This recipe tastes like lasagna, but not anywhere near the work. Gabrielle even likes this and stirs it together to make "pink sauce"- It is from Better Homes & Gardens (iphone app, but also on their website). You can add as more ravioli if you want - I use frozen mini cheese ravioli.

Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

Makes: 4 servings

Start to Finish: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups purchased pasta sauce (or just use 1 jar)
• 1/3 cup water (I put the water in the sauce jar and shake it, then pour it out to get all the sauce)
• 1 9 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese- or meat-filled ravioli
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 115 ounce carton ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a 10-inch skillet combine pasta sauce and the water. Bring to boiling; stir in ravioli. Reduce heat. Cook, covered, over medium heat about 5 minutes or until ravioli are nearly tender, stirring once to prevent sticking.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together egg, ricotta cheese, and the 1/4 cup Romano cheese. I add in about a teaspoon of kosher salt to this mixture. Top ravioli with spinach. Spoon ricotta mixture on top of spinach. Cook, covered, over low heat about 10 minutes or until ricotta layer is set and ravioli are tender. Sprinkle each serving with additional Romano cheese. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Philadelphia Oreo Cheesecake

I made this for a special treat for our Oscar watching party. It was yummy! We baked it in the 9x13 pan and cut it into squares.

1 pkg. (15.5 oz.) OREO Cookies, divided

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

4 eggs

Make It

HEAT oven to 325ºF.
LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Process 30 cookies in food processor until finely ground. Add butter; mix well. Press onto bottom of pan.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Chop remaining cookies; stir 1-1/2 cups into batter. Pour over crust; top with remaining chopped cookies.
BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

How to Bake in Springform Pan

Substitute 9-inch springform pan for the 13x9-inch pan. Do not line pan with foil. Prepare cheesecake as directed, increasing the baking time to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run small knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely. Remove rim. Refrigerate as directed. (Note: If using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan, reduce oven temperature to 300°F.)

Best Brownies

The girls have been making these brownies for a while now. They are chewy and tasty. They don't wait for them to cool and just pour the frosting right on- I really don't think it matters! The recipe comes from the Hershey website.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
   
2. 2 Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
   
3. 3 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.
   
   
   CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING
   
   3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
   3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
   1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1 cup powdered sugar
   1 to 2 tablespoons milk
   
   Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk;
   beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos (With leftovers for Tortilla Soup)

This is the easiest way that I know to do flavorful shredded chicken for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and quesadillas. You can drain the liquid off for serving to picky children!
Ingredients:
1 envelope taco seasoning
6 boneless frozen chicken breasts
1 16oz jar of salsa (I like to use Pace Salsa Verde)


Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.
For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time). It is fun to put the ingredients for the soup in a basket and take it as a "soup kit" to give to a friend.

Tortilla Soup Ingredients:
approximately 1 cup of leftover chicken taco meat
1 32. oz box of chicken broth
1 can of Milder Ro-Tel (tomatoes with chilies)
1 can of corn
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
Dump everything in a pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. Garnish with crumbled tortilla chips and shredded cheese (Mexican blend).

Ham-and-Bean Soup

Making this recipe was a real victory for me! Jared loved it and that was my main goal. I had a leftover ham bone from a Honeybake Ham from our dinner group the week before. For super bowl weekend I made 5 different kinds of soups ("souper bowl") and had a bunch of people for dinner. I made this one and it was a big hit. I ended up simmering it longer, because I needed it to- then put it in the crock pot on warm to serve. You can freeze a ham bone and leftover ham until you are ready to make the soup. It is great to serve this with corn bread of corn muffins.

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) package dried great Northern beans
• 3 cups chopped cooked ham
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ham bone
• 2 (32-ounce) containers chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Preparation

Sort and wash beans. Place beans in a 6-quart Dutch oven; add water 2 inches above beans, and soak 8 hours. Drain.
Sauté ham, onion, and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
Add beans, ham bone, chicken broth, and red pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender and soup has thickened. 

Chicken and Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce

This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe. I checked out his new book from the library "Sizzling Skillets," and this is from the casserole section. It seemed really basic, but turned out really nice. It would be a great to take to a potluck or to bring to someone. I used jarred pesto rather than making my own. I also used asiago cheese on the top-mmmm.

Ingredients:
1 lb. cavatappi pasta
Salt and black pepper
3/4 cup EVOO
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
9 oz. spinach, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions, but undercook it by about 2 minutes. Drain, drizzle with 1 tbs EVOO, toss to coat, and set aside.
Grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.
Heat 1 tbs EVOO in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the chicken is opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add another tbs of oil to the pan and add the onion. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes, then add 1 tsp garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Now add the spinach and season again with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes, until the spinach begins to wilt. Turn off the heat and add the chicken back in. Set aside.
Make the pesto: combine the pine nuts, crushed red pepper, 1/4 tsp lemon zest, and remaining 1 tsp garlic in your food processor. Pulse until blended. Use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper and turn the processor on. Stream in 1/2 cup EVOO through the feed tube until it’s well blended. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to broil.
In a medium stock pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the flour and whisk for a minute. Don’t burn it. Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto, 3/4 of the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, or in your saute pan, combine the pasta, chicken-spinach mixture, pesto cream sauce, and remaining 1 tsp lemon zest. Toss to mix well. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and broil until the top is bubbly and browning.

Oven-Roasted Chicken with Garlic Marjoram Butter

I have been watching (late at night) old episodes of Curtis Stone's "Take Home Chef," where Chef Curtis meets someone in a grocery store who is cooking for someone. He buys their groceries then goes home and cooks a delicious meal for them (really surprising their spouse/kids/dinner guests). It's a great little cooking show since he never knows what he's going to get himself into. The result is always an awesome meal. I tried this recipe for roast chicken- it was really easy to do and really flavorful. I served it with a salad and a new taste- steamed indigo blue potatoes.

Take Home Chef, Episode 3: Mary's Menu

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 head garlic

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 bunch of fresh marjoram, leaves finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Two 4 1/2 to 5 pound whole organic frying chickens, giblet sacks from cavities removed and discarded

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C.  Place the carrots, celery, onion and ½ head of garlic into a large roasting pan (these vegetables will be the bed for the chickens to roast on and discarded after).
2. Mix the butter, marjoram, and crushed garlic cloves in a small bowl to blend. Rinse the chickens with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken cavities with salt and pepper.
3. Using your thumb and index finger, separate the skin from the chicken breasts. Place the butter under the skin on the breast meat. Pat the top of the skin to spread the butter over the breast meat. Truss the chickens (tie the legs together with kitchen twine).  Place the chickens on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Sprinkle the chickens and vegetables with salt and pepper and roast for 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours, basting occasionally. 
4. When the chickens are done, their skin will be crisp and golden and an instant-read meat thermometer will register 180°F/ 82°C when inserted into the thickest part of the thighs.  Remove the chickens from the roasting pan and place on your favorite platter.  Pour the pan drippings into a 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off the fat that accumulates atop the pan juices.  Serve the chicken with the pan juices.