Banana Cream Dessert

Banana cream pie is one of my favorite desserts.  This is SO easy, quick, and in my opinion, every bit as delicious as banana cream pie.   I have made this many times and have been very pleases with the results each time.

Banana Cream Dessert
Adapted from Cooks.com

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 and 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. melted butter or margarine
3 T. sugar
Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. Cool Whip
4 bananas
2 (3.4 oz.) boxes instant vanilla pudding
3 c. milk

Directions:
Stir together crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes (I usually do about 8). Cool.

Mix together in a bowl (using a mixer) powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 9 oz. of the cool whip. Spread over crust. Cover with sliced bananas.

Mix 2 boxes of pudding with milk for a couple minutes and spread over bananas.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow to set up.  Spread the rest of the cool whip on top before serving (this can also be done in advance).

Notes:
-- I allow it to set up for at least an hour in the fridge, but the recipe didn’t say to do that.  I just like to make sure it’s set before serving.

-Paula

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

What's that you say?  Cookie week was last week?  Well, I just can't help but share this cookie recipe today.  It's been in my arsenal for several years now, and it's definitely a keeper.  It's nice and versatile, too.  We originally found the recipe on the back of the bag of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips years ago while we were in college.  What a wonderful find that was!
 

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies
adapted from Nestle Toll House
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips*
*see Notes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and both kinds of sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Sprinkle salt and baking soda into the bowl and mix briefly to combine.  Add cocoa and mix well.  Add flour and mix.  Finally, stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes or until just set.  Allow to set up on the baking sheet for at least two minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Notes:
--I make this recipe with many different types of chips.  I used white chocolate chips for the ones in the photo.  You can also use peanut butter chips or semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips or any combination, really.  My favorite is half white chocolate and half semisweet chocolate.
--I measure my cocoa as a heaping 1/2 cup.  I like my cookies nice and chocolatey, so I almost use 3/4 cup.
--Try not to overbake these cookies or they will be too crispy.  I wait until large cracks form on the tops of the cookies and they no longer have that wet doughy look.

Enjoy!
-Jennie

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is another recipe that came from my sister's mission.  It is one of the easiest soups I’ve ever made and it’s delicious!  It makes a lot of soup so it’s good for a crowd.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
From Jamie Hansen

Ingredients:
1 can (29.2 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cans chicken broth
2 uncooked chicken breasts

Spanish rice (Lipton works well but you can use another brand)
1 can black beans
2 cups corn (I just did one can of corn last time)

Directions:
Put the first 4 ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken, shred/cut and return to pot. Prepare spanish rice. Add beans, corn, and as much rice as you want.
Garnish with all kinds of yummy things like: tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, sour cream, olives, and green onions.

Notes:
--I halved this recipe last night with great success.  It serves 4-5 people when halved (depending one how much each person eats).
--I usually add about 3/4 of the rice.
--This soup is absolutely delicious with avocado on top.  I didn’t get a picture after adding avocado, but it is a necessary addition when I make this soup. Trust me, it’s delicious!

-Paula

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Chicken and broccoli casserole was a staple in our house growing up.  It's fast and easy and delicious.  In recent years, though, I have been trying to cut back on processed foods like condensed soup in order to try and be a little more healthy.  I took my inspiration from Mel's Kitchen Cafe where she reinvented the sauce for Hawaiian Haystacks.  I adjusted the ingredients and the amounts to get the flavor and consistency that I wanted.  Now I don't make it any other way!  My sister and husband (who are both used to the old way) both agreed they like this way even better.  It's nice when the healthier way ends up being more flavorful. 

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic salt, to taste
2 cups chopped broccoli

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth (I use fat free, low sodium)
1 cup milk
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

grated cheddar cheese, to taste
rice, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and start cooking rice.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt and cook in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat until the chicken is done.  Remove from heat.  Meanwhile, steam your broccoli until crisp tender.  Set aside.

Prepare sauce by melting butter over medium high heat in a medium saucepan.  Add onions and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.  Whisk in flour all at once and cook for a minute or two.  Slowly pour in milk and chicken broth while whisking continuously.  Add salt and pepper.  Whisk constantly until sauce thickens.  Stir in cooked chicken.

Assemble casserole by spreading the steamed broccoli evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.  Pour chicken and sauce over the broccoli.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, 15-20 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Notes:
--Even though this way is healthier, it is also more time consuming to make the sauce from scratch.  If you're in a pinch for time or just want something even more simple, just mix one can cream of chicken soup with 1/2 can (the empty soup can) of milk and mix with the chicken.  Assemble casserole in the same way.
--If your kids (or you!) don't like pieces of onions you can substitute onion powder (add it with the flour) or 1/4 onion grated (add it with the milk and chicken broth) in the sauce.  You can also use garlic powder if you don't have fresh garlic on hand.

Enjoy!
-Jennie

Creamy One Pot Pasta

This is a very flavorful and easy dish.  It comes together in one pot which is always nice, and the pasta cooks in chicken broth which makes it really flavorful. I’m always on the look out for dishes without meat that also feel complete and this is one.  Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, but meatless meals are sure cheaper and easier.  I’m grateful to my sister-in-law, Heather for introducing me to this recipe!

Creamy One Pot Pasta
From Heather

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 cans (5 and 1/4 cups) chicken broth
1 lb. uncooked pasta (I used bow tie)*
1 head broccoli (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
grated parmesan

Directions:
Cook garlic in 1 tbsp. oil in a large pot for a minutes or until fragrant. Add broth, cover, and bring to boil. Stir in pasta, cover and cook for 6-7 minutes. Meanwhile, chop broccoli and carrots and pepper. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add veggies, cheese, salt and pepper to pot. and stir until cream cheese is melted (do not drain pasta). Reduce heat, cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until vegetables and noodles are tender.

Notes:
--I put a little extra carrots because I love them.
--Depending on how soft you like you veggies, alter how much time you cook your noodles before adding the veggies.  If you like you veggies kind of crisp, cook noodles for a little longer before adding veggies and the opposite if you like them really soft.
--The original recipe called for a jar of sun dried tomatoes rather than red bell pepper, but since they’re expensive and I like peppers I changed that. I think you can pretty much put in whatever veggies you like.
--This makes a lot of food.  I usually half the recipe when I’m cooking just for my family (3 of us eating) and we still have some leftovers.

-Paula

Cookie Week: Snickerdoodles

I can't believe Cookie Week has already come to a close!  Time sure does have a tendency to fly by especially fast this time of year.  To end our week of cookies, I chose a classic: snickerdoodles.  You can't really go wrong with snickerdoodles.  And the recipe I turn to without fail simply comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (or as my family always calls it, the Checkerboard Cookbook).  I have made this recipe countless times, and it never fails to turn out wonderful results.

Snickerdoodles

from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg and mix well.  Mix in baking soda and cream of tartar.  Finally, mix in flour until well combined.  

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.  Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and then roll to coat in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Notes:

--The one trick of this recipe is not to overbake them.  Take them out when they are just barely set and have large cracks in the tops.  Once they start to get golden brown on the edges, they are overdone and will be crispy.  If you take them out at the right time, they will stay nice and soft as long as they are kept in an airtight container.

--The original recipe calls to refrigerate the dough for an hour before rolling out the cookies.  I never do this because the dough is pretty manageable on its own.

--This recipe is pretty small and makes just about 2 dozen cookies.  However, from extensive experience I can tell you that it works great doubled or even tripled.

Enjoy!

-Jennie

Cookie Week: Pumpkin Cookies

This is a recipe that my sister got while on her mission.  I’m so glad that she shared this recipe with us because it is now one of my favorite recipes.  The cookies are extremely soft and have a wonderful flavor to them and the brown sugar frosting just puts them over the top!

Pumpkin Cookies
From Jamie Hansen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour

Directions:
Mix butter and sugar until well combined.  Add egg, pumpkin, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix.  Add flour and mix until well incorporated.  Batter will be somewhat wet.   Place small spoonfuls of batter on a lightly greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Combing first three ingredients in pan and bring to boil (stirring frequently).  Boil for one minute and then remove from heat.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar and stir to combine.  Add more milk if needed.

Notes:
--Don’t be afraid to add more milk to the caramel frosting.  It should be thin enough that you can frost the cookies by spooning the glaze on each cookie but thick enough that it doesn’t run off the sides.  You can also return the pan of frosting to the heat if you need to thin it down.  I have always ended up adding a little extra milk when I make it (I’ll have to pay attention next time so I can change the recipe accordingly).

-Paula

Cookie Week: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

What a wonderful week.  I sure love cookies.  

This recipe came to me from a friend when I was in college.  She brought these cookies in to share one day, and I was beside myself they were so delicious.  I loved everything about them.  I begged her for the recipe, which she gave me willingly (no begging was actually necessary, I just couldn't help myself).  If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, these are for you.  Really.  They may seem simple, but oh boy are they amazing!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Kaylene


Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cup oats (not instant)
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and both kinds of sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Sprinkle salt and baking soda into the bowl and briefly mix to combine.  Add flour and oats and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by the spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until lightly golden, 9 to 11 minutes.

Notes:
--When I use peanut butter in baking I buy the cheap generic stuff because peanut butter can be so expensive.  I've used both name brand and generic in these cookies, and as far as I can tell, it doesn't make a difference.  I would stay away from the natural peanut butters that separate and need to be stirred though.
--My favorite baking sheets are actually jelly roll pans.  The light metal and the rim on the pan make for perfectly baked cookies.  It's wonderful.  I highly recommend them.

Enjoy!
-Jennie

Cookie Week: Rolo Cookies

Yay for cookie week!  As always, the recipes that we are posting this week are recipes that we have used many times and plan to make many times in the future.   This recipe is no exception.  One of my favorite cookies happens to be a deliciously rich chocolate cookie with a rolo in the middle.  The candy melts to make these cookies gooey and perfect.

Rolo Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
48 rolos (one package)
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Beat sugars and butter until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix.  Add flour, cocoa, and soda and blend well.  Shape cookies into small balls. Press rolo into center of ball and cover with dough (form a dough ball around a rolo). Roll cookie in sugar. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until tops of cookies are slightly cracked. Cool on racks.

Notes:
--As you can see this recipe makes about 48 cookies. So if you don't want tons of cookies you could do half of the recipe. But, the girl who gave me this recipe said that the dough balls freeze well and then you can make them whenever you want fresh cookies. I haven't tried that yet, but I bet it would be lovely.

-Paula

Cookie Week: Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

It's Cookie Week here at PJ's Recipe Box!  We've been planning to have cookie week sometime this month since we started our blog.  Imagine our surprise, then, when the Pioneer Woman announced last week that it was Cookie Week.  'Tis the season for cookies, it seems!  We may be a week later than the rest of the internet, but we've got some great cookie recipes coming up this week.  Stay tuned!

To start off this glorious week, I'm sharing one of my most recent favorites.  The dried cranberries make them festive, and the white chocolate chips give them a wonderful rich flavor.  I especially like that these cookies have much less sugar than most recipes, but they still taste nice and sweet.  Plus, they have oatmeal in them, which automatically makes them healthy.  Right?  Right?? ;)

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
adapted from oceanspray.com


Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats (not instant)
3 ounces sweetened dried cranberries (half of a regular sized bag)
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Next, add the baking soda and salt and briefly incorporate.  Add flour and then add oats and mix until well combined.  Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes:
--These cookies end up staying small and more rounded than other recipes.  Don't be alarmed when they don't flatten out as much as you might expect.
--I like to use dark brown sugar in all my cookies.  It gives them a richer flavor.
--Despite the cranberries and oatmeal, my two year old son loves these cookies.  They are definitely a crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!
-Jennie

Minestrone Soup

This is a warm and hearty soup that also happens to be incredibly easy to make!  It's perfect for a weeknight meal during the winter, and it's also tasty enough to serve to guests.  Thanks to Paula for finding this one from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
3 cans (14 oz. each) beef broth, or about 5 1/4 cups
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups vegetable juice (like V-8)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cooked pasta
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large pot combine broth, beans, tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil and add mixed vegetables.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cooked pasta and heat through.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes:
--I highly recommend making the soup up to the point where it has simmered for 10 minutes the night before you serve it.  This soup benefits greatly in flavor from being refrigerated overnight.  Then you can simply heat up the soup while you cook your pasta and chop your spinach that night.  All it takes is a little planning ahead and it's super easy and fast.
--This soup tastes delicious served with rolls.  I recommend these beauties.
--This would be a truly vegetarian meal if you substitute vegetable stock for the beef broth.

Enjoy!
-Jennie

Scotcharoos

If you like rice krispie treats, peanut butter and chocolate, you will love these!  This is another family favorite that we grew up with.  The scotch part of the name refers to the butterscotch chips that are melted with the chocolate to make the delicious topping.  Seriously, how can you go wrong with a peanut butter rice krispie treat with chocolate on top?

Scotcharoos

Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
In saucepan mix corn syrup and sugar over heat until just starting to boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Pour over rice krispes (in large bowl) and mix until evenly coated. Spread mixture in greased 9x13 pan.

In saucepan, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips over low heat until melted. Pour over bars and spread evenly. Let cool until chocolate sets up. If you want them to set up quickly put them in the fridge/freezer (though be careful how long you refrigerate them as they get really hard when cold).

Notes:
--A trick for handling the sticky mixture without having it stick to your hands is to get your hands wet with a little cold water.
--My parents used this same rice krispie mixture to make Easter eggs a couple times.  Just shape into eggs shape balls and then roll into chocolate.  Then place on wax paper until chocolate sets up.

-Paula

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Bites

I have a new dessert obsession.  They have been dubbed Pie Bites by the members of my family.  I take ideas from my favorite pie and cheesecake flavors, and make a mini version using a mini muffin pan.  The options are truly endless.  So far I have made banana cream, German sweet chocolate, peppermint, and the one I am sharing with you today: pumpkin cheesecake.

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite variation to date.  The pumpkin flavor is not overpowering, and the ginger snap crust and caramel topping really complement it well.  

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Bites
filling adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup ginger snap crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
pinch of cloves (about half as much as your nutmeg)

Topping:
sweetened whipped cream
caramel sauce (recipe to follow)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a mini muffin pan.  Pulse together ginger snap crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter, and salt.  Scoop a scant tablespoon into each of the 24 mini muffin cups.  Press down into the bottom using anything that fits well (the back of my tablespoon happens to fit perfectly, so that's what I use).  Bake for 8 minutes, and then remove from the oven and set aside.  Reduce heat to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare filling. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals, whisking in between, until smooth.  Set aside.  Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and beat until smooth.  Add pumpkin, vanilla, and spices, and continue to beat.  Pour in melted chocolate slowly while the mixer is still running to avoid lumps.  Mix until smooth.

Pour filling over crusts and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until cheesecake is just set in the middle.  Cool completely before removing from the pan.  Chill for at least two hours.  Store in the refrigerator.  Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and caramel sauce before serving.

Notes:
--I make sweetened whipped cream by adding 1/4 cup powdered sugar to 1 cup whipping cream and whipping until stiff peaks form.
--Like all cheesecakes, these taste even better after being refrigerated overnight.  I highly recommend it if you have the time.
--Wait to garnish with whipped cream and caramel sauce until just before serving.  The leftovers actually hold up pretty well in the fridge or even in the freezer, but there's always the risk of the whipped cream breaking down.
--You can use store bought caramel sauce if you want, but homemade caramel sauce is much easier than I thought, and it uses basic ingredients.  I've had success with the Pioneer Woman's recipe that follows.

Easy Caramel Sauce
from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup half and half
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Combine butter, brown sugar, half and half, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Whisk constantly over medium low heat for 5-7 minutes, until it is thick and bubbling.  Add vanilla and continue to cook and whisk for another minute or two.  Pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.  Before using, microwave the sauce for about 30 seconds to make it thin enough to drizzle.

Enjoy!
-Jennie