Lemon Blueberry Squares

I adapted this recipe from Kraft Foods, I made some changes that I think really enhanced this dessert. It is a great, refresing dessert!

48 Vanilla Wafers, crushed
3-4 Tablespoons melted butter
1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Mix together crushed wafers and butter. Press into the bottom of 9x13 baking dish with a fork. Refridgerate.
Beat Cream cheese on high until creamy, add milk, pudding and lemon juice. Mix together until well blended. Fold in Cool Whip and 1 cup of blueberries.
Spread evenly onto prepared pie crust. Top with remaining blueberries.
Chill in refridgerator 3-4 hours or until set.

Green Beans with Dill

I made this dish for Mother's Day dinner with my Mother-In-Law, everyone loved it!!

2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup Three Cheese Itailian Dressing
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill


Boil Green Beans until tender. Strain and run under cold water.

Put beans in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

Cover and refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

*Recipe Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Easy Sticky Buns

These are so sticky and yummy, serve them fresh out of the oven!

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

*Adapted from "Barefoot Contessa"

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a really really good dip! Take it to any party and you will for sure be a hit!

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (10 ounce) can chicken, drained (or equivalent rotisserie or freshly-cooked, chopped chicken)
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce
shredded cheddar cheese, you decide how much
Frito corn chip, scoops

Beat cream cheese, ranch dressing, and red hot sauce.
Fold in shredded chicken.
Spread mixture into pie plate sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Add cheddar to top and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serve hot with Frito scoops.

Breakfast Casserole

This is a quick and easy way to make breakfast for a group of people. If it is just for you and your spouse, cut the recipe in half!

1 (32 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
6 Sausage Links, cut into small pieces (either real sausage or morningstar sausage thawed)
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Small Onion, diced
1/2 Green Pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 dash paprika

In a large bowl, combine hash browns, sausage, 1 cup cheese, salt, onion, and green pepper. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese.

Cucumber Breads

This is a great one for any party/get together...everyone loves them and we never have left overs!

1 Large Hothouse or European Cucumber (the kind that come wrapped in plastic wrap, they have no seeds) sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 Pkg ranch seasoning
1 80z pkg cream cheese-softened
1 skinny loaf of french bread (best if it is crusty on the outside, soft on inside) sliced into 1/4 inch slices.

Mix cream cheese and ranch packet together. Spread mixture onton bread slices, top with cucumber slices.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This can be made without the chicken, with other veggies for a vegetarian version

3/4 pound chicken breast cutlets, cooked and sliced
1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, medium to hot
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat grill pan to high.
Place chicken on a plate and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken then season with grill seasoning. When grill is hot, add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Stretch dough to form pizza using cornmeal or flour to help you handle it. If you let it rest and warm up a few minutes it will handle even easier. Set pizza on pizza pan to the side and clean board.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce.
Remove the chicken from grill and thinly slice it. Add chicken to sauce and coat. Cover the pizza dough with the saucy Buffalo chicken, cheeses, and scallions. Bake 18 minutes or until crisp.

*Recipe adapted from "30 Minute Meals" on Food Network