Herbed Cheese-and-Cracker Bits

My boys love these! My grandma use to make these around Christmas time every year.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1-ounce package Hidden Valley Original Ranch salad dressing mix
2 10 1/2-ounce boxes Ritz Cheese Bits (not peanut butter flavor)
1 heaping tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt

Place the crackers in a large sealable freezer container. In a bowl, mix the oil, salad dressing mix, dill, garlic powder, and celery salt. Pour this mixture over the crackers, cover the container, and invert it to coat the crackers with seasoning. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning the container every so often to keep the crackers coated. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving.

Pretzel Peanut Bark

3 cup skinny pretzel sticks, broken into small pieces - but not crushed
18 (1-ounce each) squares white chocolate
2 cup dry salted peanuts

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth, or melt in the microwave in a 2 quart glass dish. Microwave on high (100 %) for 1 minute, stir, and microwave on high for 1 minute more. If necessary, microwave on high for 10 seconds more, and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the pretzel pieces and peanuts. Stir well with a flexible spatula.

Spoon onto the prepared cookie sheet, spreading the mixture out so that ingredients are relatively evenly distributed.

Allow for the chocolate to cool for several hours or refrigerate for about 45 minutes, until firm. Break the bark into irregular pieces, like peanut brittle. Store in cookie tins, or package in Chinese food take-out cartoons lined with waxed paper.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Slow Berry Cobbler

Recipe by Paula Deen I made some changes below.

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen strawberries
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen blueberries
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen raspberries
1/3 to 2/3 cup Splenda, depending on your level of preferred sweetness
1/2 cup baking mix
2 1/4 cups Pioneer Low-Fat Biscuit & Baking Mix
1/4 cup Splenda, plus 1/4 cup
4 tablespoons light butter, melted
1/2 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the frozen fruit, Splenda and 1/2 cup baking mix. Transfer the fruit to the slow cooker. In another large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup Splenda, melted light butter and milk with a wooden spoon. With your hands, drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup Splenda and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on top of the dough and place the lid on the slow cooker. Turn the power onto high and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or frozen yogurt.

Mexi-Chicken Crostada

Another great & easy recipe from Jenny! My family loves this and I do not make any changes from her original recipe.

1 roll Pillsbury Pie crust, thawed
1 can chunk chicken
1 drained can Mild Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1 Teaspoon Ranch dressing seasoning, from packet that makes the dip
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper
½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic salt with parsley


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll pie crust and place onto a cookie sheet (use Silpat) that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

Place chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper into a large bowl. With a fork, stir and cut up chicken pieces until well combined. Pour chicken mixture into the center of pie crust and top with cheddar cheese, leaving about 1 ½ inch border around edges. Fold crust up over chicken forming little pleats every 2 inches or so pressing gently. Brush edges with olive oil and sprinkle crust with garlic salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown on edges. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into wedges to serve.

Marna's Chicken Dish

This was made by sweet Marna Brown for my FBCN (now Chase Oaks Church) moms group several years ago. She was an amazing mentor mom and had wonderful wisdom to share with us. I miss her (& our other church friends) as we are no loner at the church. I made some changes below to make it lower in fat.

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
6 oz. Swiss cheese slices (red. fat)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (healthy request)
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1/2 light stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow greased casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour.

Walnut Praline Brie and Fruit Platter

1 pound red or green grapes
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 small (8-ounce) brie wheel

Melt together the sugar, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 3 minutes, then stir in the walnuts. Cut the Brie into wedges and arrange on round serving tray. Spoon 1 teaspoon of praline mixture over each wedge and garnish with the grapes. Serve with crackers or crostini.

Paula Deen Recipe

Skewered Greek Salad

I made this for my brothers wedding reception. Do not cut the feta ahead of time because it will fall apart when you thread it on the skewers. So for the wedding I put all the ingredients in a bowl as a salad. This was a big hit.

24 grape or small cherry tomatoes
3 ounces feta cheese, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) cubes
12 pitted kalamata olives
1/2 small red or sweet onion, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) pieces
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
12 (6-inch) bamboo or wood skewers

Vinaigrette:
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Skewers: Thread the skewers starting with a tomato, then a piece of feta cheese, an olive, a piece of onion and finish with another tomato. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

For the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar and oregano. Whisk in the olive oil until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the skewers on a serving platter. Spoon the vinaigrette over the skewers and sprinkle with the chopped oregano.

Recipe & photo courtesy Giada De Laurentiis & Food Network