May 23, 2013

Chocolate-Caramel Crispy Treats

Chocolate-Caramel-Crispy-Treats
Ingredients:

  • 3Tbsp. butter or margarine
  • 1pkg. (10 oz.)  Marshmallows
  • 6cups crisp rice cereal
  • 1pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Caramels
  • 2Tbsp. milk
  • 1/2cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans, toasted
  • 1oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
  • 1oz. BAKER’S White Chocolate

Preparation:
MICROWAVE butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. or until melted. Add marshmallows; toss to coat. Microwave 1-1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 sec. Add cereal; mix well. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 13×9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.

MICROWAVE caramels and milk in medium microwaveable bowl 2 to 2-1/2 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute; pour over cereal mixture. Spread to completely cover cereal mixture. Sprinkle with nuts; press lightly into caramel with back of spoon to secure.

PLACE chocolates in small microwaveable bowl. Microwave 1 min. or until chocolates are completely melted, stirring every 30 sec.; drizzle over nuts. Cool before cutting to serve.

May 23, 2013

Chicken Sausage, Peppers & Tomatoes with Linguine

Chicken-Sausage,-Peppers-&-Tomatoes-with-LinguineIngredients:

  • 1/2lb. linguine, uncooked
  • 1pkg. (12 oz.) chicken sausage links, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 3 bell peppers (assorted colors), coarsely chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

Preparation:

  1. COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
  2. MEANWHILE, cook sausage and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 4 to 6 min. or until sausage is heated through and peppers are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 5 to 6 min. or until tomatoes are softened, stirring occasionally.
  3. DRAIN pasta. Add to skillet with 2 Tbsp. cheese; mix lightly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese
May 23, 2013

BBQ Chicken & Fresh Strawberry Salad

BBQ-Chicken-&-Fresh-Strawberry-Salad
Ingredients:

  • 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
  • 1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
  • 1 pkg. (10 oz.) mixed salad greens
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup sliced red onions
  • 1/2 cup KRAFT Lite Ranch Dressing

Preparation:

  1. HEAT greased grill to medium-high heat.
  2. GRILL chicken 10 min. on each side or until done (165ºF), turning and brushing occasionally with barbecue sauce. Cut into strips.
  3. COVER plate with greens; top with berries, onions and chicken.
  4. DRIZZLE with dressing just before serving.
May 23, 2013

SAVORY MONKEY BREAD WITH DILL BUTTER

SAVORY-MONKEY-BREAD-WITH-DILL-BUTTER

Ingredients:

For The Yeast

  • 2 tablespoons warm water (about 110-115 degrees)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar

For the Dough

  • 2 ¼ cups bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, torn into small pieces

For The Dill Butter

  • 8 tablespoons melted butter (6 tablespoons for the dill butter, 2 tablespoons for brushing during baking)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, torn into small pieces
  • Sea salt

Preparation:
Make the Yeast:
Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small mixing bowl. Set aside for ten minutes at room temperature to allow the yeast to proof. You should see bubbles forming at the surface.

Make the Dough:
Whisk the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach the dough hook and slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour, followed by the milk, egg, 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of dill. Mix on medium speed just until the dough releases from the side of the bowl, then knead dough lightly with your hands. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Make the Dill Butter:
While the bread is rising, stir two tablespoons of dill into six tablespoons of melted butter. Set aside.

Assemble the Monkey Bread:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll into 1-inch balls. (Pandel says his recipe makes 56 dough balls but I have never gotten that many. I get about 40, so I must make mine slightly bigger.)
  2. Roll each ball in the dill butter and place the balls in individual ramekins. I generally use 1-cup ramekins and place about 7-8 in each one. They will rise before baking and again in the oven, so don’t overfill your ramekins.
  3. Allow the monkey bread to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Brush the bread again with the dill butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, brushing twice throughout the baking with the remaining two tablespoons of melted butter. (Bread should feel very soft and springy when done.)
  4. Serve immediately. For parties, I place a small fork in each ramekin for guests to pluck out a few pieces each.