Spring Perfect Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes {As seen on TV}

Ahhh, spring. 

That magical two weeks in Texas where it's nice enough to go outdoors where you are either going to get eaten up by a tornado or melt from heat exhaustion. So with such little time to enjoy the season, you have to spend as much enjoying it and not in the kitchen.

So bust out the slowcooker to take away some of the work and the heat - even when it comes to desert! Take a look at the recipes for three recipes you've probably never thought out making in your slowcooker - Strawberry Cheesecakes in a Jar, Oatmeal Cookie Apples, and Banana Rum Cake. These recipes are part of the WFAA Good Morning Texas segment on April 28 - hope you've watched! 

SLOWCOOKER STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKES IN A JAR

Inspired by KingAuthur.com Flourish blog

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter (optional)

Filling

2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ teaspoon orange zest

3/4 cup cream, half & half, or whole milk

Instructions

For the crust: In a small bowl, mix 1 cup graham cracker crumbs with 1 tablespoon sugar. (If you like you can add a tablespoon melted butter to the mix for a more moist the crust.) Place 2 tablespoons sweetened crumbs in each of seven 1/2-pint Mason jars. Press down lightly.

For the mixture: Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, eggs, orange zest and cream until smooth, but be careful not to overmix. Put batter into a pitcher for easier pouring and fill each jar 3/4 full with batter.

Place jars in a 8 qt slowcooker. Fill the crockpot with water until it reached about ½ way to the jars (also called a warm bath or bain marie. (To make sure you don’t get water in the cheesecakes, place tops back on batter and then remove after pouring.) Cover slow cooker with lid and allow for cooking for 1-2 hours. (It’s all about how your crockpot cooks.)

To check for doneness, use a knife and insert from outer edge and check that the knife comes out moist, but clean.

Turn off the slowcook cooker and allow the jars to cook for 20 minutes before removing. After placing on rack, allow the jars to rest at room temperatures for an hour before sealing. Then chill in the fridge for several hours before serving.

Add your favorite topping like macerated strawberries sprinkled with sugar.

SLOWCOOKER OATMEAL COOKIE APPLES

Ingredients

4 apples

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup margarine

3/4 cup raisins

1 cup instant oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Core apples

Instructions

Wash and core apples (I’d make a larger hole than a regular core job to make room for the good stuff.)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Stuff the apples with the oatmeal raisin mixture.

Spray crockpot/slow cooker with a non-stick spray, then place apples inside.

Sprinkle the rest of the apple crisp topping over the apples.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready, the apples should be very soft to the touch/poke.

Serve with ice cream or a little cream like an oatmeal cookie.

BANANA RUM CAKE

Inspired by Better Crocker

Ingredients

Bread

2 2/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix

1 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas

¾ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 tablespoons Spiced Rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup chopped walnuts

Glaze

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoon spiced rum, warmed in the microwave

Instructions

Grease bottom only of 3 1/2- to 4-quart round slow cooker with shortening or cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with 2 teaspoons of the Bisquick mix.

In large bowl, stir bananas, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 4 tablespoons spiced rum, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Stir in remaining Bisquick mix, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the walnuts until well blended. Pour into slow cooker.

Cover; cook on high for 1 ½ hours to 2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Turn off slow cooker; uncover, and remove base from cooker to cooling rack. Let cool 15 minutes.

Loosen edge of bread with knife. Remove bread from slow cooker to cooling rack. Cool 1 hour.

For glaze, in small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Drizzle over top of bread. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts.

Here's to enjoying the weather!

Fish Friday: Celebrating Lent with Baked Tilapia with Shrimp from Olive Garden {Recipe}

Those who are observing Lent and abstaining from meat may be struggling to come up with dinner options for their families. This Baked Tilapia with Shrimp recipe from one of our family's favorite restaurants, Olive Garden, is perfect to conclude Lent or for any night your family is craving seafood. Serve it with your favorite vegetables. 

For a lighter version of this recipe, try Olive Garden’s new Baked Tilapia with Shrimp at only 340 calories!

Baked Tilapia with Shrimp Recipe

(Serves four)

Ingredients

4                     Tilapia filets

1.5 – 2 lbs.        Medium, unpeeled, deveined shrimp

1 tbsp              Butter   

1 tsp                Garlic, chopped

1 tbsp              Onion, finely chopped

1 cup               White Wine               

1 cup               Heavy Cream             

1 stick (4oz)      Butter, cubed        

1 tbsp.             Parsley, chopped

Pinch               Salt      

Pinch               Pepper                       

Instructions

Make the butter wine sauce. (Yields 2 cups/4 portions of 4 fl. oz.) 

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter, chopped garlic and finely chopped onion in pot for 3 minutes.  Stir with rubber spatula.  No browning.

Add white wine and heavy cream. Simmer gently until volume reduces by half.  About 1 cup.

Turn off fire.

Add cubed pieces of butter.  Stir until butter, wine and cream are combined.  Sauce should have a slightly thick consistency.

Finish with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

* Important: A fresh butter sauce must be served after being made. This sauce will not chill and reheat. When adding the butter to the reduction, the temperature of the sauce cannot exceed 150 degrees.

Rinse the tilapia filets and shrimp under cold water and place in a baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes. (Filets’ internal temp should be 145 degrees.)

For plating, place the shrimp on top of the filet and top with the hot butter wine sauce. Serve with your favorite vegetable on the side.

Easter Eats: Cheesy Corn Bake from 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House {Recipe}

For our family, Easter lunch/dinner looks a lot like a lighter version of Thanksgiving: a big piece of meat with all the same kind of fixings like mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, we'll you get the picture.

So to change it up for this year, we opted for BBQ. Good ole barbecue. While Dallas-Fort Worth has tons of amazing places to enjoy BBQ cooking at its best, the hubs wants to make it himself. However, I'm in charge of the fixings. And it's just not BBQ if I can't get at least a few bites of this Cheesy Corn Bake from 3 Stacks Smoke House in Frisco. There's just something about this golden goodness that screams "I need to eat this NOW." 

Perhaps it's the cream corn. 
Perhaps it's the cornbread mix. 
Perhaps it's that one stick of butter and cheese. 
Whatever it is, it's good. 

And while Trace “The Rib Whisperer” Arnold of 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House isn't giving out all his secrets for tasty BBQ, he did share this recipe and his tips to make it perfect. And now I'm sharing it with you! 

CHEESY CORN BAKE
Trace “The Rib Whisperer” Arnold of 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House

Ingredients

1 can of undrained whole kernel corn

1 can of cream corn

8 oz. of sour cream

2 well beaten eggs

1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix

1 stick of melted butter (not too hot, avoid clarifying the butter)

1/2 cup finely diced fresh jalapeño peppers

Instructions

Place mixture in a well-oiled 9x13 pan and bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Variations

• Top with fresh grated cheddar or blended cheese.
• Substitute jalapeños for green chilies. Cayenne pepper is also a great substitution for heat.
• Add red bell pepper for a holiday flair.
• Add brown Panco bread crumbs and top for a crunchy texture.
• Light sour cream will reduce calories.
• Cream cheese can be substituted for sour for a richer blend.
• Fresh corn can be used in place of canned.
• Plain yellow cornbread mix can replace Jiffy if you want to eliminate the sweet flavor of the Jiffy.

After this, you might be making this Easter side at Memorial Day, July 4th and Thanksgiving, too! Plus if you get a chance to visit 3 Stacks, I highly suggest you also try the fried dill pickle cheese fries - they'll make every day better! 

Hoppy Easter! 

Lo-Cal Summer Sippin' Recipes #TENways

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #TENways #ad  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV.

With summer time just around the corner, it means we only have 60 days left to attempt to zip up that cute summer mini dress or squeeze into the always-dreaded swimsuit! But eating healthy doesn't necessarily mean we have to give our my favorite things to eat AND drink. 

What a lot of people don't think about is the amount of calories consumed with just one cocktail! However, with the Ten beverage line from Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, you can enjoy all the fun and flavor of Sunkist, A&W Rootbeer, Canada Dry Ginger Ale and 7-up for only TEN calories! 

So I've concocted four fantastic recipes that taste even better than your old standby summer cocktails, but without the empty calories! I love being able to enjoy anytime of the week, at get-togethers and even playdates with other moms and they think I've added something to our drinks, but in fact, I've taken out most calories by using the TEN beverages I found at Walmart. And they taste delicious enough you may choose these as your go-to summer sippers! I mean nothing says summer like a rootbeer float...and with this recipe I've cut half the calories, 25 percent of the fat and none of the flavor!

7UP TEN PUNCH

1 ounce orange juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

2 ounces Ten 7-up

½ teaspoon grenadine

Orange wedge

Full a shaker with ice. Add all ingredients except the soda, shake well. Strain into a wine glass and top with 7UP. Garnish with orange slice.

SUNKIST TEN COSMEAUX

4 ounces Ten Sunkist

2 ounce cranberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail)

Garnish with a twist of orange peel

Mix together all ingredients in a cocktail shaker lightly. Serve in a martini glass.

CANADA DRY FAUXJITO

6-7 Mint leaves

1 tablespoon lime juice

6 ounces of Ten Canada Dry

Garnish with a slice of lime

Muddle mint leaves and lime juice. Fill glass with ice and Ten Canada Dry, stir, and serve.

A&W ROOTBEER LO-CAL FLOATER

½ cup Greek Frozen Yogurt Vanilla

8 ounces Ten A&W Rootbeer 

Scoop frozen yogurt into cold mug glass. Carefully add A&W Rootbeer  to the glass until foam rises to the top. 

SAVE MONEY AND CALORIES WITH THE TEN at Walmart!

$0.50 off of the purchase of TWO 2 Liter bottles or TWO 4-pack cans of Ten 7UP, Ten A&W, Ten Canada Dry, TEN RC or TEN Sunkist soda. However, if you share the digital coupon via email, Facebook or Twitter, you will get brought to a coupon that will get $1.50 off that purchase rather than just .$50! Get this coupon while supplies last!

Enjoy celebrating summer by toasting with these non-alcoholic, lo-cal summer sippers featuring the Ten Calorie sodas!

Get Rolling Now for National Meatball Day, March 9 with the Best. Meatballs. Ever. {Recipe + Giveaway}

I was invited to a special event to learn first-hand how to make Chef Kenny Bowers' legendary Midnight Meatballs. I was also provided a gift card for the purposes of this giveaway. But my sincere love for Kenny and his meatballs is the real deal. I've spent much of my own money to get my fix along with the most amazing polenta croutons. So needless to say, this is some truthful content and you should try this recipe. It's that good. #meatballmadness

"On top of spaghetti...all covered with cheese..."

Meatballs are such an important part of the spaghetti experience, they earned their own song. 

Actually, meatballs aren't just an Italian thing, but actually play a part of several cultures although it looks like the Romans do claim fame to them first (according to the Colorful History of the Meatball.)  

Whoever wants to claim them is fine by me, but for my family, they are the purpose for the pasta. And we've spent many hours attempting to perfect the right meat mixture, texture and cooking method to create the ideal meatball. While I can remember some really good meatballs, I can't say I have found THE recipe that I'm willing to cut throats for. However, I have found one that stands pretty close. 

Unfortunately, the recipe is not mine. But Dallas Chef Kenny Bowers (Kenny's Wood Fired Grill, Kenny's Burger Joint, Kenny's Smoke House and Kenny's Italian Kitchen) was willing to share it with me and a few of my friends over cocktails one afternoon and a big raw mess of pork and hamburger meat. 

Yes, this is how we roll. 

The cocktail is actually part of the recipe too - as Kenny shared his own story of how the meatball recipe came to fruition. Basically, only after several evenings until past midnight with a few drinks down (read: several) did the recipe finally come together just the right way. Hence, the name "Midnight Meatballs." 

My cocktail choice for this meatball-making Monday: The Frenchie made with prosecco. And best of all it looks like it's only $5 on Mondays...(but be careful, it can sneak up on you!)

Completely different than any recipe I've ever made, Kenny showed us how to create a panade (a paste made with white bread and milk) to bind together the meat for just the right texture. And then with a few other ingredients we had Kenny's legendary meatballs ready for the oven and then "atop of spaghetti."  But they were so good, they really didn't need a starch, just some red sauce and a glass of red wine!  

KENNY’S MIDNIGHT MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

12 oz (3/4 of a loaf) white bread
3 cups milk (whole)
To taste salt (iodized)
To taste black pepper (table grind)
1 cups parmesan cheese
1 oz wt. basil (fresh, chopped 3/8” no stem)
4 lbs ground beef or pork or sausage

Instructions:

Tear bread in to small pieces approx 1”. In a large bowl combine milk and bread. Mix together by hand making sure bread is completely dissolved in milk to form a soupy paste-like consistency. Add salt, pepper, cheese, basil and mix. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before next step.
Gently mix in meat making sure everything is evenly mixed with slightly wet hands form 4 oz wt. balls.
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for approx 20 minutes until medium brown and an internal temp of 160.
Note: meatballs freeze very well if you don’t use them all this time.

I suggest you make the whole recipe and then freeze a portion of them so you have them ready to go whenever you need an appetizer or a quick meatball sub or spaghetti and meatballs! 

OR you can always head over to Kenny's on any Sunday, and National Meatball Day, for Meatball Madness! For only $1 you'll get one of Kenny's 1/4 pound meatballs. Or you can always beat the meatball eating record (currently it's 18) and you can get your meatballs free. 

Or win this gift card and consider you've got $15 worth of meatballs on MamaChallenge! 

Just enter this contest now and you could win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kenny's Italian Kitchen
5100 Belt Line, Suite 764
Dallas, Texas 75254 (technically it's in Addison) 
972.661.9380
www.kennysitalian.com

Celebrate World Nutella Day with Easy Nutella Banana Nut Bread {Recipe}

Several years ago I received my first container of Nutella. 

For a while, I was able to resist the thought of a container of the hazelnut gooiness in the pantry. But then I finally dipped in my index finger and went in for a small taste. And then another. And another. 

I found both a friend and a foe that day. I just can't quit you, Nutella. 

And apparently I'm not the only one, especially since now we have a National "holiday" committed to our love of the product. 

Happy World Nutella Day, folks. 

And while you can put Nutella in everything (just take a look at Pinterest), I'm sharing a quick recipe you can make even late at night when you hear Nutella calling your name and you just want a little fix. 

And of course, banana and Nutella taste really, really good together. 

Nutella Banana Nut Bread 

1/2       cup white sugar

1/2       cup brown sugar

2          eggs

3          bananas, mashed ripe bananas

1/3       cup milk

1          cup Nutella

1          teaspoon vanilla

½         teaspoon salt

1/2       cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk, and vanilla until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating constantly until just blended. Spoon Nutella into a bowl and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended. Add half the banana bread batter to the prepared pan. Top with half the Nutella batter. Pour the remaining banana batter into the pan and top with the remaining Nutella. Swirl batters together with a knife. Bake for 50-55 minutes (the bread will seem undercooked). Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Lasagna: The Perfect Recipe for New Moms {Recipe}

Note: I received my own Lasagna kit from Red Gold and you can too, just keep reading to find out more.  

When I gave birth the first go-around, I remember a friend who was kind enough to bring me over a lasagna to help with dinner. I can still remember not only how delicious it was, but how it kept me fed for almost a week - especially late at night when my little one decided he needed to get us both up for a few hours. 

Now it's my turn to bring a meal to one of my friends who just had a baby. However, it's not just because lasagna is delicious and as Anelle would say "freezes beautifully," but that this recips is full of several nutrient-rich foods that are needed for a new mom, especially when she has a little one that she's feeding, too. 

According to WebMd, there are 12 Super-Foods for New Moms including: 

1. Leafy greens like Spinach
2. Low-fat Dairy: Cottage Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese
3. Whole-Wheat Grains like Pasta
4. Lean Protein like Turkey 

So my Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups are like the super food for new moms - and all in one dish! And did I mention there was less than 20 minutes required to whip these up?  Which makes it my go-to meal for taking over to friends along with a bag of salad, and a loaf of garlic bread!

SPINACH LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

Ingredients

1	(28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans
2	(14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes With Basil, Garlic & Oregano
1	teaspoon Italian seasoning
	Salt to taste
1	(16 ounce) box lasagna noodles, traditional, uncooked
1	(6 ounce) package fresh spinach, washed and patted dry
1	(15 ounce) carton low fat cottage cheese
3	cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2	cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat over to 350^o F. 
• In a large bowl combine water, RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES, RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO and Italian seasoning.
• Boil the lasagna noodles making sure they don't stick. Once cooked, lay each noodle on a sheet of wax paper until ready to roll. 
• Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1½ cups of sauce mixture. Take one noodle and then add a layer of cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and then a handful of spinach leaves.  Tightly roll up the noodle into a roll and place seem-side down. Continue until the dish is full. Then add the rest of the sauce. Next layer the top with mozzarrella cheese. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• The recipe makes 12 servings, but you could divide the recipe into two 9x9 inch baking dishes and freeze one! 

Red Gold Premium Tomatoes is having a Lasagna Party Sweepstakes on Facebook - until Wednesday, Feb. 5! You can win some great stuff including gift cards, lasagna kit, and other fun prizes! So check out http://www.facebook.com/RedGold.