This is an easy to freeze meal. We lost a family friend this week and I found myself making several tins of it to take to various homes. Not only is it easy to make, but it’s delicious and my kids and husband LOVE IT.

I was really excited to have 3 boxes of and find amazing recipes using all the Dei Fratelli products here.

Pepperoni Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked spaghetti (use whole wheat pasta for a healthier version)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 (1.2 lb) ground beef or ground turkey
2 ounces turkey pepperoni or regular pepperoni
1/2 cup mushrooms (or any other vegetable you like on your pizza)
1 (26 oz) Dei Fratelli Finely chopped tomatoes or any of your favorite jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8oz) packaged shredded mozzarella or Italian blend

This is a simple snack idea you can make and the kids will love. You can send it to school in their lunches or save it for an after school snack. We found this recipe over at Health.com via Pinterest.

Ingredients

1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup no-sugar-added creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup “measures-like-sugar” calorie-free sweetener
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
3/4 cup low-sugar strawberry spread

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat margarine and peanut butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sweetener and sugar, beating well. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl, stirring well. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating well.

Shape dough into 40 (1-inch) balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Flatten cookies into 2-inch circles using a flat-bottomed glass. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on pans; remove, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry spread on the bottom of each of 20 cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich cookie)

Photo: Oxmoor House

It’s summer time and popsicles are one of our favorite ways to cool down. Here are five of our favorite recipes for homemade popsicles. You can use molds (like the one in our picture) or you can use a paper cup and popsicle stick. Share your favorite popsicle recipes with us in the comments!

Fruit Juice Popsicles

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Popsicles

Sprite and Gummy Bears in a Popsicle (If you don’t want to use sprite, you could use coconut water.)

Fresh Fruit Pops

1. Add cut up fruit to popsicle mold
2. Fill in mold with Coconut water or Capri Sun
3. Freeze overnight or until solid

Jello Popsicles

1. Make jello according to the package directions.
2. Pour into popsicle molds & place popsicle sticks on top.
3. Freeze for about 8-12 hours or until solid.

We found this fun and simple breakfast idea on Pinterest and just had to share it with you. How fun is this recipe for a bright and colorful breakfast?

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Fruity Pebbles

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
Mix the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until all are combined.
Fold in the Fruity Pebbles.
Bake at 400 F 10-14 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden brown.

Originally posted over at The Pinning Mama.

I love this fast and easy Pampered Chef salad recipe that I use all the time for parties and family events!

I made this salad just today for a baby shower and it was a big hit!

Dressing
1 lemon
2 tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar
1/3 cup (75 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 tsp (5 mL) poppy seeds

Salad
1/2 medium cucumber
1/4 small red onion
1 bag (6 oz/175 g) fresh baby spinach leaves (about 4 cups/1 L)
8 oz (250 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 cup (50 mL) sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
For dressing, zest lemon to measure 1/2 tsp (2 mL). Juice lemon to measure 2 tbsp (30 mL). Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds in small mixing bowl; whisk until well blended.
Score cucumber lengthwise; remove seeds using The Corer^TM. Using Simple Slicer on #2 setting, slice cucumber and onion. Cut cucumber slices in half.
Place spinach in large serving bowl. Add cucumber, onion, strawberries and dressing; toss gently. Sprinkle with almonds and serve immediately.
Yield: 10 servings

Nutrients per serving: (1 cup/250 mL): Calories 70, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 30 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 1 g

Interested in Pampered Chef products? Email Cooking Mom Ann-Marie or check out her website by clicking HERE.

Did you know? Approximately $700 million in pies (approx. 186 million units) are sold in grocery stores every year. This does not include restaurants, food service or price clubs, only grocery stores. Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623. 90% Americans believe a slice of pie represents one of the simple pleasures in life. Plus, February is National Pie Month! To help you celebrate National Pie Month here is an amazing recipe from Wholly Wholesome!

Filling
6 medium sized apples (WeI like Granny Smith)
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Tbs corn starch
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp nutmeg

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice apples, toss with the dry ingredients until evenly coated, and sugar mixture is moistened from apples. Pack apple mixture evenly into a Wholly Wholesome 9″ pie shell. The apples will be piled high, but will cook down some in the oven. Finish with crumb topping.

Crumb Topping
1/3 C light brown sugar
1/3 C all purpose flour
1/3 C rolled oats
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 C unsalted butter

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. You can cut in butter with a fork or a pastry blender, or simply rub it in with your hands. Mix until butter is worked into the dry ingredients, it should look lumpy but dry. Smooth the crumb mixture over the apples.

Place pie on a sheet pan and bake in a 375° oven for about an hour (maybe a little longer). You will know the pie is done when juices bubbling out of it look thick, or a paring knife is easily inserted in the center and the apples are tender. The pie will sink down as it cools.

We found this awesome recipe on Pinterest for Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies. They are the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day and absolutely beautiful.

Yield: 10 giant cookies

Cook Time: 11-13 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the white chocolate drizzle:
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

1. To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

2. To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Note: if you are going to store the cookies for more than a day, you may want to keep them in the refrigerator. You can make the cookies smaller. Just use less dough and filling. You want to make sure you completely wrap the cookie dough around the filling before baking-so it doesn’t leak. Enjoy!

Click here for more Valentine’s Day treats on our Pinterest page.

This recipe is from BestFriendsforFrosting.com. Be sure to check them out!

Our weather is expected to turn very cold this week! Don’t miss this tasty and warm slow cooker soup, sure to warm up your family.

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup from the Food Network:

Ingredients
3 chicken thighs, skin removed
10-ounce can diced tomatoes
with green chiles
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
20 tortilla chips
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
Place the chicken, tomatoes (and juices), beans, broth, water, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and chili powder in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Uncover the slow cooker and use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred, then return the meat to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice. Crumble a few tortilla chips into each bowl and cover with some soup. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and grated cheese.