Banana Pineapple Tropical Pie

A pastry crust filled with sliced bananas layered between a fluffy mixture of reduced-fat cream cheese, pineapple, whipped topping and coconut.

Pastry for single crust 9-inch pie
2 (8-ounce each) packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Equal® Spoonful*
1 (8-ounce) container light whipped topping, thawed if frozen
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup flaked coconut, divided use
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
2 medium ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Roll pastry on floured surface into circle 1-inch larger than inverted 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into plate; trim and flute edge. Pierce side and bottom of pastry with tines of a fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and Equal® in mixing bowl on medium speed of mixer until smooth and well combined. Gradually mix in whipped topping, pineapple, 3 tablespoons coconut and rum extract.
Place half of cream cheese mixture over pie crust. Arrange banana slices in single layer. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle top of pie with remaining 1 tablespoon coconut and chopped pecans. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Makes 10 servings.
* May substitute 12 packets Equal sweetener

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1/10 of pie): calories 272, protein 6 g, carbohydrate 26 g, fat 16 g, cholesterol 29 mg, sodium 199 mg.
Food Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 fruit, 3 fat.

Recipe courtesy of Merisant Corporation ® and the NutraSweet Company, makers of Equal®

Four Seasons Lamb Chops

Aioli Sauce
Tarragon Aioli Sauce
La Rouille Sauce
Tomato Provencale Sauce
16 rib lamb chops
Salt and pepper
, to taste

For Aioli Sauce: In a food processor, combine 2 egg yolks and 24 garlic cloves. With motor running, slowly add 1 cup each olive and canola oils
. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Process until sauce is thick, garlicky and slightly salty. Divide into three portions.

For Tarragon Aioli: In food processor, combine 1/3 of the above Aioli Sauce with 1 cup minced tarragon, 1/2 cup minced parsley and 2 tablespoons water.

For La Rouille Sauce: In bowl, whisk 1/3 of the Aioli Sauce, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons water and pinch saffron.

Tomato Provencale Sauce:
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 Roma tomatoes, 1/4” dice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 black olives with 1 tablespoon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until tomatoes are soft.
Set aside all sauces.

For Lamb Chops: Broil or grill lamb chops for preferred doneness, 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare, 3 inches from broiler or 4 to 6 inches from moderately hot coals. Top each chop with a large spoonful of each of the 4 sauces.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe courtesy of the California Sheep Commission.

Frosty Orange Creme Layered Dessert

Nostalgic taste from ice cream trucks of days gone by.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups orange sherbet or sorbet, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Make it:


LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil. Spread sherbet onto bottom of prepared pan to form even layer. Freeze 10 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk and juice, beating until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Spread over sherbet in pan.

FREEZE 3 hours. To unmold, invert pan onto plate; remove foil.

Kitchen tips:
Healthy Living
Trim 30 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving by preparing with PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.
How to Soften Sherbet
To soften sherbet, spoon measured amount of sherbet into microwaveable bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) 10 to 15 sec. or until slightly softened.
How to Easily Cut Dessert
Remove from freezer about 10 min. before serving to soften slightly before slicing.

Source: Kraft recipes

5 Way Chilli

Ingredients:
Cooked Spaghetti noodles
Spaghetti sauce with meat (hamburger or ground chuck fried and drained mixed in sauce)
These should be hot before adding the additional layers

Add when ready to serve:
Kidney beans (warm or at least room temperature)
diced tomatoes
diced onions


This recipe was contributed by my sister Paula L who says...
It's yummy! It's not frito pie, but I like it better.

7 layer bean dip

Ingredients:

Refried beans (with or without taco seasoning)
shredded cheese
diced tomatoes,
diced onions
sour cream
chopped lettuce
salsa/taco sauce

Make it:
Season beans to taste
Layer, beans, cheese, and onions (sometimes I heat this part up a little right before serving and adding other layers)
lettuce
sour cream
salsa or taco sauce on top or on the side

Serve with Tostitos

This recipe was contributed by my sister Paula L... Thank you

Leftover Chicken Casserole

This is an easy recipe to use leftovers. Leftover chicken even any leftover rice.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
cooked rice
frozen broccoli
leftover chicken
cheddar cheese, shredded

Make it:

Remove chicken from bone. Place ingredients in a casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 F. until bubbly.

Cinco de Mayo Recipe

Mexican Layered Dip

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup drained canned black beans, rinsed
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 Tbsp. sliced black olives
3 pkg. (13 oz. each) baked tortilla chips

Make it:

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add seasoning mix; beat until well blended. Spread onto bottom of serving plate or 9-inch pie plate.

TOP with all remaining ingredients except chips. Cream cheese mix - salsa - beans - cheese - lettuce - green onions - olives. Suggested stack order.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Serve with chips.

ALSO check out our Basic Mexican Salsa recipe in April's listings.

LOW FAT dip recipe

Mexican Flag Cake

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
ice cubes
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1 pkg. (10.75 oz.) pound cake, cut into 10 slices
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
10 fresh strawberries, cut in half
4 kiwi, peeled, sliced

Make it:
ADD boiling water to gelatin mixes; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to make 2 cups. Add to gelatin; stir until melted. Refrigerate 5 min. or until gelatin is slightly thickened.

COVER bottom of 13x9-inch dish with cake; cover with gelatin. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with whisk or mixer until blended; stir in COOL WHIP. Spread over gelatin. Arrange fruit on cream cheese mixture to resemble the Mexican flag.

How to Assemble Flag Cake
Cake should be divided in to 3 even vertical sections sections: 1 section is green (kiwi), middle 1 is white (no fruit), and last section is red (strawberry).

How to Make Mexican Toothpick Flags (optional)
Make 3 small printouts of the Mexican flag. Find them online by searching for the words "Mexican Flag." Print out the flags, then cut them out. Tape the green ends to toothpicks, then insert into center of dessert.

Thanks to Kraft foods for this recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Tip: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make it:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and peanut butter.
Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat. Stir in the
confectioner's sugar until smooth. Mixture will be the texture of
thick dough. While still warm, use a tablespoon and shape the dough
into balls. Place on baking sheet.

Melt chocolate and use a toothpick to dip balls half in chocolate.
Place back on baking sheet. Refrigerate until set up, about 1 hour.

Yield: serves 6 to 8 (about 42 balls)
Prep time: 25 minutes

This is another recipe contributed by my niece Jamie - thank you.

Common Cooking abbreviations

Here are some common abbreviations used in cooking.

Measurements:
t = tsp. = teaspoon
T = Tbs. = Tablespoon
c = cup
pkg = package
fl = fluid
oz = ounce
pt = pint
qt = quart
gal = gallon
lb = pound

Some equivalent measurements:
juice of 1 lemon = 2 to 3 Tbs.
juice of 1 orange = about 1/2 cup
fluid oz. = 2 Tbs. or 6 tsp.