Mexican Lasagna

Photo from For the Love of Cooking (my camera battery died)

YUMMY! I love FOR THE LOVE OF COOKING. Her food looks so delish!! I made this tonight and my whole family enjoyed it. I served it with tortilla chips and sour cream and avacado (instead of quacamole). Try it, you'll like it! And go visit her site...you will fall in love with her food!

Mexican Lasagna

3-4 flour tortillas
Salsa
Cheddar cheese, grated
Refried beans
Black beans
Frozen sweet corn, thawed
Tomatoes, diced
Black olives, sliced
Green onions, sliced
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Guacamole

Turkey Filling:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 tsp olive oil
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Dice and prepare all vegetables for the lasagna. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the ground turkey and break up until it's in small crumbles. Add the onion and seasonings then mix thoroughly. Cook until the meat is done and the onion is tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Add some salsa to the bottom of the baking dish and coat evenly. Next add a flour tortilla (I trimmed the sides a bit so it would fit the dish). Spread refried beans over the entire tortilla then add cheese, ground turkey, black beans, tomatoes, corn, black olives, a bit of green onion then spread some salsa over the top. Add another flour tortilla and repeat the layering process 2- 3 times

On the final layer, add the tortilla, a thick layer of salsa and cheddar cheese then sprinkle the top with black olive slices. Cover and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove lid (or tin foil) and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese melts and gets golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Top with fresh guacamole and sliced green onions.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Julie. It is super easy and addictive to eat- the more you eat- the more you want it!!! It also works just as well with low fat ingredients, so you can save a lot of calories!

2 10 oz cans of chicken (drained)
1/2 cup of Franks Red Hot (you can go up to 1 cup based on how hot you want it)
1/2 cup of Ranch Dressing
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese (softened so it will be easy to stir in)
1 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Use a fork to "fluff" the chicken in the can and put in a medium size bowl. Add the Red Hot and the Ranch dressing and mix. Stir in cream cheese and then mozzarella cheese. Pour into a small casserole/ oven safe dish and back at 325 deg. for 20 minutes. Or, it can be microwaved until heated well throughout.

Serve warm with Tostitos tortilla chips.

YUM!

Peanut Butter M&M Chocolate Chip Goodness

My friend Abbey has a variation of the Toll House Cookie Recipe. They are awesome. I do warn you that if you make them, I recommend to NOT keep key ingredients on hand unless you have more will power than I do. (Or have someone to share a LOT of them with.)

Sorry about the weirdness below. Not going to bother fixing it.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (12-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
• 1 cup m&ms
• Directions

  PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
  
  COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
  
  BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
  
  PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.
  
  SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
  PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
  
  * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.
  
  FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmesan Cheese

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. I love her recipes and this one didn't disappoint. My two year old especially loved it!


Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmesan Cheese

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces ziti (penne makes a great substitution - I've used both with great results)
4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (asiago was the cheese in the original recipe and can be interchanged, but I always have parmesan on hand so I used that)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired

Lemon Jello Salad

This is my favorite Jello it's almost like a desert. I make it all the time

2 pkgs lemon jello
4 c water
1 can crushed pineapple
3 c bananas sliced
miniature marshmallows

Topping:
1 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
2 TBS. flour
1/2 pint whipped cream

Prepare jello according to pkgs. Drain the pineapple and save the juice. Add pineapple and sliced bananas. Spread layer of marshmallows on top. Put in fridge until fully set.
Topping:
Make topping by mixing flour and sugar in pan and then add egg and pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Let cool completely. Whip the cream until set and then add to the topping mixture. Stir in carefully. Then put on top of jello and serve.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I was looking for a yummy dessert that wasn't too high in calorie. I had never made an angel food cake before, but was curious to try. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com that was easy and also included chocolate!!! Find it here. It was yummy and easy- with the classic spongy angel food cake texture and it is only 180 calories and 0 grams fat per serving. We topped it with fresh strawberries and cream....soooo good- it was gone before I thought to take a picture with toppings, but you get the idea. I didn't have a bundt pan, but I improvised by using a springform pan with a metal funnel in the middle. Not quite as pretty, but it worked!

• 2 cups egg whites (will vary based on size of eggs, but it was 15 eggs for me!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, cake flour, and cocoa. Sift together 2 times, and set aside.
3. In a clean large bowl, whip egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until very stiff. Fold in white sugar 2 tablespoons at a time while continuing to mix. Fold in flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for approximately 1 hour, or until cake springs back when touched.

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

I got this recipe off of the Picky Palate It's a really easy and great recipe! It has all the taste of lasagna but on crusty bread!! Enjoy! The second time I made this, I added fresh spinach leaves in between the ricotta cheese mixture and sauce!

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground Italian Sausage
1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped (taste great if you have them, but not necessary..I used a teaspoon of dried)

15 oz container ricotta cheese
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning

8 garlic roasted ciabatta rolls (I just used a loaf of ciabatta bread)
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ Cup of sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place reserved ¼ Cup sausage, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ Cup (*you probably won't use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.