I made these for a treat last night. They were very yummy and you could easily vary the pudding flavor and add ins. I would like to try the cheesecake pudding in this recipe next!

Easy Pudding Cookies

What You Need

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup  packed brown sugar

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2   eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups  flour

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, chopped

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add dry pudding mix; beat until well blended. Add eggs and baking soda; mix well. Gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in chocolate.
DROP tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 min. on baking sheets; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise

This cookies are great for gift-giving and sharing on a special occasion.

Special Extra

Add 1 cup dried cranberries with the chocolate.

Variation

Prepare using other flavor combinations of JELL-O Instant Pudding and stir-ins, such as Pistachio Pudding with dried cherries, Lemon Pudding with chopped PLANTERS Pecans, and Vanilla Pudding with chopped BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

Pesto Grilled Shrimp

This is a wonderful combination- bold flavored pesto with light and bright shrimp. I used the "Colossal" sized shrimp for this recipe. Actually, I did not have a recipe- I just "marinated" the shrimp in the pesto sauce in a zip-loc bag for about 30 minutes. Then I heated up the grill- I sprayed my saute pan that goes on the grill and heated it up too.  Then I poured out the mixture onto the hot pan. I just cooked them until they were all cooked through, turning them and mixing the sauce around as they cooked. Meanwhile, I cooked some pasta (I just grabbed garden rotini from the pantry, but I love angel hair pasta and think that would be awesome as well) and put it together at the last minute, turning the pasta to coat it with the pesto. It was de-lish! You can top with parmesan, if you like. You could definitely do this on top of the stove as well.

Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie

The girls made this pie for me for Mother's Day. It was so delicious, creamy, and fluffy!
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature (light is fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 ounces chocolate
In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form.  Add about 1 c. of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture and mix until just combined.  Spread in the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare the strawberries.
Wash the strawberries and cut off the stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and then gently press, cut side down, into the whipped cream mixture. Set aside.
If using a chocolate bar, break it into equal pieces and place in a small Ziploc bag. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 20 seconds to mash the bag. You want the chocolate to be melted but not hot at all. When the chocolate is melted, snip a corner off the bag and drizzle it over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serves 8.

South of the Border Corn Chowder

I am on a soup kick, lately. Actually, I think I am on a crock-pot kick lately. It makes it so easy to start it in the morning and have dinner done and out of the way. Just add some corn bread or the recipe suggests just serving this with corn chips. Easy! You could leave out the jalapeno for milder flavor. This recipe is from a cook book I got at the library a while back- The Southern Living Slow Cooker Cook Book. This was an "Editor's Favorite."

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 1 3/4 lbs.)

1 (16 oz.) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup whipping cream

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in 4-quart slow cooker

2. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until potatoes are tender

3. Stir in cream. Using a potato masher, partially mash potatoes in slow cooker until chowder is desired consistency. (Makes 10 cups)

Turkey Meatball Soup

You can also used fully cooked appetizer-sized packaged frozen meatballs for this recipe. That is what I did and it turned out great.

2 quarts chicken broth (reduced sodium, fat free)
1 cup each chopped onion, thickly sliced carrots, and zuchinni
Turkey Meatballs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper, in slow cooker, cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Turkey Meatballs
2 pounds ground turkey
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper

1. Combine all ingredients; shape into 40 small meatballs.

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple

Jared got a new grill and I grilled last night, even though it is still pretty cool out. The little boy next door (age 5) was outside swinging and every time his little hooded blond head popped up he would yell over to me, "That grilling sure smells good!" or "Is it ready yet?" or when I was getting ready to take it in, "See you later! Have a nice dinner!" He also told me that his grill is old and all his dad could make on it is hot dogs! No wonder it smelled so good to him. I love this recipe for grilled chicken and pineapple. It has a great marinade, too. You could also do this with same marinade for shrimp and do them on skewers with chunks of pineapple on the grill.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken And Pineapple

Ingredients

• 1 can (20 oz.) DOLE^® Pineapple Slices
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Drain pineapple slices; reserve all juice.
2. Combine reserved juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano and garlic powder in large, shallow, non-metallic dish. Reserve 1/4 cup. Add chicken to remaining marinade, turning to coat all sides. Cover and marinate 15 minutes in refrigerator. Discard marinade.
   
3. Grill or broil chicken and pineapple slices, brushing occasionally with reserved marinade, 5 to 10 minutes on one side turn over. Add pineapple slices to grill with chicken and brush with marinade 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Discard any remaining marinade.