Chilled Banana Pudding

I wanted to share this yummy and easy banana pudding recipe with you all.  I have gotten many compliments after preparing this for the Superbowl last night. 


INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of Milk
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Milk
1 box Nilla Wafers
1 tub of Cool Whip
2 packages of 1.5 oz Jell-o Vanilla Pudding
6 bananas

DIRECTIONS:

• Put packages of vanilla pudding in a bowl with the 4 cups of milk.  Mix well. 

• Add the can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Milk and the tub of Cool Whip in with the pudding and milk mixture.

• Make sure everything is mixed well, and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• After the mixture has chilled, cut up the bananas and place them on the bottom of your serving dish. 

• Put a layer of wafers on top of the bananas, followed by half of the chilled mixture.  Repeat with another layer of bananas, wafers and the remainder of the chilled mixture.

• Finally, crumble the left over wafers and sprinkle the top of your pudding.  Place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or longer. 

OTHER NOTES: 
I let my banana pudding chill overnight, but it will taste just as wonderful the day of. 


CRITIC COMMENTS:
David-he loved it! 
Me-I thought it was really good, and I had to make myself only eat 1 helping.
Party guests-all loved it, one guy said, "Man this is GOOOOOOD!" when he didn't think anyone could hear. :)

Let me know how your banana pudding turns out!!

Cheesy Chicken Roll Ups

INGREDIENTS:
1 package (8oz) fat free cream cheese
1 package (6 count) crescent rolls
2 shredded cooked chicken breasts
1.5 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
Salt
Pepper
Bread crumbs
Melted Butter

DIRECTIONS:

• Boil the 2 chicken breasts (if frozen boil for approx 40 minutes, if thawed boil for approx 15 minutes). 
• Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, salt, pepper and ranch dip mix into a bowl.  Set aside.
• Pull your crescent rolls apart and lay them on your baking sheet.
• Once the chicken is done, you will need to shred the chicken.  I added the chicken to my Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment and it shredded the chicken in no time.
• Add the cheese mixture to the chicken in your mixer and stir well.
• Spoon the chicken and cheese mixture on each crescent roll and roll them up.  Make sure that you surround the entire mixture.
• Brush some butter on the tops of the rolls and sprinkle them with bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

OTHER TIPS:
You can replace the butter and bread crumbs with cheese if you like. 
You can use any dip mix that you prefer or none at all.

CRITIC COMMENTS:
Me:  I am the only one who ate the roll ups because I had a sick husband and I really like them!  They are by no means healthy, but by using fat free cream cheese and skipping the butter it can help.  I did think they were really cheesy and I think I will try to cut some of the cheese out next time.  The best thing about this recipe is that you can really make it your own with the seasonings that you choose to use. 

Homemade Ice Cream

I love ice cream.  I even tend to eat more ice cream when it is cold outside rather than in the summer.  Weird, I know. :)  I like Cold Stone's ice cream because you can put several different things in it to make a unique treat.  David likes Baskin Robbins ice cream, but too bad for him that we no longer have one close to us. :(  Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla is probably my favorite store bought ice cream, followed by strawberry.  We just added the 90 calorie Twix ice cream bars to our ice cream resume...these are fantastic, but the ice cream I love more than any other has to be the homemade kind.  I can still hear the sound of my mom's ice cream maker churning away.  Her ice cream always tasted the best to me. 

Fortunately for us, we received an ice cream maker as a wedding gift and what better time to break it out than the WINTER! :)  These are alot different than I remember.  We don't have to use ice or rock salt, just place the bowl in the freezer overnight and then add the ingredients and churn for 30-35 minutes.

This machine comes with a recipe book that contains several great recipes, but this time I just wanted the Simple Vanilla Ice Cream.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

This ice cream can easily be dressed up by adding your favorite

chopped candies or sprinkles at the end of churning.

Makes about 7 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups whole milk
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• pinch table salt
• 3 cups heavy cream (*Note:  I only used 1.5 cups of heavy cream, so I cut the rest of the recipe in half as well-We will see how that turns out.)
• 1½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

• In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
• Turn the Cuisinart ® Ice Cream Maker on; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 30 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

NUTRITION:
Per serving (based on ½ cup):
Calories 260 (67% from fat) • carb. 19g • pro. 2g • fat 20g • sat. fat 12g • chol. 75mg • sod. 45mg • calc.
66mg • fiber 0g

I mixed all of the ingredients and placed the bowl in the refridgerator and placed the freezer bowl in the freezer. 


Ingredients put into the mixer for 35 minutes




Finished product :)



CRITIC COMMENTS:
Me:  I tried the ice cream last night and thought it was really good.  It was very creamy, and I thought it might have a little too much vanilla in it.  I will tweek that for the next recipe.

Husband:  He just tried one bite of my ice cream and his first thought, "it's really creamy?"  I let him know that it was supposed to be that way, but I'm not sure he will like it when he tries his own.  We will see.  Update:  He wishes it wasn't so creamy.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I took this recipe from the Betty Crocker website :

PREP TIME: 25 Min- TOTAL TIME: 6 Hr 35 Min -SERVINGS 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce (The grocery store was out of the Italian-Style so I bought regular tomato sauce and it was fine) 
• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces) (I will be adding additional cheese next time)
• 1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 15 uncooked lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.
• Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)
• Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
• Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.
• Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

OTHER TIPS:

Something as simple as chopped fresh parsley will dress up this lasagna. Sprinkle on the parsley just before serving.

For lasagna with a kick, look for hot or spicy Italian sausage. Links can be used if bulk sausage isn't available. Just squeeze the meat out of the casings and cook as directed.

NUTRITION:
1 Serving
Calories 670 (Calories from Fat 270), Total Fat 31g (Saturated Fat 13g,Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 75mg; Sodium 1770mg; Total Carbohydrate 65g (Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugars 14g), Protein 34g
Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 30.00%; Vitamin C 20.00%; Calcium 60.00%; Iron 20.00%;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

CRITIC COMMENTS:
Me:  I thought the recipe was good.  I would add a little more cheese next time and possibly a few more spices.  I will also be trying the Italian Tomato Sauce to see if it makes a difference in taste.  All in all, it was a good recipe that we ate for a few days and I will be trying it again with a few modifications.

Husband:  He thought it was really good, didn't think it needed more cheese.

Creamy White Chili

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)
• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Yield: 7 servings

NUTRITION (Serving Size: 1 cup):

334 calories, 16 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 81 mg cholesterol, 1,045 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 22 g protein.

CRITIC COMMENTS: 
Me:  I received a similar recipe from a former co-worker several years ago.  I couldn't find where I put that, so I had to find another recipe and I had been craving this for a while now.  I have to say I loved it!  It was exactly what I had remembered it to taste like.  We will be having left overs!

Husband:  Thought it was really good.  Even though he wasn't a fan the first time I made it (from a different recipe)