Amy's Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:
8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 c. natural peanut butter
1/2 c. honey

Directions:

1. Place twelve, 2.5 inch baking liners on a baking sheet. In a double broiler, melt the chocolate. Reserve the pot of hot water to keep the chocolate liquid, as necessary.
2. Place about 2 tsp. of the melted chocolate in a baking cup, swirling to coat about halfway up the side of the cup. Repeat with the remaining cups. Refrigerate until set.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter and honey. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and snip off one corner.
4. Fill the chocolate cups about 3/4 full with the peanut butter mixture, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Top each peanut butter cup with melted chocolate to enclose, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate until hardened. To serve, remove the candies from the baking liners.
6. Yum.
   

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Sounds scary, but it's actually really good...

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat and in half
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
• Dried thyme to taste
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 40 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 2/3 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp 2% milk
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Separate the cloves of garlic and peel. (Supposedly, I heard that if you separate cloves and put them in boiling water for 60 seconds, they are easier to peel.)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place trimmed and halved chicken breast in a large zip lock bag. Pound the chicken breasts flat with a mallet until 1/2 inch thick. Season with sea salt, black pepper and thyme to taste.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In batches, saute the chicken smooth side down first, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the breasts and cook for 45 seconds then remove to a baking dish. Once all the chicken has been removed, add the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 3-4 minutes, turning often; add the chicken stock, making sure to scrape all the brown goodies off the bottom of the pan. Season with sea salt, pepper and thyme if needed. Pour sauce over the chicken in the baking dish. Cover with a lid or tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Once the chicken has baked, carefully remove the chicken and garlic cloves to a platter and cover with an aluminum foil tent to stay warm. Place the sauce in the large skillet that you cooked the meat in or a saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk with a little bit of the sauce. Once it's thoroughly mixed, slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the rest of the sauce. Add the butter to the sauce, raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes or until it's nice and thick. Taste and re-season if needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve. Enjoy.

(Recipe from For the Love of Cooking Blog)

Chicken Fajitas with Cole Slaw Salad

*From For the Love of Cooking Blog

Fajita Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin bite size pieces
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 1/4 yellow pepper, sliced thinly
• 1/4 red pepper, sliced thinly

Fajita Directions:

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bag and mix thoroughly. Add chicken, onion and peppers. Marinate for 5-6 hours. Heat a skillet over medium high heat coated with cooking spray. Once the pan is HOT, add chicken, onions & peppers. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes.

Cilantro and Lime Cole Slaw Salad:

• 2 cups of green cabbage shredded (or buy the bagged cole slaw mix with carrots)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of garlic powder

Make this salad right before you serve the tacos so it stays crunchy. Combine all ingredients until mixed thoroughly.

Other Ingredients:

• Corn or Flour tortillas
• Cotija cheese, grated
• Cilantro & Lime Cole Slaw Salad
• Non fat sour cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa

Cook tortillas (dry) in a hot pan for 45-60 seconds on each side. You want them soft & pliable. Top the tortillas with chicken, onions, peppers, cilantro & lime cole slaw salad, cheese, salsa, guacamole & sour cream. Enjoy.

Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used reduced fat)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, chopped (Substitution: 14 oz. package of Jennie-O turkey sausage patties, broken up, cooked and drained. You can also use bacon if you wish.)

6 Eggs

1/2 cup Milk (I used skim)

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

UNROLL dough in 13x9-inch baking dish; press to cover bottom of dish, firmly pressing perforations and seams together to seal. Top with the ham, sausage, or bacon. (I LIGHTLY sprayed the bottom of the dish with cooking spray...)

WHISK eggs, milk and pepper until well blended; pour over meat. Top with cheeses.

BAKE 25 min. or until center is set.

Yum.

*Kraft Foods Magazine

Lemonade Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

2 tsp. CRYSTAL LIGHT Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix (I used 2 "Ready to Go" packets

1/4 cup cold fat-free milk

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP FREE Whipped Topping, thawed

1 Ready-to-use reduced-fat graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)

Directions:

BEAT cream cheese and drink mix in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually add milk, mixing until well blended.

STIR in COOL WHIP; spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.

**Garnish with fruit just before serving.

*Kraft Foods Magazine

OREO Frozen Peanut Butter Dessert

Ingredients:

30 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 2-1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp. Butter, melted

1 cup Peanut butter

1-3/4 qt. (7 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)

6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup PLANTERS COCKTAIL Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

MIX cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Freeze until ready to use. Microwave peanut butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min.; stir. Swirl peanut butter into ice cream; spread over crust. Freeze 30 min.

MICROWAVE COOL WHIP and chocolate in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute.

SPREAD COOL WHIP mixture over ice cream layer; top with nuts. Freeze 4 hours. Remove from freezer 10 min. before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting. Freeze leftovers.

*Kraft Foods Magazine

11,375 Stir-Fries: Design Your Favorite Stir Fry in 5 Easy Steps!

1. Pick a Protein

3/4 pound flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced against the grain
3/4 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
3/4 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
12-ounce package extra-firm silken tofu, cubed

2. Marinate

Whisk one egg white, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Toss with your protein; cover and refrigerate, one hour.

3. Prep 3 Cups Vegetables (in any combination)
sliced carrots
sliced celery
sliced bell peppers
1-inch scallion pieces
sliced onions or shallots
quartered mushroom caps
sliced bok choy or cabbage
sliced leeks
whole snow peas
sliced asparagus
quartered plum tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
baby spinach blanched broccoli or cauliflower florets
thawed frozen peas or edamame

4. Choose a Sauce

Clear Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry,1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons soy sauce,

3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Brown Sauce:

Mix 1/2 cup chicken broth , 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, and 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry.

Oyster Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 3 tablespoons oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame oil.

Spicy Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons each soy sauce, rice vinegar and Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce.

5. Stir-Fry

First, drain the excess marinade from the protein. Place your sauce, veggies, and protein near the stove. Next, heat 1/4 inch peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 seconds to one minute (for tofu, brown on both sides-do not stir). Transfer to a plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Heat the pan over high heat, 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, then 2 cloves of minced garlic (or 4 cloves if using Spicy Sauce), 1-2 tablespoons minced ginger, 2 minced scallions and a pinch each of salt and sugar. stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add the veggies, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp tender.

To finish, add the protein and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the veggies and protein are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos, and/or cilantro.