LEMON PEPPER PASTA WITH SWEET BELL PEPPERS AND ROASTED PINE NUTS

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) bag Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers, sautéed in 1 tablespoon butter

3 Tablespoons roasted pine nuts*

2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle over pasta

Directions:
Boil Pasta as directed 8 – 10 minutes.  While the pasta is boiling, sauté the chopped bell peppers in 1 tablespoon butter.  Sauté on low until the peppers are soft.  Drain pasta and toss with olive oil in a medium serving bowl.  Add the sautéed sweet bell peppers, roasted pine nuts and chopped green onion.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.  Serve with Garlic Bread Sticks, and Lemon Pepper Chicken.

Toasted Almond Frozen Yogurt

Take your taste buds on a tantalizing toasted almond adventure trip.  Creamy and delicious.


Ingredients:

1 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt

1 cup vanilla non fat Greek yogurt

¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional
1 ½ cups original almond milk (in the dairy case)
¾ cup sugar (I used extra fine baker’s sugar)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ to ¾ cup toasted sliced almonds*

Directions:

In a blender, blend all of the ingredients (except the toasted almonds) just for about 30 seconds. Chill the blender mixture in the fridge for about an hour or so. Then churn according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions.  Just before you remove the yogurt from the ice cream machine add the toasted almonds and be sure they stir in. Freeze for 3 hours before serving.  Top with your favorite topping.  My favorite is caramel topping, especially on toasted almond.

*To Toast Almonds, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sliced almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for approximately 3 minutes.  Stir, then cook for approximately 1 minute more.  For a burnt almond flavor, toast the almonds about 1 minute longer.  Remove from oven and let cool completely (you may freeze them if you wish).

Ingredients

Just finished churning

Just out of the freezer

Serving Time

with Fresh Strawberries and Chocolate Syrup

With Caramel Sauce

Toasted Trio

CREAMY COCONUT & VANILLA FROZEN YOGURT

Creamy Coconut & Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with a Trio of Toppings

2 cups non fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 ¾ cup vanilla coconut milk (in the dairy case)
¾ cup sugar (I used extra fine baker’s sugar)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup coconut flakes

In a blender, blend all of the ingredients (except coconut flakes) just for about 30 seconds. Chill the blender mixture in the fridge for about an hour or so. Then churn according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions.  Just before you remove the yogurt from the ice cream machine add the coconut flakes and be sure it stirs in. Freeze for 3 hours before servings.

For a pina/colada treat serve with fresh pineapple or pineapple ice cream topping.

For a refreshing berry delight, serve with berry freezer jam

Just for fun, serve with chocolate fudge or chocolate syrup

Just out of the ice cream machine and ready for the freezer

Pineapple Ice Cream Topping

Berry Freezer Jam Topping

Chocolate Syrup Topping

COCONUT PARADISE PUDDING COOKIES

Makes 36 large cookies

Wet Ingredients and sugar:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup extra fine baker’s sugar

½ Tablespoon vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons coconut milk

2 Eggs

Dry Ingredients:

4 cups flour (self rising)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ to 1 cup sugar (extra fine baker’s sugar)

1 small package coconut cream instant pudding

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Pineapple chunks, drained (optional garnish)

Chocolate kisses (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the cream cheese and butter.  Add ½ cup sugar.  Cream together.  Add vanilla and the coconut milk.  Mix well. Add the Egg and mix well.

Sift together the Flour, baking soda, salt sugar and coconut cream instant pudding

Slowly add the sifted ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Stir in the flaked coconut and the macadamia nuts.

Optional:  Top with a pineapple chunk or a chocolate kiss.

Place parchment paper on a baking stone (or a baking sheet).   Drop by large tablespoons full (if desired gently press a chocolate kiss or a pineapple chunk into the center of the cookie) and bake for 16 minutes or until set, rotating once during cooking.  Let set on baking sheet about 3 minutes then let cool on a cooling rack.

Serve with water, milk or juice.  

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

with Kisses Ready for the Oven

With Kisses just out of the oven

With Pineapple Ready for the Oven

With Pineapple, just out of the oven

Plated

Plated

PEANUTTY OATMEAL CANDY BARS

Adapted from: Page 43-44 of Taste of Home “Brownies and Bars”

Yields 2 dozen

3 cups quick- cooking oats (or 3 ¼ cups old fashioned oats)

½  packed brown sugar (original called for 1 cup)

2/3 cup butter, melted

½ cup plus 2/3 cup peanut butter, divided

½ cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package (11 ounces) peanut butter chips (original called for butterscotch chips)

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped salted peanuts

½ cup Reese’s Pieces – optional topping

1.       In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter, ½ cup peanut butter, corn syrup and vanilla.  Press into a greased 13 – inch. X 9-inch baking pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly around the edges.

2.       In a microwave-safe bowl, melt peanut butter chip and chocolate chips; stir until smooth.  Sir in peanuts and remaining peanut butter; spread over the oat mixture.  Optional – top with Reese’s Pieces.  Cool for 10 minutes; chill until set.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD WITH PEANUT BUTTER GLAZE

Adapted from: http://theviewfromthegreatisland.blogspot.com/2012/03/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-shortbread.html

makes about 21 small cookies 
1 stick, (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp 
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour  
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

·                     Cream the butter and the peanut butter together in a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or a wooden spoon.  Beat in the vanilla.

·                     Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture.  Mix until the dough comes together. 

·                     Stir in the chips, and turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap layed out on a pastry mat.  Gently pull the dough together and form it into a log.  If it is still crumbly, work it with your hands until it holds together smoothly. Roll it up in the plastic wrap, smoothing the shape as you go.  Twist the ends securely and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

·                     Slice the log into slices with a sharp knife or a pastry cutter. Not too thick, not too thin, about 1/3 inch.  If a slice crumbles a bit, just smoosh the dough back together.  These don't have to be perfect disks.

·                     Bake on a parchment lined baking stone or baking sheet at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.  The cookies will not be browned, and they may look undone, but don't over bake. 

·                     Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

·                     Cool completely, then glaze (see recipe below)

Just out of the oven

Peanut Butter Glaze (my recipe)

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 ½ Tablespoons milk

1/8 cup smooth peanut butter

Dash of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Add a dash of salt.  Using a small teaspoon, top each cookie with the glaze and smooth all around the cookie.  If desired, shake a small amount of sea salt on top of each cookie. (the salt adds that yummy salty and sweet combination).  Let set for approximately one hour before serving.  Serve with milk. 

Glaze

Just after the cookies were glazed

Ready to Eat

Plate of Cookies

CHILLY AND REFRESHING - LEM'N KEY LIME PIE

Garnished with Whipping Cream and Chocolate Syrup

“A Frozen Festival of Flavors”

A duet of delights come together in this mouth watering frosty favorite….The citrus chiefs lemon and Key lime, combine with Greek Yogurt and sweetened condensed milk to make this an easy and fun-filled dessert.  

Ingredients:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt (sour cream may be substituted)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons Key lime juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest (or the zest from one huge lemon)

1 Keebler shortbread crust (or graham crust)

Yellow food coloring

Green food coloring

Heavy whipping cream for garnish

Triple berry freezer jam or chocolate syrup for garnish
Frozen yogurt drops for garnish, optional

Garnished with Triple Berry Freezer Jam

Garnished with Triple Berry Freezer Jam and Frozen Yogurt Bites

Directions:

BEAT yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, Key lime juice and lemon zest together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and blended.   DIVIDE the filling evenly into two small mixing bowls.  SQUEEZE a few drops of yellow food coloring into one of the bowls of filling and a squeeze a few drops of green food coloring into the other bowl of filling.  MIX each bowl well.  POUR half of the green filling into the crust and smooth it with a spatula.  Next, POUR half of the yellow filling on top of green filling.  Gently SMOOTh it over the green.  REPEAT with the green and yellow filling alternating until the crust is full.  Then, take a tooth pick and gently MOVE it in circular motions to SWIRL the filling colors together. PUT in the freezer and freeze over night or until completely frozen.  GARNISH with piped whipping cream and berry freezer jam or chocolate syrup.

Ingredients

Ingredients Mixed

Yellow Filling

Green Filling

Green Layer

Layer 2 - Yellow Layer

Layers 3 and 4

Swirled and Ready to Freeze