Sunday, March 21, 2010

Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce





Ingredients

2 cups (8 oz.) dry penne pasta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions


Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain

Combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan.Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Add pasta & sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined.

Enjoy!!

I added shredded chicken and some spices to it to give it a kick. I also made mine with fat free evaporated milk and Weight Watchers cheese to make it even lower in calories & fat. It was yummy! Everyone loved it and next time we will make it with shrimp and crab!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Upside-Down Sunshine Cake


Ingredients..

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Orange Flavor Gelatin
1 can (20 oz.) DOLE Pineapple Slices, in juice, drained
10 maraschino cherries
3/4 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping







Directions..

Heat oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter as directed on package. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish generously with cooking spray. Sprinkle dry gelatin mix onto bottom of dish. Top with pineapple; place cherry in center of each slice.

POUR batter over fruit in dish.

BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min. Loosen cake from sides of dish; invert onto platter. Gently remove dish; cool cake completely. Serve topped with cool whip.

ENJOY!!

This was good. I was a little nervous about the orange jello but everyone loved it. To cut calories even more I made the batter with unsweented applesauce instead of oil.

Found on Kraft web site.

Monday, March 1, 2010

New-Look Scalloped Potatoes and Ham




Ingredients

4-1/2 lb. red potatoes (about 9), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S FREE or KNUDSEN Fat Free Sour Cream
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA 2% Milk Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 lb. (1/2 of 1-lb. pkg.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK potatoes in boiling water in large covered saucepan 10 to 12 min. or just until potatoes are tender; drain. Remove 3/4 of the potatoes; place in large bowl. Add sour cream; mash until smooth. Stir in VELVEETA, ham and onions. Gently stir in remaining potato slices.

SPOON into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Parmesan.

BAKE 30 min. or until heated through.

ENJOY

Found on the Kraft Foods website.

My husband thought this tasted like potato soup. We all loved it and he went on and on about it. Now living in Germany we can't always find everything. For this recipe there was no Velveeta in the store. So I bought block pepper jack cheese which gave this recipe a kick and we love it and will make this many more times.I also used the whole package of chopped ham. My hubby loves his meat.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Italian Chicken Bow Tie Pasta





Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked
1 (16 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
1 tomato, chopped


Directions

1. Add 2/3 cup salad dressing to the cubed chicken and stir together.

2. Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and rinse. Add the pasta to the chicken and dressing and toss. Pour enough dressing on to coat everything (or to your taste) and add the chopped tomato. Toss to coat. Ready to serve!

ENJOY

OK so I love the fact that this is so simple. It was yummy and we all loved it. I didn't use the full amount of dressing that is called for. We started with the 2/3 cup and left it at the. We also only did 12oz of pasta so I knew I wouldn't need all the dressing. I added a couple mushrooms and some feta cheese. Next time I plan n adding more tomatoes then 1 and might do it with shrimp and crab.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Baked Salmon w/ Tomatoes,Spinach & Mushrooms





Ingredients

4 salmon fillets (1 lb.)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Directions

1. HEAT oven to 375°F.

2. PLACE fish fillets, skin-sides down,in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

3. COMBINE remaining ingredients;spoon over fish.

4. BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Enjoy!

We really liked this & I really liked how easy it was to make. Will be doing again.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Bean-&-Beef Enchilada Casserole




Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can pinto beans,drained & rinsed
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream or light dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 6-inch corn tortillas
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce or one 101/2-ounce can tomato puree
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)


Directions

1.In a large skillet cook the ground beef, onion, chili powder,& cumin until onion is tender & meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir pinto beans & undrained chili peppers into meat mixture;set aside.

2. In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour,& garlic powder until combined;set aside.

3. Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of a lightly greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish, cutting to fit if necessary. Top with half of the meat mixture, half of the sour cream mixture,& half of the enchilada sauce. Repeat layers.Cover dish with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

4. To serve:Preheat oven to 350F. Remove plastic wrap; cover dish with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.Uncover;sprinkle with cheese & bake 5 minutes more.Makes 6 to 8 servings.


Enjoy!

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake




Ingredients
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese,softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg
1/3 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325

2. BEAT cream cheese,sugar & vanilla with mixer until well blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended.Remove 1 cup batter; place in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spices.

3. SPRAY 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; sprinkle bottom with crumbs.

4. TOP with layers of plain and pumpkin batters. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Serve with COOL WHIP.

Yummy!

I used low fat graham crackers & did not serve with cool whip which cut the fat even lower then the 150 cal/3 grams of fat it had.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread



Ingredients

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Beat all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Makes 1-1/2 cups (24, 1-tablespoon servings).

Yummy!!!

If you use fat free cream cheese and Splenda on the sugar you are good to go!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Slow-Cooker Lasagna





1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 15 oz. container Ricotta Cheese
1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 egg
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked


Directions

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.

Enjoy!!

OK so this was my first attempt at lasagna and it was yummy if I don't say so myself. I added fresh spinach and mushrooms to mine and switched the ground beef for hot Italian sausage. I also switched the 1 cup water for 3/4 red wine and the rest water. Cooked fresh garlic with the sausage and added some Italian seasoning.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast






Ingredients

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons water
2-3/4 pounds pot roast

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.

2. Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Enjoy!!

We added some potatoes and celery after it had been cooking about an hour. I also did the whole package of dry onion mix. As for the water I switched that with broth.
Also added a little flour to the sauce at the end to thicken it to make the gravy.Will be making over and over. I love dinner from a crock pot.