Thumbprint Cookies

1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened Cream Cheese
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda

Beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Add 1 cup finely chopped pecans. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Indent centers. Bake 10 minutes. Fill each cookie with about 1 tsp. of your favorite preserves. Continue baking 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Munchies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter
¼ cup peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sifted powdered sugar
½ cup peanut butter

 Preaheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

 In a large mixing bowl beat butter and the ¼ cup peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars; beat until combined. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Shape into 32 (1 ¼ inch) balls; set aside.

 For filling, in a medium bowl combine powdered sugar and the ½ cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape into 32 (3/4 inch) balls.

 For each cookie, slightly flatten a chocolate ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape chocolate dough completely around filling; roll into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with bottom of a glass dipped in additional granulated sugar.

 Bake about 8 minutes or just until set and slightly cracked. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack; cool. Makes 32 cookies.

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

Makes 16-20 servings

1 can (16 ounces) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 package Duncan Hines Moist Yellow Cake Mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
Whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9x2-inch pan.

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in large bowl. Pour into pan.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until golden.

Cool completely.  Serve with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

From Campbell's: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
6 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 avocado
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 cup soup mixture and chicken in a large bowl.  (At this point you can put both bowls in the fridge and finish later.  I did this in the morning before work and then after work there wasn't as much to do to prep for dinner.)

Add cheese to the chicken and soup mixture.  Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas.

Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side up in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas.  I added a bit of extra cheese on top.

Cover the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling.

Top with the tomato, avocado and/or green onion.

Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup sliced red onion, cut lengthwise
15 cups cubed watermelon
3 cups cubed English cucumber
1 (8 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
cracked black pepper
sea salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, pour lime juice over red onions. Allow to marinate while assembling the salad.
2. Gently combine the watermelon, cucumber, and cilantro in a large bowl. Season with black pepper.
3. Toss watermelon salad with marinated onions and feta cheese and season with sea salt just before serving.
   

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 94 Total Fat: 3.5g Cholesterol: 13mg

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Refreshing-Watermelon-Salad/Detail.aspx?prop31=2

Oven-Baked Red Potatoes

The number of potatoes you use will solely depend upon how many people you are feeding. I have seen this done in a 9x13 dish and in an 8x8 for a smaller serving.

Red Potatoes
Dry Packet of French Onion or Onion Soup
1/4 Olive Oil

Rinse potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes. While boiling, prepare the "topping". Mix 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 packet of dried french onion soup in a gallon-size ziploc bag. Cool potatoes for a few minutes and cut into bite-size pieces. Put potatoes into the bag, seal the bag and mix into the seasoning.

Bake in greased dish on 350-375 (depending on your oven) for about an hour or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Thanks Betsy!

Salsa Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine article titled "Sick of the Same Old Chicken?"

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast(s)
Salsa
Shredded Cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

Put chicken breast(s) in a dish and cover with your favorite salsa. Bake on 350-375 for about 30 minutes or until cooked-through. Add shredded cheese to the top and bake another 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I served it with Spanish rice, black beans and asparagus...yum!

Peanut Butter-Toffee Cheesecake Brownies

These brownies are super easy to make. They are definitely a nonhealthy, very rich treat. I did steps 1-4 the night before and then step 5 the next morning and served them that evening.

From http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/showrecipe.aspx?rid=47227:

Prep Time: 15 Min
Total Time: 2 Hr 55 Min
Makes: 36 brownies

1 box box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup water (I use milk)
2 eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 bag (8 oz) Heath® milk chocolate toffee bits
1 cup milk chocolate baking chips
3 tablespoons whipping cream (some of the reviews said they just used milk and it worked fine)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13x9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.


2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water (or milk) and eggs 50 strokes with spoon. Spread batter in pan; set aside.


3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add condensed milk and peanut butter; beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spoon mixture over batter; spread evenly.


4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are light golden brown. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate 40 minutes.


5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and cream uncovered on High 40 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake layer. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For brownies, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information
1 Brownie: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 120); Total Fat 13g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 90mg; Total Carbohydrate 23g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 19g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2

Crock Pot Shredded BBQ Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Spray crock pot with oil to prevent sticking. Put enough BBQ sauce in to cover the bottom. Place 2 (mostly thawed, if frozen) chicken breasts on the sauce. Cover chicken with the rest of the sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 4-5 hours in, remove the chicken breasts and shred with a fork and then return to the crock pot.

Serve with green beans, mashed potatoes and rolls or on a bun with some chips!

I'm not sure I'd leave this one on all day while I was at work. It was starting to get a bit crispy on the edges and I think 10-12 hours would be too long for it to cook. Plus you want it to cook 2-3 hours once shredded to really get it juicy and flavorful. So unless you could find a way to start it on your lunch hour, I'd stick with preparing this one when you are home.

Velveeta Tex-Mex Beef & Potatoes

Recipe is from www.kraftfoods.com

prep time 10 min
total time 45 min
makes 6 servings, about 1-1/3 cups each

This one is NOT healthy, but a good casserole to throw in the mix every once and awhile. I think it's about 400 calories a serving.

1 lb. ground beef
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup water
4 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns (cubed not shredded variety)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Brown meat with peppers and onions in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet.
3. Stir in taco mix and water.

4. Add potatoes, corn and VELVEETA; mix well.

5. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; cover.
6. Bake 20 min.; stir. Bake, uncovered, 15 min. or until heated through.

When I made this, I did steps 1-3 the night before and put it in the fridge.

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom or Chicken soup
16 ounces fat-free sour cream
1 envelope onion soup mix, Lipton - dry

Put frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Combine soup, sour cream and onion soup mix in a bowl. Pour over the chicken. Cook on low all day (at least 7 hours).

Makes 6 servings at 4 WW points each.

I only used 2 chicken breasts and chose the Cream of Mushroom soup. I also served mine over whole wheat egg noodles and added peas to the side (I actually mixed them in on the plate for the kids so that the peas were not separate). You will need to calculate the extra points for the noodles and peas.

From http://www.dwlz.com/