Recipes!

I've been testing recipes from several cookbooks I'm reviewing.  Here are a few:

Three-Cheese Pepperoncini Dip

Three-Cheese Pepperoncini Dip

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 oz. (bar style) cream cheese at room temperature

16 oz. container of low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup drained, stemmed, and finely chopped pepperoncini

2 T. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Grated zest of one lemon

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. kosher or sea salt

In a food processor, process the sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cottage cheese and rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times to combine.  The dip should be a little chunky and not smooth.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.  Serve immediately or chill until ready to use.

My substitutions: 1 T. dried parsley instead of fresh, regular salt instead of kosher or sea salt, I didn't have a fresh lemon on hand so I used a dash of bottled lemon juice instead of the zest, and I used my immersion blender since I don't have a food processor.  My dip turned out smooth instead of chunky but I liked it that way.  I'm not sure why the recipe is called "three-cheese" unless sour cream is considered a form of cheese, but whatever the reason, we liked this dip. 

Cherry Crunch

Cherry Crunch

2 cans cherry pie filling

1 box white cake mix (dry)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with oil (like Pam).

Spread pie filling in pan.

Mix together dry cake mix, butter, and nuts and sprinkle over cherry pie filling.

Bake 40-50 minutes until top begins to brown.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Baked Penne

Baked Penne

serves 8

1 lb. penne pasta

1 lb. ground beef or breakfast sausage

2 T. Italian seasoning

1 shallot or 1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

One 4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

Two 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

One 15-oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 c. minced fresh basil

2 T. brown sugar

2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a stockpot of salted water to a boil.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

3.  In a large fry pan, brown the meat.  Drain off excess grease.

4.  Add the Italian seasoning, shallot, garlic, and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.

5.  Mix in the mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, and sugar.  Combine with the cooked penne and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Top with the cheeses.

6.  Bake for 30 minutes or until cheeses begin to brown.

My substitutions: turkey breakfast sausage, onion instead of shallot, dried basil instead of fresh, canned spaghetti sauce instead of the Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and tomato sauce; and minced garlic from a jar instead of fresh.