Cheesy Stuffed Shells

I made this recipe for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago & it was a hit. It's from the latest Kraft Food & Family magazine:

1 container cottage cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 large tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and seasoning; spoon into shells.

Mix sauce and tomatoes; spoon half into 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 2 minutes or until melted.

Tips:

Spray foil with cooking spray before using to cover casserole. Place, sprayed-side down, on casserole to prevent sticking.

Make Ahead:

Assemble recipe as directed. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, bake, covered, at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes or until heated through.

Freeze Ahead:

Reserve 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Assemble recipe as directed, but do not top with the reserved mozzarella. Wrap casserole in foil; freeze. When ready to serve, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Unwrap casserole; cover with foil. Bake 55 minutes or until heated through, removing foil after 30 minutes. Top with reserved mozzarella; bake 2 minutes or until melted.

Grandma's Coffee House Key Lime Pie

1 extra large graham cracker pie crust
1-2 limes for zest and decoration
4 egg yolks
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup Key Lime juice
1 packet unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar

Beat lime juice into condensed milk. Add egg yolks beaten together with sugar, gelatin and salt. Add finely grated zest of lime. Pour into pie crust and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chill well. Decorate with thinly sliced limes and whipped cream, if desired.

Chicken Empanadas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely
2 (15 oz) packages refrigerated pie crusts

Combine the chicken and all other ingredients except pie crusts. Unroll the first pie crust onto a lightly floured surface and roll it gently into a slightly larger circle. Cut out approximately 4-inch circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. Using one finger, wet the entire edge of a small circle with water. Place one heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the circle and then fold the dough in half. Use a fork to seal the edges. Repeat for all the small circles. You can roll the dough remnants out again and cut more circles if you have remaining filling to be used.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange empanadas on the sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with sour cream and salsa for dipping.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes

1 cup pancake mix, such as Bisquick
1 large egg
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients except butter in a large bowl, mixing until a smooth batter forms. Use the butter to grease a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Pour batter in 1/4 cup scoops onto cooking surface. Cook until the tops bubble and the edges begin to firm up. Flip and continue to cook for about 2 minutes, until both sides are golden brown.

Makes 8 medium-size pancakes.

Poppy Seed Chicken

My sister-in-law, Chelsea, gave me this wonderful, easy, comfort food recipe. We love it.

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil (can also use vegetable oil, if desired)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
Poppy seeds
Ritz crackers, crumbled
1/2 stick butter, melted
Pasta, cooked

Cook chicken in a skillet with oil until just done (do not overcook). Cut into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine both cans of soup, sour cream and poppy seeds. Stir in the chicken until it is coated in the mixture. Pour into a greased casserole or baking dish. Cover the top with crumbled crackers. Pour the melted butter over the top of the crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cook pasta as directed on package and serve chicken mixture over cooked pasta.

Notes: you can also serve the chicken over cooked rice and you can opt to boil the chicken instead of cooking it in a skillet.

Sausage Balls

1 pound ground sausage (can be regular, sage, or spicy)
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl (it's really easiest if you just use your hands to mix) until blended well. Roll into medium-sized balls. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange balls about 2 inches apart on the sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 mintues.

Note: you can make these ahead and freeze them; however, they will bake better (and faster) if you thaw them completely before baking.

Grandma Shipman's Creamy Pineapple Cake

This was a recipe I remember having MANY times as a child. I always get wonderful compliments when I make this recipe. Enjoy!

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Large size box instant vanilla pudding
2 Cups Milk
8 oz Cream Cheese softened
1 can Crushed Pineapple drained
1 Container Cool Whip
Chopped pecans

Bake cake as directed in 9x12 pan & cool.
Combine 2 cups milk with pudding mix with blender until completely combined. Add in softened cream cheese and blend well. Spread over cool cake.
Layer crushed pineapple over pudding.
Layer cool whip over the pineapple.
Sprinkle pecans over the top of cool whip.

Refridgerate at least an hour before serving.