Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

This is one of our (mine and Barry's) all-time favorite treats!

1 cup peanut butter (we like extra crunchy)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
7-8 cups rice krispies cereal (I use generic)

*In a large pot mix well peanut butter, corn syrup, and sugar. Bring just to a boil (you don't want to boil for more than a few seconds or else the treats will be really really hard to chew). Turn off heat and stir in rice krispies. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Even out with the back of a buttered spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

**Hint: if you don't want to gain 100 pounds, take one square, enjoy it, then either hide the pan or give the rest away! Trust me on this. I just ate three this morning. =)

Southern Shrimp and Grits

Prep Time:

15 min

Total Time:
25 min

Makes:
4 servings

3 cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup instant grits

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

4 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

BRING water to boil in medium saucepan. Add salt. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Cook 7 min. or until thickened. Stir in cheese; set aside.

MEANWHILE, cook bacon in large skillet on medium-heat heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Add shrimp, onions and garlic to skillet; cook and stir 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Add bacon, parsley and lemon juice; mix well.

Serve shrimp mixture over grits.


**So easy, so quick, and so good! I didn't have any green onions, so I just used yellow. I will definitely be making this again and again....

Farfalle with Sausage, Cannellini Beans, and Kale

**What would I do without friends? They supply me with such awesome recipes! This one is definitely a keeper. I made it for dinner a couple of weeks ago after buying some fresh kale at a farmers market. I had it for lunch the next two days (it's even good cold!). If you're not too worried about calories/fat, then add more sausage. I had never used kale before and had no idea what to do with it (so, naturally I googled it). Simply fold back each leaf and run your knife along the back to cut off the entire stem. Then chop it up, wash it, and toss it into the dish as directed.


*Use a vegetable peeler to shave fresh Parmesan cheese on top of this rustic pasta dish.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
8 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package fresh kale
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 ounce shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid; keep warm.

Drain tomatoes in a small sieve over a bowl, reserving 2 teaspoons oil; slice tomatoes. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced tomatoes, reserved 2 teaspoons tomato oil, onion, and sausage to pan; cook 10 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add seasoning, pepper, and broth to pan. Stir in kale; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir in pasta, reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, and beans.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups pasta mixture and 2 teaspoons cheese)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 329(25% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 2.2g,mono 3g,poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 18.7g; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 204mg; SODIUM 669mg; FIBER 5g; IRON 4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45.7g

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

Chocolate Sauce

Another recipe from Jessica. We always ask her to bring it to our potlucks. It is great by itself with a spoon or finger =). It is superbly wonderful drizzled over crepes, poured over bananas, strawberries and other fruit. Really, it is so good and versatile. If only it were so good on the waist-line......

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

4 Tbsp or ¼ cup cocoa

¼ cup butter

1 1/3 cup evaporated milk

2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Stir sugar and cocoa over very low heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add the butter and evaporated milk. Stir constantly until it boils.
3. Stir for one minute.
4. Add 2 tsp vanilla.

Tomalito

In January my sister and I visited a restaurant in Florida that served this stuff. I had never heard of it before, but my sister raved so I had to try it! It was so good that I wouldn't have cared if I ate anything else for lunch that day (although, of course, I ate many other things). She asked one of the waitresses about the recipe and was told that it was a very involved recipe that took a long time. So, we were discouraged.

The good news is that on Cinco de Mayo a friend, Jessica, brought this as a side dish to our potluck dinner. She explained that she found a microwave version of this recipe that is quite simple. We love Jessica!

Ingredients:

5 T margarine (don’t substitute butter)

¼ cup masa harina (corn flour)

1/3 cup sugar

½ cup water…I add just a touch more

2 cup thawed frozen corn (measure after it is thawed)

½ cup cornmeal

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

3 T milk (actually just under 3 T)

Directions:

1. Mix margarine, masa and sugar until fluffy.
2. Blend 1 cup corn with water until smooth, add the rest of the corn and blend slightly.
3. Mix cornmeal and milk and let sit a few minutes.
4. Add all to the margarine, masa and sugar mix. Blend well.
5. Put in an 8x8 covered dish and microwave for 7 minutes at 30% power and then 4 minutes at full power. Fluff before serving.

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

This is a really fun twist on pasta salad! A friend, K, made this at our Cinco de Mayo dinner the other night. Luckily she sent me home with some leftovers so I got to have them for lunch the next day. Please try this. You won't regret it. =)

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked radiatore pasta (short coiled pasta)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2/3 cup water
1 (1.25-ounce) package 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
2 cups chopped seeded tomato
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
Salsa (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain; set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add turkey; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and the turkey is done, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine pasta, turkey mixture, reduced-fat cheese, and next 6 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl.

Combine lime juice, salt, cumin, and sour cream, stirring until well blended. Pour over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Yield

12 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 344(30% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 23.4g; CHOLESTEROL 51mg; CALCIUM 193mg; SODIUM 632mg; FIBER 3.6g; IRON 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.5g

Pizza Noodle Bake

Found this in a recent Simple & Delicious magazine. It is the first thing I've cooked in a long time that Alton would actually taste (this is the kid who will only eat mac n cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or nothing-if the alternative is eating what I prepared- for dinner). Then, believe it or not, he actually liked it! It's a miracle! So, this recipe's a keeper. Oh yeah, it was really easy to make, too. And very tasty.


10 oz. uncooked egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 package (3-1/2 oz) sliced pepperoni

*Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

*Add pizza sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Drain noodles.

*In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, layer half of the noodles, beef mixture, cheeses and pepperoni. Repeat layers. Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

**Variations: There are people in my house who don't like mushrooms or peppers, so I left those out. =( I used a mixture of ground beef, ground turkey, and some canadian bacon (because I happened to have some in my fridge). I also used turkey pepperoni and whole wheat egg noodles (with no yolks) to make it a little more healthful. It was so good!