Classic Layered Salad

8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce

1 small  red onion, sliced, separated into rings

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas, thawed

1 pkg.  (6 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped

3/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1/4 cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 small tomatoes, chopped

LAYER lettuce, onions, peas and ham in large straight-sided clear glass bowl.
MIX mayo, Parmesan and sugar; spread over salad to seal. Refrigerate several hours or up to 24 hours.
TOP with Cheddar and tomatoes just before serving; toss gently.  

Raspberry Applesauce bars

1-1/2 cups boiling water

2 pkg.  (3 oz. each) JELL-O Raspberry Flavor Gelatin

2 cups unsweetened applesauce, chilled

 

ADD boiling water to gelatin mixes in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in applesauce.
POUR into 8-inch square dish sprayed with cooking spray.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until firm.  

Layered Coconut Cream Cheesecake Bars

84 NILLA Wafers, divided

6 Tbsp.  butter, melted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp.  sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

2 pkg.  (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2-1/2 cups cold milk

1-1/2 cups  BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, toasted, divided

 

  RESERVE 24 wafers. Crush remaining wafers; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Carefully spread over crust. Stand reserved wafers around edges.
BEAT pudding mixes and milk with whisk in medium bowl 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP and 3/4 cup coconut; spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and coconut. Refrigerate 5 hours.

Rhubarb Dump Cake

1 lb. fresh rhubarb, chopped (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup  sugar

1 pkg. (3 oz.) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup  butter, melted

3/4 cup thawed Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 350ºF.  
PLACE rhubarb in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with sugar and dry gelatin mix. 
BEAT cake mix, water and butter with whisk until well blended. Pour over rhubarb; spread to completely cover rhubarb. 

BAKE 45 min. or golden brown. Serve warm topped with COOL WHIP
 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers for Two

1 lb. ground beef

1   onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. (about 1/2 of 1-1/4-oz. pkg.) Taco Seasoning Mix

1-1/4 cups  water, divided

1 small tomato, chopped

1/2 cup  instant white rice, uncooked

2 large red peppers

1/4 cup  Salsa

3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
BROWN meat with onions in skillet on medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning mix and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil; simmer on low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove half the meat mixture; cool, then refrigerate or freeze for another use.
STIR 1/2 cup of the remaining water into remaining seasoned meat in skillet. Add tomatoes; mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, cut tops off peppers; discard tops and seeds. Mix salsa and remaining water in bottom of 9-inch square baking dish. Stand peppers in baking dish.
ADD 1/2 cup cheese to meat mixture; stir. Spoon into peppers; top with remaining cheese. Cover.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until peppers are tender. Serve with sauce from baking dish.
 

 

Great Pumpkin Desert

Special Thanks to Marcia Ledvina for this recipe!

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

 

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.	In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice. Mix well, and pour into a 9x13 inch pan.
3.	Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top, then drizzle with melted butter. Top with walnuts.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Topping

Fresh Cucumber-Lemon Dip

1 cup finely chopped, seeded peeled cucumbers

1/4 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/4 cup KRAFT Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp.  fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

1 clove  garlic, minced

 

COMBINE ingredients.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour.  

Tri-Pepper Pasta Salad

1/3 cup Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1/3 cup  Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

2 cups whole wheat medium pasta shell, cooked

1   each red pepper, green pepper and yellow pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 cup  coarsely chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

 

MIX mayo and dressing.
COMBINE remaining ingredients in large bowl.
ADD mayo mixture; mix lightly.  

Strawberry-Orange Smoothie

2 cups orange juice

1 pkg.  (16 oz.) frozen whole strawberries

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

BLEND ingredients in blender until smooth.
SERVE immediately.  

Resurrection Rolls

Here's a new twist on the Resurrection Cookie idea for Easter, both are recipes you can do with your kids/grand kids in order for them to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This fun recipe uses Crescent rolls and a disappearing marshmallow!

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Read Matthew 27:57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8

Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians ( those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this ) 1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. This is also a reason we need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

May you have a blessed and meaningful Easter!

- Author Unknown -

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cluster Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup cold milk

1/2 cup  peanut butter

1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

2 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (I just use 1/4c chocolate chips)

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

 

HEAT oven to 350°F.
PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (9-inch) round cake layers. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter; mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
MIX nuts and melted chocolate until nuts are evenly coated. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate 10 min. or until firm.
STACK cake layers on plate, filling with 1 cup pudding mixture. Gently stir COOL WHIP into remaining pudding mixture. Spread over top and side of cake. Decorate with chocolate-nut clusters.

 

Robert Redford Dessert (Great for Spring)

Crust:
1-1/2 c flour
3/4 c marg
1/2 c walnuts
Blend & press into 9x13 pan.
Bake 15 minutes at 350.

1st Layer:
8 oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
9 oz cool whip
Cream ingredients together & spread over cooled crust.
Beat on low until thick

2nd Layer:
2 small pkg pistachio instant pudding
3 c milk
1 t vanilla
Spread over 1st layer.

Top with layer of cool whip. Keep refrigerated.

Bunny Cake

  From Kraftrecipes.com

2 baked 9-inch round white cake layers, cooled

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1 pkg. (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut

  Suggested decorations: licorice, gumdrops, jelly beans

  LEAVE 1 cake whole. Use serrated knife to cut remaining cake into 3 pieces as shown in diagram. (See Tip.) Arrange on large foil-covered board or platter to resemble a bunny's head and bow tie, using small amount of COOL WHIP to attach pieces to each other.
FROST cake with remaining COOL WHIP.
SPRINKLE with coconut. Decorate with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. Keep refrigerated.
 

Caramel Coffee

6 Tbsp. ground Coffee, any variety

1/2 cup  caramel ice cream topping

4-1/2 cups cold water

3/4 cup  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

2 Tbsp. chopped chocolate-covered toffee

 

  PLACE coffee in filter in brew basket of coffee maker.
POUR caramel topping into empty pot of coffee maker. Prepare coffee with cold water. When brewing is complete, stir until well blended.
SERVE topped with COOL WHIP and toffee.

Zucchini Bread

 Possible revisions:

I have been making a lot of zucchini bread lately to use up all the zucchini in the freezer from last summer.  I've found a few ways to make it healthier if you care to give them a try!

 

1/2 c Marg

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 c zucchini  (chop finely in food processor and drain most of the liquid off.  This will allow you to use more zucchini in the bread. Make sure your batter is not too thick when you're done.  You may have to add a little liquid back)

1 t baking pwdr

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 c flour (Use half wheat flour.  Or even more!  The flavor in the bread is so strong that you can't taste the wheat flour, so it's easy to sneak it in!)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

1/8 t ground cloves

Cream together margarine and sugar for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, vanilla and zucchini and mix well.  In a seperate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Slowly add them to the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix.  If using an electric mixer, I usually finish it up by hand after I add the last of the dry ingredients in order to prevent over mixing.

I put this in two bread pans because for some reason every type of bread I make doesn't cook all the way through.  However, if you know what you're doing, I'm sure it'll all fit into one pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hr 15 min.

Cacciatore-Style Chicken Bake

1-1/2 cups hot water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small each: red and green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.
PLACE chicken, peppers and onions in 13x9-inch baking dish; mix lightly. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken mixture; top with prepared stuffing.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

8 slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup  finely chopped onions

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp.  milk

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

HEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except crescent dough.
SEPARATE each can of dough into 4 rectangles; press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded Tbsp. cream cheese mixture, then cut into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet.
BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Creamy Taco Soup

1 pound of ground beef or 3 cups of cooked diced chicken.  I used 2 chicken breasts.  You can boil your chicken or fry it in the pan.  If using beef drain.  I used chicken.

1/2 - cup of chopped onion

2 - cloves minced garlic  (I only used 1 whole garlic)

1 - tablespoon cumin

1 - teaspoon chili powder

1 - 8 oz cream cheese

2 - 10 oz of tomato's with chili pepper undrained (Could puree these for the non-tomato lovers)

2 - 8 to 10 oz cans of beef or chicken broth

1/2 - cup heavy cream

2 - teaspoons of salt

1 - 10 oz can of corn 

In large pot brown beef or chicken with onion and garlic.

Add all the spices and cook a couple of minutes.  Cut the cream cheese to small hunks and add to pot.  Stir and mash cream cheese until melted.  Add remaining ingredients and stir.

Simmer for 30 to 60 minutes.

Suggested toppings:  corn chips, salsa, sour cream, grated cheese and chopped onions.

Easy Chicken Fingers and Potato Wedge Fries

Fries:
2 large baking potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
I also used a little Lawreys seasoning
 
Chicken Fingers:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Chicken Coating Mix

Honey Mustard:
1/4 cup GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. honey

South-of-the-Border Chicken & Pasta Skillet

2 cups medium-shaped pasta, uncooked

1 lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 jar (16 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen corn

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1/4 tsp.  ground cumin

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 6 min. or until done. Add next 4 ingredients; mix well. Simmer on medium-low heat 6 min. or until cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; add to chicken mixture in skillet with 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Simmer 3 min. or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Top with remaining shredded cheese; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand until cheese is melted.

Southwest Chicken Soup

This recipe comes from MyPanera.com

6 tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 T olive oil 
1boneless/skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (Optional)
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth (Or I use water and bouillon)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 lime wedges (Optional)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet, coat with cooking spray, and sprinkle with chili powder and pinch of salt. Bake until crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté chicken thigh pieces until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook 1 minute.

Add broth, water, cumin, oregano, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Divide soup among bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.