Berry Cookie Cobbler

From Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Cookbook


This is the best and easiest cobbler I have ever made. My husband prefers it over my mother's now, but don't tell her. We eat this at least once a week.

Berry Cookie Cobbler

2 bags (12 ounces each) frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 container (21-ounce) apple pie filling
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 roll (18-ounce) prepared sugar cookie dough
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix berries, apple filling, sugar, and cinnamon. Transfer fruit mixture to an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. Crumble cookie dough over fruit, covering thickly and completely. Bake uncovered until cookie crust is golden and crisp, and juices bubble thickly, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

*I use one 16 ounce bag of berries because frozen berries are expensive.
*I used a can of cherry pie filling once because that was all I had and I think I liked it better that way.
*I use pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and omit the ice cream altogether. We just aren't ice cream people.

Fudge Pie

I tried this one yesterday. So easy and so good.


Old-Fashioned Fudge Pie
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Friday Mar. 23 at 1:00 PM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Chocolate Fever


2 squares (2-ounces) semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, then the eggs; beat well. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 25 minutes or until just set. Serve warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream

**I used 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips.

Three Chocolate Cookies

As promised....I just pasted it from the Food Network website.

Three Chocolate Cookies
Recipes courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Friday Mar. 23 at 1:00 PM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Chocolate Fever


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup almond brickle chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Spicy Chicken Cigars

This came from one of the Rachael Ray books. It was easy and the kids really ate it up. It was meant to be an appetizer, but we had it for a main dish with the grits casserole.


Spicy Chicken Cigars

1 pound ground chicken (I used ground turkey because I couldn't find chicken)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons grill seasoning, like Montreal steak seasoning
2 tablespoons dried parsley
4 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, mix chicken with spices. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and brush with butter. Top with a second sheet. Take half of the chicken and form a one inch thick log the length of the long side of the dough. Roll log in phyllo tightly. Repeat with remaining chicken and phyllo. Cut each log into three cigars and brush with remaining butter. Bake 12- 15 minutes until golden.

Grits Casserole with Cheese and Chiles

I LOVE grits! I try just about every recipe I find that includes them. I got this one from the New American Heart Association Cookbook and was skeptical because I love my grits dripping with butter, but it is just as good as my sister's recipe that calls for tons of butter, cheese, and salt.

Grits Casserole with Cheese and Chiles

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked grits
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup reduced fat grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese, diced (2 oz)
2 tablespoons canned chopped green chiles, drained
1 tablespoon light margarine
2 medium cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 13x9x2 pan with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large saucepan, bring broth and water to a boil over medium high heat. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, five minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Stir in milk, Parmesan, and Swiss cheeses, chiles, margarine, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir some hot grits mixture into beaten eggs and add eggs to pan, stirring well. Pour into baking pan, smooting top with spatula. Sprinkle with chili powder. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

**Okay...if you make the recipe with all the fat free stuff, it said the dish contained only 2g of fat. I used 2% percent milk and the real stuff cheeses. I don't know what that made the fat content after that.

Freezer Slaw

I make this frequently because my husband WILL NOT eat anything white, therefore I no longer make the "other" kinds of cole slaw. I am sure without the mayo it has to be a little bit healthier, right?

Oh, and I half the recipe and it makes plenty for us.


Freezer Slaw

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
3 (10 oz) packages shredded cabbage slaw (like the Dole cole slaw mix)
1 large carrot, shredded
1 small green pepper, diced
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Bring sugar and vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves; cool. Combine cabbage, carrot, and next three ingredients. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage mixture, tossing to coat. Place in a large heavy duty zip top plastic bag; seal and freeze up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator before serving.

**I use the bagged shredded carrots and the frozen chopped green pepper most of the time.

Black Pepper Beef and Caggage Stir Fry

This one came from allrecipes.com. We had no leftovers and even the kids ate it.


Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 small head cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Saute garlic for about 5 seconds, the add ground beef. Stir until beef is evenly brown. Stir in cabbage and pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender and beef is fully cooked. Stir in soy sauce. Mix together cornstarch and water and stir in. Season with black pepper. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened.


* I skipped the cornstarch step because I didn't have any and it was still good, probably not as thick as it was supposed to be, but it went well served over rice. I was also pretty heavy handed with the black pepper. I used way more than a teaspoon so ours was extra peppery.

Reuben Spread

I got this one from Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook....I think.
I made it twice, once when my sister was here and she devoured it and has since cooked it almost weekly at her own home and last weekend for Adam's party where everyone seemed to enjoy it. My sister's family doesn't eat sauerkraut, but they love this.


Reuben Spread

1/2 lb. sliced deli corned beef, chopped
1 cup sauerkraut, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
14/ teaspoon pepper
1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup thousand island dressing
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Stir together first 7 ingredients and 1 cup Swiss cheese; spoon into lightly greased slow cooker. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Serve with rye Melba rounds.

* Check it after an hour and a half. Mine started to burn the first time after 2 hours.

Rigatoni with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

I make this a lot, it is one of my favorite recipes. I found it in the Houston Chronicle food section about two years ago.

Rigatoni with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

coarse salt
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3/4 pound rigatoni or other short tubular pasta
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.
3. In a small skillet, heat oil over low heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until tender and just beginning to take on color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in red pepper flakes.
4. Stir garlic mixture into reserved tomato mixture. Add parsley, oregano, mozzarella, and pasta; toss and serve.


*I use the jar garlic, about 2 teaspoons, probably 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (because I love it), and I skip the parsley most of the time because I never have it on hand.

Pasta e Fagioli

Yes, another soup. I like soup. It's not the OG's version, but it was still really good AND it was quick and easy.
It's from Cheap, Fast, Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross


Pasta e Fagioli

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
3 cans vegetable broth (14 oz)
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes (14 1/2 oz)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 can kidney beans (15 oz)
1 can white beans (15 oz)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oil in a 4 1/2 quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Cook, stirring from time to time, while peeling and slicing the carrots into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Add the carrots to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, broth, tomatoes with their juice, and Italian seasoning to the pot. Cover, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
3. When the broth comes to a boil, add the macaroni and cook, uncovered, at a rolling boil for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the beans.
4. Add the beans and bring the soup back to a boil. Continue to cook until the macaroni is tender, about 3 more minutes. Season with pepper and serve, sprinking Parmesan cheese on top.

Spicy Tomato Soup

I cannot remember for the life of me where I found this one, maybe a Rachael Ray book? My sons love tomato soup and I was tiring of the canned kind and gave this one a shot. I will definitely make it again. It actually tastes better the next day.....and the next day.


Spicy Tomato Soup

1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons buttter
1/2 cup flour
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 29 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 dashes tabasco
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil

In a 4 quart heavy saucepan, melt half of the butter. When melted, whisk the flour and stir until smooth. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until very thick and smooth. In a small skillet, melt the remaining butter. Saute the onion and garlic over low heat untilthe onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the flour mixtre and combine. Slowly add the broth, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition and allowing the soup to thicken slightly before adding more broth. When all the broth is added, begin adding the tomato sauce and the tomatoes, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well and allowing to thicken before adding more. When all the sauce and tomatoes have been added, season the soup with the tabasco, honey, dill week, pepper, chili powder, and basil. Turn off heat and cool slightly. Serve with croutons or crusty bread.

Yes, it's a reference to Paula Deen. Most of the recipes I find come from her books or her show.

I love to cook and I love to try new recipes. Sometimes I find some that are just too awesome not to pass on and here is where I will share them.

Unless I am baking, I rarely measure ingredients and frequently just eyeball them or add more of the things I like. I'll post the recipes as I find them, but I will let you know if I come up with something a little different.