Cream Filled Strawberries

8 oz cream cheese

2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Fresh squeezed juice from one orange

Strawberries (desired amount)

Whip cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange juice together to taste. Cut open washed strawberries and fill with cream cheese mixture using a pastry bag. Chill until served. Enjoy!

OREO Triple Layer Chocolate Pie

32 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Finely crush 24 of the cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pudding into crust. Gently stir 1/2 of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust. Chop remaining 8 cookies; stir into remaining whipped topping. Spread over pie.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

Yield: 10 servings

Source: http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/kraft/55858/oreo-r-triple-layer-chocolate-pie

Chicken Pesto Stromboli

1 loaf Rhodes frozen bread dough, thawed but still cold
1 egg beaten
2 cups of cooked chicken
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of chopped spinach (I get it frozen)
1 packet of dry creamy pesto seasoning
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Take frozen dough out of package and allow to defrost, but not rise. Mix together cooked chicken, tomatoes, spinach, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Prepare pesto sauce. Add sauce to mixture (enough to coat pieces of mixture but not so much that it is dripping). On lightly oiled surface (I use non-stick spray), roll bread dough out into a 10X15 inch rectange. Arrange mixture on dough, leaving 1-inch space along edges. Fold over edges on short sides. Starting along one long side, roll Stromboli up "jelly roll" fashion. Pinch edges together to seal; fold ends under; brush top and sides with beaten egg; Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch deep vents along top; sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozarella cheese. Place stromboli on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray; raise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove plastic wrap and bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Let cool and serve.

Almond Joys

½ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbsp. (approx)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
Almonds

Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar, coconut and milk. Mix well. Shape rounded teaspoons of mix into balls. Make an indent in the center of each and place on a cookie sheet.

Fill centers with melted chocolate and an almond. Dust with cocoa powder. Chill until firm.

Store covered in fridge. Makes 3 dozen.

Cheese Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crumb crust
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 14-oz pkg. sweetened condense milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Pie filling: cherry, boysenberry, raspberry, etc.

In mixing bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into crust.

Chill 3 hours until firm. Top with pie filling.

Cheese Ball

2 8-oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion salt
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients. Roll into a ball. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight. Unwrap and roll in chopped nuts. Rewrap and refrigerate 4 more hours.

Pineapple-Lime Fruit Dip

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup sour cream
½ cup raspberry yogurt
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp. grated fresh lime peel

Combine all ingredients. Cover & refrigerate. Serve with apple slices, strawberries, kiwi, and any other fruit. Serve in a hollowed-out fresh pineapple (just cut a fresh pineapple in half lengthwise; cut and remove center of pineapple).

A Sarah Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce
5 strips bacon
½ 10-oz pkg. frozen peas
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
2/3 cup chopped green onions
¼ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup miracle whip

Wash and drain lettuce, dry thoroughly; set aside. Dice bacon sauté until crisp. Drain on paper towel; set aside. Run hot water over peas and drain; set aside.

Tear lettuce into bite size pieces and put in salad bowl. Add bacon, peas, and onions.

Combine sugar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and miracle whip to make dressing. Toss with salad immediately before serving.

Frog Eye Salad

1 16-oz Acini de Pepe
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 20-oz cans pineapple tidbits (reserve juice)
1 20-oz can crushed pineapple (reserve juice)
3 11-oz cans mandarin oranges
1 8-oz carton whipped topping
1 10-oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows
1 cup coconut

Cook acini noodles according to package directions; drain, rinse and set aside.

Combine sugar, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Add pineapple juice from cans (will be about 1 ¾ cup) and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Temper beaten eggs before adding to the heated pineapple mixture by slowly adding about 1/2 cup of heated pineapple mixture into the beaten eggs while stirring constantly (to avoid getting scrambled eggs!). Beat warmed egg mixture well, then slowly add it to the rest of the pineapple mixture and continue cooking. Boil until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool slightly.

Lightly mix drained noodles with pineapple mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Also let pineapple & mandarin oranges drain overnight in refrigerator in a separate colander.

Before serving, combine pineapple mixture, fruit, whipped topping, marshmallows & coconut.

Stuffed Shells

2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 8-oz pkg. chopped, frozen spinach
1 ½ cups parmesan cheese
1 pkg. large shell pasta
2 tsp. pepper
Favorite spaghetti sauce

Drain spinach. Mix cheeses, spinach & pepper together. Cook pasta shells according to instructions on box. Stuff each shell with cheese mixture. Place in a casserole dish and top with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.

Shredded Beef Salad

1 lb. flank steak or roast
1 onion quartered
1 Tbsp. salt
2 garlic cloves crushed
¼ tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano

Dressing:
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ cup olive oil

Place meat in crock pot. Cover with water & add onion, salt, cloves, pepper, bay leaf & oregano. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove meat, trim off fat, cut crosswise and shred coarsely. Pour dressing over meat when ready to serve.

Assembly: Toss beef & dressing with one head of leafy lettuce. Serve with cheese, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, avocado, roasted peppers, chopped cilantro, radishes, corn, onions, etc. Serve with chips or tortillas (fresh or deep fried in oil!)

Baked Oatmeal

½ cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
3 ½ cups old fashioned oats
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix oil with eggs & sugar. Stir in oats, baking powder, salt & cream. Mix well. Pour into a pie plate or soufflé dish. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm topped with fresh peaches, berries, apples, nuts, powdered sugar & cream.

Black Bean and Rice Soup with Lime and Cilantro

(makes 6 servings, can be doubled for larger Crock pot or stovetop cooking, recipe created by Kalyn's Kitchen)

2 cans black beans with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
(use 2 cups for stovetop cooking)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic (or more)
1 T ground cumin
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp. ground chile powder
1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder (I omitted this)
1/4 cup white long-grain rice (not more!)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or more)

In small Crockpot or 3 quart sauce pan, combine beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, chile powder and Chipotle chile powder. Cook on low for 6-8 hours in Crockpot or 1-2 hours on stove, until tomatoes are disintegrating and beans are starting to fall apart. On stovetop, you might need to add a little water during the cooking time. When soup has reached the consistency you want, raise heat slightly or turn Crockpot to high. Add 1/4 rice and cook until rice is done, about 30 minutes for either Crockpot or stove. Lower heat again, add fresh lime juice and cilantro and cook 5 minutes. Serve hot, with additional fresh lime pieces for each person to squeeze into soup.