• 1 Devil’s Food cake mix
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 package of Andes mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop rounded spoonfuls (2 tablespoons?) of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes (I did 9).  Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie.  Wait 5 minutes for the mint to melt, then use the back of a spoon to smooth out each mint like frosting.  Let cool so the frosting sets up.  Enjoy!

• 1 bag of Fritos corn chips or Fritos Scoops
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 bag milk chocolate chips

Spread the fritos out in a bar pan (15×10x1).  In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a boil, stirring frequently.  Boil 1 minute then remove from heat.  Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.  Pour over the fritos.  Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the fritos.  Cool and enjoy.

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced peeled potato
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups cubed cooked turkey (I had leftover smoked turkey)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, carrot, potato and celery in butter until tender. Add the flour and seasonings until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in turkey and peas; pour mixture into an ungreased pie plate.  Unroll the refrigerated pie crust and place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges; cut slits to vent.

Bake at 375° 32 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 4.

1 serving (prepared with reduced-sodium broth) equals 575 calories, 30 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 98 mg cholesterol, 837 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 28 g protein. (NI per Taste of Home)

• 20 oz cheese-filled tortellini, cooked according to directions, then drained/cooled
• 6 oz can black ripe olives (small)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• jar of marinated artichoke hearts (7.5 oz  or similar)
• 1/2 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quartered
• 1/2 bottle of Kraft Greek vinaigrette
• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta and drain, then run under cold water to cool.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Stir to coat well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crust:

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 C cold butter

Filling:

• 2 C sugar
• 7 Tbsp flour
• 1 C whipping cream
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 5 C finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

Topping:

• 2 pkgs (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C whipping cream, whipped (can also use 2 C cool whip)

In a bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press into a greased 9×13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl.  Whisk in cream and eggs.  Stir in the rhubarb.  Pour over the crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until custard is set.  Cool.  For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream.  Spread over top of custard layer.  Cover and chill.  Store in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef

• 1 packet taco seasoning

• water as called for on back of seasoning packet

• ½ cup salsa con queso

• 3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size)

• 1 ½ to 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, reduced fat

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain any excess grease.  Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).
Turn off the heat and stir in the salsa con queso.  Stir until thoroughly combined.
Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla.
Spread 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling over the tortilla.  Cover with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Repeat 2 more times with the remaining tortillas, ground beef filling, and cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then slice and serve.  Serve with optional toppings such as shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, black olives, tomatoes etc.

• 1 lb box of spaghetti
• 16 oz bottle Kraft light zesty Italian salad dressing
• 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix (dry)
• 1 can large or jumbo black olives, sliced
• assorted fresh vegetables, diced into bite-size pieces (I prefer broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, green pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes)

Cook the spaghetti according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Put the spaghetti in a large bowl and pour the entire bottle of Italian dressing over it.  Mix well, then sprinkle the envelope of ranch mix over it and stir well again.  Add desired vegetables and black olives and stir well so everything is coated with the dressing mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Before serving, stir well again as the extra Italian dressing tends to sit in the bottom of the bowl.

• 1 can (10 ½ ounces) condensed French onion soup
• 1 ¼ cups beef broth (I used Better Than Bouillon beef base)
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• ½ C butter, cubed
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 ½ tsp Creole seasoning
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ½ pound fully cooked andouille sausage links, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ -inch slices
• 2 C uncooked long grain rice

In a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in the shrimp, sausage and rice. Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish.

Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and stir; cover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until rice is tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Editor’s Note: The following spices may be substituted for 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning: 1/4 teaspoon each salt, garlic powder and paprika; and a pinch each of dried thyme, ground cumin and cayenne pepper.

Nutritional Facts 1-1/3 cups equals 556 calories, 25 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 184 mg cholesterol, 1,345 mg sodium, 57 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 27 g protein.

• 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp lite sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 recipe vanilla frosting, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, whip together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs.  Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until well-blended.  Slowly add the dry mixture and stir until well combined.  Gently press the batter into the sprayed baking dish.  Bake approximately 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden.  Cool completely, then frost and cut into 18-24 bars.

Vanilla Frosting:

• 1/4 C unsalted butter, softened
• 2 C powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp lowfat half and half
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• several drops of food coloring

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together butter, powdered sugar, and half and half until fluffy.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.  Add in food coloring and mix until well blended.

• approximately 4 C broccoli and cauliflower florets
• approximately 1 – 1 1/2 C red grapes, cut in half
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/4 C baco-bits
• 1/4 C sunflower kernels

Dressing:

• 1 C lite mayo
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp cider vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl combine the dressing ingredients and mix well.  Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and stir until everything is coated.