Easy Cheeseburger Pizza

My final recipe for the project.  I found this recipe while once again perusing the Pillsbury website.  I'm looking forward to something delicious.  I hope this doesn't let me down.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust or 1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated thin pizza crust

1/2 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1 cup tomato pasta sauce

1/4 cup chopped red onion, if desired

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4 cup dill pickle slices

 

DIRECTIONS

1 If using classic crust: Heat oven to 425°F. Spray or grease 12-inch pizza pan. Unroll dough on pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan. If using thin crust: Heat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet. Unroll dough on cookie sheet. Starting at center, press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle.

2 Meanwhile, in 8-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Spread pasta sauce evenly over dough. Top with beef, onion and cheese.

3 Bake classic crust 12 to 18 minutes, bake thin crust 8 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Top pizza with pickle slices. Cut into 4 servings.

Tip if using classic crust: For a crispier crust, prebake crust 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown, then add toppings; bake pizza 12 to 18 minutes.

Pillsbury

I used a thawed bread dough for my crust.  I seasoned the hamburger meat as I would if I was making hamburgers while it was cooking.  I put the sauce on the crust, then meat, then cheese, then I topped with additional meat, onion, and pickle.

How did it turn out?

This turned out pretty good.  It cooked up nicely.  It took a few bites to get used to the tangy-ness from the pickle, but once you got over it, and adjusted to the fact that it wasn't a normal tasting pizza, it wasn't half bad.  I would even call it good; you just have to get used to the initial weird factor.

What about the kids?

Walter promptly ate all of the pickles off the top of the pizza, then stalled the rest of the dinner and eventually had to be cajoled into finishing his piece.  Mara ate her whole piece by dismantling it.  She ate all of the toppings, then eventually went back to finish off the crust.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Twin Cities Dogs

I came across this on the Betty Crocker website.  It looked like a nice treat for the kids, plus it was interesting.

8	large hot dogs
1	stick (1 oz) mozzarella string cheese, cut lengthwise into 8 strips
1	stick (1 oz) Cheddar string cheese, cut lengthwise into 8 strips
1	can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1	egg, beaten
8	wooden corn dog or wooden craft sticks
	Ketchup and mustard, if desired 1Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 1 strip of mozzarella and 1 strip of Cheddar cheese into each slit. 2Separate or cut dough into 4 rectangles (if using crescent rolls, press perforations to seal). Place 2 hot dogs crosswise down center of each rectangle. Cut 1-inch-wide strips in dough on each side of hot dogs to within 1/4 inch of hot dogs. Fold strips at an angle across hot dogs, alternating from side to side. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up. 3Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Insert 1 stick into each hot dog. Garnish with ketchup and mustard. Betty Crocker I have no idea what the egg is for in the ingredients.  It is not mentioned in the directions, and I did not use it.  I misread the directions, so I cut two separate slits in the hot dogs for the cheese.  It worked fine.  I used kabob skewers for the sticks.

How did it turn out?

This was an interesting twist to pigs in a blanket.  It was not much different, but it was good nonetheless.  It was pretty easy to pull off, and it looks really fancy.  It might be a fun thing to serve at a birthday party or other kid occasion.

What about the kids?

The two hot dogs as one serving was too much.  Walter pulled his apart and ate one of the hot dogs.  Mara pulled hers apart and ate the cheese out of both of them, but didn't really eat much else.  She was having a difficult day today, so I'm not blaming the food.  I would suggest serving one set to two smaller kids.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

Impossible Quiche Try Number 2

I had to give this recipe another chance because I knew it was better than my first one turned out.  I did add a variation, so I wouldn't be doing the same exact recipe twice.  Please refer to the recipe on my first post.  Impossible Quiche.

This time I added 5 pieces of cooked and crumbled bacon.  I did not use the onions this time.  I used shredded Monterrey jack cheese.

How did it turn out?

It is amazing what a difference measuring the salt can make ;-)  This turned out really good!  I liked it a lot.  The bacon was a great add.  It is so easy to make; I highly recommend it.

What about the kids?

They both ate their small piece fine.  No one was clambering for seconds though.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Jello No Bake Cheese Cake Cups

This one feels a little bit like cheating, but in my defense, I did not go out and buy this just for this project.  This was a box of dessert that was in storage for a while, and I used an adaptation recipe instead of just the plain no bake cheesecake.

I prepared the recipe as written on the box, and added a half strawberry garnish.  I loved how easy this was, and I especially liked that there was an option for individual little cheesecakes.  It makes for cute little treat that I'm sure the kids will enjoy when they see it tomorrow.

How did it turn out?

These are very good.  They are tasty, and great for a small sweet snack.  Because they were so easy to make, they tasted even better!  :0)

What about the kids?

Both kids enjoyed these a lot.  They've both had a couple of different desserts of the cheese cakes and have made yummy noises each time.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (strongly influenced by ease of preparation!)

Sour Apple Martini

Earlier in the week I was looking for low calorie cocktail recipes.  This one came up quite a few times in my searches.

1 part Vodka
1 part Apple Pucker

Myrecipes.com

We did not have lime juice, so we experimented until we found the right proportions.  1 to 1 seemed right.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cheers JD! ;-)

Picnic Corn Squares

We are grilling today, so I set out to find a side recipe to go along with our steak.  I came across this at Cooks.com and it sounded interesting, plus I had all of these ingredients on hand.

1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs
1 c. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients except cheese until blended. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees in 9 x 13 inch pan. Top with cheese and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, just to melt cheese. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. These are great for picnics as they serve like brownies.

Cooks.com

I followed the recipe exactly today.  My container of sour cream wasn't completely full, but it did not seem to make a difference.

How did it turn out?

It was only okay.  It was pretty bland tasting, so if I tried to make it again, I would need to add something to season it up a bit.  It was better after it cooled rather than still mushy fresh out of the oven.

What about the kids?

They both seemed to enjoy it fairly well.  They ate quite a bit without needing extra coaxing.  They really liked the cheese on top.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I was looking for a sandwich recipe, and this came up on the side bar.  I stopped searching immediately.  This looked too yummy to pass up, plus I know my boys would love it!

Ingredients

• 1 (11.5 ounce) package milk chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Trim 12 paper muffin cup liners to half of their height.
2. Place 1/2 chocolate chips in a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups, filling halfway. With a spoon, draw the chocolate up the sides of the cups until evenly coated. Cool in the refrigerator until firm.
3. In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. divide into the chocolate cups. Melt the remaining chocolate, and spoon over peanut butter. Spread chocolate to edges of cups.

All Recipes

I mixed the bottoms of two jars of peanut butter, one smooth and one crunchy. The rest of the recipe I followed as written.

How did it turn out?
These.Were.Delicious!  They tasted just like bought peanut butter cups.  They would definitely rival the Reese's brand cups, but Josh claims that Wal-Mart brand is the best and hard to beat.  You'll have to weigh if the cost of the materials plus the time making them is worth the effort.  Since I got such a great deal on both chocolate chips and peanut butter, I say, definitely worth it!  My boys (+girl) loved them as expected. :0)


What about the kids?
Both enjoyed and asked for seconds.  They are pretty messy because the chocolate melts pretty quickly in little hands.  They'll get their seconds tomorrow after lunch.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

I had to use up the rest of the bottomless can of pumpkin, so here is one more pumpkin recipe.  I made a batch and a half of these cookies to finish it off.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

FOR GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

Very Best Baking

I followed the recipe except for the glaze.  I just left it off.

How did it turn out?

These were very cake like cookies.  They are very soft and very chewy.  This is a great recipe to use if you have extra pumpkin laying around.  Josh and I both enjoyed them.

What about the kids?

Both kids really enjoyed these cookies.  I got an extra hug and "thank you mommy" from Walter.  They both ate the first one quickly and gladly accepted a second for dessert tonight.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Strawberry Smoothie

I found this easy recipe in my Betty Crocker Bridal Edition Cookbook.

1 pint (2 cups) strawberries
1 cup milk
2 containers (6 ounces each) strawberry yogurt (1 1/3 cups)

Place all ingredients into a blender.  Blend for 30 seconds on high.  Pour into four glasses. 1 serving (@ 1 cup) is 130 calories.

I followed the recipe as written. 

How did it turn out?
It was definitely easy to make and pretty good.  It wasn't very sweet, even I could have gone for just a touch more sweetness added (maybe a tablespoon of sugar? suggestions welcome).  It was still pretty good, and definitely a nice low cal treat; refreshing on a summer evening.

What about the kids?
Walter was pumped.  He was getting this as his dessert after dinner, and he drank it down quickly and was sad to learn there were no seconds.  Mara liked it too, but was too ready to play to finish her glass.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Tater Tot Casserole

Today I wanted to find a recipe that used Tater Tots.  Here's what I found.  This one got a lot of good reviews on the Cooks.com website, so I had high hopes for it.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag tater tots
shredded cheese
1 lb of ground hamburger meat
serves: 6 or 7

Brown hamburger meat. Add cream of mushroom soup and stir together continuously. Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Place mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay tater tots neatly on top of the mixture.
Place in oven on 350' and let the tater tots brown.
Sprinkle with cheese; melt it in the oven and ENJOY.

Submitted by: Danielle Watson

Cooks.com

I used cream of celery soup instead of mushroom. 

How did it turn out?

I thought it was delicious.  It clearly doesn't fit with my "lower calorie" goal for the week, but it was very tasty.  It's definitely not a combination I would have come up with on my own.

What about the kids?

Mara loved it.  She scarffed down two helpings very quickly.  Walter claimed not to like it and had to be foreced to eat a required amount of bites before he could leave the table.  Lately he says he only likes pizza, hot dogs, and lots of treats.  I guess this didn't fit any of those categories.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Orange Julius

Josh took the lead on this recipe today.  We got home late, and I had no creativity left.  He quickly flipped through the Immanuel Lutheran, Canton, KS cookbook, and came up with this lovely treat.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Orange Juice Concentrate

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Water

1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

5-6  Ice Cubes

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Serve.  Enjoy.

How did it turn out?

This drink is delicious!  It tastes just like the drink you'd buy at the mall.  Fabulous and easy, just the way I like it!

What about the kids?

I'll have to get back to you.  They went to bed early, but we'll make it again for them soon.

Rating: 5 out of 5



Spicy Crab Dip

sI found a can of crab meat cheap at my dented can store, so I searched for a recipe to use it in.  This one sounded yummy.

Ingredients

8 oz fat free cream cheese

1/4 cup nonfat milk

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 can crab meat (6.5 oz)

 Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Mix cream cheese, milk, and garlic together.
Stir in crab meat.
Stir in cayenne pepper to taste.
Chill before serving.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user TRIDELT1076.

This recipe was found at Sparkpeople. com

I followed this recipe as written.  I added about 3 dashes of cayenne pepper.  I drained the crab meat before mixing it in.

How did it turn out?

This is a great dip, and I will definitely make it again.  I had a coupon for these Ritz cracker chips too, so that is an added bonus.  It turned out a little runnier than I would prefer.  I could have drained the crab meat more, so that is a change I would make.  I probably would also add a little less milk when mixing cream cheese to thicken it a bit.

What about the kids?

They ate seconds of the mousse from last night. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Mmmmm....Pumpkin Mousse

I needed to use up the rest of the can of pumpkin I had opened the other day, so here is what I found.  Again, I found this on the Very Best Baking website.

Ingredients

• 1 box (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Fat Free Milk
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups thawed fat-free frozen whipped topping

Makes about six 1/2-cup servings


Very Best Baking

Directions

COMBINE pudding mix and pie spice in medium bowl. With whisk, add evaporated milk; mix until well blended. Add pumpkin; mix well. Gently fold whipped topping into pudding mixture. Spoon into serving dishes. Top with additional whipped topping and pie spice, if desired. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

I followed the directions as written.  I used cinnamon, not pumpkin spice.

How did it turn out?

This was really easy to make.  It turned out good, like eating a creamy pumpkin pie without the crust.  Yum!


What about the kids?

This one was a BIG hit with the kids.  They both enjoyed with lots of "mmmmm"s! I think they would have eaten twice as much in a serving if given their choice.
 Rating: 4 out of 5

Fruit in Jello

This recipe was inspired by two of my sisters-in-law.  Heather, who recommended several varieties, and Christine, who served this exact dish when we visited earlier this summer.  Believe it or not, I myself have never made the fruit in Jello combo.  I felt it was time!

Ingredients:

1 or more packages of Jello
Any variety of fruit
Optional: Cool Whip

Instructions:

Cut up fruit.  Make Jello according to package directions, then pour over the fruit.  Let it cool for several hours covered.  Top with cool whip.  Serve.  Yummy!

I used peach jello with fresh peaches.  I did not even know there was such a thing as peach jello until Christine served it to us.  I enjoyed it quite a lot.  Probably my favorite Jello flavor.

How did it turn out?

Delicious and easy!  Not a bit of it left over.

What about the kids?

They both ate large portions of peas and carrots in anticipation of receiving this dessert after summer.  Then it was promptly eaten in about 2 minutes.  They loved it!

Rating: 5 out of 5 
Thanks ladies!

Chicken Taco Salad

Today I was looking for a recipe to use some of the lettuce that needs to be harvested from my garden.  I decided that Taco Salad sounded pretty good, and I have a lot of chicken in the freezer, so this is what I came up with.

Chicken Taco Salad
2 c. shredded lettuce
Tortilla chips
2-3 c. diced, cooked chicken
1 (4 oz.) can green chilies, undrained
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
1 med. size can black beans
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese (may substitute Monterey Jack cheese)
1 lg. tomato, chopped
1 med. cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/3 c. ripe olives, sliced
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. salsa or taco sauce

Place shredded lettuce in bottom of platter or 2 1/2 quart bowl. Combine chicken, chilies (with liquid), chili powder, cumin salt, and garlic powder. Mix well to distribute spices. Allow to sit in refrigerator for 1 hour for flavors to enhance.

To prepare salad, layer beans, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and olives over lettuce.

In small bowl, combine sour cream and taco sauce or salsa to be used as salad dressing. When ready to serve, heat tortilla chips and break chips on plate; serve salad on top. Place salad dressing on top. Serve individually.

Instead of the listed seasonings, I substituted a packet of hot taco seasoning.  I also left out the cucumber, but added onion to the veggie mix.  I followed the rest of the directions as written.  We did not serve it over tortilla chips, just the salad alone.

How did it turn out?
This salad was not too bad.  It was a little spicy due to the hot taco packet I used, and it tasted a lot like a taco, which is good.  I think our lettuce was a little over ripe, and therefore, a little bitter tasting.  I think I would have liked it better with a fresher lettuce.  I also would have preferred less beans.  If I make this again, I will use only one can of beans.  Without the lettuce, this would make a good chunky dip for tortilla chips.

What about the kids?
This was not their favorite.  Each ate a couple of bites consisting of the chicken and beans, but picked out the other items.

Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Hash Brown Egg Bake

I was looking for a breakfast recipe because I had a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer.   I came up with this easy looking casserole on Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 (32 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 dash paprika

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese.

Footnotes

Editor's Note: This dish may be prepared in advance, covered and refrigerated overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Allrecipes

I made this up last night before going to bed, and I left it in the fridge overnight.  That made for a really quick and easy morning.  I added one cup of cottage cheese to the recipe, and I did not add the second half cup of cheddar on top.  I think the cheese on top would have been a good addition, but I wouldn't take away the cottage cheese, or at least I'd add more cheese mixed into the casserole to make up the difference.  I also added onions and peppers to the bacon while I was cooking it down.

How did it turn out?

It was very good.  It turned out better than other breakfast casseroles that I've tried before that have bread in them.  I definately recommend the hash browns!  I especially love how easy this was to make.

What about the kids?

They both ate a decent sized serving and cleaned the plate.  It wasn't anything they were overly excited about, but they ate it fine with no complaints.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Brownie 'n Fruit Kabobs

I found this on a recipe card I once clipped from a Betty Crocker Calendar.  It was simple, and perfect for a summer time dessert.

Ingredients:

1 batch of baked brownies
Various Fruits
Kabob Skewers

Directions:

Cut brownies into small inch sized pieces.  Cut fruit into kabob sized pieces.  Alternate fruits and brownies onto the skewers.  Serve.

Betty Crocker

The official Betty Crocker directions suggested drizzling with chocolate syrup, but I left that off.

I had Ghirardelli Brownie mix on hand.  I also had strawberries, apples, and peaches.

How did they turn out?

Delicious!  And so easy!  This is a great blend of healthy fruits with a touch of sweets to satisfy those teeth some of you have.

What about the kids?

Walter ate his dinner very quickly in order to get to eat this dessert.  He quickly finished it off.  Mara will have to try hers tomorrow.  (She helped herself to some candy earlier...)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cedarwood

Josh found this recipe at allrecipes.com while searching for a summer drink recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 fluid ounce lemon juice
• 2 fluid ounces vodka
• 4 fluid ounces cranberry juice
• 3 1/2 fluid ounces ginger ale

Directions

1. In a tall glass over ice combine lemon juice, vodka, cranberry juice and ginger ale. Stir and serve.

Allrecipes

The juice we had was Cranberry Raspberry.  We also used a shaker to cool the drink instead of putting ice cubes in the glass.  I measured all of the liquids, and as you can see, the glass is already quite full.

How did it turn out?

It is an interesting combination of flavors.  The lemon is pretty distinctive and I can't taste the alcohol at all.  It is not super sweet.  I'd say, not bad.  I may have one more.  I'm still trying to get used to it.

What about the kids?

The kids had to go to bed early because we went to the water park, and they skipped nap time.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

LIBBY'S Pumpkin Roll

I have had my eye on this recipe since Thanksgiving.  I had stocked up on pumpkin because at first I couldn't find any, and then I found a really good deal, so I stock piled.  This recipe was mentioned on the back of the can which referred me to the website.

Ingredients

• CAKE
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• FILLING
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Very Best Baking

I followed the recipe as written.  I did not put the powdered sugar on to serve it.  It is sweet enough as it is.  I don't think I waited  long enough to let it cool before adding the frosting; I would recommend waiting until it is completely cool to the touch, not just luke-warm.

How did it turn out?

This is a great dessert!  The cream cheese filling alone is AMAZING!  If you're looking for a good cream cheese frosting recipe, this one is a keeper!  It got a little messy when I was frosting it because it wasn't cool enough, but that did not harm the taste at all.  It just gave Walter more frosting to lick off the edges.  I think it would taste just as good (maybe even better) without the nuts.

What about the kids? Walter really enjoyed the frosting.  He licked quite a bit of it while we were baking.  When he tried his piece, he only wanted to eat the frosting.  Mara did not take more than one bite.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Frosting: 5 out of 5

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad

Josh requested pasta salad, and with my abundance of free pasta, it seemed like a great idea.  I found this recipe on the Kraft recipe page.

What You Need

3 cups tri-colored rotini pasta, cooked, cooled

1 cup  ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup  chopped cucumbers

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup  KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

Make It

COMBINE ingredients.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Best of Season

Substitute other vegetables as desired. If cherry tomatoes are not available, use coarsely chopped plum tomatoes instead. Or, substitute chopped red and/or green peppers for the cucumbers.

Using Unpeeled Cucumbers

When using unpeeled cucumbers, be sure to scrub them before chopping. If the cucumber has been heavily waxed, then peel it before chopping it.

Variation

To make this delicious pasta salad a hit with your kids, omit olives and onions. Prepare using your favorite pasta shape and substituting cubed KRAFT Cheddar Cheese for the feta cheese.

Kraft

I followed the variation recipe just above.  I used Colby & Monterrey Jack cubes instead of Cheddar.

Pretty!

How did it turn out?

It is a visual masterpiece.  It tasted pretty good, too.  Pasta salad is always a nice summer treat.  This one was fine, but nothing spectacular.  We'll enjoy eating the rest of it.

What about the kids?

Both kids ate the noodles and cheese.  The vegetables were left on the plates.  Mara specifically licked and spit out the tomato.  Oh well....

Rating: 3 out of 5

One Pot Dinner

I set out today to find a recipe that would use a lot of beans because we have a lot of them for some reason.  I remembered my mom making something like this when I was younger, so I headed to the trusty AAL cookbook and came across this recipe.

I did not have liquid smoke or white vinegar, so I put in some thick Worcester sauce in place of them.  The rest of the recipe I followed as written.

How did it turn out?

Fabulous!  This is a great recipe.  It was tangy, sort of like sloppy joes.  Josh called it a sweet chili.  We all loved it.  It also smelled really good throughout the day as it simmered in the crock pot.

What about the kids?

Mara gobbled hers up right away.  Walter took a little more coaxing, but ate all of his too.  Later, when they asked for a snack, I got it out again.  Mara ate a ton!  Walter said that we should have this again sometime.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Hot Dog Gravy

I found this recipe in the MOPS cookbook I was flipping through on the first day of this project (see the first day's post).  I was drawn to it, honestly, because it was weird and, frankly, sounded disgusting.  But, someone liked it enough to submit it for a cookbook, so I figured there had to be something to it.

I used 6 Jennie O Turkey hot dogs.  I think I used less water than a cup, so my gravy turned out a bit thicker than it is probably supposed to.  I followed the rest of the recipe as written including the cornbread.

How did it turn out?

Eh!  It wasn't disgusting, but it wasn't good either.  It was similar to country gravy for breakfast, but with a different consistency because of the hot dog.  I could eat it, but I wouldn't make it again.

What about the kids?

Neither of them would even take a bite.  They both went to their nap without eating lunch.  Mara did wake up after nap wanting a snack, and so she finished hers off then. (eating it cold would not be my ideal for this dish...)

Rating: 2 out of 5