Peanut Butter Frosting

From the Taste of Home Baking Classics Cookbook. This frosting is perfect with chocolate cake.

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 Tbs milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the sugar, milk and vanilla. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Enough frosting to cover the top of a 9x13 cake. I usually double the recipe.

Bowtie Crockpot Chicken

4 cans cream of chicken soup
8oz package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
3 Tbs parmesan cheese
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbs italian seasoning
1 Tbs minced garlic
About 7-8 chicken breasts

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or strips. Put in crockpot with all ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve over bowtie pasta with grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella.

Spinach Feta Florentine Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders
6-8 oz baby fresh spinach
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
4 oz container feta cheese
8 oz bottle fat free Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

In greesed 9x13 layer spinach, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, then feta. Pour bottle of dressing over all of it. Bake at 350 for 30 mins uncovered.

Serve over angel hair pasta.

Lasagna Soup

1 lb gound sausage
1 med onion chopped
minced garlic
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 14oz can beef broth
1 1/2 cup water
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp chopped basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp thyme
3 cups dried mini lasagna noodles
3/4 cups parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzerella

Brown sausage, garlic, chopped onion in a soup pot. Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in beef broth, water, brown sugar and seasoning. Bring to boil add dry pasta. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 mins. Add parmesan. Garnish with mozzerella.

Shortcut: can adjust and use spaghetti sauce.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

I've been relishing my mother's cooking while staying in Utah and I'm taking the opprotunity to post some of her yummy recipes so I don't have to bug her for the recipes when I get home. This recipe is super yummy!

1 lb Italian Sausage (like Jimmy Dean, if using lowfat sausage add italian seasoning)
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 precooked bacon (just as good without it)
2 cups potatos, peeled and diced
Enough water to cover potatoes 1/2 inch
3 Chicken Bullion Cubes
Pepper to taste
One Bunch of Kale
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (mom uses about a cup of fat free half and half)

Brown sausage and garlic and onion. Remove from pan. Add potatoes and cover with water. Add bullion cubes. Boil until tender. Add sausage mixture back to the pot. Add pepper and heavy cream. Heat through and then remove from heat. Add chopped kale and serve.

Stuffed French Toast Casserole

Also from my (library's) new favorite cookbook Bake Until Bubbly, all about casseroles. Here is a nice break-away from cereal and pancakes every other morning.

8 Stale or fresh white loaf bread, thick
1/2 lb. Cream cheese
1 Granny Smith apple, large
6 Eggs, large
1 cup Whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
3 Tbsp. Confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Maple or fruit syrup (for drizzling)

Remove crusts from bread and cube. Cube cream cheese. Peel, core and chop apple. Cover the bottom of an ungreased 8x3½ -deep round soufflé dish with half of the bread cubes. Scatter the cream cheese cubes evenly over the bread. Sprinkle the chopped apple over the cream cheese. Cover with remaining bread cubes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and cinnamon until well blended. Pour this egg mixture over the bread.

Bake at 375º until the eggs are set and the apples are slightly crunchy, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve with the syrup of your choice.

Frankfurter Casserole

This casserole is so easy and filling, everone will love it. Oh, and it's inexpensive to make, but doesn't taste cheap. I got the original recipe from my new favorite cookbook, Bake Until Bubbly. We had this for dinner last night and I made a few adjustments.

3/4 lbs. macaroni, half-cooked
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. frankfurters, cut-up
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the macaroni with butter and place in an 9x9 casserole dish. Pour broth over macaroni, and place frankfurters on top. Bakee uncovered until the franks are nearly splitting apart, about 25 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream and bake another 5 minutes, then serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Quick Black Forest Cake

I've never been a big cake fan--except when it comes to Black Forest Cake! YUM! This recipe is super easy and super delicious. It's one of the best birthday presents I've ever given myself :)

Quick Black Forest Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding
3 eggs
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1/2 to 1 cup frozen cherries, chopped (add more or less depending on your preference)
1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together: cake mix, beaten eggs, almond extract, cherry pie filling, frozen cherries, and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased angel food cake pan or bundt pan.
Bake in a 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool.

To Make Glaze: Heat 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, butter or margarine, and milk in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once semisweet chocolate chips are melted and mixture is combined stir in confectioners' sugar.
Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Serve cake as is or with whipped cream and a cherry.