Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie

6 TBSP butter or margarine, divided
25 nilla wafers, finely crushed (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 TBSP sugar
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 large bananas, sliced
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 3/4 cups cold milk
1 cup cool whip topping, thawed

1. Melt 1/4 cup (4TBSP) of the butter, place in med. bowl. Add wafer crumbs and sugar; mix well. Remove 2 TBSP of the crumb mixture; set aside for later use.
2. Press remaining crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inchpie plate; set aside.
3. Microwave chocolate and remaining 2 TBSP butter in microwave bowl on high 1 minute or until butter is melted; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Drizzle evenly onto bottom of crust; top with bananas. Set aside.
4. Prepare dry pudding mix with 1 3/4 cold milk as directed on package for pie; pour evenly over bananas. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Top with whipped topping just before serving; sprinkle with reserved 2 TBSP crumb mixture. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Savory Parmesan Bites

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese and 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese with electric mixer on med. speed until well blended.
2. Seperate crescent rolls into 8 rectangles; press perforations together to seal. Spread 3 TBSP of the cream cheese mixture on each rectangle; top with red pepper and parsley.
3. Fold long end of dough up over filling to center; fold up again to enclose filling.
4. Cut each into 4 equal sized squares. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Apple Affair Cake

1 pkg (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Vanilla or French Vanilla Flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsley chopped
20 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup fluted bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Gently stir in apples. Pour into prepared pan.
2. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. Microwave caramels and milk in bowl on high 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until well blended. Cool 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Drizzle over cake.

Rice, Broccoli'n Cheese Cups

1 cup minute rice, uncooked
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice as directed on package, substituting chicken broth for the water. Place cooked rice in large mixing bowl; cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended.
2. Spoon mixture evenly into 8 greased muffin cups.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

One-Pot Salsa Beef Skillet

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 pkg mac-n-cheese dinner
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese
1 green onion, chopped

1. Brown meat in skillet, drain. Return to skillet.
2. Stir in water, salsa and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover.
3. Simmer 10 min or until macaroni is tender, stirring twice. Add corn and cheese sauce mix (or add the ingredients from mac-n-cheese box according to directions). Cook 2 min or until heated through and blended.
4. Ladel into bowls. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and green onion.

Foil Pack Chicken & Mushroom Dinner

1 pkg (6oz) Stuffing mix for chicken
1 3/4 cups water
6 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lb)
4 slices thin sliced smoked ham, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix stuffing mix with 1 1/2 cups water. Dividing evenly, place stuffing mixture in center of 6 seperate sheets of heavy-duty foil.
2. Layer chicken, ham, mushrooms and peas on top of stuffing, dividing evenly between each of the foil packs. Mix soup with 1/4 cup water, pour equal amounts over each pack.
3. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal pack, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
4. Complete all 6 foil packs and place on baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes.
5. Place packs directly on dinner plate. As packs are hot, cut slits into foil using knife to release steam before opening.

Sante Fe Black Beans & Rice Salad

1/2 cup dijon mustard
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tsp liquid hot pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 cups cooked rice
1 can (15 ozs) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup canned corn
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup diced green chilies

In a small bowl, blend first seven ingredients; set aside. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add mustard mixture, tossing to coat well. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Beef & Bean Burritos

1/2 pound beef round steak, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 ozs) diced green chilies, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
6 tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray, heat over med heat until hot. Add steak and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes or until steak is cooked to desired doneness.
2. Stir beans, chilies, and cilantro into skillet; cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Spoon steak mixture evenly down center of each tortilla; sprinkle cheese evenly over each tortilla. Fold bottom end of tortilla over filling; roll to enclose. Garnish wih salsa and sour cream if desired.

Easy Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup (2 sticks ) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
6 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on med. speed until well blended.
2. Mix flour and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Press mixture into ingreased 15x10x1 inch baking pan.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into 40 bars while still warm.

Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks

1 pkg (2 layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 squares baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup thawed cool whip
2 TBSP sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12 cup fluted tube or 10-inch tube pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Mix remaining cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of the cooled cake. You can also use yellow cake mix instead of the spice cake mix if you prefer.

Banana Pudding Squares

Ingredients:
20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
3 TBSP margarine, melted
1 pkg (80z ) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tub Cool Whip topping
3 med. ripe bananas
3 cups milk
2 pkg (4 serving size) jell-o vanilla instant pudding
1/2 square bakers semi-sweet baking chocolate, grated

1. Mix: wafers and margarine. Press firmly onto bottom od 13x9 inch pan.
2. Mix: cream cheese and powdered sugar with wooden spoon until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon mixture evenly over crust, spreading carefully. Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut each piece lengthwise in half. Arrange banana pieces over the cream cheese layer.
3. Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with a wire whisk 2 min. Spoon over bananas. Spread with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Family Reunion Macaroni Salad

Prepare 2 Macaroni and Cheese Dinners according to package directions.

Add: 1 cup Miracle Whip dressing
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 small red pepper, finely chopped

Mix well and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sliced green onions.

"Fruit Smoothie" No-Bake Cheesecake

Need:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 TBSP sugar
4 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained
1 tub (8oz) cool whip, thawed and divided

Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and 2 TBSP sugar; press firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

BEAT: cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on med speed until well blended. Smash drained berries with fork, stir into cream cheese mixture. Gently stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon over crust, cover.

REFRIGERATE: 4 hours or until firm. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting into pieces to serve. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Pork Tenderloin with Chile Apricot Glaze

Take 2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds total), add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and 2 TBSP olive oil.
Grill for 20 minutes, making sure to brown all sides.
OR Place pork into a shallow baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for approx. 45 minutes.

Here's the glaze:
2 tsp minced garlic
1 TBSP chopped jalapeno peppers
3 TBSP sweetened lime juice
1 tsp cumin
3/4 cup apricot preserves.

Allow pork to rest 5 minutes after cooking. Slice and pour glaze over the top.

Can mix ingredients in a large freezer bag, freeze flat to cook later. Don't forget to attach cooking directions!

Italian Beef Saute

Mix the following with 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of beef strips:
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP basil, chopped
2 TBSP garlic, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
2 cups tomatoes, diced

Cook in a skillet over med-high heat for 10-14 minutes.
Then add: 2 cups of asparagus and 1/4 cup sundried tomato pesto
Cover and cook for about 4 more minutes or until asparagus is heated through.

Serve over noodles. And top with parmesan cheese.

Freezer Meal Option: Mix ingredients from 1st step in a gallon sized freezer bag. Add asparagus and tomato pesto to a sandwich size bag. Place both bags and cooking instructions all in another gallon freezer bag. Thaw an cook another day! I like to get all the ingredients, make 2-3 batches at once which saves me time later!