S'mores Brownies

Last Tuesday my husband called me 2 hours before his church activity to tell me he offered to bring dessert for 40 kids. We had just returned from a vacation and my little 3 year old wasn't feeling well that day, so it had been over a week since I'd done my grocery shopping. I was out of everything, or so I thought. I opened up my pantry hoping for inspiration and I saw a brownie mix, marshmallows, a hershey's bar, and graham crackers....voila!...s'mores brownies for a crowd!*fyi-I tripled the brownie mix recipe (I had the big Costco Ghirardelli box) and used a jelly roll pan when I made these, so if you're making them for less than 40, feel free to scale down the ingredient amounts.

S'mores Brownies:
Ingredients:

• brownie mix
• 12 graham crackers
• 4 king size Hershey's bars, broken into individual pieces
• 1 large bag mini-marshmallows

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease jelly roll pan generously or line with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Make brownies according to package directions.
• Pour half brownie mix into pan, then layer the graham crackers, followed by the Hershey's bars, and finally the marshmallows.
• Pour the remaining half of the brownie mixture on top of marhsmallows.
• Bake for approx. 45 minutes then let them cool completely before removing them from the pan.
  

Turkey Sloppy Joe's

I'm always trying to think of new ways to "trick" my kids into eating vegetables and this recipe worked like a charm! I served it on a whole grain bun with a slice of reduced-fat colby-jack cheese, with a side of sliced carrots and celery and it was so yummy.Turkey Sloppy Joe's
Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup kethcup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 hamburger buns, split

Method:

• In a large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, celery, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
• Stir in the soup, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and pepper.
• Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
• Serve on buns.
  

Oatmeal Raisin/ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to bake and freeze cookies so my freezer is always full of something homemade to pull out at a moment's notice. After the holidays, my supply was very limited, so I found this recipe and tripled it. I added chocolate chips to half of the dough and raisins to the other half. My husband and kids couldn't be happier to have a new stash of cookies to munch on!
Oatmeal/Raisin:

Oatmeal/Chocolate Chip:Oatmeal Raisin/Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Makes approx. 4 dozen
Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter-flavored Crisco
• 1 cup formly paccked brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Method:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• beat together Crisco and sugars until creamy
• add eggs and vanilla; beat well
• add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well
• stir in oats and raisins/chips; mix well
• drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet
• bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
• cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack

F.Y.I: You can also make this recipe into bar cookies by placing the dough into an greased 13x9 inch baking pan for 30-35 minutes.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

This pasta dish has it all: meat, veggies, and pasta! My husband and kids loved it, it was simple to make, and we have plenty for left-overs. The best part, which I kept secret, is that this meal is also very healthy and low-cal with just 342 calories per (1 & 1/3 cup) serving!!

Chicken Pasta Primavera
Ingredients:

• 6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (16 oz.) frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
• 4 cups cooked cubed chicken
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Method:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the soup, water, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in vegetables; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat; cover and simmer 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in the chicken; heat through.
• Drain spaghetti; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Guilt-Free Marshmallow Fudge

With only 41 calories per serving and 15 minutes prep-time...these were the perfect treat to whip up on a warm, sunny Tuesday afternoon.

Marshmallow Fudge

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cups fat-free sweetened condesnsed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 & 1/3 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 whole reduced-fat graham crackers, broken into bite-size pieces

Method:

• Line an 8-inch pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
• In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with milk; stir until smooth. Remove from heat; cool for 2 minutes.
• Stir in vanilla. Fold in graham crackers and marshmallows.
• Pur into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Lift out of pan and remove foil; cut into pieces.

Christmas Carrots

This is one recipe where I wish I had "smell-o-vision" because these carrots smell amazing! They are a great Christmas side dish because the combination of brown sugar and orange zest gives off a tasty Christmas aroma.

Ingredients:

2 pounds carrots

1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Peel the carrots, and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Heat 1 inch water to boiling in the saucepan over high heat. Add the 1/4 teaspoon salt if desired. Add the carrot slices. Cover and heat to boiling again. Reduce heat just enough so water bubbles gently. Cook covered 12 to 15 mins or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. While carrots are cooking, heat the brown sugar, margarine, orange peel and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Be careful not to overcook or the mixture will taste scorched. Remove the skillet from the heat. Drain carrots in a strainer, then stir them into the brown sugar mixture. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently, until carrots are glazed and hot.
This recipe from CDKitchen for Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots serves/makes 6

Cindy's Rolls

A friend of mine emailed and asked me to post my favorite bread recipes because her New Year's resolution is to make more homemade bread for her family. I immediately thought of this recipe, which is my absolute FAVORITE roll/cinnamon roll recipe and was given to me by my husband's best friend's mom, Cindy. I remember Steven talking about Cindy's rolls back when we were dating and when we were engaged, he told me that I MUST learn to make them. They really are extemely delicious and I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet! Here you go...
Cindy's Rolls
Method & Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 4 tablespoons yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Mix above ingredients together ( Bosch or Kitchenaid both work great) and wait 5-10 minutes for yeast to bubble.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups flour

Mix these ingredients and add to the first mixture.

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups flour

Add these to the first mixture. Let your mixer run for 10 minutes on medium speed. Divide dough into sections and make into rolls ( I divide the dough into 3 sections, then squeeze each section into a long log, cut each log into about 12 small balls and squeeze each dough ball out into a long rope, then tie it in a knot-like shape so it looks pretty). Place rolls onto greased baking sheets, cover with a towel and let rise approx. 2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 10 minutes (until just browned on bottom).

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Tortellini Salad

I doubled the recipe (given to me by my friend Jolisa) and made this pasta salad for my New Year's party last night. It's pretty simple and only took about 10 minutes to prepare. You can serve it immediately while its warm or put it in the fridge and serve it cold. It's a great compliment to any main dish; I served it along with pizza, buffalo wings, and breadsticks. Yes, the diet starts today!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (1 inch balls/cubes)

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained)

1 can 6 ounces pitted ripe olives, drained

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup prepared pesto

3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

2. Drain tortellini; add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.Makes 9 servings.