Recipe of the Week Archives - Page 31 of 34

Recipe of the Week: Banana Cream Trifle

June 14, 2008 1 Comment

For this week’s recipe I wanted to feature a trifle. These are great for any time of the year, but I think they’re especially great for a cool summer time treat. I’m used to seeing either a chocolate trifle or a strawberry trifle, but this one offers a little something different…it’s like banana pudding with a twist. The recipe comes from Betty Crocker. They suggest using a frozen bread loaf, but you may prefer to bake your own. And if you don’t do homemade bread, then you can make it easily from a mix. Pillsbury has a line of quick bread mixes that are very good, and Martha White muffin mixes are great as well. If you love banana, this one is a must try!

1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups cold milk
1 package (16 ounces) frozen banana breakfast quick bread loaf, thawed and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups) (or use banana nut bread or muffin mix and bake as directed)
3 medium bananas, sliced
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Make pudding mix in large bowl as directed on package for pudding, using 2 cups milk.
2. Layer half of the bread cubes, pudding, banana slices and whipped topping in 2-quart serving bowl; repeat.
3. Cover and refrigerate until serving but no longer than 24 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

My Tip – Southern Banana pudding wouldn’t be the same without Nila wafers, and I think they’d also make a great addition to the recipe. You can layer them with the rest of the ingredients and then end with them on top. Yum!

Filed Under: desserts, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Under the Sea Cake

June 6, 2008 2 Comments

Here’s a really cute cake for summer from Kraft. They also have a recipe for video for a similar recipe called Dive On in Cake. Kids of all ages will love these.

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix, any flavor
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin
2 cups ice cubes
10 NILLA Wafers, crushed
2 chewy fruit snack rolls
15 jelly beans
4 TEDDY GRAHAMS Honey Graham Snacks
decorating gel
7 bite-size fish-shaped chewy fruit snacks

PREPARE and bake cake batter in greased foil-lined 13×9-inch baking pan as directed on package. Cool completely. Invert cake onto large platter; remove pan and foil. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/2-inch-wide strip off each side of cake. Cut each strip in half lengthwise; set aside.
SPREAD cake with 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Stack cake strips around outside edges of cake to make a rim. Spread rim with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to use.

STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice cubes; stir until gelatin begins to thicken. Remove any unmelted ice. Pour thickened gelatin into center of cake as shown in photo. Refrigerate 4 hours or until gelatin is set. Decorate with remaining ingredients to resemble an aquarium. Store in refrigerator.

Filed Under: desserts, party ideas, Recipe of the Week, summer

Recipe of The Week: Uncle Sam’s Red, White, & Blue Parfaits

May 22, 2008 1 Comment

I finally made it back home early this morning. I’m still in the process of unpacking and settling back in, but I wanted to come on here tonight to post the photo of the recipe…it’s just not the same without the picture, is it?

Hope you all had a great holiday, and I hope you enjoy this cool treat.

2 cups boiling water, divided
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any red flavor
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin
2 cups cold water, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
STIR 1 cup boiling water into each flavor dry gelatin in separate large bowls 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir 1 cup cold water into gelatin in each bowl.
POUR each gelatin flavor into separate 8-inch square pans.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Cut gelatin in each pan into 1/2-inch cubes. Layer alternating flavors of gelatin cubes and the whipped topping in 10 dessert glasses. Store in refrigerator.

Filed Under: desserts, Misc Holidays, Patriotic, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Graduation Cup-caps

May 15, 2008 1 Comment

Going along with the graduation theme, here’s a very cute cupcake recipe. These would be so great for kindergarden and pre-school graduates, but the big kids and adults should like them too.

Graduation Cup-caps
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow or white cake mix
1 env. KOOL-AID Orange Flavor Unsweetened Soft Drink Mix
2/3 cup (1/2 of 7-oz. tub) BAKER’S Real Dark Semi-Sweet Dipping Chocolate, melted
12 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, broken crosswise in half (12 squares)
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 chewy fruit snack rolls, any color
24 jelly beans
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin pan cups with paper liners. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Stir in drink mix until well blended. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool.
SPREAD 1 tsp. melted chocolate onto each graham square to cover entire top of cracker. Place on baking sheet. Refrigerate until hardened. Remove paper from cupcakes. Turn upside down. Using wooden spoon handle, make small tunnel from top to bottom in center of cupcake. Place whipped topping in small resealable plastic bag. Snip corner; pipe small amount of whipped topping into each cupcake. Place remaining whipped topping on top. Top with chocolate covered graham to make “cap”.
SEE tip below to make tassels. Place each tassel on top of cap with jelly bean in center, using a small amount of whipped topping as glue.

Filed Under: cupcakes, desserts, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Southwestern Chicken

May 3, 2008 7 Comments

Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, I thought it appropriate to have a spicy Mexican style dish for this week’s recipe. I found this recipe in Taste of Home back in December and tried it out. It’s just as flavorful as it is colorful, and that’s saying something. My husband loves spicy food, and this recipe definitely got his seal of approval!

Ingredients:
2 cans (15-1/4 ounces each) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky salsa, divided
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Combine the corn, black beans and 1/2 cup of salsa in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with chicken; pour the remaining salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours or until meat juices run clear. Sprinkle with cheese; cover until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

My Suggestions:

-Just as with all slow cooker meals, cooking times will vary on this one. My crockpot is new, so I was able to cook this low in about 5-6 hours.

-Also, when I made this I used small tenders instead of split chicken breasts.

-I also recommend adding a little water or chicken broth to prevent drying and burning.

-When serving, top with extra cheese, sour cream, or your favorite toppings. And don’t forget the chips and dip on the side!

-For a more creamy mixture, I recommend adding a can of cream of chicken soup (or mushroom) along with water or chicken broth.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Bacon, Caesar, and Mozarella Panini

April 25, 2008 4 Comments

In case anyone was wondering, the reason I didn’t post anything for Menu Plan Monday this week is because my husband is out of town for half of this week. Since it’s just me here, I didn’t really have a need to plan a big menu. But MPM will be back again for this upcoming week.

In the meantime, here is this week’s recipe of the week. This was a featured recipe on pilsbury.com recently. These are great for a snack, appetizer, or quick lunch and dinner. And since I’m on my own this week, it seemed like an easy and tasty meal for me to make for myself. Yum!

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust
4 teaspoons basil pesto
1/4 cup Caesar dressing (creamy or vinaigrette style)
8 oz water-packed fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into 8 slices, or 8 slices (1 oz each) regular mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 slices cooked bacon
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
8 large fresh basil leaves
1/4cup Butter

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 16×11-inch rectangle, pulling dough gently if necessary. Bake 9 to 16 minutes or until light brown. Cool about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
2. Cut cooled pizza crust in half lengthwise and crosswise to make 4 rectangles. Remove rectangles from cookie sheet; cut each rectangle in half crosswise for a total of 8 squares.
3. On each of 4 crust slices, spread 1 teaspoon pesto; set aside. On each of remaining 4 slices, spread 1 tablespoon Caesar dressing. Place 2 cheese slices on each crust slice with Caesar dressing. Top cheese with pepper, 3 bacon slices, 2 tomato slices and 2 basil leaves. Top with remaining crust slices, pesto sides down.
4. Heat 12-inch skillet or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in skillet. Place 2 sandwiches in skillet. Place smaller skillet or saucepan on sandwiches to flatten slightly; keep skillet on sandwiches while cooking. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until bread is golden brown and crisp and fillings are heated. Remove from skillet; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sandwiches.

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Banana Split Cupcakes

April 18, 2008 5 Comments

Here’s another yummy cupcake recipe, courtesy of Taste of Home. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that!

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 milk chocolate bars (1.55 ounces each) broken into squares, divided

FROSTING:
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
12 maraschino cherries with stems

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the banana, butter, buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients; stir just until combined. Fold in the nuts. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each paper-lined muffin cup. Top each with one candy bar square. Fill the remainder of the cup two-thirds full with batter.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. In a microwave, melt the remaining candy bar squares; drizzle over frosting. Top each with a cherry. Yield: 1 dozen.

Filed Under: cupcakes, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

April 12, 2008 3 Comments

This week I’m on a new recipe “kick” so to speak, and I’ve found a bunch of new, tasty things to try over the next few weeks, including this lovely cupcake recipe from Kraft. I’m an absoulte cheesecake fanatic and I love lemon pies and cakes too, so I think the combination of these two flavors into a cupcake is just awesome.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup water
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.
BAKE 21 to 24 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
MEANWHILE, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Filed Under: cupcakes, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Pizza Melts

April 5, 2008 3 Comments

I was searching for some appetizers to make for lunch when I ran across this recipe for Pizza Melts from Pillsbury. Since I haven’t posted a recipe of the week, I decided to share this one with you. If you like pizza, then this would be a good quick meal for you. It would also make a great party appetizer and the perfect after school snack. Follow the recipe or mix it up by adding your favorite pizza toppings, and enjoy!

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 cup pizza sauce or 3 tablespoons tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano
1 package (3.5 oz) sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 cup pizza sauce, if desired

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet. On cookie sheet, unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle. With floured rolling pin or fingers, roll or press dough into 12×9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

2. Spread 1/4 cup pizza sauce over dough to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

3. On 14-inch length of parchment paper, unroll remaining can of dough. Press to make 12×9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. While holding paper with dough, turn dough upside down to cover cheese. Remove paper. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on cooling rack 5 to 10 minutes. Move to cutting board. Using pizza cutter, cut into 16 squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Serve with 1 cup pizza sauce.

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Buffalo Chicken Wrap

March 28, 2008 3 Comments

In the midst of all the number crunching, we must not forget to eat lunch. So here’s a little food for thought. The recipe of the week comes from Eating Well. It seems like wraps are “all the rage” these days, and if you like a little spice in your life, this wrap is for you. (and if not, you could always make it for your husband or other spicey food fan.)

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced celery
1 large tomato, diced

1. Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders; cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.

3. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.

4. To assemble wraps: Lay a tortilla on a work surface or plate. Spread with 1 tablespoon blue cheese sauce and top with one-fourth of the chicken, lettuce, celery and tomato. Drizzle with some of the hot sauce remaining in the bowl and roll into a wrap sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week, recipes