Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Silk Chocolate Pecan Pie



INGREDIENTS
Crust

  • 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Pecan Filling

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, if desired
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chocolate Filling

  • 1 cup hot milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Topping

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • Chocolate curls, if desired



DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie. 
  2. In small bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add granulated sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt; beat 1 minute. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust-lined pie plate. Cover crust edge with 2- to 3-inch-wide strips of foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of bake time. 
  3. Bake 40 to 55 minutes or until center of pie is puffed and golden brown. Cool 1 hour. 
  4. Meanwhile, in blender or food processor, place chocolate filling ingredients. Cover; blend about 1 minute or until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture is slightly thickened but not set, about 1 hour 30 minutes. 
  5. Gently stir chocolate filling; pour over cooled pecan filling in crust. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm before serving. 
  6. Just before serving, in small bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon or pipe whipped cream over filling. Garnish with chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie-Stuffed Pies



INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
  • 8 Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies (from 16-oz package)
  • 8 milk chocolate candy drops or pieces, unwrapped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar


DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll on work surface. Cut eight 3 1/2-inch rounds from each crust. 
  2. Place 1 unbaked cookie in center of each of 8 of the rounds; top each with 1 candy, pointed end into cookie. Brush edge of each crust with water. Top with remaining 8 rounds. Press edges together with fork to seal. Brush top of each with water; sprinkle with sugar. 
  3.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Crumb Bars


Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 2/3 cups NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels, divided
  • 1 (14 ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
  2. Beat butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 2 cups crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan; reserve remaining mixture.
  3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
  4. Combine 1 cup morsels and sweetened condensed milk in small, heavy-duty saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread over hot crust.
  5. Stir nuts and remaining 2/3 cup morsels into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Chicken and Veggie Alfredo Biscuit Bake




INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Pillsbury® Grands!® frozen buttermilk or southern style biscuits (from 25-oz bag)
  • 1 cup Alfredo pasta sauce (from 16-oz jar)
  • 1 box (7 oz) Green Giant® Immunity Blend frozen broccoli, carrots and pepper strips in an olive oil seasoning
  • 1 can (5 to 6 oz) chunk white chicken breast in water, drained
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS

  1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray. 
  2. Place biscuits on microwavable plate. Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 30 to 45 seconds, turning over halfway through microwave time. Cut the biscuits into quarters. (Biscuits should still be cold for easier handling.) 
  3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce, vegetables and chicken to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Spoon into casserole. Top evenly with biscuit pieces; sprinkle biscuit pieces with cheese. 
  4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until chicken mixture is bubbly and biscuits are deep golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Mediterranean Pasta


INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2cups uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta (about 5 oz)
  • 1lb uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp (thawed if frozen), tail shells removed
  • 1medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
  • 3cups lightly packed fresh spinach (about 3 oz), stems removed, torn into pieces
  • 2tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
  • 1/2teaspoon salt
  • 1/3cup sliced kalamata olives or 1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
  • 1cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)
  • 2tablespoons olive or vegetable oil


DIRECTIONS

  1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, cook pasta as directed on package, adding shrimp and bell pepper during last 2 minutes of cooking time. Cook until pasta is tender and shrimp are pink. Drain and return to Dutch oven.
  2. Add spinach, basil, salt and olives to pasta mixture; heat over medium heat until hot. Toss with cheese and oil.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon


INGREDIENTS

  • 6 oz uncooked fettuccine or spaghetti
  • 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (1/4 lb)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 3/4 cup chopped plum (Roma) tomato (1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (8 medium)
  • 1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Greek Fat Free plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS

  1.  Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package. In 10-inch skillet, cook bacon and garlic until crisp.  Drain; remove from skillet, and set aside. 
  2. In small bowl, slightly beat egg. Beat in milk, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Place cooked fettuccine in skillet. Add milk mixture, spinach, tomato and green onions. Cover; cook about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach is tender.
  3. Stir in yogurt; cook over low heat just until heated through.
  4. Serve with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
  5. A Caesar salad, crusty French bread or a baguette, and gelato or ice cream for dessert would make this Italian menu complete.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

S'more Hand Pies


INGREDIENTS

Crust

  • 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (8 graham cracker squares, finely crushed)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

  • 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (1 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. 
  2. Unroll pie crusts. With 3-inch round cutter, cut 10 rounds from each crust. In small shallow bowl, mix cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Brush both sides of pie crust rounds with butter; dip into crumb mixture to coat. 
  3. Place 10 coated pie crust rounds on cookie sheet. Stir together filling ingredients. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each of the 10 rounds. Place remaining pie crust rounds on top of the filling on each. Pinch edges to seal. 
  4. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store covered in refrigerator.