Sweethearts

My kids saw this in their magazine The friend. Immediately their little mouths were going nonstop about making them. So we did. It was easy. It was fun. But they taste like something kids would love. (too much sugar :)

2 6 oz packages cherry jello-or whatever color|flavor you are going for
2 cups boiling water
1 package 3.4 oz vanilla pudding
1 cup cold milk

Mix pudding and milk in bowl. Add boiling water to jello in another bowl and stir until dissolved. Add pudding to jello and whisk until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate until set and cut out in desired shapes.

Almond Pecan Granola

Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm

3 cups uncooked old fashioned or quick cook oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cups chopped pecans
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds and pecans together in a large bowl and mix well. Melt butter over medium heat, add in salt, honey, and vanilla extract. mix until all heated and add to oat mixture in large bowl. Stir until evenly coated. Pour onto lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool and break into pieces. Store in air tight container.

Spinach, Artichoke and Chicken Penne

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/spinach-artichoke-and-chicken-penne/

Ham, Walnut, and Cheese pasta

Ham,Walnuts and Cheese...oh my!
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• Salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 10 slices Canadian bacon or breakfast ham, cut into thin strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (3 generous handfuls), chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus some to pass at the table

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Preparation

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta. Once the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente. Right before draining the pasta, remove and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chopped walnuts and toast them, stirring every now and then, until they are golden and smell toasty -- a couple of minutes. Remove nuts from the skillet and reserve.

Once the pasta is close to being done, return the same skillet you cooked the walnuts in to the stove top over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Once the EVOO is hot, add ham and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to lightly brown.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook it for another minute. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and cook until liquid has reduced by half. Add the pasta, toasted walnuts, lemon juice and parsley, toss it to coat the noodles and continue to cook until the pasta has soaked up almost all of the liquid. Turn heat off, add the butter and grated cheese, and toss until the butter has melted. Serve with extra Parmigiano at the table.

***Notes***

After the dish is all mixed and ready to eat, it turns sort of a purple color. Probably from the lemon juice and ham, but it still tastes good.

I cut the amount of red pepper flakes or there is too much heat for me.

And in place of walnuts or along with I like to throw in some toasted pine nuts.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

2 (14oz) cans chicken broth
3-4 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cans great northern beans
1 can white shoepeg corn (I use regular corn)
3 Tbsp lime juice (I used a little more)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't put this in)

Add Chicken, broth, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt, and red pepper to slow cooker. Cover and let cook for about 6-8 hours on low or until chicken falls apart. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Drain and rinse the beans and corn and add them to the slow cooker. Add chopped cilantro and lime juice to slow cooker. Put cover back on and let cook for 30 more minutes until heated through. I got this off Good Things Utah and it is SOOO good!

Orange-Banana Smoothie

I actually got this out of my Halloween Taste of Home Recipe book. They call it Boo Beverage and have a little ghost whipped topping to make it fit the holiday. But, it is seriously so good and there is no reason you couldn't enjoy this year around!

2 cups orange juice
2 cups milk
4 cups orange sherbet (2 pints)
4 medium ripe bananas
whipped topping (optional)

In two batches, process the orange juice, milk, sherbet and bananas in blender until smooth! Pour into a glass and throw a spoon full of whipped topping on if preferred! Enjoy! Yield: 6 Servings