Easy Kolaczki

I grew up eating kolaczki. Although these aren't quite like my grandmothers...they are pretty darn good and a LOT easier to make.

Ingredients
1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

Directions
1) Add flour to butter or margarine and crumble in pastry blender. Add ice cream to crumbled mixture and, using dough hooks, work into dough. (If you don't have dough hooks, you can use your hands. Rubber gloves are recommended because the mixture is extremely cold.)
2) When dough is smooth, shape into ball and refrigerate overnight.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles. Place on a cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each. Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon fruit filling.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool.

Vegetarian Tostadas

Ingredients
1 package tortillas (about 10)
1 package of taco seasoning
1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
1 can (11 oz.) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexican blend)

Directions
1)Preheat oven to 350°F.
2)While oven is getting hot, cook rice in large saucepan as directed on package. Stir-in beans, corn and seasoning. Mix well. Cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
3)While bean mixture is cooking, spray both sides of Tortillas with cooking spray; place in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 5-7 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.
4)To serve top tortillas with rice mixture, cheese, lettuce, and salsa.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients
6 to 8 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
olive oil
chicken broth or water
salt and pepper

Toppings
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon bits
Chopped green onions or chives

Directions
1) Cover bottom of a stock pot with olive oil and saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery for about 3 to 5 minutes or until celery is beginning to become tender.
2) Add cubed potatoes and toss to coat.
3) Cover vegetables with chicken broth, water or a mixture of both. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork tender.
4) Remove mixture from heat and strain veggies out of the pot with a slotted spoon into a separate bowl. Leave broth in pot.
5) Whisk cream cheese into broth until smooth. Return half of the veggies to the broth and mix until smooth. Using a potato masher works well for this step.
6) The soup should be a thick creamy consistency now. Return the remaining half of veggies to pot. Put in fridge for later use or reheat to serve.
7) Serve topped with grated cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onions or chives.

Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
1 pkg. (Rice-A-Roni) Whole Grains Spanish Rice mix
4 large green bell peppers
10 oz. ground turkey
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups salsa
2 Tb. Taco seasoning mix
1 8-ounce package shredded Mexican-style cheese

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)Prepare rice according to package directions; set aside.
3)Wash peppers and cut them in half. Core peppers. Simmer or steam peppers in 2 inches of water about 5 minutes; drain well and set aside.
4)In a large non-stick skillet sprayed with PAM, cook turkey, celery and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender.
5)Drain and place in a large bowl. Stir in salsa, rice, taco seasoning mix and half of the cheese. Mix well and distribute the filling evenly among the 8 pepper halves.
6)Place the filled peppers in a greased baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the tops of the peppers and bake for about 5 minutes, or until cheese starts to melt.

Leftovers can be used for lunch the next day...tastes great reheated.

Low Fat Italian Chicken

Ingredients
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1.5 pounds chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
1)In a large skillet, saute onion, garlic and bell pepper until soft.
2)Add chicken, then stir in tomatoes, beans and oregano.
3)Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
4)Remove from heat and serve. Works great over rice, noodles or on its own with a side of vegetables.

Potatoes with Cilantro and Garlic

This side dish is refreshing, elegant and very simple to make.

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1) Combine cilantro, garlic and oil in large skillet and cook over medium heat for 1 minute.
2) Add in the potatoes. Cook for about 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Potatoes are ready when they are tender and lightly browned.
3) Drain and sprinkle with salt before serving.

Simple Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup salsa
1 (10 ounce) can of enchilada sauce
10 warmed flour or corn tortillas


Directions
1)In a large bowl, combine 2 cups Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, soup, chicken, sour cream, chilies, onion, pepper and salt. Spoon about 1/2 cup onto center of each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
2)Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicago Style Hotdogs

Ingredients
All-beef hot dog
Poppyseed hot dog bun

Toppings:
Yellow mustard
Sweet green pickle relish
Chopped onion
Tomato wedges
1 dill pickle spear per hotdog
Sport peppers
Dash celery salt

Directions
1) Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, place hot dog in water, and cook 5 minutes or until done. Remove hot dog and set aside. Carefully place a steamer basket into the pot and steam the hot dog bun(s) until warm.

2) Place hot dog in the steamed bun. Pile on the toppings in this order: mustard, relish, onion, tomato wedges, pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt. The tomatoes should be nestled between the hot dog and the top of the bun. Place the pickle between the hot dog and the bottom of the bun. Chicago style means no ketchup!

In my household we usually leave out the sport peppers and my husband prefers ketchup on his. Although many Chicagoans may argue, I don't think this makes him any less of a Chicagoan!

Sauerkraut Pierogi

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve watching my grandmother make these pierogi.

Ingredients
Dough:
3 egg
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

Sauerkraut Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, drained and minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Sauerkraut filling:
1)Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent.
2)Add drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3)Remove from skillet and pour mixture into a bowl to cool.

Dough:
1)Beat eggs and sour cream together until smooth.
2)In separate bowl, sift (or mix) the flour, salt, and baking powder together.
3)Stir the powder mixture into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together.
4)Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is firm and smooth.
5)Divide dough in half. Roll out half of the dough into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into approximately 3 inch circles using a round glass.

Assembling Pierogi:
Place a small spoonful of the sauerkraut filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal.
Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and the rest of the sauerkraut filling.

You can cook all the pierogi at once or freeze some for later.

To Cook:
1)Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pierogies and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top.
2)Remove pierogi with a slotted spoon. Melt some butter in a large skillet and toss pierogi in the butter. If you like, top with crumbled bacon for a tasty treat.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

One of my all time favorite recipes. Yummy!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
6 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 oz. macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
1)Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2)In large bowl combine all the ingredients except nuts and chocolate. Mix until well blended.
3)Stir in chocolate and nuts.
4)Drop tablespoon sized balls of mixture, 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Use spatula to flatten into a two inch round.
5) Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and enjoy!

Mediterranean Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, peeled or with skin
1 cucumber, diced
1 green bell pepper, minced
1/2 cup sliced red onion
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup Italian-style salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook about 15 minutes until they are tender. Drain potatoes, cool and diced.
2) Combine the potatoes, green pepper, cucumber, red onion and cheese in a large bowl.
3) Whisk together the lemon juice, salad dressing, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

PHILADELPHIA® 3-STEP® Cappuccino Cheesecake

I found this recipe on Kraft.com the other day and made it over the weekend. It was a big hit with my sister and mom since they both love cheesecake and coffee.


Ingredients
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended.

MICROWAVE milk in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 seconds. Add instant coffee; sitr until dissolved. Add to batter; mix well. Pour into crust.

BAKE 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Layered Berry Parfait

1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup strawberries
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt

1) Combine blueberries, strawberries and whipped topping in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2) Put mixture into a bowl and fold in raspberries and blackberries.
3) Layer the berry mixture with the frozen yogurt in 4-6 dessert glasses. Looks pretty if the top layer is the berry mixture. Sprinkle any leftover berries on top. Serve right away.

Mac and Cheese with Veggie Sprinkles

Ingredients
1 box of Macaroni & Cheese
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded broccoli
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella or anything you have on hand will work)

Directions
1) Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on package. Add vegetables to the cooking water for the last 3 minutes of the macaroni cooking time.

2) Stir in the shredded cheese before serving.