Chicken and Cashew Stir-Fry

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I left these out)
2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced
1 tsp. sugar
salted cashews
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 small cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 tsp. sugar
1 pkg. frozen pea pods, thawed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

In a small bowl, marinate chicken and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce for 15 minutes. While chicken is marinating chop, slice & shred all the veggies! This recipe is much easier if you do this before you start cooking. Heat wok to medium-high, about 375 degrees. Add chicken & stir-fry until white & firm. Add onion & mushrooms. Continue stir-frying until vegetables are soft. Remove chicken & vegetables from wok and set aside. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and stir-fry carrots until bright in color and partly cooked. Sprinkle carrots with 1 tsp. sugar, then add zucchini. Stir-fry until almost tender. Add cabbage and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir-fry all vegetables until cabbage is tender-crisp. Add cashews, pea pods, and toss to combine. Add chicken & onion mixture to wok. Stir soy sauce and cornstarch together to dissolve. Pour into the wok & stir-fry until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over white rice.

Better Than Sex Trifle

I found this recipe on a food blog which I did not write down to give that person credit - sorry! I made this dessert for Mother's Day and it was fabulous and easy! I did not measure out the fudge, carmel, or sweetened condensed milk. I was pretty conservative with the sauces and it needed a little more, so next time I will either measure it out, or put more than I think I should.

1 German chocolate or other chocolate cake
3/4 cup fudge topping
3/4 cup carmel or butterscotch topping
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of toffee pieces
1 tub of whipped topping

Bake cake as directed in a 13X9 pan. After the cake has cooled, cut into small pieces and divide into 3 parts. Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the cake pieces. Drizzle 1/4 C of the chocolate fudge, 1/4 C of the carmel, and 1/4 C of the sweetened condensed milk. Top with desired amount of toffee pieces and put a layer of cool whip. Repeat layers 2 more times. Top with cool whip and toffee pieces.

Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

To make this in a regular 9x13 pan:
Bake cake as directed on box. After the cake has cooled, poke holes in the cake about an inch apart with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour (one at a time) fudge, carmel, and condensed milk over the top of the cake and let each flavor soak in before adding the next. Put desired amount of toffee chips on the top. Frost the cake with the whipped topping and remaining toffee pieces to decorate the top.

Chicken Tetrazzini

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti, broken in to 2 inch pieces
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 med onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/8 tsp peper
Additional shredded cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the next nine ingredients and mix well. Spoon in to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

(If you want a little larger casserole you can use 12 oz of spaghetti and 2 cans cream of mushroom soup.)

My Mom's Meatloaf

1 - 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 slices soft bread
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into a large bowl, add milk and egg and mix. Next add meat and seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Put meat mixture in bread pan or 8X8 pan. Bake 1 hour total. After 30 minutes, drain the fat and top with ketchup sauce and then put back in the oven to finish baking.

Ketchup sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
]1 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Sour Cream Banana Bars

I LOVE these! This recipe is my mom's, and they are the greatest!! They freeze really well too, and I also love them right out of the freezer.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour jelly roll pan (15 1/2 X 10 1/2). Mix sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs in a large bowl on low speed for 1 minute. Beat in bananas and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan. Bake until light brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with browned butter frosting. Makes 48 bars.

Browned Butter Frosting

Heat 1/4 cup butter or margarine over medium heat until delicate brown; remove from heat. Mix in 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and 3 Tbsp milk until smooth and spreading consistency.

Chicken Lo Mein

Recipe courtesy Kraft Magazine

1/2 lb spaghetti, uncooked
1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing - I used the low fat dressing and it was still really good
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed, drained - I used a fresh green pepper and onion. I think it made it a lot better
1/2 cup fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped Peanuts

Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package.
If using fresh vegetables - slice the onion and green pepper. Saute with a little bit of oil until onion is soft. Pour on a plate and set aside.
Heat dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add vegetables, broth and peanut butter; stir-fry an additional 3 to 4 min or until meat is cooked through.
Drain spaghetti; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and soy sauce; mix well. Spoon onto serving platter; sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.

Easy Shepherds Pie

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can tomato soup
6 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a saute pan. Add onion, salt, and pepper. Saute until onion is tender. Put meat mixture into the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan. I use a smaller pan so the layers are a little thicker. Pour the green beans on top of the meat mixture and then spread the tomato soup over the beans. Combine the mashed potatoes with milk and salt. Mix well. Spread the potatoes on top of the tomato soup. Top with grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.