oreo delight

I don't usually love pudding, but in the context of this recipe, it's not bad. In fact, I find this to be rather tasty.



OREO DELIGHT

35 Oreo cookies (1 whole pkg.) - I prefer mint flavor
6 Tbsp. margarine, melted
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1 (12 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed
3 1/4 c. cold milk
2 pkg. instant Jell-O pudding
optional: more crushed Oreos or Andes Mint baking chips to sprinkle on top

Mix crushed cookies and butter in medium bowl. Press firmly onto bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/4 c. Cook Whip. Spread over crust.

Pour 3 1/4 c. milk into bowl. Add both pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes. Pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 minutes. Drop remaining Cool Whip over pudding and spread. Sprinkle more crushed Oreos or Andes Mint baking chips on top. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

buckeye bars

This is excellent when you need that peanut-butter-and-chocolate fix.



BUCKEYE BARS

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
22 NILLA Wafers, crushed
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 of 8-oz. tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

LINE 8" square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Beat butter and peanut butter with mixer until blended. Mix in wafer crumbs. Gradually add sugar, mixing well after each addition. Press onto bottom of pan.

MICROWAVE Cool Whip and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min.; stir. Microwave 15 to 30 sec. or until chocolate is melted; stir until blended. Spread over peanut butter layer.

REFRIGERATE about 2 hours. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting to serve.

fruit & poppy seed salad

This is probably our favorite "everyday", low-maintenance salad around here.



FRUIT & POPPY SEED SALAD

1 pkg. baby spinach or mixed greens (about 8 oz.)
1 pkg. strawberries, hulled & quartered
2 apples, diced
1 medium cucumber, cute in half & sliced
craisins
sliced toasted almonds
bottle of poppy seed dressing (we like Briannas brand)

Put the greens in a large bowl. Add all of the sliced & diced fruit. Add a little dressing at a time so it's not too much and then top with the sliced almonds just before serving (to keep them crunchy).

creamy mushroom & chicken soup

I love this + my family loves it = it's a keeper.

Found this recipe in Family Fun magazine, actually, and all of the ingredients appealed to me. Made it. Loved it. I've added this to our favorites, which means I'm happy to share it too (with my personal modifications).



CREAMY MUSHROOM & CHICKEN SOUP

6 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 c. chicken broth
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c. sliced celery
3/4 c. chopped carrots
2 c. quartered baby red potatoes
1 c. chopped yellow squash
1 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tsp. thyme
2 c. light cream
3/4 c. grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish if desired
2 c. chopped cooked chicken

In a large post, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the four, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, squash, corn, and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the cream, Parmesan, and chicken. Heat the soup for an additional 10 minutes, but do not let it boil. To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle it with more Parmesan, if desired. Makes about 15 cups.

classic chicken curry

If you don't know the flavor of curry, you must give it a try. This is an easy one, too. It's not hard to find a recipe online, but I got this particular recipe from my friend, Britney. The recipe I'm posting includes my slight modifications.



CLASSIC CHICKEN CURRY

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-3 pieces)
2 Tbsp. curry powder (look among the spices)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. (14 oz. can) low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooked white rice
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
1/4 c. (1 oz.) almonds, roughly chopped (optional)

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle it with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the onion and zucchini to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. For a little stronger curry flavor, this is a good time to sprinkle some more of the curry powder into the liquid mixture. (I do.)

Divide the rice among individual bowls, top with the curry, and sprinkle with the basil and almonds.

Tip: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting coconut milk for the cream, eggplant for the zucchini, cilantro for the basil, or cashews for the almonds.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

cafe rio pork salad

Cafe Rio is a fantastic Mexican grill found in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Their food is de-LISH and some friends found a great knock-off recipe for their famous salad. We've all been enjoying making this for years now. (This calls for a little shout-out to my Cleveland Coterie. Hey girls!)



CAFE RIO SALAD

There are 3 parts to the salad: the rice, the pork, and the dressing.

[ LIME-CILANTRO RICE ]

2 Tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

[ CAFE RIO PORK ]

pork roast
1 (16 oz.) bottle of salsa
1 can coke
2 c. brown sugar

Place pork in crock-pot and fill it half way up with water. Cook roast on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together ingredients (salsa, coke, brown sugar) and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

[ CREAMY TOMATILLA SALAD DRESSING ]

1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream
2-3 tomatillas (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

[ SERVING ]

Of course you can assemble everything burrito-style. I prefer salad-style. For one serving, I first put a tortilla on a plate (or a large serving bowl, like the pasta bowl shown in the photo). Then put rice, pork, some chopped lettuce, and the dressing. Finally, garnish your salad with shredded cheese, tomatoes, sliced avocados, or whatever you want.

Note: I strongly prefer and recommend the uncooked tortillas over regular ol' packaged tortillas. Check the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. Our Costco carries them too. Just throw the tortilla in a pan over the stove top, give it a few flips, and it's cooked.

stuffed mushrooms

One of my all-time favorite appetizers. And so easy to make! We all need EASY during the holidays, right?



STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 lb. large mushrooms
1 lb. pork sausage (Jimmy Dean brand is great)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. stuffing mix (I prefer Pepperidge Farm brand)
garlic salt
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Remove stems from mushrooms and save about 10 stems. Brown sausage, add chopped onions and stems. Add cream cheese and stuffing mix; season with garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce. Stuff each mushroom caps with a spoonful of the mixture. Bake at 350 until water starts to come out of the mushrooms (about 10 minutes).