Cheesy Tortellini Bake

So, it has been slow on here- I think with the heat there hasn't been many people cooking. I made a yummy dish tonight that I would like to share. I got the recipe from the person who cooked the meals at girls camp when I went as a leader this year. It is way easy and very creamy and yummy. I forgot to take a picture until it was too late, but it looks just like a lasagna dish when it comes out of the oven. It tastes similar to lasagna, but creamy and so much faster and easier to make!!!

Ingredients:

1 20 oz pkg Tortellini
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground ital. saus.
4 oz. cream cheese (I use light)
1 reg. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese (shaker can)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350.

1) Brown beef/sausage and drain. Put back in pan and add sauce- simmer on low.

2) While browning meat, boil tortellini according to pkg directions. Drain.

3) Put tortellini back in pan. Dice cream cheese and put in pan with tortellini and stir until cheese is mostly melted and spread evenly among tortellini (if you really want it thick and creamy, throw in the whole bar- but it will be thick!)

4) Layer in square baking dish lasagna style- sauce, tortellini, sauce, mozz cheese, parm cheese, tortellini, sauce, mozz cheese, parm cheese.

5) Bake uncovered for approx. 20 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!!

Honey Mustard Chicken Bake

This is adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe. Very good and so very easy- a perfect weeknight meal. My husband and 2 of my 4 children gave it rave reviews (trust me, that is good! The other two just didn't know what they were missing.) I served it with herb rice and vegis. It would also be good on sandwich rolls.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 deg. Grease a 13X9X2 pan.

2) In a small bowl, stir together the honey, Dijon mustard, melted butter and pepper. Place chicken in baking dish and pour the honey mustard sauce over it.

3) Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, basting frequently with the sauce until chicken is firm and juices run clear.

Notes:
- The original recipe called for 1/2 cup honey. One reviewer recommended keeping it even with amount of mustard to keep from being too sweet, so that is what I did and it was oh so good and a bit tangy! (The original recipe also called for a whole stick (1/2 cup) of butter- but trust me- 2 TBSP is plenty!)

-I will definitely make this again as is and I also want to try another tip from a reviewer that sounded good. She recommended dipping the chicken in the sauce- then coat in bread crumbs and then pour remaining sauce over it. She says it adds a little crunch and takes away the need for basting.

Enjoy!!!

Creamy One-Pot Pasta

This is actually a recipe from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks. It was very easy and really good and also lower in fat. Makes for a simple but yummy weeknight dinner. I forgot to buy the can of sun-dried tomatoes, so I used regular petite diced tomatoes and drained the can. I sauteed the garlic in a tsp of olive oil. I also didn't have fresh basil, so I sprinkled on some dry basil and it was good! I made it a meal by adding 3 sliced chicken breasts that I had grilled and seasoned. You can leave chicken out and have a meatless meal or a hearty side.

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
1 jar (7oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth (5 1/4 cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (or 2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
grated fresh parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Place garlic and 1 TBSP oil from sun dried tomatoes into an 8qt stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner, increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm. Stir occasionally. DO NOT DRAIN!

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets and place into a bowl. Slice carrots and add to bowl. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel. Slice tomatoes into thin strips. Add to bowl with carrots and broccoli.

Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegis, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegis are tender. If desired, top with grated parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.

6 servings: each serving contains 410 calories, 11 grams total fat, 5 grams fiber.

Homemade Corn Dogs

Not the best picture, but trust me, read on....
I found this on allrecipes.com. My kids love corndogs, but we were out of them in the freezer. I had heard they were very easy and they were! These were delicious! At least as good as the frozen (and cheaper)! They are simple to make as is, but if you want it even easier, omit the "batter" portion and mix a box of Jiffy corn bread mix as directed and it would be the same thing. One important note- they will brown too quickly if the oil is too hot- that is why mine look so dark, the oil was too hot- but they were still good! Just watch the oil temp.

Batter:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk

Other Ingredients:
small amount of corn starch
1 Quart Vegi oil for frying
1-2 pkgs hotdogs (depending on how thick you put better on- I used about 1 1/2 packs
wooden skewers or popsicle sticks

Directions:
1-Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.
2-Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over meidum heat. Insert wooden skewers into hotdogs. Roll hotdogs first in cornstarch (helps hold on the batter) then roll in batter until well coated.
3- Fry 2-3 corndogs at a time for 8-10 min (I had the oil too high- it took, like, 2 minutes...) or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!!!

Southwestern Veggie Wraps

1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (or you could substitute with garlic powder)
1 TB olive oil
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. fresh/frozen corn, thawed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 coarsely chopped zucchini
2/3 c. + 2 TB water, divided
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
flour tortillas
salsa
sour cream

In a large non-stick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. (If using garlic powder wait to add with other spices).

Stir in beans, corn, red pepper, zucchini, 2/3 c. water, chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Combine cornstarch and 2 TB water until smooth, stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.

Spoon about 2/3 c. down the center of each tortilla. Top with salsa and sour cream. Roll up. 6 servings.