Lemon Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls

1 can crescent rolls

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. lemon extract

zest of 1/2 lemon, I used a few shakes of Tru-Lemon

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon, I used few shakes of Tru-Lemon

1/4 t. lemon extract

little milk or smooth consistency

Combine filling ingredients. Place 1 teaspoonful in each crescent roll. Spread over all of roll. Roll up, starting on the wide end. Place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 8 rolls. Combine glaze ingredients and pour over each roll as soon as they come out of the oven. So yummy and delicious!

*I doubled the filling recipe when I made 16 rolls, but I didn't double the glaze.  

**can also be made with any flavor pie filling instead of the cream cheese. I use a glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and complimentary flavoring.

1st picture: crescent roll with cream cheese filling; 2nd picture: rolled up and ready to bake; 3rd & 4th pictures: all baked, glazed, and ready to eat.

Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 yellow or pineapple cake mix, prepared as directed, omitting water

1 c. pineapple juice*, from drained pineapple rings, used instead of water in mix

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

pineapple rings, whole and halved to fit pan

maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350. Spray oven safe skillet or 9x9 pan. Melt butter and combine with brown sugar. Place in bottom of pan/skillet. Place pineapple rings on top of brown sugar. Place cherries in the holes of pineapple. Pour batter on top. Remove silicone handle from skillet, if using. Place skillet or pan in oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

*If not enough juice, add enough water to make 1 c. 

1st pic: brown sugar in bottom of pan with pineapples and cherries, 2nd pic: batter on top of pineapple, 3rd pic: baked and inverted, ready to eat.

Strawberry Bread with Glaze

 Bread:

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. oil

1 egg

1 t. strawberry flavoring

2 c. SR flour

2 c. diced strawberries

2 T. flour to coat strawberries

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. melted butter

1/3 c. finely diced strawberries

1/2 t. strawberry flavoring

1-2 T. milk or cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 6 ingredients. Toss strawberries and flour together to coat. Fold into batter.  Pour into 9x5 bread pan. I used a heart shaped pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Combine first 4 ingredients until smooth (may have to use the mixer for this). Add milk if needed to spread, depending on the juiciness of the strawberries. You won't need too much. 

*2 bags (16 oz. each) whole frozen strawberries = 2 c. for bread and 1/2 c. for glaze

1st pic: ready for oven, 2nd pic: right out of oven, 3rd pic: glaze, 4th pic: bread with glaze ready to eat.

Crockpot Tortellini and Broccoli Soup

19 oz. bag frozen tortellini, I used 4 cheese

1 small bag spinach, optional

2 cans diced tomatoes, I used tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic

4 c. broth, I used vegetable, but can also use chicken or beef

3 cloves minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped 

1 can mushrooms, fresh could also be used

Italian seasoning to taste

8 oz. block cream cheese, cubed, optional, I didn't use it--it doesn't dissolve well.

smoked sausage, diced, may substitite cooked ground beef, ground sausage, chicken strips, or meatballs

fresh or frozen broccoli, I used 1 bag of Birdseye steamfresh chopped broccoli

12 oz. can evaporated milk, optional

1/4 c. wondra flour, optional

Place liner in crockpot. Place all ingredients, except tortellini, broccoli, flour, and milk inside. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After 6 hours, whisk to break up cream cheese, if using. Add tortellini and broccoli during last 45 minutes to 1 hour. Combine evaporated milk and wondra flour, then add to soup, if you want it to be a cream base soup, and to thicken it, during the last 30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese to serve. Serve with Caesar salad and crusty bread. This is a delicious soup and there weren't many leftovers.

*other vegetables can be added if desired: diced carrots, celery, green peppers, etc..

1st pic: soup in crockpot, 2nd pic: soup with flour and milk added, 3rd pic: ready to eat!

Easy and Tasty Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

2 cans (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup

1 stick butter, sliced

3, 9 oz. pkgs. Perdue grilled chicken strips, cut in bite size pieces

frozen carrots and peas, or canned work well too*

seasonings: your choice of garlic, onion, Italian, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, salt and pepper*

1 T. poultry seasoning

rice or pasta, frozen

Place all ingredients, except rice/pasta in bottom of lined crockpot. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Add frozen pasta during last 2 hours. I had some leftover ziti & penne in the freezer that I added. It worked out great! This is a very yummy and filling soup.

Rice or pasta can also be cooked separately and served with the soup.

*I used 1 can (15 oz.) sliced carrots, drained and 1 can (15 oz.) small sweet peas, drained. I added them during the last hour so they wouldn't get mushy. For seasoning, I used poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion.

Chili Cornbread Muffins

2 jiffy corn muffin mixes

2/3 c. milk

15 oz. can no bean chili

2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 T. chili powder

11 oz. can Mexican corn, drained

1/2 c. green onions, diced, optional

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 2, 12 c. muffin tins. Combine all ingredients until well blended. Divide evenly in muffin tins. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until done. Makes 24 muffins. I serve with taco soup or chili.

1st picture: before baking; 2nd picture: ready to eat! YUM!

Debbie Young's Super Easy Beer Cheese Soup

1 large can chicken broth

1 medium jar cheese whiz

12 oz. can stale beer*

cayenne pepper top taste

bacon bits

green onions, chopped

Texas toast cheese bread

Heat broth to boiling. Reduce heat. Add cheese whiz. Stir until melted. Add beer and reheat, but do not boil. Top with bacon bits and onions. Serve with Texas toast or baguettes. 

*To make beer stale: open can and allow it to set out on the counter overnight. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is the best to use because it doesn't make you burpy.

My dad loves this soup!

Beer Cheese Soup

4 slices thick cut bacon

2 T. butter

1 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. flour

1 t. dry mustard

12 oz. stale beer* (Pabst is the best beer to use..less burpy)

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1/4 t. smoked paprika

1/2 t. fresh thyme, or 1/4 t. dried thyme leaves

6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Broiled Cheese Toasts:

12 slices baguette, 1/2" thick

2 T. garlic butter

2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Spread garlic butter over 12 baguette slices. Top with cheese and place on baking sheet. Broil cheese 6" from heat until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Reserve drippings and remove bacon to a paper towel. Crumble bacon. Add butter to bacon drippings. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in flour and dry mustard. Cook 1 minute. Slowly add beer a little bit at a time. Whisk well after each addition. The mixture will be very thick at first. Add chicken broth and cream a little at a time. Whisk until smooth after each addition. Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, paprika, and thyme. Bring to a boil over medium heat (high heat will cause the cream to scorch) while whisking. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Set 1/4 c. cheese aside for topping. Stir remaining cheese into the soup until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with reserved cheese and bacon, and serve with toasts.

*to make stale beer: open can and allow to sit overnight on counter.

**May also make a non-alcoholic version of this soup by using chicken or vegetable broth instead.

This is one of my dad's favorite soups.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta

1 lb. medium pasta shells

1 lb. ground beef

2 cans tomato soup*

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. water

salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat. Rinse and drain. Add all other ingredients, except mozzarella cheese. Place in sprayed dish. Place mozzarella on top. Bake covered at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes.

*Soup cans used to be 11 oz. but today they are 10 3/4 oz. This can make a big diference in how moist your recipe is. Add enough water to make the soup measure 11 oz. and follow the recipe the rest of the way.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

olive oil

3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

salt and pepper

2 t. thyme

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped*

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 T. flour

1 1/2 c. frozen peas*

1 can chicken broth 

2 T. heavy cream/milk

1 can biscuits, (8-10 ct)

1 egg, beaten, optional

butter, as needed

Preheat oven to 350. In a cast iron skillet, or one that can be put in the oven (I have one that can be put in the oven once the silicone handle has been removed. It's lighter than a cast iron skillet). Cook chicken in a little olive oil, toss with salt, pepper, & thyme. Remove from skillet. Saute all *vegetables in skillet until soft (I added a little butter too). Sprinkle in flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in cream. Add chicken back to skillet and stir until well combined. Cut each biscuit in half and lay them all over the top. Brush biscuits with a beaten egg, if desired. I brushed them with butter instead. Bake 25-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy! I served with a Caesar salad.

*I used 2 bags Bird's Eye Steamfresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (microwaved) & a small can of peas. More vegetables can be added if desired. My daughter liked the ratio of biscuits to vegetables as it was.

1st picture: vegetables sauteing; 2nd picture: chicken added back in with vegetables and simmering; 3rd picture: ready to go in the oven, before I added butter to tops; 4th picture: ready to eat!