Oreo Cake Balls

I first discovered cake balls a few years ago when my good friend Larissa used to make them and bring them to our office. She made all different kinds of flavors. So far the only ones I've tried myself are chocolate cake, vanilla cake, and the oreo balls....which are my favorite (and the easiest). I made these for Hannah and Hunters birthday party at school last week and they were a hit. You can coat them in chocolate or vanilla candy coating, I opted for vanilla because I had never tried it. This time I discovered the best way to dip is with a small toothpick, instead of a fork, or your fingers...I've tried both:) I opted for chocolate sprinkles, which were great because they covered up any imperfections that the toothpick left in the top of the ball. You can drizzle chocolate over the top, coat with sprinkles or just leave alone. The most important part to remember is to make sure the balls are chilled prior to dipping them in the chocolate (I stick mine in the freezer for about an hour prior to dipping). This will keep them from breaking apart when you dip them. Enjoy!

You will need:

-1 full package of oreo cookies

-8 0z softened cream cheese

-1 package vanilla or chocolate bark candy coating

*sprinkles if desired

*Put the entire package of oreos into a food processor (go ahead and steal a few to snack on first)

*Grind oreos in the food processor until they are fine crumbs

*Mix in SOFTENED cream cheese with the oreo crumbs (I have to use my hands and a large spoon to smash it all together

*Stick the oreo/cream cheese mixture in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to chill

*Take out chilled oreo mixture and form into small balls

*Stick balls in the freezer for about an hour on a cookie sheet to harden up before dipping

*Heat chocolate bark according to directions and dip oreo balls into chocolate to coat...chocolate will set after just a few minutes so if you are doing sprinkles now is the time!

*Let cool for a few minutes on a cookie sheet (I line with non-stick foil), then store in fridge

"Quicker than Takeout" Orange Chicken

I made this orange chicken recipe last week and it was awesome! I'm not really sure if it's "quicker than take-out", but it sure wasn't hard. My friend Bridget told me about this awesome cookbook called Eat What You Love recently, the whole book is filled with low carb/low fat recipes. I highly recommended checking this out if you are trying to eat healthy, or like us...a little healthier:) This was my first time to cook with Splenda, and for some reason I am fascinated by this stuff. When I went to Krogers to buy it, I kept picking up all the Splenda boxes on the shelf and shaking them. Kevin asked me what the heck I was doing, and I told him that all the Splenda boxes were empty. Total blonde moment. Apparently Splenda is so light, it has very little weight. Seriously, if you're not familiar with Splenda, stop by the sugar isle the next time you are in a grocery store and shake a box.....just for fun:)

On to the recipe, the total calories for one serving of this stuff is 290 calories...that's pretty good! I also served it with a Knorr's rice package (chicken fried rice flavor), so I'm sure that added quite a bit more to the calorie count, but still pretty light! Hope you enjoy!

You will need:

For sauce:

-1/2 cup water

-1/3 cup light orange juice (I used minute maid, light)

-1/2 cup Splenda

-2 tablespoons brown sugar (dark or light)

-3 tablespoons rice vinegar (found it on salad dressing isle)

-2 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced sodium

-3 tablespoons lemon juice, I also used a little lemon zest

-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

-1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, I used a bit more

-2 tablespoons cornstarch

For Chicken:

-3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

-1 large egg, beaten

-1/4 cup all purpose flour

-2 tablespoons canola oil

-1 small red pepper, chopped

-1 small onion, chopped

*To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan whisk together the first nine ingredients (water through pepper flakes). Place pan over medium -high heat and bring to a low simmer

*In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp of water and the 2 tbsp cornstarch to create a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce (this will thicken the sauce). Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook for 1 minute, or until thickened. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.

*Roll chicken pieces in the egg, then toss with the flour to coat.

*Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil (I also used a little olive oil), in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes or until well browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cover. Add red pepper and onion to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add chicken back into the pan and pour on orange sauce. Stir to coat and serve over fried rice.

Buffalo Chicken Ranch Wraps

Ok, this pitiful picture seriously does not do this recipe justice. This was by far the best thing I've made lately, and I already want to make it again. Kevin told me after we ate it that he could eat it every night....probably not a great idea! I got this recipe out of an old cookbook I have called Best Hometown Cooking. The original recipe called for blue cheese, which I'm not a big fan of, so I opted for ranch. The chicken mixture is soooo good and as soon as I tried it, I began thinking of all the other possible things I could use it in....salads, baked potatoes, etc. This is definitely a hot and spicy dish, I used regular Lousiana hot sauce, and it was perfect for us!

You will need:

- 1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used Kraft Buttermilk Ranch), plus more for dipping if you are like me

-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

-garlic powder

-dried thyme, crushed

-salt

-ground black pepper

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1/4 cup unsalted butter

-1/4 cup hot pepper sauce (I used Lousiana-original)

-shredded lettuce

-monteray jack cheese

-flour tortillas (I used regular flour tortillas-burrito sized, but anything would work)

* I chose to make 2 large wraps, but you could easily get smaller tortillas and serve them up like tacos

*Sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic powder, thyme (crush it in your fingers when sprinkling), salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 6 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool for a few minutes.

*Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl combine hot sauce and butter; microwave about 1 minute or until butter is melted. Whisk hot sauce mixture until combined.

*Using two forks, shred chicken breasts. Fold shredded chicken into hot sauce mixture

*Cover tortillas with damp paper towel and heat for 10-15 seconds in microwave to warm

*In torillas, place shredded lettuce, monterray jack cheese, and chicken. Spoon ranch dressing on top of chicken and roll up into a wrap ( or burrito, or whatever you want to call it). Enjoy!

Open-Faced Tomato Grilled Cheese

I tore this recipe out of a food network magazine a few weeks ago because it looked simple, and I already had all the ingredients at home...minus the bread. This picture doesn't do this grown up sandwhich justice, it was so good. And this picture is only a 1/4 of what was made. It was way too big for just Kevin and I, so I may not use all of the bread next time. It would be great for a large crowd too if you wanted to serve small sections of it.

You will need:

-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used more)


-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


-kosher salt


-1 baguette (I used an italian baguette bread found in the bakery)


-1 large clove garlic, halved


-2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick


-1 package sliced provolone cheese


*Preheat grill to medium high heat...Kevin did this for me b/c I still don't know how to turn on the grill


*Combine olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt into a small bowl.


*Brush cut sides of the baguette with some of the oil


*Grill baguette, cut side down, until toasted about 3-4 minutes....watch it so it doesn't burn!


*Take baguette off and rub the grilled sides with the garlic. Top with the tomato slices, season with salt and cover with provolone slices.


*Grill, COVERED, until the cheese melts, 3-5 minutes. Drizzle with remaining oil and cut into pieces.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I made these yummy stuffed shells recently and they were a hit. These were very easy to make, the hardest part was cooking the shells and cooling them without breaking them. I figured the kids may not be into the spinach stuffing, so I saved a few plain pasta shells for them to eat on the side.....they thought it was hilarious because they looked like big sea shells and ate everything. As I was getting ready to take a pic of all the ingredients Hunter jumped behind everything and said cheese! I guess Hannah didn't want to be left out because she insisted I take one of her too. So here's a double shot of the ingredients...plus two cute helpers.

You will need:

-1 box jumbo pasta shells

-salt/pepper

-15 oz container ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)

-1/2 grated parmesan/romano cheese ( I used Kraft)

-1 egg, lightly beaten

-2 cups mozarella

-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid

-1 tsp italian seasoning

-pinch of nutmeg

-26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

-1 can diced tomatoes ( I used italian style)



*Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray

*Cook shells according to directions. Carefully drain and set aside (spread out on a sheet pan) to cool

*In a bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup mozarella, parmesan/romano, spinach, egg, salt/pepper, italian seasoning, and nutmeg

*In a separate bowl mix spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes

*Pour 3/4 cup of spaghetti sauce mixture on bottom of baking dish

*Stuff shells with cheese and spinach mixture and place in baking dish

*Pour remaining spaghetti sauce mixture over shells and top with remaining cup of mozarella

*Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes

*Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted

Orange Sugar Donut Holes

I was watching food network a few weeks ago and saw this recipe on Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real show......she made these things sound so good I had to try them. I promise we don't eat stuff like this all the time, or we would be diabetic. But....I've got a sweet tooth. The recipe says they are best served warm, but I saved the leftovers and I had them for breakfast the next morning with my coffee. I think they were almost better the next day! Use a brown paper bag to shake the donut holes in, it absorbs the oil from the fryer. (Remember to ask the bagger for one next time you grocery shop). I opted to use my deep fryer and they were ready in just a few minutes...so easy.

You will need:

-1 orange, zested

-2 cups sugar, you could easily use a little less

-1/4 tsp cinnamon

-1 container (8 count) buttermilk biscuits (I used Grand's)

-VEGETABLE oil for frying

*Place orange zest, sugar, and cinnamon in brown paper bag and shake to combine

*Place oil in deep pan until it comes about halfway up the side. Heat to 350. Or, you can just use your deep fryer if you have one

*Slice biscuit dough into quarters and roll into balls

*Working in batches, place balls into hot oil and fry until golden brown about 6-8 minutes. If you are using a deep fryer, they will be done in about 4 minutes

*Transfer hot donuts to paper bag and shake to coat with orange sugar. Serve warm...or cold!

Baked Penne Pasta

I'm sitting here watching The Next Food Network Star and it's inspired me to get caught up on a few recipes. I love the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme, and had a sweet friend send me a booklet with all their different recipes. I made this pasta dish and it was awesome....super easy too. We must have been really hungry that night, because I forgot to get a picture before we devoured it. The recipe says to add the remaining 1/4 of the cooking creme to the top.. I added it all in at once and it turned out great!

You will need:
-1 lb ground beef
-1/2 cup each chopped onions and green peppers
-1 jar spaghetti sauce ( I used classico)
-1 tub philadelphia italian cheese and herb cooking creme
-1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
-3 cups cooked penne pasta

*preheat oven to 350
*brown meat with vegetables in large skillet
*Stir in spaghetti sauce, cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozarella
*cook and stir 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted
*add cooked pasta and mix lightly
*spoon into a 13x9 inch casserole dish and top with remaining mozarella
*bake COVERED 15 minutes, UNCOVER and cook for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted
ENJOY!