Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole

This recipe comes from Lisa Wells of Salt Lake City, Utah, who is a former high school classmate of mine. It's fun connecting with old friends on Facebook, and when I saw this posted on her page I decided to give it a try - YUM! It's a very easy recipe and if a meal can look cute, this is one of them. The little pieces of biscuit "bubble up" into bite-size morsels. This was a thumbs up for all members of my family. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Ingredients:
1/4 C. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. canola oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cans refrigerator biscuits
1 1/2 C. shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to a skillet on medium high and saute the onion and garlic, add ground beef, salt and pepper and brown the meat. If necessary, drain oil. Add enchilada sauce and tomato sauce, warm through and pour the mixture in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Open cold biscuits and cut each into four pieces and add these to the pan. Roll them around enough to get sauce on them, but make sure they lay on top to ensure thorough baking. Bake for 11 minutes, or until biscuits are golden. Top with cheese and bake for another 2 minutes. Enjoy! Serves 8, or 6 large servings.

When I made this, it was from memory. I didn’t add the tomato sauce, and I thought it turned out just great. Also, I used mozzarella cheese because that’s what I had on hand – when I make it again, I’ll try Colby-Jack cheese. The original recipe called for ground turkey and reduced-fat biscuits; she also added taco seasoning to the meat.

Pudding Pie Dessert with Nut Crust

Graduation is just around the corner and if you have a grad, like I do, you’re probably planning a get-together with family and friends where food will be served. I thought this Pudding Pie Dessert with Nut Crust would be perfect to end the meal. I enjoyed this recipe at a family reunion a few years ago. Pistachio or chocolate puddings work well, or try your favorite! Congrats to all the graduates out there! Your hard work has paid off!

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 C. (one stick) butter, sliced in chunks
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut butter and flour using two knives until butter chunks are the size of peas. Stir in walnuts or pecans. Mixture will be pretty dry. Pat into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool.

Filling:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 C. powdered sugar
1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant pudding, your favorite flavor
3 C. milk
1 16 oz. frozen whipped topping optional
extra chopped walnuts or pecans to sprinkle on top of the dessert

Beat the cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Use mixer to combine pudding and milk, mixing well. Spread over the cream cheese mixture. Spread remaining half-container of whipped topping over pudding and sprinkle with nuts if desired. Refrigerate until served – can refrigerate up to a day in advance (cover with plastic wrap). Serves about 15.

Angel’s tip: I can imagine this would also taste great with banana pudding – just before serving, banana slices could be added around the border with chopped nuts. A topping of strawberry slices could be great with vanilla or cheesecake pudding. Experiment!

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

I love No-Bake Chocolate Cookies, not only for their chewy deliciousness, but for the speed at which I can have a finished product. The other day I had a limited amount of time to throw together a school snack for one of my sons and this recipe was the ticket – it all came together in less than 30 minutes, and that includes a few minutes to let the cookies set up. This recipe comes from Joelene Floyd of Canyon City – bless you Joelene! I've tried other recipes which have not been as reliable, and have sometimes left me with a dry, crumbly mess – that's no fun. I've used this recipe three times now and they've turned out perfectly scrumptious every time! Woo hoo!

Ingredients to start with:
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. milk (I used 1 percent milk)
1 3/4 C. sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Melt butter most of the way over medium to medium-high heat, add milk, sugar and cocoa powder and mix with wire whisk until combined. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and simmer for – set your timer for this – 1 1/2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Add these ingredients:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. peanut butter
3 C. oats

Stir with spoon to combine and drop by heaping small spoonfuls onto wax paper or foil. Allow to cool completely. The cookies set up as they cool. Makes about 2 dozen small cookies or 1 1/2 dozen larger cookies.

Angel's tip: Be sure to have your measuring spoons and cups ready and ingredients on the counter to quickly add them to the mix.