Fast fruit tarts

6 tablespoons apricot preserves
Fat free, sugar free vanilla pudding
6 mini graham cracker pie crusts
2 cups of your favorite fruits, sliced


Preparation
Place preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for 1 minute or until melted.
Fill each graham crust about 3/4 full of pudding; top each serving with fruit. Spoon 1 tablespoon preserves over each tart.
Refrigerate until served.

Garlic Chicken

So, the ingredients sound odd together, but this turned out VERY well.

Ingredients
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


Preparation
Combine yogurt, juice, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator overnight, turning bag occasionally.
Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade; pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine reserved marinade and chicken broth.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add half of chicken to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken. Return chicken to pan; pour broth mixture over chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is done. Place chicken on a serving platter; discard liquid in pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with parsley.

Easy Schnitzel

Ingredients:
7-8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (could also use dijon mustard)
2 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups dry Italian breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 garlic clove, minced
8 lemon wedges (optional)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Combine mustard, egg, and garlic in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs, flour, and cheese, in a large ziplock bag. Dip chicken in egg mixture; shake in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Cinnamon Buttons

Ingredients
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 (11-ounce) cans refrigerated soft breadstick dough


Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray.

Pour melted butter into a shallow dish. Combine sugar and cinnamon in another shallow dish.

Unroll dough; separate into breadsticks. Cut each breadstick into 3 equal portions; shape each portion into a ball. Working with one ball at a time, dip into melted butter; gently roll in sugar mixture. Place 6 balls in each muffin cup.

Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Remove rolls from the pan. Serve warm.

A 2fer-Baked Glazed Ham and Easter Egg Hunt Pie

Ham:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (8-pound) smoked fully cooked ham half, trimmed
1 (12-ounce) can cola soft drink
1 (8-ounce) jar plum or apricot preserves
1/3 cup orange juice


Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients. Score fat on ham in a diamond pattern. Sprinkle ham with sugar mixture, and place in a lightly greased shallow roasting pan. Pour cola into pan.
Bake, covered, at 325° for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

Stir together preserves and orange juice. Spoon 3/4 cup glaze over ham, and bake 15 more minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 140°. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with remaining glaze.

Pie:
1 (6 oz.) Keebler ReadyCrust Graham Cracker Crust
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk (Not
evaporated Milk)
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) instant vanilla flavor pudding
and pie filling
1-1/2 cups non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
16 mini chocolate eggs or other holiday candy

In large bowl beat Cream Cheese until fluffy.

Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.

Add milk, whipped cream, and pudding mix; beat on low speed until
smooth.

Spoon half of filling into crust.

Place chocolate eggs evenly over filling. Top with
remaining filling.

Chill 3 hours

Pepperoni Pizza Twist

1 package (3.5 ounces) pepperoni slices, diced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
pizza sauce
pizza dough


Make pizza dough, form into dough logs. Cut lengthwise, roll almost flat, creating a long "bowl" to place pizza mixings in. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together pepperoni, parsley, cheeses, flour, and seasoning. Spoon into split pizza dough. Top with pizza sauce. Pinch together dough to form seams. Can form pizza logs into designs, or leave as is. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Slice and serve.

Carolina Pulled Pork

A few disclaimers: I have not made this one yet, just because it's been snowing here non-stop and not exactly the best time to grill. However, I plan to make it in the next week or so. Even if you can't grill it, I'm sure you can "tweak" the recipe a bit, and throw it in the crockpot. I'll add those changes at the bottom, under the official recipe. Hope this helps you Heather! If not, I'll search some more in my saved recipes!

Ingredients
Pork:
8 hickory wood chunks (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
1 cup cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper


Preparation
To prepare pork, soak wood chunks in water about 16 hours; drain.
Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through ground red pepper); reserve 2 tablespoons sugar mixture. Rub half of the remaining sugar mixture onto pork. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and refrigerate pork overnight.

Remove pork from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Rub remaining half of sugar mixture onto pork.

Combine reserved 2 tablespoons sugar mixture, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and oil in a small saucepan; cook over low heat 10 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

Remove grill rack; set aside. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium-low and leaving one side with no heat. Maintain temperature at 225°. Pierce bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heated side of grill; add half of wood chunks to pan. Place another disposable aluminum foil pan (do not pierce pan) on unheated side of grill. Pour remaining 2 cups water in pan. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place on grill.

Place pork on grill rack over foil pan on the unheated side. Close lid, and cook for 4 1/2 hours or until a thermometer registers 170°, gently brushing pork with vinegar mixture every hour (avoid brushing off sugar mixture). Add additional wood chunks halfway during cooking time. Discard any remaining vinegar mixture.

Preheat oven to 250°.

Remove pork from grill. Wrap pork in several layers of aluminum foil, and place in a baking pan. Bake at 250° for 2 hours or until a thermometer registers 195°. Remove from oven. Let stand, still wrapped, for 1 hour or until pork easily pulls apart. Unwrap pork; trim and discard fat. Shred pork with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, combine 1 cup vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1 1/4 cups (about 5 minutes). Serve sauce warm or at room temperature with pork.


For the Crockpot:
Basically follow the general directions, rubbing the meat down as the original recipe calls for. Also, do marinate it overnight. Instead of grilling, place it in the crock for 8-10 hours on low. While you won't get the smoky flavor I'm sure this recipe will produce, it will cut down on your cooking time and be easier. I think I would also combine everything for the sauce, and add it over the roast for the last 2hours or so, so the roast absorbs some of the flavor of the sauce.

Pot Roast

Ingredients
1 (4-pound) rump roast roast
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
2 cups low-salt beef broth
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Put roast in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together in mixing bowl. Pour over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, until very tender.

Breakfast casserole

Cooking spray
32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
12 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Mix everything together really well in crock. Cook on low for 8ish hours, until eggs are set and done.
I cooked mine overnight-placing it in the crock about 10pm and getting up about 7:30am. Everything was completely done and AWESOME!

Cordon Bleu Melts

Ingredients:
French Bread, sliced
2 8oz blocks of fat free cream cheese
1 block swiss cheese, shredded
3 small packages Carl Budding ham, chopped
1 tbsp spicy mustard

Mix everything together, except the bread. Spread over bread slices. Bake on 350 degrees for 10ish minutes, until melted. Serve.

Lemony Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Preparation
Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, egg, and lemon juice in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Slowly pour beaten egg mixture into water mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool completely. Fold in whipped topping.

Yield
14 servings (serving size: about 2 tablespoons)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 39(28% from fat); FAT 1.2g (sat 1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 0.5g; CHOLESTEROL 15mg; CALCIUM 2mg; SODIUM 7mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6g

Chicken with lime sauce

Ingredients
6-8(6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons lime juice, divided
4 teaspoons spicy mustard
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tablespoons juice, and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.


Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)


Nutritional Information
CALORIES 260(26% from fat); FAT 7.5g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 40.7g; CHOLESTEROL 106mg; CALCIUM 32mg; SODIUM 382mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.4g

Banana coffee cake

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Stir together 1/4 cup sugar, pecans, and cinnamon; sprinkle half of mixture in a well-greased 12-cup Bundt pan. Set remaining mixture aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add banana, sour cream, and vanilla, beating at low speed just until blended.
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; fold into butter mixture. Pour half of batter into prepared pan; sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture. Top with remaining batter.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon Buttons

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup butter plus 1/4 cup butter, melted and divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.
2. Combine eggs, milk, and 1/3 cup melted butter in a small bowl. Pour mixture into well of dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. (Batter may be lumpy.) Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups, filling three-fourths full.
3. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small, shallow bowl. Let muffins cool just enough to handle; dip tops of hot muffins into remaining 1/4 cup melted butter, then into sugar mixture until coated. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

The perfect pizza dough!

Olive Oil Pizza Dough
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 package active dry yeast
2 -1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
extra flour as needed
To proof the yeast: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve sugar in water. Stir in the yeast and allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until yeast starts to foam. To make the dough, add flour, salt and oil, and beat for 2 minutes. Continue beating with the dough hook for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky of tacky, knead in a little flour, a tablespoon at a time. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel, and allow to stand in a warm place (75-80ºF) until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down.
To shape the dough, place dough on a floured surface and lightly flour the top. With floured hands, shape the dough into a circle or rectangle. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4" thickness. With your palms, press in 1/2" of the rim to form a small lip around the edge. Sprinkle a pizza pan with cornmeal and place dough on top. Dough is now ready for filling and baking.
To make flatbreads instead, can use this same dough. Follow directions above. After placing dough in a 12" pan, brush it with a little oil, sprinkle and lightly press into the dough either garlic powder, parmesan cheese, poppy seeds, onion flakes, chives, green onions, herbs, etc. Bake at 350 - 375ºF for 15 minutes for chewy bread or 20 minutes for a very crisp one.

Cinnamon Apple Cake

1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fat free cream cheese, soft
1/2 cup butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups chopped apples (I use Granny Smiths)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together all ingredients. Bake for about an hour, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool completely. Can top with powdered sugar, or leave plain.