Rich Creamy Chocolate Pie Recipe

This is a recipe I threw together because I couldn't find one exactly like I wanted. It is made with cream cheese, no layers to make. All the ingredients are blended together for a smooth, rich, creamy, chocolate pie that's quick & easy to make.

Forgive the photo. My pie crust was sort of a flop, but aside from the look of it, the pie was a winner.

Ingredients:

2 small pkgs. of instant chocolate pudding mix

1 - 8oz. pkg. of lite cream cheese

2 Cups + 1 Tbsp 2% milk

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Cup of thawed Whip Topping (Cool Whip, etc.)

1 pie crust of your choosing ( I used a refrigerated pie crust, which I baked before adding the pudding mixture.)

Directions:

1. Put cream cheese into a small bowl and microwave at 10 second intervals until it can be stirred. Approximately 20-30 secs. total. 
2. Blend cream cheese with 1 Tbsp of milk + 1 Tbsp sugar and set aside.
3. Blend pudding mix with 2 cups of milk in a large mixing bowl until it starts to thicken.
4. Add cream cheese mixture to pudding mixture and blend thoroughly. It will be thick.
5. Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping until thoroughly combined.
6. Fill pie crust with pudding mixture and refrigerate until chilled. 

Enjoy!

Broccoli In Garlic Sauce Recipe

I decided to make this recipe because I love the Spicy Broccoli in Garlic Sauce that you get from the Chinese fast food places. I adapted it from a recipe I found online, tweaking it to make it my own. I had to use all-purpose flour in my recipe, because I was out of cornstarch, but I suppose either is fine.

Ingredients

2-3 heads of broccoli (florets?)

1 onion sliced

1 carrot sliced

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. + 1/8 tsp garlic powder ( I would do 3/4 tsp if you really like garlic)

1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1/4 cayenne pepper 

1 1/4 C. Water

1/4 C. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2-3 C. prepared brown or white rice

Directions

I combined the water, sesame oil, soy sauce and flour in a pint jar, by putting a lid on and shaking vigorously.

I stir fried the veggies in the vegetable oil with the garlic powder, cayenne, and ginger for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients, but next time I would probably prepare the sauce in a small sauce pan with the cayenne, garlic, & ginger and then pour it over the stir fried veggies. My veggies were a little over cooked for my taste due to the extra cooking time for the sauce to thicken. 

Serving Suggestion

I served mine over brown rice. It was delicious. It may not have been identical to the fast food version, but I actually liked it better and it wasn't swimming in grease. If you aren't into spicy foods, I would add the cayenne slowly to taste or leave it out.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cups Recipe

This is an easy recipe for snack sized cups of pudding in cups I've saved from single serving applesauce, pudding, or fruit, using instant pudding, peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs. 

Ingredients

6 single serving sized plastic cups from applesauce, pudding, jello, fruit, etc. 

1 small pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups of 2% milk

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

4 whole graham crackers 

3 pinches of salt

1-2 Tbsp. margarine (light margarine also works) 

Directions for the Graham Crust

1. Put the graham crackers into a plastic freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin or into a food processor, however you choose to make cracker crumbs.
2. Add the cold margarine and salt to the crumbs, seal the bag and knead until well combine. The crumbs should hold together when you squeeze them, but crumble easily.
3. Divide the crumbs evenly between the 6 plastic cups. There should be a little less than 2 Tbsp. per cup. 
4. Press crumbs into the bottom of the cups. I used a small lid to pack them evenly. Set aside.

Directions for the Pudding

1. Pour 2 cups of milk in a 4 cup liquid measuring cup or mixing bowl. 
2. Add the instant pudding mix to the milk and blend until the mixture starts to thicken.
3. Add the 3 Tbsp. of peanut butter to the pudding and blend until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour pudding evenly into plastic cups containing graham cracker crumbs.
5. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled. 

Note: I used the whipping attachment for my hand blender to blend up the pudding, but I suppose a hand mixer would also work. The pudding cups will be level full. I placed mine in a plastic container with a lid verses covering them individually.  Enjoy!!!

Corny Cornbread Muffins

This is a recipe I put together. I halved my cornbread recipe, added corn, onion, green pepper, and a little sugar for a not too sweet corn muffin or cornbread. I made them in my Xpress Redi To Go. BTW I don't use the timer on top because the plastic knob melted and stripped once it got hot. Not a good place to put a plastic knob, right? Luckily the cooking part wasn't effected.

Ingredients

1 cup of corn bread mix

1 tsp. sugar 

1/2 cup of milk

1 egg

1/8 cup of oil

2 Tbsp. chopped onion*

1 Tbsp. chopped green pepper*

1/3 cup of frozen corn

Directions

In a small mixing bowl combine dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, and add veggies. I'm not sure about the baking time for muffins, but these took about 15 minutes in the Redi Set Go. I used 1/4 cup of batter for eat one. They baked for 10 minutes on one side and then I flipped them to brown the other side and let them bake another 5 minutes.

*The measurements for the onion and pepper are approximate. You could use a little more or less if needed.

This made 6 half circles in the Redi Set Go. I will update this recipe when I make them as muffins or corn bread.

Cran Apple Orange Smoothie Recipe

This smoothie is really good, but it does have a bit more texture than some smoothies, because of the fruit. I don't mind the texture (tiny bits of apple, orange & cranberry). The flavor is delicious.

 Ingredients

1/2 c. apple chunks w/ or w/o peel (approximately 1/2 medium apple)
1/4 c. cranberry orange relish
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. milk (this might also be good w/ apple or cranberry juice)
1/4 c. old fashioned oats (you can grind oats in a coffee grinder first)
4-5 ice cubes

Directions

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth or as smooth as possible. You could also use apple sauce in place of the apple. Enjoy!!

Cranberry Orange Relish Recipe

This is my version of cranberry orange relish. We normally buy our relish from the grocery store, but every year it seems we have to get it at a different store. This year we couldn't find any so we decided to make our own. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the best cranberry orange relish, I've ever eaten and it's so easy to make. Needless to say, I won't be buying my relish anymore.

Ingredients

1- 12oz. bag of fresh cranberries (approximately 3 cups)
1 1/2 medium seedless oranges with peel
1 1/8 cups of sugar

Directions

Cut orange into chunks and add to food processor along with the cranberries. Process to about the consistency of pickle relish. Add sugar and chill until ready to serve.

This can be frozen for longer storage, but mine won't last long enough to need freezing. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

I wanted a Holiday themed breakfast. I thought I'd try something different, besides the usual, pumpkin muffins, pancakes & waffles. I love smoothies, so this seemed like the way to go.

 Ingredients

1/2 c. canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. old fashioned oats (I grind mine up using a coffee grinder)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. ground flax (optional)
3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4-5 ice cubes

Directions

Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. I use my hand blender, which works quite well. Enjoy!!

Monster Cookie Recipe

This recipe combines several favorite flavors – peanut butter, butterscotch, and chocolate – in one big cookie. Before baking you can press a few extra M&M's on top for added color.

1 cup of peanut butter

 ½ cup of butter or margarine, softened

1 ¼ cups of packed brown sugar

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

4 cups of quick cooking oats

1 cup of M&M's

1 cup of butterscotch chips

1 cup of salted peanuts

2 cups of all-purpose flour         

 In a large mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add baking soda and vanilla. Add oats, M&M's, butterscotch chips and peanuts; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in flour (the dough will be crumbly). Shape ¼ cupfuls into balls. Place on greased baking sheets, about nine cookies per sheet. Gently flatten cookies. Bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks.

Yield: about 2 ½ dozen

Easy Mexican Rice Recipe

Brown rice cooked with taco seasoning, kidney beans, and tomatoes. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I altered it just a little. I used regular brown rice and kidney beans, but you could use instant brown or white rice and any kind of bean you like such as black or pinto. I also used my own taco seasoning.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice 3 cups water 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix 1 (15.25 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

Directions:

1.	In a saucepan bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
2.	Stir in taco seasoning, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.
3.	Cook over medium heat until heated through.

Porkless Beans Recipe

This is a recipe for vegetarian beans in tomato sauce or pork & beans minus the pork, which I came up with because I can never find then in the grocery stores anymore. I used to be able to buy them, but they've sort of disappeared. This is a very simple recipe, quick and easy and would make a great base for vegetarian baked beans. 

In this photo, I've added a Veggie Patch veggie dog, cut into pieces for Beans N Franks.

Ingredients

1 can of navy beans mostly drained but not rinsed

1/2 c. of Campbell's condensed tomato soup (no water added)

1/4 c. of water

1Tbsp. of molasses

1/8 tsp of salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and heat, letting them simmer for several minutes. You can use 2 cans of beans, I suppose, for more beans, less sauce. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Smoothie Recipe

This is a smoothie with a fall theme. Fall makes me think of Halloween & Thanksgiving which makes me think of caramel apples. Fall is my favorite time of year. I decided to come up with a smoothie that reminds me of Fall. I hope you like it.

Ingredients

3/4 c. chopped apple
4-5 ice cubes
1/4 c. oatmeal (I put my oatmeal in the coffee grinder first, for a smoother texture)
2 tsp ground flax
2 Tbsp. Fat Free caramel dip
1/2 c. low fat vanilla yogurt or plain depending on your preference of sweetness
1/2 c. Simply Apple Juice or apple cider

Directions
Put all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. You can also use a hand blender in a large cup. Enjoy!

Fruit Cobbler Recipe

 This is a quick and easy cobbler recipe. One I have used for years. I've made a variety of fruit cobblers with this recipe. My latest version was made with canned pie filling instead of the fresh fruit and sugar mixture called for in the recipe. I've also used canned fruit without sugar. It's a wonderfully cake-y cobbler, great on it's own or with cool whip or ice cream.

Ingredients

1 quart fresh fruit (apples, etc., sliced, berries whole)
2/3 C. Sugar
6 Tbsp. Butter
3/4 C. Self-Rising Flour
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the 2/3 C. sugar & berries together.
Put butter in deep baking dish (approx. 8 inches square).
Place in oven until butter is melted.
Make batter of flour, sugar, & milk.
Pour over melted butter, but do not stir.
Pour the fruit over the batter and bake approximately one hour.
Batter will rise to the top and become brown and crisp when done.

Banana Yogurt Pancakes Recipe

This recipe was created because I wanted pancakes, but had no pancake mix or  milk. They were light and fluffy and turned out really well. I used vanilla yogurt instead of milk and you can sort of taste the vanilla yogurt in them, add a little butter and syrup and these are delicious.

Ingredients
2 Small-Med. Bananas, mashed
1 Cup Self Rising Flour
1 Cup Vanilla Yogurt
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 Cup water (if needed, depends on how this you like your batter)

Directions
Mix mashed bananas, egg, & yogurt together.
Add the banana mixture to the flour. The batter will be thick, which is why I added the water. I added 1/4 cup. It was still sort of a thick batter, but thin enough for pancakes.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.

Pour or scoop batter onto pan, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake.

Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides.

Makes about 7-8 average size pancakes.

Blueberry Cornmeal Cobbler Recipe

 This is a cobbler recipe I found on my cornmeal mix bag. It sounded wonderful and with blueberries in the frig and nearly a whole bag of cornmeal mix, I decided to give it a try. It was very simple and delicious and this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Bake Time: 40-50 minutes  Serves: 8

Ingredients

4 C. Fresh or thawed, frozen blueberries
1 1/2 C. Sugar, divided
1 C. Yellow Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
1 C. Self-Rising Flour
6 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 7x11 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Pour blueberries into dish and sprinkle with 3/4 c. sugar.
4. Combine cornmeal, flour, 3/4 c. sugar, melted butter, and milk.
5. Pour cornmeal mixture over berries.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
7. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
8. Enjoy!

Finally Blueberry Muffins

Well I finally got around to making the blueberry muffins. I used the Multi Muffin Mix recipe + 3/4 C. of blueberries, which didn't knock a dent in what I have, so I guess I will have to freeze some. They turned out very well. They did take a little longer to brown in my oven. I used to complain about my old stove when I started taking longer to bake things, then I finally got a brand new stove and it takes longer in it than in the old stove. I was very disappointed, but I did get the glass top instead of the round burners. The top heats up fast.

 

The original recipe calls for an additional 2 Tbsp. of sugar for the blueberry muffins, but I think 3 would be better. They were good, but my blueberries were a little tart, so a slightly sweeter muffin would have been better I think. I also added 1/4 c. oatmeal & 1 Tbsp. of ground flax. I spread a little margarine on two of these for breakfast. I was late eating, but it was well worth it.

 

For lunch, if that's what you can call it, was more or less just snacking. I had one serving of the Lean Cuisine garden vegetable dip with pita bread. It comes with two servings.

 

You get half a pita and a small cup of the vegetable dip. I was very skeptical about this at first, but decided to try it. To my surprise, it was very good. The pita was soft and not rubbery after heating in the microwave for 15 seconds instead of the 20 it called for.

 

I used the called for time in heating the dip. I was pretty warm, but not too hot and was very good on the pita bread.

 

This made a nice snack, but I could have eaten the other one.

I ate the pita and dip while I fixed a few onion rings and that was lunch. Lunch was late also, so I just munched to hold me until dinner.

I had a good dinner though. I fixed a salad with iceberg lettuce and some of the cucumber and tomatoes I gathered from my sad little garden. I also used the last of my orange bell pepper. I had the salad along with a few sweet potato puffs and a MSF Chik'n Griller.

I really like the little sweet potato puff, even better than the fries. You can spice them up a little or just eat them plain. They are great either way.

I just had them plain yesterday with the last of my spicy ranch blown all over my salad. I just love meals that really satisfy me and this was one of them.

After dinner I got started playing games online. (not a good idea) I made the mistake of playing Angry Birds. It's very popular and so I thought I would try it out. I can now see why it is so popular. It's looks very simple, but it is so addictive. I stayed up way too late because of it. I tried putting the games on the Android tablet we have, but they don't work too well on it for some reason, so I played it online in my Chrome browser. The Facebook app sux. It was terrible. Every time it would pop up wanting to post it to FB, it would freeze and I'd have to refresh the page. Sometimes it would show that I'd finished the level  and sometimes I'd have to do it all over again, hence the reason I played the chrome version. I haven't tried it in Firefox and I don't use Internet Explorer. 

I think I will go and have some breakfast and deal with my angry bird issue. I have Zumba tonight, goody. Happy Thursday!

Sweet And Sour Veggies Recipe

This is a great recipe, I found on Food.com. I make this using whatever veggies I have on hand. I usually omit the 1/2 c. of water, add a little oil to a skillet and stir fry the veggies for a few minutes. I like my veggies crisp tender. I also add pineapple chunks and occasionally  a MorningStar Farms grillers chik'n veggie pattie or Gardein Chik'n Scallopini. I have used light soy sauce and a pinch or two of sea salt instead of regular soy sauce.

 Ingredients

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 medium carrots, diagonally sliced
• 1 large red bell peppers, cut into short, thin strips
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions

Directions

1. Add 1/2 cup water to large skillet with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Add carrots, cover and steam for 4 minutes.
3. Remove lid and add an additional 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil.
4. Add broccoli and red peppers.
5. Reduce heat to medium.
6. Cover and steam another 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
7. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and sugar in small bowl.
8. Blend in pineapple juice, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth.
9. Transfer vegetables to colander and drain.
10. Stir pineapple mixture and add to skillet.
11. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens.
12. Great over brown rice!

Very Berry Smoothie

This is a berry-licious smoothie made using fresh strawberries and blueberries, a cool creamy treat that's healthy enough for breakfast.

Ingredients
1/2 C. Blueberries
1/2 C. Strawberry Chunks or Slices
1/2 C. Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Old Fashioned Oats (I put mine in a coffee grinder for a finer grind)
2 tsp. Ground Flax
1 tsp. Honey
3-5 Ice Cubes

Directions
Throw everything in your blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Creamy Dill Pasta Salad Recipe

This is a creamy pasta, made with plain yogurt & dill weed. The yogurt can be substituted with sour cream if you prefer and you can add whatever fresh veggies you like. I used cucumber and onion is this version

The Salad 

2 cups elbow macaroni cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded & chopped

1/4 cup diced red onion

The Dressing 

2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice (You can substitute w/ white vinegar or dill pickle juice)

2 teaspoons dill weed

¼ teaspoon garlic powder 

Directions

1. Mix together salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
2. Mix together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pour dressing over salad, tossing to coat evenly.
4. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

This is an easy to make, Italian style pasta salad using your favorite Italian dressing. You can use either Kalamata or black olive, both are great in this recipe. You could also use a sun dried tomato vinaigrette and add some chopped sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients
3 cups Garden Rotini Pasta cooked & drained
1- 4 oz. can Mushroom stems and pieces drained
1- 2.25 oz. can sliced Kalamata or black olives drained
1/2 C. chopped green pepper
1/2 C. chopped red onion
3/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C. zesty Italian dressing

Directions

1. Mix together salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
2. Pour dressing over salad, tossing to coat evenly.
3. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Cinnamon Roll Toast Recipe

This is delicious and easy. Takes cinnamon toast to a whole nother level. Great for when you want a cinnamon roll in a hurry. You can use whatever bread you like, here I used hamburger buns.

10 min | 5 min prep
SERVES 1

• 2 slices bread (I prefer thick slices, but either works)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

*Glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons water or milk
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
  

1. Mix glaze ingredients together and set aside.
2. **Melt butter in microwave for 15 seconds.
3. Mix cinnamon with melted butter.
4. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of bread with cinnamon butter.
5. Place bread in a moderately hot skillet, grill until lightly toasted or slightly crisp.
6. Turn and do the same to the other side.
7. Drizzle glaze over hot toast.
   

Note: For me this makes more glaze than needed. I could get 2 or more servings out of it. You can also spread cinnamon butter on hamburger buns, etc and place under the broiler.

*If glaze is too thick add milk in ¼ tsp. increments until desired consistency is reached.

** I've found that I prefer mixing the cinnamon with spread butter and spreading it on, either way works.