Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

2 1/2 c. flour

2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 c. (12 oz pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. coarsly chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8oz) pkg toffee baking bits, divided

Heat oven to 350. Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, mixing well. Stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips and the nuts. Reserve 1 1/2 of this crumb mixture. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over partially baked crust. Reserve 1/4 c. toffee bits. Sprinkle the remaining bits over the layer of condensed milk. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 c. chocolate chips over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 of toffee bits. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

This recipe comes from the Eagle Brand website (I was looking for a recipe to use up a can of condensed milk).

**These bars a so gooey and yummy! I have a hard time keeping my hands off them!

Cheese Lovers Pasta Roll-Ups

1 egg, beaten

1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded italian cheese blend

4 green onions, chopped

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce, divided (my family loves Ragu Chunky Garden Comination)

16 lasagna noodles
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375. Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended. Spread 1/2 c. of the pasta sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp. cheese mixture. Roll each noodle. Place the noodles seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining pasta sauce and parmesan. Cover. Bake 40-50 minutes or until heated through. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.

*This recipe comes from the Kraft Food and Family magazine.

**This recipe took me about 30 minutes to put together. I made it a few hours ahead of time and placed it in the refridgerator until I was ready to cook it. The magazine gives directions for refridgerating up to 24 hours or freezing for up to 1 month. Really only difference is that it may take slightly longer to cook and if you freeze it, you need to thaw it before cooking it. A person could easily add ground meat to the cheese mixture if desired. This is a huge dish. Could easly feed a family of 6!

***A note about the roll-ups: Cook the noodles so they are al dente (soft, but still firm). I added some olive oil to the cooking water to keep the noodles from sticking. When I did the roll-ups, I place three noodles on waxed paper and eye-balled the amount of cheese (it came out perfect). I used my fingers to spread the cheese out and then rolled them and placed them in the pan. It worked great!

Mexican Casserole

2 c. diced chicken

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground corriander

2 T. cilantro

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can (4.5 oz) green chilies (drained)

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

8 corn tortillas

2 c. shredded cheese

8 oz. sour cream

Preheat oven to 375. Saute chicken with cumin and corriander. Put into medium bowl. Stir in beans, cilantro, and chilis. Spread 1/2 of the sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 glass baking dish. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat the layers (minus the cheese). COVER and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, dot with sour cream and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 min and serve.

*I found this recipe online when looking for something to use enchilada sauce with (without making actual enchiladas). It was really easy and very yummy. I did not put the sour cream on during the baking process. I also found that it took only a couple minutes for the cheese to melt (not the 5-10 minutes suggested). My family gobbled this up (including my 2 year old).

Quick Pizza Bread Sticks

1 (10 oz) package refridgerated pizza dough
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning, crushed
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (8oz) jar pizza sauce, warmed

Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Unroll pizza dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Using your hands, press the dough into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the butter.

In a small bowl stir together the cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper. Sprinkle mixure over dough. Using a sharp knife, cut dough crosswise into 12-inch strips. Cut dough in half lengthwise to make 24 strips.

Bake at 425 for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce. Makes 24 bread sticks.

*My family loved these. My 2 year old liked that he could dip them (anything he can "dip", he loves right now). I didn't have enough Parmesan cheese so I sprinkled on some mozzarella too.

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book.

Baked Ziti

Olive oil spray*

1 (14.5 oz.) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (I use Ronzoni Smart Taste)

1 (15 oz.) container fat-free ricotta cheese

2 large egg whites

8 oz (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Salt- to taste

Ground black pepper -to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes- to taste

3 1/2 c. Main Event Marinara Sauce (found on previous post)

or other low-sodium marinara

2 T. grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450. Lightly mist a 13x9x2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the pasta noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 c. of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combine.

Spread 1 c. of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 c. of sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 c. sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon in to bowls and serve. Makes 8 servings.

*The cookbook recommends not using the canned olive oil spray. I have a pump type sprayer that works great. You can find them at Pampered Chef, and other special cooking stores. You may be able to find one at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (though I have not found luck there).

**My family loved this recipe. It was so easy to make. I'm sure you could add ground turkey or chicken for some extra protein. If you don't like reduced-fat cheese, used the regular kind...it will just add more fat and calories to the dish.

This recipe is from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

Main Event Marinara Sauce

Olive oil spray
1 c. minced yellow or white onion
2 T. minced garlic
28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. water
2 T. no-salt-added tomato paste
2 tsp. honey
1 T. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt- to taste (optional)

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray ad place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not be brown), 4-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with salt, if needed.

This recipe comes from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

Cappuccino Crinkles

1/3 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 c. low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer until softened. Add the brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the egg whites and yogurt until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in the remaining flour.

Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Drop dough by a teaspoon into sugar and roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

*This is a low-fat recipie. I found the batter to be rather difficult to work with. It was a bit sticky.

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.