Feliz Seis de Mayo!!!

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1/2 cup CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped

Substitutions we made:
1 packet of taco seasoning for chili powder
1 cup of shredded "mexican" cheese for Cheez Whiz

Directions
BROWN meat in large skillet.
ADD tacfo seasoning, broth and water; stir. Bring to boil.
STIR in rice and cheese; cover. Simmer on low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally. Serve topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

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This was very simple and oh-so-tasty! Cinco de Mayo has always been a favorite for me as it is also my dad's birthday! We decided not to go out this year so I found this recipe in Kraft Foods and wanted to try it out.

We tore tortillas up and put them in the bottom of our bowls and I added a white cheese sauce that we had in the fridge on top. We had enough for leftovers and I am already craving them for dinner tonight!!

Skillet Potatoes!!

Ingredients
4 slices Bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), thinly sliced
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 Tbsp. Sour Cream

Directions
COOK bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 3 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20 to 25 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
TOP with cheese and bacon; cook, covered, 1 to 2 min. or until cheese is melted.
SERVE topped with sour cream.

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Made this tonight with steaks... sooooo tasty. (note to self: post recipe for AJ's Lemon Basil rub) We ate outside on the deck tonight. It hit 75 today! Too bad it's supposed to snow, yes SNOW, on Tuesday. Seriously??

The Reason I Will Gain 20 Pounds This Christmas:

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mallow Bars

Ingredients
1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup milk, divided
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
1/2 cup salted peanuts
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix dry cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup milk until blended; press 2/3 onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 12 to 14 min. or until center is almost set; cool 3 min. Meanwhile, mix peanut butter and remaining milk.
SPREAD peanut butter mixture onto crust; top with small spoonfuls of the marshmallow creme and remaining cake mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate; press gently into cake mixture.
BAKE 18 min. or just until center is set. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!

Stuffed Shells

Back from a wonderful trip to Disney and on to Christmas!! I always said that once AJ & I bought a house, the first Christmas would be at OUR HOUSE so my mom & dad are in town for the week. I'm nervous about helping with Christmas dinner but excited because I have a wonderful teacher. For Christmas Eve, we are going to have Stuffed Shells:

Ingredients
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 container (16 oz.) Fat Free Cottage Cheese
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 red pepper, chopped
1 egg white
1 env. GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix
20 jumbo macaroni shells (for stuffing), cooked, drained and cooled
1 jar (13-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce

Directions
HEAT oven to 400°F. Mix spinach, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, peppers, egg white and dressing mix until well blended; spoon into shells, adding about 1 heaping Tbsp. to each shell.
SPREAD half of sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange shells, filled-sides up, in baking dish; top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover with foil.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through, removing foil after 30 min.

I will report back with how it tastes!

EDITED: These were spectacular!! They are lowfat, hence the cottage cheese, so next time we make them we will use ricotta cheese.

Our Current Favorite Dinner

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Ingredients

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg Stove Top stuffing for Chicken

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Heat over to 400 degrees. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moist.

Layer chicken, basil, cheese, and stuffing mix in 13x9 inch or 3 quart baking dish.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

This is one of AJ's FAVORITE to eat and my FAVORITE to make because it's sooooo easy and sooooo good! You gotta love Kraft Food & Family magazine!!

Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Chili

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) light red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1-1/2 cups mild salsa
1 can (16 oz.) no-salt added tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed, drained
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
Brown meat; drain. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients except cheese; stir. Cover with lid.
Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours (or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours).
Stir just before serving. Serve topped with the cheese.

This was my first attempt at making chili and I am pretty proud of myself! Next time I make it I think I will add a little more tomato sauce because it needed more liquid. While the corn was different, I don't think I'll add as much next time.