pina colada cake

Another yummy recipe from Lisa P.!!

1 yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
11/4 Cup shredded coconut
17oz can crushed pineapple, drained ~ SAVE JUICE
15oz can CREAM of Coconut
1 8ozCool Whip

COMBINE dry cake mix and dry pkg of INSTANT pudding in mixing bowl.

MIX cake as directed using pineapple juice as all or part of the liquid (depending on how much you get from draining).

FOLD IN 1 Cup of coconut and the drained pineapple to the mixture.

BAKE cake @ 350 degrees in a greased 13"x9" pan. Check with toothpick to be sure middle of cake is done.

PUNCH holes in top of cake while hot out of the oven.

SHAKE can of CREAM of Coconut well then pour all over cake.

COOL

SPREAD Cool Whip over cake and sprinkle with rest of coconut.

Refridgerate cake and serve cool. Refreshing!

sticky rice with mango

This is a recipe from Lisa P..... enjoy! She said this is VERY yummy!

1 cup rice
1/2 cup Creamy Coconut Milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. fine sliced Lemon Grass (you can get it frest in the fresh herb section)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 FRESH, RIPE PEELED MANGOS or FROZEN MANGOS

1. Rinse rice until the water runs clear to remove the starch. Drain the rice.
2. Place the rice in a heavy bottom saucepan and add 1 3/4 cups of water. Cover
with good fitting lid and cook on medium for 20 min. Do not remove lid during cooking. Let rice sit covered off of heat while you prepare sauce.
3. Combine the coconut milk, vanilla, lemon grass, sugar and salt in a saucepan
and heat the sauce over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Place rice in a serving dish. Pour the coconut sauce over the rice to lightly coat
each grain, allow rice to cool 10 minutes.
5. Top with mango chunks and drizzle remaining sauce as a garnish.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

My friend made this and sent it to me and it is delicious! Light, fast and yummy!

Chicken:

2 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

2 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

4 (6 - ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

cooking spray

*********************************************************

1 cup chopped tomatoes (about 2)

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat grill pan on stove over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

To prepare salsa, combine tomatoes and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado, stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken. Yield 4 servings (serving size; 1 chicken breast half and about 1/4 cup salsa.

289 calories

homemade ice cream

My family is BIG on homemade ice cream. Every single hot holiday we break out the ice cream maker, and let it churn..... and of course, we eat Mayonnaise cake on the side. :) We make banana ice cream, butterfinger ice cream, strawberry ice cream... on & on the list goes. Here is the basic recipe, and you add flavors as you like (just close your eyes at some of the ingredients... I have to!).........

Ingredients

2 quarts half & half

6 eggs

2 c sugar

milk (to fill to the rim... you may not need it though)

a little touch of vanilla

Mix all together in blender, then add to ice cream maker. From there, freeze according to the directions from your ice cream maker (use ice cream salt, ice, etc).

Now, if you want to make banana ice cream, I used 6 bananas that needed to be used, and FAST! I froze my bananas for an hour first (take skin off!), then placed 3 bananas, 1 cup sugar, 1 quart half & half in the blender, pour it in the container, then do another round in the blender w/ the remaining ingredients.

If you want to make butterfinger ice cream, chop up 6 big butterfinger bars, and decrease your sugar to 1 3/4 cup.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Hot Artichoke Dip

Extremely high in fat, calories, sodium and cholesterol - this dish is always a hit!

1 can artichoke hearts, drained
4 oz. can green chilies
1 cup mayonnaise
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. shredded parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients together and put in small casserole dish. Heat through at 350 degrees until bubbly. Serve with crusty bread or tortilla chips.

Homemade Granola Bars

My kids love these and there is no high fructose corn syrup like the store bought kinds :)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gather your ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup peanuts, crushed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit

To crush your peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.

Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.

Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish. Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled. Then, open the waxed paper …

And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.

Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like

I wrapped ours individually in plastic wrap, so that we could just throw one into our bag or lunch box in the morning. I also through the extras in the freezer so they stay fresh. If you’d like to save on packaging though, you can store yours in an airtight container, between sheets of waxed paper (so they don’t stick together).

Pork Barbacoa Burritos

Pork:
3-4 lb. boneless pork roast loin roast

Cook roast in crockpot covered halfway with water on low setting for 6 hours, or in 275 degree oven. Drain off liquid and add:

1 can Coke
1 lg. bottle red taco sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 T. ground cumin

Cook for 3 more hours shredding pork with fork halfway through.

Rice:

In a saucepan, saute one small chopped onion in butter. Add rice to same saucepan and cook according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for water and add zest of one lime. Before serving add lime juice and fresh cilantro to taste.

2 cans black beans, drained
2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cans mild green enchilada sauce
16-20 burrito sized flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425. Spray two 9 x 13 inch baking pans with cooking spray. If tortillas are dry, warm in microwave for 15 seconds. FIll tortillas with shredded pork, rice, beans, and cheese and roll up burrito style. Line up in pan. Immediately before baking, pour enchilada sauce on top of burritos and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

better than ___?____ cookies

created by Leisa P. & Erica..... you can fill in the blank of what these are better than. :D

Ingredients
1 Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Cake Mix (this has mini chips in the mix)

1/3 Cup Oil

2 eggs

3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips (used milk chocolate)

3/4 Cup Toffee bits

Combine ingredients and bake 9-10 minutes at 350

saucy parmesan chicken

I got this recipe from the Kraft Magazine that is free! (Click HERE to sign up for your own magazine!).

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts (I use the tenders)
1/4 c Italian dressing
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients in a resealable bag. Turn over several times to coal well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate, making sure chicken is not overlapping each other. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken on a piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through

broccoli cheese soup

I got this from either Cooking Light or Martha Stewart magazines a few years ago, so you can make it a "lite" version (skim milk & 2% Velveeta).

Ingredients:
1 c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 c chicken broth
1 (16 oz) pkg broccoli florets
2 1/2 c milk
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp ground pepper
8 oz Velveeta, cubed

Heat large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic; saute for 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth & broccoli. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Combine milk & flour, stirring until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick (stir often). Stir in pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Place 1/3 of the soup in a blender or food processor (or hand blender) and blend until smooth.

Yield: 6 servings (1 1/3 c each)

mini molten chocolate cake dessert

There are these little boxes of Betty Crocker (or is it Duncan Hines?) that you can get those Mini Warm Delights cake and you put it in the microwave?! Well, now you can do it for MUCH cheaper...

1/4 c chocolate cake mix

1 tbsp + 1 tsp water

Mix well

Add in hot fudge, drizzle it over cake

Microwave for 30 seconds

If it is still "wet" looking, add 10 more seconds.

**you can use ANY kind of cake mix and just add water and any ingredient for a quick slice of cake. Beats making an entire cake just to satisfy a craving!

candied pear salad

{{this was served at the Women's Conference in March}}

Salad:
spinach
craisins
brie cheese (cubed)
fresh pears (these were sliced very thin)
candied almonds

To candy almonds, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup nuts, stir and add 1/2 cup sugar and dash of salt. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts. Be sure not to burn the nuts. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Salad dressing is Briannas Home Style Blush Wine Vinaigrette with Cuisine Perel D'Anjou Pear Vinegar.

Add about 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the bottle of salad dressing.

easy raspberry lemonade punch

This recipe is perfect for a shower of any sort, or just to drink anytime. Just add a few raspberries & mint leaves to a tray of ice cubes, cover with water & freeze.

Ingredients:
1 12 oz can frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate
3 c water
3/4 tsp lime juice
1 12 oz can lemon lime pop
1 c fresh raspberries, garnish (optional)
1 c crushed ice
1 c fresh mint, garnish (optional)

In a large punch bowl, combine raspberry lemonade concentrate, water & lime juice. Stir in lemon lime soda & crushed ice. Serve immediately.

NOTE: I think I buy raspberry LIMEADE instead of lemonade, either way it's still the same. When I make this for dinner or company, I just put it in a rubbermaid pitcher, so unless I'm hosting a shower/party, no punch bowl is needed!

Strawberry Mozzarella Salad

{{this was served last December at the RS Christmas Party}}

Add lettuce (the above was butter lettuce, which I'm not sure what that is, but I guess any kind of nice green lettuce will work)

slice up some strawberries.

We had bought the small mozzarella balls and sliced those up, but I think those mozzarella sticks will work good too.

Then, crush up some candied pecans (we loved the glazed Pecan Pie flavored Pecans).

Add those three ingredients to the lettuce.

poppy seed dressing:

1/3 c red wine vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

3/4 c oil

1/3 c sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp poppy seeds

Normally, one could add 1 tsp finely chopped red onion, but I had forgotten it, and it was still delicious! I did not pour all of the dressing over it, maybe about 1/4 cup. I saved the rest in one of my new "oh so cute" mason jars. Add the dressing at the very last possible minute, otherwise salad greens will wilt!!

Lisa's Pizza Crust

A few months ago I asked Lisa if she could "show" me how to make her cinnamon rolls. I can't seem to make cinnamon rolls very well. Well.... she did, and I learned. Forward the time to a few months later, and a Girls Night Out was hosted at her house, and she made homemade pizza! It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!! I called her this morning for the recipe, and she said it was the exact same one she used for the cinnamon rolls, so here it is!

Ingredients

melt 2 c milk + 1 stick butter in the microwave

let cool a bit

Mix:

2 pkg yeast (that's under 1 tbsp x 2, so under 2 tbsp)

3 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

salt (1/2 tsp - 2 tsp)...

says recipe calls for 2 tsp but she likes sweeter rolls, so she uses about 1/2 tsp,

but for pizza, use a little more salt

Mix milk & flour stuff

Add 1 egg & beat (pour into mixture)

Add about 3 cups more flour

Knead for 10 minutes & rise for 1 hour or double in size (punch)

Roll out into rectangle (or circle)

Now, we did not use a mixer, we used our HANDS (and a whisk & wooden spoon)! Let me tell you, I am very grateful for my Kitchenaid mixer.... but I did learn that we can use our own hands for this, and it turns out just fine! I did also learn that when we roll it out, it should NOT stick to our rolling pin!

If you are using a cookie sheet, then sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of the pan. When you lay your pizza crust in there, and after you spread your pizza sauce, cheese, etc on it, then spread some olive oil on the sides of the pizza that is exposed (not covered w/ any of the cheese, sauce, etc).

ONE NOTE:

this makes a HUGE batch! I'm sure you can half the recipe if you don't want to make 5-6 pizza's. :) (or cinnamon rolls)

UPDATE: I made this last night for the family using half the recipe (still using a whole egg). This made a large cookie sheet size of pizza. It was also a very thick crust too, but it was so delicious!!