Happy Birthday to the Girl Child

How can the Girl Child be 19 years old? I just don't get what happened here. I'm pretty sure she turned twelve at her last birthday. Even the Hub explained that he didn't use 16 candles because there weren't enough green ones. (She doesn't like cake or pie so he stuck candles - one pink, six green -  in raspberry cheese danish pastries.) This is our last "kid at home" birthday; all our babies are grown-up. Where did the time go?

Applebee's style Penne Alfredo
serves 6

Layer in 9x13 pan sprayed with PAM:
16 oz Penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
15 oz jar Alfredo sauce (or two)
*Cooked Chicken

 Heat thoroughly in oven.
Serve topped with **bruschetta and  shredded Italian cheeses

* Marinate 2 or 3 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts in 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing for 30 minutes. Grill, then cut in strips. OR cut Chicken breasts in to bite sized chunks before marinating. Saute until cooked through.

** Bruschetta: Combine 3 Diced tomatoes, 1T dried sweet basil, 3 minced garlic cloves. 

Stuffed Zucchini

I haven't cooked in so long I wondered if I still could. But I did, not just once, but two days in a row. Tonight's Stuffed Zucchini 2 turned out de-lish. I'm blogging it so I remember to make it again. The review from DS3 was "Surprisingly good for what it had in it."

**********************

Stuffed Zucchinni 2


1 med Zucchini cut in bite sized chunks, blanched
2 cups cooked Spaghetti squash (or whatever amount you have left over from a previous meal, this kept the cheese from disappearing into the zucchini creating a super tasty cheese layer without gobs of cheese.)
Salt/Pepper if you want
1 cup shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste, I used a couple tablespoons.
Tomato sliced thick
1 box Stove Top stuffing, prepared according to package.

 Layer in a buttered 2 quart casserole. Bake at 400 about 30 minutes or until hot through and crispy on top.

*************************

If you wonder what Stuffed Zucchini 1 is, it just the Zucchini and Stuffing prepared the same way.

Oreo Truffles

For a while now, I've wanted to try my hand at cake pops. I even bought all the ingredients, right down to a cake pop stand. But I could never envision how to dip them in the chocolate coating to make them work. Then last night the girl child decided to make Oreo Truffles to share at the "last day party" for our boss. It seemed like a harmless venture to her, since she has never shown an interest in anything culinary. So off she went to buy the ingredients. She crushed the Oreos, mixed in the cream cheese, formed the little black balls and was ready to dip. I took the job of melting the chocolate. After it turned into a solid blob of yuckiness I got on the interweb and read "how to melt chocolate for dipping". I had done it too fast and too hot so I added vegetable oil to thin it down enough to smear it around on the cookie balls. I was sure they would not solidify because of the amount of oil I added. An hour later, with Oreo crumbs covering every surface of the kitchen, we stuck the ugly little goo balls in the fridge and hoped they would set up enough to handle by morning. An overnight miracle turned them into a tasty, if not beautiful, treat.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator. 

from Allrecipes.com