Spinach Flatbread

This is a great recipe to serve with soup.

2 6-ounce baked or grilled chicken breasts, sliced
4 flatbread pieces
4 slices of baby Swiss cheese
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of ranch dressing

Spread dressing onto flatbread. Place a few slices of chicken, one slice of cheese and four spinach leaves on flatbread. Fold over and cook in a panini press or a preheated sauté pan for one minute in each side.

Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 2 slices sour dough bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions

1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
5. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Herb-Tomato Crostini

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 (8.5-oz.) French bread baguette, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together olive oil and garlic; brush on 1 side of each bread slice. Place bread slices, garlic sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• 2. Whisk together lemon juice and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add tomato and next 3 ingredients; gently toss to coat.
• 3. Top each bread slice with tomato mixture (about 2 rounded teaspoonfuls each). Sprinkle with cheese.
• Green Tomato-Fresh Herb Crostini: Substitute 1 finely chopped large green tomato for red tomato. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• Fresh Herb-Tomato Tabbouleh Salad: Omit first 3 ingredients. Decrease feta cheese to 1/4 cup. Prepare tomato mixture as directed in Step 2; drain. Reserve seasoning packet from 1 (5.25-oz.) tabbouleh salad mix for another use. Pour tabbouleh mix into a large bowl; stir in 1 cup boiling water. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Stir in tomato mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour. Top with feta cheese, and season with salt to taste. Makes 6 servings. Prep: 10 min; Chill: 1 hr., 30 min.
• Note: For testing purposes only, we used Near East Taboule Mix Wheat Salad.
• Per serving: Calories 93; Fat 6.1g (sat 1.6g, mono 3.9g, poly 0.5g); Protein 2.1g; Carb 8.7g; Fiber 2.4g; Chol 6mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 243mg; Calc 53mg.

Tortellini and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

• 1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions.
• 2. Meanwhile, process olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil mixture with hot cooked tortellini, tomatoes, and next 3 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Girl Scout Cookie

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas


Ingredients:

Cookies:
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk

Topping:
4 cups shredded coconut (sweet or unsweet)
16 1/2 oz Werthers chewy caramels (3 bags. Must use a good quality caramel.)
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp milk

Coating:
Wilton light cocoa candy melts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk. The dough should come together in a soft, not-too-sticky ball. (Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.) Roll the dough (in 2-3 batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4 inch. Use a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
For topping, heat oven to 300°. Spread coconut evenly onto baking sheet. Toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Unwrap the caramels and place in large bowl with milk and salt. Heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut. Using a spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using 2-3 tsp per cookie. While topping sets up, heat chocolate. Dip base of each cookie into chocolate and place on wax paper. Drizzle finished cookies with chocolate and let harden.

Brownie Covered Oreos

Brownie Covered Oreos

1 package brownie mix + prep ingredients

1 package oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of muffin tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely in pan.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts
2 cups of cooked chicken meat
2 carrots - cut in to small chunks
2 stalks of celery - small chunks
1 cup of green peas
1 potato - small chunks
1/2 onions - finely diced
1 cloves of garlic
1 can cream of chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg - beaten

1) Heat up the pan and lightly brown the onion and garlic. Then add in the celery and carrots, saute for 2 minutes.

2) Add in cream of chicken and add in about 2 cups of water. Mixed well and bring to boil and add in the potatoes. Continue to simmer until potatoes soften and add in the chicken and green peas.

3) Stir well, cook until sauce thickens. Check seasoning. Dish out and let it cool.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree F. Place the first pie crust in the pie pan and bake as directed on the package.

5)Put in the filling and cover the top with another piece of roll out pastry and crimp the edges. Cut a few slits on top of the pastry for venting air.

6)Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg (mixed with 1 Tbs. water) and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

7) Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Ground Beef
1 Onion - chopped
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Can Rotel
1 Can Fiesta Corn
1 Can Cream Corn
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Small Can Chopped Green Chiles
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
2 C. Milk
1 Egg
2 Tbs. Sugar
2 Boxes Jiffy Corn Bread
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

1. Brown ground beef and onions until translucent. Add taco seasoning and Rotel and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add beans, Fiesta corn, 1/2 can cream corn to the beef mixture. Take off heat, cover and set aside.

3. In medium size bowl, combine corn bread mix, milk, egg, green chiles, sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined. If you need to add a little milk to make it easier to pour, feel free.

4. In a 9X13, spread a thin layer of corn bread mix and pop it in the oven until slightly crusty on top.

5. Pour the meat mixture over the corn bread, cover with cheese and pour the remaining corn bread mixture on top.

6. Bake for 40 minutes.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Thai Chicken Wraps

Ingredients (serves 4)
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
* 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 iceberg lettuce heads, cut into quarters and leaves gently removed to make the lettuce cups
* 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 handful basil, chopped

Preparation
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the pan until golden brown on all sides.

Add in the red pepper and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the chili sauce and honey and simmer to reduce it and coat the chicken.

To serve, lay the lettuce leaves on a platter, then scoop some of the chicken mixture onto each leaf.

Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, lime juice and basil.

"Miracle" Mashed Potatoes

PER SERVING (1/5th of recipe, about 2/3 cup): 82 calories, 1g fat, 168mg sodium, 16g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g sugars, 3g protein -- POINTS® value 1*

Ingredients:
1 large (about 13-oz.) potato
3 cups cauliflower florets
3 tbsp. fat-free half & half
1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper and additional salt, to taste
Optional: 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cube the potato.

Once water is boiling, add peeled potato cubes and cauliflower. Wait for the water to return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes (until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender).

Remove the pot from heat and strain out all of the water. Transfer contents to a large bowl, and add half & half, butter/buttery spread, salt, and (if you like) crushed garlic. Mash it all together with a potato masher, until completely blended. Season to taste with pepper and additional salt.

MAKES 5 SERVINGS