Cranberry-Pecan Tassies Recipe

Cranberry-Pecan Tassies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup  butter, softened
1 3-ounce package  cream cheese, softened
1 cup  all-purpose flour
1   egg
3/4 cup  packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon  vanilla
Dash  salt
1/3 cup  finely chopped cranberries
3 tablespoons  chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. For pastry, in a mixing bowl beat the butter and cream cheese until combined. Stir in the flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, if desired.
2. Shape the dough into 24 balls; place in ungreased 1-1/2-inch muffin pans. Press dough evenly against bottom and up sides of each muffin cup.
3. For the filling, in a mixing bowl beat together the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt just until smooth. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Spoon filling into the pastry-lined muffin cups.
4. Bake tassies in a 325 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool in pans on wire racks. Remove from pans by running a knife around the edges. Store in airtight container. Makes 24 tassies.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 94, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 23 mg, Sodium 59 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Protein 1 g.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Pecan-Laced German Chocolate Cake Recipe

Pecan-Laced German Chocolate Cake


Ingredients:

4   eggs
3/4 cup  butter
1-3/4 cups  all-purpose flour
3/4 cup  pecans, toasted and ground
1 tsp.  baking soda
1/4 tsp.  baking powder
2 cups  sugar
1 4-oz. pkg.  sweet baking chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
1 cup  buttermilk
1/2 cup  strong coffee or water
1 recipe  Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Preparation:

1. Separate eggs. Let eggs and butter stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with waxed or parchment paper; grease and flour bottoms and sides. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside. In medium bowl stir together flour, pecans, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt. In 4-quart bowl beat butter on medium-high 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each. Beat in chocolate on low.
3. In bowl combine buttermilk and coffee. Alternately add with flour mixture to butter mixture; beat well after each. With spatula fold in egg whites. Spread batter in pans.
4. Bake 25 minutes or until pick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove; peel off paper. Cool on wire racks.
5. Prepare Coconut-Pecan Frosting. Spread 1 cup on rounded tops of two layers. Add third layer, flat side down; spread with remaining frosting. Makes 16 servings.
6. Coconut-Pecan Frosting: In saucepan slightly beat 2 eggs. Stir in 1-1/3 cups half-and-half, 1-1/3 cups sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Cook and stir over medium heat 10 minutes, until slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in 7-oz. pkg. (2-2/3 cups) coconut and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Cover and cool. Makes 3-1/2 cups.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 571, Total Fat 33 g, Saturated Fat 17 g, Monounsaturated Fat 11 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 125 mg, Sodium 303 mg, Carbohydrate 65 g, Total Sugar 52 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 6 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 6%, Iron 8%.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Double-Cherry Streusel Bars Recipe

Double-Cherry Streusel Bars Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups  water
1 cup  dried tart cherries or dried cranberries, snipped
2 cups  quick-cooking C
1-1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups  packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon  baking powder
1/2 teaspoon  baking soda
1 cup  butter
1/2 cup  coarsely chopped slivered almonds
2 12-ounce jars  cherry preserves
1 teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 cup  semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon  shortening, melted

Preparation:
1. In a small saucepan bring water to boiling. Remove from heat. Add dried cherries or cranberries and let stand for 10 minutes or until softened. Drain and set aside.
2. For crust, in a large mixing bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture. Stir the almonds into the reserved crumb mixture; set aside.
3. Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, for filling, stir together the drained cherries, cherry preserves, and lemon peel. Spread the filling evenly over baked crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until top is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. In a small saucepan combine the chocolate pieces and shortening; heat over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Drizzle melted chocolate mixture over baked bars. Cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 144, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Sodium 63 mg, Carbohydrate 24 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 1 g. Daily Values: Calcium 0%, Iron 0%.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Recipe

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna:

Ingredients:
8 ounces  whole-wheat lasagna noodles
1 pound  lean spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (see Variation)
4 cups  sliced mushrooms, (10 ounces)
1/4 cup  water
1 pound  frozen spinach, thawed
1 28-ounce can  crushed tomatoes, preferably chunky
1/4 cup  chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon  salt
  Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound  part-skim ricotta cheese, (2 cups)
8 ounces  part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
* Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until not quite tender, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
* Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until it is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
* Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
*To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
*Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Vegetarian Variation: Use a sausage-style soy product, such as Gimme Lean, or simply omit the sausage altogether.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 333, Total Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Monounsaturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 41 mg, Sodium 655 mg, Carbohydrate 28 g, Fiber 7 g, Protein 26 g, Potassium 606 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin A 128%, Calcium 23%, Iron 21%. Exchanges: Starch 1,Vegetable 1.5,Lean Meat 1,Medium-Fat Meat 2.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Lemon Chicken Lasagna Recipe

Lemon Chicken Lasagna:

Ingredients:
  Nonstick cooking spray
1 16-oz. jar  roasted garlic alfredo sauce
1 Tbsp.  drained capers
6   no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 of a 15-oz. container  ricotta cheese
6 oz.  fontina cheese or mozarella shredded (1 1/2 cups)
1-1/2 tsp.  finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup  finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 9-oz. pkg.  refrigerated or frozen cooked chicken breast strips (thawed, if frozen)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In a saucepan combine alfredo sauce and capers. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/3 cup of sauce mixture into prepared dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles. In a bowl stir together ricotta, 1 cup of the fontina cheese, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel. Spoon half the cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with half the chicken. Spoon half the remaining sauce over chicken layer.
2. Top with 2 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, and remaining chicken. Add 2 more noodles, remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining fontina and Parmesan.
3. Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand, covered, on wire rack for 20 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining lemon peel. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 529, Total Fat 34 g, Saturated Fat 19 g, Monounsaturated Fat 6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 159 mg, Sodium 1522 mg, Carbohydrate 20 g, Total Sugar 2 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 35 g. Daily Values: Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 56%, Iron 5%.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Rosemary Chicken and Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (3 pound) whole broiler-fryer chicken
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 cups fresh or frozen whole baby carrots
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
12 small white onions, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:

* Brush the chicken with the butter. Place the chicken and vegetables into a roasting pan. Season with the rosemary. Mix the stock and orange juice in a small bowl and pour half the stock mixture over the chicken and vegetables.
* Roast at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
* Stir the vegetables. Add the remaining stock mixture to the pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Mexican Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound cubed skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
1/2 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8.75 ounce) can sweet corn, drained
1/4 cup salsa
water as needed
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed plain tortilla chips


Directions

* In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute chicken in oil until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add taco seasoning, beans, corn, salsa and a little water to prevent drying out. Cover skillet and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes.
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
* Transfer chicken mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup of the cheese and crushed tortilla chips.
* Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.