Raspberry Almond Chocolate Crepes

These are just as good without the raspberry M&M's. If you want them though they carry them at Target.

For the crepes:

• 1½ cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2¼ cups lowfat milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil as needed

For the filling:

• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 1½ cups raspberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup toasted almonds
• Zest on orange

Chocolate sauce:

• ½ cup chopped Dove Dark Chocolate
• ¼ cup lowfat milk
• ½ cup raspberries
• 1/3 cup Raspberry Almond M&M’S

Special utensils:

• 6-inch skillet
• 2 mixing bowls
• 6-inch non-stick sauté pan

• Crepe batter:
• 1. Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
• 2. In another bowl, 2 cups of milk, butter, eggs and vanilla until blended.
• 3. Combine butter and flour mixtures, whisking until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 4. Cook crepes: Before cooking, whisk remaining ¼ cup of milk into crepe batter. Lightly brush skillet with oil and heat over medium high heat. Once pan is hot, remove from heat, pour in ¼ -cup of batter and swirl pan around allowing batter to evenly coat bottom. Return pan to heat and cook for 40 seconds. Flip crepe over and continue to cook an additional 20 seconds. Repeat process with remaining batter, stacking crepes. Set aside.
• Filling:
• 5. Combine ricotta cheese with raspberries, sugar and orange zest. 2. Spread crepes with filling to within ½-inch of the edge. Fold crepes into quarters and place two on each serving plate.
• Sauce:
• 6. Before serving, melt chocolate and milk together.
• 7. Drizzle sauce over crepes, garnish with raspberries and Raspberry Almond M&M’S Premiums.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

This is a quick and easy dinner recipie my kids enjoy.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 onion, finely diced

1(10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

1 Package frozen mixed vegetables ( or dice up fresh celery, carrots & 1 can corn)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 small can chicken broth

Directions

Place the chicken, soup, onion, veggies & seasoning in a slow cooker, pour chicken broth & enough water to cover.

Cook for 5 to 6 hours on high in slow cooker. About 30-45 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Candy Bar Cocoa

This post is a little late, but I tried this at a holiday party and thought it was fabulous. It's simple but gooood!

1½ cups chopped 3 Musketeers candy bars
3 cups lowfat milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons whipped topping

Combine the candy with the milk and ground cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until the candy is completely melted.

Pour into mugs. Add a cinnamon stick and top with a small dollop of whipped cream. Dust with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Spring Cupcakes

These are a flash back to my childhood. I remember shaking coconut in a Ziploc bag with green food coloring until it all changed color, then enjoying every last bite of my cupcake! I hope you do too!

Start with your favorite flavor cake mix, vanilla, strawberry or milk chocolate are great choices. Bake cup cakes, cool and frost with store bought icing or use the Butter Frosting recipie here.

In a gallon size ziploc bag add two cups coconut and 4 drops green food coloring. Zip the bag shut and shake until the food coloring is even spread on the coconut. Top freshly iced cupcakes with your coconut grass and jelly beans, or chocolate eggs. Enjoy!

Walking Tacos

Ingredients

1½ pound ground sirloin
1½ pound ground chuck
3 (1.25 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix
3 cups water or beef broth
24 INDIVIDUAL SIZE bags of tortilla chips
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, seasoned or regular
6 cups finely shredded lettuce
3 cups salsa and/or taco sauce
3 pints sour cream
3 cups guacamole
6 cups grated Mexican Four Cheese (or any other cheese)
3 cups finely diced tomato
3 cups finely diced onion
2 cups sliced black olives
plenty of sliced jalapenos

Directions

• Fry ground meat in a large skillet.
  When meat is browned, add taco seasoning mix and water or broth.
  Simmer for about 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced down.
  This is where the fun begins!
  Keep the meat mixture hot in a crock-pot.
  Have all the topping ingredients next to the crockpot, so each person can make their own “walking taco”.
  Instruct everyone to crush an individual size bag of fritos for themselves, then open it up and start adding in all the toppings they want (or can get in the bag), starting with the meat first.
  When they have their toppings in the bag, fold over the top and shake vigorously. Open the bag, grab a fork, and walk around with your meal in your hand!

Cottage Cheese Wheat Pancakes

We love to eat pancakes at our house for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. For those of you who like to bake with whole wheat flour, here are a few wheat pancake recipes to try....

Cottage Cheese Wheat Pancakes

3 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1-2 cups milk/or water

Combine and mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cook, serve.

Applesauce Wheat Pancakes

Another pancake recipe I found on another blogsite I check. I have not tried them yet since my kids are stuck on the Oats n Wheat pancakes, but hope to try them out soon.

Applesauce Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups natural chunky apple sauce
1 3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix all together in a bowl, add cinnamon if desired for flavor.

Oats'n Wheat Pancakes

I found these on a health blog and thought I would try them. I don't usually bake with whole wheat flour, but am going to try to do so more often. My kids do not like anything wheat, especially bread, but they love pancakes. I thought I would give these a try and see if they would eat them. Not only did they eat them, they loved them! I always add chocolate chips to their pancakes.

Oats 'n Wheat Pancakes

1 1/2 cups whole wheat
1/2 cup white flour (I omitted the white flour and used 1/2 c. wheat in its place)
1 cup oats (I blended my oats, although the recipe did not say)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar

mix these first ingredients together in a bowl then add:
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 cups milk

Mix in remainder, let the mix sit in the refrigerator about 10-15 min. to set. (this gives your pancakes fluffiness)

A double recipe makes approximately 25-30 large pancakes.