Pasta Roll Ups

This is a great dish, my kids really like these. I serve it with a Cesar salad and garlic bread. Delicious :) And even better it goes in the microwave! Yes that's right, the MICROWAVE. (How much easier does it get?)


1 package Spaghetti Sauce Spices and Seasoning (Lawry's)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. veg. oil or butter
2 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (they are both good)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil (optional, but better w/ it)
1 box (8 oz.) lasagna noodles, cooked
1 jar tomato sauce (you probably won't need the whole jar)

In a medium saucepan, prepare package of spaghetti sauce mix with tomato paste, water and oil according to package directions. In large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except noodles; blend well. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture on entire length of each lasagna noodle; roll. Place seam side down in glass baking dish. Microwave on HIGH 6-7 minutes, until cheese begins to melt. Pour sauce over rolls and microwave on high 1 minute, if necessary, to heat sauce.

*If you have a little more time, and wish to bake these in the oven, cook them at 350 for about 4-5 min, or until the cheese is melted, and then an additional 5 min to heat the sauce that goes on top. Keep a close eye on them though, because all oven's vary on baking time!

Peach-Lemon Frost

It's peach season, and you know what that means! Time for peach smoothies. Here is a little twist and an"oldie but a goodie."

3 large fresh peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and quartered
1 c. 2% milk
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (fresh is always best!)
3 ice cubes, broken into pieces
1/2 pint vanilla ice milk

Add peaches to blender. Process until smooth to measure 2 cups. Add milk, lemon peel, lemon juice and ice cubes. Process until smooth. Continue processing at low speed; slowly add ice milk until well blended. Pour into glasses serve immediately.

Mom's Spinach Dip

This spinach dip is so delicious, and really easy to make. My hubby's family is not into vegetables all that much, but I have made this a couple of times for family get together's, and everyone seems to like it. It's a must try, and is different that any other spinach dip recipe out there. My Mom is so creative :)

1 package of Knorr brand; LEEK soup mix
1 large container of sour cream (bigger than a 16 oz)
2 c. mayo
1/2 c. frozen spinach, thawed, and chopped
1 large can water chesnut's, chopped very fine
2 loves french bread, cut into bite size cubes
milk

1-Pour your soup mix, into a freezer bag. Seal rightly. Take a rolling pin, and roll out the soup mix, crunching up all the hard pieces. This takes about 2 min. Set aside.
2-In a large tupper wear dish, combine sour cream, mayo, water chestnut's, and spinach. Stir well to coat.
3-Add in soup mix, stir well (at this point if it is to thick, add a tich of milk to thin it out.)
4- Refrigerate before serving
5- When ready to serve;Cut french bread in cube size pieces, for dipping

* This recipe can vary depending on the taste you wish to achieve. If you don't like the taste of mayo, add less of it, and add more sour cream. If you want; lessen the sour cream and add more mayo. It's up to you. And just remember you can use light mayo and sour cream for this recipe.
*This is also good served with crackers, or veggies. And if you have leftovers it's really great on baked potatoes

Lemonade Cupcakes

I made these the other night for our Sunday dinner dessert. Can i just tell you they disappeared in 2 minutes! One of my guests (Marc) ate 4 just by himself! They are very moist and have a little zing to them. They are defiantly one of my new favorite desserts!

Cupcakes
1 6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 box WHITE cake mix (make cake mix according to diretions on the box)
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Remove 2 Tbsp. of lemonade concentrate from the can and discard
Combine remaining concentrate, cake mix, sour cream, cream cheese and eggs in large bowl
Beat with a mixer until well blended
Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins, filling 3/4 full
Bake at 350 for 20 min. or until cooked through

Frosting
1 oz. butter softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp of lemon rind (1 whole lemon)
milk

Sift the sugar into a medium size bowl. Add other ingredients and beat well until smooth and creamy. Add milk, gradually to make frosting creamy. DO NOT get to wet. It will not set up ( I messed up my first batch by doing this:)

*Cute idea: Instead of wasting my lemon, after I used the rind, I cut into thin slices, slit them in the center with a paring knife, twisted them, and put them on random cupcakes I had placed on a cup cake stand. They looked like they were straight from the bakery!

Pizza Factory's BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is the best BBQ Chicken Pizza ever. A Pizza Factory Classic. However, I apologize that I didn't score their pizza dough recipe. My snitch can only give me so much! So for now, use a pre-made crust. Enjoy!

3 boneless chicken breast, halved, cooked and cubed
1 c. hickory flavored BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. molasses
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 (12 in.) pre-baked pizza crust
1 c. smoked Gouda cheese
1 c. mild cheddar cheese
1 c. thinly sliced red onion

Pre heat oven to 425. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine chicken, BBQ sauce, honey, molasses, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Spread chicken mixture over pizza crust, and top with cheese and onions. Bake for 15-20 min, or until cheese is melted.

Orange Julius

6 oz. from frozen concentrate, unprepared
1 c. milk (low fat is o.k.)
1 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients, except ice in a blender. Blend for 1-2 min. Add ice cubes one at a time, blend until smooth.

Olive Garden House Dressing

8 oz. Paul Newman Vinegar and Oil Dressing
1 clove garlic, peeled, minced (or just use bottled minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 pkgs. Sweet and Low, or 1 Tbsp. sugar

Place in a dressing bottle, shake well. Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before serving.

Benihana's Fried Rice

1 c. cooked rice
5 Tbsp. Butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrots
2/3 c. chopped scallions
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
5 eggs
5 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt
pepper

Cook rice according to directions on the package. In a large skillet melt butter. Add onions, carrots, and scallions. Saute until carrots are translucent. Set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees place sesame seeds on a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown (10-15 min) shaking pan occasionally for even color. Lightly grease another skillet. Beat eggs. Pour into hot skillet, scramble the eggs. Combine rice, veggies, seeds, and eggs. Add soy sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

FREE GIVEAWAY!!!!!

I decided that it would be fun to do a "free giveaway" on this little cooking blog of mine. I am always in search of cute aprons, and I actually stumbled upon an apron store the other week. I was SO excited I picked up a couple new ones for myself, and thought, "what the heck, these are so cute, I've got to just give one away!" So that's what I am doing.

There are two conditions though. In order to win the free apron, you must leave a comment on THIS post and share one recipe. I will announce the winner (who will be picked randomly) ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. Saturday July, 26. All comments that will be included, will have a deadline of Friday July 25th. That way people aren't cramming to leave a comment the day the contest ends. Sorry just trying to be fair!

Be sure to check back and see if you have won!

Here are some pictures of the apron. It is animal print, with black ruffle trim. There are two pockets in the front, and the neck ties to accommodate different lengths. The back also has a tie closure.

Have fun!! And look forward to some new great recipes!

Banana Pineapple Colada

Delicious, and ALWAYS a favorite. What else can I say??

1/2 banana
1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple (fresh is always best!)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 ice cubes
1/4 tsp. coconut extract
1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend thoroughly. Serve immediately in goblet glasses
*Cute Idea: Take the rim of your goblet glass and dip it in honey, then into some coconut (toasted coconut is good also). Lining the rim of the glass with coconut. Fill your glass with your drink mix, and top off with a fresh slice of pineapple hanging off the rim! Yum :)

Velveeta Salsa Dip

I make this for every Superbowl party, and sometimes with a Mexican dish. It's definitely not low in fat, but it is really yummy. It's always a "guy's favorite."

1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 (8oz) jar salsa or picante sauce
2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1-Stir Velveeta and salsa in saucepan o low heat until cheese is melted.
2-Stir in cilantro

*Serve hot with warm tortilla chips.
*Tip: I have also added a can of re fried beans, just for an extra ingredient and flavor. If you choose to do this, add it in with the cheese and salsa and cook together in saucepan.

Chicken & Black Bean Salad

This salad is so good, you don't really need to serve it with anything else! I love this and a lemonrita drink (recipe below) It feels like I am eating out at a great mexican resturant

2 large limes
1 can 916 oz.) black beans, drained, and rinsed
1 large tomato cored, and sliced (that means NO seeds)
1/2 medium red onion diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil, divided
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tobasco or any other of your choice)
1 pound of chicken breasts, cut into strips, with fat trimmed off
1 tsp. chili powder

1-Grate 1 tsp. lime peel; squeeze 1/2 cup juice
2-I n a large bowl, combine black beans, tomato, onion and cilantro leaves; set aside
3-In a small bowl whisk lime peel, lime juice, 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, sugar and hot pepper sauce; set aside
4- In a large skillet, cook chicken pieces in remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil and chili powder over medium heat about 6 minutes, or until you can't see anymore pink, stirring frequently. Remove to plate; refrigerate to cool.
5-Combine cooled chicken mixture, bean mixture,and lime dressing in a bowl, toss well to coat.

*Tip: This recipe is good for 4-6 servings. I usually add more chicken though. And if you wish, shred up some romaine lettuce and toss it into the salad after it has cooled.

Cantonese Pork

This is a delicious, and easy meal. Make s for a good "chinese night" I usually serve this with a chinese chicken salad.

2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lbs.)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 can (8oz) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (4oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 medium yellow onion, thinly onions
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
Hot cooked rice

1-Cut tenderloins in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/4 in. thick slices. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brown pork on all sides. Drain and discard drippings.
2-Place pork, pineapple with juice, tomato sauce, mushrooms,onion, brown sugar, Wocestershire, salt, and vinegar in slow cooker
3-Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hrs. Serve over rice.

Lemonritas

This is a great spin on margaritas, minus the alcohol. These drinks have never failed me at a party or luncheon. Everyone loves them, and always asks for seconds!

1 container (19oz.) of lemonade powder drink (Like powdered Tang, but lemonade)
2 lemons, sliced and split to fit on rim of glasses
water
lots of ice
kosher salt
honey
goblet glasses

1-In a blender place 3/4 capful of lemonade powder, three handfuls (apx. 4 cups) of ice, and just enough water to fill the blender half way. You don't want to much or it will be runny!
2-Blend well, making sure that all ice is crushed completely
3- Pour 3 Tbsp. honey onto a paper plate or in a bowl. Spread out with a spoon.
4-Take your goblet glass, and dip the rim in the honey
5-Place kosher salt on a paper plate or in a bowl. About 1/2 cup.
6-After your glass rims have been covered in honey, dip them into the salt
7-Pour lemonade mixture into goblets, add your lemon slice to the rim. Enjoy!!!

*You always want to ensure that you have more ice than water in this mixture, because you do not want it to be runny. So don't be afraid to be liberal with the ice.
*You can also use this same recipe but using Tang. It is still pretty good. However the tartness of the lemonade, and the salt mix is DELICIOUS!!