Simply Sensational Strawberry Shortcake

My lady friends came over for a pizza night last Saturday evening and I made this dessert for them.  I was rude...as soon as I was done with my pizza, I made a bee-line for the dessert and told everyone to serve themselves.  I mean, I just had to have some of this right away. 

It has most of the same ingredients for a strawberry trifle that I make, but is a small step up from your typical strawberry shortcake.  In short, it's terrific.  And I love anything strawberry. I'll be sad when they go out of season.  Last night, I made myself a batch of chocolate covered strawberries!

Simply Sensational Strawberry Shortcake

by Kraft Food & Family

1 1/4 cups of milk (divided)

1/4 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix (I used the Jiffy brand)

1 pkg (3.4 oz) Vanilla Instant Pudding

1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/3 cup sugar

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees

2.  Beat 1/2 cup milk, sour cream, and 3 Tbsp sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended.  Stir in baking mix just until well moistened.  Spread onto bottom of greased 9-inch round pan.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove cake from pan to wire rack.  Cool completely.

3.  Beat pudding mix and remaining milk in medium bowl with whisk for 2 minutes.  Stir in half the Cool Whip.  Toss strawberries with 1/3 cup sugar.

4.  Cut cake horizontally in half to make 2 layers; stack on plate, filling with half the strawberry mixture and all the pudding mixture.  Top with remaining Cool Whip and strawberry mixture.  Serve immediately.

White & Gold Pizza

For the last few weeks, I've been on this pizza kick, but wanting to make them at home.  So a few weeks ago, I stocked up on some refrigerated pizza crust just so I can make whatever kind of pizza that tickled my fancy, whenever I felt like it. 

Well, since Malu and I are having another movie night, I thought it was a perfect evening to try this pizza recipe that I found in a Kraft Philadelphia cookbook.  It's called the White & Gold Pizza and instead of using red marinara as a sauce, you use Philadelphia Cream Cheese!  And then, it's topped with cheese and carmelized sweet onions to make a sweet and savory pizza that we both thoroughly enjoyed.  It was delicious!

~White & Gold Pizza~

by Kraft Philadelphia Desserts and More (Vol. 24)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil (divided)

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. frozen pizza dough, thawed (I used the one in the can--Pilsbury brand)

1 large clove garlic, minced

4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg). Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated romano cheese (I used grated parmesan)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

To Make It:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

1.  HEAT 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Add onions; cook 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2.  MEANWHILE, place pizza dough on lightly floured baking sheet; pat to 16x12 inch rectangle.  Mix garlic and remaining oil; spread onto dough.  Bake 10 minutes.

3.  SPREAD cream cheese onto crust; top with remaining cheeses, onions, and crushed pepper.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

You can make the carmelized onions ahead of time (which I did).  Cool, then refrigerate up to 2 days before using as directed.

Now, how easy was that?  Try it!  You'll be pleased with the results!

Tiramisu Bowl

Tonight, Malu and I are going to my friend, Leah's, house for dinner!  The theme is Italian night and since I didn't feel like making a salad or pasta dish, I opted to make some dessert.

Now, I've never attempted to make a real Italian tiramisu before.  I think it's because it's a little intimidating to me.  So...I opted for a faux tiramisu recipe from a Jell-O/CoolWhip/Baker's Chocolate (Kraft Kitchens) cookbook--you know, the kinds you find with the magazines at the register of grocery stores?  And not only is the dessert so pretty...it's so easy to make! 

I have to admit...I made a boo-boo.  I was supposed to drizzle coffee on both layers of Vanilla Wafers, but forgot to do the second layer.  I hope no one notices.  It still looks great though and I can't wait to taste it tonight!

Tiramisu Bowl

(Kraft Kitchens, Simply Stunning Holiday Desserts)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream   Cheese (softened)

3 cups cold milk

2 pkg. (4 serving size) Jell-O Vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip (thawed & divided)

48 Nilla Wafers

1/2 cup brewed strong coffee (cooled & divided)

2 squares Baker's Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely grated

1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1.  Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually beat in milk.  Add dry pudding mixes; mix wellStir in 2 cups of the cool whip.

2.  Line bottom and side of 2 1/2 qt. serving bowl with half of the wafers.  Drizzle with half the coffee.  Top with layers of half each of the pudding mixture and chocolate. (I added half of the raspberries to this layer).  Repeat all layers, starting with wafers.  Top with remaining cool whip and raspberries.

3.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Now, doesn't that look delicious?!?

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I found this particular recipe on Mrs. Gambizzle's blog, Life as a Sailor's Girl.  I actually found it while I was at work (I know...shame on me for doing this while on the clock) and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have this meatloaf for dinner that evening.

And we did.  While Malu was at the gym, I went to the grocery store and bought all of the ingredients, although I had most at home already.  When he got home, I had it all ready to go!

For those of you that love the combination of sweet and salty, why this is the meatloaf for you!  And it made perfect leftovers for at least two days afterwards!

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

(compliments of Mrs. Gambizzle at Life as a Sailor's Girl)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

3/4 cups milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 small onion

1/4 tsp ground ginger

3/4 cup finely crushed saltine crackers

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees & lightly grease your 5x9 inch loaf pan with butter.

2.  Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.

3.  In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.

4.  Sprinkle more brown sugar on top of meat.  I also put a good layer of ketchup on top, just for good measure :) 

5.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

I'm not a picky eater and I pretty much like anything and say that just about every dish is delicious.  This meatloaf is no exception...it was fantastic!  You'll love it!

Great Snacks--Little Turtles

I found this sweet little recipe on a blog that I just found--and already love--the other day.  The blog is called The Luckiest Mrs. and I actually found her blog through her mom's blog, Personalized Sketches & Sentiments.  Both blogs are phenomenal and these ladies are beautiful and truly inspirational and so talented...so you should check them out.

In any case, The Luckiest Mrs. said that her mom used to make these for her when she was younger, and send them to her while she was at college.  When I saw them, they looked so delicious and so easy to make...I just had to have them. 

Try them...you'll find that you can't have just one, two or three.  You can be like me and eat in upwards of thirty!  But hey, I like to tell myself that it's okay...I'm pregnant!

~Little Turtles~

(compliments of The Luckiest Mrs.)

Ingredients:

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Snaps

A bag of Rolo's

A bag of Pecan Halves

1.  Assemble the pretzel snaps on a cookie sheet.  I lined the sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Unwrap and cut a whole bunch of Rolo's in half.  I LOVE Rolo's!  Doesn't this bring you back to your childhood?  I used to eat them all the time!

3.  Top each pretzel snap with a Rolo half.

4.  Place in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or until chocolate is softened/melted.  Top each with a pecan half to make the "turtle shell".

5.  Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes to let the chocolate and caramel set.

Now aren't they just darling?  Oh, and they're so good.  My handsome test-taster wholeheartedly agreed.

We packed a bunch of them and gave them to my friend Jennifer, just because!

Thanks to The Luckiest Mrs. for sharing the recipe!  I'm definitely going to be making these for years to come!

~Chicken Chili Recipe: Ina Garten~

Back in May, I went to Fort Bliss' Armed Forces Day Celebration and they were holding a chili cook-off.  I went crazy trying out all kinds of chili.  I think I'd have to rank chili up there with my top 5 comfort foods. 

So like I said before, with Malu home, we're doing a lot more cooking in the house.  A few weeks ago, I had a mad craving for Ina Garten's Chicken Chili.  I've made it several times before and it's just delicious--especially for those of you that like another twist on chili. 

It's packed with delicious chunks of chicken breast, has no beans, but has sweet red and yellow bell peppers in it.  It's literally to die for.  It takes a while to make, but it's well worth it!

Chicken Chili
by Ina Garten

4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken

1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained

1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves

4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on

Freshly ground black pepper


For serving:


Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream


1.  Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

adding the peppers after sauteing the onions

don't you just love the colors?  it smells great too!

2.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3.  Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

yum!  chicken!

Some of my notes:

I don't know about you guys, but I like my chili to have a sweetness to it.  So I added two tablespoons of sugar to the sauce in step 1.

If you're looking to cut down on time for this one--which I've had to do before--I use an already-prepared rotisserie chicken from Walmart or any grocery store, chop it up, and put it right in the pot!  Good thing I had a worker bee to help me do the messy work!

The recipe already suggests eating the chili with corn chips, but I highly recommend the Tostitos Scoop chips...they're great for getting the right amount of chili all into one bite!

And this chili is even better as leftover!  Enjoy!

~Pina Colada Freeze~

Nothing says summer to me like a pina colada--or anything with coconut and pineapple in it, for that matter!  On the 4th of July, my friend Maddie hosted a get-together at her house and she loves the combination of coconut and pineapple as much as my hubby and I do.  So....to help curb the El Paso heat and satisfy our palates, as well as finding something easy to whip up...I made a Pina Colada Freeze!

Literally, with three easy steps and just a few ingredients, you've got a nice, easy and tasty dessert that your friends will ooh and ahh over. 

Oh yeah...the dessert is supposed to be served frozen, but I found that it was just as wonderful--with a cheesecake-like consistency--as it sat out on Maddie's dinner table for a while.

Pina Colada Freeze
from Kraft Foods Food & Family (Summer 2010), kraftfoods.com

1 cup finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (melted)
1 pkg. (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping (divided)
1 can (8 oz) Dole Crushed Pineapple in juice
1/4 cup toasted Baker's Angel Flake Coconut

1.  Mix pretzel crumbs and butter.  Press onto bottom of plastic wrap-lined 9-inch round pan.  Freeze until ready to use. I think next time around, I'll be using a springform pan just to make it easier.  Getting the plastic wrap off was a pain.

2.  Beat cream cheese, sugar, pineapple and toasted coconut until well blended.  Whisk in 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip; spoon over crust.

3.  Freeze 4 hours.  Use plastic wrap to remove dessert from pan.  Top with remaining cool whip.

Enjoy!!!