Are You Kidding!? Cake

3 ingredients!? Yep, that's right. Three! I was looking through my cupboards for something sweet a while back. I found a box of cake mix and some blueberry pie filling.  Hmm....well, after an internet search, I came up with this recipe.






You'll need

1 box of cake mix, any flavor
3 eggs
1 can of pie filling, any flavor

That's it.  Mix it all together and Bake in greased 9x13, 350 degrees for 35 minutes or test with toothpick for doneness.

NOTE: Pair flavors of cake mix and pie filling. Apple filling with maybe butter pecan cake mix. Cherry pie filling with a devil's food cake mix, etc. I enjoy a pineapple cake mix with blueberry filling.

 

FOR AN EXTRA INCH TO THE HIPS: Chop room temp cream cheese into chunks. Poke the chunks randomly into the batter after pouring it in the baking pan. Make sure the cheese is in deep. Continue to bake. I do this with a strawberry cake mix and strawberry filling and also the blueberry filling.

 

 

 

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Love the restaurant style Spinach Artichoke Dip? You'll love this recipe!

Serves:	15
Prep Time:	15 Min
Cook Time:	30 Min

Ingredients

10oz  frozen chopped spinach, thawed 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & roughly chopped 1 cup Parmigiano-Romana cheese, grated 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella 1 teas. minced garlic 4 oz cream cheese    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F    Combine all ingredients in a bowl, making sure it's mixed well. Pour into oven proof baking dish.                                 Bake for 30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted.

Pasta Pie! Mamma Mia!

My kids are pasta fanatics.  Lasagna, spaghetti, manacotti....doesn't matter. Cover it with  sauce and meat and they're good to go.

So, I decided to break away from the ho-hum simple spaghetti and try Martha Stewart's Pasta Pie....modified to fit my busy schedule! This will take about 1/2 hour from start to finish. 

You'll need
1 lb Rigatoni Pasta,
1 jar Pasta Sauce
1 lb ground beef, Browned and drained of fat.  Make sure there are no big clumps
2 cups mozzerella

This works best with a springform pan.  A 1 lb bag of rigatoni fit perfectly in my 9" pan.

Boiled pasta till done, drain then rinse in cold water.


I sprayed my pan with cooking spray, just to ensure that the pasta doesn't stick.   Assemble Rigatoni in your pan, standing up so you can see down the holes. 

Add pasta sauce to browned ground beef. And mix well.  Spoon this sauce over the pasta, making sure the meat sauce gets into the holes.  I just poked it in the holes using my finger (washed finger, of course!).

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Add 1-1 1/2 cup of mozzerella on top and place back in oven for about 10-15 minutes. If you're using a springform pan,  run a knife around the edges to loosen before unmolding.  Cut into wedges and serve with remaining sauce and cheese.

Amazing, huh? The kids oohed and awwed! And I patted myself on the back! Another job well done :)

Easy Whoopie Pies

So the kids come running through the door just starving literally to death. Throw them a freshly made whoopie pie and send them on their way!!

Whoopie Pies

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil (ie. canola, vegetable)
3/4 cup water
3.9 oz box chocolate pudding
1/2 cup All-vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 or 2 tbls milk
3/4 cup marshmallow fluff

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare baking sheets by greasing or lining with parchment paper.

In mixing bowl, add cake mix, water, eggs, and oil. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula.

Add pudding and mix for 1 minute on medium. Scrape down side of bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix until completely combined, about 30 seconds.

Drop batter onto prepared cookie sheet. The size of the circle should be 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Bake for about 14 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Transfer pies to cooling rack and let cool, about 15 minutes

Make the filling!

Combine all-vegetable shortening, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, milk and marshmallow fluff. Mix until you reach the desired consistancy. Add more marshmallow fluff for a thicker filling.

Place the pies so that the flat side is facing up. Spoon a dallop of filling on this pie and top with the flat side of another pie to form the Whoopie Pie.

Feel free to experiment with the fillings. Peanut butter instead of marshmallow fluff would be a great exchange! Some say these taste better after being chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ok...I've been making boxed mac n cheese made with the powdered (!) cheese stuff for years...then, Oh Glory! they came out with boxed mac n cheese with a creamy cheese. But then, I went to my sister-in-laws and she made homemade mac n cheese. When I asked her about the recipe, I couldn't believe how simple it was to make! I no longer buy boxed mac n cheese and this recipe doesn't take that much longer to prepare!!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

1 box (16oz) elbow pasta or heck...shells, rotini, whatever!
16 0z (or more, depending how cheesy you want it) Velveeta cut into 1/2 inch slices Then cut the slices in half.
1 cup milk (2%)
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional
Ritz crackers
Butter

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain. Pour half of pasta in a 9X13 baking dish. Layer slices of Velveeta on top. Pour rest of pasta on the Velveeta. Pour milk in dish with pasta and cheese. Spread shredded cheddar cheese on top. If you like the Ritz/Cracker topping like my family does, spread this on top last. Pop in the oven for about 30 min. Voila!! Delicioso!!

First day of school Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ah, the summer is winding down and there is a chill in the air. Wait a minute....is that the bus I hear? The kids are home! I can't wait to hear about their first day of school!!

I opted for a first day afterschool meal of Chicken Noodle Casserole. The kiddos favorite meal. This quick and easy dish will be done before the kids tell you about Mrs. Whatsername and who wore what. But sadly still won't give you enough time to finish the 100 pages you have to fill out for school.


Chicken Noodle Casserole

16 oz egg noodles
4-6 boneless chicken breast
1 cup sour cream
1 large can Cream of Mushroom
1 large can Cream of Chicken
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers
1/4 cup butter


Boil chicken in water until no longer pink. Remove from water and add egg noodles to the chicken water. Boil about 8-10 minutes till tender. Drain. Cut cooked chicken into chunks...whatever size you prefer.

Preheat oven to 350.

Add sour cream, soups and cut chicken to noodles. Blend all together and place into a casserole dish.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add crumbled crackers to butter. Put this cracker mix on top of Noodles. Bake for 30 minutes.

Homemade Granola

Whether you eat it as a bowl of cereal, over fruit and yogurt or straight out of the bag, granola is a healthy anytime snack. When you make it homemade, you get to add what you like and leave out what you don't.

When you buy granola from the store, you also get high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated, or worse, partially hydrogenated oils.

Click here to make this healthy granola snack....it's a breeze