Trisha Yearwood's Chicken Pie

This is one of those southern comfort meals that is so easy to

 put together and one of my favorites.

You can vary the recipe by adding some vegetables . . . 

I love adding peas.

Recipe courtesy of Trisha Yearwood

Recipe adapted from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood (c) Clarkson Potter 2008

The Food Network

SHOW: Trisha's Southern Kitchen

EPISODE: Trisha's College Roommate Reunion
Click  on the episode link to see the rest of the recipes featured on the show.


Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 2 cups chicken broth
• One 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk, well shaken

Directions


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Combine the broth and soup in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the broth mixture over the chicken.

In a separate medium bowl, mix the flour with the pepper. Stir in the melted butter and the buttermilk. Pour this mixture over the casserole and smooth the top; do not stir. Bake the casserole until the crust is brown and the filling beneath is hot and bubbly, 45 minutes.

Chocolate Devils

Chocolate is such a weakness for so many of us!

This recipe is a delight for the eyes and such a treat for our chocolate cravings.

What a gorgeous presentation and perfect on the dessert table for a party.

Thank you Ree Drummond for another awesome recipe!

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
Recipe courtesy Ree Drummond
The Food Network
SHOW: The Pioneer Woman
EPISODE: Sweet Deliveries 
Check out the link for more delicious recipes from this episode.

Ingredients

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake:

• Baking spray, for spraying parchment
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten

White Frosting:

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar (not powdered sugar!)

Ganache:

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 24 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 jar maraschino cherries

Directions

Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter and a frosting (piping) bag and tip

For the best chocolate sheet cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use an 18-by-13-inch sheet cake pan. Cut parchment paper to fit the pan and spray each side with baking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa to the butter and stir together. Add 1 cup boiling water to the pan and then allow the mixture to boil for 30 seconds. Pour over the flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

Pour the buttermilk into a bowl and add the baking soda, vanilla and beaten eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/flour mixture. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let the cake cool completely.

Cut the cooled cake into circles with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, and then lay the circles on another sheet pan with a wire rack; set this pan in the fridge to make sure there is no warmth to the cake at all. (The frosting is so light and fluffy, the coolness will help keep it all together.)

For the white frosting: In a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick--thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If in a hurry, place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools. It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in the vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. You don't want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven't beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.

For the ganache: Heat the cream until very hot. Add the vanilla, and then pour over the chocolate pieces. Stir to completely melt.

To assemble: Place the white frosting into a frosting bag. Squeeze the frosting onto one circle of cake. Press a second circle on top. Using a ladle, pour ganache over the cake, allowing the chocolate to run over the sides. Place 3 cherries on the center. Repeat the process with each cake. Chill the cakes until ready to serve!

Broiled Catfish With Fresh Thyme, Garlic, And Lemon

Emeril LaGasse is one of my favorite chefs ever.  Love his style of cooking!

I won't be using freshwater catfish for this recipe, instead, will use tilapia or cod.  Would not change a thing about anything else.

Healthy and delicious!

Source:  Emeril.com




INGREDIENTS

• Four 6- to 8-ounce skinless catfish fillets
• 2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season the catfish fillets on both sides with the Essence, salt, and white pepper, and place the fillets on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, and thyme. Using a small spoon, spread the garlic mixture evenly over the catfish. Then drizzle the fillets with the lemon juice.

Transfer the baking sheet to the broiler. Cook the catfish for 6 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheet front to back, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily when pressed with your fingers at the thickest part, about 4 minutes longer.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately, sprinkled with the parsley and garnished with lemon wedges if desired.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Just when you thought plain macaroni and cheese is fabulous, here comes the addition of lobster to take it over the top.

Leave it to Ina Garten to come up with a gourmet recipe for mac and cheese!

Click here for more macaroni and cheese recipes.

Source:
The Food Network
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
2009, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
SHOW: Barefoot Contessa
EPISODE: Perfect Pasta



Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Chicken Scallopine with Sage and Fontina Cheese

Yum yum, more chicken!

I love the possibilities of this recipe.  For one thing, you can stuff the cutlets with whatever you like.  I would love to serve this chicken with stuffed shells with cheese.

In case you are wondering why so many television cooking show recipes, I've finally weaned myself away from depressing 24/7 cable news and have replaced it with cooking shows.  So inspiring!

The Cooking Channel

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian

Episode: Viewer's Choice



INGREDIENTS

• 6 (4 1/2 to 5 1/2-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded thin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 sage leaves
• 3 ounces grated fontina cheese
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Special Equipment: toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken cutlets on a clean work surface, narrow end facing you. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one sage leaf crosswise on each of the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle each of the pieces of chicken with 1/2 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) of fontina cheese. Roll up the chicken and seal with one or two toothpicks.

Warm the olive oil and halved garlic clove in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and remove and discard the garlic. Add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and red pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the tomato mixture to the reduced wine in the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors marry.

Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer the chicken in the tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and simmer until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan. Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon the tomato sauce onto serving plates or a serving platter. Slice the chicken into 1-inch rounds. Remove the toothpicks. Place the chicken over the sauce and serve immediately.

SERVINGS: 4 (MAIN); Calories: 470; Total Fat 20 grams; Saturated Fat: 6 grams; Protein: 9 grams; Total carbohydrates: 9 grams; Sugar: 5 grams Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 160 milligrams; Sodium: 1,333 milligrams

Originally from FoodNetwork.com

Peanut Butter Pie

I'm always inspired by Sandra Lee's recipes . . . so practical and inexpensive!

Check out her show if you haven't discovered it yet :)

Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee
The Food Network
Recipe copyright Sandra Lee, 2011
SHOW: Sandra's Money Saving Meals
EPISODE: More Than Meat And Potatoes



Ingredients

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• One 9-inch graham cracker crust
• 1/4 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Heat the milk in a small pot over low heat until warm. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly; mixture should be thick but have a pourable consistency.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high, beat together the cream cheese with the peanut butter and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl, beat together the heavy cream with the vanilla until doubled in volume and soft peaks form.

Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream until combined.

Spread into the graham cracker crust. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the pie and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Place the pie in the freezer to set up, about 1 hour.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Another chicken recipe since I can never have enough!

Ingredients

• 1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. ) whole chicken 
• 2 celery ribs, cut into 3 pieces each
• 2 carrots, cut into 3 pieces each 
• 2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder*
• 3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Preparation

If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.

Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes from Southern Living:

*1 tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

Lightened King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup for regular and 2% reduced-fat cheese for regular. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 4.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.


Source: Southern Living
FEBRUARY 2008

French Breakfast Puffs

These delicious looking muffins are a great "on the go breakfast"  item.

I just watched this episode of The Pioneer Woman and they look so easy to make . . . my kind of breakfast for those busy mornings!

Recipe courtesy Ree Drummond
The Food Network
SHOW: The Pioneer Woman
EPISODE: Feeding Cows, Feeding Cowboys


Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk

Coating:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. 

In a separate large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add the eggs and mix again. Alternate adding one-third of the flour mixture and one-third of the milk to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. 

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. 

Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and set aside. 

To make the coating, melt the butter in a bowl or glass pan. In a separate container, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip the warm muffins in the butter, coating thoroughly. Then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Helpful Hint: 

After cooling completely, puffs can be frozen in plastic bags and reheated later. 

Lemon Blueberry Cake

When you are short on time, Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade recipes are the best!  I just watched this episode on the Food Network and she put this gorgeous cake together really fast.

Gorgeous cake . . . and I can almost taste the wonderful lemon flavors.

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
The Food Network
SHOW: Semi-Homemade Cooking
EPISODE: Grilling on the Mississippi


Ingredients

• 2 (8-inch) round store-bought (bakery) yellow or white cake layers
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract, divided
• 2 (12-ounce) cans cream cheese flavored frosting
• Fresh mint sprigs
• Fresh blueberries
• Lemon slices, quartered
  
  

Directions

Use a knife to slice cake layers in half horizontally. 

Use a pastry brush to brush each layer with lemonade concentrate; set aside. 

Stir 1 teaspoon of lemon extract into each can of frosting; set aside. 

To assemble cake: frost and stack the cake layers on top of each other.

Decorate cake with clusters of mint sprigs, blueberries, and quartered lemon slices. 

Nutella Bomboloni

These delicious little donuts remind me so much of a pastry my Nana used to make.  The photo takes me back to a special place and time where I can smell the donuts and feel the burn on my tongue since I could not wait for them to cool off!

This recipe comes from a new discovery that I love called the Italy Food Page on Facebook.  Their link follows the recipe.

Ingredients 

• 2 jars Nutella 
• 1 lb Ricotta 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 2 cups all purpose flour 
• 4 eggs 
• 2 quarts Canola oil 
• granulated sugar 

To make donuts: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 jar Nutella, ricotta, salt, vanilla, baking powder, flour and eggs. Mix until smooth to form dough. 

Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough into hot oil at 375° and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Remove donuts from hot oil, drain on paper towels for a moment, roll in granulated sugar, and fill with Nutella. 

Serve immediately!

Source:  Italy Food Page

Oreo Cheesecake

Who doesn't love Oreo cookies?  Oreos and cheesecake are a match made in heaven.  My favorite cheesecake recipe has an Oreo cookie crust . . . actually in my opinion, they make the best crust for cheesecake.

What I love about this recipe are the possibilities to make it lighter by using no fat cream cheese and no fat Cool Whip.  

The recipe and photo comes from the Taste of Home website, although it is officially a Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe.  If you love cookbooks, Taste of Home has the best annual cookbooks and one of the favorite cookbooks is from Philadelphia Cream Cheese that I have had for more years than I care to mention.

Ingredients

• 36 OREO® Cookies, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 4 packages (8 ounces each)PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tub (8 ounces) COOL WHIP® Whipped Topping, thawed

Directions

CHOP 15 cookies coarsely. 

Finely crush remaining cookies; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and chopped cookies; spread onto crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Yield: 16 servings.


HOW TO EASILY REMOVE CHEESECAKE FROM A PAN TO SERVE: 
Line pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides before using to prepare cheesecake as directed. Use foil handles to lift chilled cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.


Source: Taste of Home
Originally published as PHILADELPHIA-Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake Provided by Philadelphia® Cream Cheese

Chicken and Potato Casserole

Love the combination of the chicken, potatoes and the sauce.

This recipe and photo is courtesy of Grandmother's Kitchen . . . link follows the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups milk
• 1 large onion, slices
• 1/2 cup white cheese, shredded
• 5 cups potatoes, peeled, par-boiled and sliced

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degree F. 

Peel and par-boil the potatoes. Drain the water, let the potatoes cool, then slice them into rounds.

Meanwhile, while the potatoes are cooking we will cook the chicken. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken pieces until they are not pink. Set aside. 

To make the creamy sauce, melt butter in large sauce pan over low heat and whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat gradually whisk in milk. Return to heat and cook until thickened and bubbly.

Fold in chicken, onion slices,and cheese. Gently stir the mixture together. 

Place a layer of potatoes slices into the bottom of a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the creamy mixture on next. Make a top layer with the remaining potato slices. Cover with aluminum foil. 

Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes to lightly brown the top.


Original Chicken And Potato Casserole Recipe found at Grandmother's Kitchen Recipes.

Easy Lemon Cake

Lemon recipes are always on my mind when searching recipes.

This cake is the ultimate semi-homemade, quick and easy recipe and looks delicious!

The recipe is courtesy of Kraft . . . check out their recipe section . . . link at the end of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (2-layer size) lemon cake mix
• 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
• 1-1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Instructions

PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (8- or 9-inch) round cake layers. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

BEAT pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. Immediately spread over tops of cakes.

STACK cake layers. Frost with COOL WHIP.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

VARIATION
Bake cake in 13x9-inch pan; cool. Do not remove from pan. Spread cake with pudding mixture, then COOL WHIP.

SPECIAL EXTRA
Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint leaves just before serving.

Recipe and Photo Source:  Kraft

Dulce De Leche Brownies from The Pioneer Woman

This is my favorite recipe from the episode of The Pioneer Woman that I'm currently watching, but you'll need to check out all of the recipes by clicking on the episode link.

It has been a really long time since we have had a wonderful chocolatey dessert and these brownies just reminded me!

Don't they look sinfully delicious?

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
The Food Network
SHOW: The Pioneer Woman
EPISODE: Big Day at the Building



Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Half of a 14-ounce can dulce de leche
• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan (a square pan will result in thicker brownies).

In a medium-large saucepan, melt the butter with the chocolate over low heat, whisking occasionally until smooth and melted. Sprinkle in the cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the granulated sugar and vanilla until just combined. Stir in the eggs. Gently stir in the flour until halfway incorporated. Pour the batter (it will be very thick!) into the prepared pan.

Place the dulce de leche in a glass bowl. Warm it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Drop large dollops of dulce de leche on the surface of the brownie batter. Use a knife to slowly swirl it through the batter. Don't drag the knife sideways through the batter; hold it so the thin side of the knife leads the way.

Bake for 40 minutes, then check the brownies with a toothpick. If they are overly gooey/messy, return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes (just be careful not to burn the edges). Allow to cool completely (important!), then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into small squares.

When warm, the brownies will seem overly gooey/soft. As they cool, they will firm up. (Brownies are best several hours after baking, or even the next day!)

Italian Layer Bake

OMG would you look at those layers of deliciousness?

A cross between an awesome sandwich and lasagne, this casserole would be very impressive to serve at your next dinner party.

I want one now!  New rule for our kitchen . . . we need to keep refrigerated crescent rolls in the fridge for times like these!

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) container refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 slices deli turkey (about 1/2 pound)
• 8 slices deli ham (about 1/2 pound)
• 12 slices deli hard salami (about 1/2 pound)
• 8 slices Swiss cheese (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted peppers, drained
• 4 eggs, beaten

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles. Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line. 

Place 1 square of dough into an 8-inch square baking dish; using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish. 

Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, and roasted peppers. 

Pour half the beaten eggs over peppers and repeat layers with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers. 

Place remaining square of dough over peppers. 

Pour remaining beaten eggs over dough and cover lightly with foil. 

Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden and heated through.

Let cool 15 to 20 minutes, then cut and serve. 



Recipe and Photo Source: Mr. Food

Notes from Mr. Food:

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out all of our cheesy favorites in The Cheese Lover's eCookbook: 34 Easy Recipes with Cheese.

For more cool ideas from the dairy aisle, visit our friends at Easy Home Meals!

Berries and Coconut Cream

Berries are always a great choice for desserts or snacks.  

I love this recipe for its simplicity.  The coconut cream sounds delicious

and a great alternative to plain whipped cream

This recipe comes from Real Simple's series Favorite Summer Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mixed berries (such as blackberries and raspberries)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)

Directions

In a large bowl, gently toss the berries, sugar, and lime juice.

With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and cream of coconut until soft peaks form. Serve with the berries.

Real Simple, By Sara Quessenberry, August, 2009