Chocolate Pudding Trifle

2 cups heavy cream.

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

One 11-ounce loaf store-bought pound cake, cut into cubes.

4 cups prepared chocolate pudding.

Chocolate shavings, for decoration.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large clean bowl, whip the cream for around 30 seconds until frothy. Add the sugar and vanilla.

Whip again until soft peaks form, being careful not to over whip.

Place an even layer of cake on the bottom of a 3-quart trifle dish. Top with half of the chocolate pudding, smoothing out the layer with a spatula. Cover with half of the whipped cream and smooth out repeat again, starting with the cake. Decorate the top with shaved chocolate.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Million Dollar Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 2 graham cracker pie crusts.
• 1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand. Condensed Milk.
• 1 (10 ounce) can crushed pineapple.
• 9 ounces Cool Whip.
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
• 3/4 cup pecans.

DIRECTION: 

• Mix all Ingredients.
• Pour into crusts. Garnish with extra pecans if you wish.
• Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Southern Creamy Pralines

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups sugar.
• 1 cup whole fat buttermilk.
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup.
• 1 pinch salt.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 4 cups of pecans.

DIRECTION: 

• Combine sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup and salt in very large pan (it will foam considerably when soda is added) and bring to a rice rolling boil. Add soda, stir and cook until soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water.
• at 235 F on Candy thermometer, the syrup is at the "soft ball' stage. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball. *** 
• Then remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat until color changes and candy thickens. Stir in pecans. Drop by teaspoon on a Well greased non stick cookie sheet, foil or wax paper. If you do not grease your pan well it will stick (DO IT FAST before the candy hardens) *** I drop mine on foil***.

Chicken Biscuit Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can (10  3/4 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup.
• 1/4 cup milk.
• 3/4 shredded cheddar cheese.
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.
• Chopped onions (if you like).
• Green peas.
• Boiled potatoes.
• Boiled chicken shredded or chunked.
• 1 package (7.5 ounces) refrigerated biscuit dough (10 biscuits).

DIRECTION: 

• Heat the oven to 400 F. Stir the soup, milk, cheese and black pepper in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Stir in the vegetables and chicken.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture top the chicken mixture with the biscuits.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Hawaiian Ham Roll Sliders

2 pkg Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls.

1 pkg deli sandwich ham.

12 slice, Swiss cheese.

1/2 c butter, melted.

1 tablespoon poppy seeds.

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.

1 1/2 teaspoons brown or Dijon mustard.

1 teaspoon onion powder.

DIRECTION: 

Slice top from rolls and place bottoms in baking pan. Layer ham and cheese on rolls. Replace tops. Combine butter, poppy seeds, mustard, Worcestershire, and onion powder and mix well, Drizzle over rolls. Refrigerate until butter is firm or overnight. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until cheese melts. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm or cold. 

Pepperoni Roll

per-packaged frozen dough (I prefer Rhodes).

shredded cheese (maxi-blend or mozzarella).

Parmesan cheese.

Pepperoni or whatever other pizza topping you like.

Some herbs.

Olive oil.

DIRECTION: 

Loosely cover the frozen bread dough with plastic wrap.

Allow dough to thaw for a few hours at room temperature.

Roll dough out to approximately 11 x 11 square.

One frozen dough log makes one pepperoni roll.

Brush dough with olive oil or whatever cooking oil you prefer.

Lay pepperoni on dough. covering entire surface. I like to use sandwich pepperoni from the deli. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Next, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese. you can use grated from a can if that is what you already have on hand.. but you can buy the shredded Parmesan in a bag. You'll find it right next to the other bags of shredded cheese.

Wall mart sells it for $1.99 and it is very good. I like using the shredded Parmesan in the bag because the flavor is so much better!.

Lightly sprinkle with Italian herbs.. basically, some dried oregano, parsley and basil. Be careful, not to much.. oregano can be very strong and you don't want too much!.

Add a sprinkling garlic powder. I was all out of garlic powder, so I used garlic salt.

Roll up dough starting at one edge of square.

Place rolls on baking sheet, leaving space between,

Brush some melted butter on top of uncooked pepperoni roll. You do not need to let rise.

Bake it right away. It will rise up in the oven perfectly.

Bake at 375 degrees of approx. 15 to 25 minutes. oven temps. and times may vary.

When done, top of roll should be golden brown and you should be able to make a tapping sound on the crust with you fingernail.. just the same as when baking bread. Make sure you allow pepperoni roll to cool completely before serving.

Better-than-mom's Stovestop Goulash with Macaroni, Tomatoes, and Ground Beef

2 teaspoons, olive oil.

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef (less than 10% fat).

1 large onion, chopped.

2 teaspoons minced garlic.

1 1/2 cups water.

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce.

1 can (15 oz.) petite diced tomatoes with juice.

1 T Italian Herb blend (I love the mix from The Spice House, but any Italian seasoning blend will work.).

2 bay leaves.

2 T soy sauce.

1 tablespoon garlic powder.

1 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning (or use your favorite purchase steak seasoning).

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste.

1 cup macaroni (I used Dream field's Macaroni, although after it cooks in the sauce for 30 minutes it's not really a low crab macaroni.).

Low-fat sour cream for serving, optional.

DIRECTION: 

In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil, add the ground beef, and cook until it's well-browned, breaking apart with the turner as it cooks. Push the beef to the side of the pan, add the onions and cook until the onions start to brown, about 5 minutes. add the minced garlic and cook about 2 minutes more.

Add the water, tomato, sauce, petite dice tomatoes and juice, Italian herb blend, bay leaves, soy sauce, garlic powder, Montreal steak seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture together, then cover the pan and simmer about 20 minutes.

Add the macaroni, cover the pan again, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and let the mixture sit for a few minutes before serving. (We only made it about 10 minutes, which was fine.).

Serve hot, with a dollop of low-fat sour cream if desired.

30- Minutes Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce

1 pound ground turkey meat.

5 garlic doves, minced, divided.

1 egg.

1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese.

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped.

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste.

1 cup whole wheat panko bread.

1/2 cup lukewarm water.

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into bite sized cubes (you can use 4 (1 ounce) string cheese pieces, too).

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided.

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes.

1 teaspoon salt.

1/2 teaspoon sugar.

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

DIRECTION: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Allow the oil to simmer (you want it very hot) while you prepare the meatballs.

In a large bowl combine ground turkey meat, half of the minced garlic, egg, cheese, parsley Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and panko. Slowly add the water, a few tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be very most but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.

Scope one tablespoon of meat into a small ball. Press a piece of cheese in the center, then cover it with another piece of meat, roll to seal in the cheese. Repeat with all meat/cheese.

Fry meatballs in batches in the hot oil, 2  minutes on each side.

Place semi-cooked meatballs on prepares baking sheet. Once all meatballs have been panfried. place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they're cooked through.

While the meatballs bake, make you marinara.

Add remaining oil to the same pan the meatballs were in, then add the remaining garlic and saute for one minute, or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, mix well to combine. Simmer the sauce for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 

When meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce, stir to coat.

Country Apple Fritter Bread

Ingredients

Bread Loaf

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk or almond milk

2 apples, peeled and chopped (any kind), mixed with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon old-fashioned Creme Glaze

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1-3 tablespoons of milk or cream - (depending on thickness of glaze wanted).

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray or line with foil and spray with non-stick spray to get out easily for slicing.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, beat while sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended in; add in vanilla extract.

Combine & whisk flour and baking powder together in another bowl and add into creamed butter mixture and stir until blended.

Mix milk into batter until smooth.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apple mixture, then half the brown sugar / cinnamon mixture.

Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.

Pour the remaining batter over apple layer and top with remaining apple mixture, then the remaining brown sugar / cinnamon mixture.

Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using knife or spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, approximately 50-60 minutes.

To make glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk or cream together until well mixed.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze.

Simply Great Chicken

Ingredients

About 3 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I've used both thighs and breasts)

1(.7 ounce) packet of dried Italian dressing mix (such as Good Seasonings)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 

How to Make It

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12 inch x 9 inch pan and set aside, and / or it may be preferable to line you dish with aluminum foil as the sugar tends to caramelize while baking.

Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels.

Combine and the dried Italian seasoning mix and the brown sugar, mixing together well.

Dip and press the chicken pieces into the mixture, coating front and back and place into your prepared pan, topside of the chicken facing up. Any extra coating that remains can just be sprinkled over the chicken.

Carol says to cook for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is done. I do that as well, but during the interim, I turn the chicken over a couple of times and spoon the resultant saucy melted brown sugar mix over the baking chicken allowing, with the final turn leaving the topside facing up for the last bit of baking. I want to get as much of that flavorful coasting as I can.