Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

Courtesy of Kraft Foods

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 package (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding mix

1 1/2 cups thawed Whipped Topping, divided

24 Vanilla Wafers, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups seasonal berries

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping.

Layer 1/2 of the chopped cookies in the bottom of 8 serving dishes. Add layer of berries. Add layer of cheesecake mixture. Repeat layers. A small amount of the extra 1/2 cup of whipped topping on the top of all the parfaits. I also added a couple of berries for the final accent on the top.

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Chocolate Walnut Tart

Chocolate Walnut Tart
Courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Pastry for single crust pie (9 inches)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
3 eggs
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; trim edges. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips into crust. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Pour into crust.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until top is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

I made individual sized tarts - because I couldn't find a 9 inch tart pan... I got 4 out of the pastry crust. I didn't use all of the other ingredients because it was a bit too much for the smaller shells... I'd say next time to cut the nuts and chocolate down by a 1/4 cup each. The remaining ingredients - I'm not sure how much to cut down, but I did have a bit leftover.Pin It Now!

Broccolini with Carmelized Shallots

Broccolini with Carmelized Shallots
Courtesy of Cooking Dunkin Style

1 bunch Broccolini, rinsed and woody stems removed - chopped in large pieces
2 large shallots, sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter (I added this to the recipe)
Fresh finely grated Parmesan

In a non-stick skillet, heat your olive oil over medium heat. Add your shallots and cook them until carmelized. This may take a few minutes, be patient and stir constantly. Add more oil if needed. (I was trying to cook mine at the same time as making another dish - so mine might have gotten darker than intended... but they tasted great!)

Remove the shallots from the pan and deglaze with the white wine scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. I added the butter at this stage because I was afraid the wine would be too much for us - we're not big wine drinkers.

Add the broccolini and put a lid on to steam until it is tender.

Sprinkle with shallots and parmesan to serve.Pin It Now!

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff
Courtesy of Atkins

1 1/4 pound beef tenderloin or sirloin steak, cut into 2x1 inch strips
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil (I use olive oil)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped Spanish Onion (I use 1 whole onion)
1 cup small white mushrooms, sliced (I use more than 1 cup and sometimes use a combination of baby bellas and white mushrooms)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef broth or stock
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown meat in batches, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil.

Melt butter in skillet; add onion and cook 3 minutes, until softened.

Add mushrooms, and cook 10 minutes stirring occasionally until mushroom liquid evaporates.

Add wine; cook 5 minutes.

Stir in beef broth and cook 10 minutes, until mushrooms are coated in a thick sauce.

Stir in sour cream and mustard. Add meat and accumulated juices, allow to heat for a couple minutes.

Serve. (This is the low carb version)

You can serve over egg noodles - which I have done more often recently.

I have also made this with chicken, and it turns out just as well - this is certainly a favorite in our house!Pin It Now!

Spinach Berry Salad

Spinach Berry Salad
Courtesy of Jenn Bettis

Baby Spinach (for the two of us - I used about 1/3 of a bag of baby spinach)
Strawberries, halved (about 3 berries per person)
Blue Berries (about 6-8 per person)
Feta Cheese
Pecans
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

I don't know if this salad dressing is regional - because it is made in a small town not far from us... but if you can't find it - use your favorite vinaigrette dressing instead. A rasberry vinaigrette would work pretty well here too.

I simply layer all the ingredients into a bowl and serve.

If I were serving more than just the two of us - I'd go ahead and mix the dressing into the bowl just before serving and toss a bit to coat.

This truly is a refreshing summer/spring salad that you can enjoy as a side dish or throw some cold chicken on and have as a meal.Pin It Now!

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili
Courtesy of Proceed with Caution

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 medium Onions, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced or grated
4 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Coriander
1.5 teaspoon Mexican Oregano (we used regular Oregano)
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
4 Tomatillos, husks removed and diced
3 cans White Beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups Roasted Chicken, chopped
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
Tortilla Chips

Garnishes:
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Monterey Jack Cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic, sautee until soft. Add jalapnoes, broth, spices, beans and tomatillos. Simmer for 90 minutes.

Add chicken and cheese, simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve over crushed tortilla chips. We set the garnishes out so that our guests could choose what to add on top... we just had this for small group last week, and everyone seemed to really like the recipe.Pin It Now!

Garlic Cibatta Bread

Garlic Cibatta Bread
Courtesy of John

1 loaf of cibatta bread, sliced into 1/2 inch slices - maybe a little smaller
Butter
garlic power
Parmesan cheese

Lay the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Spread with butter (you can use margarine if you'd like), sprinkle with garlic powder, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Broil until browned...Pin It Now!

Roasted Garlic Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Garlic Fingerling Potatoes
Courtesy of The Neeleys

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
8 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a casserole dish; mix together - potatoes, oil, butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.Pin It Now!

Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa
Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.Pin It Now!

Summer Fruit Salad

Summer Fruit Salad
Courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine
Yield: 20 Servings

1 medium honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 medium cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
2 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
2 medium nectarines, sliced
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 cup halved fresh strawberries
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
2 medium kiwi fruit, peeled, halved and sliced
2 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 large granny smith apple, cubed
1 can (12 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Just before serving, stir in the bananas and apple. Combine lemonade concentrate and pudding mix; pour over fruit and toss to coat.

I served in wine glasses with a bit of whipped cream on the top.Pin It Now!