Lemon Cream Poke Cake

This cake is another version of the Jello poke cake with a pudding and Cool Whip mixture on top, but that doesn't make it any less delicious! A slice of lemony creamy goodness, yum!

Lemon Cream Poke Cake

1 box lemon cake mix
4 egg whites
1/3 cup oil
1 1/3 cups water
2 (3 oz.) boxes lemon Jello, divided
1 (3.4 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 (12 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed

Mix the cake mix, egg whites, oil and water, and beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake @ 350* F for 35-40 minutes, until the cake tests done. Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork. Mix one box of Jello with 3/4 cup boiling water, stirring until dissolved. Add 3/4 cup ice water and stir. Pour evenly over top of the cake, making sure to try and get the holes if possible. Chill in fridge until the cake is completely cooled and cold to the touch, about 2 hours. In a large bowl, combine the second box of Jello, pudding mix and milk, whisking until well combined. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread evenly over top of the cold cake. Chill at least 30 minutes. Serve.
Makes about 16-20 servings.

Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

A yummy recipe for yet another way to make macaroni and cheese. For me, it's the bacon that really makes this dish, but then again, bacon makes everything better!

Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb. pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, or shells)
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed
2 cups tomato juice
1 lb. bacon, diced and partially cooked and drained

In a large pot, cook the pasta to package directions in salted boiling water, just a minute or two less than needed. You want it slightly undercooked. Drain. Set the colander aside to let the pasta drain. In the same large pot, combine the tomato juice and Velveeta and cook over medium high heat until the Velveeta is melted. Stir in the drained pasta and stir to mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the partially cooked bacon evenly over top. Bake @ 350* F for 30 minutes, until the bacon is done. Serve and enjoy with a big serving of broccoli on the side!
Makes about 8 servings.

Yummy Hammy Fruity Salad

Haven helped me make this salad for lunch the other day and it was a hit with all of the kids. It makes a tasty main dish salad, especially for the hot summer days ahead. It had a different name, but this is what my kids call it so the name stuck.

Yummy Hammy Fruity Salad

2 (8 oz.) cans pineapple tidbits, drained juice reserved
2 cups sliced strawberries or halved grapes
1 1/2 -2 cups julienned ham
1 small head iceburg lettuce, chopped
shredded mozzarella or cheddar
dressing:
reserved juice from pineapple
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
2 TBSP. lemon juice
2-3 TBSP. sugar (optional)*
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 large apple, cored and cut into slices but not peeled

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, strawberries ham and lettuce, tossing to mix. Set the cheese aside until serving. For the dressing, in a food processor or blender, combine the reserved pineapple juice, cottage cheese, lemon juice, sugar and poppy seeds and blend until smooth. Add the apple slices into the cottage cheese mixture and pulse until the apples are chopped into small bits but not pureed. Chill the dressing until ready to use. To serve, top each serving of the salad with the dressing and sprinkle some of the shredded cheese over top and enjoy.
Makes about 4 cups of dressing
*you can adjust the sugar to your taste or omit it all together, it's up to you.

Baked Tostadas

I made these up one night when desperate for a quick and easy dinner with the taco ingredients I happened to have on hand, but I didn't feel like regular tacos. So this was it, and my kids all loved it.

Baked Tostadas

1 (15 oz.) can pitted black olives, drained and sliced
12-14 flour tortillas
Ragu (or any jar spaghetti sauce or plain tomato sauce)
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
3/4 - 1 cup favorite salsa
1 pkt. taco seasoning
taco blend cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
sour cream

Preheat oven 425* F. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked beef, salsa, and taco seasoning. Place tortillas on cookie sheets or pizza pans. Spread the Ragu sauce lightly over each one like you are adding sauce to a pizza. Evenly divide the meat between all of the tortillas and spread the meat mixture to the edge of the Ragu sauce. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top of each meat covered tortilla. Sprinkle the sliced olives over top of each tortilla as well. Bake in oven for 10 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted. Cut into 4 wedges and serve topped with the lettuce, sour cream and chopped tomato.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Heidi introduced me to plain hummus, as well as this version with the roasted red peppers. This one is by far my favorite, and I make it often. It especially good with carrot sticks, crackers, tortilla chips and pita chips.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 ( 15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 of a (12 oz.) jar of roasted red peppers
4 TBSP. lemon juice
1/4 - 1/3 cup tahini
1 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 TBSP. olive oil

Remove half of the roasted red peppers from the jar, and drain. Store the jar with the remainder in the fridge. In a food processor, combine the beans, drained red pepper, lemon juice, tahini, salt and garlic. Pulse until well mixed. Add the olive oil and mix until smooth. This can be served immediately, or covered and chilled until ready to serve. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Makes about 2 cups.

Pineapple Dream Cake

This cake came about when I wanted to use up a defrosted tub of Cool Whip in my fridge and a large 42 oz. can of pineapple juice in my pantry. It has a delicious pineapple flavor and is perfect for a Summer picnic or BBQ. We used the leftover pineapple juice from the 42 oz can in our smoothies in place of our usual orange juice, and we all loved it.

Pineapple Dream Cake

1 (18 1/2 oz.) box yellow or white cake mix
4 egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pineapple juice
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
more pineapple juice to add to canned juice to make 1 cup
1 (3.2 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding (or coconut cream)
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed
toasted coconut (optional)

Prepare the cake mix using the egg whites, oil, and 1 cup pineapple juice. Pour into greased 9x 13-inch 'or' 14x10-inch baking pan. Bake @ 350* F for 25 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool completely. For frosting, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. In a measuring cup, add the pineapple juice drained from the crushed pineapple and add any extra pineapple juice to make 1 cup. Add the 1 cup pineapple juice and the pudding mix to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well mixed and starting to thicken. Add the drained crushed pineapple, stirring to mix. Chill until the cake is cooled. Fold the Cool Whip into the cream pudding mixture, then spread over top of the cooled cake. Chill overnight in the fridge before serving. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over top before serving if you are using it.
Makes about 12-14 servings.