Garlic Cheese Biscuits

(See photo below with Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe.)

2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
generous dash of Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together Bisquick, milk, and cheese; dough will be sticky. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking stone or greased baking sheet.

In small bowl, mix butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Generously brush tops of unbaked biscuits.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.

Serves 8.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

served with Garlic Cheese Biscuits, similar to those served at Red Lobster

40-50 medium shrimp
1 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
cracked pepper, to taste

Peel and de-vein shrimp; chop onion and set aside.

In large skillet, melt butter; saute garlic and onions until clear. Add shrimp and cook until pink, stirring occasionally. Top with fresh cracked pepper. Serve over angel hair or other pasta.

Serves 6.

Tip: To save time and money, I purchased boiled shrimp rings at a buy one/get one free sale at my local grocery store and froze them until ready to use. I thawed one tray, took off the tails, and added the shrimp to the skillet just long enough to heat throughout. The whole meal was ready to eat in just under half an hour!

Chocolate Lava Cake

This microwave cake is quick, easy, and delicious - and it's good left over!

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix + ingredients listed on box for cake
1 can chocolate frosting

Mix cake as directed on box. Pour into 4-quart microwave-safe glass measuring cup. (The Pampered Chef's Classic Batter Bowl is great for this!)

Drop 5 scoops of icing on top of batter. Do NOT mix in.

Microwave on HIGH, uncovered, for 9 minutes (longer if you have a smaller-watt microwave).

Remove from microwave and turn out onto cake plate or large platter. Cake and measuring cup will be extremely hot, so use caution!

Slice and serve with ice cream.

Serves 12.

Note: I tried this with a yellow cake and a different flavor of frosting, but it wasn't as good - and it looked even worse. The dark color of the chocolate hides the cake's "ugliness".

Jambalaya

A friend of mine gave me a homemade dry mix and instructions (from Southern Living, I believe) as a secret pal gift a few years ago. It tastes great! If you want to make it more "authentic" with veggies instead of seasonings, just make substitutions.

Dry mix:
1 c. uncooked long-grain rice
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. green pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, depending on your personal preference

Remainder of recipe:
3 c. water
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. cooked ham or smoked sausage, diced

Bring mix, water, and tomato sauce to a boil in a large covered skillet; stir in meat.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Remove and discard bay leaf.

Serves 8.

Note: If you use brown rice, your cooking time will need to be extended to 45-60 minutes, depending on the package instructions. Also, add one additional cup of water to keep jambalaya from sticking.

Red Beans & Rice

This is an all-day Crock Pot dish. There's a lot of prep to it, but it's the best homemade red beans & rice I've ever eaten.

1 lb. small red beans - rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1 lb. thick-cut ham, diced
1 lb. link sausage - quartered, sliced, browned, and drained
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. green onion, sliced
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
2/3 c. bell pepper, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. water

Add all ingredients to Crock Pot. Cook on HIGH 2 hours, then reduce heat to LOW for the rest of the day - or until beans are tender. (If you get a late start on it, leave it on HIGH all day.) Stir occasionally.

Optional: Remove 1/2 to 1 cup (or more, depending on personal preference) of beans and blend; add back to Crock Pot and stir in for creaminess.

Serve over rice. Cornbread makes a great side!

Lasagna

1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 lg. jar Prego pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 16-oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 pkgs. Italian blend shredded cheese
additional seasonings, per your taste
(*I add onion flakes, Italian seasoning, and brown sugar.)

Remove sausage from casings and put into a large skillet with ground beef. Brown well and drain.

In large saucepan, heat pasta sauce, garlic, seasonings, mushrooms, and meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese and egg.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In 9x13 baking dish, put a layer of sauce and a layer of pasta. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the pasta, then top with shredded cheese. Repeat layers two more times, ending with cheese.

Cover with a double layer of foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 5-10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.

Serves 12.

Sweet Potato Pie

2 c. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 stick of butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. white sugar
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and evaporated milk. Mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; add 1/4 c. sugar and fold into sweet potato mixture.

Pour into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until firm.

*You can substitute 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

**This makes a thick custard-type pie that doesn't have quite the same texture as a typical sweet potato or pumpkin pie.

Chicken & Dumplings

3 large chicken breasts
3-4 quarts water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. celery, finely chopped
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
1 pkg. flour tortillas, cut into 2-inch squares (approximately)
season to taste (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.)

Boil chicken in water. (Add celery and onion trimmings to create a more flavorful broth.)

Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Skim trimmings off broth. Stir in soup, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Season to taste.

Cut or tear chicken into bite-size pieces and add to broth. Add tortilla pieces, a few at a time, pushing under broth to keep from sticking together.

Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*This would be great with leftover turkey, too!

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

1 box of angel food cake mix
1 20-oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour dry cake mix and pineapple, with juice, into mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Pour into ungreased 9x13 baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Let cool, then serve plain or with whipped topping.

*Another tasty option is to make it part of a low-fat sundae cake. Top individual slices with fresh sliced strawberries and bananas, chocolate chips, whipped cream, nuts, and maraschino cherries.

Yes, this cake is that easy - probably the easiest one you'll ever bake!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 can tomato soup
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic & oregano)
1/2 c. Half & Half

Pour soup and tomatoes into blender or food processor and blend until smooth; pour into saucepan. Add Half & Half, stirring well. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Thanks for the recipe, Tricia!

*I made a double recipe and had just enough left over for one small bowl of soup.

Chipotle Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Ingredients not measured; make pizza to suit personal taste preferences.

pizza dough
alfredo sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded chicken seasoned with Pampered Chef® Chipotle Rub
sliced black olives

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough to about 15 inches; bake 8 minutes. Top with alfredo sauce, cheese, chicken, and olives. Bake additional 8 minutes or until crust begins to brown.

Note: My sister pointed out that most people don't mix black olives with Alfredo. Feel free to omit the olives and add more seasoned shredded chicken. Onion would be good, too.

Florentine Scrambled Eggs

The original recipe, Florentine Scramble, is from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking Made Light cookbook. I made changes to suit the tastes of my family.

8 eggs
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning Mix (I use Pampered Chef's brand.)
1 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. frozen chopped spinach, cooked
1/4 c. red bell pepper, diced
olive oil

In small bowl, stir together eggs, seasoning, and cheese; set aside.

Squeeze excess water from spinach and put in microwave-safe bowl; stir in tomatoes. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute; set aside.

Heat medium skillet over medium heat until hot; spritz with olive oil. Scramble eggs until almost done; add spinach mixture. Fold until combined and eggs are just cooked.

Serve hot with buttered toast and fresh fruit.

Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Chutney

8-10 chicken tenders, thawed
3 Tbsp. Pampered Chef® Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

Heat oil in skillet. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. rub evenly over both sides of chicken; cook until no longer pink, turning once.

In large bowl, combine pineapple, beans, and peppers; toss with 1 Tbsp. rub. Pour over chicken and cook 3-5 minutes or until hot throughout.

Serve immediately.

*This goes well served over a bed of brown rice, with a fresh green salad on the side.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This recipe is slightly varied from the Pampered Chef recipe found in the Delightful Desserts cookbook.

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 20-oz. can pineapple slices, undrained
10 maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 pkg. pineapple cake mix
water
3 eggs
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar until well blended.

Drain pineapple; reserve juice and set aside. Arrange pineapple slices over sugar mixture; place a cherry in center of each slice. Sprinkle nuts over pineapple.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/3 cups liquid. Combine cake mix, liquid, eggs, and applesauce in large bowl and blend until smooth. Pour over fruit mixture in skillet.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake tests for doneness. Cool 5 minutes, then carefully loosen edge of cake and turn out onto large, heat-safe serving plate. Cool slightly; serve warm.

*I'm fairly certain I use more than 1/2 cup of pecans. I know I don't measure them; I just sprinkle them on until it looks good.

Tip: Substituting equal portions of unsweetened applesauce for oil produces a lower-fat cake that's just as moist.

Southwestern Cornbread Salad

1 6-oz. pkg. Mexican cornbread mix
1 bottle Ranch salad dressing
1 small head lettuce, shredded
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1 15-oz. can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 8-oz. pkg. shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
5 green onions, chopped

Prepare cornbread as directed on package; cool and crumble. Set aside.

Layer a large bowl with half each of cornbread, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, corn, cheese, bacon, and onions. Spoon dressing evenly over top. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, and top again with dressing.

Serve immediately or cover and chill for a few hours.

*This salad presents beautifully in a trifle or other large glass bowl, but it tends to get soggy if left overnight. When I know the whole thing won't be eaten at one meal, I prepare each serving bowl separately, saving the leftover ingredients to make fresh salads the next day.

*The original recipe calls for Romaine lettuce, but I use whatever I have on hand. I love adding fresh spinach to it.