Tortellini Carbonara

Ingredients

• 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the bacon, cream, parsley and cheese; cook until heated through. Meanwhile, prepare tortellini according to package directions; drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle cheese sauce over tortellini and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

recipe: www.allrecipes.com

Taco Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 4 once package cream cheese
• 12 large pasta shells
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
• 1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
• 3 green onions (chopped)
• 1 cup sour cream

1: In a fry pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain and toss well with butter.
2: Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
3: Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.
4: Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5: After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, black olives or whatever you think goes good with tacos!

Recipe: http://blogchef.net

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast , diced
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 64 inches flour tortillas , softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese or 1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese , divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
  

Directions:

1. In frypan, cook chicken and onion together in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is just done.
2. Divide cooked chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.
3. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400° for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

Serves: 8

Recipe: www.food.com

S'mores Cookies

Ingredients:

• 11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 3-4 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
• 3 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want.

Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 16 graham cracker squares on one pan and 10 squares on another. You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. (recipe called for chilling for 1 hour, but I did not and they turned out great)

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

Recipe: www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients:

• ½ cups Butter
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 block (8 Oz. Block) Cream Cheese, Softened
• ½ cups Powdered Sugar
• ¾ cups Chocolate Chips

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Set aside to cool, and whisk in vanilla.

Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar for 60 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture. Mix until combined. I added the chocolate chips at this time so the mixer could break them up into pieces. You can so that, or just fold in the chocolate chips.

Garnish with additional chopped chocolate. Serve with fruit, cookies, crackers, pretzels or a spoon.

Serves: 4 (although this is pretty rich, so doubling the recipe may not be necessary)

Recipe: www.tastykitchen.com

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Ingredients:

• FOR THE RUB:
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2-½ pounds (about 2) Pork Tenderloins, Each Tenderloin Cut Into Two Chunks
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• FOR THE GLAZE:
• 1 cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Tabasco Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in the skillet. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, brown the pork in a skillet and transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch). I’ve done both and either method works great.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and spread the mixture on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle rack of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes.

Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes prior to cutting it. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.

Serves: 8

Recipe: www.tastykitchen.com

Cool Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbs. mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups assorted fresh vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, green or red bell pepper, green onions, tomato, mushrooms, carrot, yellow summer squash or zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Unroll crescent dough: separate into eight triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside. Roll dough to a 12 inch circle, pressing seams together to seal. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and dill weed. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust.

To prepare vegetables, coarsely chop broccoli or cauliflower and/or dice or slice remaining vegetables.

Sprinkle vegetables over pizza. Cut into squares using a pizza cutter.

Yield: 10 servings

Recipe: The Pampered Chef- Season's Best Fall/Winter 2003