butter.
Toss to combine.
Add reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a sauce that coats shells (you may not need all the water).
Serve with more Parmesan.

June 16, 2008

Chicken brocolli pasta bianco

1 pkg. (16 oz.) medium penne pasta
4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
1 can (10 3/4 oz. Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 package chicken breast
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz.)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Directions:
COOK pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli for last 4 min. of cooking time. Drain.

Bake or boil chicken until done and cut into bite sized pieces

MIX soup, milk and black pepper in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Stir in pasta mixture, chicken, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

BAKE at 350°F. for 25 min. or until hot and cheese is melted.

June 12, 2008

Ribs

4 lb. pork baby back ribs
1 cup BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce or KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

CUT ribs into two-rib sections.

PLACE ribs in Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover ribs completely; cover with lid. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 20 min.; drain.

PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Grill ribs 10 min. or until ribs are cooked through, turning occasionally and brushing generously with the barbecue sauce.

June 11, 2008

Ice cream cookie cake

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
14 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided 1 pkg.
(8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

MELT chocolate as directed on package; set aside until ready to use. Line 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Arrange 8 of the cookies evenly on bottom of pan. Crumble remaining 6 cookies; set aside.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture; place in medium bowl. Stir in melted chocolate.

SPREAD remaining cream cheese mixture over cookies in pan; sprinkle with crumbled cookies. Gently press cookies into cream cheese mixture with back of spoon; top with chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 min. before serving; invert onto serving plate. Peel off foil; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting to serve.

June 10, 2008

Chuck wagon potatoes

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 t garlic, finely chopped (I buy the bottled chopped garlic)
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 cup margarine, melted
3 T chopped parsley
about 3 lbs red potatoes (enough to fill baking pan) cut into bite size pieces
1 lb bacon, chopped and fried
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Put first five ingredients in a large ziploc bag, mix together. Add potatoes and toss to coat potatoes. Pour potatoes into a 9x13 pan cover with foil. Bake at 350 until fork tender, about an hour. Remove foil, stir in precooked bacon, put back in oven (uncovered) until brown 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven sprinkle cheese over the top of potatoes and serve.

June 9, 2008

Monterey Chicken

Marinade
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons worcestershir
5 dashes garlic
5 dashes salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup of shredded monterey jack cheese
8 slices apple-smoked bacon
8 tablespoons barbecue sauce, of your choice

Mix the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt together and place chicken breasts in it.
Add enough water to bring the marinade up to the middle of the chicken breast.
Marinate for as close to 8 hours as possible.
Bake, Broil, Grill or Skillet Fry, either way works well. until the breasts are done.
While the breasts are cooking, fry up the bacon until CRISP!
When the chicken is done, top each breast with 2 tbsps of BBQ sauce, two strips of bacon and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
Microwave the breasts (or broil) until the cheese is melted.

June 5, 2008

Slow cooker bbq

3 1/2- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast,
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) French Onion Soup
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
12 round sandwich rolls or hamburger rolls, split

Stir the soup, ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Add the pork and turn to coat.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the pork is fork-tender.
Remove the pork from the cooker to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes.
Using 2 forks, shred the pork.
Return the pork to the cooker.
Divide the pork and sauce mixture among the rolls.
*Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

June 4, 2008

Stawberry margurita squares

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed and hulled, divided
3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (9 inch) baked pie shells
whipped cream, for garnish
1. Combine sugar and cornstarch; set aside.
2. Crush (don't puree) one pint of berries in blender or with potato masher, and add enough water to make 1 1/2 cups.
3. In saucepan, bring crushed berries to a boil over medium heat, stir in sugar and cornstarch all at once. Stir constantly until thick and clear.
4. Remove from heat and add strawberry gelatin. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside.
5. Mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of hot cooked berries; spread mixture over baked pastry shell.
6. Stand the uncooked whole berries, stem end down, on top of cream cheese.
7. Pour hot cooked berries over whole berries.
8. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
9. Garnish with whipped cream and serve.

June 3, 2008

Strawberry pie

2/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
ice cubes
1/2 cup cold water
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping, thawed
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 ready-to-use reduced-fat graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)
1 cup sliced strawberries
STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice.
ADD whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate 20 to 30 min. or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.
REFRIGERATE 6 hours or overnight until firm. Top with sliced strawberries. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Strawberry Lime dessert

2 cups boiling water, divided
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Lime Flavor Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen strawberries in light syrup (not thawed), undrained
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping
STIR 1 cup of the boiling water into dry lime gelatin mix in medium bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 45 min. or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Stir in yogurt with wire whisk until well blended.
POUR into 2-qt. serving bowl. Refrigerate 15 min. or until gelatin mixture is set but not firm (gelatin should stick to finger when touched and should mound). Stir remaining 1 cup boiling water into dry strawberry gelatin mix in medium bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add frozen strawberries; stir until strawberries are separated and gelatin is thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Spoon over lime gelatin layer.
REFRIGERATE 2 hours or until firm. Top with the whipped topping. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

June 1, 2008

Strawberry bread

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups crushed strawberries
Beat eggs and sugar; add oil and vanilla. Mix in flour, oats, cinnamon, soda, salt and baking powder. Add strawberries and mix well.Pour into two greased and floured 4- x 8-inch loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Strawberry pie

1 9-inch baked pie shell
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 cup water
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 T cornstarch
1 cup cold water
In sauce pan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch into the cup of cold water to make a smooth paste, and add paste to sugar syrup in pan. Cook several minutes until mixture is transparent. Remove from heat and add salt and lemon juice. Spread berries evenly over bottom of pie shell. Pour cooked mixture over berries. Garnish with whipped cream and whole strawberries.