Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I just realized that I've been giving my thoughts on my "Weekly Polls" but not sharing the stats with you so here they are for this past week:

The question was "What is your favorite kind of food?" The answers were as follows:

Answers			Votes	Percent
1.		American	2	10%
2.		Italian	5	24%
3.		Chinese	2	10%
4.		Thai	1	5%
5.		French	0	0%
6.		Indian	2	10%
7.		Mexican	5	24%
8.		Greek	1	5%
9.		German	0	0%
10.		Other (post a comment and let me know!)	3	14%

I'm a little disappointed that no one posted a comment to let me know what their favorite food is (those that chose option #10). I'm very curious to know! I'm not surprised that Mexican and Italian top the list, those seem to be favorites of many people. As for me, it's very hard to pick just one! I grew up eating a lot of Mexican food and although I do love it, I love most every other type on the list here as well plus other not listed like Soul food, Japanese food, Filipino food, Jamaican food and Hawaiian food... I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting!

The new poll is up so please vote! :)

On to the recipe......

I've been making this recipe for some time now for family at church with new babies. It's a great recipe because you can make up a double batch and because my kids love it :) This last time I snuck in some chopped broccoli and it was wonderful. An easy "heat and eat" meal!

Creamy Chicken-and-Rice Casserole

1 package chicken-flavored Rice-A-Roni (I use my Homemade Rice-A-Roni Mix)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 1/4 c. water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 c. veggies of your choice (optional) - I like to use broccoli but you can use mixed veggies, spinach, mushrooms, etc.
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 c. nonfat sour cream
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1/2 c. crushed multigrain crackers - or any kind of crumbs like bread crumbs, crushed corn flakes or even crushed Rice Krispies
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

Cook rice mix in a large nonstick skillet according to package directions, using 1 Tbsp. margarine and 2-1/4 cups hot water. Remove mixture from skillet; set aside. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Coat the skillet with cooking spray, and place over high heat until hot. Add chicken, veggies, and garlic powder; saute for 6 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color. Combine rice mixture, chicken mixture, sour cream, pepper, and soup in a bowl; stir well. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Combine crumbs, margarine, and poppy seeds; stir well, and sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Bread Crumb Cookies

I posted this recipe in one of my past newsletters and wanted to share it again. I know, it sounds wierd... cookies made with bread crumbs. I thought so too when I found this recipe several years ago. It was one of the many recipes I have found through The Complete Tightwad Gazette. These cookies remind me of chocolate "lace" cookies... kind of thin, delicate (they break very easily) and very delicious. In my opinion they taste best the second day. If I ever make a batch that lasts longer than two days I'll let you know how they are on the third ;)



Bread Crumb Cookies

1 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c melted shortening
2 c bread crumbs

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Add melted shortening and bread crumbs. Drop by spoonfuls onto an a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until done.

Watkins!

Don't you just love the UPS guy? :) I sure do! I had been waiting for a package and was so happy when he knocked at my door this morning!

I absolutely LOVE Watkins products. I used to sell them years ago and then became a customer after that. I didn't order often because the shipping was a bit high... my mom, sister and I would combine our orders to save on the shipping. So you can imagine I was very excited a couple of weeks ago when my "Lovely Watkins Lady" Bianca told me that there are new lower shipping rates. How often does that happen? I was very excited to receive my order!

I ordered their Menthol Camphor Ointment for hubby (his favorite Watkins item), a tin of delicious smelling baking cocoa that I can wait to use, a bottle of Powdered Ginger which smells divine and an item I have never tried... Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Mix - yum! Of course they also always include a catalog with specials for the following month so I am looking through that right now to see what goodies I might purchase next. :)

If you're interested in Watkins products, you can contact Bianca at bianca5454 @ neo.rr . com (remove the spaces), or stop by the Watkins website to shop and use her ID# 358211 to make a purchase. They have excellent products, reasonable prices (for a specialty food line) and wonderful customer service!

Another Leftover Makeover

Last night I was trying to clean out the fridge since we will be getting groceries in a few days. In the back of the freezer I found a large Ziploc bag with leftover Arroz Con Pollo, a container of frozen cooked rice, a bag of shredded carrots, a chicken breast from a creamy baked chicken creation I had created and a single Sofrito cube. I decided to combine all of these and make soup.

I put all of these ingredients into the crockpot along with 8 c. of chicken broth and let it simmer all day. When it was done I removed the larger pieces of chicken and shredded them. The verdict? It was very flavorful but the rice was a little mushy (I happen to like it that way but hubby didn't). I served it topped with crispy tortilla strips, shredded cheese, a dolop of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa. It tasted great! There's plenty left for lunch today and I'm looking forward to another bowl :)

Safeway.com Promo Codes

I received these promo codes recently for Safeway.com. If you're interested here's the link to their website. It's already getting hot here in AZ, I don't plan on setting foot outdoors to shop this summer if I don't have to! :) The prices are a tad bit higher than our local market but with three kids and temps over 100 degrees all summer we find it worth it to shop with Safeway. With these promos it looks like we may be starting off a bit early this year. Here are the codes.

Your next deliver FREE - enter code EFREE2 at checkout
Your next three deliveries for FREE - Enter code DNEXT3 at checkout
But Two Stouffer's Skillet Sensations and get FREE Artisan bread - enter code SENSATION at checkout

Belated Christmas Gift

Back around Chritmas time, my mom told me that she and my dad had a gift for me. She said they would bring it to me when they had a chance to come visit or send it along with my sister. So today my sister and her husband came up to visit and presented me with this

How totally cool! This set is by Cuisinart and I cannot wait to try it out! Thanks Mom and Dad! :)

Thanks to all of you who took my weekly poll. I was a little surprised at how many of you eat beef most often. I've read lately that the majority of people are chicken eaters on a regualr basis. (Personally I prefer beef too!)

Take a vote for the new poll this week (to your left). Thanks!

Cuban Bread

I've been wanting to try this recipe from The Tightwad Gazette for a while now and I finally made it today. I made two loaves (for my mom and sister) but I'm going to make more tomorrow for us... it smelled so good coming out of the oven! I can't wait to try it!



Cuban Bread

5-6 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. dry yeast
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 c. hot water (not boiling)
1 T. sesame or poppy seeds or oats

Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes, or 3 minutes with a mixer. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with damp towel. Let rise 15 minutes. Punch down. Divide into 2 pieces, shape into 2 round loaves and place on baking sheet. Cut an X 1/2 inch deep on top with sharp knife. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds or oats. Place on the middle shelf of a cold oven. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest shelf. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown.

Ribs In The Crock Pot

I made ribs in the crock pot today and they were amazing! I personally prefer boneless ribs but this would work with bone-in ribs as well... beef or pork.

Crock Pot BBQ Ribs

3 lbs. pork ribs
Hickory Smoked Salt (or salt, pepper and liquid smoke) to taste
1 onion, sliced
1 (16 oz.) bottle barbeque sauce

Sprinkle ribs with Hickory Smoked Salt. Place ribs in broiler pan under broiler for 15 minutes to brown and remove excess fat. Put sliced onion in crock pot. Slice ribs into serving pieces and put in crock pot. Pour in barbeque sauce. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

No Cooking Here

Unfortunately there's been no cooking going on around here the past few days. After a long bout with sinus problems I now have tonsillitis. Not the best thing to promote a good appetite and desire to be creative in the kitchen. But I'm on the mend and am planning to bake some bread tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Baking Mix - A Nice Surprise!

I don't normally care for packaged mixes for baking but when I saw this new Healthy Heart Bisquick I thought I'd give it a try. I could actually read the ingredients list and recognize every one of them... how rare is that? So this morning we used it to make waffles and I was pleasantly surprised. They were light, fluffy, slightly crisp on the outside and VERY good! In the tradition of Siskel and Ebert I would give this mix "two thumbs up".

Happy Easter!

It's about to be a busy weekend so I thought I would post early and wish you all a Happy and Blessed Easter! I was just looking at the stats from the poll this past week and it looks like most of you have a traditional meal you prepare for Easter, namely ham, which is not surprising to me. Seems like ham is a mainstay for Easter. I would be interested to know... those of you that voted for "another traditional family meal"... what is your family's traditional Easter meal. I was surprised that no one is preparing turkey for Easter. Growing up it seems that about half of the folks we knew prepared a ham and the other half, a turkey. Personally I could go for either since both are delicious! :) This year, after much debate, we decided to go non-traditional so I will be preparing spaghetti, broccoli with shallots, garlic bread and brownies for dessert. Hubby and the kids are REALLY looking forward to the meal so who knows, it may just become our new family tradition. I've got a new poll up this week (to your left) so take a minute and vote.

Easter is a very special time for us. If you've been visiting me for any amount of time now you know that I am a Christian so to me Easter is much more than bunnies, eggs and jelly beans. It's a time to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some of you voted last week that you don't celebrate Easter. If you're not familiar with the meaning of Easter (the true meaning that is), take a look here for more info.

I'll be back next week with more from my kitchen. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Easter Recipes

I'm still not sure what we'll be having for dinner on Easter Sunday. In case you're still not sure either, here are a few of my favorite family recipes that I remember having on Easter or just ones that I think would go well with an Easter meal.

Garlic and Herb Sesame Rolls

My Grandmother's Potato Salad

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Green Rice

Green Bean Casserole

German Apple Cake

My Grandmother's Pound Cake

Pineapple Cheesecake Squares

Tropical Cheesecake

Homemade Tortilla Chips

I giggled to myself recently when I brought some homemade tortilla chips to a gathering we attended and people were shocked that I made them. I never really gave it much thought, I grew up making and eating homemade tortilla chips! They are very easy to make and the taste will make you feel as if you are at a Mexican restaurant. They go great with guacamole or Pico De Gallo.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

1 dozen corn tortillas (or you can use extra small flour tortillas)
canola oil
salt

Cut the tortillas into 4ths. Heat the oil until you see it ripple. Add the chips a few at a time and let fry until golden then turn and fry a few seconds longer(*). Then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until you finish with all the tortillas. Salt them while they are still warm and serve.

(*) You may need to adjust the heat, sometimes flour tortillas need a lower heat and sometimes they will fry too quickly, it will all depend on your pan and the temperature of your stove.

One Mom's Junk Is Another Mom's Treasure

Please tell me I am not the only person who saves things like this. When my mom comes to visit she will ask... "Do you want to keep this stuff?" Of course, my answer is "YES!". I need those things! If you're wondering why... let me elaborate on what I save and why. (If you're trying to maintain a frugal kitchen like I am you HAVE to save stuff, LOL!)

Empty margarine and yogurt containers - these are great to have around for a variety of reasons. Water cups for the kids when they use water colors... snack cups for the kids... a place to save leftovers... extra containers for hubby's lunch bag... containers to freeze things in... something to hold spice mixtures... the list goes on but you get the idea.

Empty "honey bears" - these are great for dessert time. If you make a plain cheesecake or other dessert you can put chocolate syrup in one, strawberry puree in one and caramel sauce in one and let everyone top thier own dessert. Also, my one year old loves to drink from these. They do leak but at the table she does just fine with them and has fun at the same time. You can store homemade salad dressing in them and have a ready made squeeze bottle when it's time to serve. You can scoop mayonnaise from a large jar into these to make it easier for the kids to use.

"Plates" from frozen meals - great to use to serve the kids snacks or even lunch. Wonderful to hold a late night snack. Perfect for kids craft projects. Ideal for holding small amounts of ingredients for a recipe when you are cooking. Use when decorating Christmas cookies for various cookie decorations.

Empty glass jars - My husband loves to drink from these, he will grab one before he will grab a regular drinking glass. Nice to place flowers in. Use with a lid to shake things like corn starch and water for a gravy.

Other things you will find in my kitchen drawers and cabinets include sauce packets, straws and napkins from fast food restaurants... empty tin cans (you can use the large ones to bake in the crock pot and smaller ones as biscuit cutters).

The possibilities of what you can save and find a new use for are endless. I feel that if we paid for it I will find a way to use it if I can rather than throwing it out. "A penny saved is a penny earned" is one of my favorite sayings. I suppose you could say "a margarine tub saved is a snack cup earned." :)

Pineapple Cheesecake Squares

We're off to run some errands today, and I am really hoping to beat the traffic! If you're familiar with Arizona you probably realize that in the past few years it's really growing around here! There has been traffic jams every time we hit the freeways lately. We've got a new sports arena going up on our end of town, lots of new homes and shopping centers. There is even a new enclosed outdoor field where people can go out with their paintball guns. My husband can't wait to give that a try but I think I'll be staying at home for that one! :)

I was just going through my recipes looking for a dessert for Easter. I was so happy to find this recipe which I absolutely love! I found it in a coupon circular in the Sunday newspaper about 15 years ago and it was an instant hit. I think I will make it again this year.

Pineapple Cheesecake Squares

Crust:
2 c. flour
2/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. almonds, finely shopped and toasted
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Press firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 x 2 in. pan. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until set.

Filling:
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained (reserve 1 c. juice)
1/2 c. heavy cream

Beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 c. sugar and eggs. Stir in 2/3 c. pineapple juice. Pour over crust. Bake just until center is set (about 20 minutes). Cool completely. Mix flour and 1/4 c. sugar in a 2 qt. saucepan. Stir in 1 c. reserved pineapple juice. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and fold in pineapple. Cool completely. Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff. Fold into pineapple mixture. Spread carefully over dessert. Cover loosely and refrigerate until fir (about 4 hours). Cut into 3 inch squares. Makes 12 squares.

A Special Day and A Guest

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary! It's really funny to think we've been together this long because I often still feel like a kid that just fell in love (**sigh**). I am very blessed to have met and gotten married to such a special person and to still be so in love. :)

Well, as I stated in a recent post I have had to cut back a bit on posting lately due to time constraints.... that includes my Monday Guest Bloggers. However, I'm pleased to announce that I have a new guest visiting us today. Meeta from What's For Lunch Honey? is here today to share with us a wonderful sounding recipe.

On another note I wanted to give a quick mention about a food blog series I was just made aware of. Ester at Foodmall is having a new series on Mouth
Watering Desserts Around the Globe. Drop by and take a look, I submitted one of my favorite recipes. :)

Now back to our regularly scheduled program... here's Meeta!

-----------------------------------------

Once upon a time, some 12-13 years ago, a girl of 20 left her parents home and went to start a life of her own in a far away land called Germany. Many obstacles lay in her way and her parents were very worried if their precious daughter would withstand the hardships life
had to offer. She could not speak the strange language spoken in this far off land, she did not know anyone and much to her mother's fears, she could not cook! How would her child survive?

The young girl was clever and decided to combine learning the language with learning to cook. She spent her money on German cookbooks. Armed with a dictionary, she began to learn the simple cooking and to speak the strange language. Within a short time she was able to communicate with the baker, butcher and the vegetable guy at the market. Back at home she experimented with the ingredients she had bought to place a simple, not always successful, dish on the table.

Today at the age of 33 she has come a long way. Not only does she speak the strange language fluently, her passion for cooking has become somewhat obsessive. She started a food blog to document her recipes and to share ideas and dishes with other food bloggers. She also recently combined her passion for photography with food and became a Foodographer!

Now, she is guest blogging on Michele's blog! Has she become a Foodie?

Thank you Michele for giving me this opportunity and I would also like to thank all my other fellow food bloggers and Foodpgraphers for motivating and encouraging me through my blog journey. I did not know this was such a cult when I first started.

The recipe I chose for Michele's Guest Blogger was selected for a number of reasons.

I wanted to post a German recipe to highlight my little story. As Easter is around the corner I thought it would be a great thing to give an alternative for the usual roast & Co. that is served on tables around the world at Easter time. We normally spend our Easters over at my in-laws and my mother-in-law spends her Easters in the kitchen preparing a huge and fancy meal. She hardly gets the opportunity to enjoy the time with us. This is such a quick recipe allowing the cooks to have more time for the egg hunt and enjoying the time with family and friends. Last but not least, it is a light meal, not only for our tummies but also for the wallets!

I hope you enjoy it.

SENF EIER - Mustard Eggs

Ingredients:
8 Eggs - hard boiled (approx. 8 minutes) and cut in halves
1 yellow onion - chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white flour
400 ml Vegetable fond
150 g Crème fraiche or heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh dill - chopped
salt & pepper

250g rice - a mixture of plain and wild rice is great

Method:
In a heated pan melt the butter and add the chopped onions. Gently steam these until soft. Sprinkle with the flour and cook this gently, making sure it does not go brown. pour in the vegetable fond and mix well. Add the heavy cream and allow to simmer for approx. 5 minutes- Add in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the rice according to instructions.

In the meantime add the egg halves into the mustard sauce and heat through. Sprinkle the chopped dill over the sauce. Serve this on a heated plate with the rice.

A nice side dish to this is a big green salad with a light vinaigrette.


For more on this recipe and some pictures visit my blog What's for lunch, Honey?

Muffins and a New Poll

Today I decided to try a "Universal Muffin Recipe" that I found in The Complete Tightwad Gazette. I was a little worried at first because I couldn't imagine how one recipe with such wide varations would turn out well. You can use this recipe to make any kind of muffin you could imagine, it tells you how much folur, sweetner, liquid, eggs, additions (dry, moist or wet) to add. I made two batches, one I call Orange Muffins... a very simple recipe with white flour, whole wheat pastry flour and orange extract. The second I call Carrott Cake Muffins because they have raisins, grated carrots and cruched pineapple. Both batches of muffins turned out wonderful! We'll be taking those with us to church tomorrow. I really love The Complete Tightwad Gazette, it has several "universal" recipes along with many other great recipes and tips for frugal living.

I put up a new poll for the week (to your left) so please vote! Last weeks poll revealed that most of you shop for your groceries at various stores for various items while the second highest vote went to shopping at a chain grocer. I was actually surprised that no one voted that they shop on-line. It can certainly be a little more expensive but it is very convenient. We do our shopping on-line with Safeway.com in the summer to avoid taking the kids out in the heat when we don't have to. (it can get dangerously hot here in the desert Southwest). During the rest of the year I am a store hopper when I have the time. I know which items I like from various stores so I try to shop around. Not to mention the great bargains you find when you visit various stores.

Biscuit Fun

I made biscuits to go with beef stew for dinner tonight. Since I mixed up a double batch there was dough left so I let my girls have some fun with it. These are the "Biscuit People" they made. Too cute :)

Homemade Pita Bread

Thanks to Nic over at The Baking Sheet, I just completed the most well received baking project in a long time. Although I find lots of great recipes that I can't wait to try, my little ones often complain about the texture, taste or appearance of many things. So when I set out to make Nic's Homemade Pita Breadad today I expected that there would be at least one complaint when it was served. I was pleasantly surprised when my 6 year old declared these "50 times better than tortillas" and my 4 and 1 year olds both sighed a satisfied "Mmmmmm!" with their first bite. We ate them simply with thin slices of Colby-Jack cheese but there are plenty left for a bowl of hummus that I plan to make tonight and the "taco fillings" my 6 year old requested for tomorrow.

Homamade pitas are nothing like the store bought variety. They are delicate yet chewy and they are not at all brittle nor do they fall apart when you attempt to stuff them full of your favorite filling. Some of them will puff up and have a ready made pocket when you cut them open and some will need you to slit them with a knife before stuffing. Either way they are amazing!


Homemade Pita Bread
(from The Baking Sheet)

1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm (105-115F) water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Combine sugar, water and yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes, until foaming. Stir in salt and flour until fully incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Allow to rise in a lightly oiled bowl until doubled in size, 1 1/2 hours. Turn on your broiler and lightly oil a baking sheet. Punch the dough down, divide it into 10 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out. Roll out until balls form circles about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. (I used my Tortilla Baker to flatten them). Place on baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip over and broil again for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. You just have to keep an eye on these guys depending on how hot your broiler gets.
Remove from oven and cool between kitchen towels to keep the pitas moist. Store in an airtight container.

Planning Ahead

It's funny the things you get done when you're sick. I've had plenty of time over the past few days to make some lists that I had been putting off for some time now. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am really big on list making :) Here's what I've been working on:

To Cook this week:
Pita Bread
Muffins
biscuits

cleaning:
closets
windows
sort boxes
file paperwork
sort clothing

holiday:
purchase gift for anniversary
Easter Menu - chicken and dumplings, vegetables, potato salad, dessert... maybe a pineapple cheesecake?
Easter Favors - Resurrection Eggs, candy, flowers
mothers day flowers and gift and father's day gift

Gosh... now I feel so organized ;)

On The Mend

Not much to post about since I have been down with a sinus infection the past couple of days. I am really looking forward to getting back in the kitchen since I am feeling a lot better now (thanks to my doc!). While laying around resting I have been making plans for Easter. I am really undecided on what I should prepare for dinner because my crew is not so big on ham or turkey. I was thinking of chicken and dumplings. Although not a fancy meal it is one that has been requested lately and I know would be enjoyed by all of us :) I need to figure out what to make for side dishes. My 6 year old and 4 year old enjoy holidays so much, we will make it a festive day. I am thinking I will get some table decorations and even buy flowers. Now I just have to decide what to prepare for dessert! There are so many good looking recipes out there I'm sure we'll find a great one. I'm hoping to have some new recipes to share tomorrow so please stop by again!

Easy Boston Cream Pie

It's a typical Saturday at our house... Cleaning, baking and doing my girls hair :)

I made a Boston Cream Pie for our church luncheon tomorrow, I can't wait to cut into it, it smells wonderful! It's a simple recipe using a cake mix which I'll share with you in a minute. But first I wanted to take note of some yummy looking blog posts I found today.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches not only has a new look to her site but she's got these delicious looking scones posted today. I haven't made scones in years and can't wait to try this recipe. Now if only I had the sour cherry jam she has spread on hers :)

The Baking Sheet has a decedent looking Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake posted and I will be making that soon as well. I love the taste of chocolate and cinnamon together.

The Canadain Baker made an Apple Snacking Cake which I think will be perfect to make for my girls snack time since they love apples.

CJ's Food and Fantasy has some mouth watering looking Teriyaki Chicken Wings. I normally am not too crazy about wings but these look REALLY good!

And finally, a couple of new recipes I plan to add to my Latin cooking repertoire, Off The Broiler's Caribbean Meatloaf and Sweetnick's Carne Con Papas.

OK, I think I'd better stop adding to my recipe pile now... here's my Boston Cream Pie and the recipe. :) And if you haven't already, please take my weekly poll (to your left) thanks!


Easy Boston Cream Pie

Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix (plus ingredients called for on the package)
1 additional egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Filling:
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp.. vanilla extract

Glaze:
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pudding using 1 1/2 c. of milk and adding vanilla. When pudding is ready cover with foil and refrigerate.

Spray a 9 inch. springfrom pan with cooking spray. Bake the cake according to package directions adding the additional egg and lemon extract to the batter. Remove sides of pan and allow cake to cool with bottom disc of pan still attached for minutes, then remove disc by placing a plate on top of the cake and quickly flipping it over then remove the disc.

Cut the cake in half into two layers with a serated knife. Spread the bottom layer with the pudding. Place the top layer on top.

Make the glaze by blending all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beating until smooth. Glaze only the top layer of the cake. Keep the cake refrigerated.