Chocolate Pudding Layer Dessert

** Recipe from The Crafting Chicks **

Pecan Crust:
* 1 c. chopped pecans
* 1 c. flour
* 1/2 c. butter

Mix ingredients & press into a 9×13" pan. Bake at 300 for 20-25 min. Cool.

Cream Cheese Layer
* 1 tub (8 oz.) non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
* 2 blocks (8 oz. ea.) cream cheese, at room temp.
* 2 c. powdered sugar

Blend ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate 2 or more hrs.

Chocolate Pudding Layer

* 2 pkgs. (5.9 oz. ea.) instant chocolate pudding
* 4 c. milk
* 2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until it begins to thicken. Spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Garnish with a grated candy bar.

Basic Pizza Dough

** Recipe from Annie's Eats **

* ½ c. warm water (about 110°)

* 1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast

* 1 ¼ c. water, at room temperature

* 2 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil

* 4 c. (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting

* 1 ½ tsp. salt

* olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Pizza Bites

** Recipe from Annie's Eats **

* ½ batch pizza dough (enough for 1 pizza) ++
* 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
* Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
* Olive oil
* Italian seasoning
* Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9" pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

++ See "Perfect Pizza Crust" by Annie's Eats

Strawberry Cake

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

* 1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin

* 4 eggs

* 1 c. oil

* 1/4 c. water

* 1 c. mashed fresh strawberries, divided

* 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

* 1 c. powdered sugar

* 2 c. thawed whipped topping

Heat oven to 350. Combine cake mix and dry gelatin mix in large bowl. Add eggs, oil, water and 3/4 c. strawberries; beat with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" round pans. BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Meanwhile, drain remaining strawberries.
Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add drained berries; mix well. Whisk in whipped topping. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading 1 c. whipped top. mixture between layers. Frost top and side with remaining whipped mixture. Keep refrigerated.

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

** Recipe from My Sweet Gems **

Cookies:
* 1/2 c. butter, softened
* 1 c. sugar
* 1 Tbl. grated lemon zest
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/4 tsp. baking soda
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1 lg. egg
* 1/2 c. sour cream
* 1/3 c. lemon juice
* 2 c. flour

Strawberry Frosting:
* 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
* 1 Tbl. melted butter
* 4 strawberries, mashed completely

Heat oven to 375. Line 2 - 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or use ungreased baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is well blended. Beat in the egg, sour cream and lemon juice until combined. Beat in the flour with the mixer or stir it in with a wooden spoon. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 3" apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake one cookie sheet at a time in the center of the oven until the tops of the cookies are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting: Blend ingredients in the mixer until well mixed. If needed, add a little milk to help it along. You can add strawberry flavoring to give it more of a flavor boost.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

** Recipe from keyingredient.com **

* 1 Rotisserie Chicken, pre-cooked from your grocers deli (skin removed and meat peeled off)
* 5 c. chicken stock ( or one 32 oz. container (4 cups) + 1 cup of water if you’d like)
* 1 can tomato sauce
* 1 can diced or chopped tomatoes
* 1 c. frozen corn (or 1 can, drained)
* 2 Tbl. butter
* 1 onion, diced
* 1 c. celery, diced
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 jalapeno, stems & seeds removed then finely diced
* 1 tsp. hot sauce

Spice Blend:
* 4 tsp. Kosher salt
* 1 tsp. black pepper
* 1 tsp. cumin
* 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder

* corn tortilla chips or strips (your favorite)

After you’ve peeled meat from your chicken, chop it into bite size pieces then put in a bowl with the juices that came from its container. Set aside. Combine your spices in a small bowl and mix well then set aside. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, melt your butter then add the onion, celery, garlic & jalapeno. Sprinkle about 1/2 of your spice blend over the top then saute for about 5 min. until the veggies have become tender. Add the stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, hot sauce and remaining spice blend. Stir well and bring up to a simmer. Once it starts simmering, lower the heat to medium low and continue simmering (uncovered) for 5–10 min, stirring occasionally. Add your chicken to warm thru then taste for any seasoning adjustment you may want to make. Turn off heat then cover until ready to serve. Sprinkle tortilla strips or crushed chips over the top when serving.

No-Bake S'mores Cheesecake

** Recipe from mixingbowl.com **

Cheesecake:
* 2 c. mini marshmallows
* 1/2 plus 1/4 c. milk
* 1 pkg. cream cheese, at room temp.
* 1 c. whipping cream

Crust:
* 6 Tbl. butter, melted
* 1 c. plus 2/3 c. graham cracker crumbs
* 4 Tbl. sugar

Topping:
* 1/2 c. chocolate sauce (like Hershey's)
* 1 c. graham cracker crumbs

To make the crust, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl and mix until combined; press onto a bottom of a 8 or 9" spring form round pan. Melt marshmallows in milk in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat when marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the melted marshmallow mixture and beat until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly (for 15-30 min).

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff (*). Gently fold the cream into the cheese-marshmallow mixture until it is completely mixed and smooth (do not over mix). Spread the mixture into graham crust. Pour chocolate sauce over top and gently spread to cover entire. Then sprinkle cup of graham crumbs to completely cover chocolate. Refrigerate over night or at least for 6 hours. Although the cake is ready to eat after 6 hours, it's best if chilled for at least 24 hours.

Papa John's Pizza Sauce

** Recipe from mixingbowl.com **

* 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can tomato puree
* 1/4 c. water
* 1 Tbl. sugar
* 1 tsp. olive oil
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. oregano
* 1/8 tsp. basil
* 1/8 tsp. thyme
* 1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. This is also great as a dipping sauce for garlic bread.

Steak & Potato Kebabs w/ Creamy Cilantro Sauce

** Recipe from recipe.com **

* 1/2 c. packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced

* 2 Tbl. red-wine vinegar, or cider vinegar

* 2 Tbl. reduced-fat (or regular) sour cream

* 1 sm. clove garlic, minced

* 1 tsp. chili powder

* 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

* 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

* 8 new or baby red potatoes

* 1 -1/4 lbs. strip steak, trimmed and cut into 1 -1/2" pieces

* 2 poblano peppers, or 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

* 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 lg. sweet onion, cut into 1" chunks

Combine cilantro, vinegar, sour cream, garlic, chili powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Preheat grill to high. Place potatoes in a microwave-safe container. Cover & microwave on high until just tender when pierced with a fork, 3 - 3 1/2 min. Toss the potatoes, steak & pepper pieces with oil and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a lg bowl. Thread the potatoes, steak, peppers & onion chunks onto 8 skewers. Grill, turning once or twice, until the steak reaches desired doneness, about 6 min. for medium. Serve the kebabs with the reserved sauce.

Homemade Oreos

** Recipe from Sisters Stuff **

Cookies:
* 2 pkgs. devils food cake mix
* 1 1/2 c. shorting
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 4 eggs

Mix together and roll into sm. tsp-size balls. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Don't over bake! Cool and spread frosting between 2 cookies to make Oreo sandwich cookie.

Frosting:
* 2 c. powdered sugar
* 8 oz. cream cheese
* 1/2 c. butter
* 1 tsp. vanilla

S'mores Stuffed Brownies

** Recipe from Picky Palate **

* 1 box brownie mix
* 4 1/2 full graham crackers
* 3 1/2 full size chocolate bars
* 16 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Line foil into an 8×8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies following chocolate bars & marshmallows. Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows. Bake for 40-45 min or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.

Mustard Lime Chicken

 ** Recipe from recipezaar.com **

* 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
* 1/2 c. fresh lime juice
* 1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
* 1/4 c. Dijon mustard
* 1 Tbl. olive oil
* 1 Tbl. chili powder
* 1/2 tsp. sea salt
* 1/ 2 tsp. pepper

Combine lime juice, cilantro, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are well combined.  Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place in a large ziplock bag.  Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours.  Heat grill and cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side until browned and cooked in the center.