Chocolate and Fruit Trifle

Have you ever needed to bring a dessert to a function and wanted something elegant, yet easy?

Here is the perfect dessert for you.  A Trifle looks incredible and yet is one of the easiest desserts I have ever made.  Some cake, fruit, and pudding layered together in an elegant bowl = dessert perfection!

Since this had chocolate cake, I added some shaved chocolate to the top.  This is super easy, take a Hershey's bar and use a potato peeler to shave off thin slices of chocolate, a beautiful finishing touch!

12-16 Servings
Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 20 min. + cooling

Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup cold water
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped

Directions:

Prepare cake batter according to package directions; pour into a
greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20
minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out
clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Crumble enough cake to
measure 8 cups; set aside. (Save remaining cake for another use.)

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, water and pudding mix for 2 minutes.
Let stand for two minutes or until soft-set. Fold in the whipped
cream.

To assemble, spread 2-1/2 cups pudding mixture in a 4-qt. glass bowl.
Top with half of the crumbled cake; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon
orange juice. Arrange half of the berries and kiwi over cake.
Repeat pudding and cake layers; sprinkle with remaining orange juice.
Top with remaining pudding mixture. Spoon remaining fruit around
edge of bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-16
servings.

Taste of Home: Winning Recipes

Greek Chicken

I was very nervous to try this.  I wasn't sure whether my family would like it or not.  What a wonderful surprise, it was excellent!  It had a wonderful flavor, the chicken was cooked just right, everything was delicious!  Obviously, I needed some other side to make the plate look more full, we joked it was a very French meal.  I did serve warm pita bread with pesto sauce made from a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a mixture of spices.  That was very good as well.  Any ideas for a good Greek side dish? 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
2 cups loosely packed torn fresh spinach leaves
1 ripe tomato, chopped

Directions:

On large plate, combine 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cheese, lemon juice, and oregano. Set aside.

With a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread cheese mixture on each chicken breast, leaving 1/2 inch border. Fold chicken breasts in half; secure each with toothpick. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups water, chicken bouillon cube, and remaining flour; pour over chicken breasts in pan. Add spinach and tomato to skillet, and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Discard toothpicks before serving.


Nutritional Information:

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 239
Total Fat: 10.2g
Cholesterol: 85mg
Sodium: 688mg
Total Carbs: 4.8g
Dietary Fiber: 0.8g
Protein: 31g

http://www.allrecipes.com/

Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas and Spanish Rice

I have been on a Mexican food kick lately.  This was a delicious meal and really very easy.  I got the refried beans out of a can, but to make them from scratch, you can just cook Pinto beans until they are the right consistency.  I didn't have time for that. 

Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 red onion diced
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes drained
1 tbsp lime juice
fresh parsley minced
fresh cilantro minced
salt
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425*

2. Boil the chicken for one hour.  Pull chicken apart into fine strips. Place chicken in a nonstick skillet.  Stir in the soup, onion, tomatoes, lime juice, parsley, cilantro, cheese and chili powder and cook over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

3. Place the tortillas onto 2 baking sheets.  Spray outside with olive oil.  Spread about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on half of each tortilla to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Brush the edges of the tortillas with water. Fold the tortillas over the filling and press the edges to seal.

4. Bake for 10 minutes or until the filling is hot and the tortillas are crispy. Serve with additional filling, salsa, or sour cream.

Spanish Rice:

Ingredients:


2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups* chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.


Directions:

1 In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.

2 In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

http://simplyrecipes.com/

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups

These were delicious!  I had some trouble flattening the chicken, I think the breasts were too large, but other than that, this was an easy recipe that everyone loved!

8 Servings
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.


Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
8 thin slices (4 ounces) deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk
Cooking spray

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Place a slice of ham and half slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken. Roll up from a short side and tuck in ends; secure with a toothpick.

In a shallow bowl, combine the crumbs, Romano cheese and parsley.  Pour milk into another bowl. Dip chicken rolls in milk, then roll in crumb mixture.

Place the roll-ups, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Spritz chicken with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks.

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Taste of Home: Winning Recipes

Apple Spiced Muffins

I love a healthy tasting muffin, and this is certainly one. Very moist and delicious!
12 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons molasses
1-1/2 cups finely chopped peeled pears (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, yogurt, oil and molasses until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pears, raisins and walnuts.

Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups two-thirds full.

Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 dozen mini muffins or 16 regular muffins.


Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (2 each) equals 276 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 20 mg cholesterol, 225 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Taste of Home: Winning Recipes